1.

A wise counting

Emperor Akbar was in the habit of putting riddles and puzzles to his courtiers. He
often asked questions which were strange and witty. It took much wisdom to answer
these questions.

Once he asked a very strange question. The courtiers were dumb folded by his
question.

Akbar glanced at his courtiers. As he looked, one by one the heads began to hang low
in search of an answer. It was at this moment that Birbal entered the courtyard. Birbal
who knew the nature of the emperor quickly grasped the situation and asked, "May I
know the question so that I can try for an answer".

Akbar said, "How many crows are there in this city?"

Without even a moment's thought, Birbal replied "There are fifty thousand five
hundred and eighty nine crows, my lord".

"How can you be so sure?" asked Akbar.

Birbal said, "Make you men count, My lord. If you find more crows it means some
have come to visit their relatives here. If you find less number of crows it means some
have gone to visit their relatives elsewhere".

Akbar was pleased very much by Birbal's wit.

2. A Wise Old Owl

There was an old owl that lived in an oak. Everyday he saw incidents happening
around him. Yesterday he saw a boy helping an old man to carry a heavy basket.
Today he saw a girl shouting at her mother. The more he saw the less he spoke.

As he spoke less, he heard more. He heard people talking and telling stories. He heard
a woman saying that an elephant jumped over a fence. He also heard a man saying
that he had never made a mistake.

The old owl had seen and heard about what happened to people. Some became better
and some became worse. But the old owl had become wiser each and every day.

*You should be observant, talk less but listen more. This will make you a wise
person.
3. Baa Baa Black Sheep

There lived a black sheep in a nearby village. Every spring, he shaved his black wool and
sold it to the villagers. The villagers made sweaters and socks from his black wool.

One day, the black sheep noticed that he had some more wool left. He thought, ‘It would
be such a waste if nobody wants to buy the wool.’

That afternoon, an old man came over to his wooden shed to see him. He wanted one
bag full of the black sheep’s wool. Then an old woman came over. She also wanted a bag
full of wool. A short while later, a little boy arrived. He also wanted one bag full of wool.

Therefore, the black sheep prepared three bags full of wool for them. He was happy that
all of his wool was sold off.

4. Bell the cat

There was a grocery shop in a town. Plenty of mice lived in that grocery shop. Food
was in plenty for them. They ate everything and spoiled all the bags. They also wasted
the bread, biscuits and fruits of the shop.

The grocer got really worried. So, he thought "I should buy a cat and let it stay at the
grocery. Only then I can save my things."

He bought a nice, big fat cat and let him stay there. The cat had a nice time hunting
the mice and killing them. The mice could not move freely now. They were afraid that
anytime the cat would eat them up.

The mice wanted to do something. They held a meeting and all of them tweeted "We
must get rid of the cat. Can someone give a suggestion"?

All the mice sat and brooded. A smart looking mouse stood up and said, "The cat
moves softly. That is the problem. If we can tie a bell around her neck, then things
will be fine. We can know the movements of the cat".

“Yes, that is answer," stated all the mice. An old mouse slowly stood up and asked,
"Who would tie the bell?" After some moments there was no one there to answer this
question.

5. Betty Botter
One day, Betty Botter wanted to bake a cake. She bought some cheap butter to bake it.
But something was wrong with the butter.

“This butter is bitter," said Betty Botter as she tasted the butter.

“If I put it in my cake batter, it will make the batter bitter. But if I put a bit of better
butter that would make my batter better."
So, she went off to buy a better butter than her bitter butter. She mixed a bit of better
butter into her cake batter. She tasted the batter and was happy that the batter was not
bitter.

She adopted the best way to solve the problem. Because there will be always one.

*If you have a problem, always think of the best way to solve it.

6. Bye Baby Bunting

One fine morning, a hunter was getting ready to go hunting. Before departing, he
went to see his little baby. His baby was awake in a baby crib. He looked at his baby’s
blanket and thought the blanket might not be thick enough for the coming winter.

“Bye, my little baby. Daddy is going hunting. Daddy is going to fetch some rabbit
skin to make you a new blanket," said the hunter to his baby.

He kissed his baby and went off hunting. After the hunting, he bought a blanket which
saved his child from the sever winter that followed.

7. The King and The Spider.

Vikram was a brave king. Once, he had to fight against a large army with just a few
soldiers, he was defeated. He had to run for his life.

Vikram took shelter in a forest cave. He was very depressed. His courage had left him.
He was blankly gazing at the ceiling of the cave. An interesting scene captured his
attention.

A small spider was trying to weave a web across the cave ceiling. As the spider crawled
up, a thread of the web broke and the spider fell down. But the spider did not give up. He
tried to climb again and again. Finally, the spider successfully climbed up and completed
the web.

Vikram began to think, "If a small spider can face failure so bravely, why should I give up?
I will try with all might till I win". This thought gave strength to the defeated king.

Vikram got out of the jungle and collected his brave soldiers. He fought against the large
army. He was defeated again. But now, he would not give up his fight.

Vikram again and again fought against the large army and finally, after many attempts
defeated the large army and regained his kingdom. He had learnt a lesson from the
spider.

* Perseverance paves way to success.

8. Georgie Porgie

Georgie Porgie was a cheeky little boy. He liked to tease people especially little girls.
One afternoon, he went to the park near his house. He found a little girl and tried to
kiss her. The girl cried and sobbed because she did not like Georgie.

Then, some boys came to the park and saw Georgie chasing after the girl. They
shouted and laughed loudly at Georgie. Georgie stopped chasing the girl and ran away
feeling embarrassed. Thereafter Georgie hesitated to play with his friends because he
remembered his embarrassment that he faced in front of his friends. This incident
prohibited him from chasing girls thereafter.

*Being cheeky and naughty has its limits. Behave yourself so that you do not
cause problems to others.

8. Grey Goose and Gander

Once upon a time, there was a peaceful kingdom. The king heard rumors that
barbarians were going to attack his castle soon. So he called his two favorite pets - the
huge grey goose and gander.

“My dear goose and gander, our kingdom is in danger. Take my daughter to a safe
place on top of the tallest hill," said the king. So the grey goose and gander flew the
princess who sat in a red sheet over the one-strand river to the top of the tallest hill.

Six months had passed but the kingdom was not attacked. The king regretted his
decision and told the grey goose and gander to bring home his daughter. Then the
king understood that he had to be careful before taking actions based up the rumors
which need not be true. The king was aware of his discretion before taking any
decision.

*You do not have to overreact just because you overheard rumors.

9. Clever thief

Devan was a clever thief. He robbed the rich and gave all to the sick and the needy.
The other thieves were jealous of him. They planned to get rid of him. They
challenged to steal the King’s Pyjamas.

Deven accepted the challenge. After that he prepared to execute the new challenge.
He charted out a plan to steal the King. He prepared himself mentally to carry out a
plan.

He went to the King’s Palace. He found the King sleeping. He opened a bottle of red
ants on the bed. The King was badly bitten. He cried for help. The servants rushed in.
They pretended to look for ants. Deven removed the King’s Pyjamas and escaped.
Other thieves were dump founded.
They accepted Deven their leader.

10. Cock-a-doodle doo

In a faraway land, there was a rooster who lived with his master and the wife. Every
early morning, the rooster would make a very loud sound. This shocked his master
and the wife so much that they jumped up from their sleep.

One day, the rooster heard that his master and the wife wanted to slaughter him for
dinner. He was afraid. He wanted to run away. But before he went off, he quickly
took one of the wife’s shoes and the master’s fiddling stick. Then he ran off into the
forest feeling happy and satisfied.

*Always be careful of someone that you know. Because sometimes they have bad
ideas towards you.

