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Stories of Panchtantra

U • Fiction

 More than 2000 years ago, there was a kingdom in southern India named Mahilaropya. The Kingdom was ruled by king Amarshakti. Amarshakti had three sons, Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantashakti.King Amarshakti was a just and able king, well versed in the knowledge of society, economics and diplomacy, however his sons were complete idiots. They would never spend time studying and acquiring knowledge, instead they spent their entire time playing around and doing mischiefs. This worried the good king, for he wanted his children to be prepared to conduct the duties of running a kingdom without hassle. One day the king decided to discuss his worries among his ministers and asked for their advice. The king said, “My wise ministers, I am really worried about my children. They do not spend their time studying scriptures. I am worried that they are not prepared to run this kingdom after me. I urge you all to suggest a way out.”One of the ministers said, “O King The first twelve years are spent in learning grammar, after that Manu’s Dharmashastra, then Chanakya’s Arthashastra and in the end one learns Vatsyayana’s Kamashastra. It is after learning all four that ones knowledge is complete.” Hearing this the king replied, “Human life is very uncertain and learning all these scriptures and understanding them well will require a very long time. Isn’t there a faster way to gain all this knowledge I want them to be prepared before I decide to handover this kingdom to them.”At this point a minister named Sumati spoke, “There is a learned teacher by the name of Vishnusharma. He is wise and loved by his disciples. I suggest you hand over the responsibilities of your children to him. He is the only one capable of imparting knowledge to your kids in a short duration.”Considering Sumati’s advice, the King invited Vishnusharma to his court and said, “O learned one I need your help. I want you to educate my children and teach them about social, practical and political matters in a short time. If you do that I will reward you with 100 villages.” Vishnusharma heard the king patiently and replied, “O king I am a teacher. I would not even know what to do with the reward of 100 villages. I do not have that kind of desire. However I will certainly take up the responsibility of educating your kids and if I fail to educate them appropriately in the next 6 months, I will happily accept any punishment you deem suitable.” Hearing these words from the learned teacher, the King became free of worries and he instructed his children to go with the teacher to his gurukul and study as per his instructions.Vishnusharma brought those princes with him to his gurukul and started teaching them through interesting stories centered around animal characters. Vishnusharma divided his lessons into five parts. First part was about differences or conflicts among friends, the second part was choosing the right friend and forming relationships, the third part was about stories of crows and owls, the fourth part was about what to do in desperate situations and the fifth part was how to navigate in situations about which one does not have complete visibility. Thus Vishnusharma imparted social and practical knowledge to young princes through interesting stories.These five chapters collectively became popular as Panchtantra and teach children basic knowledge about dealing with social situations and impart moral lessons. In this series we will be bringing out stories from Panchtantra with interesting visuals, which you can watch with your kids. 

  • The Arrogant Fish
    3 min 29 sec

    Different outlook of three fishesIn a pond there lived three fish namely Anagatvidhata, Pratyutpanmati and Yadbhavishya. One day, some fishermen saw the pond and said, Ah There are so many fishes in this pond. We will definitely come here tomorrow.” Hearing their words, the Anagatvidhata called all the fishes of the pond and said, “Did you listen to the fishermen We should go to the nearby pond tonight to escape from them.After listening to Anagatavidhata, the rest of the fish said, We cannot leave our house and go to a new place.Pratyutpanamathi said, “There may be new difficulties in a new place, we should stay here and try to avoid the fishermen.”Yadbhavishya said, Whatever is written in fate, it will happen. It is pointless to try anything like this.Anagatavidhata went to another pond with her family that very night.The next day when the fishermen spread their net, many fishes got caught in the net along with Pratyutpanmati and Yadbhavishya.Pratyutpannamati pretended to die when she was caught in the trap and when the fishermen saw the dead fish, they threw it into the water and Pratytpannamati saved herself. But Yadbhavishya and other fish were caught.That is why it is said that those who prepare in advance for calamity and try to avoid it when calamity comes are safe and those who leave everything to fate perish.  

  • Sparrow and Drunk Elephant
    3 min 56 sec

    In a forest, a pair of sparrows named Chatak and Chatki lived in a nest in an evergreen bayleaf tree. After some time, Chatki laid eggs in that nest. One day a drunken elephant came and stood under the shade of that dense tree to avoid the scorching sun. Drunk on his power, he broke the branch of the tree in which the sparrow had made the nest. He grabbed it with his trunk and pulled it.The sparrows nest collapsed and all the eggs broke. Chatki started crying as her eggs broke. Hearing her cry, her friend Woodpecker came to her and said, Why are you crying in vain by remembering those who have gone, do not cry. We have to live life according to our capacity.”Hearing his words, Chatak said, Your words are true. But what that elephant has done out of pride of its strength must be punished for it. If you are my true friend, then think of some way to punish this elephant, then only the sorrow will fade away. After that the woodpecker went to his fly friend named Veenaarva and told him the whole thing. The fly took them all to her frog friend named Meghnad. Everyone consulted among themselves and thought of a way to get rid of the elephant.Meghnad said to the fly, Fly Tomorrow afternoon you make the sweet sound of your in the ears of the elephant. He will close his eyes because of that music. As soon as he closes his eyes the woodpecker will poke his eyes with his beak. In this way, when he becomes thirsty and tired he will want to drink water. Then I will go deep in the cliff with my family and make loud noises. Being blind, the elephant will come there thinking it to be a pond. He will die by falling into the ditch.In this way everyone together destroyed even a huge elephant with their cleverness.That is why it is said that with the use of intelligence, the weak together can defeat the strong ones. 

  • Foolish Monkeys and the Bird’
    2 min 18 sec

    It is no use to bend a stick if it can not bend, the same way a stone can not be used to shave the beard and there is no way that an illiterate can follow a command. Suchimukh is an example of above said statementFoolish Monkeys and the Bird’s warningA herd of monkeys lived in a forest in a mountainous area. They were all shivering as they got drenched in rain during the cold season. To get some warmth, they gathered dry grass that looked like fire and tried to generate fire by blowing on the dry grass.Seeing them making futile efforts, a bird named Suchimukh came to them and said, What a foolish thing you are doing. Fire can not be ignited like this. Instead of shivering in the chill here, find a cave and save your life by sitting inside it. Look, the clouds are still black, it will rain more now.”One of the old monkeys said, Mind your own business. We dont need your knowledge.The bird ignored by the monkeys started saying the same thing again and again, Oh monkeys Dont waste your energy in vain like this.When the bird did not stop repeating, an angry monkey grabbed both his wings and slammed him on a stone. 

  • Silly monkey and king
    4 min 11 sec

    A monkey was a devotee and confidant of a king. The king had appointed that monkey as his bodyguard and he was allowed to move freely anywhere in the palace. One day the king was sleeping and the monkey was blowing air with a fan standing near him. A fly sat on the kings chest while he was sleeping. Even after repeatedly trying to remove it with the fan, it kept sitting on his chest again and again. Frustrated, the foolish monkey struck the fly with a sharp sword. The fly flew away but the kings chest was broken in two and he died then and there. Thats why it is said that friendship with a fool can be harmful. On the other hand, there lived a learned Brahmin in a city who had become a thief due to some circumstances. Once four Brahmins from another city came there. When he saw these Brahmins earning money by selling some things, he thought, Why not steal their money somehow Thinking this, he came to the Brahmins and joined them by buttering them up with sweet honeyed words. The brahmins bought precious gems with all their money and put them in a bundle and tied them around their thighs inside the clothes. Seeing all this, the thief thought that he should somehow accompany them so when there was a chance, he could steal them. He somehow persuaded them to take him along with them by talking sweetly to them. Seeing the five of them on the way, the crows cried out, Oh Kirats Run and run, the very rich ones are going. Kill them and take away all their wealth. When the Kirats heard the crows, they surrounded the brahmins and checked all their belongings but they did not find any money. Then the bandits said, These crows do not lie. Give us whatever money you have, otherwise we will kill you and take everything you have.Hearing them, the thief thought, If they kill these brahmins and find jewelry with them, they will think that I also have jewelry and will kill me too.Thinking so, he went ahead and said, O Bandits If so, then you check me thoroughly.The dacoits beat him and searched him in every way but found nothing. Then the thieves felt that the rest of the Brahmins would also have nothing and they let them go.Thus a wise enemy saved the lives of those brahmins. 

