The Water of Life

The king was ill, dreadfully ill. Physicians and sages came from all parts of the kingdom, but none could find a remedy for this terrible malady. The king ate practically nothing, but his thirst seemed unquenchable. Everyone was in despair, for it was quite obvious that unless a remedy was found, the monarch would soon die.

The king had no children of his own. He had been a widower for many years. But he had three nephews, whom he had brought up from childhood, and it was generally accepted that one of the three nephews would eventually accede to the throne.

One morning, the three nephews were strolling in the palace gardens, each trying to think of some way by which the king could be cured, when an aged old gardener stopped them and begged them to listen.

“Young masters, the water of life is the only thing that will cure His Majesty,” he said.

“Yes, but what is this water of life?” the nephews asked. “And where can it be found?”

“I don’t really know,” replied the old man with a worried look. “But when I was a child, I remember a great sadhu telling of a mysterious lake high in the mountains, and this lake was filled with the water of life, which cured any illness.”

The nephews thought there might be some truth in the old gardener’s story, so the eldest of the three obtained the king’s permission to try and find the mysterious lake of the water of life. The nephew set out alone and spent several days riding through the mountains, with never a glimpse of any water. Then one morning, he came to a narrow pass, and as he was about to ride along this pass, he was assailed by a voice. Looking up, he saw an old sadhu sitting on a ledge.

“And where are you going, young man?” asked the sadhu.

“That is no business of yours,” replied the youth hotly, and spurred his horse on.

The further he rode, the narrower the pass became, winding round and round, with sheer walls of rock on either side. After some time, he realized he was hopelessly lost, imprisoned in the heart of a mountain.

When this nephew failed to return home, the second nephew decided he would go and find this mysterious lake. Like his elder brother, he eventually came to the narrow pass and met the sadhu, who inquired as to where he was going.

“What is it to do with you, old man?” retorted the nephew.

Then he too became lost in the maze of the mountain, and came upon his brother, sitting miserably on a rock. And although they tried for days, escape was impossible.

Now the youngest nephew, fearing his two brothers were lost, set off to find this elusive water of life. When he came to the narrow pass, the sadhu asked him where he was going.

“Father,” said the youth, “I am trying to find the water of life, which I need urgently to save the life of my king.”

“Well, you haven’t far to go,” said the sadhu with a smile. “Behind you, you can see a sharp peak. At the foot of this peak, there is a stone door. Knock three times, and the door will open, and inside is the lake of the water of life.”

“But listen carefully,” he went on. “When you have filled your water bottle, walk round the lake, and you will find a statue of a young lady. Now be sure to sprinkle this statue with water from the lake.”

As the sadhu had promised, there was no difficulty in finding the stone door, and when the youth had knocked three times, the door swung open, and there in front of him was the glistening water of the lake. Quickly filling his water bottle, the youth looked round the lake, and there on the far side was a life-like statue of a young lady. Hurrying round the lake, the youth cupped his hands in the lake and sprinkled the water on the statue. To his amazement, the statue came to life!

“Be not afraid,” said the figure. “I was a princess, but a curse was laid on me, and I was turned to stone. You have brought me back to life, but I cannot leave here yet. If you will return twelve months from today, I shall be free to go.”

The youth was entranced by the beauty of this princess and was only too happy to give his promise. When he left the lake, the youth rode back to where the sadhu was sitting.

“Father, I have found the water of life,” exclaimed the youth, holding up his water bottle. “But have you seen anything of my two brothers, who also came in quest of this water?”

“Yes, my son,” replied the sadhu. “Your brothers are safe. If you go back to the foot of the mountains, I promise that your brothers will join you before nightfall. But beware, they are not to be trusted.”

True to the sadhu’s word, the two brothers who had been imprisoned in the mountain joined their younger brother before nightfall. The two elder brothers grumbled over their misfortunes, and they certainly didn’t feel any happier when the younger brother blurted out his story of how he discovered the lake of the water of life, the beautiful princess, and even told them that he had promised to return to her at the end of a year.

Tired after his exciting day, the younger brother was soon fast asleep, while the elder brothers sat gloomily cursing their younger brother’s luck. Then, between them, they hatched a plot to steal the water of life and win the king’s favor. At the end of the year, one of them could also win the lovely princess. So, while the younger brother slept, they stole the precious water from his bottle and filled the bottle with muddy water from a nearby pool.

When they returned to the king’s palace, the younger brother rushed to the king’s bedside and gave the king water from his bottle to drink. The muddy water made the king retch and retch. In his anger, the king ordered his young nephew to go and never return.

Later, the two other brothers handed the king the real water of life to drink. And as he drank, new life flowed in the king’s veins, and within hours, to everyone’s amazement, he was fully recovered.

The younger nephew, turned out of his princely home, wandered aimlessly through the kingdom, angry with himself as he recalled the sadhu’s warning not to trust his brothers. In the meantime, the old sadhu warned the princess that others might try to usurp the young man’s right to claim her hand and promised the princess that the door to the lake would only open to someone who knocked three times.

As soon as the year had passed, the two elder brothers rode gaily up the mountain, confident that the princess would marry one of them. Remembering their younger brother’s story, they managed to find the stone door, and the eldest brother quickly dismounted and banged heartily on the door. But the door did not open, so he banged and kicked, making sure someone would hear, and still, the door remained closed. In the end, they gave up in disgust and rode back the way they came.

Later in the day, the younger brother rode up to the door, wondering how he would be greeted now that he was in disgrace. He knocked three times, and the door swung open to be greeted by the princess, who rushed forward to meet him.

When he told the princess how he had been tricked by his brothers and his banishment, she was all sympathy. Then, on the old sadhu’s advice, they decided to go and tell the king the whole story.

The king was enraged when he heard what had really happened and sent for the two brothers, who, when confronted by an angry king, confessed and were banished for their crimes.

Not long afterward, the young nephew married the princess and was named heir apparent to the throne.