indian folktales

8/4/2019 Indian Folktales

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Indian Folktales

The folklores and folktales have been an eternal part of every culture since ages. When it comes to Indian folk

tales, the country of diverse religions, languages and cultures has a complete range of tales and short stories.

Indian folklore has a wide range of stories and mythological legends, which emerge from all walks of life. The

interesting stories range from the remarkable Panchatantra to Hitopadesha, from Jataka to Akbar-Birbal.

Not only this, the great Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvad Gita are full of didactic stories

inspired from the lives of great souls. Being full of moralistic values, Indian folklore makes perfect stories for

children, who are required to be, instilled with right values. All these ancient stories have been passed from

generation to generation, creating bondage of traditional values with present-day generation.

Hitopadesha Tales

The Hitopadesha is a remarkable compilation of short stories. Composed by Narayana Pandit, Hitopadesha had

its origin around a thousand years ago. In Indian Literature, the Hitopadesha is regarded more or less similar to

the Panchatantra. In the vein of Panchatantra, the Hitopadesa was also written in Sanskrit and following the

pattern of prose and verse. Hitopadesh tales are written in reader-friendly way, which also contributed to the

success of this best seller after Bhagwad Gita in India. Since its origin, Hitopadesa has been translated intonumerous languages to benefit the readers all over the world.

Jataka Tales

In 300 B.C, the Jataka Tales were written for the mankind to gain knowledge and morality. Ever since, Jataka

tales have become story books that are both enjoyable as well as knowledgeable. Originally written in Pali

language, Jataka Buddhist tales have been translated in different languages around the world. The luminous

fables of Jataka are intended to impart values of self-sacrifice, morality, honesty and other informative values to

people.

Panchatantra Tales

The Panchatantra is a legendary collection of short stories from India. Originally composed in the 2nd century

B.C, Panchatantra is believed to be written by Vishnu Sharma along with many other scholars. The purpose

behind thecomposition was to implant moral values and governing skills in the young sons of the king. The

ancient Sanskrit text boasts of various animal stories in verse and prose. During all these centuries, many

authors and publishers worked hard to make these fables accessible and readable by a layman. The grand

assortment has extraordinary tales that are liked, perhaps even loved by people of every age group.
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Hitopadesha Tales

Beware of Mean Friends

This is one more interesting story from the Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a Lion by the nameof Madotkata in a forest. Among his followers, a Jackal, a Crow and a Wolf had developed friendship with him.

However, all the three had a selfish motive behind this so-called friendship. They knew that the Lion was the King

of the forest andfriendship with such fierce creature would always help them. To meet their selfish ends, they

started obeying and were always available at the service of the Lion.

They didnt have to make any efforts to search for their food, as the Lion used to give his leftover meals to them.

Moreover, they became powerful as they were next to the King of the forest. So like this, all the three selfish

friends were passing their days happily being the friends of the Lion. One day, a Camel, who came from some

distant land, lost his way and entered the same forest where these friends lived. He tried his best to find out the

way, but could not make it.

In the meantime, these three friends happened to pass through the same way where the Camel was wandering.When they saw the Camel, at once it came to their mind that he didnt belong to their forest. The Jackal

suggested to his other two friends, Letskill and eat him. The Wolf replied, It is a big animal. We could not kill

him like this. I think, first we should inform our King about this Camel. The Crow agreed upon the idea given by

the Wolf. After deciding, all of them went to meet the Lion.

On reaching the Lions den, the Jackal approached the Lion and said, Your Majesty, an unknown Camel has

dared to enter your kingdom without your consent. His body is full of flesh and he could make a nice meal for us.

Lets kill him. The Lion roared loudlyon hearing this and said, What are you saying? The Camel has come for

refuge in my kingdom. It is unethical to kill him like this. We should provide him the best shelter. Go and bring him

to me. All of them got dispirited to hear such words from the King.

They unwillingly went to the Camel and told him about the desire of the Lion, who wanted to meet him. The

Camel was scared to know about the strange offer. He thought that his last moment had come and in a little while

he would become the meal of the Lion. As he couldnt even escape, so he decided to meet the Lion and left

everything on the destiny. The selfish friends escorted the Camel to the Lions den. The Lion was happy to see

the Camel. He welcomed him warmly and assured him of all the safety in the forest during his stay.

The Camel was totally amazed to hear the Lions words. He got very happy and started living with the Jackal, the

Crow and the Wolf. One day, when the Lion was hunting for food, he had a struggle with a mighty Elephant. The

Lion got badly injured in the struggle and became incapable of hunting for his food. Stricken by bad luck, the Lion

had to sustain without food fordays. Due to this, his friends too had to go hungry for days as they totally

depended on the Lions kill for their food. But the Camel was satisfied grazing around in the forest.

All the three friends got worried and discussed the matter among them. On reaching a conclusion, they

approached the Lion and said, Your Majesty, you are getting weak day by day. We cant see you in thiswretched condition. Why dont you kill the Camel and eat him? The Lion roared, No. How can you think such

thing? He is our guest and we should not kill him. Dont give such suggestions to me in future. As the jackal, the

crow and the wolf had set their evil eyes on the camel; they met once again and devised a plan to kill the Camel.

They went to the Camel and said, Dear Friend, you know our King has not eaten anything from the past many

days. He is unable to go for hunting due to his wounds and sickness. Under such circumstances, it becomes our

duty to sacrifice ourselves to save the life of our king. Come with us, we will offer our bodies to make his food.

The Camel didnt understand their plan, but innocently he nodded in favor of their plan. All of them approached

the den of the Lion.

First of all, the Crow came forward and said, Your Majesty, we didnt succeed in getting any food for you. I cant

see you like this. Please eat me and make me obliged. The Lion replied, Dear, I wil l prefer to die than to

perform such a sinful deed. Then, the Jackal came forward and said, Your Majesty, Crows body is too small to

satisfy your appetite. I offer myself to you, as it is my duty to save your l ife. The Lion politely rejected the offer.
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As per the plan, now it was the turn of the Wolf to offer himself to the King.

So, the Wolf came forward and said, Your Majesty, Jackal is quite small to gratify your hunger. I offer myself for

this kind job. Please kill me and satisfy your hunger. After saying this, he lay prostrate before the Lion. But the

Lion didnt kill any of them. The Camel, who was watching the whole scene felt reassured of his safety and also

decided to go forward and complete the formality. He marched forward and said, Your Majesty, why dont you kill

me. You are my friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Please allow me to offer you my body.

The Lion found the offer quite appropriate, as the Camel himself had offered his body for food, his ethics were

maintained. The Lion attacked the Camel at once, ripped open his body and tore him into pieces. The Lion and

his friends ate the delicious flesh to their fill. They feasted on the poor Camel for days together.

Moral:Beware of Mean Friends.

The Birds and the Shivering Monkeys

This is another interesting tale/ story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there was a

huge tree on the banks of a river. The tree made a comfortable home for the family of birds who had built their

nests on its branch. The birds were living there happily as the tree with its widespread branches sheltered them

from scorching sun and heavy rains.

One day, when the sky was overcast with dark clouds, it rained very heavily. Some monkeys who were playing

nearby the tree got drenched and ran for shelter under the tree. All of them were shivering with cold. When the

birds saw the monkeys in the pitiable condition, one of the birds said, O Monkeys, you would not have to shiver

like this, if you had built a home like us. You would not have to suffer like this. If we can build our nest with small

beaks, then why cant you. By Gods grace, you have two hands and two legs. Why dont you make a nice shelter

for yourselves?

On hearing this, the monkeys got annoyed and swore to teach a lesson to the birds. They said to themselves,These birds are not afraid of the rain or of cold wind. They are living comfortably that is why they are criticizing

us like this. Let the rain stops, well show them how to build home. As soon as the rain stopped, the monkeys

climbed up the tree and destroyed the nests of the birds. They also broke the birds eggs and threw the young

ones down.

The poor birds flew here and there in misery. They were full of regret for their words and realized that they should

not have given advice that was not asked. Advice should only be given to learned, wise and to those who ask for

it.

Moral:Never give advice to fools.

The Blind Vulture

The Blind Vulture is one of the most interesting stories/ tales from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once

upon a time, there was a hill that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill, there was a tree

which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The

birds welcomed the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he was old.