11.Come To the Window

One night, there was a little baby who was still not asleep. His mother already tried
rocking the baby to sleep but he was still wide awake. So, his mother took him to the
window to see the stars.

The stars shone on the sea. The mother told the baby some stories about the stars. She
said that there were two little stars that played peek-a-boo with two little fishes in the
deep blue sea. And there were two little frogs that cried ‘Neap, neap, neap. We also
see a dear little baby who should be asleep!’

The baby was happy and delighted. Soon, the little baby grew sleepy and fell asleep in
his mother’s arms.

*You should go to sleep when it is your bedtime.

12.Dick an actor
Dick was an actor. He was brilliant. He had a strange character. He insisted on realism.
He was a head ache to his manager. A drama was played.

The first was drinking scene. Water was provided in a cup. Dick insisted on liquor.
The manager had brought a bottle of liquor.

The second scene was a fighting scene. He insisted on real swords. Steel swords were
provided.

The third scene was the one in which the hero was drinking poison. The manager had
real poison. The actor was in fix.
He realised his mistakes. He realised the importance of practicality in life. He
promised to be sensible in future.

13.My Son John = Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling

There was a little boy called John. He was very playful. He played hard at the
playground and was exhausted when he got home. His father told him to get
undressed and ready for a bath. The little boy nodded and went straight to his room.

His father was waiting for John at the bathroom but he never came. His father went to
John’s room. He saw that John was already asleep in his bed fully clothed. And one
shoe was off but one shoe was still on his right foot.

His father took off John’s shoe and his trousers. He dressed him in his pyjamas and
left him to sleep.

*Avoid playing too much until you are too tired to do anything else. If you play
too much, you will be tired and you will get very little time for study which is
more important than play.

14.Pussy is in the Well.

Once upon a time, there was a very useful little pussy cat. The pussy cat killed all the
mice in the farmer’s barn.

One day, a little boy called Johnny Green wanted to play with the pussy cat. Johnny
played rough. He even tried to drown the pussy cat in a well. The pussy cat was
terrified. It cried for help.

A little boy called Tommy Stout was walking near the well. He heard the pussy cat's
cry from inside the well. He went to the well and quickly pulled the pussy cat out. The
pussy cat was very happy.

*Avoid becoming a bully. Be helpful and kind to animals. Then only you will not
be bullied in the future and your life will be happy and peaceful.

15.Do You Know the Muffin Man?

One afternoon, Mrs. Darby was having tea with her friend, Mrs Smith. On the table,
there were two cups of tea and some muffins.

“Mmm, this muffin is delicious. Did you bake them yourself?" asked Mrs Smith.

“No. Actually I bought them from the muffin man," replied Mrs Darby.

“The muffin man?" asked Mrs Smith.

“Yes, the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane," said Mrs Darby.

“Oh yes, I know that muffin man," said Mrs Smith knowingly.

*Share useful information with your friends. This way you could get more
information in the future. The information will be of great help to you as well.

16.Long-Eared Puppy = Do Your Ears Hang Low?

There was a little boy who just celebrated his birthday. His parents bought him a
puppy as a birthday present. The puppy had very long ears.

One evening, he was playing with his puppy. The puppy was happily jumping about
and wagging his tail. Then the little boy tried to tie the puppy’s ears into a knot. The
puppy stopped wagging his tail.

The little boy then tried to tie the puppy’s ears into a bow. The boy chuckled but the
puppy became quiet.

“Can you throw your ears over your shoulders like a regimental soldier?" asked the
boy. The puppy put his head on the ground and whimpered. The little boy laughed
and hugged the puppy. The puppy wagged his tail happily.

*Avoid doing anything to someone that could not be changed.

17. The Shepherd Boy and The Wolf.

There was a village on the outskirts of a forest. A shepherd boy used to take his herd
of sheep across the fields to the lawns near the forest.

One day he felt very boring. He wanted to have fun. So he cried aloud "Wolf, Wolf.
The wolf is carrying away a lamb". Farmers working in the fields came running and
asked, "Where is the wolf?". The boy laughed and replied "It was just a fun. Now get
going all of you".

The boy played the trick for quite a number of times in the next few days.

After some days as the boy, perched up on a tree, as singing a song, there came an
wolf. The boy cried loudly "Wolf, Wolf, The wolf is carrying a lamb away." There
was no one to come. The boy shouted "Help! Wolf! Help!" Still no one came to his
help. The villagers thought that the boy was playing mischief again.

The wolf carried a lamb away.

* A liar's truth is seldom believed.

18. Two Friends and The Bear.

Vijay and Raju were friends. On a holiday they went into a forest. They were
enjoying the beauty of nature. Suddenly they saw a bear coming at them. They were
frightened.

Raju who knew climbing trees ran up to a tree and climbed up quickly. He did not
think of Vijay. Vijay did not know tree climbing.

Vijay thought for a second. He had heard animals do not prefer dead bodies. He fell to
the ground and held his breath. The bear sniffed him and thought he was dead. So, he
went away.

Raju asked Vijay," What did the bear whisper into your ears?"

Vijay replied, "The bear asked me to keep away from friends like you" and went on
his way.

* A friend in need is a friend indeed.

19. The Wolf and The Crane.

Once a wolf killed a lamb and started eating it.

Suddenly a piece of bone stuck in its throat. It cried out of pain and called for help.
There came a crane. The wolf lured the crane that it will give lot of rewards.

The greedy crane immediately agreed and removed the piece of bone with its long
nose. The wolf was relieved of its pain. Then the crane asked for the rewards.

The wolf laughed at the crane and said, "I have already rewarded you without biting
your head. Run away from here, else I will kill you". The crane was very much
disappointed and ran way to save its life.

* You should help only those who deserve for it.

20. Two Silly Goats.

There lived two silly goats in a village.

There was a narrow bridge over a river in the village.
One day, the goats wanted to cross the bridge.
One silly goat was on one side.

The other one was on the other side.

One of them said, “I shall go first. Allow me to pass."
The other goat said, “No. I must cross first. You move aside."
Neither of them yielded.
At last, they came to the middle of the bridge.
They began to fight terribly.
As they were fighting, both of them fell into the river and were drowned.

* Love your neighbours.

21. The Wolf in Sheep-skin.

A wolf was walking in the countryside. He found a sheep-skin spread on the ground.
He thought, "If I wear this skin and get mixed up in the flock, the shepherd will not
suspect me. At night, I will kill a stout sheep and then take him away with me".

The wolf covered himself with the sheep-skin and got mixed up with a flock of sheep.
As he had expected, the shepherd took him as a sheep and shut him also in the pen.
The wolf was waiting for the night.

The shepherd had a feast that night. He sent a servant to fetch a fat sheep. The servant
saw the sheep-skin covered wolf by chance. That night, the guests had the wolf for
supper.

* Evil thoughts have evil ends.

22. The Wise Judge

Two women were brought before King Solomon. Both these women had a quarrel
over a single baby. Each woman was saying that she was the baby's mother.

One lady said, "Oh King! I am the baby's mother".

The other lady said, "Oh King! Believe her not. She is not the mother. I am the
mother of the child".

King Solomon was confused. After a deep thought he said, "Cut the baby into two and
give one part to each mother". One woman was silent. The other cried "Oh King! Let
she have the baby. Let the baby live". The king gave the child to the crying mother.

* Truth Always Triumphs.

23. The Wise Cock and The Wicked Fox.

There lived a wise cock in a village. He did his duties well. He crowed early in the
morning waking up the folks for their daily chores.

One day the cock was taking rest on a tree top. A wicked fox passed that way. The fox
looked up and saw the handsome cock perched on the tree. The fox decided to eat the
cock. So he said in as sweet a voice as possible.

