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The Tale of Two Snakes

There was a king called Devashakti who was very frustrated on his son, who was very lean and weak. He grew leaner and weaker every day.

Well-known physicians from far off places could not cure him, because there was a snake inside his stomach. They tried all sorts of treatments, but in vain.

The young prince was also frustrated to see his father sad for him, and he was fed-up with his life. One night, he crept outside the palace and went to another kingdom. He started living in a temple, and ate from whatever alms he collected from kind people.

This new country was ruled by a king, who had two young daughters. They were raised with the best of learning. Every morning they would bow at their father’s feet to seek his blessings.

One of the daughters said, “O Father, all joys of the world is bestowed upon us, with your blessings”, and the other daughter would say, “O King, one only gets the fruits that are destined for one’s actions!”.

The comments of the second daughter made the king very angry and one day, he summoned his ministers, “Let her enjoy the fruits that are destined for her actions! Take her and marry her off to anybody you meet outside the palace.”

The ministers did so, and were unable to find anybody when they saw the young prince who was living in the temple. The two were married.

The princess was a religious girl, and considered her husband as her God. She was very happy and content with the marriage. They decided to travel to a different part of the country, as it would be improper for them to make the temple as their home.

On the way, the prince became tired and wanted to rest under the shade of a tree. He was getting weaker every day, and could not walk long distances. The princess decided to buy some food from a nearby market.

When she returned, she saw her husband fast asleep and a snake emerging from an anthill nearby. As she was about to caution, she saw another snake emerging from her husband’s mouth. She hid herself, to keep a watch.

The snake from the anthill said to the other snake, “Why do you torture this handsome prince? You risk your own life, too. If the prince drinks soup of cumin seeds and mustard, you would die for sure!”

The snake from the prince’s mouth said, “Why do you guard two pots of gold which you do not have any need of? You risk your life, too. If someone pours hot water and oil on the anthill, you would die for sure!”

After a heated argument, they went inside their respective places, but the princess had already known their secrets.

She acted accordingly and fed her husband with a soup of cumin seeds and mustard. Within hours, the young prince began to recover and regained much strength. After that, they poured hot water and oil on the anthill, and dug out the two pots of gold that the snake was guarding.

Now, that the young prince had started recovering, and they had two pot full of gold, they lived happily ever after.

Moral: When your enemies quarrel, you are the winner.

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