The Blind Vulture
The Blind Vulture is one of the most interesting stories/ tales from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there was a hill that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill, there was a tree which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The birds welcomed the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he was old.
When the Blind Vulture saw birds’ concern for him, he was overwhelmed with gratitude. He thought to himself, “As these birds are being so kind to me, it has become my duty to protect their young ones when they are away gathering food”. After this, the Vulture used to get his food from the birds and in return, he took care of their young ones while they were away. So like this, all of them were passing their days happily.
One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, “Who is there?” On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got frightened and said to herself, “O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his confidence”.
At once, the Cat replied, “O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you”. The Vulture asked, “Who are you?” The Cat answered, “I am a Cat”. The Vulture shouted, “Go away otherwise I’ll eat you up”. The Cat was clever and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, “Sir, Listen to me first then you can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race”.
The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, “I live on the other side of the river. I don’t eat meat and take bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings”.
She further said, “But, I don’t feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you don’t have any food to offer me, at least you could say something kind to me”. The Old Vulture replied, “How can I trust you since you are carnivorous and young birds reside here”. The Clever Cat was well-versed in tantrums.
She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, “I've read all scriptures and came to know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by killing birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days, the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.
When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by her. When the Birds saw the bones of their young ones, at once they shouted, “The blind Vulture has eaten our innocent kids”.
All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didn’t even get the chance to defend himself.
Moral: Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.
When the Blind Vulture saw birds’ concern for him, he was overwhelmed with gratitude. He thought to himself, “As these birds are being so kind to me, it has become my duty to protect their young ones when they are away gathering food”. After this, the Vulture used to get his food from the birds and in return, he took care of their young ones while they were away. So like this, all of them were passing their days happily.
One day, a cat passed by that tree when the birds were away. Hearing the noise of the young ones, she came near the tree with the hope of catching and eating the baby birds. But when the young ones saw her coming, they made a chirrup. The blind Vulture heard them and shouted, “Who is there?” On seeing the Vulture, the Cat got frightened and said to herself, “O God! I am as good as dead. But I need to be brave. I should try to gain his confidence”.
At once, the Cat replied, “O wise one! I just came to pay my homage to you”. The Vulture asked, “Who are you?” The Cat answered, “I am a Cat”. The Vulture shouted, “Go away otherwise I’ll eat you up”. The Cat was clever and she made quick responses to the Vulture. She innocently said to the Vulture, “Sir, Listen to me first then you can decide further. It is not good that you are discarding me as I belong to a particular race”.
The Vulture decided to listen to her. The Cat said, “I live on the other side of the river. I don’t eat meat and take bath everyday in the river. I am doing great penance for my sins. I have heard much about your intelligence from the birds on the banks of the river. They told me that I should learn more about religion from you as you possess all knowledge. So, I came here to become your disciple and seek your blessings”.
She further said, “But, I don’t feel what the birds told me is true, when you got ready to kill a poor cat. You should have treated me well, after all guests are form of God. Even if you don’t have any food to offer me, at least you could say something kind to me”. The Old Vulture replied, “How can I trust you since you are carnivorous and young birds reside here”. The Clever Cat was well-versed in tantrums.
She touched the ground and her ears as a sign of her honesty and replied, “I've read all scriptures and came to know that killing is immoral. The entire forest is full of herbs and vegetables. So why should I commit sin by killing birds?" The Vulture believed her and allowed her to stay with him in the hollow of the tree. With the passing days, the Cat started eating the young birds one by one without the knowledge of the Vulture.
When the birds found that their young ones were missing, they started looking for their kids. As soon as the Cat realized that situation is not in her favor, she quietly slipped away. Unknown about the happening, the blind Vulture lay down near the hollow of the tree where the Cat had thrown the bones of some of the birds eaten by her. When the Birds saw the bones of their young ones, at once they shouted, “The blind Vulture has eaten our innocent kids”.
All of them got enraged by the ingratitude of the Vulture and they pecked him to death. The poor Vulture didn’t even get the chance to defend himself.
Moral: Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend.
The Elephant and the Jackal
This is a nice tale / story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived an Elephant by the name of Karpuratilaka in a forest. He was brutal and haughty by nature. He used to roam in the forest without restraint. All the animals of the forest were afraid of this wild Elephant. Without any purpose, he used to pull down the trees and ripped the branches. In this way, he destroyed innumerable nests with eggs and crushed the nestlings under his massive feet.
In short, he had created all round chaos in the forest. Fierce animals like Lions and Tigers also kept themselves at a safe distance from this Elephant. Once it happened that he destroyed the burrows of the jackals in his merciless stroll. This action of Elephant was not tolerable to the animals and all of them wanted to kill the Elephant. They had a conversation regarding this but thought it was nearly impossible to kill the Elephant due to his gigantic size.
The Jackals were full of rage and planned to call a separate meeting. They were ready to do anything to get rid of the mighty Elephant. But killing the huge Elephant was not a tiny task to do. All of them had a discussion that how could they kill the Elephant. Suddenly, an old Jackal said,”Leave everything on me. I will cleverly bring about his death”. Everyone gave his consent to the idea of the old Jackal.
The next day, old Jackal went to the Elephant, bowed respectfully before him and said, “My Lord! Favor me with your royal glance”. The Elephant looked at him and said in a loud voice, “Who are you? Why you have come here?” The intelligent Jackal replied, “I am only a poor Jackal. Your Majesty, no one can deny your greatness. You are kind-hearted, gentle and possess all qualities of a ruler. Taking these things in the mind, all the animals have chosen you to be their King. Please accept this offer and make us obliged”.
The Elephant appeared to be happy with all the praise thrown by the Jackal. Jackal found the time to be appropriate and further acclaimed, “Your Highness, all the animals are eager to see your kingship ceremony. It will be held in the middle of the forest, where thousands of animals have already gathered to get your glimpse. Our astrologers have told this is the auspicious moment for your crowning. Time is slipping fast. So, please come with me without any delay”.
The Elephant was really pleased by the Jackal’s talk. He always dreamt to become a King. He contemplated that the kingship ceremony will be matter of honor to him. Instantly, he got ready to accompany the Jackal to the place where ceremony was to be held. The Jackal took the Elephant deep into the forest. On the way, they had to walk through a swampy area by the side of a lake. The Jackal walked across the swampy region easily.
But as soon as the Elephant stepped on the swamp, he got stuck in it. He tried his best to come out of the swamp, but to no avail. The more he tried to move out, the more he went deep into it. He got frightened and called out the Jackal, “Friend, Please help me to come out of this mud. I am sinking deep into the mud. Call other animals quickly to help me otherwise I will die”.
The Jackal replied, “I am not going to save you. You deserve this conduct. You are a cruel, arrogant and a merciless creature. You killed our siblings and kids. You have destroyed our burrows and nests of poor birds. You knew everything, but remained indifferent. I am sorry to say that your end has come”. The Jackal left the place immediately and the Elephant kept shouting for help. In a little while, the Elephant disappeared from the scene, sinking into the deep mud.
Moral: Every despot has to meet his doom.
In short, he had created all round chaos in the forest. Fierce animals like Lions and Tigers also kept themselves at a safe distance from this Elephant. Once it happened that he destroyed the burrows of the jackals in his merciless stroll. This action of Elephant was not tolerable to the animals and all of them wanted to kill the Elephant. They had a conversation regarding this but thought it was nearly impossible to kill the Elephant due to his gigantic size.
The Jackals were full of rage and planned to call a separate meeting. They were ready to do anything to get rid of the mighty Elephant. But killing the huge Elephant was not a tiny task to do. All of them had a discussion that how could they kill the Elephant. Suddenly, an old Jackal said,”Leave everything on me. I will cleverly bring about his death”. Everyone gave his consent to the idea of the old Jackal.
The next day, old Jackal went to the Elephant, bowed respectfully before him and said, “My Lord! Favor me with your royal glance”. The Elephant looked at him and said in a loud voice, “Who are you? Why you have come here?” The intelligent Jackal replied, “I am only a poor Jackal. Your Majesty, no one can deny your greatness. You are kind-hearted, gentle and possess all qualities of a ruler. Taking these things in the mind, all the animals have chosen you to be their King. Please accept this offer and make us obliged”.
The Elephant appeared to be happy with all the praise thrown by the Jackal. Jackal found the time to be appropriate and further acclaimed, “Your Highness, all the animals are eager to see your kingship ceremony. It will be held in the middle of the forest, where thousands of animals have already gathered to get your glimpse. Our astrologers have told this is the auspicious moment for your crowning. Time is slipping fast. So, please come with me without any delay”.
