A Collection of Moral Tales From Panchatantra

(Part 1)

Copyright 2014 Priyanka Kawatra Arora

Published by Priyanka Kawatra Arora at Smashwords

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 Table of Contents

Prologue
About Panchatantra
The Monkey And The Wedge
The Jackal And The Drum
The Fall and Rise of a Merchant
The Foolish Sage
The Fighting Goats And The Jackal
The Cobra And The Crows
The Crane And The Crab
The Cunning Hare And The Lion
The Bed-Bug And The Louse
The Story of the Blue Jackal
The Lion, Camel, Jackal and Crow
The Tittibha Birds
Two Swans And The Tortoise
Three Fishes
The Elephant And The Sparrow
The Lion, Jackal And The Camel
The Bird And The Monkey
The Birds Advise To The Wet Monkeys
The Right And The Wrong Minds
The Cranes, Mongoose And Serpent
The Merchant And The Rat
The King and the Foolish Monkey
The Thief And The Brahmins
The Hermit And The Mouse
The Elephants And King of Mice
The Sesame Seeds
The Merchant's Son
The Weaver And The Destiny
About Author
Connect with Author
 Prologue

It is said, 'miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across
the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see'. I believe the saying and recall these
moral stories for self motivation, or when times are testing for a family member; and even for a
friend who stands in need of words of inspiration and support.

‘A Collection of Moral Tales From Panchatantra’ is an endeavor to present the moral stories
from Panchatantra, which is believed to be one of the most translated works of Indian origin. The
stories have been rewritten to match the contemporary reader styles, withholding the underlying
moral message as understood from the original works of Panchatantra.
 About Panchatantra

The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian classic. The book was originally written in Sanskrit. It is a
legendary collection of short stories which are believed to be composed in 200 B.C. Some
scholars attribute Panchatantra to an Indian sage, Bidpai who flourished about 300 A.D.
Panchatantra rewritten in Hindi by known scholar Vishnu Sharma.

The tales in Panchatantra were organized into five sections with each narrating a strategy to
succeed in life (hence the name Panchatantra). The five principle (strategies) illustrated in
Panchatantra are:
1. ‘Mitra Bhedha’ (Loss of friends)
2. ‘Mitra Laabha’ (Gaining friends)
3. ‘Suhrudbheda’ (Causing discord between friends)
4. ‘Vigraha’ (Separation of friends)
5. ‘Aparik Itakaraka’ (Impudence and hasty action)

The Origin of Panchatantra

There is the popular story relating to origin of Panchatantra – A king named Sudarshan who
ruled a kingdom whose capital city was Mahilaropya. The king had three sons, named
Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantashakti. Though king was learned and ruled powerfully, his
were dimwit sons. The King got worried about the future of sons and went to a wise sage named
Vishnu Sharma (Sharman). He request the sage to impart knowledge and moral standings to his
sons. As the king' sons were dull, the sage decided to impart the principles through short moral
stories.

Why should we read Panchatantra stories ?

Panchatantra is believed to be as old as Rig Veda. It is believed to be one of the most translated
works of Indian origin and is a source to instill moral values in children. It serves as a value
guide with its simple stories with moral ending. Over the years, these stories have been told and
retold, and the wisdom in them has served as a guide for both children and adults.
 The Monkey And The Wedge

Once upon a time there was a King. He was rich, kind and prosperous.

When the king was blessed with a son, he held a grand feast. The priests who came during the
celebration asked the king to build a temple in his state to thank God for blessing him with son.

Soon the temple construction started. The masons, sculptors, carpenters, painters who worked
there gathered everyday in the noon to take their meal.

One day while the workmen were taking their meal, a troop of monkeys came and started
playing with their tools. One of the workmen left after placing a wedge in a large log he was
working on.

One of monkeys from the troop jumped on that log of wood. He saw the log was with inserted
wedge and became curious about it. So he tried hard and pulled it. The wedge came out suddenly
and the slit log coalesced. The monkey's tail was caught in the log before he could think of
running away.

The helpless monkey shrieked and cried loudly in pain. His family gathered to help him.

Hearing the cry, the workmen came to rescue him. They tugged and pulled over, and set monkey
free. But his tailed waggled between the logs. The monkey lost his tail and died in pain.

Moral: Do not interfere in other people's work.

 The Jackal And The Drum

Once there lived a jackal named Gomaya.

One day he found no food and was very hungry. He went far in search of food and came to a
lonely battlefield. The jackal saw a drum near the tree. He thought it could have something to
satisfy his hunger.

As he approached the drum, he was sacred by a strange sound from the drum. He repelled and
thought of running away.

But suddenly, he thought of facing the danger, if any. He courageously approached the drum and
found that the sound was caused by the wind.

Near the drum there was ample food and the jackal was delighted to see it. He ate the food and
went back to the forest.

Moral: Fight your fears and act courageously.

 The Rise and Fall Of The Merchant

There was an old city by the name of Vardhaman. It was the center of trading and traders from
far and wide came here to make money.

In the city there lived a merchant named Dantila. He was wealthy and prosperous. Dantila held a
grand reception for his wedding. It was attended by the Majesty King, his Queen, the courts men
and other rich and influential people.

Gorambha who was a sweeper in the royal household also came to the reception. Dantila saw
him occupying a seat reserved for the courts men and got angry. He immediately called his
servants and ordered them to throw him out.

The merchant's servants thrashed and insulted Gorambha. They threw him out.
Gorambha was deeply hurt and thought to himself, "I am poor and was born low, so Dantila has
insulted me. He is rich and proud of his wealth and favors he receives from the King. I would
now do something to stop the King extending favors to him".

So one early morning Gorambha entered the King's chamber when he was still asleep. He started
murmuring, "Dantila is very proud and high headed. He can even dare to embrace the Queen".

The King heard Gorambh. He was angry and wanted to know if Dantila embraced the Queen.
Gorambh said, "Your Majesty, I drank and gambled whole night. I do not remember what I said.
Pardon me!”

The King was anxious and doubtful. He thought that the sweeper might have seen Dantila
embracing the queen, since he had the privilege to enter royal court.

The King recalled that wise men say that men are likely to say in their sleep what they see. He
thought carefully and was convinced that Dantila had indeed embraced the Queen secretly.

The King barred Dantila from entering his royal court. The merchant now began grieving as he
had not done any harm to the King or to his courts men, nor his relatives.

The King ordered his men to bar Dantila from entering court. So one day when Dantila tried to
enter the royal court he was barred by the king's men. When Gorambha saw this, he told them,
"You are all fools. If you stop the great merchant Dantila you will meet with the same ill fate as I
did at the hands of Dantila".

The merchant heard this and thought he should bring Gorambha in his confidence. So he invited
him for tea.
Dantila treated Gorambha very well. He gave him expensive clothes when he saw him leaving
after the tea. He told him,” Friend, you were my guest in the reception. I never intended to insult
you. You occupied the seat I had reserved for royal courts men. Kindly pardon me for what
happened".

Gorambha was pleased to receive the warm treatment from Dantila and hear his words of
apology. He promised to win the King's favor for Dantila again.

The next day Gorambha pretended to talk in sleep again. He said he saw the King ride the
swings in garden and eat cucumber in the restroom.

The King was puzzled to hear this. He said, "You are talking nonsense! When did you see me
munching cucumber in restroom and riding the swings?"

The sweeper smiled and said, "Your Majesty! I do not know what I said. I drank and gambled at
last night. Pardon me!"

The king realized that Gorambha was unreliable. He changed his mind about Dantila and asked
him to appear before him. He gave Dantila the same powers and authority which he had earlier.

Moral: Treat everyone equally and respectfully.

