Once four friends went to the city of Taxila, to the sage. One learned to predict the future, another - to shoot without missing, the third - to dive to the bottom of the sea, and the fourth - to resurrect the dead. All four said goodbye to their teacher and set off on their way back. They went out to the sea in the late afternoon, spent the night on the shore, and in the morning the soothsayer announced:
“My friends, fate is favoring us. In the royal palace, an eagle has kidnapped the beautiful princess and is bringing her here.
Before all four had time to hide in the bushes, they saw: a huge eagle was flying, holding a girl in its talons.
The archer pulled his bow and hit the eagle right in the heart with a well-aimed arrow. The eagle's claws unclenched and the princess fell into the sea. The diver rushed into the water and carried the lifeless body to the shore. It was the healer’s turn to show his art, and the princess came to life. And the girl was so beautiful that all four fell in love with her at first sight.
They began to argue which of them deserved such a wife. They argue and argue, but never come to an agreement. We turned to the judge. The judge could not resolve their dispute and took them to the king.
The king listened to the disputants and made a wise decision:
“The soothsayer is a worthy mentor to the princess, the archer will replace her father, the healer will replace her mother, and the diver will become her husband, for he hugged the princess when he carried her out of the depths of the sea.”
Soon the old king died, and the diver, who married the princess, inherited the throne. He did not forget about his three comrades and took care of them all his life.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru