The Story of Mauruangi
Mauruangi was treated with great cruelty by her stepmother, who would feed her only rice husks (chaff) instead of actual rice. Because she never had enough to eat, she became extremely thin and frail. Her deceased mother, moved by pity, transformed herself into various forms—such as the fish Thaichhawninu and later a Phunchawng (Cotton tree)—to provide her with nourishment. However, the stepmother would find out and destroy these sources of help one by one. Eventually, after enduring much hardship, Mauruangi was taken by the servants of a plains king (Vai Lal) to be his queen, and her life finally became peaceful. The Detailed Narrative Mauruangi was the only child of her parents and was deeply loved. One day, her parents went to their forest farm. On their return, they reached a bridge that her mother was afraid to cross. Her husband had deceptively prepared a very light load for himself but made his wife’s load incredibly heavy. As she struggled to cross the bridge, the husband pushed her into the river. Mauruangi waited anxiously for her parents to return. When her mother did not appear, she questioned her father, who repeatedly lied to her. Eventually, he confessed to pushing her into the water. After being pushed into the river, the mother transformed into a great fish called Thaichhawninu. The father eventually married the mother of a girl named Bingtaii. Although the stepmother treated Mauruangi well at first, she soon began to mistreat her. She fed her only chaff, causing Mauruangi to waste away. During this time of suffering, her mother (the fish Thaichhawninu) would secretly provide her with good food, and Mauruangi began to grow healthy and strong again. When the stepfamily discovered the source of her health, they caught and killed the fish. Later, Mauruangi buried her mother’s remains by the garden fence, and they grew into a Phunchawng tree. By consuming the nectar of its flowers, she grew healthy once more, but they cut down the tree as well. Despite her suffering, a king from the plains (Vai Lal) sent his servants, and they took Mauruangi to be his wife. The King loved her dearly, and she lived in luxury. However, her stepmother later tricked Mauruangi into visiting home, where she killed her by pouring boiling water over her. Mauruangi then transformed into a spirit and became a nanny for a baby Saza (Serow/Antelope). In her place, the stepmother sent her own daughter, Bingtaii, to the King, pretending she was Mauruangi. One day, the King's servants were out hunting and found Mauruangi in a cave, looking after the young Serow. The servants pleaded with the Serow to let her go, and they were able to bring Mauruangi back. The King then declared, "My two wives, Bingtaii and Mauruangi, shall fight. Whoever wins shall remain my wife." They fought, and Mauruangi emerged victorious. She remained the King’s queen forever.