 The Foolish Sage

Once there lived a sage in a village. His name was Dev Sharma. He was known widely for his
wisdom and people paid him homage seeking his blessings. They offered him food, money,
clothes and other things in kind. The sage kept what he needed and sold what was not required.
Gradually he grew rich.

The sage never trusted anyone. He kept all the money in small bag, which he always carried
under his arm.

One day, a thief saw the sage. He observed how carefully the sage carried the bag and grew
suspicious if bag had treasure.So he decided to steal the bag. He planned to approach the sage
and plead him to accept him as his disciple and win his trust.

So next day, the thief went to sage with reverence and pleaded, 'I am wrecked and seek peace.
Enlighten me. I plead you to take me as your disciple and guide me towards the right path'.
The sage modestly replied, 'I will guide you. But I can take you as my disciple one condition-you
have to stay in the hut near the temple at night. You cannot enter the temple at night, as during
this time I mediate'.

The thief agreed with the sage and thanked him. The sage conducted rites and formally took him
as his disciple.

The discourse began. The thief helped the sage in many ways such as temple cleaning, fetching
water, performing rituals, etc; to gain the sage's trust. The sage was happy with the thief,
however he left his bag.

Months passed by and the thief who had been looking for a chance got frustrated as the sage
never parted from his bag. He thought of seizing it by killing the sage. While he was thinking, a
young boy came to the sage and said, 'O holy man, I bow before you. I have come to ask for your
holy presence in the sacred thread ceremony to be held in our hone. Kindly accept it'.
The sage humbly accepted the invitation and began his journey to reach the village with the
thief.

The weather was dry and humid. After hours of walking, when they came across a river, the sage
thought of relieving himself. So he folded the bag in his robe and asked the thief to watch it until
he returned.

The thief was happy to see the opportunity come his way so easily. He humbly agreed to watch
the bag. After the sage left, the thief took the bag and disappeared.
When the sage returned he found the robe lying around. His disciple had disappeared with the
money bag. Seeing this, the sage was shocked and angry. He felt helpless and cheated.

He followed the thief's footprints but lost way in the forest. He returned to the temple next day
empty handed and wrecked.

Moral: Never trust anyone blindly.

 Fighting Goats And The Jackal

One day a sage was passing through a jungle when he heard some animals brawling. The sage
went near and saw that two goats were fighting each other.

Though the goats were wounded terribly and profusely bled, they continued to fight.
After some while, a jackal came here. He was hungry and started licking the smeared blood,
giving no heed to the goats.

The sage who had been watching for all this while thought to himself, 'This jackal is foolish. He
is acting out in greed and fails to understand that if he comes between these fighting goats, he
will be hurt badly.'

The goats continued to fight bitterly. While they fought, the jackal who had been craving for
more blood came near them. He suddenly found himself being caught between the angry goats.

Both agitated goats rammed him terribly and pulled him down to death.

Moral: Greed is not good. One should not turn blind eye to danger around.
 The Cobra And The Crows

Long ago a crow married a female crow. They built their nest on a tree in the forest.

After few days, the she crow laid eggs. The eggs hatched and they had three offspring. They
made a happy family.

The tree on which they lived had a hollow, where a large cobra lived.

One afternoon when the parent crows went out in search of food, the cobra crept out and
swallowed their offspring.

When the crows returned, they found their young one's missing. The mother crow was sad and
cried a lot.

After few months, she laid eggs again. The mother bird remembered how her offspring went
missing earlier, so she kept close watch on her nest. She observed that a cobra came out from the
hollow of the tree. It crept to her nest and swallowed their eggs.

In the evening, when the male crow returned, she told him about the cobra who lived in the
hollow of the same tree.

The mother crow was worried and she told the male crow that they should leave the nest. She
requested the crow to leave the tree and suggested that they should build their nest elsewhere.

The male crow was clever and wise. He told the mother crow, "We should run away from the
problem. What if we find more dangerous enemies elsewhere? Although the cobra is more
powerful than us, we can get rid of it by planning carefully".

He then told his wife a plan. He said, "The princess comes to bathe in river every morning.

Tomorrow when she comes, and removed her jewels, pick up her gold chain and drop it in the
hollow".

Next morning when the princess arrived and removed her jewels, the she crow flew away with
her gold chain. She dropped it the hollow and sat on the tree top to see what happened.

The princess's servants, who came chasing the she crow, saw that she dropped the gold chain in
the hollow.
They began searching the hollow and found a cobra resting there. The cobra crept out and fanged
its tongue. Sensing danger, the princess's servants killed the snake. They took the gold chain and
went back.

The parent crows were happy that the cobra was punished was his wrong doings and was killed.

Moral: Defeat your enemies by thinking and acting wisely.

 The Crane and the Crab

Once there lived an old crane by the side of a lake in a forest.

The crane was old and weak. Hence, it was unable to prey fish for its food.

One day the crane was severely starved, having no eaten for few days together. So it cried
pitiably due to hunger.

A crab who lived nearby, saw the crane crying and asked, "Friend, you are an apt predator. Why
are you not hunting for food?"

The old crane replied sadly, "I am now old and feel guilty for killing fishes. So I have taken a
vow to starve to death and not to harm fishes any more".

The crab was surprised to hear the crane and asked her why she was so thoughtful in this age.

The crane continued, "I have heard that the astrologers have predicted that the rain Gods is anger
and there will be no rains for twelve years. It would create havoc and creatures will die. I am
worried that I'll be left alone".

The crab was worried when he heard the crane. He went back to the lake and told all other fishes
and animals about the ill fate set to fall on the. The fishes were alarmed to know this and went to
the old crane. The fishes said, "O old crane, show us a way to escape from this ill fate".
The cunning crane smiled at the pleading innocent fishes. She said, "I will surely help you all.

There is a large lake nearby. It has water throughout the year and never dries up. I can take you
one by one to that lake".

The fishes and other animals who came to crane were happy to hear the crane's suggestion. They
all trusted her and decided to go with her to the other lake.

So the crane started carrying one fish everyday to take them to the other lake. But she would fly
to a lonely place and peck the fish for its food.

One day the crab came to the crane and said, "You have been taking the fishes to other lake
everyday. This time take me. I want to reach there soon as possible since this lake has started
drying up".

The crane was happy to hear the crab. She thought she would enjoy new food today.
The crab mounted the crane's back and they few to reach the large lake. The crane flew close to
the place where she ate all the fish. Seeing the scattered fish bones, the crab grew suspicious and
alarmed. He asked the crane, "We have come a long distance. Where is the lake?"

The crane revealed her lies and said, "There is no large lake around. Fish is my food and so are
you now. I killed them and now I will kill you for my food".

The crab was very angry to hear this. He said, "We were wrong to trust you. I will punish you for
this...”, sating this the crab caught the crane's neck with his claws and killed her.

The crab took the crane's neck to the lake and showed it all his friends. He told them how the
crane breached their trust and killed their fellow fishes. There was ample rain after few days and
the lake was full of water. The creatures lived happily after.

Moral: Do not trust anyone blindly.

 The Cunning Hare and the Lion

Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a forest. He was the King of forest. The lion was arrogant,
unkind and killed the animals mercilessly.

One afternoon, all animals of the forest gathered. They went to the lion and said, "O Mighty
King! We bow before you. We come here to request you to stop unwanted killing. Should you
agree with us and we will offer you one animal everyday for your food".

The lion agreed with the animal's suggestion.

Thus from that day onwards, one animal went to the lion everyday. One day, it was turn of old
hare.

The hare was sad. He came out his burrow and took the way to the lion's den. The hare walked
slowly and thought of a way to kill the lion. He reached the den late.

The old hare was witty. He said, "My Lord. On my way, I was stopped by another lion who
wanted to kill me for his food. I told him that you have been waiting for me. I escaped from his
attack only when I assured him that I would return to him after seeing you".

