In ancient times, a famous Raja named Prabu Joyo Kusumo reigned on the island of Java. The rajah had several wives, but the rajah loved most of all not his eldest wife, but the one who was the most beautiful, although not noble. However, his beloved wife had an evil heart, and she was constantly thinking about how she could destroy the rajah’s eldest wife.
And then one day the insidious beauty pretended to be seriously ill. Raja was very scared. The best healers tried all their skills, but nothing helped. Finally the sick woman asked the Raja to come to her and when he came, she said:
“My lord, now I know who is to blame for my illness.”
The astonished Raja shouted:
- Speak quickly! Who wants to destroy you? Speak up, don't hide anything.
“Maybe my master won’t believe it, but I’ll still say: the eldest wife did it,” answered the insidious woman.
The Raja was very angry when he heard these words. Without hesitation for long, he hurried to his eldest wife. She saw the rajah’s face red with anger and was terribly frightened. She wanted to ask what happened, but before she had time to utter a word, the rajah grabbed her and began to beat her. The eldest wife screamed loudly, swore that she was innocent of anything, cried, and begged for mercy. Eventually the Raja's anger passed and he left the woman. Sobbing, she asked the Raja what she had done wrong, but the Raja did not listen to her. He called the vizier and ordered:
“Hey, vizier, take this unworthy woman into the forest, kill her and give her body to be torn to pieces by wild animals, and as proof that you did all this, bring me both her eyes.”
“I obey, sir,” answered the vizier.
In his heart he did not agree with the cruel order of the rajah, but what could he do? He was, after all, just a servant of his master and had to obey all his orders. And so, together with two slaves named Put-ro Kenchono and Setunto, he led his eldest wife into the forest.
When they arrived there, the good vizier said:
“Madam, the Raja ordered me to kill you, but I cannot do it, because I know that you are not guilty.”
“Do what you think is fair,” the woman answered. “You were ordered to kill me, so kill me so that the wrath of the rajah does not fall on you.”
However, the vizier decided that he would not kill her, but would take only her eyes to take them to the rajah. So he did, and then said to both of his slaves:
- Hey, Putro Kenchono and Setunto, guard and protect the lady, because she is now blind. I took the lady's eyes to prove to the Rajah that she was dead. Now I will return to the capital.
And the vizier set off. The eldest wife was pregnant at that time.
So she began to live in a small house in the middle of the forest. Some time passed, and one fine morning, when the sun was shining and the birds were singing, the woman gave birth to a son. How happy all three were! The newborn was a healthy, large child with black, radiant eyes. His mother named him Panji Laras - “prince born in the forest.”
The prince grew up quickly. He loved to play different games, and soon he had many friends among animals. One day Panji Laras saw a kite soaring high in the sky. Suddenly the kite dropped something. Panji Laras ran up to the fallen object, and what did he see? Little chicken! Panji Laras took the chicken in his hands and saw: it was a cockerel. He began to care for the chick and released it. The rooster grew by leaps and bounds, he acquired beautiful feathers and soon knew how to crow. Panji Laras understood everything that the rooster wanted to express with his singing, and when he sang, Panji Laras answered him:
- My fighting cockerel, you live in the forest with me.
When Panji Laras became an adult, he decided to go with his rooster to a cockfight in nearby Revnya. He asked his mother for permission, but she said:
- My beloved son, don’t leave home! Who will help you if you find yourself in danger? A mother's heart cannot let you go far.
“Don’t worry, I’m already big and can take care of myself,” Panji Laras convinced her, “besides, Setunto and Putro Kenchono will come with me.”
In the end, the mother had to give in, and Panji Laras, along with his servants, hurried to the nearest village. There they went straight to the village chief's house. He respectfully accepted them and asked:
- May I know why the gentlemen came to us?
“Sir,” answered Panji Laras, “we came here from the forest, and we came for the sake of a cockfight - if, of course, there is a suitable opponent for our rooster.”
The headman looked at the rooster Panji Laras and said:
“My rooster hasn’t fought for a long time either.” Well, let's have a fight, but what's your bet?
“I’m a poor man, I have nothing, so we’ll be the bet.” If we lose, then all three of us will become your slaves.
Soon word spread throughout the village that a young man had appeared who wanted his rooster to fight with the headman's rooster. Many people gathered to watch this spectacle, and all the men placed bets on the famous headman's rooster.