When the Blind Vulture saw birds concern for him, he was overwhelmed withgratitude. He thought to himself,

As these birds are being so kind to me, it has become my duty to protect their young ones when they are away

gathering food. After this, the Vulture used to get hisfood from the birds and in return, he took care of their

young ones while they were away. So like this, all of them were passing their days happily.

One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came


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near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they

made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, Who is there? On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got

frightened and said to herself, O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his

confidence.

At once, the Cat replied, O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you. The Vulture asked, Who are you?

The Cat answered, I am a Cat. The Vulture shouted, Go away otherwise Ill eat you up. The Cat was clever

and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, Sir, Listen to me first then you

can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race.

The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, I live on the other side of the river. I dont eat meat and take

bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from

the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess

all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings.

She further said, But, I dont feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should

have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you dont have any food to offer me, at least you

could say something kind to me. The Old Vulture replied, How canI trust you since you are carnivorous and

young birds reside here. The Clever Catwas well-versed in tantrums.

She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, I've read all scriptures and came to

know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by ki lling

birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days,

the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.

When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat

realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind

Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by

her. When the Birds saw the bonesof their young ones, at once they shouted, The blind Vulture has eaten our

innocent kids.

All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didnt

even get the chance to defend himself.

Moral:Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.

The Elephant and the Jackal

This is a nice tale / story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived an Elephant by

the name of Karpuratilaka in a forest. He was brutal and haughty by nature. He used to roam in the forest without

restraint. All the animals of the forest were afraid of this wild Elephant. Without any purpose, he used to pull down

the trees and ripped thebranches. In this way, he destroyed innumerable nests with eggs and crushed the

nestlings under his massive feet.

In short, he had created all round chaos in the forest. Fierce animals like Lions and Tigers also kept themselves

at a safe distance from this Elephant. Once it happened that he destroyed the burrows of the jackals in his

merciless stroll. This action of Elephant was not tolerable to the animals and all of them wanted to kill the

Elephant. They had a conversation regarding this but thought it was nearly impossible to kill the Elephant due to

his gigantic size.

The Jackals were full of rage and planned to call a separate meeting. They were ready to do anything to get rid of

the mighty Elephant. But killing the huge Elephant was not a tiny task to do. All of them had a discussion that how

could they kill the Elephant. Suddenly, an old Jackal said,Leave everything on me. I will cleverly bring about his

death. Everyone gave his consent to the idea of the old Jackal.


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The next day, old Jackal went to the Elephant, bowed respectfully before him and said, My Lord! Favor me with

your royal glance. The Elephant looked at him and said in a loud voice, Who are you? Why you have come

here? The intelligent Jackal replied, I am only a poor Jackal. Your Majesty, no one can deny your greatness.

You are kind-hearted, gentle and possess all qualities of a ruler. Taking these things in the mind, all the animals

have chosen you to be their King. Please accept this offer and make us obliged.

The Elephant appeared to be happy with all the praise thrown by the Jackal. Jackal found the time to be

appropriate and further acclaimed, Your Highness, all the animals are eager to see your kingshipceremony. It

will be held in the middle ofthe forest, where thousands of animals have already gathered to get your glimpse.

Our astrologers have told this is the auspicious moment for your crowning. Time is slipping fast. So, please come

with me without any delay.

The Elephant was really pleased by the Jackals talk. He always dreamt to become a King. He contemplated that

the kingship ceremony will be matter of honor to him. Instantly, he got ready to accompany the Jackal to the

place whereceremony was to be held. The Jackal took the Elephant deep into the forest. On the way, they had to

walk through a swampy area by the side of a lake. The Jackal walked across the swampy region easily.

But as soon as the Elephant stepped on the swamp, he got stuck in it. He tried his best to come out of the

swamp, but to no avail. The more he tried to move out, the more he went deep into it. He got frightened andcalled out the Jackal, Friend, Please help me to come out of this mud. I am sinking deep into the mud. Call other

animals quickly to help me otherwise I will die.

The Jackal replied, I am not going to save you. You deserve this conduct. You are a cruel, arrogant and a

merciless creature. You killed our siblings and kids. You have destroyed our burrows and nests of poor birds.

You knew everything, but remained indifferent. I am sorry to say that your end has come. The Jackal left the

place immediately and the Elephant kept shouting for help. In a little while, the Elephant disappeared from the

scene, sinking into the deep mud.

Moral:Every despot has to meet his doom.

The Jackal and the Arrow

This is another nice story/ tale from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a hunter in

a village. He was living there happily with his family. One fine morning, he set out from his home with the

intention of hunting a deer in the nearby forest. It was a fortunate day as he saw a deer and killed him instantly.

He hung the carcass of the deer over his shoulder and happily started for his home.

The Hunter had barely walked a distance, when he saw a wild Boar. He quickly dropped the dear on the ground

and shot the boar with an arrow. The arrow pricked the Boars neck projecting through his back. Before

collapsing, the Boar gave a fearful groan and killed the Hunter with his pointed tusks. In no time, the Hunter and

the Boar, both were lying dead at the same spot.

After some time, a Jackal happened to pass through that place. He saw a man and a boar, both lying dead at the

same spot. At a distance, he also found a dead deer. The hungry Jackal got crazy to find so much to eat at the

same time and that too without any effort. He was overjoyed at the sight of mouth relishing flesh and said, Ah!

What a luck I have! It looks as if I am going to have a feast, but I'II eat only a little at a time so it will last longer.

He began to think that with whose flesh to start his feast, the man or the animal. He decided to lick the blood first

and taste a little flesh stuck around the arrow. But, as soon as, he put the pointed arrow in his mouth, it pricked

his jaws and went through his head. The Jackal died a greedy death on the spot.

Moral:Greed never pays.


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The Monkeys and the Bell

This is another nice story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales/ Stories. Once upon a time, there lived a

robber in a village. One day, he stole a temple bell and ran towards the forest. A Tiger heard the jingle of the bell

and became curious to locate the sound. As soon as, he saw the robber, he jumped upon him and killed him at

once. The bell fell on the ground. After a few days, a group of monkeys passed through that way. They spotted

the bell and carried it to their home.

They found the jingle of the bell very interesting. Subsequently every one of them became very fond of the bell

and started playing with it. After every tiring day, in the night monkeys would sit on the top of the hill in the

forest and enjoy the melodious sound of the bell. The people of the village were afraid of the noise. Soon

afterwards, the people from the villagefound the body of the robber and proclaimed, Certainly there is an evil

spirit around here that kills human beings and then rings the bell to celebrate.

When the people heard this, they thought that some demon was haunting their village. Without giving any second

thought, People started leaving the city in terror. There was an intelligent and bold woman in that village. She

thought to herself, I dont believe that some demon is haunting this village. I will find out that whois ringing thebell. At late night, she went intothe forestbravely and found that a group of monkeys were playing about and

ringing the bell.

Now as the woman knew the secret about the bell, she went to the King and said, Your Majesty! I'm sure this

evil spirit can be conquered by worshipping the Gods. But this will cost money. If you can grant me some money,

I will kill the demon and bring happiness to the village. The King, who was too afraid to get rid of the demon,

granted the request of the woman.

On receiving the money, the woman bought some peas, groundnuts and fruits. She arranged a worship of

the Gods. She made a circle on the ground, placed all the eatables and started worshipping the Gods. After the

ritual, she picked up all the eatables and went into the forest. She placed the fruits and other things under a tree

near the hill. She kept a watch of the monkeys from a distance.

As and when the monkeys saw the eatables, they dropped the bell just as the old woman had expected out of

them. They ran to pick the eatables. The woman picked up the bell quickly and rushed towards the village. She

gave the bell in the court of the King. The King was happy with the brave woman and everyone in the

village admired her bravery. The pleased King rewarded the woman for her bravery. Since that day, there was no

noise and people lived happily ever after.

Moral:One must not be afraid of trifles. Intelligence and courage succeed against all odds.

An Old Tiger and a Greedy Traveler

This is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha collection. Once upon a time, there lived a Tiger in a

forest. With the passing years, he became too old to hunt. One day, the Tiger was walking by the side of a lake

and suddenly, agold bangle came across his sight. Quickly he picked up the bangle and thought that he could

use it as an allure to catch someone. As he was under the thought process, a traveler happened to pass through

the opposite side of the lake.

