The Magic Shoes and Staff
The Magic Shoes and Staff
Adapted from Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit, translated by S. M. Mitra (1919)
In the ancient Indian town of Chinchini, where the old gods were said to sometimes appear to those who called upon them for help, three brothers of noble birth lived in comfort with their beloved wives. They had never known hunger or hardship—until a terrible drought struck their land.
For many weeks, no rain fell. The scorching sun, much stronger in India than in cooler lands, dried up all water in the tanks and turned the once-fertile countryside into a barren wasteland. Crops withered, and a devastating famine spread across the region. Hundreds of people and animals perished, with young children suffering first.
The three brothers, none of whom had children, grew frightened as conditions worsened. “If we stay in this dreadful land, we will die,” they said to each other. “Let us flee to somewhere with plenty of food and water. Our wives would only make things worse for us—we’ll leave them behind.”
So the three wives were abandoned without even a goodbye. At first, they were lonely and sad, but soon a great joy came to one of them that delighted all three—the birth of a little boy. The two aunts loved the child almost as much as his mother did. Though the story doesn’t explain how they survived the famine, the baby grew strong and healthy.
One night, all three women shared the same remarkable dream. The god Siva appeared to them, saying he had noticed from Heaven how tenderly they cared for the newborn. He instructed them to name the child Putraka and revealed that, as a reward for their selfless behavior, they would find one hundred thousand gold pieces under the baby’s pillow every morning. Furthermore, he prophesied that one day this child would become a king.
The dream came true. They named the boy Putraka, and each morning discovered the promised gold beneath his pillow. They carefully saved this wealth for him, so that when he grew up, he became the richest man in the entire country.
Putraka enjoyed a happy childhood, his only sadness being that he had never seen his father. His mother told him about the famine and how his father and uncles had left, never to return. He often said, “When I am a man, I will find my father and bring him home again.”
He used his wealth to help others. One of his greatest achievements was creating an irrigation system—canals that collected water during rainy periods to use during dry times, preventing future famines. The land became fruitful again; everyone had enough to eat and drink. Putraka was beloved, especially by the poor and unfortunate. When the king died, the people unanimously chose Putraka as their new ruler.
As king, Putraka befriended the Brahman travelers who frequently passed through his realm. Brahmans loved to journey far and wide, and Putraka thought if he treated them generously, they would spread word of him wherever they went. Perhaps through them, his father and uncles would hear about him and want to return. He gave the Brahmans money and asked them to search for his relatives, promising that his long-lost family would receive everything they desired if only they would come back.
Just as Putraka hoped, the Brahmans spoke of their homeland and its remarkable young king wherever they traveled. Eventually, his father and uncles heard these stories and grew curious. At first, they didn’t realize the king was related to them—only when they heard his mother’s name did they guess the truth.
Putraka’s father had known his wife was expecting a child when he abandoned her, making his desertion even more shameful. Now, however, he forgot that guilt, thinking only of how he might benefit from having a son who had become king. His uncles were equally self-serving, and the three aging men set off together for the land they had left so long ago.
They arrived safely at the palace and received a joyous welcome. None of the wives reproached their husbands for deserting them. Putraka was overjoyed to finally meet his father and provided him with a beautiful house and generous wealth. He treated his uncles with equal kindness, feeling that all his wishes had now been fulfilled.
The three wives soon regretted their husbands’ return. Rather than showing gratitude for Putraka’s generosity, the men were demanding and never satisfied, always seeking more. They were both wicked and foolish, not realizing that their behavior would only diminish the king’s affection for them.
Eventually, they grew jealous of Putraka. His father resented being merely a subject while his son ruled as king. He decided to kill Putraka, hoping to take the throne himself. After much thought, he decided to involve his brothers in the plot, meeting with them secretly to discuss their plan.
After several meetings, the three wicked men decided to hire an assassin to murder the king, making him swear never to reveal who had ordered the deed. Finding someone evil enough to accept payment for such a crime wasn’t difficult. The next step was determining where and when to strike.
Putraka had been raised well by his mother and often visited a beautiful temple near his palace to pray alone. There, he would spend long periods seeking wisdom and strength for his responsibilities, praying not only for himself but for his family and his beloved people.
The assassin was instructed to wait in this temple and, when the young king was absorbed in prayer, to kill him suddenly. Then he was to take Putraka’s body deep into the forest and bury it where it would never be found. The plan seemed likely to succeed. To ensure nothing went wrong, the murderer recruited two equally wicked accomplices, promising to share the reward.
