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Two Frogs
Fear
Filling a Sieve With Water
The Wise Old Man
The Stone in the Desert
Be Wary of Advice
The Miserly Beggar
Crooked Howler
Moment of Truth
The Boy who cried Wolf
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Ant and the Dove
The Monkey and the Dolphin
The Fox and the Stork
The Wolf and the Lamb
The Fox and the Grapes
The Thirsty Crow
The Milkmaid
Two Frogs
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
Moral :
Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
Fear
There was a lion who feared nothing except the crowing of cocks. A chill would go down his spine whenever he heard a cock crowing. One day he confessed his fear to the elephant, who was greatly amused. “How can the crowing of a cock hurt you?” he asked the lion. “Think about it!” Just then a mosquito began circling the elephant’s head, frightening him out of his wits. “If it gets into my ear I’m doomed!” he shrieked, flailing at the insect with his trunk. Now it was the lion’s turn to feel amused.
Moral :
If we could see our fears as others see them we would realise that most of our
fears make no sense!
Filling a Sieve With Water
The Teacher had given a discourse on creative thinking. Afterwards his disciples approached him and asked him to set them a problem that required them to think creatively. The sage gave them a sieve and asked them to fill it with water at the sea, nearby. They were gone for a long time. Finally he went down to the beach to see what they were doing, and found them seated morosely around the sieve. They scrambled to their feet when they saw him. “You’ve set us an impossible task, sir,” said the oldest of the disciples. “It’s just not possible to fill a sieve with water.” “Are you sure?” asked the Teacher, picking up the sieve. “Sometimes it helps to step back and view the problem from a different angle.” He waded into the water and threw the sieve far out into the sea. It sank. “There!” said the Teacher. “It’s full of water now.”
The Wise Old Man
A wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits. The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there. The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all. "Now pull out that one," said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out. "Now take this one out," said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge.m "I – It's impossible," said the boy, panting with the effort. "So it is with bad habits," said the sage. "When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted." The session with the old man changed the boy's life.
The Stone in the Desert
An Arab while crossing a desert came across a huge rock half buried in the sand. Scrawled on the boulder was this inscription:
TURN ME OVER AND YOU WILL BENEFIT FROM IT
The Arab felt sure there was a great treasure hidden beneath it and worked mightily to turn it over. He succeeded after several hours. But there was no treasure there, only an inscription on the underside of the rock.
Moral :
Greed is the root of all evil. Remember this and you will be a better man.
Be Wary of Advice
There was a withered tree standing in the corner of a man's backyard. "It's unlucky to keep a withered tree," said his neighbour. "Cut it down before something unpleasant happens." The man cut down the tree. His neighbour came with his two sons and asked for and dragged away the branches for fuel. "All he wanted was the wood," thought the owner of the tree, ruefully. "Cutting down the tree may not improve my luck, but it has certainly benefited him."
The Miserly Beggar
The king was to pass by a beggar's hut and the man was beside himself with excitement, not because he was about to see the king but because the king was known to part with expensive jewels and huge sums of money when moved by compassion. He saw the king's chariot just as a kindly man was filling his begging bowl with uncooked rice. Pushing the man aside, he ran into the street, shouting praises of the king and the royal family. The chariot stopped and the king beckoned to the beggar. "Who are you?" he asked. "One of the most unfortunate of your subjects," said the beggar. "Poverty sits on my doorstep and follows me about like a dog. I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon!" "Have you nothing for your king except a tale of woe?" said the ruler, putting out his hand. "Give me something." The beggar, astonished, carefully picked up 5 grains of rice from his bowl and laid them on the king's outstretched palm. The king drove away. The beggar's disappointment was great. He raved and ranted and cursed the king again and again for his miserliness. Finally, his anger spent, he went on his rounds. When he returned home in the evening he found a bag of rice on the floor. "Some generous soul has been here," he thought and took out a handful of rice from the bag. To his astonishment there was a small piece of gold in it. He realised then that the bag had been sent by the king. He emptied the rice on the floor, feeling sure there would be more gold pieces in it, and he was right. He found 5, one for each grain of rice he had given the king. "It is not the king who has been miserly," thought the man, sadly. "If I had been generous and given him the whole bowl of rice, I would have been a rich man today."
Crooked Howler
A thief hired a room at an inn and stayed there at night. The next morning when he looked out of his window he saw the owner of the inn sitting in the courtyard. The man was wearing an expensive new coat which the thief decided would look good on himself. Accordingly he went out and sitting beside the innkeeper, struck up a conversation with him. Presently he yawned and then to the innkeeper's astonishment, howled like a wolf. "Why did you do that?" asked the innkeeper. "I have no control over it," said the thief. "If I yawn three times I actually turn into a wolf. Please don't leave me. I'm frightened!" And with that he yawned again and let out another howl. The innkeeper turned pale and got up to go but the thief caught hold of his coat and begged him to stay. Even as he pleaded, he yawned again. The terrified innkeeper wriggled out of the coat to which the thief was tightly holding on and ran into the inn and locked himself in. The thief calmly put on the coat and walked away.
Moral :
Don't believe every tale you hear.
