Written by: Paridhi Pant - 30054, Grade VI
Posted on: 15 June, 2023
Once upon a time, there was a village named Goswana, situated on the banks of the Ganga River. In this village lived a family of four members: a mother and her three daughters. The eldest sister was named Kiara, the middle daughter was named Kashvi, and the youngest daughter was named Maya. Their father worked as an oarsman. Tragically, one day he lost his life during a flood in the Ganga River.
After their father's passing, the mother treated Kiara and Kashvi kindly but behaved rudely towards Maya. Despite their father's love for Maya, her mother's treatment of her changed for the worse. Maya was burdened with all the household chores, and she did not receive enough food to eat or a proper shelter to live in. Maya deeply missed her father and often cried.
One day, while Maya was going to fetch water from the river, she noticed a beautiful and colourful rock. It appeared to be of great value. As she attempted to pick it up, the rock transformed into a god. Maya was astonished and asked, "Who are you?" The god replied, "I am a god, and I am here to help you. Whenever you feel hungry, you can chant a specific phrase, and delicious food will appear before you." Saying this, the god disappeared.
Maya followed the god's instructions and chanted the phrase. True to God's word, a variety of delicious foods materialised before her. She ate to her heart's content and was filled with joy. From that day forward, Maya visited the same place, chanted the phrase, and enjoyed the delectable meals.
One day, Kiara noticed Maya going to the same spot every day and became curious. Eventually, she discovered Maya's secret. Kiara shared this revelation with their other sister and their mother. They conspired to steal the rock. When Maya went out for some work, her mother and sisters seized the opportunity and took the rock. They chanted the phrase, hoping for a feast. However, to their dismay, no food appeared. They tried repeatedly, but nothing happened.
Mother and sisters grew furious, and in their anger, they discarded the rock, causing it to shatter into pieces. Upon returning home, Maya discovered the rock was missing. She became sad and began to cry. Her mother and sisters, once again, mistreated her.
Then, one day, when the family woke up, they found a massive rock made of gold outside their door. Greedy with desire, they attempted to claim the gold for themselves. However, the rock proved incredibly heavy, and their efforts to break it with a hammer were in vain. It was an unyielding, solid mass. Witnessing this, Maya decided to try her luck. On her first attempt, she effortlessly obtained numerous pieces of gold.
Mother and sisters became jealous. They returned home, cursed with an inability to treat others with rudeness and discrimination.
Moral: Never let greed consume you.
