An ascetic lived in a forest. He was a highly accomplished sage, possessing immense spiritual power derived from his penance. Every morning, he would come to the river to bathe; thereafter, he would take his seat upon a stone on the riverbank and engage in deep meditation. His humble cottage, where his wife also resided, stood nearby.
One day, a peculiar incident occurred. Having concluded his penance and offered his obeisance to the Divine, the sage had just opened his hands when a tiny little mouse fell right into them. In reality, a kite had been soaring through the sky with the mouse clutched in its talons, and by sheer coincidence, the mouse had slipped free and tumbled down. The sage looked at the little creature, which was trembling uncontrollably with the fear of death.
The sage and his wife were childless. On many occasions, his wife had expressed her deep longing for a child, and the sage would always offer her words of comfort. The sage knew that it was not written in his wife's destiny to experience the joy of motherhood—the bliss of giving birth to a child from her own womb. While the decrees of fate cannot be altered, he did not wish to break his wife's heart by verbally revealing this harsh truth to her. He also constantly pondered how he might remedy this void in his wife's life.
The sage felt a deep sense of compassion for the little mouse. Closing his eyes, he recited a sacred mantra and, harnessing the power of his penance, transformed the mouse into a human infant—a baby girl. Carrying the child in his arms, he returned home and spoke to his wife: "My beloved, you have always yearned for a child. Consider this a sign that the Divine has heard your prayers and has sent this little one to us. Cherish her as your very own daughter and raise her with love."
The sage's wife was overjoyed upon seeing the child. Taking the baby into her arms, she began to shower her with kisses: "What a darling child! She is, indeed, my very own daughter. I shall raise her just as I would my own flesh and blood."
And so, the little mouse, now transformed into a human child, began to grow up within the sage's family. The sage's wife tended to her with all the devotion and care of a true mother. She named the child Kanta. The Rishi, too, began to cherish Kanta with a father's love. Gradually, he forgot that his daughter had once been a little mouse.
The mother, meanwhile, became completely immersed in her child's love; she spent her days and nights feeding her and playing with her. The Rishi felt delighted watching his wife shower the child with maternal affection, realizing that she no longer suffered the sorrow of childlessness. In due time, the Rishi himself undertook Kanta's education, imparting to her the entirety of his knowledge and wisdom. Time seemed to fly by on wings. Before they knew it—nurtured by her mother's love and the Rishi's affection and teachings—Kanta blossomed into a beautiful, virtuous, and accomplished young woman of sixteen. The mother soon began to be plagued by worries regarding her daughter's marriage. One day, she said to the Rishi, "Listen, our Kanta has now reached a marriageable age. We ought to arrange her wedding."
Just then, Kanta arrived on the scene. She had woven flowers into her hair, and the radiance of youth glowed upon her face. The Rishi felt that his wife was right. He leaned in and whispered softly into his wife's ear, "I shall find the very best groom for our little daughter."
Drawing upon the power of his ascetic penance, he invoked the Sun God. The Sun appeared before the Rishi and spoke, "Greetings, O Sage! Tell me, why have you summoned me? What is your command?"
Pointing toward Kanta, the Rishi said, "This is my daughter. She is endowed with every virtue and grace. I wish for you to take her as your wife."
At that moment, Kanta spoke up, "Father, he is far too hot! His brilliance dazzles my eyes. How could I possibly marry him? I would never be able to go near him, nor even look at him."
The Rishi patted Kanta gently on the back and said, "Very well. Let us look for another, even more worthy groom."
The Sun God then suggested, "O Sage, the Clouds are superior to me; they are capable of obscuring even my light. You should speak with them."
Upon the Rishi's summons, the Clouds appeared—rumbling with thunder, quivering with motion, and flashing with lightning. Upon seeing the Cloud, Kanta immediately objected, "Father, he is very dark in color. My complexion is fair. We would not make a compatible pair."
The Sage then asked the Cloud, "You tell me—who is superior to you?"
The Cloud replied, "The Wind. He carries even me away. I move about entirely at his command."
The Sage invoked the Wind. When the Wind God appeared, the Sage turned to Kanta and asked, "Daughter, do you find this suitor acceptable?"
Kanta shook her head. "No, Father! He is far too restless. He will never stay in one place. How could one possibly build a stable domestic life with him?"
The Sage's wife also chimed in, "We will not give our daughter to the Wind God. Our son-in-law should, at the very least, be someone we can see with our own eyes."
The Sage then asked the Wind God, "You tell me—who is superior to you?"
The Wind God replied, "O Sage, the Mountain is superior even to me. It stands in my path and blocks my way."
Responding to the Sage's summons, the King of Mountains appeared and asked, "O Sage, why have you called upon me?"
The Sage explained the entire situation. The King of Mountains said, "Go ahead and ask if your daughter finds me acceptable."
Kanta exclaimed, "Oh! He is nothing but stone—solid rock! His heart, too, must surely be made of stone."
The Sage asked the King of Mountains to suggest a suitor even more superior than himself, to which the King of Mountains replied, "The Mouse is superior even to me. He gnaws through me, digs a burrow, and makes his home right inside me."
No sooner had the King of Mountains uttered these words than a mouse scurried out from his ears and hopped right in front of them. Upon seeing the mouse, Kanta leaped up with sheer delight. "Father! Oh, Father! I absolutely adore this mouse! Please arrange my marriage to him. I find his ears and his tail utterly charming. He is the only suitor I want!"
Through the power of his mantras, the Sage transformed the female mouse into a human maiden; yet, her heart remained—irrevocably—the heart of a mouse. The sage transformed Kanta back into a mouse, arranged her marriage to a male mouse, and bade them both farewell.
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