Long ago, in a village there lived a man named Dev Sharma. He was a holy man who begged for alms every day and with what he received he looked after his family. He had a wife.
A son was born to them. On the same day, they found a baby mongoose that had been orphaned. The husband and wife were very kind, so they took the little mongoose home. They brought him up like a second son. The wife would feed him and care for him along with her infant son. The husband would play with him as he played with the baby. They were very fond of the baby mongoose.
But the wife was a little scared. “He is after all a mongoose. Suppose he harms my son? I must watch over my baby very carefully and make sure the mongoose does not hurt him at all,” she thought. So while she looked after the mongoose, she kept watch over her baby very carefully.
One day, she found that the water pots in the house were empty. She had to go to the river to fetch water. Her husband was playing with the baby while the mongoose ran around them playfully. She picked up the pots and told her husband that she was going to fetch water from the river. “Please take good care of the baby. And keep an eye on the mongoose so that he may not hurt him.” Her husband nodded and said goodbye. He went back to play with the baby.
Sometime later, the husband forgot his wife’s instructions. It was time for him to go for his round to collect alms. So, picking up his bag, he went off, leaving the baby and the mongoose at home. While they were playing, the mongoose saw a snake entering the room from a hole. Now the mongoose was very fond of the baby, having grown up with him. And in the snake he recognised a natural enemy who could bite the baby with terrible results.
So to protect the baby the mongoose attacked the snake with his teeth and his claws, biting and scratching till he had killed the snake. When the baby’s mother came home carrying the pots, she saw the mongoose with his face and claws covered with blood. Frantic with worry, she thought the mongoose had injured her baby. Without waiting to check the facts, she threw the heavy pitcher of water on the mongoose, killing him instantly.
She ran in to see her baby and found him smiling happily. On the floor was the dead snake torn to pieces by the mongoose. She realised that her hasty action had killed the faithful mongoose and she wept for him.