"Hello, dear cock! I bring you news from Heaven. There is a new order laid for us.
From now on all birds and animals shall become friends and live together in peace".

The cock was astonished. He asked "Is it true?"

The fox replied, "Yes, of course. If you would like to test it, why not come down?"
Now the cock began to think wise. He said, "Won't you wait a minute. A few of our
friends are coming along".

It was the fox's turn to be surprised, "Friends! Who are coming? What do you mean?"
The cock answered "I can see some Hounds coming. Let us wait for them".

On hearing the words Hounds, the fox got annoyed. He started to run away. The cock
asked, "Why are you running? What happened to our friendship?" The only reply was
"Forget it."

*Wise men can unveil wickedness.

24. The Wind and The Sun.

It was an autumn day. The wind and the sun had an argument.

The wind boasted "I am stronger than you."

The sun mildly said "No. you are not".

Just then, they saw a traveller wrapped in a blanket was passing by. The wind said,
"Whoever separates the blanket from traveller is the stronger. Do you agree?"

The sun replied, "OK. First you try."

The wind started blowing. The traveller wrapped his blanket around him. He blew
harder. The traveller held his blanket firmer. He blew still harder. The traveller held
his blanket still tighter. The harder the wind blew the tighter and firmer did the
traveller hold his blanket. The wind failed.

It was the Sun's turn. The sun smiled gently at the traveller. The traveller loosened his
grip on the blanket. The sun smiled warmly. The traveller felt the warmth and soon
took off the blanket.
The sun was declared stronger.
*Gentle smile can achieve what brutal force can't.

25. The Two Pots.

It was a cyclonic season. There was flood everywhere.

Many houses drowned in the flood. There was a copper pot and an earthen pot in a
house. Both these were washed away in the flood to a river.

The copper pot called the earthen pot and said, "My friend, you are made of mud. You
are so weak. Please, come near me. I'll save you".

The earthen pot replied, "Thank you for your kindness, my friend. But, let me swim to
the bank by myself'. The earthen pot began to swim towards the bank of the river.

As the copper pot tried to swim, water got filled into the pot and the copper pot
drowned. But earthen pot reached the bank.

* Weakness is not in appearance.

26. The Two Frogs.

Two frogs were paying on a rainy day. Slowly, they hopped and hopped and came into
a house. There was a churn of milk. Both the frogs fell into the churn.

Both the frogs tried for some time, but in vain. One of the frogs lost hope and said, “I
can’t swim any more" and he drowned to the bottom. The other did not lose hope.

He kept on swimming. His movements churned the milk into butter. The frog climbed on
to a pat of butter and hopped out of the churn.

*God helps those who help themselves.

27. The Truthful Woodcutter.

One day a wood cutter's axe accidentally fell into a river. The poor wood cutter made
a good search in the water.

But his efforts were in vain. Finally he burst into tears. Hearing his sobs, an Angel
appeared before him.

The Angel dived into the river and came up carrying a golden axe. The wood cutter
did not accept it. He stated that his axe was made of iron.

The Angel disappeared and soon returned with a silver axe. The wood cutter again
denied that it was his axe.

The Angel once again plunged into the river. It soon reappeared carrying the axe of
the wood cutter. The poor man greeted the angel with words of profuse thanks and
great joy.

The Angel was impressed by the man's honesty.

She presented him with the golden and silver axes in recognition of his truthful
nature.

*Truthfulness brings its own reward.

28. The Tricky Fox.

A greedy fox stealthily entered a garden to eat the grapes. But its tail was cut down by
a trap when it tried to escape from the trap.

It worried because all other foxes would mock at its lost tall. Hence it planned a trick.

When all foxes ridiculed it and said, "I have cut down the tail myself because it is a great
hindrance. Now I am free and happy without my tail. So you too cut down your tails. It
will be very convenient to all of you."

An old wise fox laughed at the tricky fox and said, "I will also join you after losing my tail
when I try to steal the grapes. It looks very nice to be with a tail and I am proud of it."

Now all other faxes understood the trick of the fox and mocked at it. The ashamed fox
ran away into the forest.

*Don't believe selfish person's words.

29. The Thirsty Crow!.

Once, a crow was very thirsty.

The crow searched for water everywhere.

“Kaa, Kaa, Kaa…"

AT last he saw a pot with very little water in it.

He put his beak inside. But he could not reach down the water.

The crow thought of a plan.

He picked some pebbles and dropped then into the pot one by one.

The water level rose.

The crow drank the water and flew away happily.

30. The Story of The Desert.

When God first created the world, there was no desert.

The whole world was filled with fertile lands full of beautiful gardens.

God created man in order to maintain the world. He said to man, "Every time you
commit a sin, there will be a peck of sand falling on the ground".

Man thought, "What harm will a peck of sand do? Let me live as I please". He started
committing wicked sins and pecks of sand started falling on the ground. Still man
continued sinning. And the effect is that to-day there are many deserts a around us.

*As you sow, so you reap.

31. The Salt Vendor and His Donkey.

There was a salt vendor in a village. He used to buy salt from a nearby town. He had a
donkey to carry this salt load. There were many streams to be crossed to reach the
town.

One day, the vendor was returning after his purchase.

The donkey was loaded with salt bags. While they were crossing a stream, accidentally
the donkey slipped and fell into the stream. A lot of salt got dissolved in the water. When
the donkey got up the load became very light.

From that day, whenever the vendor returned from town after salt purchase, the donkey
began to tumble half-way across one stream or the other. The vendor became
suspicious.

Once the vendor purchased bales of cotton and loaded his donkey with bales of cotton.
The donkey felt the load to be unusually light. He thought "Today, I am going to tumble
and this load is going to become much lighter".

On their way home, as usual, the donkey tumbled and fell into a stream. But alas! When
the donkey tried to get up, the load pulled the donkey down. The cotton had absorbed
water and become heavier.

The vendor gave hard beatings to make the donkey get up and walk. From then on, the
donkey never tumbled while crossing streams.

*Avoiding work leads to more work.

32. The Proud Donkey.

There was a sculptor who carved beautiful idols of gods and goddesses. One day he had
to take an idol of a goddess to a rich man. He mounted the idol on a donkey and started.

As they walked along people started to admire the idol. Some stopped to admire and
some bowed in respect for the goddess. The foolish donkey thought that people were
admiring him.
The donkey stopped half way through. He began to bray loudly. The sculptor tried gentle
words and actions to pacify him. But he did not move. At last the sculptor took a hard
stick and thrashed the donkey. He came back to his senses and walked on humbly.

*A nod for the wise and a rod for the fool.

33. The Red Hen and Her Friends.

Once, there lived a hen with her five chicks. The hen was as red as beetroot. She had
three friends : a duck, a cat and a dog. They all lived happily.

One day, the red hen stumbled on to a wheat seed. “Hey, who among you wish to plant
this seed?" she asked.

“Not me, friend" refused the duck.

“Nor can I." declined the cat.

“Count me not." the dog turned his back.

“All right. I will do it then by myself," said the hen. She planted the see and watered it.
Alas! It grew quickly to yield the brownish wheat. “Hi! There, who among you wish to
harvest the wheat?" asked the red hen.

“Not me, friend," the duck sounded bored.

“Nor can I." shrugged the cat.

“Count me not!" avoided the dog.

“If so, I will do it by myself," the red hen spoke up as she laboured all day along. By
evening she had two gunny bags full of wheat.

“Hello pal! Who among you will lend me a hand to grind this wheat? She queried. All the
three refused as usual.

