The Tale of the Pencil

 A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother came and comforted him. His grandmother sat beside him and gave him a pencil. Raj looked at his grandma puzzled, and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his performance in the test.

His grandma explained, “You can learn many things from this pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just the way you have experienced the pain of not doing well on your test. However, it will help you be a better student. Just as all the good that comes from the pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome this hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to.” Raj was immediately consoled and promised himself that he would do better.

Moral of the Story

We all have the strength to be who we wish to be.

Bit paper tracing

 

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The Proud Rose

 Once upon a time there was a rose who was very proud of her beautiful looks. Her only disappointment was that she grew next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose would insult the cactus on his looks while the cactus stayed quiet. All the other plants in the garden tried to make the rose see sense, but she was too swayed by her own good looks.

One summer, the well present in the garden grew dry and there was no water for the plants. The rose began to wilt. She saw a sparrow dip her beak into the cactus for some water. Though ashamed, she asked the cactus if she too could have some water. The kind cactus readily agreed and they both got through the tough summer as friends.

Moral of the Story

Never judge someone by the way they look.

When Adversity Knocks

 Asha was getting frustrated and tired of life, so she asked her father what to do. Her father told her to bring an egg, two tea leaves, and a potato. He then brought out three vessels, filled them with water and placed them on the stove.

Once the water was boiling, he told Asha to place the items into each pot and keep an eye on them. After 10 minutes, he asked Asha to peel the egg, peel the potato, and strain the leaves. Asha was left confused.

Her father explained, “Each item was placed into the same circumstance, boiling water. See how each responded differently?”

He continued, “The egg was soft, but is now hard. The potato was hard, but is now soft. And the tea leaves, they changed the water itself.”

The father then asked, “When adversity calls, we respond in the same manner as they have. Now, are you an egg, a potato, or tea leaves?”

 

Moral 

We can choose how to respond in difficult situations.

The Milkmaid and Her Pail

 Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and set off to the market to sell the milk. As she took steps towards the market, her thoughts took steps towards wealth. On her way, she kept thinking about the money she would make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she would do with that money.

She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money, I’ll buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more chickens. They’ll all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more money. Then, I’ll buy the house on the hill and everyone will envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be very rich. With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly, she tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her dreams were shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all Patty could do was cry. “No more dream,” she cried foolishly!

Moral of the Story

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

The Golden Touch

 Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very rich, and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his daughter more than anything. One day, he chanced upon a fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a few tree branches. He helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he realised that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a wish in return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a wish. He said, “All that I touch should turn to gold.” And his wish was granted by the grateful fairy.

The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter about his wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and watching them convert into gold. Once he got home, his daughter rushed to greet him. As soon as he bent down to scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold statue. He was devastated and started crying and trying to bring his daughter back to life. He realised his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to take away his wish.

Moral of the Story

Greed will always lead to downfall. 

The Fox and the Stork

 One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on time and knocked at the door with her long beak. The fox took her to the dinner table and served some soup in shallow bowls for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for the stork, she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup quickly.

The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger and behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then invited him for dinner the next day. She too served soup, but this time the soup was served in two tall narrow vases. The stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox couldn’t drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised his mistake and went home famished.

Moral of the Story

A selfish act backfires sooner or later!

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

 In a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s father told him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze in the fields. Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t want to take the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not watch the boring sheep graze in the field. So, he decided to have some fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” until the entire village came running with stones to chase away the wolf before it could eat any of the sheep. When the villagers saw that there was no wolf, they left muttering under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time. The next day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers rushed there to chase the wolf away.

The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the villagers left angrily. The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He cried as hard as he could, “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him. The villagers thought that he was trying to fool them again and did not come to rescue him or his sheep. The little boy lost many sheep that day, all because of his foolishness.

Moral of the Story

It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to always be truthful.

Count Wisely

 One day, king Akbar asked a question in his court that left everyone in the courtroom puzzled. As they all tried to figure out the answer, Birbal walked in and asked what the matter was. They repeated the question to him.

The question was, “How many crows are there in the city?”

Birbal immediately smiled and went up to Akbar. He announced the answer; he said there were twenty-one thousand, five hundred and twenty-three crows in the city. When asked how he knew the answer, Birbal replied, “Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more, then the relatives of the crows must be visiting them from nearby cities. If there are fewer, then the crows from our city must be visiting their relatives who live outside the city.” Pleased with the answer, Akbar presented Birbal with a ruby and pearl chain.

Moral of the Story

Having an explanation for your answer is just as important as having an answer.

The Lion and the Mouse

 A lion was once sleeping in the jungle when a mouse started running up and down his body just for fun. This disturbed the lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat the mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to set him free. “I promise you, I will be of great help to you someday if you save me.” The lion laughed at the mouse’s confidence and let him go.

One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was struggling to get out and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse walked past and noticed the lion in trouble. Quickly, he ran and gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of them sped off into the jungle.

Moral of the Story

A small act of kindness can go a long way.

The Greedy Lion

 On a hot day, a lion in the forest started feeling hungry. He was starting to hunt for his food when he found a hare roaming around alone. Instead of catching the hare, the lion let it go – “A small hare such as this can’t satisfy my hunger”, he said and scoffed. Then, a beautiful deer passed by and he decided to take his chances – he ran and ran behind the deer but since he was weak because of the hunger, he struggled to keep up with the deer’s speed. Tired and defeated, the lion went back to look for the hare to fill up his stomach for the time being, but it was gone. The lion was sad and remained hungry for a long time.