  • Idiot Monkey
    1 min 50 sec

    Once a rich businessman decided to build a temple outside his village. Many workers were involved in building the temple. During lunch time they would take a break for eating and then resume their work. One day during lunch time a group of monkeys came there. One of the monkeys found a halfcut log with a wedge inserted in between. The monkey without knowing what the wedge was for started jumping around trying to pull the wedge from the tree trunk. However as soon as the wedge got dislodged from the trunk the monkey’s tail got caught inbetween. The monkey could not bear the immense pain and died. That is the reason it is said, “one should not get involved in situations, which do not concern him or her.”

  • The Lion and The Clever Rabbit
    6 min 45 sec

    Once there was a big jungle where there lived a very greedy Lion called Bhasurak. Everyday he would hunt lots of animals in the Jungle deer, rabbits and many more. He always hunted much more than he could eat. One day all the animals went to request him Dear Lion King, if you keep hunting and eating this way, you will end up killing all the animals. Our whole Jungle will be destroyed. Can we offer to send you one animal each day to satisfy your hunger and in return you promise us to not hunt more than thatBhasurak agreed and said This sounds good, but do remember if you miss sending an animal to me even for one day,  I will hunt all of you down. The animals happily agreed to this and left the Lion alone. 

  • The lion and the camel
    8 min 3 sec

    There lived a lion named Madotkat in a forest. His servants were a rhinocero, a crow and a  jackal. One day while roaming here and there in the forest, he saw a camel named Krathnak. The camel had separated from his companions. Seeing the camel, the lion said, Ah This is a very beautiful creature. Find out whether it is a domesticated or a wild one. Hearing this, the crow said, Master This pet animal named camel is your food. You kill it immediately. The lion said, No I will not kill the one who has come to my house. All of you, bring him to me by giving him protection, so that I can know why he is here.Following the lions advice, his companions convinced the camel and brought him to Madotkat. When asked by the lion, the camel told him everything about himself, how he carried the load for his master in the village and today somehow wandered away.  The camel also said that he got separated from  companions and reached here in the forest. After listening to the camel, the lion said, Brother Krathank There is no need for you to go back to the village and carry the burden. You can now stay here with us in the forest and enjoy the pleasure of green grass without any fear. After that the camel started living in the forest fearlessly under the protection of Madotkat.

  • Covetous jackal
    3 min 37 sec

    शिथिलौ च सुबद्धौ च पततः पततो ना वा। निरीक्षितौ मया भद्रे दश वर्षाणि पक्ष च॥a That is, one gets as much as it is written in his fate, look how the jackal had to wander for fifteen years in the hope of killing the bull alone. In a forest, there lived a bull named Tekshnasringa, he got intoxicated with his power, got separated from his herd and used to roam alone. He ate green grass, drank cold water and used to play with his sharp horns. A covetous jackal also lived with his wife in the same forest. Seeing the bull who had come to drink water on the bank of the river, his wife said, How long will this lone bull be able to live Go, you chase this bull. Now we will get some good meat to eat.The jackal said, Hey, let me sit here. Both of us will satisfy our hunger by eating the rats that come to drink water. It is foolish to run after what we cannot get.The wife of the jackal said, “You seem lazy, that is why you are satisfied with only a few things you get from luck. If you leave your laziness and follow this bull with full focus, then you will surely get success. Even if you dont go, Im going.  

  • The Saint and the Rat
    8 min 6 sec

    That is, on the wishes of the Creator and even after working hard, one can never get more than ones fortune.In the region of South India, there was an abbey of Bhagwan Shankar outside the city Mahilaropya, where a monk named Tamrachud used to earn his living by asking for alms from the city. He used to fill his hunger by eating half of the collected  alms and tied the other half in a bundle and hung it on a hook. He used to give that saved alms to the people who cleaned the monastery as their salary. In this way, the maintenance of that monastery was done well. One day, rats living around the monastery said to a mouse named Hiranyaka who lived in the monastery, “We wander here and there to satisfy our hunger, while delicious food is tied in a bundle hanging on a hook. We are not able to reach that hook even after trying. Why dont you help us with somethingHearing the words of his companions, Hiranyaka reached the monastery with them. He took a high jump. He himself ate the food kept in the bundle and also fed it to his companions. Now this started to happen every day. Due to this, the sanitation workers stopped working as they were not getting their salary and the saint got upset. The  sage  tried his best to stop Hiranyaka, but as soon as he slept, Hiranyaka used to engage in this work. Suddenly, Tamrachud brought a torn bamboo and started banging  that bamboo on the ground before sleeping to keep Hiranyaka away from the begging bowl. Fearing the attack of bamboo, Hiranyaka used to run away without eating any food. In this way, the whole night the sage  and Hiranyaka spent evading each other.

  • Pigeons and the hunter
    7 min 1 sec

    सर्वेषामेव मत्त्याँनां व्यसने समुपस्थिते। वाङ्मात्रेणापि साहाय्यं मित्रादन्यो ना सन्दधे॥That is, in times of crisis, even verbal assurance can be obtained only from a friend, just as Hiranyaka received help from his friends as soon as he asked for. Many birds and animals lived in a forest under the shade of a banyan tree. A crow named Laghupatanak also lived on the same tree. One day as soon as he went out in search of food, he saw a hunter with a net in his hand going towards his home, the banyan tree. The crow immediately thought that this evil person had come to kill my fellow birds and I must warn everyone. Thinking this, he returned and gathered all his companions and started telling them “The hunter will spread his net and will put rice here and whoever is lured by those rice will surely get caught in the net. Thats why no one must go near the rice. After a while, the hunter spread out the net and threw some rice and hid and sat on one side. At the same time, when a pigeon named Chitragriva, who was in search of food with his family members, saw those rice, he got greedy. The crow tried to stop Chitragriva, but Chitragriva did not listen to the crow and got caught in the trap along with the whole family. Hunter, pleased to see the pigeons trapped in his net, went towards them to catch them. But seeing the hunter coming, the head of the pigeons, explaining to his family members and said  “All of you fly away with this trap for a while, till then I will think of some way to free us all from this trap. If we do not do this, we will surely die by falling into the hands of the hunter. 

  • The Greedy Jackal
    3 min 2 sec

    Once upon a time, a hunter went hunting in a dense forest. Then his eyes fell on a black, fati wild boar. The hunter attacked the boar with his arrow. The injured boar also turned an dthrusteded his horns into the hunters chest. In this way, the wild boar died due to the arrowand the hunter also died due to the horn of the boar.In the meantime, a jackal, tortured by hunger, came there. As he saw two dead beings, itapplauded its fate and said, Looks like God is pleased with me today. Thats why I found somuch food without wandering. The jackal thought that I should use this food in such a waythat it could last for a long time so I dont have to go in search of food now and then.Therefore, today, I should make do by eating only the string attached to the bow of thehunter.Thinking of this, the jackal started chewing the string of the bow. But as soon as the stringbroke, the upper part of the bow hit the jackals chest so fast that it squeaked and fell andlost its life.

  • Trailer
    5 min 42 sec

  • Jackal and Drum
    2 min 22 sec

    Once a jackal named Gomayu, was wandering about hungry and thirsty. He noticed a field where two armies were about to fight a battle. He heard the sound of a drum and thought, “What is that sound Should I run from this out of fear or before leaving this jungle of my ancestors, investigate it.”Thinking like this he slowly moved towards the drum and thought, “Oh Looks like I have finally found some great food today. This certainly looks like its filled with juicy and tasty meat.”The jackal cut open the drum and lost some of his teeth in the process and jumped inside the drum hoping to find food. However once inside, he found only leather and wood.That is why it is said, “One cannot ascertain the true nature of someone just by hearing the sounds they make.” 