The Elephant was really pleased by the Jackal’s talk. He always dreamt to become a King. He contemplated that the kingship ceremony will be matter of honor to him. Instantly, he got ready to accompany the Jackal to the place where ceremony was to be held. The Jackal took the Elephant deep into the forest. On the way, they had to walk through a swampy area by the side of a lake. The Jackal walked across the swampy region easily.
But as soon as the Elephant stepped on the swamp, he got stuck in it. He tried his best to come out of the swamp, but to no avail. The more he tried to move out, the more he went deep into it. He got frightened and called out the Jackal, “Friend, Please help me to come out of this mud. I am sinking deep into the mud. Call other animals quickly to help me otherwise I will die”.
The Jackal replied, “I am not going to save you. You deserve this conduct. You are a cruel, arrogant and a merciless creature. You killed our siblings and kids. You have destroyed our burrows and nests of poor birds. You knew everything, but remained indifferent. I am sorry to say that your end has come”. The Jackal left the place immediately and the Elephant kept shouting for help. In a little while, the Elephant disappeared from the scene, sinking into the deep mud.
Moral: Every despot has to meet his doom.
Beware of Mean Friends
This is one more interesting story from the Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a Lion by the name of Madotkata in a forest. Among his followers, a Jackal, a Crow and a Wolf had developed friendship with him. However, all the three had a selfish motive behind this so-called friendship. They knew that the Lion was the King of the forest and friendship with such fierce creature would always help them. To meet their selfish ends, they started obeying and were always available at the service of the Lion.
They didn’t have to make any efforts to search for their food, as the Lion used to give his leftover meals to them. Moreover, they became powerful as they were next to the King of the forest. So like this, all the three selfish friends were passing their days happily being the friends of the Lion. One day, a Camel, who came from some distant land, lost his way and entered the same forest where these friends lived. He tried his best to find out the way, but could not make it.
In the meantime, these three friends happened to pass through the same way where the Camel was wandering. When they saw the Camel, at once it came to their mind that he didn’t belong to their forest. The Jackal suggested to his other two friends, “Let’s kill and eat him”. The Wolf replied, “It is a big animal. We could not kill him like this. I think, first we should inform our King about this Camel”. The Crow agreed upon the idea given by the Wolf. After deciding, all of them went to meet the Lion.
On reaching the Lion’s den, the Jackal approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, an unknown Camel has dared to enter your kingdom without your consent. His body is full of flesh and he could make a nice meal for us. Let’s kill him”. The Lion roared loudly on hearing this and said, “What are you saying? The Camel has come for refuge in my kingdom. It is unethical to kill him like this. We should provide him the best shelter. Go and bring him to me”. All of them got dispirited to hear such words from the King.
They unwillingly went to the Camel and told him about the desire of the Lion, who wanted to meet him. The Camel was scared to know about the strange offer. He thought that his last moment had come and in a little while he would become the meal of the Lion. As he couldn’t even escape, so he decided to meet the Lion and left everything on the destiny. The selfish friends escorted the Camel to the Lion’s den. The Lion was happy to see the Camel. He welcomed him warmly and assured him of all the safety in the forest during his stay.
The Camel was totally amazed to hear the Lion’s words. He got very happy and started living with the Jackal, the Crow and the Wolf. One day, when the Lion was hunting for food, he had a struggle with a mighty Elephant. The Lion got badly injured in the struggle and became incapable of hunting for his food. Stricken by bad luck, the Lion had to sustain without food for days. Due to this, his friends too had to go hungry for days as they totally depended on the Lion’s kill for their food. But the Camel was satisfied grazing around in the forest.
All the three friends got worried and discussed the matter among them. On reaching a conclusion, they approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, you are getting weak day by day. We can’t see you in this wretched condition. Why don’t you kill the Camel and eat him?” The Lion roared, “No. How can you think such thing? He is our guest and we should not kill him. Don’t give such suggestions to me in future”. As the jackal, the crow and the wolf had set their evil eyes on the camel; they met once again and devised a plan to kill the Camel.
They went to the Camel and said, “Dear Friend, you know our King has not eaten anything from the past many days. He is unable to go for hunting due to his wounds and sickness. Under such circumstances, it becomes our duty to sacrifice ourselves to save the life of our king. Come with us, we will offer our bodies to make his food”. The Camel didn’t understand their plan, but innocently he nodded in favor of their plan. All of them approached the den of the Lion.
First of all, the Crow came forward and said, “Your Majesty, we didn’t succeed in getting any food for you. I can’t see you like this. Please eat me and make me obliged”. The Lion replied, “Dear, I will prefer to die than to perform such a sinful deed”. Then, the Jackal came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Crow’s body is too small to satisfy your appetite. I offer myself to you, as it is my duty to save your life”. The Lion politely rejected the offer. As per the plan, now it was the turn of the Wolf to offer himself to the King.
So, the Wolf came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Jackal is quite small to gratify your hunger. I offer myself for this kind job. Please kill me and satisfy your hunger”. After saying this, he lay prostrate before the Lion. But the Lion didn’t kill any of them. The Camel, who was watching the whole scene felt reassured of his safety and also decided to go forward and complete the formality. He marched forward and said, “Your Majesty, why don’t you kill me. You are my friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Please allow me to offer you my body”.
The Lion found the offer quite appropriate, as the Camel himself had offered his body for food, his ethics were maintained. The Lion attacked the Camel at once, ripped open his body and tore him into pieces. The Lion and his friends ate the delicious flesh to their fill. They feasted on the poor Camel for days together.
Moral: Beware of Mean Friends.
They didn’t have to make any efforts to search for their food, as the Lion used to give his leftover meals to them. Moreover, they became powerful as they were next to the King of the forest. So like this, all the three selfish friends were passing their days happily being the friends of the Lion. One day, a Camel, who came from some distant land, lost his way and entered the same forest where these friends lived. He tried his best to find out the way, but could not make it.
In the meantime, these three friends happened to pass through the same way where the Camel was wandering. When they saw the Camel, at once it came to their mind that he didn’t belong to their forest. The Jackal suggested to his other two friends, “Let’s kill and eat him”. The Wolf replied, “It is a big animal. We could not kill him like this. I think, first we should inform our King about this Camel”. The Crow agreed upon the idea given by the Wolf. After deciding, all of them went to meet the Lion.
On reaching the Lion’s den, the Jackal approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, an unknown Camel has dared to enter your kingdom without your consent. His body is full of flesh and he could make a nice meal for us. Let’s kill him”. The Lion roared loudly on hearing this and said, “What are you saying? The Camel has come for refuge in my kingdom. It is unethical to kill him like this. We should provide him the best shelter. Go and bring him to me”. All of them got dispirited to hear such words from the King.
They unwillingly went to the Camel and told him about the desire of the Lion, who wanted to meet him. The Camel was scared to know about the strange offer. He thought that his last moment had come and in a little while he would become the meal of the Lion. As he couldn’t even escape, so he decided to meet the Lion and left everything on the destiny. The selfish friends escorted the Camel to the Lion’s den. The Lion was happy to see the Camel. He welcomed him warmly and assured him of all the safety in the forest during his stay.
The Camel was totally amazed to hear the Lion’s words. He got very happy and started living with the Jackal, the Crow and the Wolf. One day, when the Lion was hunting for food, he had a struggle with a mighty Elephant. The Lion got badly injured in the struggle and became incapable of hunting for his food. Stricken by bad luck, the Lion had to sustain without food for days. Due to this, his friends too had to go hungry for days as they totally depended on the Lion’s kill for their food. But the Camel was satisfied grazing around in the forest.
All the three friends got worried and discussed the matter among them. On reaching a conclusion, they approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, you are getting weak day by day. We can’t see you in this wretched condition. Why don’t you kill the Camel and eat him?” The Lion roared, “No. How can you think such thing? He is our guest and we should not kill him. Don’t give such suggestions to me in future”. As the jackal, the crow and the wolf had set their evil eyes on the camel; they met once again and devised a plan to kill the Camel.
They went to the Camel and said, “Dear Friend, you know our King has not eaten anything from the past many days. He is unable to go for hunting due to his wounds and sickness. Under such circumstances, it becomes our duty to sacrifice ourselves to save the life of our king. Come with us, we will offer our bodies to make his food”. The Camel didn’t understand their plan, but innocently he nodded in favor of their plan. All of them approached the den of the Lion.
