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| Sunday, 16 January 2005 |
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Sunday parable The mouse maid by Sunanda Mahendra In the once upon a time kingdom, there lived a hermit, who performed various types of magical rituals. Before becoming a hermit he was married to a woman who was childless.
It so happened that one day, while he was performing his rites on the bank of a river, a tiny little mouse dropped from the sky as a hawk was taking it as prey. The hermit took the mouse into his hand and found that the tiny creature was an innocent she-mouse, in search of its parents. "Don't be worried I am going to look after you as one of my children.", said the hermit taking the mouse into his hand. Then, by his magical powers he transformed the tiny little creature to a beautiful little girl. "This is our child, the daughter I promised to get you one day.", he told his wife. Then she clasped the child and fondled her and breast fed her. "See that you look after this daughter like your own.", said the hermit handing over the infant to his wife. But the hermit never ever revealed how he got the little girl, thinking that his powers would be lost. "From where did you get this girl?", asked the wife. "She is divine and that is all I have to say. Look after her well." The little infant grew up to be a beautiful little maid. "Our little daughter has grown up and is of marriageable age.", said the hermit's wife one day, walking down the riverbank approaching the hermitage. "Ask her whether she wants to get married.", said the hermit. "Yes I know she wants to get married to the most skillful prince in the world." The daughter too came to see the hermit. "Do you like to get married to the god of the sun or hiru deviyo?" asked the hermit. "I want to see him and gauge the intensity." Through his magical powers, the hermit made the sun god come down to see the beautiful princess. When the sun god went back, the hermit asked. "Do you like the sun god as your marriage partner?" "I am sorry I don't like him." said the princess. "Why?" "He is too hot and changes his moods and sometimes harms others." "Do you like to meet the moon god or sanda deviyo?" "I don't mind." Then the hermit summoned the moon god. When the sanda deviyo went back, the hermit once again asked the same 'question. "Do you like him?" "No I don't like him." "Why?" "He is not bad but he too has some strange habits of constantly changing his manners as such I need someone much more powerful than the sanda deviyo." So the hermit asked the sanda deviyo, whether there was anybody known to him much more powerful than him. "Yes certainly the cloud god or valahaka deviyo is much more powerful than me as he can cover me and put me in darkness." Then the hermit, through his magical powers summoned the cloud god and asked the daughter to talk to him. "What do you think of him?" asked the hermit. "He is alright, but he also has some strange habits because he makes me feel dull and hazy, dark and gloomy." So the hermit was once again put into an uneasy position. "So do you want to select someone superior to this one?" asked the hermit. "Yes certainly my dear father." said the young girl. So the hermit asked the valahaka deviyo as to whether there was someone, superior to him. "Yes certainly the wind god or the vayu deviyo is superior to me in certain aspects, as I have to pay homage to him while passing by." Then through the magical powers, the hermit summoned the wind god to meet his daughter. The daughter was not quite satisfied with the wind god. "What have you got to say now?" asked the tired hermit. "Oh the wind god is terrible because he can make much more disasters than anybody else. I don't think that I can live a happy life with him." "Alright I will ask the wind god whether there is anybody superior to him." Wind was frank and said: "The mountain god or kande deviyo is superior in many ways to me as he is unshaken by my blow so I have to pay homage to him." "I will summon kande deviyo and let me know without much delay what you have to say about him." The daughter looked at the kande deviyo for sometime and fell into a pensive mood. The hermit asked the daughter as to what she has to say about the kande deviyo. "Dear father you have been troubled too much on account of me but I must say that the mountain god is too stubborn a partner for an innocent girl like me. I don't want to hurt your feelings." "Anyway I will ask him whether there is one creature who is superior to him." When asked, the mountain god said, "I must tell you that the mouse is superior to me as he can bring disaster by digging holes." Right at that moment a mouse appeared. "Oh what a nice one this is, I feel that this is indeed the most fitting partner for me." said the young girl looking rather happy. "But the marriage has to be arranged properly to suit both parties." Said the hermit. "Oh father," said the daughter "Oh my own kind, my own kind mouse dear." Her body thrilled and quavered and a vein of temptation flowed within her. "Father I love him, he is the most fitting partner." The hermit through his magical powers transformed her into a mouse. "Where is my little darling daughter?" asked the wife of the hermit. "She went in search of her own kind." said the hermit. |
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"Don't be worried I will get you a child one day.", said the
hermit to his wife.
