The Four Wives

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4^th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best. HE also loved the 3^rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He also, loved his 2^nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant’s confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2^nd wife and she would always help him out through difficult times.

The merchant’s first wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!”

Thus, he asked the 4^th  wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“No way!” replied the 4^th wife and she walked away without another word. The merchant felt very sad. He then asked 3^rd wife, “I have loved you so much of all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No” replied the 3^rd wife. The merchant’s heart sand and turned cold.

He then asked the 2^nd wife, “I have always turned to you for help and you have always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“I am sorry, I can’t help you out this time” replied the 2^nd wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out, “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition.  Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!” The merchant realized  that true love has nothing to do with the looks and beauty.

The End

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

A man and his son were once going with their donkey to market. As they were walking along by his side a countryman passed them and said, "You fools, what is a donkey for but to ride upon?" So the man put the boy on the donkey, and they went on their way.

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But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said, "See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides."

So the man ordered his boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other, "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along."

Well, the man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his boy up before him on the donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passersby began to jeer and point at them. The man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at.

The men said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey of yours -- you and your hulking son?"

The man and boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, until at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. 

They went along amid the laughter of all who met them until they came to a bridge, when the donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the donkey fell over the bridge, and his forefeet being tied together, he was drowned. All three of them fell into the water under the bridge.

After some time, the three swam back to safety, wet and tired. "We should have known better than to try and please other people," said the mad sadly. The man had indeed learnt a good lesson.

If you try to please everyone at the same time, you will end up pleasing no one.

Being Honest - Honesty is the Best Policy

Rohit was playing with his sister.

Suddenly, his foot slipped and he fell on the table.

The flower vase on the table fell down. It broke into many pieces.

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Rohit’s sister started crying. Hearing the cry, mother came. When she saw the broken flower vase, she was very angry. She asked, “Who broke the flower vase?”

Rohit said, “Mom I broke the flower vase by mistake. I am really very sorry. Please forgive me.”

Mother looked at Rohit and said, “You are an honest boy. I forgive you. But be careful in the future.

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Moral: Honesty is the best policy.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

One summer’s day a Grasshopper was hoping about, chirping and singing merrily. An ant passed by, carrying an ear of corn to the nest. The grasshopper said, “Why not come and chat with me”. The ant refused and said, “I am helping to lay up food for the winter and you should also do the same.”

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The grasshopper said, “Why should I bother about the winters? We have got plenty of food at present. “But the Ant went on it way and continued to gather food. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found himself dying out of hunger, while it saw the ants enjoying the corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper went to the ant and asked for food. The ant refused and said, “You should have worked and gathered food in summer, rather that just sitting and singing.”

Moral: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

The Rich Man and the Old Woman

Once upon a time, there lived a rich farmer in a village. He was a very kind man. He was always ready to help the poor and the needy. Often he gave money to make wells, parks and schools in the village.

One day, as he was coming home, he saw an old woman lying under a tree. He went to her and asked, “Old woman! Why are you lying near the tree? It is dark. Go to your home.”

The old woman was very hungry and had high fever. She could not speak.

The man took pity on her and asked his servants to take the woman to his house. There, he gave her food and water. She told him that she was poor and had no home. Later, he told her to take care of his garden and gave her a room to live in his house.

Days passed by. The old woman took very good care of the garden. She also planted many useful herbs in the garden. One day, when the rich man’s son was playing in the field a snake bit him. No one knew what to do. On hearing this the old woman immediately went to the garden and picked up some herbs. She made a paste and gave it to the boy.

After some time, the boy was fine. The man was very happy.

He told the old woman, “Thanks a lot for saving my son’s life. I can never repay your help.

The old woman smiled and said, “Son! Once when I was dying, you also saved my life. It was my duty to save your son.”

Moral: Be kind to everyone

God is Great

One evening, King Bhoja and Kalidasa were walking along the banks of a river. There were many orchards [fruit gardens] near the river.

King Bhoja and Kalidasa entered one of the orchards to get some fruits.

On entering the orchard, King Bhoja looked around. There were creepers which bore fruits like watermelon and muskmelons on them. These creepers had thin delicate stems lying on the ground.

Also, there were many big trees bearing many tiny red fruits.