First of all, the Crow came forward and said, “Your Majesty, we didn’t succeed in getting any food for you. I can’t see you like this. Please eat me and make me obliged”. The Lion replied, “Dear, I will prefer to die than to perform such a sinful deed”. Then, the Jackal came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Crow’s body is too small to satisfy your appetite. I offer myself to you, as it is my duty to save your life”. The Lion politely rejected the offer. As per the plan, now it was the turn of the Wolf to offer himself to the King.
So, the Wolf came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Jackal is quite small to gratify your hunger. I offer myself for this kind job. Please kill me and satisfy your hunger”. After saying this, he lay prostrate before the Lion. But the Lion didn’t kill any of them. The Camel, who was watching the whole scene felt reassured of his safety and also decided to go forward and complete the formality. He marched forward and said, “Your Majesty, why don’t you kill me. You are my friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Please allow me to offer you my body”.
The Lion found the offer quite appropriate, as the Camel himself had offered his body for food, his ethics were maintained. The Lion attacked the Camel at once, ripped open his body and tore him into pieces. The Lion and his friends ate the delicious flesh to their fill. They feasted on the poor Camel for days together.
Moral: Beware of Mean Friends.
The Birds and the Shivering Monkeys
This is another interesting tale/ story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there was a huge tree on the banks of a river. The tree made a comfortable home for the family of birds who had built their nests on its branch. The birds were living there happily as the tree with its widespread branches sheltered them from scorching sun and heavy rains.
One day, when the sky was overcast with dark clouds, it rained very heavily. Some monkeys who were playing nearby the tree got drenched and ran for shelter under the tree. All of them were shivering with cold. When the birds saw the monkeys in the pitiable condition, one of the birds said,” O Monkeys, you would not have to shiver like this, if you had built a home like us. You would not have to suffer like this. If we can build our nest with small beaks, then why cant you. By God’s grace, you have two hands and two legs. Why don’t you make a nice shelter for yourselves?”
On hearing this, the monkeys got annoyed and swore to teach a lesson to the birds. They said to themselves, “These birds are not afraid of the rain or of cold wind. They are living comfortably that is why they are criticizing us like this. Let the rain stops, we’ll show them how to build home”. As soon as the rain stopped, the monkeys climbed up the tree and destroyed the nests of the birds. They also broke the birds’ eggs and threw the young ones down.
The poor birds flew here and there in misery. They were full of regret for their words and realized that they should not have given advice that was not asked. Advice should only be given to learned, wise and to those who ask for it.
Moral: Never give advice to fools.
One day, when the sky was overcast with dark clouds, it rained very heavily. Some monkeys who were playing nearby the tree got drenched and ran for shelter under the tree. All of them were shivering with cold. When the birds saw the monkeys in the pitiable condition, one of the birds said,” O Monkeys, you would not have to shiver like this, if you had built a home like us. You would not have to suffer like this. If we can build our nest with small beaks, then why cant you. By God’s grace, you have two hands and two legs. Why don’t you make a nice shelter for yourselves?”
On hearing this, the monkeys got annoyed and swore to teach a lesson to the birds. They said to themselves, “These birds are not afraid of the rain or of cold wind. They are living comfortably that is why they are criticizing us like this. Let the rain stops, we’ll show them how to build home”. As soon as the rain stopped, the monkeys climbed up the tree and destroyed the nests of the birds. They also broke the birds’ eggs and threw the young ones down.
The poor birds flew here and there in misery. They were full of regret for their words and realized that they should not have given advice that was not asked. Advice should only be given to learned, wise and to those who ask for it.
Moral: Never give advice to fools.
The Monkeys and the Bell
This is another nice story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales/ Stories. Once upon a time, there lived a robber in a village. One day, he stole a temple bell and ran towards the forest. A Tiger heard the jingle of the bell and became curious to locate the sound. As soon as, he saw the robber, he jumped upon him and killed him at once. The bell fell on the ground. After a few days, a group of monkeys passed through that way. They spotted the bell and carried it to their home.
They found the jingle of the bell very interesting. Subsequently every one of them became very fond of the bell and started playing with it. After every tiring day, in the night monkeys would sit on the top of the hill in the forest and enjoy the melodious sound of the bell. The people of the village were afraid of the noise. Soon afterwards, the people from the village found the body of the robber and proclaimed, “Certainly there is an evil spirit around here that kills human beings and then rings the bell to celebrate”.
When the people heard this, they thought that some demon was haunting their village. Without giving any second thought, People started leaving the city in terror. There was an intelligent and bold woman in that village. She thought to herself, “I don’t believe that some demon is haunting this village. I will find out that who is ringing the bell”. At late night, she went into the forest bravely and found that a group of monkeys were playing about and ringing the bell.
Now as the woman knew the secret about the bell, she went to the King and said, “Your Majesty! I'm sure this evil spirit can be conquered by worshipping the Gods. But this will cost money. If you can grant me some money, I will kill the demon and bring happiness to the village”. The King, who was too afraid to get rid of the demon, granted the request of the woman.
On receiving the money, the woman bought some peas, groundnuts and fruits. She arranged a worship of the Gods. She made a circle on the ground, placed all the eatables and started worshipping the Gods. After the ritual, she picked up all the eatables and went into the forest. She placed the fruits and other things under a tree near the hill. She kept a watch of the monkeys from a distance.
As and when the monkeys saw the eatables, they dropped the bell just as the old woman had expected out of them. They ran to pick the eatables. The woman picked up the bell quickly and rushed towards the village. She gave the bell in the court of the King. The King was happy with the brave woman and everyone in the village admired her bravery. The pleased King rewarded the woman for her bravery. Since that day, there was no noise and people lived happily ever after.
Moral: One must not be afraid of trifles. Intelligence and courage succeed against all odds.
They found the jingle of the bell very interesting. Subsequently every one of them became very fond of the bell and started playing with it. After every tiring day, in the night monkeys would sit on the top of the hill in the forest and enjoy the melodious sound of the bell. The people of the village were afraid of the noise. Soon afterwards, the people from the village found the body of the robber and proclaimed, “Certainly there is an evil spirit around here that kills human beings and then rings the bell to celebrate”.
When the people heard this, they thought that some demon was haunting their village. Without giving any second thought, People started leaving the city in terror. There was an intelligent and bold woman in that village. She thought to herself, “I don’t believe that some demon is haunting this village. I will find out that who is ringing the bell”. At late night, she went into the forest bravely and found that a group of monkeys were playing about and ringing the bell.
Now as the woman knew the secret about the bell, she went to the King and said, “Your Majesty! I'm sure this evil spirit can be conquered by worshipping the Gods. But this will cost money. If you can grant me some money, I will kill the demon and bring happiness to the village”. The King, who was too afraid to get rid of the demon, granted the request of the woman.
On receiving the money, the woman bought some peas, groundnuts and fruits. She arranged a worship of the Gods. She made a circle on the ground, placed all the eatables and started worshipping the Gods. After the ritual, she picked up all the eatables and went into the forest. She placed the fruits and other things under a tree near the hill. She kept a watch of the monkeys from a distance.
As and when the monkeys saw the eatables, they dropped the bell just as the old woman had expected out of them. They ran to pick the eatables. The woman picked up the bell quickly and rushed towards the village. She gave the bell in the court of the King. The King was happy with the brave woman and everyone in the village admired her bravery. The pleased King rewarded the woman for her bravery. Since that day, there was no noise and people lived happily ever after.
Moral: One must not be afraid of trifles. Intelligence and courage succeed against all odds.
An Old Tiger and a Greedy Traveler
This is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha collection. Once upon a time, there lived a Tiger in a forest. With the passing years, he became too old to hunt. One day, the Tiger was walking by the side of a lake and suddenly, a gold bangle came across his sight. Quickly he picked up the bangle and thought that he could use it as an allure to catch someone. As he was under the thought process, a traveler happened to pass through the opposite side of the lake.
The Tiger instantly thought to himself, “What a delicious meal he would make?” He planned a scheme to attract the traveler. He held the bangle in his paw making it visible to the traveler and said, “Would you like to take this gold bangle. I don’t require it”. At once, the traveler wanted to take the bangle, but he hesitated to go near the Tiger. He knew that it was risky, yet he sought the Gold Bangle. He planned to be cautious, so he asked the Tiger, “How can I believe you? I know you are a beast and would kill me”.
