A weaver and his friend, the carpenter, lived in the bustling city of Vishalnagar. One evening, the two friends went out to have a cup of tea. A beautiful carriage went by on the street. As the weaver admired the carriage, the curtains on its windows opened a little. The weaver caught a glimpse of the person sitting inside. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He instantly fell in love with her.
“Do you know who that carriage belongs to?” the weaver asked his friend.
“Of course, I do. I built that carriage for the King! That was Princess Srimati,” the carpenter replied.
The weaver was lost in thought. Though he was wealthy and good at his work, he could never dream of marrying a princess. This made the weaver so sad that he couldn’t concentrate on work. The carpenter noticed his friend in this sad state and decided to help him.
Two weeks later, he called the weaver to his workshop. There was a large object inside covered with cloth. The carpenter pulled the cloth down. The weaver gaped at the object in astonishment.
It was a gigantic machine in the shape of a bird. Not just any bird, but an eagle. The carpenter pressed a small button on the eagle’s belly. One of the wings slowly tilted down. The carpenter walked up the wing onto the neck of the bird. The weaver followed in wide-eyed wonder.
On the neck of the eagle, was a small cushioned seat. In front of the seat were hidden controls.
“My friend, this is an eagle that can fly,” the carpenter said, “You pull this lever and the bird will spread its wings. Pull this lever to make the wings flap and start flying.”
“But what is all this for?” the weaver asked.
“This eagle looks just like Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s ride. You can dress up as Lord Vishnu and fly this bird to the Princess Srimati’s balcony. A weaver may not be able to marry a princess. But surely a God can,” replied the carpenter with a smile.
The weaver thanked his friend. The next night, the weaver dressed as Lord Vishnu, flew to the princess’ balcony on the mechanical eagle.
It was a beautiful night. The moon was full. The princess was standing at the balcony admiring its beauty. She felt a gush of wind. The eagle landed softly behind her. The princess turned and was shocked to see a giant bird.
“That bird looks familiar,” she thought, “Wait! That looks like Lord Vishnu’s bird, Garuda.”
At that moment the left wing dropped down. Walking down the wing was Lord Vishnu himself. Princess Srimati fainted. When she opened her eyes, she was staring into the eyes of the weaver, who was looking down at her with concern.
Srimati smiled as she hurried to her feet and bowed down to Lord Vishnu.
“My Lord! What brings you to our kingdom?”
“Princess, it is you who has brought me to this kingdom,” the weaver replied. Srimati blushed as the weaver continued. “Princess, I have fallen in love with you, and wish to marry you. Do accept my proposal.”
Srimati said nothing, but simply nodded.
The weaver and the princess got married that same night. From that day on, the weaver would come every night on his bird dressed as Lord Vishnu. The young couple spent a lot of time together, and slowly got to know each other.
That’s how for the first time in Vishalnagar, a weaver married a princess. It was their secret. Unfortunately, this secret was about to be exposed very soon.