Moral of the Story

Greed is never a good thing.

🎸The Lute Player

During a war. the enemy captured the king. They asked his queen to pay a ransom if she wanted her husband back.

One day, a lute player came to the enemy king’s court and began to play. The king loved the music so much that he said. “You can ask for anything and I shall give it to you!” The lute player said, “Give me the captured king as my slave!” The enemy agreed and king was set free.

 

Soon. the lute player and the slave king left the palace and after some distance. the lute player set him free. The king returned to his kingdom and said. “When I was a slave the queen did not care! I shall kill her!” Saying this, he marched into his bedroom. But. lie heard the strains of beautiful lute music. He then saw his queen playing the lute and understood who the mysterious lute player was.

Consonants

 

Vowels

 

Diphthongs

 

English alphabet

 

Karna’s Generosity

One day while Shri Krishna and Arjuna were out for stroll, Arjuna said, “If you permit.. Can i ask you something??”

Krishna smiled and replied, “Sure, you can ask me anything without any hesitation..”

Arjuna said, “I don’t understand why Karna is considered as most generous person of all.. ”

Krishna smiled and replied, “Sure, i won’t just tell you.. You can see for yourself..”

Just then in a blink, Shri Krishna turned two nearest hills into gold.

After this Krishna instructed Arjuna to distribute gold from that hills among people from nearest village.

As instructed Arjuna immediately went to hill and called villagers to distribute gold to them. When villagers came, he asked them to stand in queue and then started giving away gold to them one by one.

Villagers started praising him. Listening to all the praise, Arjuna felt proud. By this time Ego has started to get into him.

For two consecutive days and nights Arjuna kept on digging gold and distributing among villagers. Villagers were coming back in queue for gold, Arjuna was tired and not a bit of gold lessen from hill.

Arjuna got so tired that he went to Shri Krishna and said, “I am tired, i can’t do it anymore..”

Krishna smiled and replied, “It’s Ok. You can rest.”

Krishna called Karna and asked him to distribute gold among villagers from those hills of gold. Karna immediately left to distribute gold among villagers.

He called all villagers and after everyone was gathered, Karna announced, “This gold belong to you.. You may take as per your requirement..”

After saying this Karna left. Arjuna was surprised and confused. Krishna understood.

Krishna said to Arjuna, “When you were asked to distribute gold, you were deciding about requirement of each villagers need of gold. You were doing it knowing that it’s charity.

Where as Karna just gave away all the gold and left. He didn’t even waited for people to praise or cheer him. He was not interested in what people will say about him. It’s sign of a man who had become enlightened.”

Arjuna’s question was answered to him in beautiful manner.

Moral:

Expecting Gratitude or Congratulations In return of doing charity or help will just turn it into a deal. If We are Giving some Help or Donation we should do it without any Hope for anything in Return.

Kid’s Admission Interview

 

Kid was bought to school to get admission in U.K.G. for interview as it was very difficult to get through admission in that school. Parents were really worried.

Parents and kid entered principle office. Parents sat aside on sofa and kid was sitting in front of principal.

Principal started to converse with kid.. here goes..

Principle: What’s your name?

Kid: Sita

Principle: Good. Tell me something you know.

Kid: I know many things. Tell me what you want…!

“Alas, there is no better point for not getting the admission”, thought her mother to herself. As her mother was trying to make up the situation but the principal stopped her..

Turning to child she said: Tell any rhyme or story which you know..

Kid: Again,Which one you want.. Rhyme or Story..?

Principal: Ok. Plz tell me a story..

Kid: Do you want to hear what I studied or what I wrote..?

Taken to surprise.. she asked: Oh! you write stories…?

Kid replied: Why should I not write.?

She was impressed with the answer and said: Ok, tell me story which you have written..

Kid replied: One day Ravana kidnapped Sita & took her to Srilanka.

The opening scene failed to impress but still she encouraged the child to continue..

Kid: Rama asked Hanuman help to rescue Sita. Hanuman too agreed to help Rama..

Principal: Then?

Kid: Now, Hanuman called his friend Spider man..

No one expected this twist in the story!!

Principal: Why?

Kid: Because there are lot of mountains between India and Srilanka.. but if we have Spider-man we can go easily with his rope..

Principal questioned: But Hanuman can fly isn’t it.. ?

Kid: Yes. But he is having Sanjeevni Mountain on one hand so he cannot fly very fast.!

Everyone was surprised and got quiet.

After a while..

Kid asked: Should I continue or not?

Principal replied: Ok please continue!

Kid continued: Hanuman and Spider-man flew to Sri lanka and rescued Sita. Sita said Thanks to both!

Principal: Why?

Kid: Well.. When you are helped you should say Thanks!

So Sita requested Hanuman to call Hulk…

All were surprised.

Kid realized everyone’s curiosity and continued: Now Sita is there, so to take her safely back to Rama she called Hulk..

Principal: What..? Hanuman can carry Sita right?

Kid: Yes. But he has Sanjeevni Mountain in one hand and has to hold spider man on the other..

No one could control their smiles.

Kid continued: So when they all started to India they met my friend Akshay..!