The lion grew furious hearing this. He roared and asked the hare to him to the other lion.

The old hare led the lion to a well and said, "My Lord! The other lion lives in this well. Kindly
see yourself".

The lion saw his reflection and thought it was another lion dwelling the well. He leapt to attack
it. The well was deep and soon the lion drowned. The hare was happy that the lion died and
returned home. Thus the witty hare saved his own life and of other animals who lived in that
forest.

Moral: Brain is mightier than brawn.

 The Bed-Bug And The Louse

Once there lived a white louse in the corner of a large room in King's palace. Her name was
Mandarisarpini.

Louses are blood suckers. So everyday, when the king was asleep, she crept into his bed and
sucked his blood. After this, she concealed herself in the corner of the bed-cover.

One night, another bed-bug came in the king's room. His name was Agnimukha.

When Mandarisarpini saw Agnimukha, she was furious and asked him leave her territory. But
Agnimukha was a clever louse. He said, "Lady louse! You live in king's room. You should be
kind towards your guests".

The lady louse felt high listening to Agnimukha. She calmed and said, "Ok. I take you as my
guest. You can stay here tonight. But I warn you not to suck king's blood".

Hearing this Agnimukha argued, "Lady louse! I am thankful that you have accepted me as your
guest. But what will I get from you to eat? As your guest, I deserve good food and nothing can
be better than royal blood meal!"

The lady louse changed her mind after listening to Agnimukha and said, "I allow you to suck the
king's blood. But you should be very careful not to hurt him". He agreed with lady louse. They
waited for King to come and fall asleep.

When the King came and slept, the bed bug escaped and hurriedly crept over the King's arm. He
stung him very hard and continued sucking until the King woke up to terrible pain.

The greedy bed-bug forgot all about his promises and bit the sleeping. The King immediately
called his servants and ordered them to find and kill the bed bug.

The cunning bed bug quickly crept off and hid in far corner of room. He escaped the attack by
King's servants.

However, the lady louse that was resting under the bedcover was caught. She was killed by the
King's servants.

Moral: One should not trust the strangers.

 The Story of the Blue Jackal

Once upon a time there lived a jackal in a forest. His name was Chandarava.

One day, Chandarava roamed since morning in search of food but he found no food. He was
worn and hungry.

So the hungry jackal trespassed the forest and entered the nearby village. The village was
guarded by dogs. The dogs started gathered around the jackal to attack him. Fearing merciless
attack, the jackal ran with all his strength. He suddenly jumped the small boundary of a house
where a vat of blue dye was kept. The house belonged to the village washer man.

Running in haste and fear, the jackal jumped into the dye vat. He struggled for quite sometime
and managed to escape. When the dogs saw the jackal they ran away.

The jackal saw his fur blue. He was very disappointed and returned hungry to his home in forest.
It was already night and the jackal spelt hungry that night.

Next morning, when the jackal came out in search of food, he noticed that other animals
appeared terrorized and ran away on seeing him.

The jackal understood that the animals were unable to recognize him. So he politely called them
and said, 'Dear animals, do not be sacred of me. I was created by Lord Brahma himself. He has
bestowed me with powers and intelligence to rule and protect the animals of this jungle as your
King'.

The animals appeared assured. They discussed among themselves and said, 'O King! We are
obligated to have you as our leader. We will be happy to serve you. You can ask us whatever you
need'.

The jackal gave the animals different roles and responsibilities, but kept away other jackals in
fear being recognized. The animals served him royally with food, water and took care of him.

The jackal continued ruling the animals for quite sometime. One evening, the jackal heard a
hound of jackals. He was carried away by sense of belonging and began howling.

When the council of animals around the jackal saw him standing and howling, they realized that
the animal they have been serving as their King was nothing but a jackal in guise.

The animals felt deceived and became very angry. He decided to out rule the jackal and punish
him for deceiving them for so long.
Soon they surrounded the jackal and mercilessly tore him to pieces. The jackal died.

Moral: Be truthful. People who lie and deceive others see a bad ending.
 The Lion, Camel, Jackal and Crow

Long time ago, there lived a Lion named Madotkata in a forest. The lion had three friends -
jackal, crow and wolf.

The jackal, crow and wolf knew that the lion was powerful and ruled the forest. So their
friendship was lion was beneficial to all of them.

They stopped searching for food on their own and feed on the left over the lion gave them. They
became powerful as they were king’s friends and always obeyed the lion's orders to keep good
terms with him.

One afternoon, a camel who had lost his way came in the forest. While searching his way, the
camel came across the three friends who were passing the same way.

The three animals realized that the camel was new in the forest and had lost his way.

The jackal became greedy and said, "we should kill and eat him."

The wolf then replied, "It is a tall animal and cannot be reached easily. We should tell lion about
it".

The three of them agreed and went to the lion. The jackal said, "Your majesty! A camel has
entered your territory without your knowledge and consent. It is bears good fresh. We should kill
it for our meal".

But the lion got angry and said, "The camel has lost its way and come here for refuge. How can
you think of killing it? We should provide him shelter and food. Go get him now".

The three animals got disappointed and went to the camel. They told the camel that the lion
wants to see him and provide him with shelter and food as the camel had lost his way.
But the camel felt sacred and suspected the lion's intentions. He saw no way to escape. So he
decided to meet the lion and left things on destiny to decide his fate.

The lion was happy to see the camel and warmly welcomed him. He assured the camel of safety
in the forest. The camel was relieved to hear lion. He started living with them.

One day, while hunting the lion had a fight with a mighty elephant. The lion was badly injured
and could not hunt for several days. Due to this, the lion and his friends went hungry for days
and were starved.
But the camel gazed happily in the forest. Seeing this, the three friends went to the lion and said,
"Your Majesty! It’s been days since you have eaten. Your are injured and becoming weak day by
day. But it would be easy to kill and eat camel. Why don’t you do so?”

Hearing this, the lion got annoyed and said, "No we cannot kill the camel. He has trusted me.
You are mean to think so. Don’t give me such evil suggestion again".

But the jackal, crow and wolf were greedy. They planned to kill the Camel. They went to the
Camel and said, "Our king is injured and weak. He is unable to hunt and has not eaten for days.
Therefore we consider it as our duty to sacrifice ourselves to save his life.

The innocent camel didn’t understand their plan and went with them to the lion.

The crow came forward first and asked the lion to eat it. He said, "Your majesty we were unable
to find food for you. Kindly take me as your food and make me obliged". The lion refused. He
said, "I would rather die than commit such sin."

The jackal followed the crow. He said, "Your Majesty, the crow is too small to satisfy your
hunger. It is my duty to serve you. Kindly take me as your food." The humble lion refused to do
so.

Then the Wolf came to offer himself to the lion saying, "Your Majesty, the jackal is quite small.
Kindly take me as your food." The lion once again said no to the wolf.

Seeing this the camel felt reassured that the lion was kind and wouldn't kill him even if he offers
himself.

He told the lion," Your Majesty! A friend in need is a friend indeed. You are in trouble so as a
friend I offer you myself for your food."

The lion was convinced. He attacked the camel and killed it. The lion and his friends feed on it
for several days.

Moral: Beware of Mean Friends.

 The Tittibha Birds

Long time ago, there lived a pair of Tittibha birds (lapwings) near a sea shore.
Once, the female Tittibha was set to hatch eggs. So she asked the male Tittibha to search for a
quite and safe place where she could lay eggs and incubate them safely.

But the male Tittibha liked the place where they lived very much. He refused to relocate to
another place and asked his wife, "Dear, we have been living here for quite sometime now. what
is wrong with this place?”