And so the roosters began to fight. At first it seemed that the headman's rooster was winning, but then everything changed. Panji Laras' rooster attacked furiously, and his opponent soon began to defend himself. The headman's rooster became weaker and weaker, and Panji Laras's rooster, on the contrary, fought just as fiercely. And then the moment came when the elder’s weakened rooster could no longer fight. Seeing this, Panji Laras's rooster deftly jumped on his opponent's head and kicked it with all his might. The enemy's neck was broken by the blow. Panji Laras' rooster won. He sang triumphantly: “Crow!” and Panji Laras responded:
- My fighting cockerel, you live in the forest with me. Everyone was very surprised to hear these words, but they were embarrassed to ask Panji Laras what they meant.
Panji Laras received his winnings, and all three returned to the forest, happy that they now had so many expensive things and food.
The Raja of this country, the father of Panji Laras, also heard rumors about a handsome and strange young man, the owner of a fighting cock who did not know defeat. The Raja himself was very fond of cockfights and ordered one of his servants to find the young man and invite him to arrange a fight between their cocks. The messenger quickly found Panji Laras, and together they went to the palace.
As soon as the rajah saw the young man with the famous rooster, some incomprehensible feeling awoke in his soul. “Where did I see a person similar to him?” - thought the rajah, but where and when, he could not remember. And the two servants accompanying the young man also seemed familiar to the rajah. The cockfight had already begun, and the Raja kept remembering where he had seen these people.
The rooster of Panji Laras had to fight with the large and evasive rooster of the Raja, who had no equal in the entire kingdom. Before the start of the fight, Panji Laras stroked his rooster and whispered a few kind words in his ear. It's time to fight. Panji Laras put his soul and body on the line, and the Raja put half of his kingdom on the line. The roosters turned out to be equally strong and dexterous and both fought fiercely. Sometimes the Raja's rooster had the upper hand, and then everyone clapped their hands and shouted encouragement, but then Panji Laras's rooster won - and then everyone fell silent, and only Panji Laras and his two comrades rejoiced and clapped their hands. The roosters fought for a long time, but neither could defeat the other. Blood poured from their wounds, feathers were scattered around. Still, after two hours of battle, the Rajah's rooster was defeated. At some point, the Panji Laras rooster ran into his enemy with such force that he fell, and when he tried to get up, the agile forest rooster rushed into battle again and jumped on his head. As easily as a knife blade penetrates soft bread, the claws of the Panji Laras rooster dug into the neck of the Rajah's rooster. Blood began to flow from his throat, and the Rajah's rooster fell, never to rise again.
Everyone was silent, not daring to utter a word. Grief and surprise were written on the Raja's face.
“Hey, friend,” he said, “I recognize the victory of your rooster, and you will receive half of my kingdom.” But before you go, I want to know who you are and where you come from, and I also want to ask who your father and mother are.
“My lord, my name is Panji Laras, and my house is in the middle of the forest, far from here. “I only have a mother, and she lives there,” answered Panji Laras respectfully.
The Raja was very surprised when he heard the young man’s words, but was even more amazed when he heard his name, because “panji” is the title of noble people. “So, this young man is from a noble family? - the Raja began to think. “And his two slaves... but where did I see them?” He called his vizier and asked:
“Hey, vizier, have you ever seen these two people before?”
The vizier was very afraid that his secret would be revealed, and pretended that he did not recognize the slaves. But the rajah did not calm down, looked carefully at the faces of the newcomers and suddenly exclaimed:
- Oh Allah, this is Setunto and Putro Kenchono! I remember their faces well!
“Now the wrath of the rajah will inevitably fall on me!” the vizier was horrified when he heard these words. And then he told the rajah the whole truth about what happened. But the rajah was not angry at all, but, on the contrary, praised the vizier for not killing the woman. And so happy was the Raja when he learned that the brave young man was his own son! He immediately ordered that his mother's eyes, kept in a glass vessel above the gate of the Rajah's palace, be given to Panji Laras. Taking the vessel, Panji Laras hurried into the forest, and with him went hundreds of people with beautiful clothes and other gifts for the eldest wife of the rajah.
Panji Larasa's mother heard loud voices and was very scared. At first she thought that it was some noble person who had come to the forest to hunt, but then she recognized the voice of Panji Laras, and her soul became calm. The eyes, brought from the palace, were immediately inserted into her eye sockets, and lo and behold! – the woman’s vision returned. Everyone went to the palace to celebrate the return of the Rajah's eldest wife. The evil wife was no longer in the palace - she was expelled for treachery.
From then on, Raja Joyo Kusumo lived calmly and happily. He was already old and therefore gave the throne to his son, Panji Laras. Panji Laras ruled wisely and justly, and the people loved him very much.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru