The Mouse Who Was Made a Maiden
A sage catches a falling mouse and turns her into a daughter. When it is time to marry her, the sun, the cloud, the wind and a mountain are all offered.
On the bank of the Ganga, in a place loud with the sound of water falling over uneven rocks, stood the hermitage of a sage named Yajnavalkya. There lived ascetics who ate roots and fruit and wore garments of bark.
One day, as the sage was rinsing his mouth in the river, a hawk passing overhead let a mouse fall from its beak, and it dropped into his hand.
Seeing her, the sage laid her on a banyan leaf, bathed and purified himself, and then by the power of his austerities turned that mouse into a girl. He carried her to the hermitage and gave her to his wife: "My dear, this is your daughter; bring her up carefully."
The girl grew up. When she was twelve and of marriageable age, the sage's wife said: "My lord, do you not see that the time for this girl's marriage is going by?" The sage said: "You are right."
So he called the girl and said: "Daughter, choose whom you wish, and I shall summon him."
The sage summoned the Sun. But the girl said: "He is far too fierce; I do not want him." The Sun said: "Greater than I is the Cloud, who covers me over." The Cloud was summoned — the girl said: "He is black and cold; I do not want him." The Cloud said: "Greater than I is the Wind, who blows me away." The Wind was summoned — the girl said: "He is restless; I do not want him." The Wind said: "Greater than I is the Mountain, who stops me." The Mountain was summoned — the girl said: "He is hard and dull; I do not want him." The Mountain said: "Greater than I is the Mouse, who bores holes even in me."
Then the sage summoned a mouse — and the moment she saw him the girl brightened and said: "Father! Make me a mouse and give me to him; this is my own kind."
By the power of his austerities the sage made her a mouse again, and married her to that mouse.
So it is said: however the form is changed, one's own nature is not crossed.
सूर्यो भर्तुस्तमस्तुल्यः पर्जन्यो मारुतो गिरिः । स्वजातिं मूषिका माता स्वजातिर्दुरतिक्रमा ॥
Moral: Sun, cloud, wind, mountain — each in turn was refused; the mouse-girl chose her own kind. One's own nature is not easily crossed.
From the Panchatantra, Book III — Of Crows and Owls.
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