High in the Himalayas was a sacred pond. Many divine creatures lived in the pond. A pair of white swans called Maya and Chaya also lived there. They were very pure and beautiful. They were always together. They never left one another. There was even envy among other swans on the true friendship among these two. There was a kingdom at the foothills of the Himalayas.
The king had once come to the pond on a divine pilgrimage. He saw Maya and Chaya and was attracted by their divine beauty. "It would be fitting for me to have these two swans in my garden," thought the king. When the king returned to his kingdom, he called for his ministers and declared his wish, "Ministers, I saw a pair of swans in a divine pond in the Himalayas.
I am so desirous of having them in my royal garden. Make arrangements to bring them to our royal garden at the earliest." The ministers had a conference to execute the wish of their king. They called for the best fowl hunter in the kingdom and ordered him to bring Maya and Chaya to the royal garden.
The hunter reached the pond. He too was attracted by the divine beauty of Maya and Chaya. Anyway, he had to catch them and take them to the kingdom. He set a few traps around the pond and waited patiently. After some time, Chaya got trapped, while she was pecking some grains on the banks of the pond. Maya started calling for help. The hunter heard the cry and came to the place.
There he saw Maya crying in a very sorrowful voice. Chaya was consoling her, "Only I am caught. You can escape and live happily." "How can I leave you, my friend? Let the hunter catch me also. We have been living together. We both shall die together." The hunter was so touched by the true friendship that he set Chaya free. Maya and Chaya thanked the hunter and swam deep into the pond. The hunter returned to the kingdom and told the episode to the king. The king felt sorry for his unjust wish and said, "I lost my mind in the meagre thought of selfishness. The swans have taught me the lesson of true friendship.
Moral: TRUE FRIENDSHIP NEVER PARTS.
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