Principal questioned: How come Akshay there now?

Kid: Because its my story and I can bring any one there!

The principal didn’t get angry but waited for the next twist..

Kid continued: Then all started to India and landed at Bangalore majestic bus stop..

Principal asked: Why they have landed In majestic bus stop?

Kid: Because they forgot the way..& Hulk got an idea and called Dora..! Dora came and she took Sita to malleshwaram 5th cross… that’s all!

She finished the story with a smile..

The principal asked: But why malleshwaram 5th cross…?

Kid: Because Sita lives there & i am Sita..!!

The principal was impressed and embraced the child. She has been admitted in UKG & was gifted with a Dora doll.

Moral:

Kids can really amaze but we clip their wings (creativity) expecting them to do things as we see it right & not from their viewpoint. Let’s give every child freedom to do their own thing & watch their dreams come true.

Making a Difference

 

Tom used to go for walk every day on beach. One day there he noticed a man who was leaning down to pick up something and then throw it into water.

When he got close he saw that, person was picking up starfish that had washed up on beach and he was picking them up one at a time and throwing them back in the water.

Tom got confused and approached that man and said, “Good evening, i was wondering what are you doing?”

Man smiled and replied, “I am throwing back starfish which were washed up on shore and if i don’t throw them back into ocean then they will die up here because of lack of oxygen.”

Tom replied, “I understand…”

Then a little while later he said, “But there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you can’t possibly get all of them..

And this may be happening on hundreds of beaches.. then how does throwing some of these starfish back in ocean can make a difference??”

Man smiled. he bent down and picked up yet another starfish, then threw it back into ocean and then pointing toward that fish he replied, “It would make difference to that one..!!”

Moral:

We all have the opportunity to help create positive change but person tend to think that – How much difference can he make? We might not be able to change the entire world but at least you can change a small part of it for someone.

Most common reasons we procrastinate is because we see the challenge before us as overwhelming and that a good way to counter that is to break the big challenge down into smaller pieces and then take those one at a time – like one starfish at a time.

How The Crows Became Black

🌸

Long ago, the crow used to be a white bird. In his neighbourhood, lived an owl who had a dye shop. The crow was fascinated by the myriad colours. He flew down to the owl’s shop and asked if his white body could be coloured. “I want to be the most beautiful bird in the world,” he said. The owl agreed and asked him to come the next day. Now the owl was slightly blind but he was too vain to wear spectacles. While mixing the colours for the crow, he poured black instead of lilac. The crow arrived early the next day. “There you are!” said the owl “Your colours are ready. Just dive into that pool of water.” The crow lost no time and dived in. But alas! When he emerged, he saw that he was dark in colour. He seethed with anger and cawed at the owl, “Why have you made me black? Wait till I catch you!” The frightened owl flew away and came out only at night when the crow was asleep. Since then, crows are black and owls’ venture out only at night.

Never Heed Your Enemy's Advice

​🌸

 Once a wolf saw a lamb at a distance and decided to eat it up. So, he moved light-footedly towards it. He had a mind to fall upon his prey suddenly after getting near it.

But as the wolf moved, the poor animal saw him and ran for its life. The wolf gave it a hot chase but couldn’t catch it. The lamb had gone into a temple and was quite safe there.

The wolf felt very disappointed and called out to the lamb. Putting on a loving look, he said, “It is not safe for you to stay inside the temple. Come out at once otherwise the priest will catch and sacrifice you before the gods.”

“Many thanks for your advice, Mr Wolf. I would prefer to stay here and be sacrificed on the altar. It is sure to make me enter heaven. But what will I get, if you eat me up ?”

Having no words to reply, the wolf went away sad and disappointed.

Happiness

🌸

Once a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon.

Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker began— exactly this is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness.

🔥And this is the purpose of human life.

Fishermen story

​🌸

 

Two men went fishing. One was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn’t. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back.

The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing the man waste good fish. “Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?” he asked.

The inexperienced fisherman replied, “I only have a small frying pan.”

Sometimes, like that fisherman,

we throw back the big plans, big dreams, big jobs, big opportunities that God gives us.

Our faith is too small.

We laugh at that fisherman who didn’t figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan,

yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith?

Whether it’s a problem or a possibility,

God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle.

That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way.

🔥REMEMBER:

Stop telling God you’ve got big problems.

Tell your problems you’ve got a BIG GOD!

Work Is Real Worship

💮

It was a fine sunny day in winter. A cricket was basking in the warm sun. But he was very hungry as he had not eaten anything since previous night.

The cricket looked about to find something to eat. All of sudden, he saw a few ants carrying grains into their hole.

The cricket went up to the ants and said in a humble tone, “Would you, please, spare a few grains for me. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. I am almost starving to death .”

The ants stopped for a moment though it was against their habit. One of them said to the cricket, “What were you doing all the summer ? Why didn’t you store up food for the cold winter season ?”

“Truly speaking, I spent all the summer singing songs. So, I couldn’t store anything.”

“Then dance the winter away,” remarked the ant chuckling a smile. The cricket pulled a long face and went away.

The Wise Are Seldom Taken In

​🌸

 There were a large number of birds in an aviary. They were well protected there. Unluckily, an infectious disease broke out in the aviary. As a result, most of the birds fell ill.

