Long ago, there was a king named Devshakti ruling a kingdom. Inside his son’s stomach, a snake had taken residence. Due to the presence of the snake, the prince was growing weaker day by day. Despite seeking treatment from renowned physicians, there was no improvement in the prince’s health, causing constant distress to the king. Witnessing this, one day, the prince left his kingdom and started living in another kingdom, behaving like a beggar in a temple.
The kingdom the prince traveled to was ruled by King Bali. He had two young daughters. Both would go every morning to seek their father’s blessings. One morning, while greeting the king, one daughter said, “Hail to the king, through your grace, the world is prosperous.”
On the other hand, the second daughter said, “King, may God reward you according to your deeds.” Hearing this, the king became enraged and ordered his ministers, “Marriage of the girl who speaks harsh words to a poor boy, so that she can taste the result of her actions herself.”
Following the king’s order, the ministers arranged for the marriage of that girl with the beggar sitting near the temple. That beggar was none other than the prince, who had a snake residing in his stomach. The princess started serving him, considering him her husband. After a few days, they both left the temple and went on a journey to another country because they did not consider staying in the temple appropriate.
During the journey, the prince got tired and started resting under a tree. The princess went to the nearby village to bring food. When she returned, she saw a snake coming out of her sleeping husband’s mouth. Simultaneously, another snake emerged from a nearby hole. Both snakes began conversing, which the princess secretly overheard.
One snake said, “Why are you troubling this prince by residing in his stomach? You are also endangering your own life. If someone gives the prince a soup made of cumin and mustard, you will die.” Then the snake from the prince’s mouth said, “Why are you protecting the golden vessels kept in the hole, which have nothing to do with your work? If someone discovers them, they will pour hot water or oil into the hole, causing your death.”
After some time, both snakes left their respective places, but the princess had already understood their secrets. Therefore, she first gave the prince a soup made of cumin and mustard along with his meal. After some time, the prince started recovering. Then, she poured hot water and oil into the hole, causing the death of the other snake. Afterward, she took out the golden-filled vessels from the hole and returned to her city with the prince.
King Devshakti warmly welcomed his son and his wife.
Lesson from the story: This story teaches that if someone thinks ill of another, the same misfortune might befall them. The snake had evil intentions for the prince, and as a result, it faced an adverse outcome.