"I will see that I grind this by myself. I will make flour, knead dough and bake bread!"
she announced. The next day she baked delicious bread.

“Howdy, who among you wish to eat this bread?" she asked merrily.

“I want to!" answered the duck, smacking her lips.

“Me too!" said the cat with his mouth watering.

“Yummy, smells good," spoke up the dog, shuffling his feet eagerly.

“None of you can have a bite! I slaved in the field and at home. Only my children and I
are entitled to eat this bread!" So saying the red hen fed her chicks and ate a sumptuous
meal that day.
* There are no gains without pains.

34. The Right Person

Once there was a wise King. He had two sons. He appointed eminent scholars to teach
them all arts. After a few years of teachings, the King fell ill badly. So, he wanted to
select his next King for his Kingdom. He wanted to test his sons’ abilities.

He called both of them and gave a room to each of them. He said, “You must fill this
room completely with anything you wish. It can be anything! But there should be no
space left behind and you should not seek the advice from anyone!"

The next day the king visited the elder’s son room. The room was completely filled with
hay. The king sighed on the foolishness of the elder son.

The he went to the younger son’s room. But it was kept closed. The King knocked at the
door of the room. The second sonasked his father to get in and closed the door again.
There were darkness everywhere and The King shouted at his second son angrily.

But the second son lighted a candle and said, I have filled this room with light!"

Now the King felt very happy and hugged his son proudly. He understood that the
younger son would be the right person to rule The Kingdom after The King.

35. The Scared Little Mouse

Once upon a time in a fairy tale land a cat and a dog were friends. One night, the cat
invited the dog for a party at his house.

The cat played the fiddle. The dog happily clapped his hands. Suddenly, they saw a cow
flying in the sky. It jumped over the moon. The dog laughed. Just then, they saw a dish
and a spoon from the party running away together. And they laughed even louder. After
that they became the best friends.

*Enemies could also become good friends. So, we have to be nice even to our enemies.
This way we could reduce the friction between people and enmity will get eroded. The
safety and peace will prevail in this world. We need more peace than prosperity. Peace
will create the environment for happy living.

36. The Scared Little…

One day, there was a mouse that was very afraid. A big cat was chasing him. The mouse
was running as fast as he could to save his life. The mouse saw a big grandfather clock.
It climbed up the clock. It reached the top and sat down to rest.

Not long after that, the clock struck one, ‘Dong!’ The mouse had such a shock that he ran
down the clock.
*You should be courageous when facing certain issues. Otherwise even a small creature
will threaten you and take you for granted. You should have more courage and boldness
to face the dangers of life. That alone will keep you away from the enemies and the
dangers.

37. The Saint’s Wisdom.

Kandagupta was a famous saint. He lived in the outskirts of Maninagar which was the
capital of Manipur Kingdom. There were very few who did not know about the wisdom of
Kandagupta. He was also known for his fortune telling.

Maniraj who was the king of Manipuri came to know of the feats of Kandagupta. He
wanted to pay respect to this great saint. So, he invited Kandagupta to his palace.

When Kandagupta arrived, Maniraj welcomed him and offered him a seat. Then, the king
asked the saint to tell something about his feature from his horoscope.

After a keen observation into the king’s horoscope, Kandagupta started telling the future
boons to be blessed upon the king. The king was so happy. He kept on rewarding the
saint with gold and silver for every boon told by Kandagupta.

Now, came the time to say the future misfortunes. The whole outlook of Maniraj started
to change. At one point he shouted, “Stop! You filthy soul! How dare you say such
nonsense! I order you to say me the time of your death".

Kandagupta replied in a small voice, "My lord! According to my calculations, my death

will take place just an hour before thy death".

The king was stunned. He felt his error. He begged pardon from Kandagupta and sent
him off with furthermore wealth.

*Wisdom is more able than power.

38. The Poor Man’s Wealth.

Ramchand and Premchand were neighbours. Ramchand was a poor farmer. Premchand
was a landlord.

Ramchand used to be very relaxed and happy. He never bothered to close the doors and
windows of his house at night. He had deep sound sleeps. Although he had no money he
was peaceful.

Premchand used to be very tense always. He was very keen to close the doors and
windows of his house at night. He could not sleep well. He was always bothered that
someone might break open his safes and steal away his money. He envied the peaceful
Ramchand.

One day, Premchand call Ramchand and gave him a boxful of cash saying, “Look my
dear friend. I am blessed with plenty of wealth. I find you in poverty. So, take this cash
and live in prosperity."

Ramchand was overwhelmingly happy. He was joyful throughout the day. Night came.
Ramchand went to bed as usual. But, to-day, he could not sleep. He went and closed the
doors and windows. He still could not sleep. He began to keep on looking at the box of
cash. The whole night he was disturbed.

As soon as day broke, Ramchand took the box of cash to Premchand. He gave away the
box to Premchand saying, “Dear Friend, I am poor. But, your money took away peace
from me. Please bear with me and take back your money."

*Money cannot get everything.

39. The Peacock and The Crane.

T here was a peacock who often boasted about his beauty. Everyday he walked to the
banks of a large lake and looked his own reflections and said "Oh! What a beautiful bird
I am! Look at my colourful tail".

Once the peacock saw a crane on the banks of the lake. He said with a sneer to the crane,
"What a colourless bird you are! You have no beautiful and colourful feathers like mine".

The crane replied, "Of course! I don't have beautiful feathers. But, my feathers can make
me fly across the lake. Can your feathers make you fly?" There was no reply from the
peacock.

*It is better to be useful than to be beautiful

40. The Old Witch

There was once a little girl who was very obstinate and disobedient. How could such a
girl be happy? One day she said to her parents, "I have heard so much of the old witch
that I will go and see her. People say that she is a wonderful old woman and has many
marvelous things in her house and I am very curious to see them."

Her parents, however, forbade her from going, saying, "The witch is a wicked old woman
who performs many ungodly deeds and if you go near her, you are no longer a child of
ours."

The girl however would not turn back at her parents command. But went to the witch's
house. When she arrived there the woman asked her, "Why are you so pale?"

“Ah!", replied she, trembling all over, "I am so frightened with what I have just seen."

“And what did you see?" inquired the old witch.

“I saw a black man on your steps."

“That was a collier", she replied.

“Then I saw a grey man."

"That was a sportsman", said the old woman.

“After him I saw a blood-red man."

“That was a butcher", replied the woman,

“But oh, I was most terrified", continued the girl, "When I peeped through your window,
and saw none but a creature with a fiery head."

"Then you have seen the witch in her proper dress", said the old woman; "for you, I have
long waited and now you shall give me light."

So saying she changed the girl into a block of wood and then threw it into the fire and
when it was alight she sat down on the hearth and warmed herself and said, "And now
for once it burns brightly!"

MORAL : One who disobeys one's parent’s words will soon get into problems.

In this story also the little girl disobeyed her parents and went on her own way to meet
the witch which was considered by her parents ad wicked. If the little girl had obeyed her
parents, she would have been saved from death and would have lived well for a long
time. Because of the disobedience of her, she had to face the death at the hands of the
witch which entertained only bad thoughts about the little girl. So the children should
pay attention to their parents and heed them always. Thus they can save themselves
from dangers.

41. The Mongoose and The Child.

Once, there lived a farmer and his wife. They had a little son. The farmer had a pet
mongoose. The little boy and the mongoose were fond of each other. They were good
playmates.

One day the farmer was busy at his fields. The farmer's wife had left to the market. The
little boy was fast asleep in a cradle. The mongoose was lying down near the cradle.

A cobra somehow got into the house and it was nearing the little boy. The mongoose
sniffed the snake and jumped up. He fought with the cobra. The cobra began to attack.
There was a fierce fight between the cobra and the mongoose. The mongoose finally bit
and killed the cobra.

