After the story of Jainus Sanam, Shahrazad began narrating the tale of the King of Haernagar to the caliph.
Shahrazad explained that the King of Haernagar was content with his life but saddened by the fact that he had no children. Despite having fifty wives, none had borne him a child. Distressed by this, the king would pray fervently to God for a child. One night, he dreamt that someone told him to visit the garden of his gardener and eat a pomegranate. This, he was told, would bless him with offspring.
Following the advice, the king went to the gardener the next morning and requested a pomegranate. Without hesitation, the gardener offered him one. The king ate the pomegranate, and as a result, all his fifty queens became pregnant.
However, after a few months, only forty-nine queens gave birth to healthy children. The fiftieth queen, Piroj, did not conceive. Outraged by this, the king ordered her execution.
His minister intervened, suggesting that perhaps Piroj was pregnant, but the signs were not yet visible. The king, unwilling to kill his wife without certainty, agreed to send her away instead. He wrote a letter to his nephew, Sumer, who lived in the city of Samaria, instructing him to take care of Piroj and the unborn child if she indeed conceived.
Nine months later, Sumer wrote back to the king, informing him that Piroj had given birth to a son named Khudadad. The king, pleased with the news, instructed Sumer to raise Khudadad with care and provide him with a good education.
Khudadad grew up to be a strong and capable young man, skilled in horsemanship and archery. One day, he learned about an impending attack on his father’s kingdom, Haernagar. Despite his mother’s reluctance, Khudadad decided to go and defend the kingdom.
His mother warned him to wait until he received a summons from his father before venturing into the kingdom. Khudadad hesitated for a while but eventually could not resist the call to protect his father’s realm. The story continued with Khudadad preparing to embark on his journey to Haernagar.
One day, expressing his intention to go hunting, Khudadad bid farewell to his mother and set out for Haernagar. Upon reaching the king’s court, Khudadad did not reveal his true identity. He claimed to be a wanderer from Cairo and expressed his willingness to help the kingdom, which he had heard was under threat from enemies.
The king was pleased with Khudadad’s offer and, after testing his skills, appointed him as the highest officer in the army. Khudadad, now an officer, trained the entire army, making them formidable against the approaching enemies. The king, impressed with Khudadad’s abilities, also instructed him to educate his own sons.
Khudadad conducted daily assessments of the princes. As time passed, the jealousy among the princes grew. They plotted to send Khudadad on a hunting expedition, suggesting that they would not return. When the king learned that all his sons were missing, he would order Khudadad’s execution. The plan appealed to the princes, and they executed it as intended.
A few days later, one of the princes suggested that they inquire with Khudadad about the success of the hunting trip. The king, not having seen his sons for three days, asked Khudadad about their whereabouts. Khudadad informed the king that the princes had gone for a hunt, promising not to return until they succeeded.
After three days had passed, the king, furious and anxious, warned Khudadad that if his sons did not return safely, he would have him killed. Distressed, Khudadad set out to find the missing princes. He searched far and wide but could not locate them. Finally, he reached a dense jungle.
In the midst of the jungle, he found a cave. Inside the cave was a girl who questioned him about his presence. She warned him about the cave, explaining that it belonged to a demon who roamed in human form, capturing people and keeping them imprisoned. When hungry, the demon would devour one of the captives. She advised Khudadad to leave, or else the demon would capture him too.
Upon hearing this, Khudadad asked the girl about her situation. She revealed that she had also been captured by the demon, who wanted to make her his wife.
Jainussanam listened intently to her tale when suddenly the demon, in human form, appeared. Towering and armed with a long sword, he attacked Jainussanam while conversing with the girl. Somehow, Jainussanam managed to evade the demon’s attack. In retaliation, Jainussanam struck the demon’s leg with a sword he had nearby. As the demon stumbled, Jainussanam dealt a fatal blow, causing the demon’s demise.
After the demon’s death, the girl informed Jainussanam that she possessed a bunch of keys. She urged him to open her door first and then release the others as well. Jainussanam followed her advice. Upon unlocking the largest chamber, he found over a hundred captives. After releasing everyone, Jainussanam discovered that 49 of them were his own brothers.
Jainussanam warmly embraced all his brothers and arranged for a feast to celebrate their reunion. He also provided food to the other prisoners and returned their stolen belongings, recovered from the demon’s loot. With everyone freed, they began their journey back home. As Jainussanam, along with his 49 brothers, headed towards Haernagar, they encountered the girl once again.
Jainussanam inquired about her intentions and suggested that they could take her to Haernagar and provide her shelter. The girl revealed that she was the daughter of the king of Dariyabar, residing near the island of Kahirah. She expressed gratitude for Jainussanam saving her life but lamented her unfortunate circumstances. A man had killed her father and seized their entire kingdom. To escape the assailant, she fled towards the jungle and was subsequently captured by the demon.
Hearing her plight, Khudadad and the princes expressed their sympathy. Afterward, the princess, sitting there, began narrating her story to everyone. To know the continuation of the story, read the second part.