  • Dantil and King’s Servant
    5 min 14 sec

    In a city named Vardhaman, a businessman named Dantil used to live like the leader of the entire city. He used to do good with people and found favour with the king. People like him who are loved by both the king and the common people are rare. When Dantil got married, he invited everyone for the reception. He greeted everyone by offering them appropriate seats and food, and presented them with appropriate gifts. The king also came along with his queen. When one of the King’s servants, Gorambha tried to sit in a place not suitable for him, Dantil pushed him out. Gorambha could not sleep that night and kept thinking about this insult all night. He thought he should do something to make Dantil fall from the kings grace. One morning when the king was half asleep, Gorambha was sweeping the floor near his bed. Gorambha was saying, “Oh What kind of person this Dantil is. He was hugging the queen the other day.”Hearing this the king immediately woke up from his sleep and said, “Gorambha Is it true what you are saying Did Dantil really hug the queen”Gorambha said, “My Lord please forgive me. I was awake all night and am feeling sleepy right now. I am saying stupid things because of my dreamy state.”The king started thinking, “He comes and goes in and out of the palace without any restrictions and so does Dantil. It is possible he must have seen Dantil and the queen together.” This made the king angry with Dantil. He stopped all the royal privilege Dantil was receiving and stopped his entry into the palace. Dantil had no idea why King’s behavior had changed towards him. One day Dantil was standing near the palace gates and he heard Gorambha telling the gatekeepers, “Gatekeepers Dantil sir is very dear to the king, if you stop him you will also be insulted and pushed around.” Hearing this Dantil realised that it was possible his falling out of favour with the king had something to do with Gorambha. He should have been careful about how he treated the king’s servant. That night Dantil invited Gorambha to his house and apologized for his behaviour towards him during the wedding reception. He also offered him gifts. After hearing Dantils apology and receiving gifts from him Gorambha said, “I accept your apology and have forgiven you. Now you see how I restore your position with the king.”Next day while sweeping the King’s bedroom Gorambha was saying, “Our king is so wise. He knows right from wrong and never does anything inappropriate. However, what kind of behavior it is to be eating in the toilet.”The king heard Gorambha and said, “O Gorambha What is this you are saying When have you seen me eating in the toilet”Gorambha apologised and said, “Please forgive me my lord. I was awake all night yesterday and today because of my lack of sleep I am speaking gibberish.” The king thought, “There is no truth in what Gorambha was saying, it is possible what he said the other day about Dantil was also made up and I have punished the good man for no reason.”Realising his mistake the King invited Dantil to the royal court the next day and restored all his privileges. That is why it is said that one should respect everyone irrespective of their stature.

  • The Crow and the Gold Necklace
    2 min 52 sec

    Once there was a giant banyan tree somewhere. In the tree lived a crow couple. When the female crow would lay eggs, a giant black snake living inside a whole under the tree would come up and eat them. The crows were very sad because of this and they went to their friend Jackal and said, “My friend What should we do in this situation How do we protect our eggs from that giant snake Please suggest some way.”The jackal heard the crow and said, “Friend When the enemy is stronger and cannot be won with strength, one must use mind games. We need to find a trick that eliminates this snake from your lives.” The jackal suggested a way.Hearing Jackals advice the crows started looking for some rich man in the town. They noticed a king bathing in a nearby pond. He had kept his clothes and jewellery nearby under the watchful eyes of his guards. The crow picked up a gold necklace and flew away. King’s bodyguards chased the crow. The crow threw the necklace inside the snakes hole.When King’s guards decided to retrieve the necklace, the snake came out and was promptly killed by them. Thus the crows managed to get rid of the snake and started living happily in their nest. That is why it is said, “when strength doesn’t work, one must use her mind to tackle the situation.”

