Sindhu was the only daughter of a learned
cobbler of South India. Her mother died while she was very young. Under her
father's instruction, Sindhu earned proficiency in the principles of morality,
stories of virtuous characters and the divine messages depicted in the great
epics of India. She was very beautiful and good-natured. She loved nature and
had several pet animals. She used to teach the girls of her village the stories
she learned from her father.
They were staying in a
house owned by a landlord. The cobbler made a pair of extremely beautiful
sandals for Sindhu using all his skills and the finest materials available. She
preserved the sandals as a treasure. Once there was a large flood and their landlord's
daughter fell into the flooding river by accident. Her father died while trying
to save the girl. Poor Sindhu was orphaned.
The kind landlord let her stay in
his house where there were a large number of servants. But the landlady was
cruel and made Sindhu work hard. She cut off Sindhu's beautiful black hair and
gave her only the old clothes worn by her own daughter as the landlady and her haughty
daughter were envious of Sindhu's natural beauty and unusual knowledge. The
other servants made her do most of the hard works and ill-treated her in all
possible ways. She had to draw and bring water from a distant well, clean, feed
and milk the cows, clean the house, premises and the animal house, look after
the vegetable garden and work in the kitchen to prepare the meals for all. She
suffered in silence and did her duties with dedication and perfection.
Every evening, she used
to go to the small temporary tomb where the remains of her father's dead body
were preserved for an year before the ceremonious mixing with the water of a
holy river. During this visit she used to put on the pair of sandals her father
had gifted to her, in remembrance of her loving father. Reaching the tomb, she
would remove her sandals and light an oil lamp in memory of the departed soul
as per the customs of her community.
One evening, as she was lighting
the lamp at the tomb after removing her sandals, a bird snatched one of the
sandals and flew away. The bird dropped the sandal before the king while he was
engaged in an evening walk near his palace. He showed it to his son, the
prince. They were fascinated by the beauty of the sandal. The court astrologer
advised that it was a signal from heaven and the owner of the sandal should be
identified. She would be the ideal bride for the prince.
The king decreed that the prince
would marry the girl whose foot correctly fits the sandal. He sent his soldiers
all around the country with the sandal. A large number of ladies of the country rushed to test their
feet, but none of them suited the sandal. Finally the soldiers found out that
Sindhu was the real owner of the sandal. The king and prince arrived to meet
and greet her. She reluctantly produced the other pair of the sandal from her bundle
of old clothes. The king and the prince were impressed by her unusual wisdom,
winsome manners and natural beauty. The royal wedding was celebrated
ceremoniously. Sindhu reigned successfully as the princess and later as the
queen for several years. She introduced reforms to help the poor and downtrodden
people. Her days are remembered in the country as the golden age in its
history.
God has plans for every person - plans to bring
prosperity and not disaster.
...................................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University
of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public School,
Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath,
Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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