The mongoose saw the farmer's wife returning from market. He ran happily towards her
to greet her. She saw blood around the mouth and paws of the mongoose. The farmer's
wife mistook that the mongoose had attacked her son.

The farmer's wife took a long stick and gave heavy blows on the mongoose and then ran
into the house. She was shocked to see a dead cobra lying on the floor near her son. Now
she realised her mistake. Her sorrow knew no bounds.

*Look before you leap.

42. The Milk-Maid’s Dream.

Radha was a milkmaid. She was carrying a pot of milk.

She had to deliver milk to her customers in a nearby village. As she was walking she kept
on dreaming.
She said to herself, "With the money I get from selling this milk, I will buy some eggs.
The eggs will hatch into fine chicken. The chicken will grow into hens. I will sell the hens
and get lot of money. With that money I will buy nice silk saree. I will look beautiful.
When people ask for the secret of my wealth, I will toss my head and say, "No."

When she dreams of saying 'No' She actually tossed her head and down fell the pot of
milk and all the milk ran out on the ground.

*Building castles in air will not stand.

43. The Lion and The Hog.

A lion came to a small stream to drink water. At the same time a hog also came there to
drink. Each one of them claimed to drink first. The wordy duel between them became a
big fight.

There was a fierce fight and both of them became tired. When they took rest for a while,
they saw two vultures waiting for eating the defeated.

So they came to a conclusion that it would be better to avoid fighting and became friends
than to fall a prey to the vultures.

They became friends and both of them drank the water and went off peacefully.

* So we should not fight amongst ourselves.

44. The Lion and The Frog.

There was a lion in a forest. It was sleeping under a tree near a pond. Suddenly a noise
was heared. The lion was disturbed by the noise. It awake from its sleep.

The noise was continuously coming from the pond. So the lion was annoyed as it was not
able to sleep. There was frog in the pond. The lion came to know the frog has made the
noise. It roared at the frog and the frog was frightened. It angrily jumped into the pond
to catch the frog. Then the frog realised its mistake and tried to escape from the lion. But
the lion caught the frog and killed it.

*Don’t play with the leaders.

45. The King Cobra and The Ants.

Once there lived a king cobra in a small hole. When he was small he ate little creatures.
As he grew up he began to eat eggs, lizards, frogs and rabbits. And when he grew up
further he started to eat even other smaller snakes. His pride grew with him.

All small animals began to fear the king cobra. This boosted up his pride. He began to
think "Now I am the most powerful creature. I am the king of the forest. All animals fear
me. Let me move from this small hole to a bigger place".

He searched for a place to suit his size and status.

Finally he came across a big tree. He selected the tree for his house. He saw an ant hill
near the tree.

He thought "Why should there be an ugly ant hill near my royal house?" He hissed aloud
"I am king Cobra, the king of the forest. I order the ants to vacate immediately". There
was no reply. He got wild and struck at the ant hill.

What a surprise! In a minute thousands of ants swarmed up the king cobra biting him
everywhere. The king cobra could not bear the pain. He ran away.

*Pride goes before fall.

46. The Irresponsible Ox.

A brave warrior had a horse and an ox. He used the horse for travelling and the ox was
used for pulling load for the warrior.

War had broken. The warrior was to go to a far off place.

The horse said to the ox, "Hey ox! I am to carry the master to a far off place".

The ox replied, “How unlucky you are! I am lucky. I need not pull loads. I have no work
to do".

But, it so happened that before the warrior could set off, the war had come to an end and
the enemy had surrended. Now, the warrior had plenty of work to do locally.

The ox was overburdened now。

* Avoiding responsibility ends in overburden.

47. The Inexperienced Mouse.

Once, a little mouse asked his mother, "Mother let me go out see and the world".

The mother mouse said, “Okay child. But, be careful".

The mouse came out of his hold and started walking. He saw a colourful cock. As he had
never seen a cock before, he got frightened by the sharp beak, colourful feathers and the
red crown of the cock, He ran away thinking, "What a horrible creature".

After some time he came across a pussy cat. "What a soft animal!" he thought, “So
handsome fur! And striking eyes!"

When he returned home he explained his day's visit to his mother. The mother said, “The
cock is really harmless. But the soft cat is real enemy".

*Outward appearances are deceptive.

48. The Horse Who Wanted Safety.

On the lawns of a forest grazed a handsome horse. He was a fast runner. But, he was
often frightened by a tiger that passed by now and then.

One day, as the horse was grazing, a man passed that way. He asked the man, "Sir,
aren't you afraid of lions and tigers?"

The man laughed aloud and answered, "Me! Look what I have". He showed rifle and
continued, "Should any animal approach me I can shoot and kill him".

The horse asked, "If that is so, sir, will you help me?"

The man replied, "Of course. I will. What will you do for me?" The horse said, “Anything
you want of me, I will do".

The horse told the man about the tiger. The man said, "If you let me saddle you and take
you with me, you need not be afraid of the tiger".

The horse was too happy.

The man led the horse into town and left him in a stable.

Now, the horse thought to himself, "I am indeed safe here. But I don't have any
freedom".

* The other shore always looks greener.

49. The Hare and The Tortoise.

Once, a hare saw a tortoise walking slowly with a heavy shell on his back. The hare was
very proud of himself and he asked the tortoise. “Shall we have a race?"

The tortoise agreed. They started the running race. The hare ran very fast. But the
tortoise walked very slowly. The proud hair rested under a tree and soon slept off. But
the tortoise walked very fast, slowly and steadily and reached the goal. At last, the
tortoise won the race.

* Pride goes before a fall.

50. The Hare and The Lion.

A lion was getting fed up of hunting. He called all animals and passed an order,
"Everyday one of you should come by yourself as my prey". All animals started to obey
this order.

It was the hare's day. The hare was very sad. As he was going to the lion's den, he came
across an old well. He looked into it. It was very deep and dangerous. He made a plan to
his mind.

The lion was very angry that no animal had come that day. The hare slowly came
towards the lion. The lion roared "Why are you late?" The hare humbly replied, "Oh my
way another lion chased me. I got away with much difficulty to give my life to you, Your
Majesty".
The lion was pleased with the hare. But the thought of another lion in the jungle made
him angry. The lion roared "Do you know where he lives?" The hare replied "Yes, Sir.
Please come with me".

The hare took the lion to the old well. He said "Sir, that lion lives in this well". The lion
peeped into the well. He mistook his reflection for another lion. He roared and there was
an echo. He thought that the other lion was roaring too and jumped into the well. That
was the end of the lion.

*Wisdom can win might.

51. The Greedy Lion.

It was a hot summer day. A lion was feeling very hungry.

He came out of his den and searched here and there. He could find only a small hare. He
caught the hare with some hesitation. "This hare cannot fill my tummy" thought the
lion.

As the lion was about to kill the hare, a deer ran that way. The lion became greedy. He
thought, "Instead of eating this small hare, let me eat the big deer". He let the hare go
and went behind the deer. But the deer had vanished into the forest. The lion now felt
sorry for letting the hare off.

*A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

52. The Goose and Its Golden Egg

Once, there lived a poor farmer. He had a goose. It laid one golden egg everyday. The
former sold the eggs and became rich.

He was a greedy farmer. He wanted all the golden eggs at the same time.

So, he took a knife and cut the goose but found only one egg inside it.

Thus the greedy farmer lost both the goose and golden eggs and became poor again.

53. The Giant and The Traveller.

A giant was roaming around the forest. It saw a hungry traveller shivering in the cold.
The giant got sympathy and called him to his cave.