The keeper felt anxious and went looking for a doctor. While he was enquiring about a doctor, a cat overheard his talk. Thus she came to know that the birds in the aviary were unwell.

Wicked as she was, the cat started making plans to reach the aviary somehow or other. Once inside, she could easily kill many of the birds and eat them up. Thinking hard, she decided to gain entry into the aviary as a doctor and do her job. So, she disguised herself as a doctor. Taking a chest of medicines, she approached the aviary door.

“How are you all, friends? I have come to cure you. Here are the medicines for your treatment,” said the wicked cat.

“We are quite OK, Miss, and need no nursing at all. Be kind enough to leave us alone,” said the birds.

Nobody Believes a Liar

 Once a shepherd boy lived in a village that stood in the feet of a hill. He took his flock to the hill-side for grazing every day. The sheep kept grazing but the boy felt bored. One day he thought of having fun at the cost of his fellow-villagers.

Standing on a high rock, the boy shouted at the top of his voice, “Wolf ! Wolf ! come to save me and my sheep.”

The villagers heard the shouts and ran to help him. But the boy laughed at them saying, “No wolf ; I did it for fun only.”

The villagers felt peeved and came back with an air of anger. They decided not to be fooled by him anymore.

One day as the shepherd boy was tending his sheep, a wolf really came there. Now the boy shouted—”Wolf ! Wolf !” as loudly as he could. But nobody came to help him.

The wolf killed many a sheep and when the boy tried to attack him with his stick, the beast killed him too.

Anger and Love – Emotional Mistake

🌸

While a man was polishing his new car, his 6 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father…..with painful eyes he asked, ‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’ The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions…….sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written

‘LOVE YOU DAD’.

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life….. Things are to be used and people are to be loved. But the problem in today’s world is that, People are used and things are loved….Let’s be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become character;Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I’m glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. God bless you. If you don’t share this on nothing bad will happen; if you do, you might change someones life

The Dogs

​🌸

One morning, a Hunter was following an animal. He tied his Dogs in pairs, so that they would hunt in an orderly way, and not pull in different directions.

Jowler and Vixen were tied together as a couple. They were both young and new to hunting. The two Dogs were good friends and always played together. They took each other’s sides in a quarrel. The other Dogs thought that they would be good partners.

However, they acted strangely when tied together. They both liked to go in opposite directions and walk in a different manner. Both of them would pull the other in different directions and soon this would end in a quarrel. Jowler, the male, treated Vixen, the female, badly.

He did not take care to lead Vixen properly or kindly.

An old Dog watching the two Dogs fight with each other, scolded them, “Silly Puppies, why are you always fighting with each other? Why don’t you ask what the other wants? Then you can both be at peace! I realized this when I was in the similar situation as you.”

🔥Joint agreement is necessary for a good partnership.

People – Good and Bad

🌸

There lived a villager. He made his living by selling seeds in the market. He had ten bags with him, which he would carry to another village to buy the seeds.

Of the ten bags, one was different from the rest. It had many holes and was torn at a few places. But, despite its poor condition, the villager would carry it regularly together with all other bags to get the seeds from another village.

One fine day, the torn bag started thinking, “I am but a torn bag. I have so many holes. I don’t understand why my master takes me along for bringing seeds. Why doesn’t he throw me out?” He decided to ask the villager.

“O my master, why don’t you just throw me away? You know I am no use. I don’t serve you honestly. I spill all the seeds you fill in me, all along the way. By the time you reach home I have no seeds left to offer you. Please, may I know why you don’t do away with me?” asked the bag.

The villager patiently listened to the torn bag. Then, he smiled and said, “My dear bag, who told you that you are bad? You don’t know how good you are! Come, I will tell you what good you have done to me, and to others as well.”

So saying, the villager took the torn bag into his arms and took it outside to show it something. The villager then said, “Do you see all these trees? These trees are there all along the way from this village to the next, from where I buy seeds. These trees have grown from the seeds you have been spilling along the way for so many years.”

The villager then paused for a second and continued, “These trees give a cool shade to the tired passers-by on hot sunny days. They also give oxygen to living beings and fruits to birds, animals and humans. Can’t you see of what great service you have been to the world?! ”

The torn bag was happy to learn all this. It had realized that everyone everywhere had something good to offer the world!

THE MORAL

🔥Accept all people the way they are. You never know what good they may be doing to you.

The Mice who Travelled

🌸

A Mouse, tired of living in constant fear, said to her neighbour, “I read about a place called Indies where Mice are safer. The people there believe that the soul of a Mouse has been in the body of a great person. After the Mouse dies, it will re-enter the body of another great person. That’s why Mice are treated affectionately there. Even hospitals are built for them. Let us go to this country and live happily.”

The neighbour replied, “Don’t Cats enter these hospitals? If they do, then the Mice would be dying, quickly and in great numbers.”

“Fear not,” said the first Mouse. “The Cats have their houses and hospitals far away from ours.”

The Mice then crept into a ship, which was set to sail. After a long journey, they reached Indies.

There, the Mice entered a house, expecting a warm welcome. However, the Indian Mice fought with the newly arrived Mice. Instead of being eaten up by Cats, they were killed by their own kind.

🔥Be wise and stay away from danger.

The Elephant and the Animals

🌸

The animals in Happy Valley were sad. They were all troubled that some creatures were unkind to the others. The strong, kind Elephant was their leader, so the animals ran to him and told him all.

