Once upon a time, in a forest lived an accomplished sage, a highly revered rishi. His austerities were profound. Each morning, he would bathe in the river, then sit on a stone beside the riverbank to meditate. Near his hermitage lived his wife. One day, a peculiar event transpired. As he finished his meditation and was about to offer obeisance to the divine, a tiny mouse suddenly fell into his hands. A hawk, soaring through the sky with the mouse clutched in its talons, had, by chance, dropped it.
The rishi saw the trembling mouse, fearing for its life. The rishi and his wife had no children. His wife had often expressed a longing for a child, but the rishi knew her destiny did not include children. He wished to avoid causing her pain by revealing this truth. He constantly sought a way to alleviate her sorrow. Compassion welled up in the rishi's heart for the small mouse. Closing his eyes, he recited a mantra and, drawing upon his spiritual powers, transformed the mouse into a human child. He brought the girl home and said to his wife, "Beloved, you have always desired a child. Know that the divine has heard your prayers and sent you this child. Raise her as your own daughter."
The Wife's Joy
The rishi's wife, overjoyed at the sight of the child, took her into her arms and kissed her. "How lovely a child! My own child! I will raise her as my daughter." Thus, the mouse, now a human child, grew up in the rishi's family. The wife cared for her as a loving mother, and named her Kanta. The rishi, too, embraced her with paternal affection. Over time, they forgot that their daughter had once been a mouse. The mother was consumed by her daughter's love, spending her days and nights feeding and playing with her.
The rishi rejoiced to see his wife's happiness, relieved that her sorrow over not having children had vanished. In due course, he imparted knowledge and wisdom to Kanta. Time flew by. Kanta grew into a beautiful, well-behaved, and accomplished sixteen-year-old maiden. The mother began to worry about her daughter's marriage. One day, she said to the rishi, "Listen, our daughter Kanta is marriageable now. We must arrange her marriage." At that moment, Kanta arrived. Her hair adorned with flowers, her youthful radiance shining through, the rishi understood his wife's concern. He whispered to his wife, "I will find the best possible groom for my daughter."
Invocation of the Sun God
The rishi invoked the Sun God with his spiritual power. The Sun God appeared and said, "Greetings, revered sage. Why have you summoned me? What is your command?" The rishi pointed towards Kanta and said, "This is my daughter. She possesses all virtues. I wish you to marry her." Kanta then spoke, "Father, you are too radiant. My eyes are dazzled. How can I marry you? I will never be able to come near you, nor will I ever be able to see you." The rishi patted Kanta's back and said, "Alright. Let us look for another suitable groom." The Sun God replied, "Sage, clouds are superior to me. They cover me as well. Speak to them."
At the rishi's call, the clouds, thundering and flashing with lightning, appeared. As soon as she saw the clouds, Kanta protested, "Father, they are so dark. My complexion is fair. We will not be a good match." The rishi asked the clouds, "Who is superior to you?" The cloud replied, "The wind. It carries me as well. I am but a servant of the wind." The rishi summoned the wind god. When the wind god appeared, the rishi asked Kanta, "Daughter, do you find this groom acceptable?" Kanta shook her head, "No, father! He is too fickle. He cannot stay in one place. How can such a marriage be stable?" The rishi's wife added, "We will not give our daughter to the wind god. The groom must be someone we can see with our own eyes."
The Rishi Speaks to the Wind God
The rishi asked the wind god, "Who is superior to you?" The wind god said, "Sage, the mountain is superior to me. It obstructs my path." At the rishi's call, the mountain king appeared and said, "Revered sage, why have you summoned me?" The rishi explained the situation. The mountain king asked, "Do you find me suitable for your daughter?" Kanta said, "Oh! He is just a stone. His heart will also be made of stone." The rishi asked the mountain king for someone even better, and the mountain king replied, "Even a mouse is superior to me. It makes holes in me and dwells within."
As soon as the mountain king said this, a mouse scurried out from behind him. At the sight of the mouse, Kanta exclaimed with joy, "Father, father! I like this mouse very much. Marry me to him. I find his ears and tail very charming. This is the groom I want." The rishi, through his powers, had transformed a mouse into a human, but its heart remained that of a mouse. The rishi then transformed Kanta back into a mouse and married her to the mouse, sending them on their way.
Lesson
This story teaches us that the nature of a being remains consistent with the form in which it is born. One cannot change a person's inherent nature through artificial means.
