Three Boons In One
Long ago, in the far north of India, there was a very kind and innocent king. Taking advantage of his goodness his wicked minister, with the help of some courtiers and aided by another king of the neighborhood one day besieged his palace, threw him and his queen into the jail, and usurped the throne. The young prince narrowly escaped into the nearby forest. He ran and ran through the wood and stopped only when it was evening. He sat down under a big mango tree, too tired to walk any more and gasping for breath. There came a wave of breeze and at once a few ripe mangoes fell on the prince's lap. The prince looked up and said, "I thank you very much, O good tree, for giving me your fruits. I was very hungry indeed." A little dove hopped down to a lower branch and cooed, as though to acknowledge the receipt of thanks, on behalf of the tree. The prince ate the mangoes which were as sweet as nectar. He then relaxed, leaning against the tree. A moment later a notorious gang arrived there. They climbed the tree and plucked the ripe as well as the unripe mangoes. While they ate the ripe mangoes, they threw away the unripe ones.
They broke and scattered the branches just for fun. The little dove flew away and circled overhead, shrieking, afraid that its nest might be destroyed by the fellows. "Why do you plunder the tree in this manner? What is the use in plucking all the fruits? Don't you see that many of them are unripe? And what business have you to break the branches? Don't you see that birds rest on them?" protested the prince. "See, see and see! As if you alone have eyes and we don't have any!" ranted one of them. "Audacity! He teaches us how to see! Now that we have plucked all the mangoes, let us pluck out his eyes. He has already seen too much for his age. He need not see anything more for the rest of his life," said the leader of the gang, goggling his hyena-like eyes. And they took hold of the prince and while he struggled to free himself, they plucked his eyes out and then left the place. The prince cried in pain. But soon he heard a most soothing voice, "Do not grieve, O sweet prince. Know that this is one of the rare magic trees. At night it can fly anywhere it likes. Now it is already dark enough for it to take off. We will take you to the goddess who dwells on a mountain in a faraway region. You ask the goddess for the boon of a pair of new eyes and I am sure they will be granted to you."