  • Stupid tortoise and the swasn
    3 min 20 sec

    Kambugriv, the tortoise lived in a pond. He had two swan friends named SankatVikat. They were his wellwishers. The pond slowly started to dry up as there was no rain for a long time. One day all three were talking among themselves about the same subject. The turtle said, Friends In the absence of water, we will not survive. We have to think of some way to save our lives.The swans said, “At a short distance from here there is another big pond, which is full of water. We should all go there.To this the tortoise said, Both of you bring wood from somewhere. You both take that wood with your claws and fly and Ill grab it with my teeth and hang.Swans said, We shall do the same thing, but dont open your mouth under any circumstances while flying in the air. If you open your mouth, you will fall down and die.Thus both the swans flew away by hanging the turtle in a wood. On the way a village came. Seeing the two swans flying like this, the villagers were surprised and said, Aha Look, these birds flying with something like a wheel. Hearing these words, the tortoise could not stop and he said, The wheellike object is me, I am Kambugreeva.As soon as the turtle opened its mouth in this way, it fell down and died due to falling from such a height.That is why it is said that the words of wellwishers should be obeyed. 

  • Dharmabuddhi & Paapabuddhi
    6 min 11 sec

    Dharmabuddhi PaapabuddhiNow I know both Dharmabuddhi and Paapabuddhi as the father died due to smoke because of his sons foolish act. There were two friends named Dharmabuddhi and Paapbuddhi who lived in a village. One day Paapabuddhi thought that I am a fool, that is why I am poor. Why don’t I go abroad with Dharmabuddhi and do business and then cheat and earn a lot of money. Thinking this, one day Paapabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi, “We are wasting our time in this village. Why dont we go to the city and do some business” Dharmabuddhi accepted his friends offer and went with him to the city. Both stayed in the city for many days and did business from which they earned good money. Then they made up their minds to return to their villages. As they reached near the village, Paapabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi, “Friend It is not advisable to take home so much money at once. Why dont we take out a little money and bury the rest here somewhere. Whenever there is a need, we will come here and take it out.” Dharmabuddhi accepted his point as well. One night, Paapabuddhi went to the forest and dug out all the money from the pit.Following day, Paapabuddhi went to Dharmabuddhis house and said, Friend My family is very big and so I need more money to run my house. Let us go to the forest and get some money.” 

  • Silly heron and crab
    3 min 9 sec

    Silly heron and crab Many herons used to live on one of the trees in the jungle. A black dreadful snake lived in the hole of the same tree. He used to eat the young ones of the herons without the wings. Once upon seeing the snake eating his children and being saddened by their death, the heron went to the bank of the river and sat down with tears in his eyes. Seeing him like this, a crab came to him and asked, Sir What happened Why are you crying today The heron said, Brother What should I do The snake living in the trunk of the tree ate my unfortunate children. Thats why Im crying with sadness. Tell me if there is any way to destroy that snake.After listening to the heron, the crab thought that since herons are our enemy, I will tell him a way that all his children will be destroyed. Thinking so, he said, Brother If so, then put pieces of fish from the hole of the mongoose to that of the snake. On doing so, the mongoose will follow the same route and kill the snake.The heron did the same. The mongoose reached the snakes hole and on seeing the snake, the mongoose killed it. After killing the snake, the mongoose also ate the herons living on that tree one by one.That is why it is said that before taking any advice, one should also think about its consequences. 

  • Jirnadhan & the Scale
    4 min 32 sec

    Jirnadhan the ScaleWhen mice can eat the iron scale, then there is no doubt that an eagle can snatch a child and fly away. There lived a merchant named Jirnadhan in a city. After running out of money, he thought of going to a distant country for business.He had a large heavy iron scale from his ancestors. Having mortgaged it to Seths house, he went abroad. After a long time, the merchant returned to his city and went to Seth and said, Seth ji Give me back my scales I mortgaged to you. Seth said, Brother we dont have scales. Rats ate him. Jirnadhan said, Now the scales have eaten rats, then it is not your fault in this.After thinking, Jirnadhan further said, “Sethji I am going to take a bath on the bank of the river now. I have so much stuff, so send your son with me”. Seth thought that if he stayed here for long then they would be caught, so he happily sent his son with him. After taking a bath, Jirnadhan locked the boy in a cave and closed it with a big stone. After that Jirnadhan returned home alone. When Seth ji could not see his son anywhere, he asked, O Jernadhan Where is my son He went to bathe in the river with you, didnt he Jernadhana said, Yes But the eagle took him away. 

