THE WEDDING OF THE MOUSE

There was a beautiful ashram on the bank of river Ganges, where a Rishi lived in
peace with his wife. The Rishi led a disciplined life and spent his time in meditation.
   One day, while he was bathing in the river, an eagle flew over with a mouse in its
claws. Suddenly, a she mouse fell from the eagle’s grip right into the hands of the
Rishi. The eagle was still flying above. The Rishi could not leave the mouse alone for she
would be caught again by the eagle. So he put the mouse on a leaf and finished
bathing. 
He used his powers to transform the she-mouse into a little girl, and took her to
his ashram. He said to his wife, "My dear, please accept her as our blessing, as we do
not have a child of our own."
  So, the girl started growing in the ashram, under the care of the Rishi and his
wife. She learnt a lot from them. Both the Rishi and his wife were very proud of their
attractive, intelligent and caring daughter.
 One day, the Rishi’s wife said, ’Our daughter has grown. We have to find her a
husband.” So they decided to talk to their daughter.
The Rishi called his daughter and said,” My dear daughter, you are quite grown up
now, and we have to find you a husband .You can then choose from whom you meet.”
"Since you leave me free to choose," she replied, "I wish to have a husband who is the
most powerful in the world."
So the next morning , the Rishi took his daughter and set out on a journey to find a
suitable match for her. They went to the Sun God and the Rishi said, "Please accept my
daughter's hand. I wish you to marry her, if she chooses so."
 But the daughter said, "Father, the Sun God lights up the entire world, but he is
unbearably hot and fiery-tempered. I do not wish to marry him. Please seek a better
husband for me."
  The Rishi wondered, "Who might be better than even the Sun God?” The Sun
God advised, "Oh Guruji, I am not as powerful as you think me to be. The Cloud is
greater than I, for he is able to cover me up and make me invisible for days and weeks.
Let me advise you to offer your daughter to the Cloud."
So the Rishi took his daughter to meet the King of Clouds. He said to the cloud
"Please accept my daughter's hand. I wish you to marry her, if she chooses so."
But the daughter said, "Father, the King of Clouds is dark, wet and too cold. I do not
wish to marry him. Please seek someone else for me."
The Rishi wondered, "Who might be better than even the King of Clouds?" 
The King of Clouds advised, "Guruji, far from being the greatest thing in the world, I
am not even my own master. See already how the Wind is blowing me. Soon I will
become invisible, dissolved in air. I suggest you go to the Wind.
 So the Rishi with his daughter went over to the Lord of Winds, and said, "Please
accept my daughter's hand. I wish you to marry her, if she chooses so."
But the daughter said, "Father, the Lord of Winds is too fast and restless. He keeps
changing his direction. I do not wish to marry him. Please look for a better husband for
me."
  The Rishi wondered, "Who might be better than even the Lord of Winds?"
 The Lord of Winds advised, "Guruji, you can seek the alliance of the Lord of
Mountains. I roar in his ears but he still stands unmoved and smiling. He is superior to
me, for he can stop me from blowing."
  So then the Rishi took his daughter to meet the Lord of Mountains, and said,
"Please accept my daughter's hand. I wish you to marry her, if she chooses so." But the
daughter said, "Father, the Lord of Mountains is too hard and rigid. He is immovable. I
do not wish to marry him. Please seek a better husband for me."
   The Rishi now really wondered, "Who might be better than even the Lord of
Mountains?" The King of Mountains advised, "Guruji, what you say is true. I am great. I
do not fear the sun, he cannot melt me, nor the clouds, they come and go. The hot or
cold wind does not bother me. Even when he is strong he cannot move me. But down
under my feet is the Mouse. He digs with his shovel-like hands and makes burrows day
and night. His strength can topple me down and make me lie like common stone on the
earth. You can seek the alliance of the King of Mice. He is superior to me, for he can
make holes all over me."
  Now the Rishi realized the power of the King of Mice, and said, "Please accept
my daughter's hand. I wish you to marry her, if she chooses so."
"Oh! how could I do so?" cried the mouse. "My hole is narrow, and a only a mouse can
live there."The Rishi smiled and changed his daughter back into a she mouse.”Oh! I will
surely marry her” said the mouse happily.
 When the she mouse met the King of Mice, she was delighted and shyly agreed to the
marriage. 

Thus, the Rishi’s daughter was married and lived happily .