The Clever Tiger innocently said, “Listen Traveler, in my youth, I was wicked unquestionably, but now I have changed myself. With the advice of a Sanyasi, I have left all evil. Now I am all alone in this world and have engaged myself in kind deeds. Moreover, I have grown old. I have no teeth and my claws are blunt. So, there is no need to fear from me”. The traveler’s was taken in by this smart talk and his love for gold soon overcame his fear of the Tiger. He jumped into the lake to wade across the Tiger.
But as per the plan of the Tiger, he got trapped in the marsh. On seeing this, the Tiger consoled him and said, “Oh! You need not worry. I’ll help you”. Gradually he came towards the traveler and seized him. As the traveler was being dragged out, onto the bank, he thought to himself, “Oh! This beast's talk of saintliness took me in totally. A beast is always a beast. If only I had not let my greed overcome my reason, I could be alive”. However, it was too late; the Tiger killed the traveler and ate him up. Like this, the traveler became victim of greed and Tiger was successful in his evil plan.
Moral: Greed never goes unpunished.
The Tiger instantly thought to himself, “What a delicious meal he would make?” He planned a scheme to attract the traveler. He held the bangle in his paw making it visible to the traveler and said, “Would you like to take this gold bangle. I don’t require it”. At once, the traveler wanted to take the bangle, but he hesitated to go near the Tiger. He knew that it was risky, yet he sought the Gold Bangle. He planned to be cautious, so he asked the Tiger, “How can I believe you? I know you are a beast and would kill me”.
The Clever Tiger innocently said, “Listen Traveler, in my youth, I was wicked unquestionably, but now I have changed myself. With the advice of a Sanyasi, I have left all evil. Now I am all alone in this world and have engaged myself in kind deeds. Moreover, I have grown old. I have no teeth and my claws are blunt. So, there is no need to fear from me”. The traveler’s was taken in by this smart talk and his love for gold soon overcame his fear of the Tiger. He jumped into the lake to wade across the Tiger.
But as per the plan of the Tiger, he got trapped in the marsh. On seeing this, the Tiger consoled him and said, “Oh! You need not worry. I’ll help you”. Gradually he came towards the traveler and seized him. As the traveler was being dragged out, onto the bank, he thought to himself, “Oh! This beast's talk of saintliness took me in totally. A beast is always a beast. If only I had not let my greed overcome my reason, I could be alive”. However, it was too late; the Tiger killed the traveler and ate him up. Like this, the traveler became victim of greed and Tiger was successful in his evil plan.
Moral: Greed never goes unpunished.
The Bird with Two Heads
Here is another story from the album of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there lived a strange bird named Bharunda. He lived on a banyan tree near the banks of a river. The strangeness of the bird lies in the fact, that he had two necks, but shared a common stomach. One day, the bird was wandering on the banks of the lake and found a red-golden fruit, which appeared delicious at the first sight. One of the two heads mumbled, “Oh what a fruit. I am sure the heavens have sent it for me. I am so lucky.” He started eating the fruit with immense pleasure and claimed that it was the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten.
Hearing this, the other head said,” O dear, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much”. The first head laughed and replied "You know that we've only one stomach, whichever head eats, the fruit will go to the same stomach. So, it makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. Moreover, I'm the one who found this fruit. So I've the first right to eat it". The other head became silent and disappointed after hearing the first head. This kind of selfishness, on the part of the first head pinched him very much.
Later one day, the other head found a tree bearing poisonous fruits. He took the poisonous fruit and told the first head, “You deceitful fellow. I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult which you have done to me”.
The first head yelled, "Please don't eat this poisonous fruit. If you eat it, both of us will die, because we've a common stomach to digest it." The other head replied, “Shut up! As I have found this fruit, I have the every right to eat it.” The first head started crying, but the other head didn’t bother and ate the poisonous fruit. In the consequence of this action, both of them lost their lives.
Moral: Sharing of a good thing with others is always good.
Hearing this, the other head said,” O dear, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much”. The first head laughed and replied "You know that we've only one stomach, whichever head eats, the fruit will go to the same stomach. So, it makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. Moreover, I'm the one who found this fruit. So I've the first right to eat it". The other head became silent and disappointed after hearing the first head. This kind of selfishness, on the part of the first head pinched him very much.
Later one day, the other head found a tree bearing poisonous fruits. He took the poisonous fruit and told the first head, “You deceitful fellow. I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult which you have done to me”.
The first head yelled, "Please don't eat this poisonous fruit. If you eat it, both of us will die, because we've a common stomach to digest it." The other head replied, “Shut up! As I have found this fruit, I have the every right to eat it.” The first head started crying, but the other head didn’t bother and ate the poisonous fruit. In the consequence of this action, both of them lost their lives.
Moral: Sharing of a good thing with others is always good.
The Elephant and the Dog
This is another interesting story / tale from the Jataka collection. Once upon a time, there was a royal elephant that used to reside in the premises of the king’s palace. The elephant was very dear to the king, so he was cared, well-fed and well-treated. There was a Dog who used to live in the neighborhood of the Elephant shed. He was very weak and skinny. He was always fascinated by the smell of the rich sweet rice being fed to the royal elephant.
One day, the Dog could not resist the aroma of the rice and somehow, he sneaked into the Elephant’s shed. He ate the sweet rice that fell from the Elephant’s mouth. He liked the rice so much, that he started coming daily to eat the rice. For days, the huge Elephant didn’t notice the small dog as he was busy in enjoying the delicious food. Gradually, the Dog became bigger and stronger by eating such rich food. He came under the notice of the Elephant.
The Elephant used to enjoy the company of the Dog and started sharing his food with him. Both of them also started sharing time with each other and soon, they made good friends. They ate together, slept together and played together. While playing, the Elephant would hold the Dog in his trunk and swing him back and forth. It didn’t take long, when neither of them was happy without the other. They became great friends and didn’t want to get separated from each other.
Then one day, a man saw the Dog and asked the Elephant-keeper, “I want to buy this Dog. What price do you seek for the Dog?” The Elephant-keeper didn’t own the Dog still he sold the Dog and extracted a sum of money out of this deal. The man took the Dog to his home village, which was quite far away. The King’s Elephant became very sad after this incident. He missed his friend a lot and started neglecting everything. He didn’t want to do anything without his dear friend, so stopped eating, drinking and even bathing.
Ultimately, the Elephant-keeper reported this to the King; however he didn’t tell anything about the Dog. The King had a wise minister, who was known for his understanding of animals. At once, the King asked the minister, “Go to the Elephant shed and find out the reason for the Elephant’s condition”. The intelligent minister went to the Elephant shed and found the Elephant very sad. He looked the Elephant all over and asked the Elephant-keeper, “There is nothing wrong with this Elephant’s body, then why does he look so sad? I think this Elephant is grief stricken, possibly due to the loss of a dear friend. Do you know if this Elephant shared a close friendship with anyone?”
The Elephant-keeper said, “There was a Dog who used to eat, sleep and play with the Elephant. He has been taken by a stranger three days ago”. The Minister asked, “Where is the Dog?” and he replied,”I don’t know”. The minister went back to the King and said, “Your majesty, as per my opinion, the royal Elephant is not sick, but he is lonesome without his dear friend, the Dog”. The King said, “You’re right, friendship is one of the most wonderful things of life. Do you know where that Dog is?”
The Minister replied, “Elephant-keeper has informed that a stranger took him away and he didn’t know about his whereabouts”. The King asked, “How can we bring back my Elephant’s friend and make him happy again?” The Minister suggested, “Your Majesty, make a declaration, that whoever has the dog that used to live at the royal Elephant’s shed will be penalized”. The King did the same and the man who took the dog, instantly turned him loose when he heard the proclamation.
When got free, the Dog ran back as fast as he could to reach the Elephant’s shed. The Elephant was so delighted to see the Dog that he picked his friend with his trunk and made him sit on his head. The Dog waved his tail, while the Elephant’s eyes sparkled with happiness. The King was contented to see the happy Elephant once again. He also rewarded the minister for his wise judgment. Both, the Elephant and the Dog lived happily thereafter.
One day, the Dog could not resist the aroma of the rice and somehow, he sneaked into the Elephant’s shed. He ate the sweet rice that fell from the Elephant’s mouth. He liked the rice so much, that he started coming daily to eat the rice. For days, the huge Elephant didn’t notice the small dog as he was busy in enjoying the delicious food. Gradually, the Dog became bigger and stronger by eating such rich food. He came under the notice of the Elephant.
