The Mouse Maid Made Mouse 6f3s29

This story is part of the Panchatantra unit. Story source: The Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma, translated by Arthur W. Ryder (1925). Mouse-Maid Made Mouse The billows of the Ganges were dotted with pearly foam born of the leaping of fishes frightened at hearing the roar of the waters that broke on the rugged, rocky shore. On the bank was a hermitage crowded with holy men devoting their time to the performance of sacred rites — chanting, self-denial, self-torture, study, fasting, and sacrifice. They would take purified water only, and that in measured sips. Their bodies wasted under a diet of bulbs, roots, fruits, and moss. A loin-cloth made of bark formed their scanty raiment. The father of the hermitage was named Yajnavalkya. After he had bathed in the sacred stream and had begun to rinse his mouth, a little female mouse dropped from a hawk's beak and fell into his hand. When he saw what she was, he laid her on a banyan leaf, repeated his bath and mouth-rinsing, and performed a ceremony of purification. Then through the magic power of his holiness, he changed her into a girl, and took her with him to his hermitage. As his wife was childless, he said to her: "Take her, my dear wife. She has come into life as your daughter, and you must rear her carefully." So the wife reared her and spoiled her with petting. As soon as the girl reached the age of twelve, the mother saw that she was ready for marriage, and said to her husband: "My dear husband, how can you fail to see that the time is ing

when your daughter should marry?" And he replied: "You are quite right, my dear. The saying goes: Before a man is gratified, These gods must treat her as a bride The fire, the moon, the choir of heaven; In this way, no offense is given. Holiness is the gift of fire; A sweet voice, of the heavenly choir; The moon gives purity within: So is a woman free from sin. Before nubility, it's said That she is white; but after, red; Before her womanhood is plain, She is, though naked, free from stain. The moon, in mystic fashion, weds A maiden when her beauty spreads; The heavenly choir, when bosoms grow; The fire, upon the monthly flow. To wed a maid is therefore good Before developed womanhood; Nor need the loving parents wait Beyond the early age of eight. The early signs one kinsman slay; The bosom takes the next away; Friends die for ion gratified; The father, if she never be bride.

For if she bides a maiden still, She gives herself to whom she will; Then marry her in tender age: So warns the heaven-begotten sage. If she, unwed, unpurified, Too long within the home abide, She may no longer married be: A miserable spinster, she. A father then, avoiding sin, Weds her, the appointed time within (Wherever a husband may be had) To good, indifferent, or bad. Now I will try to give her to one of her own station. You know the saying: Where wealth is very much the same, And similar the family fame, Marriage (or friendship) is secure; But not between the rich and poor. And finally: Aim at seven things in marriage; All the rest you may disparage: "But Get money, good looks, And knowledge of books, Good family, youth, Position, and truth.

"So, if she is willing, I will summon the blessèd sun, and give her to him." "I see no harm in that," said his wife. "Let it be done." The holy man therefore summoned the sun, who appeared without delay, and said: "Holy sir, why am I summoned?" The father said: "Here is a daughter of mine. Be kind enough to marry her." Then, turning to his daughter, he said: "Little girl, how do you like him, this blessèd lamp of the three worlds?" "No, father," said the girl. "He is too burning hot. I could not like him. Please summon another one, more excellent than he is." Upon hearing this, the holy man said to the sun: "Blessed one, is there any superior to you?" And the sun replied: "Yes, the cloud is superior even to me. When he covers me, I disappear." So the holy man summoned the cloud next, and said to the maiden: "Little girl, I will give you to him." "No," said she. "This one is black and frigid. Give me to someone finer than he." Then the holy man asked: "O cloud, is there anyone superior to you?" And the cloud replied: "The wind is superior even to me."

So he summoned the wind, and said: "Little girl, I give you to him." "Father," said she, "this one is too fidgety. Please invite somebody superior even to him." So the holy man said: "O wind, is there anyone superior even to you?" "Yes," said the wind. "The mountain is superior to me." So he summoned the mountain and said to the maiden: "Little girl, I give you to him." "Oh, father," said she. "He is rough all over, and stiff. Please give me to somebody else." So the holy man asked: "O kingly mountain, is there anyone superior even to you?" "Yes," said the mountain. "Mice are superior to me." Then the holy man summoned a mouse, and presented him to the girl, saying: "Little girl, do you like this mouse?" The moment she saw him, she felt: "My own kind, my own kind," and her body thrilled and quivered, and she said: "Father dear, turn me into a mouse, and give me to him. Then I can keep house as my kind of people ought to do." And her father, through the magic power of his holiness, turned her into a mouse, and gave her to him.

