In a forest lived a great Tapaswin. His wife was a highly evolved soul. She passed away leaving an only daughter. The daughter grew up in all innocence and purity. Her father was getting old. She used to seat him on a Jhula and swing it to and fro. She was guileless and pure and free like a child. One day, a Raja who happened to pass that way, saw the young girl in the company of her old father. The Raja was a bachelor and had declined to marry so far, though he had many offers. Seeing this girl, he told his minister that if at all he married, he would marry her only. So they went and asked the Tapaswin if he would be willing to give his daughter in marriage to the Raja. The old hermit replied, "I have absolutely no objection if she agrees. You may approach her and get her consent."
They then asked the girl. She replied, "I have no objection. But there are two conditions to be fulfilled. Firstly, you should engage somebody here to look after my old father. Secondly, I will bring with me the clothes that I am wearing now and I should be permitted to spend one hour daily in a solitary room in the palace where I will put on these clothes." The king agreed.
The marriage was duly performed and the girl cheerfully left her father and carried on the duties of the queen peacefully in the kingdom. She was very loving and compassionate to every one. According to her vow, she was spending an hour daily in a lonely room, wearing her simple forest-dress. In course of time, a girl was born to her. Unfortunately, the subjects felt that as their king had married some forest-girl, they should not allow her children to inherit the throne. They requested the king to get the child killed. The king conveyed this tragic news to the queen. She gladly agreed to give away the child. The child was then handed over to two men who were instructed to take it to the jungle and kill it. They took the child to the jungle but seeing its beauty and innocence, were prompted to leave it there alive. They falsely reported to the king that they had killed it. The child was soon taken away by another king who happened to pass that way.
Two years later, a son was born to the queen. Again the subjects agitated that the son should be killed. The queen readily gave away this child also. The men who were commissioned to kill it left it alone in the forest as before and reported to the king that they had killed it. It so happened that this child was also found and taken away by the same king who had taken the first baby girl. After sometime, another daughter was born to the queen, which went the way of the previous two and was adopted by the same king who took away the first two children. The three children grew up nicely under the loving care of the king and queen who had no children of their own.
Now the subjects requested the king to send the queen back to the forest and marry another - a princess, - as they thought there was no use having a queen whose children were unfit for the throne. The king told the queen about this. She cheerfully fell in with the idea and went back to her father and started to serve him as before, swinging him on the Jhula. She was as happy as ever. She had no regrets, because she took all that happened in such a detached spirit that life was to her, nothing short of a dream.
Some years passed. The king, who sent back his queen to the forest, decided upon marrying the daughter of the king of the neighbouring State. The marriage was settled. As there was no female member in the palace for making the necessary preparations, the subjects requested the king to send for the former queen and ask her to arrange everything for the king's wedding. They all knew that the former queen was very wise in managing all affairs. The king sent messengers to the forest to call her. She came willingly and supervised the preparations for her husband's marriage.
Before the function commenced, however, the father of the bride told the king in the presence of the assembly, "I wish to tell you some details of my family before the marriage takes place. These three children of whom you are going to marry the eldest are not really mine. I found them all one by one in the forest. I took them to my kingdom and brought them up."
Now the king - the bridegroom - suspected that the bride was perhaps his own daughter and that the other two were also his children. He sent for the two men who were ordered to kill them. On being questioned they confessed that they did not kill the children and begged to be pardoned. After careful enquiries, he was convinced that they were his own children. Of course, he could not marry his own daughter. So the marriage was cancelled. All were pleased with the result. The people of the kingdom highly appreciated the good and lofty qualities of the queen who calmly passed through the severe trials that befell her. They then prayed that she should not go back to the forest but should remain in the palace as the queen. She agreed to the proposal.
See how detached the queen was while living and moving in the world. That was because she was brought up in her most impressionable age by a saint, in an atmosphere far removed from worldly distractions. So she had developed detachment from worldly pleasures and position.
They then asked the girl. She replied, "I have no objection. But there are two conditions to be fulfilled. Firstly, you should engage somebody here to look after my old father. Secondly, I will bring with me the clothes that I am wearing now and I should be permitted to spend one hour daily in a solitary room in the palace where I will put on these clothes." The king agreed.
The marriage was duly performed and the girl cheerfully left her father and carried on the duties of the queen peacefully in the kingdom. She was very loving and compassionate to every one. According to her vow, she was spending an hour daily in a lonely room, wearing her simple forest-dress. In course of time, a girl was born to her. Unfortunately, the subjects felt that as their king had married some forest-girl, they should not allow her children to inherit the throne. They requested the king to get the child killed. The king conveyed this tragic news to the queen. She gladly agreed to give away the child. The child was then handed over to two men who were instructed to take it to the jungle and kill it. They took the child to the jungle but seeing its beauty and innocence, were prompted to leave it there alive. They falsely reported to the king that they had killed it. The child was soon taken away by another king who happened to pass that way.
Two years later, a son was born to the queen. Again the subjects agitated that the son should be killed. The queen readily gave away this child also. The men who were commissioned to kill it left it alone in the forest as before and reported to the king that they had killed it. It so happened that this child was also found and taken away by the same king who had taken the first baby girl. After sometime, another daughter was born to the queen, which went the way of the previous two and was adopted by the same king who took away the first two children. The three children grew up nicely under the loving care of the king and queen who had no children of their own.
Now the subjects requested the king to send the queen back to the forest and marry another - a princess, - as they thought there was no use having a queen whose children were unfit for the throne. The king told the queen about this. She cheerfully fell in with the idea and went back to her father and started to serve him as before, swinging him on the Jhula. She was as happy as ever. She had no regrets, because she took all that happened in such a detached spirit that life was to her, nothing short of a dream.
Some years passed. The king, who sent back his queen to the forest, decided upon marrying the daughter of the king of the neighbouring State. The marriage was settled. As there was no female member in the palace for making the necessary preparations, the subjects requested the king to send for the former queen and ask her to arrange everything for the king's wedding. They all knew that the former queen was very wise in managing all affairs. The king sent messengers to the forest to call her. She came willingly and supervised the preparations for her husband's marriage.
Before the function commenced, however, the father of the bride told the king in the presence of the assembly, "I wish to tell you some details of my family before the marriage takes place. These three children of whom you are going to marry the eldest are not really mine. I found them all one by one in the forest. I took them to my kingdom and brought them up."
Now the king - the bridegroom - suspected that the bride was perhaps his own daughter and that the other two were also his children. He sent for the two men who were ordered to kill them. On being questioned they confessed that they did not kill the children and begged to be pardoned. After careful enquiries, he was convinced that they were his own children. Of course, he could not marry his own daughter. So the marriage was cancelled. All were pleased with the result. The people of the kingdom highly appreciated the good and lofty qualities of the queen who calmly passed through the severe trials that befell her. They then prayed that she should not go back to the forest but should remain in the palace as the queen. She agreed to the proposal.
See how detached the queen was while living and moving in the world. That was because she was brought up in her most impressionable age by a saint, in an atmosphere far removed from worldly distractions. So she had developed detachment from worldly pleasures and position.
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