The Elephant used to enjoy the company of the Dog and started sharing his food with him. Both of them also started sharing time with each other and soon, they made good friends. They ate together, slept together and played together. While playing, the Elephant would hold the Dog in his trunk and swing him back and forth. It didn’t take long, when neither of them was happy without the other. They became great friends and didn’t want to get separated from each other.
Then one day, a man saw the Dog and asked the Elephant-keeper, “I want to buy this Dog. What price do you seek for the Dog?” The Elephant-keeper didn’t own the Dog still he sold the Dog and extracted a sum of money out of this deal. The man took the Dog to his home village, which was quite far away. The King’s Elephant became very sad after this incident. He missed his friend a lot and started neglecting everything. He didn’t want to do anything without his dear friend, so stopped eating, drinking and even bathing.
Ultimately, the Elephant-keeper reported this to the King; however he didn’t tell anything about the Dog. The King had a wise minister, who was known for his understanding of animals. At once, the King asked the minister, “Go to the Elephant shed and find out the reason for the Elephant’s condition”. The intelligent minister went to the Elephant shed and found the Elephant very sad. He looked the Elephant all over and asked the Elephant-keeper, “There is nothing wrong with this Elephant’s body, then why does he look so sad? I think this Elephant is grief stricken, possibly due to the loss of a dear friend. Do you know if this Elephant shared a close friendship with anyone?”
The Elephant-keeper said, “There was a Dog who used to eat, sleep and play with the Elephant. He has been taken by a stranger three days ago”. The Minister asked, “Where is the Dog?” and he replied,”I don’t know”. The minister went back to the King and said, “Your majesty, as per my opinion, the royal Elephant is not sick, but he is lonesome without his dear friend, the Dog”. The King said, “You’re right, friendship is one of the most wonderful things of life. Do you know where that Dog is?”
The Minister replied, “Elephant-keeper has informed that a stranger took him away and he didn’t know about his whereabouts”. The King asked, “How can we bring back my Elephant’s friend and make him happy again?” The Minister suggested, “Your Majesty, make a declaration, that whoever has the dog that used to live at the royal Elephant’s shed will be penalized”. The King did the same and the man who took the dog, instantly turned him loose when he heard the proclamation.
When got free, the Dog ran back as fast as he could to reach the Elephant’s shed. The Elephant was so delighted to see the Dog that he picked his friend with his trunk and made him sit on his head. The Dog waved his tail, while the Elephant’s eyes sparkled with happiness. The King was contented to see the happy Elephant once again. He also rewarded the minister for his wise judgment. Both, the Elephant and the Dog lived happily thereafter.
The Jackal who saved the Lion
Here is another interesting story from the collection of Jataka Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a forest. One day, when he went to drink water in a river, one of his feet got stuck into the damp mushy mud of the river. He tried a lot to get out of the mud, but to no avail. He had to lie without food for days because he didn’t find any help. On one fortunate day, a kind jackal came to drink water from the river. When he saw the lion, he went closer to the lion and said, “What is the matter? Why are you resting here?”
The lion narrated him the pathetic story. The Jackal instantly made a way out from the sand but the lion was unable to move his feet. As he was set in the same posture for last several days, his body became stiff. The jackal understood the condition of the lion and helped him to get out of the mud with an extra effort. The Lion was really thankful to jackal for his kind help. He was very happy to get free after so many days.
The Lion appreciated the effort made by the jackal. He offered the jackal to live close to him and also promised to give food to him whenever he caught food. The jackal accepted the offer and started living with the lion. Thus, they lived happily sharing the food. With the passing time, they expanded their families. The lion had cubs and the jackal had kid jackals. Both, the lion and the jackal were passing their days happily. They didn’t have any idea that their friendship was not liked by their families.
One day after a long time, the lioness, lady of the lion's house, asked her cubs that she didn’t like the amity between the jackal and her husband. The cubs conveyed the message to the kid jackals. The kids complained the matter to the lady jackal. The lady jackal conveyed the complaint to her husband.
The jackal went to the Lion and asked,” I helped you without any consideration in return. You had asked me to live with you, so I started living with you. Now, if you don’t want me to live with you, you should have told me yourself. What did you involve your wife and cubs to convey this? “. The Lion was shocked to hear such words. He said, “My dear friend, what are you saying? I don’t find any problem with you or your friendship”. He assured the jackal that he had no such ill-feelings for the friendship between them.
The Lion also assured that he would talk to the lioness and solve the whole matter. The jackal was intelligent and understood the situation. He said to the lion, “Dear friend, I know you are sincere, but our families could not exactly respond the same level of friendship. So, let us stay apart and meet often as friends. We could also hunt together. It would be better, if our families stay apart”. The Lion agreed to the proposal with a heavy heart.
The two families parted from each other as friends. The Jackal and the Lion continued to share the friendship. They often met each other and hunt together. Thus, the two friends shared a healthy friendship throughout their life.
Moral: Don’t expect your family to reciprocate the same level of friendship you have with someone.
The lion narrated him the pathetic story. The Jackal instantly made a way out from the sand but the lion was unable to move his feet. As he was set in the same posture for last several days, his body became stiff. The jackal understood the condition of the lion and helped him to get out of the mud with an extra effort. The Lion was really thankful to jackal for his kind help. He was very happy to get free after so many days.
The Lion appreciated the effort made by the jackal. He offered the jackal to live close to him and also promised to give food to him whenever he caught food. The jackal accepted the offer and started living with the lion. Thus, they lived happily sharing the food. With the passing time, they expanded their families. The lion had cubs and the jackal had kid jackals. Both, the lion and the jackal were passing their days happily. They didn’t have any idea that their friendship was not liked by their families.
One day after a long time, the lioness, lady of the lion's house, asked her cubs that she didn’t like the amity between the jackal and her husband. The cubs conveyed the message to the kid jackals. The kids complained the matter to the lady jackal. The lady jackal conveyed the complaint to her husband.
The jackal went to the Lion and asked,” I helped you without any consideration in return. You had asked me to live with you, so I started living with you. Now, if you don’t want me to live with you, you should have told me yourself. What did you involve your wife and cubs to convey this? “. The Lion was shocked to hear such words. He said, “My dear friend, what are you saying? I don’t find any problem with you or your friendship”. He assured the jackal that he had no such ill-feelings for the friendship between them.
The Lion also assured that he would talk to the lioness and solve the whole matter. The jackal was intelligent and understood the situation. He said to the lion, “Dear friend, I know you are sincere, but our families could not exactly respond the same level of friendship. So, let us stay apart and meet often as friends. We could also hunt together. It would be better, if our families stay apart”. The Lion agreed to the proposal with a heavy heart.
The two families parted from each other as friends. The Jackal and the Lion continued to share the friendship. They often met each other and hunt together. Thus, the two friends shared a healthy friendship throughout their life.
Moral: Don’t expect your family to reciprocate the same level of friendship you have with someone.
The Girl Who Married a Snake
Here is another interesting story from the Panchatantra album. Once upon a time, there lived a Brahmin with his wife in a village. Both of them were sad, as they had no children. Every day, they prayed to God in the hope, that one day they would be blessed with a child. Ultimately, the god blessed them with a child. The Brahmin’s wife gave birth to a baby, but the child came to be a snake. Everyone was shocked and advised them to get rid of the snake as soon as possible.
The Brahmin’s wife remained firm and refused to listen to any one. She loved the snake as her son and didn’t care that her infant was a snake. She brought up the snake with love and care. She fed him with the best food she could arrange for. She made a comfortable bed in a box and made him sleep on it. The snake grew up and his mother loved him all the more. On one occasion, there was a wedding in the neighborhood; the Brahmin’s wife began to think of getting her son married. But the question aroused, which girl would marry a snake?
Although, she had a belief that she would definitely get a girl for her son. One day, when the Brahmin returned home, he found his wife in tears. He asked her, “What happened? Why are you crying? “She didn’t answer and kept on crying. The Brahmin asked again, “Tell me what hurts you so much?" Finally, she said, “I know you don’t love my son. You are not taking any interest in our son. He is grown up. You don’t even think to get him a bride”. The Brahmin was shocked to hear such words. He replied, “Bride, for our son? Do you think any girl would marry to a snake?”
