The Mirror of Love and Compassion

Many years ago, a couple lived in a remote and beautiful village. They had a little daughter whose name was Maya. Maya was the apple of their eyes. They loved Maya more than anyone else in the world, and their daughter was the support of their old age and the source of their happiness.As Maya grew up, many pleasant days came. The days when she was taken to the temple a short time after her birth, when her mother dressed her in beautiful clothes to let her have a darshan of God, and when she started helping her parents with minor chores at the age of seven were always remembered by her parents. Their family was the happiest family in that place.One day, there was a bit of a bustle in the house. Due to some urgent work, the father had to go to Kathmandu, a big city far away. At that time, there was no facility of buses or trains like now. People had to cover journeys of many miles on foot. The father's journey was going to be very long and difficult.The mother prepared clothes and food for the father's journey. The mother was very worried about the father. She too wanted to go with the father, but since the path was very difficult, it was not possible to take the little daughter along. Moreover, the responsibility of taking care of the house also lay with the mother.At the time of leaving, the father stood at the door of the house and said, "Do not worry, I will return soon. When I am not here, take good care of the house and especially our little daughter." Tears were falling from the mother's eyes. She said, "We will be fine, but you take care of yourself and return home as soon as possible."Little Maya, however, was smiling. She did not know the pain of parting. Holding the hem of her father's clothes, she said, "Father, I will stay as a very good girl. When you return, please bring a beautiful gift for me!"It was very difficult for the father to leave his family and go, but since it was necessary to go, making his heart strong, he went on his way.After the father left, the mother and daughter did the household chores together. The mother started knitting clothes for the winter and began telling old stories to Maya. While working like this, they did not even realize how time passed. The father finished his work in the city and prepared to return home.When the father arrived home, he looked a bit dark from being sunburnt. But Maya and her mother recognized him from afar and ran to meet him. Finding the father at home after a long time, everyone's happiness knew no bounds. The father took out a beautiful doll and sweets for Maya from his bag. Maya became extremely happy upon receiving the gifts.After that, the father took out another small box and giving it to the mother, said, "And this is for you." The mother slowly opened the box. There was a round and shiny object made of metal. On one side of it, a beautiful pattern of birds and trees was carved, while the other side was as clean and bright as a mirror.The mother looked at that shiny part and said in surprise, "Someone is looking at me in this! What is this?" The father laughed and said, "This is your own face. This is called a mirror. Whoever looks into it sees their own form. Women in the city say that one should keep it as clean as their own mind. Keep it with care."The mother gathered and kept that gift with a lot of love. She said, "If this is just like my mind, I will always keep it clean and cherish it." Time passed, and Maya became a sixteen-year-old beautiful young woman. She was just as kind and good as her mother. But one day, suddenly, the mother fell very ill.Despite a lot of medical treatment, there was no improvement in the mother's health. The mother knew that her final hour had come. Holding Maya's hand, she said slowly, "My daughter, I will not live much longer now. After I die, take care of your father and always become a good person." Maya began to cry, but comforting her, the mother took out that very box containing the mirror from under the pillow.The mother said, "You keep this mirror. When I am gone, if you miss me a lot, look into this mirror. You will always see me in it. You can tell me everything in your heart. Even if I cannot speak, I will understand your words." Saying this much, the mother closed her eyes forever.After the mother's death, Maya and her father became very sad. Maya missed her mother a lot. One day, after feeling lonely, she remembered her mother's words and took the mirror out of the box. As soon as she looked into the mirror, she was astonished! There, she saw a young and beautiful face just like her mother's. She felt that what her mother had said was true.Maya did not know that the face seen in the mirror was her own reflection, which looked exactly like her mother's. She felt that her mother's soul itself had come into the mirror to talk to her. After that, Maya started talking to her mother while looking into the mirror every day. This gave her the strength to smile even in sorrow, and she became even better.A year later, the father married again. A new mother (stepmother) came into the house. At first, everything was fine, but gradually, jealousy towards Maya began to arise in the new mother's heart. She tried to spoil the relationship between Maya and her father. She started telling bad things about Maya to the father.One day, the new mother saw Maya doing something while hiding in her room. She went and told the father, "Look at that, your daughter is doing black magic to kill me! She hides in her room every day and curses me. I cannot stay here anymore." It was difficult for the father to believe this, but to understand what had happened, he went to Maya's room.When the father suddenly came into the room, Maya, becoming scared, tried to hide something inside the hem of her clothes. The father asked in a stern voice, "What did you hide? Are you really doing something so that something bad happens to your new mother?" Maya became very scared because her father had never been angry like this.Crying, Maya took out that mirror and placed it in front of her father. She said, "Father, I cannot even think bad of anyone. This is a gift given by my mother. When I miss her a lot, I look at her face in this and comfort my heart." The father looked into the mirror and understood everything right away.Hugging Maya, the father said, "Daughter, how innocent you are! The face seen in this mirror is yours, which is exactly like your mother's." The new mother, who was listening to everything from outside the door, realized her mistake. Coming into the room, she bowed her head in front of Maya and apologized.The new mother said, "Forgive me, daughter. I could not understand your clean mind. From now on, I will love you just like my own daughter." Maya happily forgave her new mother. After that, they started living together and happily forever. Due to Maya's patience and good nature, her house became filled with happiness once again.