Long time ago there was a mighty king named Dev Shakti. He had an only son named Divya Shakti. The king loved his son very, very dearly. But as the prince grew up to be a handsome lad, a strange thing happened.
One day the prince Divya Shakti was sleeping in his chamber for his mid-day nap. A cobra came from somewhere and entered the body of the prince through his mouth. It made the prince ill and he began to be weaker and weaker day by day.
The king sent for a number of physicians and voodoo priests. But none could get the cobra out of the prince’s body. Feeling quite helpless, the prince came to believe that his days were just numbered now. So, he thought of taking his own life and said to himself , “Why should I die here before the eyes of my parents ? They may not be able to bear the shock. Therefore, I should leave the palace quietly and go to a very secluded place. If I die there, the news of my death won’t reach them. Thus they will pass their life under the impression that their son is living at least.”
So, the next day, the prince left the palace at the dead of the night. He went on walking for a number of days till he reached the kingdom of another ruler.
Roaming here and there, the prince came to an old temple of Lord Shiva. It stood at the edge of a forest away from any village or town. Finding the place to be habitable for himself, the prince started residing there. He fed on the roots and fruits of trees and passed his days in contentment thanking and remembering the Almighty all the time.
Now the King of this kingdom was a very boastful person. He had two extremely beautiful daughters. One of them had a complete faith in almighty.
The king every now and then asked his daughters a same question “Who shall be given the credit for all the comforts and luxuries you receive in this life ?
One of the princesses said that their father (the King) provided them with all their comforts and luxuries. But the other said, “Almighty ,who is the most merciful, provides me all the comforts. They are the reward of my own past deeds.”
The king’s ego was badly bruised due to the reply of his second daughter. He was in fact, very annoyed with her. So, one day he summoned his men and ask them to take her away and marry her off to a weak and poor looking man. The king wanted to do this so that she might enjoy the reward of her ungratefulness towards him.
The king’s men obeyed his command and chanced to bring the Princess to the old temple where prince Divya Shakti was living. Seeing him fragile and penniless, they married off the princess to him.
Now, the princess didn’t complain against this marriage. She began to look after her husband with love and care. Also, she prayed to Lord Shiva to rid her husband of the cobra that was living in his body.
The Lord was pleased at the unshakable faith and sincere prayer of the princess. So he decided to reward her for her goodness.
One day, the princess saw that her husband was sleeping soundly placing her head on the mouth of a hole near the temple. The cobra who was living inside the body of Divya Shakti had popped her hood out of his mouth to breathe freely in the open air.
The princess at once hide behind a tree and began to see the sight as it unfolds in front of her eyes. Just then another serpent of same size and length came out of the hole and said to the cobra, “You wretched cold blooded reptile ! why are you harassing this innocent prince ?” replied the serpent from the hole.
“And You greedy legless creature ! why are you living on two vessels full of gold coins ?” replied the cobra from Divya Shakti’s body.
The serpent from the hole then said, “The moment this prince drink a cup of black mustard seeds mixed with vinegar, you will either die or leave the prince at once.”
The cobra from Divya Shakti’s body ,too, could not remain silent. He said, “The moment your hole is filled with hot boiling oil, you will die at once.”
The princess, who was hiding behind the tree, was witnessing everything. She came to know the secrets of both the reptiles. So, she decided to finish them off .
Next day she prepared a solution of mustard seeds and Vinegar. She gave it to the prince as a dose of medicine. As a result, the cobra living inside the prince’s body left him forever. Soon Divya Shakti became hale and hearty.
She also poured boiling hot oil into the hole of the serpent. The serpent died on the spot. So, the couple dug the hole and got the vessels full of gold coins and became very wealthy. So, they were very, very happy indeed.
Then both of them paid a visit to the father of the princess. He was very surprised to see that her daughter was quite happy. When he came to know that Divya Shakti was a prince, he was even more amazed. He was so impressed by his daughter’s faith in God that he himself became a true believer. He invited the father of Divya Shakti and performed their marriage ceremony with great pomp and show befitting a royal couple.
Next day, Divya Shakti and his wife were led in a procession to the capital of his father’s kingdom. The King and the Queen were extremely excited indeed. Rejoicings were made to celebrate the recovery and marriage of the prince in the most pompous manner.
Children ! True Faith in God is a great quality and it can work wonders indeed. Cultivate this quality in yourself and you will be happy for all time to come. God will help you face and solve every problem that comes in your way.