The Tiger instantly thought to himself, What a delicious meal he would make? He planned a scheme to attract

the traveler. He held the bangle in his paw making it visible to the traveler and said, Would you like to take

this gold bangle. I dont require it. At once, the traveler wanted to take the bangle, but he hesitated to go near the

Tiger. He knew that it was risky, yet he sought the Gold Bangle. He planned to be cautious, so he asked the

Tiger, How can I believe you? I know you are a beast and would kill me.

The Clever Tiger innocently said, Listen Traveler, in my youth, I was wicked unquestionably, but now I have


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changed myself. With the advice of a Sanyasi, I have left all evil. Now I am all alone in this world and have

engaged myself in kind deeds. Moreover, I have grown old. I have no teeth and my claws are blunt. So, there is

no need to fear from me. The travelers was taken in by this smart talk and his love for gold soon overcame his

fear of the Tiger. He jumped into the lake to wade across the Tiger.

But as per the plan of the Tiger, he got trapped in the marsh. On seeing this, the Tiger consoled him and said,

Oh! You need not worry. Ill help you. Gradually he came towards the traveler and seized him. As the traveler

was being dragged out, onto the bank, he thought to himself, Oh! This beast's talk of saintliness took me in

totally. A beast is always a beast. If only I had not let my greed overcome my reason, I could be alive. However,

it was too late; the Tiger killed the traveler and ate him up. Like this, the traveler became victim of greed and

Tiger was successful in his evil plan.

Moral:Greed never goes unpunished.

The Rabbits and the Elephants

This is another nice story from the Hitopadesha collection. Once upon a time, there lived a herd of Elephants in a

forest. A mighty Elephant by the name of Chaturdanta was their king. There was a big lake in the middle of the

forest where all the animals used to go to drink water and to take a bath. Once it so happened, that there was no

rain for the whole year and the lake dried up. Many of the birds and the animals died of thirst. The Elephants got

worried that if they didnt get water soon many of them would die of thirst.

The Elephants decided to take the matter to their king, Chaturdanta. So they approached their king and said,

You Majesty, as you know there is no water in our forest, many of the birds and animals have died due to thirst.

We require water in order to survive. If we will stay here soon many of us will die. We have to find out water as

soon as possible. The KingElephantconsidered the idea and asked the Elephants to go in different directions to

find water. Fortunately, one of them found a large lake full of water in another jungle far away.

The King Elephant got happy to hear this news. He ordered all his followers to make their way towards the lake.This lake was full of water and never went dry even if it didnt rain. On the way to this lake, there was a settlement

of Rabbits. The Elephants had to pass through this settlement of Rabbits. Thousands of Rabbit got crushed

under the heavy feet of the Elephants and many of them got wounded. The Rabbits fled in terror. The situation

was getting severe, so the King of the Rabbits called up a meeting.

In the meeting, the King said, A herd of Elephants is passing through our area. They have killed thousands of

our friends. We are in a critical need to avoid more deaths. I want all of you to think of a way to save our race. All

the Rabbits underwent a thought process. Suddenly, a little Rabbit derived a plan and said to the King, Your

Majesty, if you will send me as your messenger to the King of the Elephants, I might find a solution to this

problem. The Rabbit King gave his approval to the idea. The little Rabbit rushed towards the lake.

When he saw the herd of Elephants returning from the lake, he realized that it was impossible to get near to

them. Then he thought that how could he talk to the King of Elephants. Thus, he climbed up a hill and shouted,

O, King of the Elephants. Please listen to me. On hearing the Rabbits voice, Chaturdanta stopped for a while

and replied, Who are you? From where have you come? The smart Rabbit answered, I am a messenger sent

to you by the Moon God. The King of the Elephants said, Why you have come here?

The Rabbit replied, Moon God has sent a message for you. A messenger speaks only truth. Please consider

that a messenger is never punished for what he has to say. He is only doing his job so you must not be angry

with me. Chaturdanta confirmed him that he wont be harmed in any way.

The little Rabbit said, The Moon God is angry with you because you have brought your herd to his holy lake and

have disturbed the peace. You have crushed thousands of Rabbits to death on the way to lake. Rabbits are

under the special protection of Moon God. Since you have bothered the Moon God and his special creatures, he

is extremely annoyed with you and wants you to leave his kingdom at once. If not, then you might face terribleconsequences.


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The King Elephant was scared to hear this message from the Moon God. He said, You are right. We have killed

many rabbits on our way to the lake. But really that was done in ignorance. I will see that you do not suffer

anymore. I want to request the Moon God to pardon me for my sins. Please advise me what I should do. The

Rabbit replied, Ok. I will take you to the Moon God. Pay your homage to the God and ask him to forgive you for

the crime you have committed. Come with me.

At night, the Rabbit led the King of Elephants to the lake. Both, the Rabbit and the Elephant stood near the bank

of the lake. There they saw the reflected image of the Moon in the still water. Just then, a mild breeze blew

disturbing the waters of the lake and the moon seemed to move to and fro. When Chaturdanta saw this, he

thought that the Moon God was really angry with him. He bowed to the Moon God in panic. The Rabbit said, Oh

Moon God, The King of Elephants has done a sin in ignorance. Please forgive him. He is taking away his herd

from here and promising never to come back.

Frightened Chaturdanta bowed once again to the Moon God and left the place with his herd immediately. And the

Rabbits lived happily in their settlement ever after.

Moral:Wit can win over might.

The Sages Daughter

It is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha album. Once upon a time, there lived a Sage on the

banks of a river. The sage and his wife didntbear any children. They were unhappy about this fact of their life.

One day, when the sage was engaged in penance, a kite dropped a she-mouse and it happened to fall in the lap

of the Sage. The Sage thought that the God might have sent this mouse to him. He thought that if he would

take the mouse to his home, people would laugh at him. So he decided to change the mouse into a girl.

The Sage brought the girl to his home. On seeing the Girl, the Sages wife asked, Who is she? From where did

you bring this girl? The Sage narrated to herthe whole story and said, I would bring her back to her original

form. The Sages wife stopped him instantly and said, I beg of you. Please dont change her into a mouse. You

have given her life so you have become her father. Since you are her father, I am her mother. God must have

sent her to us because we dontbear any children.

The Sage accepted the request of his wife. They started bringing up the Girl child as their own daughter. Soon

the Girl grew into a beautiful maiden. By the age of sixteen, the Sages wifedecided to get her daughter married.

She asked her husband to find a suitable match for their daughter. The Sage liked the idea and suggested that

the Sun God would make the best match for their daughter. The wife agreed upon this and the Sage prayed to

the Sun God to appear. When the Sun God appeared, the Sage asked him to marry his daughter.

But the Girl refused the idea and said, Sorry! I cant marry the Sun God as he is burning hot. I will be reduced to

ashes in his warmth and light. The Sage got disappointed to hear this from the Girl. He asked the Sun God if he

could suggest a groom for his daughter. The Sun God said, The Lord of Clouds could make a good match for

her, as he is the only one, who can easily stop the rays of the Sun.

The Sage then prayed to the Lord of Clouds to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl once

again rejected the proposal and said, I dont want to marry a dark person like him. Besides this, I am terrified of

the thunder he generates. The Sage was disheartened once again and asked the Lord of Clouds if he could

suggest a possible groom. The Lord of Clouds said, Wind God can make a possible match for her as he can

easily blow me away.

The Sage then prayed to the Wind God to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. The Daughter declined

the idea and said, I cant marry a frail person like the Wind God who is always stirring. Once again the sage got

sad and asked the Wind God to give some suggestion. The Wind God replied, Lord of Mountain is solid and can

stop the hard blows of wind easily. He can make a suitable match for your daughter.

As per the kind suggestion made by the Wind God, the Sage went to the Lord of Mountain and asked him to

marry his daughter. But the Girl once again declined the proposal and said, I cant marry the Lord of Mountain


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because he is too cold-hearted. She asked the Sage to find a softer groom for her. The Sage sought Mountain

Lords suggestion for the same. The Mountain Lord replied,A mouse will makea perfect match for her as he is

soft and can easily make holes in the mountain.

