Story of Two Snakes
Once upon a time there was a king named
Devasakti. He had a son who was very weakened growing weaker by the day. It
was found that he had a snake in his stomach. Experts, physicians and
surgeons tried to nurse him back to health without success. Dejected, the
son left his palace one night and took shelter in a lonely and dilapidated
temple in another town ruled by a monarch called Bali. Every day, the son
would go out to beg and return to the temple in the night.
King Bali had two daughters who came of
age. Following a tradition, the two daughters would get up every dawn and
touch the feet of their father in reverence.
One day, after paying respects to the
king one of his daughters said, “Victory to the king. We are happy in every
way.”
The second daughter said, “O king, reap
the harvest of your actions.”
The king, very angry at the words of the
second daughter, called his ministers and told them, “Take this foul-mouthed
woman away and marry her off to some stranger. Let her reap the consequences
of her actions.”
In compliance with the orders of the
king, the ministers took her away and married her without pomp or ceremony
to Devasakti’s son living in the old temple. The daughter considered the
king’s son as God’s gift and after persuading him, left for another country.
The princess and the son of Devasakti
reached a city where they camped close to a lake. She asked her husband to
take care of the camp and went into the city with her maids to buy daily
needs like rice, salt, butter oil and vegetables. After shopping, she
returned to the lake where she saw a surprising spectacle.
The prince was sleeping, resting his head
on an anthill. The serpent in his stomach came out to breathe fresh air.
Then another serpent emerged from the anthill for the same reason. Both of
them glared at each other.
The anthill inmate said, “You wicked
creature, why do you torment such a handsome prince.”
The other serpent retorted, “Why are you
polluting the two golden urns in your hole.”
Thus in their row, they revealed the
secrets of each other.
The serpent in the anthill told the other
serpent, “Don’t be arrogant. Who does not know the secret of your death? If
the prince drinks a concoction made of gruel and mustard you will die
unsung.”
“Oh, is that so? You will also perish if
someone pours hot oil or hot water in your anthill. Don’t be too proud,”
said the serpent in the prince’s stomach.
The princess, who heard all that passed
between the two serpents, poured hot oil into the anthill and took the two
golden urns and gave the mustard concoction to her husband and killed the
serpent inside his stomach. Both Divyasakti’s son and his daughter-in-law
returned to his kingdom and lived happily ever after.
Moral of
the Story :
Where there is no co-operation, people will perish. |