The Brahmin’s wife didn’t respond, but she kept on crying. On seeing her crying like that, the Brahmin decided to go out in search of a bride for his son. He traveled to many places, but found no girl who was ready to marry a snake. At last, he arrived in a big city where one of his friends lived. As the Brahmin had not met him for a long time, he decided to meet him.
Both of the friends were happy to see each other after a long time and spent a good time altogether. During the conversation, the friend happened to ask the Brahmin that why he was traveling round the country. The Brahmin said,” I am looking for a bride for my son”. The friend told him not to go any further and promised his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Brahmin was shocked and said, “I think, it would be better if you see my son before deciding this”.
His friend refused saying that he knew him and his family, so it was not necessary to see the boy. He sent his daughter with the Brahmin in order to get married with his son. The Brahmin’s wife was happy to know this and quickly started making preparations for the marriage. When the villagers heard about this, they went to the girl and advised her not to marry the snake. The girl refused to hear to them and insisted that she had to keep her father’s word.
Accordingly, the marriage between the snake and the girl took place. The girl started living with her husband, the snake. She was a devoted wife and looked after the snake like a good wife. The snake slept in his box at night. One night, when the girl was going to sleep, she saw a handsome young man in the room. She was frightened and was about to run for help. The young man stopped her and said, “Don’t fear. Didn’t you recognize me? I am your husband”.
The girl didn’t believe him. The young man proved himself by entering into the snake’s skin and then came out of it once again as the young man. The girl was really happy to find her husband in a human form and fell at his feet. From that night onwards, every night the young would come out of the snake’s skin. He used to stay with his wife till daybreak and then would slip back into the snake’s skin.
One night, the Brahmin heard voices from his daughter-in-law’s room. He kept a watch and saw the snake turning into a young man. He rushed into the room, seized the snake’s skin and threw it into the fire. The young man said, “Dear Father, thank you very much. Due to a curse, I had to remain a snake until somebody without asking me, destroy the snake’s body. Today, you have done it. Now, I am now free from the curse." Thus, the young man never became snake again and lived happily with his wife.
The Brahmin’s wife remained firm and refused to listen to any one. She loved the snake as her son and didn’t care that her infant was a snake. She brought up the snake with love and care. She fed him with the best food she could arrange for. She made a comfortable bed in a box and made him sleep on it. The snake grew up and his mother loved him all the more. On one occasion, there was a wedding in the neighborhood; the Brahmin’s wife began to think of getting her son married. But the question aroused, which girl would marry a snake?
Although, she had a belief that she would definitely get a girl for her son. One day, when the Brahmin returned home, he found his wife in tears. He asked her, “What happened? Why are you crying? “She didn’t answer and kept on crying. The Brahmin asked again, “Tell me what hurts you so much?" Finally, she said, “I know you don’t love my son. You are not taking any interest in our son. He is grown up. You don’t even think to get him a bride”. The Brahmin was shocked to hear such words. He replied, “Bride, for our son? Do you think any girl would marry to a snake?”
The Brahmin’s wife didn’t respond, but she kept on crying. On seeing her crying like that, the Brahmin decided to go out in search of a bride for his son. He traveled to many places, but found no girl who was ready to marry a snake. At last, he arrived in a big city where one of his friends lived. As the Brahmin had not met him for a long time, he decided to meet him.
Both of the friends were happy to see each other after a long time and spent a good time altogether. During the conversation, the friend happened to ask the Brahmin that why he was traveling round the country. The Brahmin said,” I am looking for a bride for my son”. The friend told him not to go any further and promised his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Brahmin was shocked and said, “I think, it would be better if you see my son before deciding this”.
His friend refused saying that he knew him and his family, so it was not necessary to see the boy. He sent his daughter with the Brahmin in order to get married with his son. The Brahmin’s wife was happy to know this and quickly started making preparations for the marriage. When the villagers heard about this, they went to the girl and advised her not to marry the snake. The girl refused to hear to them and insisted that she had to keep her father’s word.
Accordingly, the marriage between the snake and the girl took place. The girl started living with her husband, the snake. She was a devoted wife and looked after the snake like a good wife. The snake slept in his box at night. One night, when the girl was going to sleep, she saw a handsome young man in the room. She was frightened and was about to run for help. The young man stopped her and said, “Don’t fear. Didn’t you recognize me? I am your husband”.
The girl didn’t believe him. The young man proved himself by entering into the snake’s skin and then came out of it once again as the young man. The girl was really happy to find her husband in a human form and fell at his feet. From that night onwards, every night the young would come out of the snake’s skin. He used to stay with his wife till daybreak and then would slip back into the snake’s skin.
One night, the Brahmin heard voices from his daughter-in-law’s room. He kept a watch and saw the snake turning into a young man. He rushed into the room, seized the snake’s skin and threw it into the fire. The young man said, “Dear Father, thank you very much. Due to a curse, I had to remain a snake until somebody without asking me, destroy the snake’s body. Today, you have done it. Now, I am now free from the curse." Thus, the young man never became snake again and lived happily with his wife.
The Crows and the Serpent
Here is another interesting tale from the collection of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there stood a huge banyan tree on the outskirts of a small village. In this, tree there lived a pair of crows with their young ones. One day, a snake came to live in the hole at the bottom of the tree. The crows were not happy at the arrival of the snake, but they could do nothing.
After a few days, the female crow hatched a few more eggs and some more baby crows were born. When the crows went out in search of food, the snake crawled up the tree and ate up the babies. When the crows came back, they could not locate their babies. They chased high and low, but to no avail. The crows were full of grief on the sad loss of their young ones.
After a few months, the female crow hatched some more eggs. This time female crow stayed in the nest while the male crow went out in search of food. The snake was greedy and ignoring the presence of the female crow, he crept up the tree and attacked the babies. The female crow who was keeping a watchful eye on her babies, tried to fight with the snake, but she was weak. Hearing the shriek of the female craw, other crows came to help her, but the snake had already eaten the young ones and slithered back into his hole.
This killing became the feature of their life. Every time the crows laid their eggs, the snake crawled up the tree and ate all the young ones. Due to this, the crows were never able to raise their young ones. The crows were sad, but they didn’t know how to get free from this killer snake.
One day, the female crow asked the male crow that she wanted to leave this tree at once. The male crow consoled her by saying that the tree had been their home from the past many years and they should reside here. He considered of asking a wise fox for help in order to get rid of the snake. With this thought, both of them went to the place of the wise fox. The fox welcomed her friends and said, “Both of you seem to be very sad. What happened? “
The crows replied, “We are in a big problem. A snake is after us and he eats up our eggs and the young ones. We seek your help in this matter.” They narrated the whole story to the fox. The fox was intelligent; she thought for a few minutes and then laid out a brilliant plan before them. She said, “Listen carefully and do it as per the plan. In the morning, go to the river bank where the ladies of the royal family would be bathing. They keep their ornaments in a tray on the river bank. The guards keep a watch on them from a distance”.
The fox suggested the crows to pick up a necklace from the tray and fly away making a loud noise. This would make the guards to chase them to the tree where the crows would drop the necklace into the hole of the snake. In order to get the necklace, the guards would kill the snake to save themselves and take the necklace. The crows liked the plan and swore to execute it the next morning.
So, the next morning, the crows were ready with their plan. The crow couple flew to the river bank; the female crow picked up the necklace and flew off. While, the male crow shrieked loudly to attract the guards’ attention. The guards ran after the crows brandishing their sticks and swords. Soon, they reached the banyan tree where they saw the crows dropping the necklace into the snake hole.
As the guards were trying to take the necklace out with the help of a stick, the snake came out of the hole. The snake hissed at them and afraid of him, they killed the snake by sticks and swords. They took the necklace and returned to their place. The crows were happy to see the sight from a distance. They thanked the fox for her help. Thereafter, the crow couple lived happily with their young ones in the banyan tree.
Moral: Intelligence is greater than strength.
After a few days, the female crow hatched a few more eggs and some more baby crows were born. When the crows went out in search of food, the snake crawled up the tree and ate up the babies. When the crows came back, they could not locate their babies. They chased high and low, but to no avail. The crows were full of grief on the sad loss of their young ones.
After a few months, the female crow hatched some more eggs. This time female crow stayed in the nest while the male crow went out in search of food. The snake was greedy and ignoring the presence of the female crow, he crept up the tree and attacked the babies. The female crow who was keeping a watchful eye on her babies, tried to fight with the snake, but she was weak. Hearing the shriek of the female craw, other crows came to help her, but the snake had already eaten the young ones and slithered back into his hole.