The daughter approved the idea of marrying a he-mouse. Moreover, she was pleased at this proposal. The Sage

said, This is destiny. You came as a mouse and you were fated to marry a mouse. Saying this, the Sage

converted the Girl back to a female mouse. The female mouse got married to a male mouse and lived happily

thereafter.

Moral:Destiny cannot be changed.

The Donkey and the Dog

This is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha Collection. Once upon a time, there lived a

Washerman in a village. He had kept a donkey and a dog to serve as his pets. The Dog used to guard his

masters house and escort him wherever he went. The Donkey used to carry stack ofclothes on his back to and

fro the river. Both of them slept in the washermans courtyard. Like this, they were leading their life under the kind

shelter of the Washerman.

On one unfortunate night, when everyone was sleeping, a thief managed to get into the house. Even after seeing

the thief, the Dog didnt bark. When the Donkey saw the thief entering the house, he asked the Dog, Dear

Friend, Didnt you see that a thief had entered the house? Why dont you bark to awake our master?

The Dog answered, Mind your own business. Don't talk to me about my duties; I know how to guard my master.

I have been guarding this house for long, but master doesnt care for me. From the past few days, he doesnt

even feed me properly. He doesnt know my worth. I wont wake him up. When this thief will steal valuables from

his house then only he will recognize my importance.

The Donkey irritatingly said, You fool! This is not the time to complain. This is the time for action. Be fast and dosomething to wake up the master. The Dog replied angrily, No. As he doesnt care for me even I wont care for

him. The Donkey shouted, O wicked creature, you are full of ingratitude towards your master. You are ignoring

your duty just when you're required most. Fine, I will do your duty and wake him up.

Hence, the Donkey brayed at the top of his voice which made the washerman to wake up. The thief quickly ran

away from the scene. The Washerman looked around but could find anyone. He got furious at the Donkey who

had disturbed his sleep. The Washerman thrashed the poor Donkey with a stick. The Donkey was left with pain

for months.

Moral:It is always better to mind your own business.


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Jataka Tales

The Cunning Wolf

It is an interesting story from the collection of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, some people from a certain town

went into a forest for an excursion. They want to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. They took baskets full of eatables

with them. They ate all the meat they had brought with them till the noon time. They didnt leave anything for

the dinner and suddenly realized that what they would eat in the dinner. They wanted to enjoy the vacation and

without proper food, it was quite impossible.

One of the men said, There is no need to worry. I will bring some fresh meat. We will make a fire here and roast

it. It will be a great fun too. After saying this, he took a club and went to the lake. He knew that the animals would

definitely come to the riverside for drinking water. He lay down on the ground with a club in his hand and

pretended as if, he was dead.

After some time, a group of wolves came down to the lake. When they saw the man lying on the riverside, theykept an eye on him for some time. The King of the wolves said, I think, this man is playing trick on us. All of you

stay here, while I will go and check whether he is really dead or pretending to be dead. So, the cunning king of

the wolves slithered up to the man and pulled his club a little cautiously. The man pulled back his club at once.

The King of the wolves ran from the place and shouted, If you had been dead, you would not have pulled back

you club when I tried to pull it. I caught your trick. You pretended to be dead so that you may kill one of us for

your dinner. The man quickly jumpedup and tried to kill the wolf. He chucked his club at the King of the Wolves.

Unfortunately, the man missed his aim and the wolf safely ran away. He looked for the other animals, but none of

them was visible. All of them ran away.

The man got frustrated at this, but could not do anything. Thus, he went back to his friends and said, I tried to

get fresh meat by playing a trick on the animals, but the cunning wolf played a better trick on me. I am sorry. Icould not get fresh meat for you.

The Elephant and the Dog

This is another interesting story / tale from the Jataka collection. Once upon a time, there was a

royal elephant that used to reside in the premises of the kings palace. Theelephant was very dear to the king, so

he was cared, well-fed and well-treated. There was a Dog who used to live in the neighborhood of

the Elephant shed. He was very weak and skinny. He was always fascinated by the smell of the rich sweet rice

being fed to the royal elephant.

One day, the Dog could not resist the aroma of the rice and somehow, he sneaked into the Elephants shed. He

ate the sweet rice that fell from the Elephants mouth. He likedthe rice so much, that he started coming daily to

eat the rice. For days, the huge Elephant didnt notice thesmall dog as he was busy in enjoying the delicious

food. Gradually, the Dog became bigger and stronger by eating such rich food. He came under the notice of

the Elephant.

The Elephant used to enjoy the company of the Dog and started sharing his food with him. Both of them also

started sharing time with each other and soon, they made good friends. They ate together, slept together and

played together. While playing, the Elephant would hold the Dog in his trunk and swing him back and forth. It

didnt take long, when neither of them was happy without the other. They became great friends and didnt want to

get separated from each other.

Then one day, a man saw the Dog and asked the Elephant-keeper, I want to buy thisDog. What price do you

seek for the Dog? TheElephant-keeper didnt own the Dog still he sold the Dog and extracted a sum of money
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out of this deal. The man took the Dog to his home village, which was quite far away. The

KingsElephant became very sad after this incident. He missed his friend a lot and started neglecting everything.

He didnt want to do anything without his dear friend, so stopped eating, drinking and even bathing.

Ultimately, the Elephant-keeper reported this to the King; however he didnt tell anything about the Dog. The King

had a wise minister, who was known for his understanding of animals. At once, the King asked the minister, Go

to the Elephantshed and find out the reason for the Elephants condition. The intelligent minister went to

the Elephant shed and found theElephant very sad. He looked the Elephant all over and asked the Elephant-

keeper, There is nothing wrong with thisElephants body, then why does he look so sad? I think thisElephant is

grief stricken, possibly due to the loss of a dear friend. Do you know if this Elephant shared a

close friendship with anyone?

The Elephant-keeper said, There was a Dog who used to eat, sleep and play with theElephant. He has been

taken by a stranger three days ago. The Minister asked, Where is the Dog? and he replied,I dont know. The

minister went back to the King and said, Your majesty, as per my opinion, the royal Elephant is not sick, but he

is lonesome without his dear friend, the Dog. The King said, Youre right,friendship is one of the most wonderful

things of life. Do you know where that Dog is?

The Minister replied, Elephant-keeper has informed that a stranger took him away and he didnt know about hiswhereabouts. The King asked, How can we bring back myElephants friend and make him happy again? The

Minister suggested, Your Majesty, make a declaration, that whoever has the dog that used to live at the

royal Elephants shed will be penalized. The King did the same and the man who took the dog, instantly turned

him loose when he heard the proclamation.

When got free, the Dog ran back as fast as he could to reach the Elephants shed. TheElephant was so

delighted to see the Dog that he picked his friend with his trunk and made him sit on his head. The Dog waved

his tail, while the Elephants eyes sparkled with happiness. The King was contented to see the

happy Elephant once again. He also rewarded the minister for his wise judgment. Both, the Elephant and the Dog

lived happily thereafter.

The Hawks and Their Friends

It is another interesting story from the album of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a family of Hawks in

a lake near a forest. The family included Female-Hawk, Male-Hawk and their Kid-Hawks. All of them were

passing their days happily. There also lived a Lion, a Kingfisher and a Turtle on the northern, the eastern and the

southern shore of this lake respectively. One day, the Female-Hawk asked her husband, Sweetheart, how many

friends do you have near here?

The Male-Hawk replied, I do have friends, but not one in this part of the forest. The Female-Hawk asked, Dear,

you must find some friends. At least, we should have some one who can help us, if ever we are in trouble or in

danger. The Male-Hawk asked, With whom shall I make friends? The Female-Hawk suggested, You can

make friends with the Kingfisher, the Lion and the Turtle, who lives on the eastern, the northern and the southern

shore of this lake.

The Male-Hawk liked the idea and went to the lion, the kingfisher and the turtle one by one and made friends with

them. Everyone was happy to make a new friend. Everything was going smooth in their life. Suddenly one day,

some men came to the forest for hunting. They hunted in the forest from morning till night, but found nothing.

They didnt want to go home empty-handed, so they went to the lake in order to see what they could find there.

After the whole day, they were tired. When they couldnt locate anything even on the lake, one of them said, let

us stay here tonight and see what we can find in the morning". All of them agreed to the proposal. They made

beds of leaves for themselves and lay down to sleep. They made their beds under the tree in which the Hawk

family had its nest. However, the hunters could not sleep because they were disturbed by the flies and the

mosquitoes.


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Ultimately, they got up and built a fire on the shore of the lake, so that the fumes would drive away the flies and

mosquitoes. The fumes awoke the hawks and the kid-hawks cried out. Hearing the cries of the Kid-Hawks, one of

the hunters said to the other, Did you hear that? That was the cry of the birds. They will make well for our

breakfast. There are young ones in that nestpointing towards the nest. The Hunters put more wood on the fire

and made it blaze up.

The Hawks listened to the conversation of the hunters. The Female-Hawk got frightened and said to her

husband, These men are planning to eat our young ones. We have to ask our friends to save us. Ask the

Kingfisher to help us, as we are in danger. The Male-Hawk flew speedily to the Kingfishers nest and made him

awake with his cry. The Kingfisher asked the Hawk, Why have you come at this late hour of night? The Male-

hawk narrated the whole story to the Kingfisher.

The Kingfisher consoled the Hawk and said, Dont worry my friend. I will help you. Go backand comfort your

mate. I am just coming. The Male-Hawk flew back to his nest quickly and the Kingfisher also came at the

location. On arriving, the Kingfisher saw the burning fire and instantly, beating the water with his wings sprinkled

water on the fire and put it out. The Hunters made another fire and one of them, tried to climb up the tree. The

Kingfisher put out the fire once again.

As often as a fire was made, the Kingfisher put it out. By the Midnight, the Kingfisher got very tired. The Female-Hawk noticed the condition of the Kingfisher and said to her husband, The Kingfisher is tired. Go and ask the

Turtle to come and help us. In the meantime, the Kingfisher may take some rest. The Male-Hawk quickly flew

down and asked the Kingfisher, Rest a while friend. I am going to get the Turtle.

Subsequently, the Male-Hawk flew towards the southern shore of the lake and wakened the Turtle. The Turtle

asked the Hawk, What happened friend? Why you have come? The Male-Hawk replied, A danger has come to

us and toldthe whole story about the hunters. He also said, The Kingfisher has been working for hours and he

is tired by now, that is why I have come to you. At once, the turtle said, I will help you.

After this, the Turtle went to the place where the Hawks lived. He dived into the water, collected some mud and

put the fire out with it. On seeing the Turtle, the hunters cried, Why to bother for the young hawks? Let us kill this

Turtle. It will make a nice breakfast for us. We have to be careful otherwise it will bite us. Let us throw a net over

it and turn it over. But they didnt have nets with them, so they took some vines and tore theirclothes to make a

net.

When they tried to put the net over the Turtle, they could not roll him over. Instead, the Turtle suddenly dived

down into the deep water making their efforts vain. The hunters got so impatient to get the turtle that they went

down into the deep water. When they came out of the water, they said, Half of the night, a Kingfisher kept putting

out our fires. Now, we have torn our clothes and got wet while trying to get this turtle. We will make another fire

and eat those young hawks at sunrise. With this, they started making another fire.

The Female-Hawk was hearing the conversation of the hunters. She said to her partner, I am afraid, sooner or

later these men will get our young ones. Go and ask our friend, the Lion to help us. The Male-Hawk flew to the

Lion at once. The Lion asked the Hawk, Why have you come at this late hour of night? The Hawk narrated

him the whole story. The Lion said, Dont worry friend. I just come. You go back and comfort your mate and theyoung ones.

Soon, the Lion came roaring at the place. On hearing the Lions roar, the hunters cried, Now, all of us would be

killed. They ran away from the scene as fast as they could run. When the Lion approached the tree, not even a

single hunter was visible. At that time, the Kingfisher and the Turtle also came on the scene. The Hawks were

happy to find the hunters were gone. They appreciated the efforts made by all of the friends and lived happily

thereafter.

Moral:Friends in need are friends indeed.


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The Jackal who saved the Lion

Here is another interesting story from the collection of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a

forest. One day, when he went to drink water in a river, one of his feet got stuck into the damp mushy mud of the

river. He tried a lot to get out of the mud, but to no avail. He had to lie without food for days because he didnt find

any help. On one fortunate day, a kind jackal came to drink water from the river. When he saw the lion, he wentcloser to the lion and said, What is the matter? Why are you resting here?

The lion narrated him the pathetic story. The Jackal instantly made a way out from the sand but the lion was

unable to move his feet. As he was set in the same posture for last several days, his body became stiff. The

jackal understood the condition of the lion and helped him to get out of the mud with an extra effort. The Lion was

really thankful to jackal for his kind help. He was very happy to get free after so many days.

The Lion appreciated the effort made by the jackal. He offered the jackal to live close to him and also promised to

give food to him whenever he caught food. The jackal accepted the offer and started living with the l ion. Thus,

they lived happily sharing the food. With the passing time, they expanded their families. The lion had cubs and

the jackal had kid jackals. Both, the lion and the jackal were passing their days happily. They didnt have any idea

that their friendship was not liked by their families.

One day after a long time, the lioness, lady of the lion's house, asked her cubs that she didnt like

the amity between the jackal and her husband. The cubs conveyed the message to the kid jackals. The kids

complained the matter to the lady jackal. The lady jackal conveyed the complaint to her husband.

The jackal went to the Lion and asked, I helped you without any consideration in return. You had asked me to

live with you, so I started living with you. Now, if you dont want me to live with you, you should have told me

yourself. What did you involve your wife and cubs to convey this? . The Lion was shocked to hear such words.

He said, My dear friend, what are you saying? I dont find any problem with you or yourfriendship. He assured

the jackal that he had no such ill-feelings for thefriendship between them.

The Lion also assured that he would talk to the lioness and solve the whole matter. The jackal was intelligent and

understood the situation. He said to the lion, Dear friend, I know you are sincere, but our families could not

exactly respond the same level of friendship. So, let us stay apart and meet often as friends. We could also hunt

together. It would be better, if our families stay apart. The Lion agreed to the proposal with a heavy heart.

The two families parted from each other as friends. The Jackal and the Lion continued to share the friendship.

They often met each other and hunt together. Thus, the two friends shared a healthy friendship throughout their

life.

Moral:Dont expect your family to reciprocate the same level offriendship you have with someone.

The Merchant of SeriThis is another nice story from the collection of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a merchant of Seri,

who sold brass and tin ware. He used to go from place to place, in order to sell his products. He was usually

accompanied by another merchant, who also sold brass and tin ware. The second merchant was greedy. He

wanted every thing for free and if he bought something, he paid as little as possible.

One day, when they went to a town, they divided the streets between them so that none of them interferes in

each others marketing. Both of them moved through the streets they had chosen and called, Tin ware for sale.

Brass for sale. People came out of their homes and traded with them.

There lived a poor old woman and her granddaughter in a house. Once the family had been affluent, but now a

golden plate was the only expensive item left with them. The grandmother didnt know that it was a golden plate.However, she had kept this plate because in the old days, her husband used to eat from it. It was placed on a


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shelf among the other pots and pans not in the regular use.

The greedy merchant passed this house, calling, Buy tin ware. Buy brass utensils. The grand-daughter heard

the cries and said to her grandmother, Grandmother, please buy something for me. The old woman replied,

Child, we are too poor to buy anything. Even, I dont have anything to trade. The girl said, We have one old

plate. Lets see what the merchant will offer for the old plate. We dont use it often and perhaps, he will take it and

give us something that we want.

The old woman called the merchant at the door-step of her house. She showed him the plate and said, Sir, will

you take this plate and give something in return to this little girl. The greedy man took the plate and scratched its

backside with a needle. He found that it was a golden plate. He hoped that he would fetch it without paying

anything. He said, Does it worth? Not even a half penny. He went away throwing the plate on the ground.

The other merchant was passing through the houses. It was decided that either of them could go through any

street, which the other had left. The merchant passed through the same house and called, Buy tin ware. Buy

brass utensils. The little girl heard the cries and asked her grandmother tosee what the merchant would give for

the plate.

The old woman said, My child, the merchant who came earlier, went away throwing the plate on the ground. Ihave nothing else to offer in trade. The girl replied, Grandma, that merchant was bad-tempered. This merchant

looks nice. Ask him, might be hell give some small tin ware. The old woman accepted the idea and asked the

girl to call the merchant. The girl showed the plate to the merchant.

As soon as the merchant took the plate in his hands, he came to know that it was of gold. He said, This plate

cant be afforded with what all I have here. This is a golden plate. I am not rich enough to buy it. The

grandmother replied, But, a merchant who came here a few moments ago threw it on the ground sayingthat it

was not worth even a half penny and went away.

The merchant said, It was worth nothing to him. If you value it, take the dishes you want to take. The little girl

took some dishes of her choice but the merchant was not satisfied with the offer. So, he gave all the money and

his wares to the old woman. He required eight pennies for the transport, so he asked the old woman for it.

The old woman readily gave him the amount. The merchant took the pennies and left the place. He quickly went

towards the river and paid eight pennies to the boatman, to take him across the river. Soon, the greedy merchant

went back to the house of the old woman. When he reached the desired house, he called up the girl and said,

Bring that plate and I will give you something for it".

The grandmother replied from inside, No. You considered the plate worthless, but another merchant haspaid a

hugeprice for it and taken it away. It is a golden plate. Thus, the greedy merchant got angry and left the place.

He cried, Dueto this other merchant, I have lost a small fortune. That was a golden plate. He ran down to the

riverside and saw the other merchant in the boat. He called loudly, Hello, Boatman. Stop your boat.

The merchant in the boat asked the boatman not to stop. Accordingly, the boatman didnt stop. The merchant

reached the city which was on the other side of the river. He sold the golden plate and got enough money for hisliving. So, he lived happily thereafter.

Moral:Honesty is the best policy.

The Penny Wise Monkey

Here is another nice tale/ story from the Jataka collection. Once upon a time, there lived the King of a big and

affluent country. The King was quite fond of traveling. Usually, he didnt like to visit his own country; instead he

went to other countries. One day, he assembled his army to move out for a holiday to some distant country. The

King and his soldiers walked for the whole morning in the forest. After this, they went into the camp to take somerest.


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The horses were also tired, so they were fed with peas. One of the Monkeys, who lived in the forest, was keeping

a track of the things done by the kings men from a distance. When he saw peas offered to the horses, he jumped

down from the tree at once to get some of them. He quickly gobbled some peas, also filled his mouth and hands

with them. Then, he went up the tree and sat down to eat the peas.

As and when, he sat there to eat peas; one pea fell from his hand to the ground. The greedy monkey dropped all

the peas he had in his hands and ran down to look for the lost pea at once. Unluckily, he could not find that one

pea. He climbed up the tree again and sat at rest. He was looking very sad. He said to himself, To get one pea, I

threw away what I had.

The King was watching the monkey from the camp and said to himself, I would not be like this stupid monkey,

who lost much to gain a little. I will go back to my own country and enjoy what I have. Thus, the King and his

army marched back to their own country.

Moral:Value the things you have.

The Power of a Rumour

This one is a nice story from the album of Jataka Kathaye/ Tales. Once upon a time, it happened in a forest that a

hare was resting under a banyan tree. He had an intuition of doom and thought, What would happen to me, if the

earth will break? . Suddenly, he heard a weird striking sound. He said, Its happened, the earth isbreaking up.

He jumped up and ran madly without even observing the direction.

When he was running through the forest, a hare saw him and asked, What happened? Where are you going in

such a hurry? . The Hare cried, The earth isbreaking up. You better run too. The second hare ran so fast that

he overtook the first hare. As they were passing the forest, both of them shouted to other hares, The earth

is breaking up. The earth is breakingup. Very soon, thousands of hares were running throughthe forest.

On seeing hares running through the forest, the other animals too got frightened. The news spread from mouth to

mouth and soon, everyone came to know that the earth was breaking up. It didnt take much time before all the

animals joined the race. All creatures whether reptiles or birds, insects or four-footed animals, everyone was

trying to escape and their cries of fear created chaos all around.

A lion standing on a hill saw all the animals running and thought, What is the matter? . He ran down the

hill rapidly and positioned himself in front of the crowd. He shouted at them, Stop! Stop! . The powerful

presence of the lion curtailed the rising wave of fright among the animals. A parrot yelled, The earth

is breaking up, alighting on a rock near him. The Lion asked, Who said it? . The parrot replied, I heard it from

the monkeys".

When the monkeys were asked, they replied that they had heard it from the tigers. When the tigers were asked, it

was found that they were informed by the elephants. The elephants told that the buffaloes formed their source.

Finally, when the hares were caught up, they pointed one to another until the one, who started this menace was

recognized.

The Lion asked the hare, What made you think that the earth isbreaking up? The hare wavering in fear

answered, Your Majesty, I heard it cracking with my own ears. The Lion investigated the matter and explored

the sound that the hare had heard. Ultimately, he came to know that the sound had been caused by a large

coconut falling from a tree. The coconut fell on a pile of rocks causing a minor landslide.

The Lion said to all the animals, Go back to your homes. The earth is absolutely safe. Next time onwards, check

a rumour before acting on it. The animals, which were now looking quite stupid, went back to their homes.

Moral:Check a rumour before acting on it.


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The Golden Swan

This is another nice story from the album of Jataka Kathaye (Tales). Once upon a time, there was a swan / goose

that had striking golden feathers. This swan lived in a pond. There was a house near this pond, where a poor

woman lived with her two daughters. The people were really poor and were leading a tough life. The swan found

that the poor mother was passing a hard time with her daughters.

The swan thought, If I give them one after another mygolden feathers, the mother can sell them. She and her

daughters can live in comfort with the money raised from it. After thinking this, the swan flew away to the poor

womans house. On seeing the swan insidethe house, the woman said, Why have you come here? We have

nothing to offer you.

The Swan replied, I have not come to take anything, but I have something to give you. I know your condition. I

will give mygolden feathers one by one and you can sell them. With the money raised through it, you people can

easily live in comfort. After saying this, the swan shed one of her feathers and then flew away. This became a

regular feature and from time to time, the swan came back and every time left another feather.

Like this, the mother and her daughters were happily leading their life by selling the feathers of the golden swan.

Eachgolden feather got them enough money to keep them in comfort. But the mother became greedy to get all

the feathers as soon as possible. One day, she said to her daughters, Now, we will nottrust this swan, possibly

she may fly away and never come back. If this would happen, we will be poor again. We will take all of her

feathers, when she will come the next time.

The innocent daughters replied, Mother, this will hurt the swan. We will not cause any pain to her. But the

mother was determined to catch hold the swan the very next time she comes. Next time, when the swan came,

the mother caught her and pulled out all of her feathers. Now, the golden feathers of the swan changed into some

strange feathers. The mother was shocked to see such feathers.

The Golden Swan said, Poor Mother, I wanted to help you, but you wanted to kill me instead. As per my wish, Iused to give you the golden feather. Now, I think there is no need to help you. Now, my feathers are nothing

more than chicken feathers for you. I am going from this place and will never come back. The mother felt sorry

and apologized for the mistake committed by her. The Golden Swan said, Never be greedy and flew away.

Moral:Excess greed brings nothing.

The Sandy Road

This is a nice story from the collection of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a merchant in a small

village. The merchant dealt in different kinds of goods. He wanted to sell his goods in the town, in order to gaingood sum of profits. One day, he decided to go to the town to try his fortune. He arranged for some men who

could go along with him. During the journey, he had to pass through a desert, so he also arranged for water, rice

and firewood.

According to the plan, he packed his goods in several carts and set out for the journey along with his mates.

When they reached the desert, the sun was shining on the fine sand, making it severely hot. In the day time, no

one could dare to walk on it. One could only think of travel through the desert during the night time, when the

moon made the sands cool. So, the merchant and his people waited for the night to start their further journey.

With the arrival of night, they started their journey. One of them, had knowledge about the stars, so he was

guiding the way to other people by reading the position of stars. They traveled for the whole night without taking

any break. At daybreak, they stopped and camped. They released the oxen from the carts and fed them. They

made fire, cooked the rice and ate the food to their fill. They spread a huge covering over all the carts and the

oxen. Subsequently, all the men laid down under it, to rest till the sunset.


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When the sun set in the early evening, they again built fire and cooked rice. After the meal, they folded the

covering and tied the oxen to the carts. As soon as, the sand became cool, they again started their journey

across the desert. Night after night, they traveled in such manner and rested during the day time. On the last

morning, the one who was guiding the group said, In one more night, we will cross the desert. Every one was

happy to hear this, as all of them were tired.

After taking meal in the evening, the merchant said, Now, you people can throw the water and the firewood

because tomorrow we will reach the town. Tie the oxen and start. The Guide took his position at first in the line

of the carts, but instead of sitting and guiding the drivers, he laid down in the cart on the cushions. Soon, he was

in a deep slumber because he had not slept for many nights and in the daytime, the sun had been so strong that

he had not slept properly.

The oxen went on, for the whole night. Near daybreak, the guide awoke and looked at the last stars fading in the

light. He said to the drivers, Stop! We are in the same place where we were yesterday. The oxen must have

turned about while I slept. They released the oxen, but there was no water for them to drink, as they had thrown

away the water the previous night. They spread out the covering over the carts and the oxen rested tired and

thirsty. The men lay down too, saying, Without wood and water, we are lost.

Every one was tired and sat down. The merchant thought, This is no time for me to sleep. I have to find water.

The oxen cannot start unless they get water to drink. The people need water other wise they cannot cook rice. If I

give up, we will lose. There must be water somewhere below. He walked down and down, keeping a close watch

of the ground. Finally, he saw some grass and thought, There must be water somewhere below otherwise that

grass would not be there.

He ran back, shrieking to the people, Get the spade and the hammer. All of them jumped up and ran with the

merchant to the spot where he saw the grass. They started digging and after much toil, they struck a rock. After

this, they could dig no further. The merchant jumped down into the hole they had dug and kept his ear to the

rock. He called to them, I can hear water running under this rock. We must not give up. Then, the merchant

came out of the hole and said to the serving boy, My boy, if you give up, we are lost. Please go down and try.

The boy stood up raising the hammer high above his head and hit the rock with his full strength. He didnt give

up, thinking the words of the merchant. Every time the hammer came down, he thought that everyone must be

saved. Ultimately, the rock broke, the boy hardly got any time to come out of the hole and it was full of water. All

the men drank water, as if they could never get enough. They watered the oxen and took bath.

After drinking and bathing, they split the extra wooden yokes and axles from their carts. They made a fire out of it

and cooked their rice. They had their meal and rested through the day. They also placed a flag on the well, so

that the passing travelers could see and have water. After the sunset, they started their journey and reached the

town in the morning. They sold the goods making huge profits and happily returned back to their village.

Moral:Will and Determination can achieve anything.

The Wind and the Moon

Here is another nice story from the collection of Jataka kathaye / tales. Once upon a time, there lived two friends

in the shade of a rock. It would sound strange, but one of them was a lion and the other was a tiger. They were

friends since their childhood. They knew each other from the time, when they were too small to understand the

difference between the lions and the tigers. Thus, their friendship was not at all strange to them.

Moreover, the part of the mountain under which they lived was peaceful; it could be due to the presence of a

monk who lived under the same rock. He was a hermit, one who lives far away from worldly affairs. One day, the

two friends got into a stupid argument for some unknown reason. The Tiger said, Everyone knows that cold

comes when the moon decreases from full to new. The Lion said, You are a stupid fellow. From where did youhear such nonsense? Everyone knows that cold comes when the moon increases from new to full.


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The argument between them became stronger and stronger. Both of them were firm at their own opinion. They

could not arrive at any conclusion to resolve the growing disagreement. They even started calling ill names to

each other. Suddenly, they thought that like this they would lose their friendship. At last, they decided to go and

ask the learned monk, who would definitely know about the actual answer.

Both of them went together to the peaceful monk and bowed respectfully before him. The hermit asked them the

reason for their sudden arrival. They put their question to him and said, Sir, only you can answer to this

problematic question. The hermit thought for a while and said, It can be cold in anyphase of the moon, from

new to full and back to new again. It is the wind that brings the cold, whether from west or north or east.

Therefore, both of you are right and neither of you is defeated by the other.

The hermit also said, Both of you sharehealthy friendship since your childhood. It is not good to get into

arguments and think about separation. The most important thing is to live without conflict, to remain united. Unity

is best by all means. The Lion and the Tiger understood the message of the wise monk. They thanked him for

the kind suggestion given by him. Both of them lived happily thereafter as good friends.

Moral:Weather comes and weather goes, but friendship remains.


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Panchatantra Tales

The Bird with Two HeadsHere is another story from the album of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there lived a strange bird named

Bharunda. He lived on a banyan tree near the banks of a river. The strangeness of the bird lies in the fact, that he

had two necks, but shared a common stomach. One day, the bird was wandering on the banks of the lake and

found a red-golden fruit, which appeared delicious at the first sight. One of the two heads mumbled, Oh what a

fruit. I am sure the heavens have sent it for me. I am so lucky. He started eating the fruit with immense pleasure

and claimed that it was the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten.

Hearing this, the other head said, O dear, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much. The first head

laughed and replied "You know that we've only one stomach, whichever head eats, the fruit will go to the

same stomach. So, it makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. Moreover, I'm the one who found this

fruit. So I've the first right to eat it". The other head became silent and disappointed after hearing the first head.This kind of selfishness, on the part of the first headpinched him very much.

Later one day, the other head found a tree bearing poisonous fruits. He took the poisonous fruit and told the first

head, You deceitful fellow. I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult which you have done to me.

The first head yelled, "Please don't eat this poisonous fruit. If you eat it, both of us will die, because we've a

commonstomach to digest it." The other head replied, Shut up! As I have found this fruit,I have the every right to

eat it. The first head started crying, but the other head didnt bother and ate the poisonous fruit. In the

consequence of this action, both of them lost their lives.

Moral:Sharing of a good thing with others is always good.

The Blue Jackal

It is another nice story from the Panchatantra collection. Once, there was a jackal in a forest by the name of

Chandaraka. One day, Chandaraka, driven by hunger, went to a nearby village in search of food. He was

extremely hungry. Unfortunately, he met a group of dogs and they started chasing him. The jackal got frightened

and fled in panic. He entered a washer mans house in a hurry. While trying to hide himself, the jackal slipped

and fell into a tub full of blue color, which the washer man had kept ready to dye the clothes.

Soon the bark of the dogs ceased and jackal came out of the tub. There was a big mirror fixed on the wall of the

house. Jackal saw himself in the mirror and was surprised to see his blue colored body. He came out of the

house and quickly ran back to the forest. When Chandraraka reached the forest, every animal failed to recognize

this new creature. Infact they got frightened and ran in all directions.

Taking advantage of the situation, the jackal planned to keep the situation in his favor. He asked, Why are you

running like this? There is no need to panic. I am a unique creation of God. He told me that the animals in this

jungle had no ruler and he had nominated me as your king. He had named me, Kakudruma and told me to rule

this forest. Therefore, all of you can live safely under the cover of my protection.

The innocent animals believed the shrewd jackal and accepted him as the king. The jackal appointed the lion as

his minister, the tiger as his chamberlain and the wolf as the gatekeeper. After allotting positions to the animals,

the new king Kakudruma banished all the jackals in the forest for the fear of being recognized. Now, the animals

hunt food and brought it to the self-proclaimed king. After taking his share, the king would distribute the remaining

food equally among his subjects. So like this, he was leading a luxurious life.
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One day when the blue jackal was holding his court, a herd of jackals were passing by howling to their glory.

Suddenly blue jackal forgot that he was a king and not an ordinary jackal anymore. Unable to control his natural

instinct, Kakudruma howled at the top of his voice. Soon, the animals realized that they had been fooled by a

jackal. In a fit of anger, all the animals, at once pounced on the blue jackal and killed him.

Moral:The one who abandons ones own folk will perish.

