Once upon a time,
there lived a prince called Arjun. Prince Arjun was a fine warrior and had all the traits a great ruler must have. But his father, King Yayati, had a different opinion. He didn’t want Prince Arjun to ascend the throne and be his successor after he retired. This concern of King Yayati often bothered Prince Arjun, and one day, he decided to forever abandon
his Kingdom.
One night, without informing anyone, he mounted on his horse. He rode to the jungle. The dense jungle
was infamous for dangerous animals. He decided to look around for
shelter. He dismounted from his horse and walked to a hut beside the jungle. He
called out for help. No one replied, and he realized
that the hut was empty. He walked in, and something very fragrant tickled his nose. He followed the fragrance to the
kitchen and saw a vessel. He uncovered the lid. Not only did the food smell good, but it also looked very delicious. He could not control his hunger and
started eating it. He finished the entire vessel, relishing every morsel.
Contented Prince Arjun dozed off near the ship.
Just then, an old woman entered the hut. She had dry twigs
in her hand. The weather was cold; maybe she got them to set the fire. Seeing
Prince Arjun beside the empty vessel filled her with immense anger. She
couldn’t control her rage and threw a huge cloth bundle on Prince Arjun’s
head. He woke up with a start. The old woman’s angry expression was enough to
tell him his mistake.
‘How dare you eat my food,’ shouted the old woman.
Prince Arjun begged her for forgiveness. It was very late at
night.
‘Now you cook for me,’ she said irritably.
He started cooking. Prince Arjun was a warrior who was taught how to make food for survival in the jungle or on a secret mission. He cooked and offered food to the old woman. She had a bite and threw the plate away. Prince Arjun decided to make
the food again. Once again, the plate was shoved onto his face. This happened
almost five times.
This time Prince Arjun couldn’t control it, and he vented it
out, ‘It is so difficult to make you happy.’
‘Then why do you have to make me happy?’ said the old woman.
Her words surprised Prince Arjun.
‘Why you have to keep everyone happy if your father thinks
you are not fit to be a King, you simply do your duty with honesty. Don’t worry
about other opinions,’ said the old woman.
Prince Arjun realized
that he could not keep everyone happy in life.
‘Thank you for making me understand this. But how do you
know about me?’ he asked.
The old woman then transformed herself into a fairy.
Surprised, Prince Arjun thanked her and returned to this kingdom, determined
more than ever to serve his people.
Happy reading!
Check out Nisha B Thakur's highly appreciated novel, The Unexpected Trail.