No one greater than a mother

No one knows the name of the village. No one knows the name of the old woman either. Not even the time when this story took place. Yet everyone knows the story. Everyone knows—a mother is the greatest treasure, there's no one dearer than a mother.

So let me begin from the very start!

In that nameless village, there lived an old woman whose only family was her son and his wife. The old woman dearly loved her son. And the son loved his mother just as much. But the daughter-in-law didn’t like all this affection. She constantly wondered why the old woman didn’t just die—then they would live in peace and comfort.

The old woman, however, was a very simple and kind soul. She never took her daughter-in-law’s insults to heart. The love of her son was enough to keep her happy.

One day, suddenly, the old woman craved a piece of rohu fish head. At first, she tried to suppress the craving. But the more she tried, the stronger it grew—like milk boiling over in a pot. She just couldn’t ignore it. Finally, swallowing her pride, she approached her daughter-in-law and said,

“Daughter, I want to ask you something. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

At the very phrase “don’t take it the wrong way,” the daughter-in-law’s face twisted in irritation. Calmly, she said,

“What is it you want to say?”

“Dear, for a few days now I’ve been craving the head of a rohu fish. If you ever cook it, could you give me the head?”

Hearing this, the daughter-in-law’s insides burned with anger. But she didn’t say anything. The old woman assumed she would finally get her wish at dinner that very day.

But the daughter-in-law gave the fish head to her husband instead. Day after day, either she ate it herself, or just gave the mother-in-law watery gravy with barely any fish. Still, the old woman smiled and said,

“Daughter, did you forget?”

And the daughter-in-law replied coolly,

“Oh yes, Mother, I completely forgot.”

The old woman said nothing more. Quietly, she ate what was given, hoping that the next day she would finally receive the fish head.

But the next day was the same. And the day after that. And the next. Every day she would say,

“Daughter, did you forget?”

And every day the reply was the same:

“Yes, Mother, I completely forgot.”

One day, the son happened to be at home. He heard the exchange between his mother and wife. But he couldn’t make sense of it. So he asked his mother,

“What’s going on, Mother? What are you talking about?”

Not wanting to upset her son, the old woman quickly replied,

“Oh, it’s nothing, my son. Nothing at all.”

But this only made the son more curious. The curiosity slithered in his mind like a snake. So he asked his wife,

“What was Mother talking about?”

The daughter-in-law looked around, then whispered,

“It’s too shameful to say. Just thinking about it makes me sick. Ugh, how disgusting.”

Her pretense made the son furious. He demanded,

“Tell me the truth. What’s going on?”

Then the wife whispered again,

“Your mother wants to get married again. That’s what she was hinting at.”

“What? What did you say?”

“She wants to get married, can you believe it?”

The son was shocked. His whole body buzzed with rage. He muttered through gritted teeth,

“I’ll make sure that marriage happens!”

The next morning, the son said to his mother,

“Come with me, Mother. I’ll fulfill all your wishes.”

The old woman, ever trusting, replied,

“Alright, my son. Where are we going?”

“Just come with me,” he said.

Mother and son set off. The son walked briskly, and the old mother struggled to keep up—almost running to match his pace. She was sweating from exhaustion, but didn’t complain. She only said from time to time,

“Careful, son. Don’t trip.”

Eventually, their path led into a deep forest. They walked far inside. Then, without a word, the son left his mother under a tree and disappeared.

He didn’t go far. He hid behind the very tree, wanting to see what his mother would do.

Meanwhile, the sky darkened with clouds. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and soon it began to pour. Rain drenched both the son and the mother. But the old woman didn’t even notice her own soaked clothes. She kept praying aloud,

“Oh God, please stop the rain. My son is still on the road—he’ll get soaked. Oh cloud, don’t roar like that! Oh thunder, please don’t strike yet. Let my son reach home safely. Let him rest and warm up—and then you can rain and thunder all you want!”

From behind the tree, the son heard every word. Tears welled up in his eyes. But still he remained silent.

The old woman went on,

“All I wanted was a piece of fish head. That’s what brought my son into this wild forest. Now he’ll fall ill in this storm. Oh rain, oh cloud, oh thunder god—please hold back. Let my boy get home safe. Only then may you do as you please.”

The son could no longer hide. He stepped out and said,

“Mother, tell me the truth. What’s this about fish head, this forest, this whole thing? Tell me everything.”

With tears in her eyes, the old woman said,

“It’s such a shameful thing, son. I’ve grown old, and yet I craved a fish head. For days I asked your wife, and every day I reminded her, ‘Did you forget?’”

Now the son understood everything. He realized the cruelty of his wife. He took his mother home. Then, in his anger, he beat his wife and drove her out of the house.

And that is how the wicked daughter-in-law from that nameless village was sent away, crying and broken.