This killing became the feature of their life. Every time the crows laid their eggs, the snake crawled up the tree and ate all the young ones. Due to this, the crows were never able to raise their young ones. The crows were sad, but they didn’t know how to get free from this killer snake.
One day, the female crow asked the male crow that she wanted to leave this tree at once. The male crow consoled her by saying that the tree had been their home from the past many years and they should reside here. He considered of asking a wise fox for help in order to get rid of the snake. With this thought, both of them went to the place of the wise fox. The fox welcomed her friends and said, “Both of you seem to be very sad. What happened? “
The crows replied, “We are in a big problem. A snake is after us and he eats up our eggs and the young ones. We seek your help in this matter.” They narrated the whole story to the fox. The fox was intelligent; she thought for a few minutes and then laid out a brilliant plan before them. She said, “Listen carefully and do it as per the plan. In the morning, go to the river bank where the ladies of the royal family would be bathing. They keep their ornaments in a tray on the river bank. The guards keep a watch on them from a distance”.
The fox suggested the crows to pick up a necklace from the tray and fly away making a loud noise. This would make the guards to chase them to the tree where the crows would drop the necklace into the hole of the snake. In order to get the necklace, the guards would kill the snake to save themselves and take the necklace. The crows liked the plan and swore to execute it the next morning.
So, the next morning, the crows were ready with their plan. The crow couple flew to the river bank; the female crow picked up the necklace and flew off. While, the male crow shrieked loudly to attract the guards’ attention. The guards ran after the crows brandishing their sticks and swords. Soon, they reached the banyan tree where they saw the crows dropping the necklace into the snake hole.
As the guards were trying to take the necklace out with the help of a stick, the snake came out of the hole. The snake hissed at them and afraid of him, they killed the snake by sticks and swords. They took the necklace and returned to their place. The crows were happy to see the sight from a distance. They thanked the fox for her help. Thereafter, the crow couple lived happily with their young ones in the banyan tree.
Moral: Intelligence is greater than strength.
The Jackal and the Arrow
This is another nice story/ tale from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a hunter in a village. He was living there happily with his family. One fine morning, he set out from his home with the intention of hunting a deer in the nearby forest. It was a fortunate day as he saw a deer and killed him instantly. He hung the carcass of the deer over his shoulder and happily started for his home.
The Hunter had barely walked a distance, when he saw a wild Boar. He quickly dropped the dear on the ground and shot the boar with an arrow. The arrow pricked the Boar’s neck projecting through his back. Before collapsing, the Boar gave a fearful groan and killed the Hunter with his pointed tusks. In no time, the Hunter and the Boar, both were lying dead at the same spot.
After some time, a Jackal happened to pass through that place. He saw a man and a boar, both lying dead at the same spot. At a distance, he also found a dead deer. The hungry Jackal got crazy to find so much to eat at the same time and that too without any effort. He was overjoyed at the sight of mouth relishing flesh and said, “Ah! What a luck I have! It looks as if I am going to have a feast, but I'II eat only a little at a time so it will last longer”.
He began to think that with whose flesh to start his feast, the man or the animal. He decided to lick the blood first and taste a little flesh stuck around the arrow. But, as soon as, he put the pointed arrow in his mouth, it pricked his jaws and went through his head. The Jackal died a greedy death on the spot.
Moral: Greed never pays.
The Hunter had barely walked a distance, when he saw a wild Boar. He quickly dropped the dear on the ground and shot the boar with an arrow. The arrow pricked the Boar’s neck projecting through his back. Before collapsing, the Boar gave a fearful groan and killed the Hunter with his pointed tusks. In no time, the Hunter and the Boar, both were lying dead at the same spot.
After some time, a Jackal happened to pass through that place. He saw a man and a boar, both lying dead at the same spot. At a distance, he also found a dead deer. The hungry Jackal got crazy to find so much to eat at the same time and that too without any effort. He was overjoyed at the sight of mouth relishing flesh and said, “Ah! What a luck I have! It looks as if I am going to have a feast, but I'II eat only a little at a time so it will last longer”.
He began to think that with whose flesh to start his feast, the man or the animal. He decided to lick the blood first and taste a little flesh stuck around the arrow. But, as soon as, he put the pointed arrow in his mouth, it pricked his jaws and went through his head. The Jackal died a greedy death on the spot.
Moral: Greed never pays.
The Heron and the Crab
Here is another interesting story from the collection of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there lived a crane by the side of a pond. He used to catch the fish from the same pond. The crane always had a full meal, but with the growing age he got older and weaker. He became so weak that he could not arrange for his food. The condition was that the fish swam around him, but he could not catch them.
One day, he was extremely hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything for the past many days. To satisfy his hunger, without much toil and trouble, he devised a plan. In order to start off with his plan, he went to the side of a pond with a gloomy face without any intention to catch a fish. The fish, frogs and crabs thought why he was not trying to catch any food. One big crab, on seeing the sad crane asked him what the matter was.
The crane replied, “Alas! I am worried that the pond is soon going to be devoid of any fish, which are in turn my source of food. I have heard that some people are going to fill the tank with mud and grow crops over it”. All the creatures of the pond got worried after hearing the crane. Founding the situation in his favor, the stork said, “I know of a pond somewhat far away, where all the creatures will be safe. If the creatures are interested, I can carry a few each day to the other pond where they will be safe”.
Everyone in the lake was eager to take the help of the crane. The crane also confirmed that he required rest between trips due to his age. Also, he would be able to carry a few fish at a time. The creatures were ready to go with the crane on his condition. In the very first trip, the crane took some fish in his beak, but instead of taking them to another pond, he took them to a nearby hill and ate them. After taking rest for sometime, again when he felt hungry, he took the second trip.
In this manner, the crane was getting a continuous supply of fish without any effort. Within a few days, he regained his health and became fleshy. The big crab also wanted to be saved. One day, the crab requested the crane to take him to the other pond. The crane thought it was a nice idea to try different food. He agreed to take the crab on the next trip.
On the next trip, the crab happily went with the crane. During the trip, when some time had passed, the crab asked, “How far is the pond now?” The crane found that the crab was quite an innocent creature and would never know about his evil plans. So, he said angrily, "You fool, do you think I am your servant? There is no other pond around here. I made this plan in order to be able to eat you all. Now you too be prepared to die."
The crab realized the foul play of the crane. Without loosing his senses, he quickly tightened his sharp claws around the neck of the crane. The crab snapped off the head of the crane. Thus, the crane died a selfish death. The crab somehow dragged himself back to the pond and narrated the whole incident to all the creatures of the pond. Every one of them thanked the crab for his effort and they lived happily thereafter.
Moral: Excess of greed is harmful.
One day, he was extremely hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything for the past many days. To satisfy his hunger, without much toil and trouble, he devised a plan. In order to start off with his plan, he went to the side of a pond with a gloomy face without any intention to catch a fish. The fish, frogs and crabs thought why he was not trying to catch any food. One big crab, on seeing the sad crane asked him what the matter was.
The crane replied, “Alas! I am worried that the pond is soon going to be devoid of any fish, which are in turn my source of food. I have heard that some people are going to fill the tank with mud and grow crops over it”. All the creatures of the pond got worried after hearing the crane. Founding the situation in his favor, the stork said, “I know of a pond somewhat far away, where all the creatures will be safe. If the creatures are interested, I can carry a few each day to the other pond where they will be safe”.
Everyone in the lake was eager to take the help of the crane. The crane also confirmed that he required rest between trips due to his age. Also, he would be able to carry a few fish at a time. The creatures were ready to go with the crane on his condition. In the very first trip, the crane took some fish in his beak, but instead of taking them to another pond, he took them to a nearby hill and ate them. After taking rest for sometime, again when he felt hungry, he took the second trip.
In this manner, the crane was getting a continuous supply of fish without any effort. Within a few days, he regained his health and became fleshy. The big crab also wanted to be saved. One day, the crab requested the crane to take him to the other pond. The crane thought it was a nice idea to try different food. He agreed to take the crab on the next trip.
On the next trip, the crab happily went with the crane. During the trip, when some time had passed, the crab asked, “How far is the pond now?” The crane found that the crab was quite an innocent creature and would never know about his evil plans. So, he said angrily, "You fool, do you think I am your servant? There is no other pond around here. I made this plan in order to be able to eat you all. Now you too be prepared to die."