On the way the giant saw the traveller blowing air through his mouth at his fingers.
When the giant asked for the reason he replied that he was heating his hand by the air
from his mouth.

After reaching the cave, the giant served him a cup of hot soup. On receiving it, the
traveller again started blowing air by his mouth at the cup. The giant was surprised and
asked why he was again doing the same thing and whether the heat was not sufficient
for him. But the traveller replied that he was cooling the soup then.

Now the giant got suspicion and said, "You are blowing both heat and cool from your one
and the same mouth. So I can't believe such a cheat. Run away from here or else I will
kill you." The giant chased him off.

*Nobody believes those who have dual word

54. The Fox Without Tail.

A fox was stealthily crossing a field. But alas, he got trapped. He tried hard to come out
of the trap. At last he made it. But his tail got cut off. He was ashamed of his loss.

Back in the Jungle a few of his friends saw him without his tail and asked "What
happened?"

The fox did not want to accept his ill fate. He said, "The tail is just an extra weight. I cut
it off ". But his clever friends could guess the reality and they asked, "If that is the case,
why are you sad".

The fox did not know what to say now. He went away without giving an answer.

* Empty words cannot become facts.

55. The Fox and The Hare.

A hare was staring at a fox in admiration.

The fox asked, "What are you staring at?"

The hare said in an anxious voice, “I was wondering about you".

The fox asked, "What is the wonder with me?"

The hare said "Are you really as cunning as people say?"

The fox looked at the hare with a thoughtful look and replied after some silent moments,
"Well! Why don't you do one thing? Come tonight and join me for dinner. We shall
discuss the matter".

The hare went to the fox's house at night. On the dining table were laid plates and bowls.
But there was no food at all. The hare thought, "Oh! What a fool I am! The fox has
planned to eat me" and he ran away.

*Cunning words are undependable.

56. The Fox and The Crow.

Once a crow stole a vadai from a vendor.

It wanted to eat it.

So it flew away to a tree nearby.

It was about to eat it.

Then a hungry fox passing by saw it.

He decided to have the vadai.

“Oh! My dear crow," he said to the crow, “How beautiful you are! Your feathers are really
shiny. Surely your voice must also very sweet. Please sing a song for me."

The foolish crow opened its mouth to sing.

The vadai fell down.

AT once the clever fox picked it up and ran away with it.

*Don’t fool other. Otherwise you will be fooled.

57. The Fox and The Grapes

Once, a fox was very hungry.

He searched for food.

At last he saw a bunch of grapes hanging from a grapevine.

His mouth started watering.

He wanted to eat the grapes.

So, he jumped and jumped, but in vain.

But he could not reach the grapes.

So, the fox went away saying,

“Those grapes are sour.!"

58. The Foolish Wolf’s Flute.

There was a large flock of sheep grazing on a lawn.

A wolf stealthily stole a lamb. The lamb tried hard to get away but it could not. As the
wolf was about to kill the lamb, an idea struck in the lamb's mind.

The lamb pleaded, "Oh wolf! I know that I am going to die now. Will you be kind enough
to fulfil my last wish?"

The wolf asked, "What is your last wish?" The lamb replied, "I am fond of music. Before
I die, I wish to hear you play the flute." The wolf agreed and played the flute.
When the wolf stopped the lamb said, "Oh! what beautiful music! Will you playa bit
louder, please? You play far better than my shepherd".

The wolf was pleased by the flattery and started to play louder. In the mean time, the
shepherd and the dogs who were in search of the missing lamb heard the sound. They
came running and caught hold of the wolf. The lamb happily trotted away to his flock.

* If there is a will there is a way.

59. The Foolish Donkey.

salt seller used to carry the salt bag on his donkey to the market every day. On the way
they had to cross a stream. One day the donkey suddenly tumbled down the stream and
the salt bag also fell into the water. The salt dissolved in the water and hence the bag
became very light to carry. The donkey was happy.

Then the donkey started to play the same trick every day. The salt seller came to
understand the trick and decided to teach a lesson to it. The next day he loaded a cotton
bag on the donkey. Again it played the same trick hoping that the cotton bag would be
still become lighter.

But the dampened cotton became very heavy to carry and it suffered much. It learnt a
lesson. Afterwards it did not play the trick and the seller was happy.

Luck won't favour always.

60. The Farmer and The Sparrows.

Maniappa was a farmer. He worked from dawn to dusk in his field.

Amidst the crops in the field, a sparrow had built a nest. She roosted in the nest. She got
two children. The little sparrows lived with their mother happily.

Days passed by. And the harvesting season fast approached. The corns were ripe. And
everywhere people started their harvests.

The little sparrows said to their mother, "Mummy! We will have to flyaway".

The mother sparrow replied, “Not so soon babies! The farmer is not ready.

One day, they heard the farmer saying "I must call my neighbours and make them do
the harvest."

The little sparrows said, “Mummy, tonight we shall fly away." The mother said, “Not so
soon babies. The farmer won’t make it." The words of the mother came true. The
neighbours did not turn up the next day.
The farmer was heard saying, "I will call my relatives and make them do the harvest".

This time also the little ones wanted to flyaway. But the mother asked them to relax.
Once again, the words of the mother came true.

Now, they heard the farmer saying "Tomorrow I will do the harvest myself'. On hearing
these words, the mother said, “Come my children. It is time for us to leave this field".

* Self-help is always respected.

61. The Farmer and The Crane.

A farmer was worried about the seeds in his farm as they were destroyed by the birds.
He laid a trap for them. The next day he managed to catch a flock of birds. A crane was
also one of his victims. The crane pleaded with the farmer to let it free. The farmer
retorted, “You are found in the company of my enemies. So, I will riot spare you."

* Do not be found in close contact with evil persons.

62. The Farmer and His Lazy Sons.

In Madhanpur lived a very hardworking farmer named Gopal. He has three sons Ram,
Laxman and Hanuman. All three were strong and healthy. But they were all lazy.

Gopal was sad thinking about his sons and the future of his farmland.

One day, Gopal got a flash of an idea. He called all his sons and said, "Ram! Laxman! and
Hanuman! I have hidden a treasure in our farmland. You search and share the treasure
among you."

The three sons were overjoyed. They went to the fields and started searching Ram
started from one end. Laxman searched from the other end. And Hanuman did so from
the centre. They dug each and every inch of the field. But they could not find anything.

Gopal said to his sons, “Dear boys! Now you have tooled and conditioned the field, why
not we sow a crop!" Off went the sons to sow the crops.

Days passed. Soon, the crops grew lushly green. The sons were delighted. The father
said, "Sons, this is the real treasure I wanted you to share".

* Fruits of hard work are always sweet.

63. The Failed Cock.

Two cocks vowed each other that one is stronger than the other. So they started a
fighting. They fought fiercely and one cock got severe injuries and came down from the
top of the stack.

The successful cock crowed and danced with joy and pride on the top of stack. At that
time a vulture flew over there and caught up the cock in the sky.
The failed cock felt safe and happy on his luck.

*Arrogant leads to vanish.

64. The Dreaming Astronomer.

There lived an astronomer who was very much involved in his observations. He often
used to look up at the sky at night and start observing the stars.

Once, as he walked looking up at the stars, his leg slipped and he fell into a ditch. He
started shouting.

A passer-by, who heard his shouts, helped him out of the ditch and asked, "How did you
fall into this ditch?" The astronomer replied, “I was so engrossed in my observations that
I did not notice the ditch".

The passer-by asked, "How do you expect to discover things when you fail to take note
of things under your nose?" The astronomer walked away with a sad face.

*Realities are more important than dreams.

65. The Dove and The Ant.

Once, a dove saw an ant struggling in the water.

