Under a mountain, there was a village named Ramgarh. Every day, all the animals of the village would go to the jungle on the mountain to graze on the green grass in the morning and return home by evening.
Like every other day, a cow named Lakshmi went to the jungle on the mountain to graze on the green grass. She was so delighted to graze on the lush grass that she didn’t even realize when she reached the den of a lion.
The lion was sleeping in his den, and he had been hungry for the past two days. As soon as Lakshmi reached near the lion’s den, her fragrance woke up the lion. The lion slowly emerged from his den, and upon seeing Lakshmi, he was pleased. The lion thought that today his hunger would be satisfied by feasting on the fresh meat of this healthy cow.
The lion roared softly, and Lakshmi, upon hearing the lion’s roar, got scared. When she looked around, she saw no other cows nearby.
Summoning up her courage, Lakshmi turned around and saw the lion standing in front of her. The lion, upon seeing Lakshmi, roared again and said, “I haven’t been able to find any prey for the past two days, and I was hungry. Perhaps that’s why God has sent you here to fill my stomach. Today, I will satisfy my hunger by eating you.”
Upon hearing this, Lakshmi trembled with fear. She cried and said to the lion, “Let me go, don’t eat me. I have a small calf who only drinks my milk, and he hasn’t even started eating grass yet.”
Hearing Lakshmi’s plea, the lion laughed and said, “Should I let the prey that came into my hands go just like that? Today, I will eat you and fill my stomach.”
Terrified, Lakshmi pleaded with the lion and said, “Please let me go today. I will come back to you tomorrow. I will give my calf the last feed of milk, shower him with love, and then come to you tomorrow morning. You can eat me then and satisfy your hunger.”
The lion, intrigued by Lakshmi’s words, agreed but warned, “If you don’t come tomorrow, I will come to your village, and then I will eat you and your calf.”
Relieved, Lakshmi returned to the village and went to her calf. She fed him milk, showered him with love, and then told him about the encounter with the lion. She promised to come back the next morning to fulfill her commitment to the lion.
The next morning, as soon as it was daylight, Lakshmi set out towards the lion’s den. When she reached there, the lion came out of his den. Instead of attacking Lakshmi, the lion revealed himself to be a divine being and said, “I was just testing your commitment. You have proved yourself true to your word. I am pleased with you. Now, you can go back to your home and calf.”
After this, the divine being bestowed upon Lakshmi the blessing of being the mother goddess (Gau Mata), and from that day on, all the cows were referred to as mother goddesses.
Moral of the Story:
Even when faced with adversity, it is essential to keep our promises. This demonstrates our strong character and integrity.