The Elephant wanted to know which animals were bad. So, he called the animals for a meeting and told them to stop their bad habits. Being lazy, cruel, selfish or jealous would spoil the happiness of the whole forest.

All the gentle animals like the Dog, Camel, Sheep, Dove, Ant and Bee, listened carefully to the Elephant’s words. They nodded in agreement. However, animals like the Tiger, Wolf, Snake, Wasp, Hornet, Fly, Grasshopper and Ape became very angry with the Elephant’s words. These animals were cruel and mean to the weaker animals. They grumbled and murmured loudly.

The Elephant trumpeted for silence.

Then he continued, “I gave my advice to everyone here, but only some of you were happy to hear me!” He explained that those who agreed with his advice were the good animals, but the ones who were angry with his words were the real troublemakers!

🔥Good advice hurts those who do wrong things.

The Parrot

​🌸

An Old Man was very lonely because his wife had died. He missed her very much, especially their meal-time talk and laughter.

One day, the Old Man decided to buy a Parrot. He thought a Parrot would be the best pet to have, because it could actually talk to him.

The next morning, the Old Man visited the Pet Shop. The shop owner showed him several Parrots. One called for a coach, another asked for a drink and one just made noises! Only one Parrot sat quietly.

The Old Man wondered why it was silent. The Parrot replied, “I think more!” The Old Man thought happily, Ah!  What a wise bird!’ Then, he bought the silent Parrot.

Now every day, the Old Man tried to teach his new pet to talk, sing or make a new sound. Sadly, the Parrot refused to learn anything new It would only repeat, “I think more!”

The disappointed Old Man angrily said, “Oh Parrot, you are a fool! Alas, I am a bigger fool than you, because I believed that you were wise, simply because you pretended to think more!”

🔥Do not be fooled by those who pretend to be wise.

The Heifer and the Ox

​🌸

A Heifer and an Ox lived with a Master. One day, the Heifer saw the Ox harnessed to a plough. He went to the Ox and said, “How do you keep working so hard all day? I would have felt so unhappy doing so much work.” He then started boasting, “Look at me, I am completely free. I can do whatever I feel like. The Master cannot force me to work.”

The Ox kept working quietly. Just as the Heifer was about to leave, the Ox said, “I may be working hard right now but the Master is a good man. He will definitely reward me.” Shortly afterwards, at the harvest festival, the Master set the Ox free to roam around. He praised him and said, “You are a hard worker and I am proud of you.” The Master then walked away to find the Heifer. On finding him, the Master bound the Heifer with ropes and led him to the altar to be killed in honour of the occasion.

The Ox was watching quietly. He smiled and said to the Heifer, “You were allowed to live in idleness, because you were to be sacrificed.”

🔥Hard work always pays.

The Eagle and the Kite

​🌸

One day, an Eagle flew to the branch of a tree. The Eagle was very sad. A Kite saw her and asked, “Why are you sad?”

The Eagle replied, “I am unable to find a strong husband for myself.”

The Kite said to the Eagle, “I am very strong. I am even stronger than you. You can marry me.”

The Eagle asked the Kite, “Will you be able to get me food to eat?” To prove his strength, the Kite said to the Eagle, “I can carry an Ostrich in my claws. If you marry me, I will get you an Ostrich to eat.” The Eagle happily agreed to marry the Kite. One day, after their marriage the Eagle asked the Kite to bring her an Ostrich to eat. The Kite flew into the air and brought a dirty, stinking rat, which was lying on the ground, for the Eagle.

The Eagle was unhappy to see the rat and said to the Kite, `You have not been able to fulfill your promise of getting me an Ostrich.”

The Kite replied, “To be able to marry you, I would have promised and said anything.”

🔥Everything is fair in love.

The Bear and the Crabs

​🌸

Once upon a time, a Bear lived in the forest. He was huge and would eat a lot of food. However, he was very lazy. So, he enjoyed eating the remains of the prey left by the bigger animals.

One day, the lazy Bear felt very hungry. He could not find any food around his den. The poor Bear waited and waited. Then, he started walking in search of food.

He thought to himself, ‘Oh! How I would love to eat some bamboo or fruits! But I would be the happiest if I found a beehive with honey!’

Now, at the end of the forest, there was a rocky shore along the big blue sea. The Bear soon reached the rocky shore. There, he found a firm rock and held on to it. He lowered his furry legs into the cold water and waited. Some Crabs that lived in the sea caught the

Bear’s fur, thinking it was their prey. The Bear, at once, pulled his legs up and shook off the Crabs on the rock. Then he enjoyed the food he had cleverly collected all over his legs.

🔥Even the lazy think of good ideas, when they are hungry.

A Lion, a Mouse and a Cat

​​🌸

Once upon a time, there lived a mighty Lion in a cave on top of a mountain. Whenever he went to sleep, a Mouse used to come out of his hole and nibble at his mane.

As soon as the Lion woke up, the Mouse would run away and slip off into his hole. The Lion was very angry with the Mouse.

The Lion wanted to stop this and thought of an idea. He went to the nearby village and brought a Cat back with him.