The crab realized the foul play of the crane. Without loosing his senses, he quickly tightened his sharp claws around the neck of the crane. The crab snapped off the head of the crane. Thus, the crane died a selfish death. The crab somehow dragged himself back to the pond and narrated the whole incident to all the creatures of the pond. Every one of them thanked the crab for his effort and they lived happily thereafter.
Moral: Excess of greed is harmful.
The Gold Giving Serpent
Here is another interesting story from the collection of Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there was a poor Brahmin named Haridatta. He used to work hard in the fields, but could not get the result out of it. One day, after the tiring working hours, he laid down in the shade of the tree, in the middle of the field. Just then, he saw a terrible snake with a big hood coming out of an anthill. The poor Brahmin thought that the serpent might be the guardian deity of the field and he had not paid homage to it for once. This could be the reason for the barrenness of the field.
Instantly, he went to bring some milk and offered the milk to the serpent in a bowl. While offering the milk with due regard, he addressed the serpent, “O, Guardian of this field! I didn’t know that you reside here that’s why I never offered you anything. Please forgive me”. After the whole event, he went to his home. Next day, when the farmer came to plough the field, he found a gold coin in the bowl near the anthill. Now this became a regular feature of Brahmin’s life. Daily he served milk to the serpent and found a gold coin.
One day Brahmin had to go to the foreign lands and due to this reason, he asked his son to take care of the serpent. The son brought the milk to the anthill and offered it, to the serpent. Next day, when he came back found a gold coin in the bowl. After taking the gold coin, he thought, “This anthill must be full of gold coins. I would kill the serpent and take them all”. Brahmin’s son decided the plan and next day came to the field with the milk and a stick. He offered the milk to the snake and struck its hood with the stick. The snake escaped the blow of the stick and bit the boy to his death.
The whole village mourned over the sad death of Brahmin’s son. Two days later, the Brahmin returned to his village and came to know about the death of his son. He came across the whole incident and again went to the field to serve the milk to the serpent. He praised the snake in a loud voice and kept the milk near the anthill.
The snake came out of the anthill and replied, “Brahmin, you have come here from greed, even you have left your grief for your son who has just passed. Now onwards, the friendship between you and me is not possible. Your youthful son who lacked understanding struck me and I bit him. How can I forget that stick’s blow? How can you forget the pain and grief for your son? “. After saying this, the serpent gave him a diamond and said, “Never come to me again. That is why; I am giving you a costly diamond”. The serpent disappeared into the anthill. The Brahman took the diamond and returned home, cursing the lack of understanding of his son.
Moral: Excess of greed is harmful.
Instantly, he went to bring some milk and offered the milk to the serpent in a bowl. While offering the milk with due regard, he addressed the serpent, “O, Guardian of this field! I didn’t know that you reside here that’s why I never offered you anything. Please forgive me”. After the whole event, he went to his home. Next day, when the farmer came to plough the field, he found a gold coin in the bowl near the anthill. Now this became a regular feature of Brahmin’s life. Daily he served milk to the serpent and found a gold coin.
One day Brahmin had to go to the foreign lands and due to this reason, he asked his son to take care of the serpent. The son brought the milk to the anthill and offered it, to the serpent. Next day, when he came back found a gold coin in the bowl. After taking the gold coin, he thought, “This anthill must be full of gold coins. I would kill the serpent and take them all”. Brahmin’s son decided the plan and next day came to the field with the milk and a stick. He offered the milk to the snake and struck its hood with the stick. The snake escaped the blow of the stick and bit the boy to his death.
The whole village mourned over the sad death of Brahmin’s son. Two days later, the Brahmin returned to his village and came to know about the death of his son. He came across the whole incident and again went to the field to serve the milk to the serpent. He praised the snake in a loud voice and kept the milk near the anthill.
The snake came out of the anthill and replied, “Brahmin, you have come here from greed, even you have left your grief for your son who has just passed. Now onwards, the friendship between you and me is not possible. Your youthful son who lacked understanding struck me and I bit him. How can I forget that stick’s blow? How can you forget the pain and grief for your son? “. After saying this, the serpent gave him a diamond and said, “Never come to me again. That is why; I am giving you a costly diamond”. The serpent disappeared into the anthill. The Brahman took the diamond and returned home, cursing the lack of understanding of his son.
Moral: Excess of greed is harmful.
The Power of a Rumour
This one is a nice story from the album of Jataka Kathaye/ Tales. Once upon a time, it happened in a forest that a hare was resting under a banyan tree. He had an intuition of doom and thought, “What would happen to me, if the earth will break? “. Suddenly, he heard a weird striking sound. He said, “It’s happened, the earth is breaking up”. He jumped up and ran madly without even observing the direction.
When he was running through the forest, a hare saw him and asked, “What happened? Where are you going in such a hurry? “. The Hare cried,” The earth is breaking up. You better run too”. The second hare ran so fast that he overtook the first hare. As they were passing the forest, both of them shouted to other hares, “The earth is breaking up. The earth is breaking up”. Very soon, thousands of hares were running through the forest.
On seeing hares running through the forest, the other animals too got frightened. The news spread from mouth to mouth and soon, everyone came to know that the earth was breaking up. It didn’t take much time before all the animals joined the race. All creatures whether reptiles or birds, insects or four-footed animals, everyone was trying to escape and their cries of fear created chaos all around.
A lion standing on a hill saw all the animals running and thought,” What is the matter? “. He ran down the hill rapidly and positioned himself in front of the crowd. He shouted at them, “Stop! Stop! ”. The powerful presence of the lion curtailed the rising wave of fright among the animals. A parrot yelled, “The earth is breaking up”, alighting on a rock near him. The Lion asked,” Who said it? “. The parrot replied, “I heard it from the monkeys".
When the monkeys were asked, they replied that they had heard it from the tigers. When the tigers were asked, it was found that they were informed by the elephants. The elephants told that the buffaloes formed their source. Finally, when the hares were caught up, they pointed one to another until the one, who started this menace was recognized.
The Lion asked the hare, “What made you think that the earth is breaking up?” The hare wavering in fear answered, “Your Majesty, I heard it cracking with my own ears”. The Lion investigated the matter and explored the sound that the hare had heard. Ultimately, he came to know that the sound had been caused by a large coconut falling from a tree. The coconut fell on a pile of rocks causing a minor landslide.
The Lion said to all the animals, “ Go back to your homes. The earth is absolutely safe. Next time onwards, check a rumour before acting on it”. The animals, which were now looking quite stupid, went back to their homes.
Moral: Check a rumour before acting on it.
When he was running through the forest, a hare saw him and asked, “What happened? Where are you going in such a hurry? “. The Hare cried,” The earth is breaking up. You better run too”. The second hare ran so fast that he overtook the first hare. As they were passing the forest, both of them shouted to other hares, “The earth is breaking up. The earth is breaking up”. Very soon, thousands of hares were running through the forest.
On seeing hares running through the forest, the other animals too got frightened. The news spread from mouth to mouth and soon, everyone came to know that the earth was breaking up. It didn’t take much time before all the animals joined the race. All creatures whether reptiles or birds, insects or four-footed animals, everyone was trying to escape and their cries of fear created chaos all around.
A lion standing on a hill saw all the animals running and thought,” What is the matter? “. He ran down the hill rapidly and positioned himself in front of the crowd. He shouted at them, “Stop! Stop! ”. The powerful presence of the lion curtailed the rising wave of fright among the animals. A parrot yelled, “The earth is breaking up”, alighting on a rock near him. The Lion asked,” Who said it? “. The parrot replied, “I heard it from the monkeys".
When the monkeys were asked, they replied that they had heard it from the tigers. When the tigers were asked, it was found that they were informed by the elephants. The elephants told that the buffaloes formed their source. Finally, when the hares were caught up, they pointed one to another until the one, who started this menace was recognized.
The Lion asked the hare, “What made you think that the earth is breaking up?” The hare wavering in fear answered, “Your Majesty, I heard it cracking with my own ears”. The Lion investigated the matter and explored the sound that the hare had heard. Ultimately, he came to know that the sound had been caused by a large coconut falling from a tree. The coconut fell on a pile of rocks causing a minor landslide.
The Lion said to all the animals, “ Go back to your homes. The earth is absolutely safe. Next time onwards, check a rumour before acting on it”. The animals, which were now looking quite stupid, went back to their homes.
Moral: Check a rumour before acting on it.
