Eswar and Shubha: A Tale of True Love
Long ago, there lived a dunce named Eswar in a village. His parents, wanting to instill some sense into him, sent him to a good teacher in the village. After several years of study, Eswar emerged as a bright young man, and suddenly, his value in the marriage market soared. Each day, a long queue of prospective fathers-in-law formed in front of his house.
The Unlikely Match
In that village lived a simple lass named Shubha, who was intelligent and hard-working. Unfortunately, fate had played a cruel trick on her, and she remained misshapen and unattractive. As a result, no one wanted to marry her. However, Eswar surprised everyone by his willingness to marry her. His friends and well-wishers tried to dissuade him, but Eswar stood firm, insisting that “beauty is not everything.” Thus, he married Shubha.
The Trials of Life
One day, Eswar’s father passed away, and he had to earn a living. Undeterred, he plucked the strings of his lyre and traveled from village to village as a minstrel, earning his keep. Shubha supported him by managing their household to the best of her ability.
The whole village gossiped about Eswar’s peculiar life and expressed pity for him marrying an ugly girl. Some superstitious villagers suggested that Eswar must have sinned in a previous life, as perhaps he had never given a maiden away in marriage.
A Wish Upon a Star
Eswar pondered this belief, recalling scriptures that stated one who gave away a maiden in marriage would earn a good life and a beautiful wife in their next birth. Nevertheless, he consoled himself, believing that God was merciful and would listen to his pleas. He decided to propitiate Lord Siva and prepared sweet cakes, eating with each morsel dipped in butter while muttering, “Om Siva.” However, this resulted in his stomach bloating like a bladder, causing him great torment. Out of compassion, Lord Siva appeared before Eswar.
Three Wishes
“Son, what do you wish?” asked Lord Siva.
Upon opening his eyes, Eswar was dazzled by the brilliance of Parvati, Siva’s consort, and forgot his original wish. Sensing his confusion, Siva handed him three stones, saying, “You can have three wishes fulfilled. For each wish, you must throw away one stone, and then your desire will come to pass.”
A Transformative Change
Overflowing with happiness, Eswar returned home and wished for Shubha to become beautiful. With a magical transformation, Shubha lost her ugliness and became a comely woman.
Shubha then suggested, “Oh, husband, why don’t you wish to become a king?” Eswar laughed and replied, “That’s not right. If I become a king, I may have to fight battles. I have what I wished for. Why should we worry about anything else?”
The Consequences of Desire
The next day, Eswar set off to sing for his supper, carefully placing the remaining stones in a secure spot. Meanwhile, Shubha, eager to show off her newfound beauty, wandered around the village. She looked so different that no one recognized her, and she had a tough time proving her true identity.
As this occurred, some guards from the royal palace came searching for a royal ballerina who had escaped from the evil king. Upon seeing the beautiful Shubha, they mistook her for the runaway and arrested her. Despite her pleas to let her go, she was dragged to the palace, lamentations echoing through the streets.
A Desperate Wish
Hearing about her predicament, Eswar rushed home and cast the second stone, wishing that Shubha would become a bear. What a shock it was for the king to see a ferocious bear instead of his beautiful court dancer! In fright, he ran away and hid, while the bear ambled out of the palace and made its way home.
The Conclusion
Eswar was startled to see the bear and quickly used his last stone to wish for the bear to regain its original form. Thus, Shubha returned to her previous appearance, but the couple remained happily together ever after, proving that true love perseveres beyond appearances.