The Lion fed the Cat well and let her loose in the cave. The Mouse saw the Cat and was frightened; he would not come out of his hole. The Lion was able to sleep, undisturbed as the Cat stood guard. This went on for some time. Then, one day, the Mouse was very hungry. He decided to risk his life and came out of his hole looking for food. The Cat pounced on him and killed him. When the Lion saw that the Mouse was dead, he stopped feeding the Cat. The poor Cat grew weaker and finally starved to death.

🔥MORAL: Treat everyone with respect, not only when you need their help.

THE CLEVER FOX AND THE GOAT*

One summer afternoon, a fox was walking in the forest. The sun was shining hot and bright in the sky and the fox began to feel thirsty . He went round and round the trees, looked in the bushes and sniffed all around. And ah-ha! There it was- a big, deep well of water! The fox was so happy that he jumped right into the well and gulped down so much water that his tummy was ready to burst.

              Now that he had finished drinking water, the fox decided to get out of the well and go on his way. So he looked around for a way to climb out and saw that there was none! Every time he tried to go up, he would slip down. He tried and tried, but with no luck.

         "Oh! someone please help me! Get me out of here!" The fox cried from the well hoping that someone would hear him and come to save him. Many hours went by but nobody cross the well. "It seems I'll stuck here forever," thought the fox, sadly.

             The day turn into evening and soon the sky was dark. The poor Fox spend the night in the cold and damp well. He was very scared because he didn't know how long it would be before someone would come and help him get out of the well. Time passed by very slowly.

             At long last, it was morning. "Somebody, help me!" The fox began to shout once again. And this time, his prayers were answered. Luckily, a goat happened to be crossing the well just as the fox shouted for help.

           " Hello, I heard you screaming from there, Mr. Fox! Can I help you in any way? " The goat spoke.

           Now, the fox knew that the goat would never help him, once he learnt that it was impossible to get out of the well. Therefore, he decided to trick The innocent goat,  so that he could get the goat to help him out of the well.

            "I came down into this well to drink this cool,  refreshing water. Believe me, my dear goat, I have never ever tasted water quite like this. Why don't you come down and bring some too?"said the sly Fox.

             The goat, on hearing the fox, I was overjoyed and at once she jumped into the well and was beside the fox.  But as soon as the goat finished drinking the water, she too realised  that getting out of the well was impossible.

             The fox was very clever. He thought of a plan to escape. " Why don't you stand on your hind legs,  and I will climb over you to get out of the well. Once I I am out, I shall put you out too!"

            The goat was pleased,  since the fox's solution appear to be the best way out.  Without wasting another moment, the goat stood up with her hands against the wall of the well. The fox immediately jumped over the goat's back and climbed out,free at last!

  

          But as soon as the fox was out of the well, he started walking away without looking back even once. The God started crying to the fox for help.

       " Mr. Fox, you had promised to help me get out of the well too!" she screamed.

                  But the fox merely replied, "Listen, my friend! If you had been smart, you would not have leaped into the well before seeing if there was a way out!" And so saying, the fox started walking away to his own house and the poor goat was left in the well.

Moral: Look before you leap

The Bird Catcher and the Cricket

​🌸

One day, a Bird Catcher went to the forest. He wanted to catch a very special kind of bird. So, he looked everywhere to find a wonderful bird.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound. It was like loud music, quite different from any bird song.

The Bird Catcher listened for a while and thought, `Oh! This creature has such a strong voice! I am certain it must be quite a large bird that I have never seen before!’

The Bird Catcher planned to catch this loud-voiced bird. He quietly crept towards the sound. The song became

louder and stronger. The Bird Catcher tossed his net out to grab the unseen creature. However, he was shocked!

Instead of catching a big bird with a loud voice, he saw a tiny little Cricket in his net.

Now, the Bird Catcher realised his mistake. He had heard the loud song of the Cricket and thought that a very big bird would be singing such a loud song! He decided that he would never be fooled like that again.

🔥We must not base our opinions on what we hear, alone.

The Eagle, the Cat and the Sow

 

​🌸

Once, at the top of an oak, lived an Eagle. In the middle of the trunk lived a Cat and in a hollow at the foot, lived a Sow with her young ones.

The Cat was very cunning and wanted the whole tree for herself. She planned to drive away the other two.

She went to the Eagle and said, “Can you see the Sow digging at the roots of the tree? The tree will soon fall and she will eat our families!”

The Cat then went to the Sow and said to her, “The Eagle is waiting for a chance to feed your children to her babies.”

The clever Cat secretly went out at night, got food for her kittens and fed them. She pretended to be

scared and kept watching out for danger the whole day.

The Eagle was so scared that she did not fly anywhere. The Sow, too, was terribly afraid and did not

move out of her hollow at all. Both of them, along with

their families starved and died. The Cat and her family now had plenty of food to eat.

🔥Always try to clear misunderstandings with friends, rather than blindly believing others.

The Thief and the Boy

​🌸

Once, there was a Thief. He did not feel sorry for his bad deeds. He also believed that he was very smart. Often, he thought to himself, ‘I am the smartest of all. No one can trick me!’

One day, the Thief was walking down the countryside, he saw a Boy. The Boy was sitting near a well. The Thief saw that the Boy was crying. The Thief asked him, “Why do you cry, young lad?” The Boy showed him a piece of rope and said, “I came to this well to fill some water. My bucket was tied to this rope. It was made of silver and now it has fallen into the well!”

The Thief thought, `Ah! A bucket made of silver. I shall steal this bucket.’ Thus, he said to the Boy,

“Do not cry! I will find your bucket.” He took off his clothes and jumped into the well. He searched for the silver bucket, but could not find it. As he came out of the well, he saw that the Boy was gone, too. Also, he had stolen all his clothes!

🔥Bad deeds will always be repaid by bad fortune!

The Brahmin and the Crooks

​🌸

In a village, there lived a poor Brahmin priest.He was pious, dutiful and very superstitious.

One day, the Brahmin left for a neighbouring Village to collect a gift that he had been promised from a rich landlord. Finishing his job in the neighbouring village, he was on his way back carrying his gift-a fat and healthy goat on his shoulders.

Three hungry crooks crossed his path. They saw the healthy goat on the Brahmin’s shoulders and whispered, “That is a very plump goat. Let us trick the Brahmin and take the goat away. We can then make a tasty dish out of it”

They soon made a plan. The three of them went in separate ways.

The first one stopped the Brahmin and exclaimed in horror, “Oh my god! Such a respected priest and carrying a dog on his shoulders? Don’t you know that it is a sin to touch a dog, or a rooster, or a donkey?”

The Brahmin lost his temper. “You stupid fellow, are you blind? Can’t you see it is a goat, not a dog?”

“Don’t be angry,” replied the first crook. “If you think it is not a dog, then please carry on. But isn’t it ridiculous that you are carrying a dog?”

The Brahmin hardly walked a few more yards when the second crook stopped the Brahmin and looked at him in shock.

`How can a reputed priest like you carry a dead calf on the shoulder?” exclaimed the crook.

The Brahmin yelled, “Are you blind too? This is a healthy and live goat and you say he is a dead calf. You are an ignorant fool!”

“All right, sir,” said the second crook. “Please forgive me. Do as you please.”

“What’s wrong with everyone?” wondered the furious Brahmin as he hurried towards his home. “The whole world has gone mad?”

Now it was the turn of the third crook to the Brahmin’s path. “Sir, why are you carrying a donkey on your shoulders? It is going to bring you misfortune.”

Now the Brahmin was confused. Three people have said that the goat was something else. “Have I been given a ghost that keeps changing into a dog, a dead calf or a donkey!” he wondered. “I don’t want this creature.”

“Before it turns into something else, I better get rid of it.” Confused and scared, he threw the goat to the ground and took to his heels.

Coming out of their hiding place, the crooks took the goat and laughed at the stupidity of the Brahmin. Listening to others blindly, he got duped.

MORAL

🔥Have faith in yourself. Don’t believe others blindly.

​🌸The Fir-Tree and the Bramble

Once, all the trees of the forest started talking among each other. The tall and handsome Fir Tree boasted, “I am the most beautiful tree. Look at my branches. They almost touch the sky!”

He then pointed to the Bramble and said, “You are useful for nothing at all, while I am used for making roofs and houses.” The Fir Tree kept on boasting about himself.

The Bramble was wise and thought for a while. Then he looked at the Fir Tree and replied, “I am happy the way I am, even though I am small. You should be sorry for yourself. You are a poor creature. Don’t forget that soon people will come to cut you down with axes and saws. Then you will not be able to do anything. You will be turned from a beautiful tree into tables and chairs. Then you will wish that you had grown up a Bramble, not a Fir Tree! I may not have much value but at least I am free. People don’t cut me.”

The Fir Tree realised that he was wrong and kept quiet.

🔥Better poverty without care, than riches with troubles.

The Cat, the Partridge and the Hare ​🔰

 A long time ago, there lived a Partridge under a big, green tree. One day, he decided to go to the fields and find some food. Seeing plenty of food in the fields, he stayed on for many days.

While the Partridge was away, a Hare started living in his house.

 

When the Partridge had enough to eat, he decided to return. But, he found a Hare living in his house. “This is my house. It belongs to me. Leave my home,” said the Partridge to the Hare. The Hare replied, “The house belongs to whoever is living in

it.” Soon, both of them started fighting for the house.

 

There was a Cat in the neighbourhood. They decided to ask the Cat to solve their problem. The Cat acted like

he was helpful. He was actually a cheat.

The Partridge and the Hare explained their problem

to the Cat. The Cat pretended to be hard of hearing. He said, “Sorry! I can’t hear you. Please come closer.”

So, the Partridge and the Hare went closer to the Cat. The wicked Cat grabbed them and ate them up.

💎 When two people fight, the third one takes the advantage.

💮TENALI RAMAN AND THE WEIGHT LIFTER💮

Raman stood in a circle with people seated all round. He sat in the warrior’s pose, veeramudra, and announced he was ready.

Tenali Raman and his wife were on their way to Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagara. On the way, they passed through a village at the foot of a hill. The villagers had gathered in front of the village temple. Raman’s wife became curious and dragged her husband to the spot. Husband and wife pushed through the crowd to appear in the front row.

A body builder was exhibiting his strength. He was seen carrying a huge gunny bag on his left shoulder, and twirling his moustache with his right hand.

“He is carrying a bag of 500 quintals of rice,” said the man standing next to Raman.

“This is nothing. I can carry a thousand times more weight,” said Raman in a loud voice.

Startled by this announcement, the body builder dropped the bag he was carrying. Everybody looked at Raman wondering whether a new champion had arrived.