The female Tittibha said, "Indeed, we have been living here for months now. So you should
remember that every month during the phase of high tide the place gets flooded."
But the male Tittibha was enraged by what his wife said. He shrugged his neck angrily and said,
"I am not so weak that a tide will sweep me away".

The female Tittibha was humble and wise. She tried to calm her husband and make him
understand the danger of facing the force of ocean waves. But the male Tittibha was adamant
was refused to move to another place. The female Tittibha was sad and told her husband, "You
will pay for being so high headed".

The might ocean heard what the two birds spoke between themselves.

After some day, the female Tittibha hatched eggs on the shore. The new parents were very happy
and started protecting their eggs.

When the ocean saw the birds with their eggs, he decided to teach the male Tittibha a lesson.
Soon giant waves came and washed the far shore. The eggs were swept away.

When the female Tittibha saw this, she wept and cried to her husband, "Our eggs have been
swept away by waves".

The male Tittibha replied, "Don’t worry. I shall get them back." Then he called an assembly of
birds and told them about their eggs.

The assembly went to Garuda, the king of birds. The male Tittibha said, "O King! I have come
to you for justice. My eggs have been swept by the ocean. We have lived on the shore peacefully
for months and never did any harm to the ocean. But last night while we were sleeping, he swept
away our eggs. We are helpless and wrecked by loss of our eggs. Kindly, grant us justice."

Hearing the plea, Garuda went to Lord Vishnu and told him about the incident. The Lord
approached the ocean and asked him to return eggs of the Tittibha birds.
Seeing Lord Vishnu, the ocean was petrified. He apologized to Him for wrongdoing and returned
the eggs of Tittibha birds.

Thus, the male Tittibha bird lost his eggs due to arrogance and got them back with his self
confidence.

Moral: Arrogance leads to destruction whereas self confidence is key to success.

 Two Swans And The Tortoise

Once upon a time, there lived two swans and a tortoise named Kambugriva in a forest. They
lived together in the lake and were good friends. The three of them played with each other
everyday.

One afternoon, few fisherman passed by the lake and said, "The lake has fish and tortoise. We
will come and caught them tomorrow.

When the tortoise heard this, she became sad and started weeping. The swans saw the tortoise
crying and came to ask her the matter.

The tortoise said, "I heard the fishermen say that they will come here tomorrow for fishing. I am
afraid that I might be caught and killed."

The swans said, "Don’t worry friend. We will think together and find out some way."
The tortoise said, "If I leave this pond and go to another; I will be safe. There is another pond in
the forest. But it will take days for me to reach there. Can you help me in reaching there before
tomorrow morning?”

The swans agreed but said, "We need to find a way to so do."

The tortoise was intelligent and witty. She saw a thick wooden stick near bank of the pond and
suggested, "You see that wooden stick? I will hold it in middle and you two on either sides. This
way we can fly to other pond quickly."

The swans were pleased the tortoise's idea. But one of them suddenly said,” Dear friends, your
idea is too good. But it can be dangerous for you to fly this way. If you open your mouth, you
will fall down."

The tortoise said, "I am not so ignorant and foolish. I will keep my mouth close all the way."

After sometime, the three of them flew up with the stick.

A group of cowherd roaming the forest saw them. They were surprised and enjoyed the scene.
One of the cowboy said, "If the tortoise fells I will make a forest fire here and roast it." Another
cowboy said, "Let it fall, we can kill and feast on it."

Hearing the unkind words, the tortoise was angry. She shouted, "You evil, you eat ashes..." and
before she could complete she came hurling down.
The tortoise fell on the ground. She wanted to creep away and hide for safety but was hurt. The
cowboys came running to caught hold of her. They killed and ate her.

The swans sorrowfully watched their friends being killed and thought that if the tortoise would
have remembered their advice she would have been alive.

Moral: Anger is our worst enemy.

 Tale of the Three Fishes

Once upon a time there lived three fishes named Anagatavidhata, Pratyutpannamati and
Yadbhavishya lived in a pond. The three fishes were good friends and lived together. There were
many fishes in the pond.

One day a group of fishermen passed by the pond. They saw the pond had many fishes and said,
"The pond has good number of fishes. Tomorrow morning we should come here to fish. We will
get good harvest here".

The three fishes were swimming near the surface and heard the fishermen. One of fish hurriedly
said, "The fishermen will come tomorrow morning. I don’t want to get trapped and die. I am
leaving the pond." She swam through the canal into another pond to rescue herself from the
impending danger.

The second fish said, "I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. If the fishermen come, we all
will face the danger."

The third fish was lying sleepy. She said, "Don’t bother. What has to happen will happen! Its
destiny."

Next day, the fishermen arrived with their nets. The second was caught in the net. But it
pretended to be dead. When the fisherman tried to pull it out, it gathered all its strength and
jumped into the water. It quickly swam deep inside and saved her life.

The third fish was also caught. She thought what has to happen will happen and did nothing to
escape. She was caught and killed by the fishermen.

The second fish felt sorry for her friend. She was happy to be alive and took the lesson that we
should not ignore matters and leave them to chance.

Moral: Do not leave things to chance. We humans have capability to think and act; and we
should do it when needed.
 The Elephant And The Sparrow

Long time ago, there lived a sparrow with her husband in a nest on a mango tree. The she-
sparrow laid eggs in the nest.

One hot afternoon an elephant came under the shade of the tree. The elephant enraged by heat
and thrust, swirled his mighty truck and broke the branches of tree. One of the branches had the
sparrow's nest. The nest fell and her eggs broke. The sparrow began weeping over the loss of her
eggs.

A woodpecker heard her cry and came to ask her why was she crying. The mother sparrow said,
"This elephant broke the branch with my nest. My eggs fell down and broke. My offspring are
killed. I want to punish him by killing him. Please suggest some way to kill this wicked animal.
The woodpecker told the mother sparrow about a fly which could help them in killing the
elephant.

The sparrow and the woodpecker together went to the fly and told her about the mishap. They
asked the fly to suggest a way to kill the elephant. The fly told them about her friend frog and
said, "Let’s go to the frog and take his help”.

So the mother sparrow, the woodpecker and the fly went to the frog and narrated what had
happened. The frog told them a plan - he asked the fly to hum a melody in elephant’s eye when
the sun is high in sky so that he closes his eyes in pleasure. Then the woodpecker would scoop
out his eyes and turn him blind. When he will feel thirsty and look for water, the frog would go
to the deep marsh and start crocking there. The elephant would think of it as a pond and come to
drink water. He would down in it and die.

The next day all three gathered and worked according to the plan. The elephant was blinded by
woodpecker and drowned in the marsh when he went to drink water there.

Thus with the help of intelligence and unity of three animals, the mother sparrow took revenge
on the elephant for destroying her eggs.

Moral: Wit is superior to physical force.

 The Lion, Jackal And The Camel

Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a forest. His name was Vajradaunstra. He had two
attendants - a jackal and a wolf.

One day a caravan passed the forest. A camel in the caravan was an expecting female. She was
in pain and could not walk. The caravan left her behind.

When the lion saw the female camel, he attacked her and killed her. When they tore and ate the
flesh, a baby camel emerged from the womb. The three predators were filled and hence they did
not kill the young camel. They brought it to their cave.

The lion liked the young camel for its innocence and said, 'You are endearing. Stay with us. You
can feed on the grass outside the cave and wander in the fresh air. You need not be afraid of me
or anyone around me. I will protect and take care of you'.

The four animals started living together happily. They told stories and joke to each other and
lived well.

One evening, the lion returned home with an injured paw. He was hurt badly in a deadly fight
with an elephant. The agonized lion was unable to walk and therefore could not go around
hunting. He was hungry and wrecked.

The next day the lion called the camel, jackal and the wolf and asked them to get some small
animal which he could kill and eat. But the three of them were unable to find food. The lion grew
angry on knowing this, but he was helpless.

The jackal troubled by hunger began thinking,' this young camel can be our food for days to
come. But the lion has a soft heart for him and would not agree to kill him. I must convince the
lion to kill this young camel for our food'.

The jackal went to the young camel and said, 'Our master is badly in pain. He is starved and
growing weak. There is no food for him. It seems we all will die soon. If this happens you will
be alone and unguarded. Some predator may kill you for its food. Therefore, I suggest that you
offer yourself to the lion for food and save us from dying. You act will be deemed to be a great
sacrifice and you will receive boon to reborn as a mighty animal'.

The young lion was innocent and got carried away. He agreed to offer himself to lion in want of
a boon in next birth.
So in the evening, the jackal went to the lion with camel and said, 'The camel seeks a noble
rebirth. For this he is willing to sacrifice himself and offer himself as food to you. If you kill him
and worship him before eating him, he will be reborn as a mighty animal'.

The lion was assured by the reason the jackal gave for killing young camel. So he attacked it and
the young camel died.

The lion recalled to worshiping the God before he eating the camel. So he asked the jackal and
wolf to watch the carcass while he went out and prayed.

The jackal was hunger and greedy. He wanted to eat the entire camel himself. So the cunning
jackal called the wolf and said,’ Friend, I know your are very hungry. You can eat flesh before
the lion returns. I will make the lion understand'.

So the wolf started eating. A few minutes later the jackal cautioned the wolf, 'the lion is on his
way back. Stop eating'.

The lion saw the flesh was eaten. He was angry and asked the wolf and jackal, 'who dared to eat
my food?’

The jackal said, 'Master, I had been trying to stop the wolf from eating the flesh before you
started with it. But he was very hungry and could not stop himself. Kindly, forgive him for such
a mistake'.

The wolf was caught in surprise and fear.

The lion saw blood on the wolf's paw. Before the wolf could explain himself, the angry lion
sprang to attack him. The wolf fled immediately from the scene and saved his life.
While this happened, the lion heard the usual sound of jingling bells from a distance. He was
terrified and asked jackal about it.

The jackal knew that it was sound of caravan. The camels in the caravan had bells around their
necks.

The jackal had great presence of mind and said, 'Master, it is the sound of same caravan whose
female camel you killed for food. It seems that today they are led by Yama - God of Death. From
the sound it seems that Yama is very angry with you for killing an expecting camel before its
time. So this time he is approaching you to avenge the death of female camel with the camel's
relatives and forefathers. Master, as your benefic I request you to run away from here and safe
yourself from Yama's avenge'.

The lion was troubled and scared. He could hardly think and believed the jackal. Seeing that the
caravan was nearing, the lion fled.

The jackal was now left alone with the dead camel flesh. He cheered and relished it for many
days.
Moral: Never keep company of sly and mean people. They are self centered and can hurt you
anytime for self benefit.
 The Bird and The Monkeys

One upon a time in a far forest there lived a troop of monkeys. One winter night was terribly
cold and then it began to rain heavily. The monkeys were drenched and grew miserable due to
chilling cold. They began looking out for a way to protect themselves.

It was then some younger members of their troop saw brightly colored gunja fruits. The monkeys
thought that they were embers of fire and began blowing at them to make fire.

A bird who nested on a nearby tree had been watching the monkeys. She thought of helping the
monkeys understand their muff and said, 'It is not firewood. You are mistaking these gunja fruits
for ember. They cannot be burned for making fire'.

But the monkeys continued working around the ganja fruits to make fire.

Seeing this, the bird further advised the monkeys, 'It is getting colder. I would advise you not to
waste your time and effort, rather look to find shelter in a cave where you can protect yourself
from this cold weather and heavy rain'

But the monkeys were arrogant. They ignored the bird. An old member of the troop, fumed and
shrieked, 'You meek fellow, rest in your nest and do not tell us what to do".

But the bird was worried for monkeys as it was getting colder. So she flew to the monkeys and
reiterated that they should find a cave for sheltering. The bird tried again and when the monkey
gave no ear to her advise, she humbly approached them closely.

The monkeys were not only agitated by what the bird has been insisting on, rather they were
frustrated by their vague attempts to kindle fire in the miserable cold. Suddenly, one of the
monkeys near whom the bird sat, caught hold of her and smashed her mercilessly on a stone. The
petty little bird cried in agony and died.

Moral: Do not advise fools.

 The Birds Advise To The Wet Monkeys

Long ago, there was a big tree near a river. The tree provided shelter to several birds and animals
from sun and rain.

One evening it started raining heavily. A group of monkeys were playing nearby. As the rain
started they got wet and ran for shelter under the tree.

The wet monkeys felt cold and were shivering with cold. Seeing this, one of the birds told the
monkeys, "It is raining heavily. You are shivering with cold and may fall sick. If you had built a
home like us, you would not suffer. We birds build nests with our small beaks. However, God
has gifted you monkeys with hands and legs. You all should work to make a good shelter for
yourself and your family."

This was the bird' good advise to monkey.

However, the monkey did not like the bird's advise. He got angry and decided to teach a lesson
to the birds.

The monkeys thought that these birds live comfortably in their nests even during rain and
criticized them for not having home to shelter ourselves.

So the angry and annoyed monkeys decided to revenge on birds. When the train stopped; the
monkeys awfully destroyed the nests of birds. They mercilessly destroyed their eggs and threw
their young ones down.

The birds flew away in misery and regretted their advise to foolish monkeys.

Moral: Give good advise to learned and wise. Do not advise the foolish.
 The Right And The Wrong Minds

Long time ago there lived two friends in a village. One of them was righteous, and his name was
Dharmabuddhi (the right minded). The fellow named Pappabuddhi (the evil minded) was wicked
and immoral.

Pappabuddhi was poor and could not think of any means to earn money. So he decided to
convince Dharmabuddhi and take him to another village where he intended to use his skills to
earning living.

Next day, when Pappabuddhi met Dharmabuddhi, he told the later, 'Friend, years are passing
quickly. No sooner we will marry, have family and then grow old. But we do not have any good
means if earning in this village. I think we should travel to another kingdom where we can work
to earn well'.

Pappabuddhi sounded wise to Dharmabuddhi. He was convinced and they both decided to leave
the village.

They took blessings of their parents and preacher and set on for the journey.

After months of traveling, they reached a kingdom which was prosperous. They settled there and
began working. Over a period of time, they earned a lot due to knowledge and skills of
Dharmabuddhi's intelligence, skills and knowledge. One day when they felt satisfied with their
earning, they thought of leaving the place and return to their home.

They left the kingdom and began journey back to home.

On the way, Pappabuddhi said, 'Friend, we have so much money with us. It is not safe to carry it
this way. Besides, we are nearing our village and if our friends and relatives see this money they
will ask us for it. I think we should hide the money here in forest. We can burry it somewhere
here and then take small amount with us. We can come here and take money as and when we
need it'.

Dharmabuddhi trusted his friend. He agreed with him and they worked together to burry their
treasure beneath the three. They went home with some money.
Few days passed and one night, Pappabuddhi went to the forest alone. He dug out the entire
treasure and closed the pit as it was before. Pappabuddhi took the treasure to his home and hid it.

After few days, he went to see Dharmabuddhi and said, ' Friend, I have spent all the money I
returned with on family needs. I wish to bring money from the treasure we hid in the forest. Lets
go'.
So, they went to together to the forest. After digging they found that the treasure was missing.
Seeing this, the sly Pappabuddhi started repenting for trusting Dharmabuddhi. He blamed him
for stealing the money and asked for the money, 'No one expect you knew that we hid the
treasure here. You have deceived me and stole the entire treasure. Give back my money or will
approach the village head for justice. You have breached my trust'.

Dharmabuddhi was shocked to hear what his friend said. He defended him and said, 'Friend, you
should not suspect or blame me for this lose. I am a virtuous man and committed no such theft. I
have lost my treasure too'.

But Pappabuddhi was sly. He continued to blame Dharmabuddhi. The two men started
quarrelling and decided to see the village head. The village head asked the men to pledge before
the Fire God.

But Pappabuddhi said, 'We can ask the tree to stand witness as we buried the treasure under it.
The tree can reveal who stole the treasure'.

The villagers agreed with Pappabuddhi. But they retained, if the tree fails to reveal the truth, they
would ask the two men to pledge before the Fire God.

Hearing this, Pappabuddhi went to his father and said, 'Father, Dharmabuddhi and I earned a
huge amount by working in the far kingdom. On our way to home, we hid the treasure in a pit
below a tree in the forest. I stole the entire money and hid it. Now, Dharmabuddhi has taken the
matter to the village chief. I need your help to save me and the money'.

The father was surprised to hear his son. He asked him, 'Tell me how I can help you?’
Pappabuddhi said, 'I have asked the village chief to approach the tree where we hid the treasure
for justice. The tree has a hollow in that tree. You have hide in the hollow before the day break
and when we come there asking for truth, you have to talk in guise of tree spirit and let the
people that Dharmabuddhi stole the treasure'.

The father was equally immortal and helped his son in the wrongdoing. He went and his himself
in the hollow if the tree before sunrise.

After some hours, Dharmabuddhi and Pappabuddhi came to the tree along with the village chief
and his escorts.

Pappabuddhi pretended to be righteous and wise. He said, 'O mighty tree! We bow to you. Let
your spirit talk. We hid a treasure here under your vast spread. The treasure has been stolen. We
have come here to know the truth. We will be grateful if you can let us know the thief'.

When Pappabuddhi’s father heard this, he replied in a heavy loud voice, 'I stand witness to what
happened to your treasure. The treasure was buried together by Dharmabuddhi and Pappabuddhi.
But Dharmabuddhi stole the entire treasure in the veil of night'.
The people around were shocked to hear the tree, while Pappabuddhi smiled pleasingly and
victoriously. The chief and his escort agreed with the tree's word.

But Dharmabuddhi suspected that something was wrong. He thought for a while and then heaped
dried leaves and twigs in front of the hollow. The pile was set on fire.

Soon the fire flared up and the smoke and heat spread in the hollow. Unable to bear it,
Pappabuddhi father escaped from the hollow. He was burned and suffocated.

The villagers were surprised to see him and ask him, 'What were doing in the hollow?'
Pappabuddhi’s father was ashamed. He confessed and revealed the truth.

When villagers came to know the truth, they decided to punish Pappabuddhi by hanging him on
the tree under which the treasure was once hidden by two of them. Dharmabuddhi was praised
for his presence of mind and wit.

Moral: Keep company of good and wise.

 The Cranes, Mongoose And Serpent

In a far forest, there lived a group of cranes. The cranes built their nests near on a tree near bank
of a river.

Under the tree, there was a hole where a large snake lived. Very often the snake stole the bird’s
eggs and preyed on their young ones.

The cranes were sad and angry over the snake's act. So they went to their king. The king crane
said,” There is mongoose who lives with its family near the next tree. Mongoose and snakes are
bitter enemies. You all must catch fishes and keep then on path between the snake's hole and
mongoose's burrow. This will lead the mongoose to snake's hole. They will fight and snake will
be killed."

Next day, the cranes fished all day and laid a trail between burrow and hole. The mongoose
sneaked out to eat fish and reached the snake's hole.

When the snake saw the mongoose, it fanged it tongue and hissed loudly. They fought badly and
the snake was killed.

Seeing this, the cranes rejoiced.

Soon the cranes saw that the mongoose and its family climbed the tree and attacked their
offspring. The craned were sad and realized the mistake in their plan.

Moral: Never trust your enemies.

 The Merchant And The Rat

Once there lived a merchant in a village. He had a son named Jveernadhana.

Jveernadhana was hard working but was unsuccessful in his business. He lost all his money and
wandered in search of work.

One day, he decided to leave the village in search of work. He needed money and therefore
mortgaged the iron balance he had inherited from his ancestors.

Jveernadhana traveled far and wide. When was successful and rich, he decided to return home.
After returning, Jveernadhana went to the merchant and asked for the iron balance he had
mortgaged with him.

But the merchant did not want to return the sturdy rare balance. He said, 'The balance you kept
with me has been destroyed by the rats. I do not have it anymore'.

Jveernadhana realized that the merchant was out rightly lying. But he said, 'If the rats have
destroyed the balance, nothing can be done. But you should remember one truth of life - nothing
in this world can last forever'.

Then he asked the merchant, 'I have come a long way. I am tried and want to take bath in the
river. Can you ask your son to carry my belongings and keep a watch while I take bath?'
The merchant asked his son to accompany Jveernadhana to the river and take care of his
belongings.

They left towards river and after Jveernadhana took bath, he took the merchant's son to a nearby
cave and hid him there.

Jveernadhana returned to the merchant. When the merchant didn't see his son, he was worried
and asked Jveernadhana, ' Where is my son?'

Jveernadhana said, 'While I was taking bath, a flamingo swept him off. I was unable to help him
rescue'.

The merchant was angry and said,’ How can a flamingo carry a boy big as him? You are lying. I
will approach the village chief to seek justice against what you have done to my son'.

The merchant took Jveernadhana before the village chief, and said, 'This man has abducted my
son'.
The chief asked Jveernadhana, 'What is the matter? Why have you abducted his son? What do
you want?'

Jveernadhana said, 'Chief, the boy went with me to the river. He was keeping a watch on my
belongings while I bathed. Suddenly, a flamingo swept him away with its claws. I was helpless. I
have not abducted him'.

The chief was angry to hear what Jveernadhana said. He countered, 'It is a plain lie. How can a
flamingo carry a child this big?'

Jveernadhana argued, 'Chief! If in your village, rats can eat iron, then why can’t a flamingo carry
a child?'

Hearing this, the chief was stuck. He asked, 'Where did the rat eat iron? What are you trying to
say?'

Jveernadhana narrated the entire event to the chief. He said that he wanted the iron balance back
and revealed that the merchant's son had been safely hidden in cave'.

The chief eyes opened. The people, who had been standing round listening, laughed and the
merchant was immensely embarrassed.

The chief asked the merchant to return Jveernadhana iron balance to him and bring back his do
from the cave.

Moral: It is said, as you sow, so shall you reap. In other words, do good and good will come to
you (tit for tat).
 The King and the Foolish Monkey

Once there lived a King. He had a monkey. The monkey was very dear to the King and enjoyed
all privileges in the palace.

But the monkey was dim-witted and foolish. He often committed mistakes which were ignored
by the King.

One afternoon, when the king was resting after his meal, the monkey sat besides him to fan him.
It was a dull and calm noon and the monkey soon grew sleepy when suddenly a fly came
buzzing over the King.

The monkey swayed away the fly. But it would fly away and encircle back again around the
King's chest. Seeing this the monkey grew agitated. He took a sword to kill the fly.

When the fly came looping around the King, the monkey targeted it with all his force. But the fly
flew untouched by the sword and the sword hit the King. The King cried in agony and died.

Moral: Never befriend with fools. They are as dangerous as your enemies.
 The Thief And The Brahmins

Once upon a time there lived a Brahmin in a village. He was a wicked thief. The villagers said
that the Brahmin was cursed to become a thief due to his bad action in previous birth.

