The Fishhook Between the Brothers

A very, very long time ago, a prince named Saumya ruled in a very beautiful country. He was the grandson of the Sun Goddess. Saumya was as strong and brave as he was handsome.He was highly skilled at hunting in the mountains. He never let his hunt go in vain. Therefore, everyone lovingly called him the 'Lucky Hunter'.Saumya had an elder brother whose name was Sampad. Sampad, on the other hand, was extremely adept at fishing in the ocean. There was no one else as skillful at fishing as he was. Therefore, everyone called him the 'Skillful Fisherman'. Both brothers were happy in their respective work and were spending their days pleasantly.One day, Saumya placed a proposal before his elder brother Sampad. He said, "Brother, you always fish in the ocean, and I always hunt in the mountains. We both must have become tired of our respective work. How about we exchange our work for one day? I will go to the ocean to fish, and you go to the mountains to hunt."Brother Sampad thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, this idea is not bad. Give me your bow and arrow, I will go towards the mountains to hunt."In this way, the two brothers exchanged their equipment. But they did not know what kind of trouble this small matter would bring. Saumya did not know how to fish at all, and Brother Sampad was of a somewhat short-tempered nature.Saumya took his brother's most beloved fishhook and went to the ocean shore. Sitting on a rock, he cast the hook into the water. He sat waiting for fish all day long, but not even a single fish was caught.Evening was about to fall. When he pulled his fishhook out of the water for the last time, he saw that the hook's barb was already missing! He did not even realize when it fell into the water.Saumya became very worried. He knew how much his brother loved that fishhook. He began to search for the hook in the ocean sand and stones. Right at that time, Brother Sampad returned from the mountains. The brother had not found any hunt in the mountains either, so he was very angry.The brother asked Saumya, "What are you searching for here?" Saumya said fearfully, "Brother, a big mistake happened because of me. Your fishhook was lost in the ocean."The brother became even angrier. He screamed and said, "I had already said that we should not have exchanged our work! Until you bring back that very same old hook of mine, I will not give back your bow and arrow. Search and bring it back immediately!"Saumya searched a lot, but the hook was nowhere to be found. Accepting defeat, he went home and broke his beloved sword into pieces to make five hundred new fishhooks. Giving all of them to his brother, he apologized. But his brother did not agree. He wanted that very same old hook.Saumya went back to the ocean shore and was sitting there feeling sorrowful. Suddenly, an old grandfather arrived there. He asked, "Oh child, why are you sitting here alone?"Saumya narrated everything. The grandfather said, "That hook cannot be found here. It is either at the bottom of the ocean, or some fish has swallowed it. You must go to the 'Water Realm' (the world beneath the water). I will show you the way to go there."The grandfather made a magical basket for him. Sitting inside that very basket, Saumya began to go under the water. In a short while, he reached the beautiful palace of the Water King. The gate there was made of red coral and was shining with diamonds and pearls.Outside the palace gate, there was a well, and a large tree stood nearby. Saumya was sitting up in that very tree. Right at that time, two very beautiful princesses came outside to fill water from the well. They were the Water King's daughters, Tara and Rupa.When the princesses saw Saumya's face in the water of the well, they were astonished. Saumya climbed down from the tree and politely asked for water. The princesses gave him water in a golden bowl.After Saumya finished drinking the water, he placed one of his precious gems inside that bowl. Seeing this, the princesses realized that he was someone of high stature. They took Saumya to their father.The Water King became very happy upon seeing Saumya. The king organized a grand feast. All the fish served Saumya, and the princesses sang a beautiful song. Saumya forgot his sorrow entirely in the joy of that place.After some time, Saumya told the king about the loss of the fishhook. The king immediately summoned all the fish of the ocean. All the fish arrived, but only a 'red fish' (Tai) did not come.It turned out that the red fish had been sick since yesterday. Something was stuck in its throat. When an octopus examined its throat, the very fishhook that Saumya was looking for was found stuck there!After the hook was found, Saumya became very happy. Now he wanted to return to his home. But the Water King and the princesses requested him to stay for some more time. Saumya stayed there for three years. He was so happy there that he did not even realize how time passed.Finally, Saumya asked the king for permission to go home. While bidding him farewell, the king gifted him two magical gems. The king said, "One gem increases the ocean waves, and the other calms the waves. This will protect you in times of distress."Saumya returned to his country riding on the back of a large crocodile.He met his brother, returned the fishhook, and apologized. But his brother Sampad was still harboring anger in his mind. He tried to seize Saumya's kingdom and kill him.One day, the brother chased Saumya to kill him.Saumya immediately took out the 'wave-increasing gem'. As he watched, the ocean water rushed in and was about to drown the brother. Terrified, the brother began to scream for help to be saved.Saumya's heart was very tender. He immediately took out the 'wave-decreasing gem', and the water returned back to the ocean. The brother realized his mistake and apologized to Saumya.After that, both brothers started living together in harmony. Brother Sampad accepted Saumya as the king, and there was never a fight between them again. Saumya ruled the kingdom with peace and happiness for many years.In this way, the lost fishhook showed Saumya the wonderful world beneath the water and also mended the relationship between the two brothers.