But the god who had watched over Putraka since birth did not abandon him now. As the young king prayed, oblivious to everything around him, he didn’t notice the evil men approaching stealthily. Their weapons were raised to strike, gleaming in the light of the temple lamps, when suddenly the temple’s divine guardian—normally invisible—appeared and cast a spell that froze the attackers’ arms mid-strike.
What an extraordinary sight greeted Putraka when, disturbed from his prayers, he looked up to see the would-be murderers immobilized and the shadowy form of the guardian threatening them! He immediately understood that a divine messenger had saved him from a terrible death.
As he watched, the guardian faded away, leaving him alone with the assassins. Slowly the spell broke, and the men dropped their weapons, prostrating themselves and begging for mercy. Putraka regarded them quietly, feeling no anger—only gratitude for his escape. He questioned them sternly about their motives, and the lead assassin revealed who had sent them.
Learning that his own father wished him dead shocked and grieved Putraka deeply, but he maintained his composure. He told the men he forgave them, as they were not the most culpable. He made them promise never to reveal who had hired them, gave them some money, and sent them away.
Alone in the temple, Putraka threw himself to the ground and wept bitterly. His happiness was shattered; he felt he could never trust anyone again. He had so loved his father and uncles, had taken such joy in pleasing them—yet they hated him enough to plot his death.
He wondered if he himself was somehow to blame, if his mistake in being so generous to such unworthy men proved he wasn’t fit to rule. Perhaps his country would be better off with another king. He couldn’t bear the thought of returning to the palace to face his father and uncles. “What shall I do?” he cried between sobs. Never had he imagined such misery was possible.
His only comfort was the thought of his mother, whose love had never failed him—but even that was tainted by knowing her husband had plotted to kill their son. She must never discover that terrible truth, as it would break her heart. Yet how could he keep it from her? Finally, he decided the best solution was to leave and never see his family again.
Having made this decision, the young king felt somewhat calmer and began to think he might find interesting adventures in a new land where no one knew him. At dawn, he wandered into the forest, feeling lonely but also experiencing a certain freedom in being entirely his own master—something a king, with all his responsibilities and constraints, can never truly be.
The forest proved less lonely than expected. Before long, Putraka came upon a clearing where two strong men were wrestling fiercely. He watched them briefly, then called out, “What are you doing? What’s your quarrel about?”
The men were startled, having thought themselves alone. They paused their fight, and one explained, “We’re fighting for three precious things our father left behind.”
“What things?” asked Putraka.
“A bowl, a stick, and a pair of shoes,” came the reply. “Whoever wins gets them all. There they lie on the ground.”
Putraka laughed as he looked at the seemingly worthless items. “I wouldn’t bother fighting over such trifles if I were you.”
“Trifles!” one man exclaimed angrily. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. They’re worth more than their weight in gold. The bowl provides plenty of food whenever its owner wants it; the stick grants any wish written on the ground with it; and the shoes allow their wearer to fly through the air anywhere they desire.”
When Putraka heard about these magical properties, he decided to claim the treasures for himself, not considering how wrong it would be to take what wasn’t his. “Fighting seems unnecessary,” he suggested. “Why not race for the prizes? That banyan tree would make a good finish line, and I’ll be the judge.”
The brothers, being simple-minded, agreed readily. “We won’t fight—we’ll race instead, and you can give us the starting signal.”
Putraka agreed, but the moment they took off running, he grabbed the magical items and put on the shoes. Instantly, he rose into the air and flew away, leaving the brothers staring in astonishment.
Using his newfound powers, Putraka traveled to distant lands, having many adventures and eventually winning the hand of a beautiful princess. Though he had begun his journey in sorrow and through deception, he learned valuable lessons about trust, power, and leadership that would serve him well in his new life.
This ancient tale reminds us that even in our darkest moments, unexpected paths forward may appear. Putraka’s journey from abandoned child to king to fugitive shows how life’s course can change suddenly and dramatically. While his decision to take the magical items was questionable, his earlier compassion and wisdom in governance suggest a character who, despite his flaws, was destined for something extraordinary. Perhaps the most powerful magic in this story isn’t found in enchanted objects, but in the resilience of the human spirit when faced with betrayal and disappointment.