  • The Cunning Heron
    5 min 10 sec

    There was a pond filled with many creatures. There lived a heron, who because of his old age had become very weak and could not hunt for fish. One day he was sitting near the pond, crying due to hunger. A crab saw him like that and asked, “Uncle Why are you not looking for fish today, instead sitting here crying” Heron replied, “You are right. I am fasting until death. I don’t want to eat anymore.” The crab enquired, “What is the reason for your disillusionment like this”Heron said, “I was born in this pond and lived here all my life. I love this pond and all the creatures living in it. Today I have found out that it will not rain for the next 12 years. Now this pond will dry and all the creatures living in it will die. I am sad thinking about that.”The crab went around in the pond and told everyone what he heard from the heron. All the creatures living in the pond came near the heron and spoke together, “Uncle Is there any way we could be saved” The heron answered, “I know about a bigger pond nearby. That pond is so big that it would not dry out even if it doesn’t rain for the next 24 years. If you all wish I can help all of you move that bigger pond.” The heron started picking up fish one by one from the pond. He would take them to a nearby rock and quietly eat them. He was very happy since he was getting a lot of free food. One day the crab came to the heron and said, “Uncle I was the first one to talk to you about the upcoming drought, however you have not yet transferred me to the other pond. I don’t want to die here. You need to help me.”The heron thought, “This is great. I am also bored of eating fish everyday. Let me treat myself with a crab today.” The crab climbed on the herons back and he started flying towards the big rock. The crab saw the pile of fish bones on the rock and got worried. He asked the heron, “Uncle How far is this other pond. I have been riding on your back for so long. You must be tired.”The heron thought the crab could not harm him in the sky and boasted, “There is no drought, neither there is another pond. I told you that story so that I can get all this free food. Today is your turn to become my meal.” The moment heron said this, the crab grabbed his neck really tight and it started bleeding. The heron fell from the sky. The crab slowly walked back to the pond and told everyone about the heron’s evil scheme. That is why it is said that one should not be boastful. The heron died because of his boastfulness. 

  • The Bedbug and The Louse
    2 min 48 sec

    Once there lived a white louse in the clean white bed of a palace. When the king slept on that bed, the louse would bite him and fill his stomach. One day a bedbug came from somewhere. When the louse saw the bedbug he said, “Where did you come from Please leave before anyone sees you here.” The bedbug replied, “Why are you speaking to me like this I have bitten many humans in my life, but never a King. I want to bite the King and experience how it tastes.” The louse said, “I bite the king after he is fast asleep. However you are fickle. If you want to bite the king, then you must wait till he is asleep and I have already had my share of feed from him.” The bedbug said, “I will do as you say. I will wait till you are done and then only I will bite him.” While they were talking like this, the king came there and lay down on the bed. The bedbug could not control himself and bit him as soon as he laid down. The king jumped from his bed and asked the servants to look for what insect had bitten him. The servant started to carefully examine the bedsheet, while the bedbug quickly hid inside a joint on the bed. The servants found the louse trying to hide under the crease on the bed sheet and killed him. That is why it is said that one should not offer shelter to someone without knowing their true nature.

  • The Coloured Fox
    3 min 37 sec

    In a jungle somewhere lived a Fox named Chandarav. Once he entered a nearby town looking for food. When the dogs in the town saw him they started chasing him. The Fox ran to save his life and hid inside the house of a washerman. The washerman had a pond full of Indigo and the Fox fell inside it. When he came out of the pond he had turned blue. Because of his blue colour, when he came out of the washerman’s house dogs could not recognize him and did not bark after him. The Fox slowly entered the jungle. In the jungle all the animals were astonished to see this new kind of animal and were scared of him. Even elephants and lions were scared of this blue Fox. Seeing all the animals scared, Chandarav said, “All the animals of the jungle Why are you scared of me Don’t be afraid. The Creator has made me today itself and has sent me here to become the king of the jungle. My name is Kakuddrum and as per the wish of the Creator I will be your king.” Hearing him, all the animals bowed in front of him. 