King Bhoja looked at the fruits and said, “This is odd. Why do the weak creepers have such big fruits while the big tree has such small fruits? Why has God made these plants like this? I think big fruits should grow on big trees and small fruits should grow on thin stems! What do you think Kalidasa?”

“Your majesty! God has created this Earth and every being on this with some thought. You would soon understand the reason for this,” replied Kalidasa.

Soon, they saw a man sleeping under the big tree, which had red fruits. Suddenly, a strong wind blew. One of tiny fruits fell on the head of the man. He woke up immediately. King Bhoja and Kalidasa saw this.

“Your majesty! Did you see that?” said Kalidasa. “The man was sleeping under the big tree because there is shade. When the wind blew, the fruit of the tree, fell on him. What would have happened if there were watermelons instead of small red fruits on the tree?”

The king started laughing and understood the reason behind God’s creation.

Everything is right in its own place.

Nature is God's gift to us. We should be thankful to God for giving us so many things.

Gandhiji and the Three Monkeys

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of Nation, believed in simple living and high thinking. He used to live with a very few things. Some of the things which he always kept with him were – tin cup and spoon, a pair of sandals, his glasses and … a set of “no evil monkeys”. 

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Gandhiji was the leader of the freedom movement of India. Many people from all over the world used to visit him. He would often advise them about something or the other.

One day, a group of visitors came from Japan. “Gandhiji, we have brought you a small gift,” they said. “It is no bigger than a child’s toys, but it is famous in our country. “To Gandhiji’s delight, it was a set of three monkeys.

Gandhiji asked them, “What do these three monkeys tell us?”

One of the visitors said, “Gandhiji! The first monkey has its mouth covered with its hands. It shows ‘speak no evil’.”

Another visitor then spoke, “The second monkey has its eyes covered with its hands. It shows ‘see no evil’.”

“The third monkey has its ears covered with its hands. It shows ‘hear no evil’.”

Gandhiji was very happy to learn about the three monkeys. He himself believed in truth and non-violence. He said, “These monkeys are indeed one of the most valuable gifts I have ever received. They actually teach us the truth of life.” 

From that day, Gandhiji kept the monkeys always with him. In one of the meetings, he pointed out at the monkeys and said, “Each of these monkeys tells us how to live our life properly. The first monkey tells us not to say anything harsh. Never say anything bad to hurt your fellow beings. The second monkey tells never to look for faults in others. And the third monkey tells us never to hear any evil.

Speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil.

Choose Your Words Wisely

Once upon a time, an old man spread rumours that his neighbour was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After being released, the man felt humiliated as he walked to his home. He sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.

In court, the old man told the Judge, “They were just comments, didn’t harm anyone.” The judge before passing sentence on the case, told the old man, “Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.”

The next day, the judge told the old man, “Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.” The old man said, “ I can’t do that, the wind must have spread them and I wont know where to find them.”

The judge then replied, “the same way, simple comments may destroy the honour of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. The old man realised his mistake and asked for forgiveness.”

Moral: Do not  blame anyone without knowing the fact or truth. Your words may ruin someone’s reputation without any fault of theirs.

The Wise Judge

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

One lady said, “Oh king! I am the baby’s mother”.

The other lady said, “Oh King! Do not believe her, She is not the mother. I am the mother of the child.”

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

Moral: Truth Always Triumphs.

The Foolish Donkey

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

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

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

Moral: Luck won’t favour always.

The Farmer And His Sons

The Farmer And His Sons

The Farmer And His Sons

A farmer had five sons. They were strong and hardworking.

But they always quarreled with one another. Sometimes, they even fought. The farmer wanted his sons to stop quarreling and fighting. He wanted them to live in peace.

Plain words of advice or scolding did not have much effect on these young people.

The farmer always thought what to do to keep his sons united. One day he found an answer to the problem. So he called all his sons together. He showed them a bundle of sticks and said, “I want any of you to break these sticks without separating them from the bundle.”

Each of the five sons tried one by one. They used their full strength and skill. But non of them could break the sticks. Then the old man separated the sticks and gave each of them just a single stick to break. They broke the sticks easily.

The farmer said, “ A single stick by itself is weak. It is strong as long as it is tied up in a bundle. Likewise, you will be strong if you are united. You will be weak if you are divided.”

Moral: United we stand, Divided we fall