He took pity on the ant and threw down a leaf.

The ant climbed on to the leaf and reached the shore safely.

After some days, the ant saw the hunter aiming an arrow at the dove flying above.

He wanted to save the dove. So, he bit the hunter’s leg.

The hunter missed his aim and the dove flew safely.

66. The Donkey’s Brain.

In the forest lived a lion. He had a jackal as his partner. They both always went together
for hunting. The lion used to kill the animals and the jackal got his share for helping the
lion then and there.

One day, the lion fell-sick. He could not go out. But he was very hungry. He called the
jackal and said, "Dear friend, I am hungry. But, I am too sick to hunt. You have to help
me get some food".

The jackal went off in search of prey. He found a donkey at last. He said to the donkey,
"Hello, Donkey Sir! The king of the forest wants to make you his minister". The foolish
donkey was too happy to think of the plot. He followed the jackal. The lion killed the
donkey. But, before eating, he felt so thirsty. He said to the jackal, “Take care of the
donkey. I will return in no time".

As soon as the lion left, the jackal started eating the brain of the donkey. When the lion
returned he found the donkey's brain missing.

He asked the jackal. "Where is the donkey's brain?"

The jackal answered timidly, "If he had a brain would he have come here?"

*A small thought saves a lot.

67. The Donkey in Lion's Skin.

A donkey dressed itself in a lion's skin. Wherever he went near the other animals and
villagers feared him. Everyone thought that he was a real lion. Soon he became bold. But
one day some farmers heard him braying. They ran after him with sticks. They beat him
to death. Thus, the poor donkey paid the price for his foolishness.

*Never masquerade as someone else.

68. The Dog and The Donkey.

There lived a dog and a donkey in a house of a rich man. The dog guarded his house and
the donkey carried loads for him.

It was a hot afternoon. The dog was sleeping under the shady veranda. There was some
noise outside. The dog just lifted up his head and went back to sleep.

The donkey asked, "Why don't you bark. It could be thieves". The dog replied, "Mind
your own business". But the donkey would not listen. He wanted to save his master from
thieves. He started to bray.

The master who was sound asleep got wild with the donkey and came running out with
a stick and gave hard beatings to the donkey.

*It is always better to mind our own business

69. The Disobedient Son.

Once there was a rich farmer in a village. He had a lot of land, cattle, money and many
servants. He had two sons. He led a happy life with them. After few years, the younger
of the two sons became unhappy.

He asked his father for his share of property. His father advised him not demand like that.
His mother also advised her son to do so. But he would not listen to his father’s words.
He got his share and sold them. He had a huge amount with him. Once he got much
money, he got bad company of friends.

With this amount, he travelled to a distant country where he did all he wished. He had
another bad company of friends there as well. Because of this, he fell into evil ways.

All the money was gone. He became poor. AT that time, no one helped him out of bad
company. Soon, he fell into debt. Then he understood his mistake and returned to his
country and to his parents.

He afterwards obeyed his parents and led a happy life.

* We should obey our parents.

70. The Disobedient Boy.

There was a boy who was very fond of cashew nuts.

His mother gave him a few nuts. The boy always wanted for more nuts. He always asked
his mother "Mummy, give me some more nuts". But his mother always replied "Too
many nuts is not good, my son. If you eat too many at a time you will get
stomach-pain".

One day his mother had been to the market and no one was at home except the boy. He
went into the kitchen and took the cashew nut jar. He ate and ate unto the last nut.

The next day he twitched with stomach-pain.

*Elders are our well wishers. Let us obey them

71. The Crane and The Wolf.

Once a wolf was lucky to get hold of a nice dinner.

He sat in his place and started to eat. He did not want to share his food with anyone else.
He was eating so hurriedly that a small piece of bone got stuck in his throat.

He gurgled hard. He tried to swallow. He tried to spit it out. But nothing worked out. The
bone won't move. He got afraid.

"If I can't take the bone out, I can't eat. I will die of hunger", he thought sadly.

Suddenly he remembered the crane who lived nearby. He thought, "The crane has a long
neck. She can reach and take out the bone". So off he went to the crane and said,
"Please take out the bone from my neck. I will pay good".

The crane took out the bone and asked for her fees.

The wolf replied "Aren't you happy that you put your head into my mouth and got it out
safely? Forget the fees."
* Good for the evil are fast forgotten.

72. The Cows and The Lion.

There was a village near a jungle. The village cows used to go up to the jungle in search
of food.

In the forest there lived a wicked lion. He used to kill a cow now and then and eat her.
This was happening for quite sometime. The cows were frightened.

One day, all the cows held a meeting. An old cow said, "Listen everybody, the lion eats
one of us only because we go into the jungle separately. From now on we will all be
together".

From then on all the cows went into the jungle in a herd. When they heard or saw the lion
all of them unitedly moo and chased him away.

*Divided we fall. United we stand.

73. The Crow and The Eagle.

There lived a crow on a tree top. Everyday he used to watch with utter wonder the acts
of an eagle.

The eagle had a nest high up on a mountain. He used to swoop down from there to get
hold of a lamb and fly up again and all in one go.

The crow was amazed by the feat of the eagle.

One day he was so excited that he wanted to imitate the eagle. So up he flew as high as
he could. From there he began to swoop down. He came down and down. But alas, he
could not control himself. He crashed on the ground and broke his beak.

*Thoughtless imitation will end in danger.

74. The Crooked Tree.

It was a dense forest. All trees were straight and tall.

Their trunks were broad and shapely. But, there was one tree which was having a
crooked and shapeless trunk.

The crooked trunk tree was sad. He thought "How ugly I am! All others are straight and
shapely. I alone have crooked trunk."

One day a wood-cutter came there. He looked around and said "I will cut all trees here,
except that crooked tree. That is of no use to me".

He cut away all other trees.

Now, the crooked tree was happy for its crookedness.

*Be happy with what you are.

75. The Cap-Seller and The Monkeys.

Once, there was a cap-seller in a town. On one fine day, he was selling caps.

“Caps, caps, caps….Five rupees caps, ten rupees caps…."

After he made few sales of caps, he became very tired. He decided to sit under a big tree
to take rest for a while. Soon, he slept off.

There were many monkeys on the big tree. They saw the cap-seller was sleeping under
the tree. The monkeys were sitting on the top of the tree. The monkeys came down, took
the caps from the cap-seller-bag and wore them. Then they climbed the tree again.

When the cap seller woke up, he was shocked to see his basket empty. He searched for
his caps. To his surprise, he saw the monkeys were wearing them. He found that
monkeys were imitating him. So, he started throwing his cap down and the monkeys
also did so. The cap-seller collected all the caps, put them back in his basket and went
away happily.

*Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

76. The Camel and The Jackal.

A camel and a jackal were friends. One day the jackal took his friend to a big sugar-cane
farm. It was on the opposite side of a river. After a sumptuous meal the jackal began to
howl loudly. The frightened camel pleaded with the jackal not to do so. The jackal said,
“Friend, I have this habit after every meal. I cannot help it." Soon the farmers arrived
and gave a sound thrashing to the camel. When the camel crossed the river the jackal
joined him on his back. In the midstream the camel took a deliberate dip in the water.
When the jackal cried out in terror, the camel said casually: "I have the habit of rolling
in the water after every meal." The poor jackal was drowned.

*Every action has an opposite reaction.

77. Silly Little Mariam.

There lived a little girl Mariam who was very silly and lazy. Often she used to wander
hither and thither with no purpose. Once, as she went wandering she felt very thirsty.
She went to a pond nearby and quenched her thirst. She felt very tired and drowsy. She
slept right there on the banks of the pond.