One day four merchants came to the village. They sold wares and earned a lot of money. When
the thief saw the merchants, he became greedy and wanted to steal their money. So he went to
them as a friend. He gained their trust and requested them to keep him for helping them their
business work. The merchants agreed.

The thief began working for the merchants. One day, the merchants decided to return home. So
they sold all the wares. One of them suggested that traveling with all the money they had would
not be safe. The other merchants agreed. They all decided to buy gold with the money and hide it
in the thighs. They healed their wounded thighs with special ointment.

The thief knew this secret. He decided to rob the merchants on their way back home by
poisoning them.

When the merchants began leaving, the sly thief began bewailing and told them, 'Dear friends,
we have been together for these many days. Now when you all are leaving, I am grieved and will
be left alone. I plead to take me with you. I will continue to work for you all'.

The merchants who trusted the thief as a good friend and were happy with his work were moved
to hear him grieve. They agreed to take him along.

The next morning merchants and the thief started the journey. They crossed villages and planes.
While they were passing through a jungle, they came across a tribal area. The chief of the tribe
had a crow. The crow had power to see future and as he shrieked, 'Some men are approaching
our area. Seize and kill them, they have treasure'.

The chief ordered his tribesmen to guard the area and captive the men as soon as they were seen.

Soon the merchant and the thief were captivated. The tribesmen treated them mercilessly and
searched them to find the treasure. But they could find nothing.

Learning that no treasure was found, the chief warned the men - 'The crow told us that you have
treasure and it never lies. Where have you hidden the treasure? Hand over the treasure or we will
kill you as the crow told us to do'.
Hearing what the chief said, the thief thought, 'If they kill the merchants and find the treasure,
they would do the same with me though I do not have any treasure in my body. They will not
believe me and certainly kill me in hope of recovering some treasure. Anyways I die'.

The thief thought for a while and said, 'Chief, you believe that we have the treasure in our
bodies. It would not be fair to kill all of us to find the treasure which the crow has told you about.
I offer you to kill me to affirm if any such treasure exists'.

The chief agreed with the thief and the tribesmen killed the thief. They searched him but found
no treasure. The chief was convinced that the crow misunderstood and decided to let go the
merchants.

Thus, due to the sacrifice made by the thief the merchants saved their lives and the treasure.

Moral: It is better to have an intelligent enemy rather than a foolish friend.

 The Hermit and the Mouse

Once upon a time, in a far off village there lived a saint. He lived by begging for food from door
to door.

Everyday the saint used to save some food and keep it a bowl. The bowl was hanged up on a peg
to keep it out of reach of mouse.

One day a mouse saw this. After the saint slept, he jumped up and stole the food. Next day the
saint found the food missing and came to know the mouse ate it.

The mouse continued to steal the food for several days. But the saint could not find a way to get
rid of it.

One afternoon, a friend came to the saint's house. The saint welcomed him and offered him food
and water.

They sat together to have close talk. While they were talking, the saint kept tapping a bamboo on
ground to scare away the mouse.

Seeing this, the visitor was surprised and asked, "What are doing with this bamboo my friend?
You don’t seem to be interested in my talk. I should leave".

The saint suddenly stopped tapping the bamboo and said, "Forgive me! I am trapping bamboo to
keep away the mouse which steals my food".

The visitor saw the peg where the saint hanged the food bowl and asked, "How can mouse jump
so high and take away the food?" He told the saint that the mouse accumulates a lot of food for
eating and so has great muscle energy to jump so high.

Thus they starting searching the food stored by the mouse. Soon they found the stored food they
threw it.

When the mouse returned to his hole, he found the food missing. From then on the mouse never
had enough food to eat. It became weak and could not jump to steal food from the peg.

Moral: You can defeat your enemy by weakening them.

 Elephants and King of Mice

Once there was a prosperous village. Its people very rich and happy. But one day, there was a
terrible earthquake. Many villagers died and the entire village was ruined. The survivors left the
village to settle elsewhere.

Soon the ruins came to be occupied by rats. They grew very fast in number.

Near the village there was a lake. A herd of elephants often visited the lake to bathe and drink
water.

But the herd way to the lake was through the village. So every time the elephant crossed the
village, a large number of rats were mercilessly killed due to trampling. Grieved by fear and loss,
the rats approached their king and pleaded him to find a way out.

The king decided to approach the elephants.

Next noon, when the elephants were approaching the village, the king rat went to them and said,
'O mighty elephants! We rats live in ruins of village. Everyday some of us die when your herd
passing the village. I request you to change your route. If you do so, we rats shall return your
favor in time of need'.

The king of elephants replied, 'We elephants are mighty animals and would not require favor
from small rats. I understand the trouble caused to your community and therefore I would honor
your request to change the route to the lake'.

The king of mice thanked the king of the elephants. Thereafter the elephants never took the
village route to the lake.

One day, a group of hunter came poaching. They set large traps in the way of the elephants. The
king of elephants and many other elephants were entrapped. They struggled but it did not help.

The king of elephants remembered the promise given by the king of mice. He called an elephant
that was outside the trap and asked him to approach the king of mice for help.

When the king of mice came know about the trap, he called all the mice and told them about the
situation. 'It is time for us to return the favor to the elephants', the king of mice said. So they all
immediately left to rescue the trapped elephants.

The mice worked together and nibbled the net. The elephants were set free.
The king of elephants thanked the mice and they became friends thereafter.

Moral: Never judge anything by its size.

 The Sesame Seeds

Once there lived a poor Brahmin with his wife Shandili. He used to beg for alms for livelihood.

One day, the Brahmin told his wife, 'Tomorrow there is a grand celebration. People shall donate
in name of God. I will go to the town tomorrow. I hope to receive lot of alms'.

The Brahmin was virtuous. Though he was poor, he believed in charity as a good deed. So he
asked his wife to invite a Brahmin to their home and donate food, clothes; etc. But Shandili
argued, 'We have limited means. And I cannot afford to give away the little we have'.

The Brahmin reiterated the need for charity and explained,’ a sage at door is guise of God. Even
if we have handful grain to eat, it our religious duty to share it'.

After much perusal and homily, Shandili agreed. She though of the sesame seeds she stored for
festivity.

Next day, after the Brahmin left, Shandili thrashed and dehusked the sesame seeds. She washed
them with water and left them to dry outside.

Soon after, a stray dog came and spoiled the seeds. Shandili saw this and burst into tears, 'This
was only food I had to serve the Brahmin. Fate is too hard'.

Suddenly, she blinked with a thought. She rose immediately and went to the neighbor with the
sesame seeds.

Shandili offered the lady the sesame seeds in exchange for husked seeds. The lady was delighted
to receive dehusked seeds as dehusking takes times and effort. She was carried away and
unquestionably took the dehusked seeds. She gave Shandili some additional seeds in exchange.

When Shandili was about to leave, the neighbor's son who had been listening to them appeared.
He asked his mother not to accept the seeds offered by Shandili.

'Mother, think again. Why would anyone offer dehusked seeds for husked ones? he said to his
mother.

The lady was now suspicious and returned the seeds back to Shandili. Shandili was sad. She
returned home with the dirtied seeds.

Moral: Do not get carried away by what things appear on face.

 Story of the Merchant's Son

Once there lived a merchant named Sagardatta. Sagardatta had a young admirable son.

One day Sagardatta's son bought an expensive book which had only one verse written - 'You get
what you are destined to receive'.

When Sagardatta saw the book he was enraged and asked his son to leave the house -'You
bought a book with single verse at this price. Does it make any economic sense to you? How will
you manage the business with such way of thinking? Leave my house right away!'

Sagardatta's son did not argue with his father and left the house with his book. He started
traveling aimlessly and learned the verse thoroughly.