Panchatantra THE MOUSE –MAID MADE MOUSE Though mountain sun, and cloud and wind Were suitors at her feet, The mouse – maid turned a mouse againNature is hard to beat Below the verdant slopes of the Himalayan mountain was a hermitage. In it lived rishi Sandop and his wife. Rishi Sandop was a learned scholar. With his many years of `tapsya’ he had acquired numerous powers, which could be wielded in this world and in other worlds. However he was a peace loving and benevolent sage rarely given to temper and lived a peaceful life with his wife Malini. The couple though blessed and happy had one grief close to their bosom, they did not have any child to fondle, love and bring up with care. One day rishi sandop was out to take his morning bath in the rippling mountain stream near by, a tributary of river Ganges. He dipped himself in the cool refreshing water and taking a handful of water and was about to offer his prayers to rising Sun God; all of a sudden a small mouse fell in to his hand. The mouse, which was caught as a prey by a hawk had slipped from its beak and fell in to the hands of the rishi, a small female mouse it was, and it squeaked and cried for its dear life. The calm and comionate eyes of the rishi fell on the struggling mouse, he was moved with pity. He laid it gently on a plantain leaf and caressed it gently and just on a whim moved by the state of the little mouse he converted it into a small female child with the vast powers of his `tapasya’. He than took it home to his wife Malini, laid the child on her hands and told her `Dear, I found her on the bathing ghat, The child will be a boon to our childless state, hence consider her from now as your own child and bring her with care and love. The pious wife of the rishi, Malini was highly pleased with this gift. She took the child in with great adoration and brought her up with lot of care and love. They named her Pushpika. The child nurtured so grew up in to a lovely girl with curly hair, almond eyes, springy gait. She used to frolick around all over the hermitage while her mother looked at her indulgently. She was given the best of food and taught by the learned parents all that has to be taught to a young growing girl child. As she reached the age of fourteen and was in the threshold of her youth, looking attractive and bewitching, her mother Malini started getting anxious about her future. She approached the rishi Sandop, her lord and master who was always immersed in prayers and meditation and spoke thus `My lord, have you seen of late our dear Pushpika, hasn’t she come to age? I

think it is the right time to give her hand to a suitable groom, so that she can start leading a life fit for her age and youth’. Rishi contemplated on his wife’s statement, his eyes fell on his dear daughter who though hearing the discussion of her parents was demurely plucking flowers for pooja in a basket and trying to hide cheeks which had turned crimson with shyness and excitement as she knew her parents were talking about her marriage. The state of affairs was not hidden now from Rishi Sandop. He told his wife and `ardaghini’ ` Yes my dear you are correct. it is time indeed we look for a suitable groom for our daughter’ So saying rishi Sandop with his mystic powers of addressing heaven and earth called the Lord of the sky the Sun God and and told `Lord of the three worlds the bright and brilliant Sun, my daughter Pushpika has come to age, I am looking for a suitable groom for her, will you like to take her in your hand’, he than turned to his daughter ` My dear will you like to accept this most brilliant excellent groom, the Lord of the three worlds as your husband’. Pushpika on hearing this was all of a sudden awakened of her latent instincts, she with her original instincts of a mouse sect, shunned the very brilliance of Sun and told `Father, I would like to marry some one who can subdue the brilliance of the Sun, please excuse me on this’ Rishi Sandop turned to the lord Sun and asked him `Can you name any one who is superior to you and bring down your brilliance’ `Yes, of course, the all pervading clouds can any time will bring down my brilliance, in that way I think the clouds are superior to me’ On hearing this risihi summoned the ever-powerful ing clouds, which change the face of the earth with their movements `Oh! The ever moving clouds, sometimes dense and laden, some times light and fluffy taking all the hues of the rainbow, are you willing to accept my pretty daughter as your wife’ `But father these clouds are dark and frigid, I don’t fancy them as my husband, please get me some one who can conquer these clouds’ cried Pushpika The rishi than asked the clouds `Pray, can you tell me any one superior to you’ `Yes learned sage, the swift winds are superior to us, they drive us hither and thither as per their will and move us from place to place, we are just puppets in the hands of Lord Vayu’

The rishi than called the fast moving winds and told `Oh! Mighty winds your gait is faster than the fastest moving things in the earth, you can reach the heaven and earth and any corner of the globe in speeds as fast as the mind, would you like to accept this pretty maiden and my daughter as your wife’ On hearing this Pushpika told `Father, no doubt the wind is swift but it is also shifty and never steady, I would like to marry some one who can stop the winds in his track and superior to him’ The rishi than asked the winds `Can you tell me the swift winds, is their any one more superior to you? `Yes the learned one, the mighty and formidable mountains are superior to us, they stop us on the track and do not allow us go beyond their domain’ Then the Maharishi called the mountains and told ` The mighty mountains so tall you are that you touch the skies and so strong you are nor the Sun, nor the wind or the clouds can move you from your appointed place, Will you marry this pretty maiden for whom I am searching a suitable groom’ On hearing him Pushpika came closer to her father and opined in his ears ` Father, though he is mighty, he is rough and stiff, I will like to marry some one who can conquer his stiffness’ The rishi than turned to the mountains and asked `pray can you think of any one who is really stronger than you?’ The mountains pondered on this and told` Yes, the learned Maharishi, the mice though small is mightier than us, as it digs and dwells with in us, making tunnels and ages in our interiors’ On hearing this rishi summoned the nubile and quick-witted King Mooshika `Oh! Mooshika though small in size, I find you are blessed with ingenuity, movement and quick wit to survive. You conquer the mighty mountains, caves and dwellings of people both rich and poor. You can survive in wealth and penury, you can stay in mighty mountains and lowly gutters, thus you are the true conqueror of different worlds. Will you give your prince to marry my dear daughter Pushpika for whom I am searching for a suitable bride’ On seeing the mouse the pretty maiden clapped her hands with glee, blushed crimson pink and ran to her father `Father dear, I will be most happy to marry this handsome and

intelligent prince Mooshika, however please convert me into a mouse so that I will be a fitting match to him’ The rishi ed his deed fourteen years back when he had converted the mouse to a maiden, Indeed `Nature is hard to beat’, so thinking the rishi with his holy powers converted the pretty maiden back to mouse and gave her to the most suitable groom prince Mooshika’ The bride and the groom married ran away happily from the hermitage to lead their life with their own kind.