  • Titihari and The Arrogant sea
    7 min 28 sec

    Near the shore of the sea lived a couple. The couple were Titihari birds and the female Titihari was ready to lay eggs. She asked the male Titihari to find a quiet place where she could lay eggs. The male Titihari said, How beautiful this beach is, you can lay eggs here.  The female Titihari said, The tide that comes on the full moon is so big that it can take away the big elephants. Please quickly find some other place. But the male Titihari said, You are right but this ocean has no power to harm my children. You can definitely lay eggs here. The ocean heard the couples conversation and thought, Hah Imagine the pride this bird has. It sleeps with its legs up to support the night sky. Let me test its strength. Thinking so, the sea became stable and the female Titihari laid eggs on the shore. The very next day when the Titihari couple was gone in search of food, the tide came and he carried away the eggs. When both the birds came back, not seeing their eggs, the female Titihari bursted out in anger, Oh fool I told you that my eggs will be destroyed in the tide of the sea, thats why I asked you to search for a place somewhere far away to lay eggs. But you did not listen to me because of your stupidity and arrogance. 

  • Brahmini and black sesame
    4 min 23 sec

    That is, if Shandali wants to take black sesame by giving her washed sesame seeds, then there must be some reason behind it. A Brahmin lived in a town. One morning the Brahmin told his wife that today is Dakshinayan Sankranti and any donation done today will have a good result. I am leaving with this hope. You must also feed a Brahmin today. Hearing this, the Brahmani said, “Arent you ashamed to say all this What is kept in this poor house that I should feed someone Neither do we have any good clothes to wear, nor do we have any gold or silver. How can we donate anything to anyone”  Hearing the harsh words of the wife, the brahmin said, “It is not proper for you to say all this. No one has got the money till date. True charity is to give a little out of what we have to the needy. On such persuasion of her husband, the brahmin said, “Okay. There are few sesame seeds kept in the house, I take off their skins and I will feed them to a Brahmin.” As soon as he got assurance from his wife, the Brahmin went to another village to collect donations. Here Brahmani crushed, washed the sesame seeds and kept them in the sun to dry. Then a dog urinated on the sesame seeds that were drying in the sun. The Brahmani thought that we have nothing and the flour is now wet. Now by giving my washed sesame seeds to someone, I will try to get unwashed sesame seeds. 

  • Tailor's money
    7 min 14 sec

    That is, some people earn money, but they are not able to use it. Somilak also reached the forest, but he could not take any advantage of it. अर्थस्योपार्जनं कृत्वा नैव भोगं समश्नुते। अरण्यं महदासाद्य मूढः सोमिलको यथा॥A tailor named Somilak, who lived in a town, was a respected and well known artist. He used to stitch fine clothes for the kings, but still he could not earn as much money as ordinary tailors. Distressed by his financial condition, one day Somilak said to his wife, “ear What kind of game is being played by God that even ordinary weavers earn more than me. I think maybe this place is not right for me, so I want to try my luck by going to some other place.”Somilaks wife said, “You are not right to think like this. Even if you go to Meru parvat, even if you start living in the desert. Wherever you go, if you do not use the money you have accumulated, then the money earned will also go away. Thats why I say that you keep doing your business by staying here. The artisan said, Dear I do not agree with your view. Anyone can change their destiny by working hard. Thats why I will definitely go to another place. Thinking of this, Somilak went to another city and started working efficiently and in no time he earned three hundred gold coins. Then he took those gold coins and went towards his house. As the sun was setting, he slept on a tree branch to avoid wild animals. In the middle of the night, he heard two people known as  Bhagya and Purushartha speak.Bhagya said to Purushartha, When you know that not much money has been written in the fate of this tailor, then why did you give him three hundred gold coinsPurushartha replied, I had to give him the fruits of his labor, the rest is up to you. On hearing this, the tailor woke up and took his bag, which was by then  empty. Seeing this, he started crying. Not considering it appropriate to go home emptyhanded, he again returned to his work and started working hard again.Having collected five hundred gold coins in a year, he again went to his home one day. This time, even after sunset, he did not think it proper to stop or sleep and kept on moving.

Language

English

Genre

Fiction

Seasons

1