STORY OF THE BRAHMAN'S WIFE

AND THE MUNGOOSE.

On the banks of the Ganges, which also flowsby the most holy city of Banaras, there is a townnamed Mithila, where dwelt a very poor Brâhmancalled Vidyadhara. He had no children, and tocompensate for this want, he and his wife tenderlynourished in their house a mungoose- a species ofweasel. It was their all in all- their younger son,their elder daughter- their elder son, their youngerdaughter, so fondly did they regard that littlecreature. The god Visvesvara and his spouseVisalakshi observed this, and had pity for theunhappy pair; so by their divine power they blessedthem with a son. This most welcome addition totheir family did not alienate the affections of theBrahman and his wife from the mungoose; on thecontrary, their attachment increased, for theybelieved that it was because of their having adoptedthe pet that a son had been born to them. So the