He was a poor young man of a small village who one day, amidst the bright sun of an open summer day, moved towards the busy city in search of work. He had nothing left behind in the village, only hope of earning in the city gave him the spine to move on. Then he did not know how he came and got lost without recalling the way back. As he wandered about, Sarvesh chanced upon a grand palace, one so beautiful that it seemed that stones that were as hard as the skin of an elephant had been used. He became curious and ventured deeper into the palace. There, he found people watching the king. He approached the king and told him that he was lost and did not have any transport back home.

The wise but stern king said, "I shall help you, but first you must complete twelve tasks. If you complete them I shall point out the passage through which you may return to your country."

Sarvesh, desperate for help, agreed to take on the challenge. Little did he know that the tasks ahead would test him beyond anything he had ever imagined.

The first quest: The Lion Lord

First was the ferocious lion that roamed the forests next to the palace and was killing people; Sarvesh, despite all the warnings given through people, boldly entered the lion's den, killing, with the help of his guile and bravado, the lion, and skinning it, and returned to the palace, where he entered the palace with the lion's hide on him.

Assignment Two: The Slithering Snake

His next job was being a poisonous, five-headed snake. During the battle with this creature, Sarvesh managed to cut off one head, but, to his incredible astonishment, two more heads started popping out. After a long wrestle with his opponent, Sarvesh kills the snake and emerges victorious. He dipped his arrows into its poisonous blood, which would come in use later while doing other jobs.

The third assignment is The Deadly Deer.

The third task was to take or capture a giant deer that everybody had told he would not be able to handle. This deer was said to be very influential and could outrun any of the long-runners. Sarvesh tracked this deer for days with his sharp instincts and patience and eventually took him down and killed him, thus performing the task.

The Big Black Bull, the Fourth Mission

There was that particular black bull boasting of firm bones and a solid neck. Such a bull boasted of being thirty-four times stronger than a human. Sarvesh hunted the bull, whereby he trailed him through forests and across plains with his patience on to his heels. Finally, with a combination of skill and perseverance, he brought down the massive bull.

Task Five: The Cow Manure

The strangest perhaps was the fifth one: he was told to remove all the accumulated faeces of cows which had been allowed to lie unattended for thirty years. That seemed quite impossible, but Sarvesh thought fast on his feet and found a near-by river where he diverted its flow in order to wash away the waste leaving the area spotless.

The Venomous Birds The Sixth Assignment End

Sixth, he killed a flock of poisonous birds whose wings were made of sharp metal. He took these venomous arrows and shot one after another with the precision of a hitman. And with that task, too, he made his way down one after another.

The Seventh Task: The Strange Ox

For the seventh task, Sarvesh again had to catch a powerful bull. This bull was even evasiver than what he had dealt with the first time; actually, he was mostly notorious for his unpredictable nature. Sarvesh roped him and let him loose in the dense forest, which would be able to cage the bull safely.

The Eighth Task: The Bad King

The eighth was to defeat an atrocious and tyrannical king who ruled by fear and violence. Sarvesh was cast into the den of such a king who possessed the horse that kills any violator. However, Sarvesh himself was also very astute. This horse he roped with a rope around the bad king's neck and pulled him down and let the horse complete the task of killing the king. Mission achieved. The Ninth Task: The Ashmitha Girdle

The ninth mission was for Sarvesh to retrieve the queen belt of Queen Ashmitha. 

She was initially okay with giving it to him, but her advisors were against it. Now, he was afraid of being cheated on, so he fought and killed Queen Ashmitha and took the belt for himself.

The Tenth Task: 

The Cattle of Thor It had to battle Thor's cattle, since this giant was known for his power. However though he is goliath and terrible with an iron fist, Sarvesh outwitted him to take control of his cattle. Amazing Apples The Eleventh Task The eleventh task was to fetch apples from the distant African continent. Sarvesh could not go so far. So, he sought help from Atlas and requested him to bring apples on his shoulder back. The condition was put by Atlas that "I would have to hold up my sky in your place." And Sarvesh agreed to that and sat patiently till Atlas brought the apples back. Presenting before the king was the thirteenth done. The Twelfth Task: The Three-Headed Dog The final challenge was the toughest among them: kill three-headed dog, so called the Dod. The heads are the personification of each shape of time: the past, the present, and the future. Sarvesh stood up again to this beast and outwitted him with his arrows and wits. After all the twelve tasks, Sarvesh presented himself before the king to await the promised aid for going home. But the king proved as ingratitude itself as ever was: "You have succeeded well, but I shall not help you. You are free to go, and your journey ends here." Sarvesh was dejected but succeeded in returning to his motherland village in a few days. He told everything and all challenges faced him to his parents. Devised to force the king to repent without any benefits, Sarvesh shifted back to the palace. There, he challenged the king for the final round by the pond itself. With a clever revenge plan, Sarvesh pushed the king into the water where the latter drowned. When he left, Sarvesh was elected as the new king. He was so wise, kind, and fair that people were satisfied with him. And all these dozen lessons did not let him forget his parents, and he lived blissfully with them.

.    .    .