Enjoying the attention, Raman addressed the crowd. “Why, I can carry that hill on my bare shoulder,” he said, pointing out the hill nearby.

The villagers gaped at him. Raman’s wife appeared tense. She had a suspicion that her husband had opened his mouth too wide.

Meanwhile the body builder had recovered his wit. He laughed out aloud and said, “Is that so? Let’s see you do it.”

The villagers were now excited. They had seen only Hanumanji carrying the Sanjeevani mountain — and that too in pictures. Now here was a man who claimed he could repeat the feat.

“I said I can do it. Did I say I’ll do it now?” asked Raman. “Carrying a hill requires a lot of preparation,” Raman added.

Turning to the weight lifter, Raman asked, “How long did you take to prepare for this feat of carrying the sack of rice?”

“Three months,” confessed the weight lifter.

“How long will you take?” the Village Chief asked Raman.

“Six months,” said Raman without batting an eye.

Then Raman added. “I need to eat enormous amount of food to build my muscles. And I need someone to massage my body, daily.”

“And we need a place to live. We are outsiders,” said Raman’s wife.

The village chief agreed to provide the couple with a house and arrange the food supply. He directed the weight lifter to give Raman body massage daily.

“And we will meet here, exactly six months from now,” said the village chief getting up from the chair.

Raman’s wife was relieved. They did not have to wonder where the food would come from. For the next six months, at least.

Raman led a royal life in the village. Villagers supplied pots of milk, honey and curd. Cartloads of rice and ragi were delivered to their house. The body builder was available to cook food, and also give body massage to Raman every day.

The body builder who had become a Raman disciple by now asked Raman about the practice. “Would you like to begin with a small rock, then move on to bigger and bigger rocks?” he asked. Raman sent him away asking him to make ragi mudde (balls of steamed ragi flour).

Soon it was the D-day. The whole village assembled at the foot of the hill. Raman and his wife arrived in a decorated cart pulled by the body builder. The villagers received the weight lifter, Raman with a shout of joy.

The village chief gave a sign that the show could begin.

Raman stood in a circle with people seated all round. He sat in the warrior’s pose, Veeramudra, and announced he was ready.

The villagers were puzzled. The village chief became impatient. “What are you waiting for?” he barked.

“I’m waiting for your men to place the hill on my shoulder,” said Raman calmly.

Everybody gaped at Raman. The village chief shouted in anger “You said … “

Raman cut him short, “I said I will carry that hill. Even now I’m willing to carry the hill. I’m waiting for your men to place it on my shoulder.”

“But who will lift the hill?” asked the Village Chief in bewilderment.

“That’s your problem,” Raman said.

“Only Hanumanji can lift it,” said Raman’s wife.

The village chief joined his hands in salutation to Raman. “A man of your strength and determination should carry not a lowly hill, but Mount Kailas.” The villagers started laughing.

When they got back home, Raman asked his wife to pack, “We are leaving this village,” he said.

The Monkeys and a Bell

 🐦 🐦

Once, there lived a Thief in a kingdom. One day, he stole a Church bell and ran into the forest. Soon, a Tiger saw the Thief, pounced upon him and killed him. The bell dropped to the ground.

Some Monkeys found the bell and started playing with it. When the people found the Thief’s body they

thought, ‘A monster must have killed him and then rung the bell? He will kill all of us now!’

They got scared and started leaving the kingdom.

One day, a brave and clever woman was passing through the forest and saw the Monkeys playing with

the bell.

She had a plan and told the King, “Your Majesty! The monster can be conquered. But it will cost money.”

The King agreed to pay her a large sum of money as he was concerned about the safety of his people.

Then, the woman collected a lot of fruits and pretended to pray. Later, she kept them under a tree in

the forest, and waited, nearby. When the monkeys saw the fruits, they dropped the bell and rushed down.

She quickly picked up the bell and ran back to the city.

🔥Intelligence and courage will bring success.

Intelligence Always wins over might

Long time ago there lived a cruel lion in the deep forest. It was a greedy lion and started killing all the animals in the forest. Seeing this, the animals gathered and decided to approach the lion with the offer of one animal of each species volunteering itself to be eaten by the lion every day. So every day it was the turn of one of the animals and in the end came the rabbits' turn. The rabbits chose a old rabbit among them. The rabbit old was wise. It decided to take its own sweet time to go to the Lion. The Lion was getting impatient on not seeing any animal come by and swore to kill all animals the next day.

The rabbit then went to the Lion by sunset. The Lion was angry at him. But the wise rabbit was calm and slowly told the Lion that it was not his fault. He told the Lion that a group of rabbits were coming to him for the day but on the way, an angry Lion attacked them all and ate all rabbits but himself. Somehow he escaped to reach safely, the rabbit said. He said that the other Lion was challenging the supremacy of the Lion. The Lion was naturally very enraged and asked to be taken to the location of the other Lion.

The wise rabbit agreed and led the Lion towards a deep well filled with water. Then he showed the Lion his reflection in the water of the well. The Lion was furious and started growling and naturally its image in the water, the other Lion, was also equally angry. Then the Lion jumped into the water to attack the other Lion and kill it but lost its life in the well. Thus the wise rabbit saved the forest and all animals from the mighty Lion. This inspiring story proves that Intelligence always wins over might.