Bridegroom for the Mosue Girl

The Sage and His Lonely Wife

Long, long ago, a sage lived by the bank of a river with his wife. There was no one else nearby, which the sage didn’t mind, but his wife often felt lonely, especially when he sat in meditation for hours on end.

She longed for conversation with another woman, but there was no village nearby she could easily visit. Additionally, it was unsafe for her to leave the sage alone, as he became oblivious to the world around him during his meditation. He wouldn’t even notice if a stray dog or jackal entered their hut and consumed their food.

The Birth of the Girl

Understanding his wife’s feelings, the sage resolved to do something about it. One day, a crow stole a tiny mouse from its hole and perched on a tree branch, preparing to kill and eat it. However, upon noticing that the tree and a cave behind it were the home of owls, the crow became frightened and flew away, dropping the mouse in the process.

At that moment, the sage was returning home after bathing in the river when he came across the tiny, half-dead mouse. Feeling pity for it, he had a brilliant idea: why not transform the mouse into a human baby? His wife was lonely, and a child could keep her occupied, he thought.

He uttered a mantra and waved his hand. To his amazement, from the mouse emerged a healthy infant—a girl. The sage’s wife was overjoyed as she picked up the girl and nurtured her with love and attention.

The Search for a Bridegroom

As the years passed, the infant grew into a charming young woman. One day, the sage’s wife said to her husband, “Now, you must find a suitable bridegroom for our daughter. She is beautiful, skilled in household chores, and can dance and sing. I expect her to have a worthy match!”

“Worthy? I can command the worthiest bridegroom to marry our daughter!” exclaimed the sage proudly.

“Really? Let me see you command a divine being,” replied his wife skeptically.

“I can command even the sun god, what to speak of any divine being!” declared the sage.

“Don’t boast of your power. Prove it,” challenged his wife.

The Encounter with the Sun God

The sage closed his eyes and invoked the sun god. In a flash of light, the sun god appeared before him.

“What do you want of me, O Sage?” asked the sun god.

“Will you marry my daughter? She can cook for you and sing to you,” said the sage, turning to the girl. “What do you think of this bridegroom?”

“Father! He is too luminous for me to approach. Please find me a worthier match,” replied the girl, to the sage’s surprise.

“Who is superior to you?” the sage questioned the sun god.

“The cloud. He alone can dim my glory!” said the sun god.

A Series of Divine Matches

With that, the sage invoked the cloud. Upon its arrival, he asked the girl, “How do you find him?”

“Too dark to match me, and too cold to touch,” the girl replied.

“Who is superior to you?” the sage inquired.

“The wind. He can push me hither and thither,” was the cloud’s response.

The sage invoked the wind next. “How do you find him?” he asked the girl again.

“Quite unreliable. He is always moving around! Don’t you know anyone superior to him?” the girl asked.

The Final Choice

The wind replied that the hill was superior to him, as the wind could never disturb the hill. The sage then invoked the hill, but the girl remarked, “He looks too idle. Is there no one superior to him?”

“The mouse is superior to me. He can bore a tunnel through me!” said the hill.
The sage had a mouse brought before them. The girl blushed and whispered to the sage’s wife, “Mother! What a wonderful bridegroom!” Thus, the mouse-girl found her suitable match in the mouse!

A Final Remark

If Shakespeare were alive today, he would be 413 years old. Who wouldn’t want to see such an aged man?