One day the merchant's son reached a village. He started living there and came to be known as
'You get only what you are destined for'.

Days passed by. One day there was a grand celebration in the town. It was attended by people
and royal members from various places. There the princess of the kingdom saw a charming
prince and fell in love with him. She wrote a message and asked her attendants to give it to the
prince. But the attendant gave the message to the merchant's son.

The message read, 'O charming prince! I have fallen in love with. Come to my castle tonight'.
The merchant's son was elated reading the message. He went to see the princess.

He entered the princess's room quietly in the middle of night. It was dark inside and the princess
thought it was the prince who she had intended her message to. Mistakenly, she entertained the
merchant son in every way and said, 'I am deeply in love with and will marry only you. Now tell
me what is in your mind?'

The merchant's son replied, 'You get only what you are destined for'.

The princess was taken aback. She suspected something was wrong and lightened the room. She
saw that it was not the prince; she got very angry and embarrassed. The infuriated princess asked
the merchant’s son to leave the immediately.

The merchant son was hurt and left. He went to a nearby temple and fell asleep there. But the
watchman who guarded the place told the young man, ‘It is not a safe place to spend night. My
home is nearby - you can go and sleep there’.
The young man went to the watchman’s house. The watchman had a daughter who was
immodest. She was waiting for her lover in her father’s absence. The young man entered her
room and she mistook him for her lover in darkness. She asked him to exchange garland in front
of the principal deity and thus they were now bonded. The young man said, 'You get only what
you are destined for'. When the watchman’ daughter heard this, she realized her mistake of
marrying the wrong man. She wailed and cursed him. He was insulted and once again thrown
out.

Next day, the young man saw a marriage procession and followed it. Suddenly a wild elephant
came towards the procession. There was a big hue and cry, while the bride stood stuck in middle
of nowhere. When the young man saw her, he fearlessly jabbed a big nail in elephant’s foot. The
elephant feared further attacked and ran away.
The groom and the wedding guests came out to proceed with the ceremony, but the bride refused
to marry the groom; saying, ‘when my life was in danger, none of you including the man I am
supposed to marry came to rescue me except this man. I vow to marry and serve only him’.

The groom’s relatives were snubbed and questioned the girl’s ethics. The matter worsened and
some people took the message to the king. The king and his family came to the atrium to resolve
the issue. When the watchman's daughter heard about the dispute, she got interested and went to
the atrium.

When king asked the young man to explain the matter, he simply said, 'You get only what you
are destined for'. Hearing this, the princess and the watchman's daughter blushed. Seeing them,
the king demanded to know the truth.

The princess confessed that she made love with young man, mistaking him for the prince, while
the watchman's daughter confessed of marrying him. They were not regretful and retained that it
was what they were destined for.

The bride, who was listening, now came forward and said, ‘King! I am destined to marry this
young man. No one should stop me from it’.

The king consulted his council of ministers and arranged for a grand wedding ceremony. The
young man was married to the princess, the bride and watchman's daughter. The king gave him
large portion of his land besides gold and clothes. He declared the young man the heir to his
throne. He send out a message to his father and family about his grand marriage. Soon, he built a
palace and asked his parents to live with him. They lived happily thereafter.

Moral: We should work hard and leave the rest to destiny.

 The Weaver And The Destiny

Once there lived a cloth-weaver in a village. Her name was Somilaka.

Somilaka was very hard working and dexterous. The clothes he wove were used by the royal
household. But still he was poor and could barely afford living. Though the other weavers in the
village wove inferiorly, they were better off than Somilaka.

This saddened Somilaka. So one day he told his wife that they should migrate to some other
palace where he could earn better and they can live decently.

The wife was worried to hear Somilaka. She was unwilling to migrate as it does not ensure better
earnings. But Somilaka was determined and left the village.

Somilaka went to live and earn in a far off town. Over a period of time, his work gained
popularity and he became rich. After three years when he had earned sufficiently, he thought f
returning to his native place where his wife had been living alone all these years.

Somilaka set on the journey. When he passing through one of the forests, he heard two voices:
The Destiny said, 'Action, the weaver has earned over three hundred gold coins. But you know it
well, this much us not required for living! Why did you let him earn so much?'

The action replied, 'The weaver worked hard and I have rewarded him accordingly. It is up to
you how much money you leave with him as a part of his destiny'.

Hearing them Somilaka became worried. He immediately checked his bag and found that the
gold coins were lost. The weaver became very sad and thought, 'Its been three years since I left
my home for earning. Now when I had a good sum to return with destiny has taken away all I
earned. I cannot face my wife'

The unfortunate weaver returned to the town. He worked hard again and accumulated five
hundred gold coins within a year. He set on journey back to home.

When the weaver was passing the same forest, he again heard the conversation between Destiny
and Action - while the destiny denied the five hundred coins rewarded by the action to the
weaver for his hard work. The weaver recalled what happened a year earlier and quickly checked
his bag. The five hundred coins earned in past year were lost. The weaver wished destiny lead
him to death instead of such punishment living.

The weaver felt belittled and defeated. He decided to end his life by hanging himself from the
tree. Just when he was about to hang himself, he heard the destiny calling him and say, ' Wait
Somilaka. I am the destiny. It was me who took your gold coins. Do not end your life in such a
vain. You are hard working and I am pleased by your honest deeds. Ask me your wish. I shall
grant it'.

Somilaka said, 'Destiny, may I ask you to return all the gold coins you took from me?'
Hearing this the destiny argued, 'Those gold coins far exceed your living need. You are asking
for money more than what you need and can enjoy. Why?'

But Somilaka insisted to receive the coins back. So the destiny agreed and asked him, 'I want
you to return to the town and visit any two merchants. You should understand their way of living
and decide how you want your money to be'.

The weaver returned to the town.

He visited a rich merchant who became his friend earlier. But he was unwelcoming and did not
treated well. He offered him food and bed in insulting ways.

That night the weaver again heard the destiny and action talk- the destiny complained, 'action the
weaver is an uninvited guest. He does not deserve food and bed'.

The action explained, 'The miser merchant has offered what was needed by the weaver. Now its
up to you to decide the consequence of this association'.

The weaver left the merchant's house next day and went to another merchant's home. The second
merchant was not well off, but he served his guest respectfully. The weaver was given food,
clothes and a comfortable bed to sleep.

At night he heard the Destiny and Action speak. The destiny denied the respectful treatment
given by the second merchant, as he was an uninvited guest. But the action asserted; 'though
uninvited as a guest, the weaver needed mean for stay which the merchant provided for. Beyond
this it is your decision'.

Next day, the King's men came to the second merchant's home and gave him money and other
gifts. The weaver understood how destiny is rewarding the second merchant for his good deeds.

Somilaka thought, 'The second merchant is not rich. But he is respectful and virtuous. He leads a
good life'. He was enlightened.

The weaver thanked the second merchant and left. When he reached the forest, the Destiny
appeared and asked, ‘Somilaka, have you decided how you want your money and your life to
be?'

The weaver said, 'Destiny thanks for enlightening me. I want to live a life that is contended.
Kindly grant me only as much as is needed for happy living'.
The Destiny blessed Somilaka and gave him sufficing money. He returned home and lived
happily with his wife thereafter.

Moral: Work hard and do your best and leave the rest (consequences) on your fate.
 About the Author

I am a management graduate with corporate experience in forensic, due diligence, investigative

research, and qualitative analysis. I have passion for writing and story retelling, besides which I
also engage in creative arts such as painting. I am inspired by nature and engage in activities
such bird feeding, creating artificial nesting homes, gardening, to name few which bring me
closer to nature. Through my inspiration and understanding, I endeavor to create work which has
elements of intelligence, motivation, appreciate and soft emotions.
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