When she woke up it was night already. She peeped into the pond but could not see her
reflection. She got a big doubt, “Am I really here or not? Well! Let me ask at my home".

She went home and found the door closed. She called out "Is Mariam in there?" A sleepy
voice replied, “Oh! She must be in bed". Mariam thought, “If Mariam is at home, I am not
Mariam". Saying this, she went away.

* Shadows are not realities.

78. Sheba and The Monkey.

Sheba, the queen of jungle, was very fond of babies. Once, she announced, "I order all
animals to come to my palace with their babies. The animal who has the most beautiful
baby will be awarded a prize".

All animals came to Sheba's palace with their babies.

Sheba started inspecting the babies one by one. She came to a monkey and said "What
an ugly baby! You will not get the prize".

The baby monkey started to cry. The monkey said, "What a foolish queen she is! Who
wants her prize! You are my jewel, my dear child. You are more precious than anything
under the sky".

*Mother’s love has no equals.

79. Selfish Friendship.

Once a cat was caught in a hunter's net. A mouse used to live in a nearby hole. The
mouse seeing the cat in the net started playing around the cat.

Soon a mongoose came there. He wanted to kill the mouse. As he lifted his head, he saw
an owl sitting on a tree trying to catch him. The mongoose went very near the cat's net
to save himself. The mouse thought "When the hunter takes away the cat, the
mongoose will not spare me and the owl is there to enjoy both of us."

The Mouse went to the cat and said,

"I can cut the net if you promise to save my life from the mongoose and the owl." The cat
agreed. The mouse started cutting the net slowly and freed the cat only when the hunter
was just near the cat. The cat took to heels and so ran the mongoose too. The owl was
very much disappointed to see even the mouse running away to safety.

A few days later, the cat being hungry, went to the hole of the mouse and requested him
to come out for a game. The mouse replied,

"I sought friendship and saved you to save my life." Now you can go home.

*Don’t nurture friendship with selfish people.

80. Satan in Disguise.

There lived an old tiger in a forest. He could not hunt animals as he used to do when he
was young. It was becoming difficult to get prey. The tiger thought, "I have lost my
strength and speed of my youth. Unless I find some trick, I will starve to death".

After long thoughts, the tiger struck upon a plan. He began to keep on saying "I am very
old. I have turned into a vegetarian. I have become a sanyasi. I will not hunt animals"
and so on.
Soon these words spread in the jungle. Innocent animals came to pay respect to the
tiger thinking that the tiger had turned into a saint. The tiger pounced on animals when
they came to his cave.

These words fell in the ears of a fox. The fox began to think, "Can a tiger become a
saint?" He was eager to find the truth.

Stealthily, the fox approached the tiger's cave. He minutely and carefully examined the
foot prints of animals. He found all foot prints going towards the cave but not returning
from the cave. He told all animals in the forest. "The tiger is a cheat. Don't go to the
cave".

The tiger had to starve to death.

*Satanic words are not to be believed.

81. Pride has A Fall.

Gorelal was a famous sculptor. His sculptures looked real ones. One day he saw a
dream that after fifteen days, the demon of Death would come to take him. Gorelal
prepared nine statues of himself and when on the 15th day he heard the Demon of
Death coming, he took his place between the statues. The Demon could not recognise
him and was astonished to see ten Gorelals instead of one. He rushed back to the God
of death and told the matter. The God of death got annoyed and set out to take Gorelal
himself. Gorelal was alert and stood motionless. The God of Death initially got
perplexed. But he thought for a moment. He said, “Gorelal, these sculptures would
have been perfect but for one mistake." Gorelal was unable to suffer the least blemish
in his work. He came out and asked, "Where is the fault?" God of Death caught him
and said, “HERE". The statues were faultless but Gorelal was caught because of his
pride.

*Pride has a fall.

82. One Nut and Two Boys.

Two little boys were playing together. One little boy saw a nut on the ground. Before he
could pick it the other boy took it.

The first boy demanded, "Give me the nut. It's mine. I only saw it first".

The other boy replied, "It's mine. I only took it".

This lead to a quarrel between these two little boys. Just then a tall boy came that way.
Upon seeing the quarrel between the boys, he said, "Give me the nut and I'll settle your
quarrel".

He split the nut into two parts. He took out the fruit-seed. He gave one half-shell to one
boy and the other half-shell to the other. He put the fruit seed into his mouth and said,
"This is for settling your quarrel".

*When two people quarrel some one else gains.

83. Night Watchman.

The manager of a firm advertised for a night watchman.

All the applicants were present. But the manager was not satisfied.

He found something wrong with each man.

There was Raju, an applicant.

He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview.

Manager found nothing wrong in his appearance.

He questioned about his health.

He got the reply that he was suffering from sleeplessness.

Manager was happy and appointed him.

* Be real.

84. Look before You leap.

Once, a fox was very thirsty.

He saw a big well nearby and peeped into it.

The fox slipped and fell into the well.

He tried to come out.

But he could not do so.

After some time, there came a goat who was also thirsty.

He too peeped into the well.

The fox saw the goat and said from inside the well, “The water is very sweet. Come and
Come to enjoy."

The foolish goat also jumped into the well.

The clever fox climbed on the back of the goat and jumped out of the well.
85. Long-Eared Puppy

There was a little boy who just celebrated his birthday. His parents bought him a puppy
as a birthday present. The puppy had very long ears.

One evening, he was playing with his puppy. The puppy was happily jumping about and
wagging his tail. Then the little boy tried to tie the puppy’s ears into a knot. The puppy
stopped wagging his tail.

The little boy then tried to tie the puppy’s ears into a bow. The boy chuckled but the
puppy became quiet.

“Can you throw your ears over your shoulders like a regimental soldier?" asked the boy.
The puppy put his head on the ground and whimpered. The little boy laughed and
hugged the puppy. The puppy wagged his tail happily.

*Avoid doing anything to someone that could not be changed.

86. Hunting With The Lion.

It was a dry summer. The animals in the forest were beginning to find it difficult to get
food.

A bear, a wolf and a jackal thought it would be better to join hands with a lion and do the
hunting. They approached lion and he too agreed. The four of them went off hunting.

The hunting party came across a buffalo. The fox and wolf chased the buffalo. The bear
intercepted the buffalo. The lion killed him.

The fox made shares out of the buffalo. When they were about to take their shares the
lion roared and said, "Well friends, the first share is mine for my leadership. The second
share is mine for, it is I who killed. The third share is also mine for I need it for my cubs.
Anyone who needs a share can take the fourth. But before that you will have to win me."

All the three left the place without a single word.

*If you are might, you are right.

87. Honesty is The Best Policy.

A milkman became very wealthy through dishonest means. He had to cross a river daily
to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously
with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day he went around collecting the dues
in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected he
purchased plenty of rich clothes and glittering gold ornaments. But while crossing the
river the boat capsized and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk
vendor was speechless with grief. At that time he heard a voice that came from the river,
“Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating
your customers.

*Honest dealings are always supreme. Money earned by wrong methods will
never remain for ever.
88. Haste makes Waste.

A woman had a pet mongoose. It was very faithful. One day she went to the market,
leaving her baby in the care of the mongoose.

At that time a big cobra entered the house. The mongoose killed it after a long and fierce
fight.

When the woman came back she saw the mongoose lying at the entrance. She noticed
its blood-covered mouth.

In her haste the woman thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a moment of
sudden fury, the woman threw the water pot on the mongoose and killed it.

Alas! When she entered the house she was filled with remorse. Her baby was playing
cheerfully.

Nearby a big cobra lay dead. The woman shed tears of grief fondling the carcass of the
mongoose.

*Do not act in haste.