Kindness Conquers All .

- They reached a lake where beautiful swans were swimming. The Prince aimed his bow to kill one for food. The Minister's son stopped him, saying, "Friend, why kill a living being just for a meal? We will find fruits ahead." 

- Shandilya

O nce, there was a Prince of Bengal. He had a very close friend who was the son of the King's Minister. They were inseparable, but their natures were completely different.

The Prince was cruel. Whenever he saw an animal or a tiny insect, he would try to hurt or kill it. On the other hand, the Minister's son was kind. He couldn't bear to see anyone in pain and always rushed to help.

The Journey Begins

One day, the King of Bengal got very angry with the Prince for a mistake he made. In his rage, the King banished him, saying, "Leave my kingdom this instant!"

The Prince left with a heavy heart. His loyal friend, the Minister's son, refused to stay behind. "Where you go, I go," he said. They took their horses, weapons, and some food, and set off.

Three Acts of Kindness

As they traveled through a vast forest, they ran out of food and became very hungry.

1. The Swans: They reached a lake where beautiful swans were swimming. The Prince aimed his bow to kill one for food. The Minister's son stopped him, saying, "Friend, why kill a living being just for a meal? We will find fruits ahead." The Prince was annoyed but put his arrow away.

2. The Beehive: Soon, the Prince saw a large beehive. He picked up a stone to smash it and get the honey. Again, his friend stopped him. "Think of all the bees that will die! Let's just eat fruit." The Prince was furious but threw the stone away.

3. The Anthill: Later, the Prince tried to crush a large anthill with a stick just for fun. The Minister's son blocked him again. "It is cruel to kill innocent creatures for sport!"

This time, the Prince lost his temper. He drew his sword and yelled, "Stop interfering in everything I do!" His friend replied calmly, "You can kill me if you want, but I won't let you commit such sins." The Prince didn't kill him, but he rode away in anger, leaving his friend behind.

The Princess's Test

The Minister's son eventually reached a new city. Everyone there looked very sad. He learned that the old King wanted to marry off his daughter, but the Princess had a condition: "I will only marry a man who is kind, clever, and wise." Many had tried her tests and failed, becoming her slaves as punishment. The Minister's son decided to try his luck.

The Three Challenges

The Princess gave him three impossible tasks:

Task 1 (The Pearls): She gave him a plate mixed with real and fake pearls and told him to separate them by evening. The Minister's son didn't know how to tell them apart. Suddenly, a Swan flew in! It was the swan he had saved. The swan quickly sorted the real pearls from the fake ones and flew away.

Task 2 (The Flowers): The next day, he had to identify real flowers from perfect silk ones in a garden. A Queen Bee (the one from the beehive) flew to his ear and whispered, "I will sit on the real flowers. Pick those." He passed the second test easily.

Task 3 (The Sugar and Sand): On the third day, he had to separate sugar from a massive heap of sand. He felt hopeless until thousands of Ants arrived. They carried every grain of sugar into a separate pile.

A Happy Ending

The Princess had been watching him secretly. She came out from behind a pillar and smiled. "I saw how the creatures helped you. Tell me, how did you win them over?"

The Minister's son told her how he had saved them from the Prince. The Princess was impressed. "You have already passed the test of kindness," she said.

They got married in a grand ceremony. The Minister's son's first act as Prince was to free all the slaves-including his old friend, the Prince, who had failed the test and was working as a slave!

The Prince realized that his friend's kindness had saved them both. He promised never to be cruel again. Eventually, both friends became Kings of their respective lands and lived happily ever after.

Moral 

When you show mercy to others, mercy finds its way back to you.