The Brahmin's Gift

Here is one more interesting tale from the album of Panchatantra. Once, there lived a pious Brahmin in a small

village, by the name of Mitra Sharma. He used to perform religious rituals. On one occasion, he was rewarded

with a goat for his services by a wealthy man. The Brahmin was happy to get a goat as the reward. He happily

slung the goat over his shoulder and began the journey towards his home. On the way, three cheats (Thugs) saw

the Brahmin taking the goat.

All of them were lazy and wanted to cheat the Brahmin so that they could take away the goat. They said, This

goat will make a delicious meal for all of us. Let's somehow get it. They discussed the matter amongst

themselves and devised a plan to get the goat by befooling the Brahmin. After deciding the plan, they got

separated from one another and took different hidingpositions at three different places on the way of the Brahmin.

As soon as, the Brahmin arrived at a lonely place, one of the cheats came out of his hiding place and asked

Brahmin in a shocking manner, Sir, what are you doing? I don't understand why a pious man like you needs to

carry a dog on his shoulders?" The Brahmin was surprised to hear such words. He screamed, Can't you see?

It's not a dog but a goat, you stupid fool". The cheat replied, Sir, I beg your pardon. I told you what I saw. I am

sorry, if you dont believe it. The Brahmin was annoyed at the discrepancy, but started hisjourney once again.

The Brahmin had barely walked a distance, when another cheat came out of his hiding place and asked the

Brahmin, Sir, why do you carry a dead calf on your shoulders? You seem to be a wise person. Such an act is

pure stupidity on your part." The Brahmin yelled, "What? How can you mistake a living goat for a dead calf?" Thesecond cheat replied, ""Sir, you seem to be highly mistaken in this regard. Either you dont know how does goat

look like or you are doing it knowingly. I just told you what I saw. Thank you". The second cheat went away

smiling. The Brahmin got confused, but continued to walk further.

Again the Brahmin had covered a little distance when the third cheat met him. The third cheat asked laughingly,

"Sir, why do you carry a donkey on your shoulders? It makes you a laughing stock. Hearingthe words of the

third thug, the Brahmin became really worried. He started thinking, Is it really not a goat? Is it some kind of a

ghost?"

He thought that the animal he was carrying on his shoulders might really be some sort of a ghost, because it

transformed itself from goat into a dog, from dog into a dead calf and from dead calf into a donkey. The Brahmin

got frightened to such an extent that he hurled the goat on the roadside and ran away. The three tricksters

laughed at the gullible Brahmin. They caught the goat and were happy to feast on it.

Moral:One should not be carried away by what others say.

The Crows and the Serpent

Here is another interesting tale from the collection of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there stood a huge

banyan tree on the outskirts of a small village. In this, tree there lived a pair of crows with their young ones. One

day, a snake came to live in the hole at the bottom of the tree. The crows were not happy at the arrival of the

snake, but they could do nothing.

After a few days, the female crow hatched a few more eggs and some more baby crows were born. When the


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crows went out in search of food, the snake crawled up the tree and ate up the babies. When the crows came

back, they could not locate their babies. They chased high and low, but to no avail. The crows were full of grief on

the sad loss of their young ones.

After a few months, the female crow hatched some more eggs. This time female crow stayed in the nest while

the malecrow went out in search of food. The snake was greedy and ignoring the presence of the female crow,

he crept up the tree and attacked the babies. The female crow who was keeping a watchful eye on her babies,

tried to fight with the snake, but she was weak. Hearing the shriek of the female craw, other crows came to help

her, but the snake had already eaten the young ones and slithered back into his hole.

This killing became the feature of their life. Every time the crows laid their eggs, the snake crawled up the tree

and ate all the young ones. Due to this, the crows were never able to raise their young ones. The crows were

sad, but they didnt know how to get free from this killer snake.

One day, the female crow asked the male crow that she wanted to leave this tree at once. The male crow

consoled her by saying that the tree had been their home from the past many years and they should reside here.

He considered of asking a wise fox for help in order to get rid of the snake. With this thought, both of them went

to the place of the wise fox. The fox welcomed her friends and said, Both of you seem to be very sad. What

happened?

The crows replied, We are in a big problem. A snake is after us and he eats up our eggs and the young ones.

We seek your help in this matter. They narratedthe whole story to the fox. The fox was intelligent; she thought

for a few minutes and then laid out a bri lliant plan before them. She said, Listen carefully and do it as per the

plan. In the morning, go to the river bank where the ladies of the royal family would be bathing. They keep their

ornaments in a tray on the river bank. The guards keep a watch on them from a distance.

The fox suggested the crows to pick up a necklace from the tray and fly away making a loud noise. This would

make the guards to chase them to the tree where the crows would drop the necklace into the hole of the snake.

In order to get the necklace, the guards would kill the snake to save themselves and take the necklace. The

crows liked the plan and swore to execute it the next morning.

So, the next morning, the crows were ready with their plan. The crow couple flew to the river bank; the female

crow picked up the necklace and flew off. While, the male crow shrieked loudly to attract the guards attention.

The guards ran after the crows brandishing their sticks and swords. Soon, they reached the banyan tree where

they saw the crows dropping the necklace into the snake hole.

As the guards were trying to take the necklace out with the help of a stick, the snake came out of the hole. The

snake hissed at them and afraid of him, they killed the snake by sticks and swords. They took the necklace and

returned to their place. The crows were happy to see the sight from a distance. They thanked the fox for her help.

Thereafter, the crow couple lived happily with their young ones in the banyan tree.

Moral:Intelligence is greater than strength.

The Foolish Lion and the Clever Rabbit

This is one of the most famous stories of the Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there lived a cruel lion by the

name of Bhasuraka, in a dense forest. He was very powerful, ferocious and arrogant. He used to kill the animals

of the forest to gratify his hunger. This action of the lion became the cause of worry for the animals of the forest.

They were worried that after sometime none of them would be left alive. They discussed this problem among

themselves and came upon the decision to hold a meeting with the lion. They wanted to arrive on a friendly

settlement with the lion and to put an end to the problem.

One day, as per the plan, all the animals of the forest gathered under a big tree. They invited the King Lion to

attend the meeting. In the meeting, the representative of the animals said, Your Majesty, it is our happiness, that

we got you as our king. We are all the more happy that you are attending this meeting. The King lion thankedthem and replied, What is the matter? Why we have gathered here?


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All the animals started looking at each other. They were recollecting enough courage to start the topic. One of the

animals stood up and said, Sir, its natural that have to kill us foryour food. But, killing more than what is required

is not a good approach. If you go on killing the animals without any purpose, very soon a day will come, when

there will be no animal left in the forest. The king lion roared, So what do you want?

One of the animals replied, YourMajesty, we have already discussed the problem among ourselves and have

come upon a solution. We have decided to send one animal daily to your den. You can kill and eat it, the way you

like. This will also save you from the trouble of hunting. The lion replied, Fine. I agree to thisproposal, but make

sure that the animal must reach to me in time, otherwise, I'll kill all the animals of the jungle." The animals agreed

to this proposal.

From that day onwards, daily an animal was sent to the lion to become his food. The lion was very happy to have

his food right before him without taking any pains of hunting. So, everyday it was the turn of one of the animals.

Once, it was the turn of a rabbit to go to the lions den. The rabbit was old and wise. He was unwilling to go, but

the other animals forced him to go. The rabbit thought of a plan which would save his life and the lives of other

animals of the forest. He took his own sweet time to go to the Lion and reached the lions den a little late than the

usual time.

The Lion was getting impatient on not seeing any animal by the time. The Lion got extremely furious when hesaw a small rabbit for his meal. He swore to kill all the animals. The rabbit with folded hands hesitatingly

explained, Your Majesty. I am not to be blamed for that. Actually, six rabbits were sent to make your meal, but

five of them were killed and devoured by another lion. He also claimed to be the king of the forest. I have

somehow escaped to reach here safely."

The king lion howled in great anger and said, Impossible, there cannot be another king of this forest. Tell me.

Who is he? Ill kill him. Take me to the place, where you saw him. The intelligent rabbit agreed and took the Lion

towards a deep well, filled with water. When they reached near the well, the rabbit said, This is the place where

he lives. He might be hiding inside.

The Lion looked into the well and saw his own reflection. He thought it was the other Lion. The Lion was furious

and started growling. Naturally the image in the water, the other Lion, was also equall

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