The Princess And A Dispute
In the olden days, there was a princess in Burma who was famous for her sound sense of judgment. People came to her from far and near with their complaints. She resolved their conflicts with such honesty that even if one party was displeased with her judgment, it could not say that she was wrong. One day the princess received three unusual complainants brought by a young man. They were a mongoose, a cat, and a dog. They were the pets of the young man. Before putting forth their complaint, the young man narrated its background. The young man had brought the mongoose from a fellow who had caught it for fun and was tormenting it. The cat, which had been abandoned by its master, had been brought home by the young man. The dog's old master was very cruel to him. The young man had taken pity on it and had brought it too. He looked after his pets well and loved them very much. One day the mongoose was wandering in the forest near the young man's home when it saw a shining little gem in the hollow of a tree which was a snake's shelter
He carried it to his master. The young man was delighted. Holding the gem, he said, "I wish I had a beautiful house fit enough to keep this gem!" Lo and behold! A magnificent house appeared in place of his hut in the twinkle of an eye. The young man felt dazed at first. But he realized that the gem was a wish-fulfillment stone. It is capable of giving him whatever he wished to have. He had a desire to marry the landlord's daughter. In fact, the girl too would like to marry him. But since he was poor, nobody dared to bring up the proposal. Now hundreds of people flocked to see the house that had appeared miraculously. They marveled at it. The news of the grand house reached the landlord. He came himself to offer his daughter's hand in marriage with the young man. The marriage was performed and the young man looked forward to a peaceful and happy life with his wife and the three pets. Alas, that was not to be. The young man had set the little gem on a ring and wore the ring so that the gem would always be with him.
Now, his wife had an uncle who was very wicked. While he ushered everybody's ill, he gave the impression as if he wished everybody's well being. One day he met his niece, the young man's wife, and just sighed, saying nothing. "Why do you look sad, Uncle?" asked the young lady. "Who would not be sad to see that your lucky days are almost over?" commented the nasty fellow and sighed once again. The young lady was surprised. "Why, dear Uncle, why do you think that my lucky days are over?" she asked "My daughter, does your husband love you as he used to love?" asked the fellow. "Of course, he does!" "I don't think so. Can you prove it to me? Can you persuade him to let you wear his ring for a day?" provoked the fellow. "I believe, I can!" said the young lady. In the evening she asked her husband to be allowed to put on the ring for a day. "Why for a day, my dear? You can wear this forever! But make sure that nobody takes it from you. As you know, this is a wish-fulfilling ring," warned the young man as he handed over the ring to his wife.
The next day, the proud girl stretched her fingers before her uncle to show the ring to him. "I am so happy, my child! But is it the same ring? Can I see it?" said the fellow cunningly. The lady forgot her husband's instruction and handed over the ring to her uncle. The fellow held it between his teeth and wished to become a bird. Before the lady's eyes, the bird flew away, holding the ring in its beak! Instantly the palatial house disappeared. The young lady fainted to see that she was inside her husband's old hut. The young man returned from the market and found out what had happened. "Let us not cry over the spilled milk," he told his wife. "I love to work. I will work and earn enough for us and our pets." But the pets were very unhappy at their master's misfortune. The cat went out in search of the wicked uncle. The uncle had meanwhile wished to have a palace amidst the sea. He had that and was happy to dwell in it. The cat heard about it from some birds. It was a moonlit night. The cat, strolling on the seashore, saw a sea nymph. "O nymph! How beautiful you are!" it said. "Thank you. Can I do anything for you?" asked the nymph. "I wonder if you can lead me to that palace in the water," said the cat. "I can make a bridge for you using the moonlight," said the nymph. Next moment a solid silver bridge was there. The cat reached the palace and saw the old man asleep. As the ring sat tight on his finger, he had taken it out and kept it near his pillow. The cat stealthily extended its paw and drew the ring and holding it between its teeth, crossed the bridge, and ran to its master.
The young man's happiness knew no bounds. He built his palace once again and began to live happily. But one night a bandit entered his house, ready to kill him and take out the ring from his finger. Because the young man's dog never barked, the bandit was hardly aware of it. Now the dog acted just when he was about to stab the young man. Jumping up and clinging to his neck, he started biting him in the throat, growling, and barking. The bandit fell dead. The young man woke up and saw how the dog had saved his life. He fondled the dog for long. Now, among the pets, there were frequent quarrels, because each one claimed that it had served its master better than the other two. That is why their master led them to the princess. "Between the services of the mongoose and the cat, the cat's service was more valuable. It is because the mongoose discovered the gem by chance, but the cat recovered it with a great deal of planning and courage. Now, between the cat and the dog, the dog's service is more valuable because it not only prevented the bandit from taking away the ring but also saved its master's life!" said the princess. Then she added, "But what is important is, you all three are noble. If the situation so demanded, the mongoose would have done what the cat or the dog did and the cat would have done what the other two did. And, since your master treats all three of you equally well, you all are equally valuable," said the princess. The creatures went away happy.
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