Moment of Truth
There was a young student-archer who reached such proficiency in his art that he could shoot an arrow into a tree and then cleave that arrow into two with the next shot. He began to boast that he was a greater archer than his guru. One day his guru, a venerable old man in his 70's, asked the youth to accompany him on a trip across the hills. The journey was uneventful until they came to a deep chasm. A single log spanned the chasm. The guru walked down to the centre of the log, unshouldered his bow and taking an arrow shot it into a tree on the other side. His next shot cleaved the first arrow into two. "Now it's your turn," he said, walking back to where his student was standing. The youth stepped gingerly on the log and very slowly and carefully made his way to the middle. But his heart was in his mouth. He knew that if he lost his footing, he would plunge to his death. His hands trembled as he strung an arrow into his bow. Preoccupied with the danger he was in, he found it hard to focus on the target. Consequently when he let go of the arrow, it missed the tree altogether. Whimpering, he turned around. "Help me!" he shouted to his guru. "I'll fall!" The old man walked up to him, took his hand and stepping backwards led him to safety. Neither of them said a word on the return journey but the boy had much to think about. He had realised that to be a master of his art it was not enough to know how to control the bow, he had to learn how to control his mind too.
The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf'
Once there was a shepherd boy who had to look after a flock of sheep. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the villagers. He shouted," Help! Wolf! Wolf!" The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help the shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked, " Where is the wolf?" The shepherd boy laughed loudly, "Ha, ha, ha! I fooled all of you. I was only playing a trick on you." A few days later, the shepherd boy played this trick again. Again he cried," Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!" Again, the villagers rushed up the hill to help him and again they found that boy had tricked them. They were very angry with him for being so naughty. Then, some time later, a wolf went into the field. The wolf attacked one sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd boy ran towards the village shouting," Help! Help! Wolf! Help!, somebody!" The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they thought it was another trick. The boy ran to the nearest villager and said, " A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied before, but this time it is true!" Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.
Moral :
We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even when he tells the truth.
The Hare And The Tortoise
A tortoise one day met a hare who made fun of her. "My, my, you move so slowly, you will never get far!" The tortoise, upset by the hare's manner, said, "Let's have a race and see who is faster." The hare laughed and said, "You must be joking! But all right, we'll see who reaches the other side of the hill first." Off he ran, leaving the tortoise far behind. After a while, the hare stopped to wait for the tortoise to come long. He waited and waited till he felt sleepy. " I might as well take a nap," he thought. " Even if she catches up with me, I can easily win the race." So he lay down under a shady tree and closed his eyes. When the tortoise passed the sleeping hare, she walked on slowly but steadily. By the time the hare woke up, the tortoise was near the finishing line. He ran as fast as he could, but he could not catch up with the tortoise.
Moral :
Slow and steady can win the race.
The Ant And The Dove
One hot day, an ant was searching for some water. After walking around for some time, she came to a spring. To reach the spring, she had to climb up a blade of grass. While making her way up, she slipped and fell into the water. She could have drowned if a dove up a nearby tree had not seen her. Seeing that the ant was in trouble, the dove quickly plucked off a leaf and dropped it into the water near the struggling ant. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up there. Soon it carried her safely to dry ground. Just at that time, a hunter nearby was throwing out his net towards the dove, hoping to trap it. Guessing what he was about to do, the ant quickly bit him on the heel. Feeling the pain, the hunter dropped his net. The dove was quick to fly away to safety.
Moral :
One good turn deserves another.
The Monkey And The Dolphin
One day long ago, some sailors set out to sea in their sailing ship. One of them brought his pet monkey along for the long journey. When they were far out at sea, a terrible storm overturned their ship. Everyone fell into the sea, and the monkey was sure that he would drown. Suddenly a dolphin appeared and picked him up. They soon reached and island and the monkey came down from the dolphin's back. The dolphin asked the monkey, " Do you know this place?" The monkey replied, "Yes, I do. In fact, the king of the island is my best friend. Do you know that I am actually a prince?" Knowing that no one lived on the island, the dolphin said, "Well, well, so you are a prince! Now you can be a king!" The monkey asked, "How can I be a king?" As the dolphin started swimming away, he answered, "That is easy. As you are the only creature on this island, you will naturally be the king!".
Moral :
Those who lie and boast may end up in trouble.
The Fox And The Stork
A selfish fox once invited a stork to dinner at his home in a hollow tree. That evening, the stork flew to the fox's home and knocked on the door with her long beak. The fox opened the door and said, " Please come in and share my food." The stork was invited to sit down at the table. She was very hungry and the food smelled delicious! The fox served soup in shallow bowls and he licked up all his soup very quickly. However, the stork could not have any of it as the bowl was too shallow for her long beak. The poor stork just smiled politely and stayed hungry. The selfish fox asked, "Stork, why haven't you taken your soup? Don't you like it?" The stork replied," It was very kind of you to invite me for dinner. Tomorrow evening, please join me for dinner at my home." The next day, when the fox arrived at the stork's home, he saw that they were also having soup for dinner. This time the soup was served in tall jugs. The stork drank the soup easily but the fox could not reach inside the tall jug. This time it was his turn to go hungry.
Moral :
A selfish act can backfire on you.
The Wolf And The Lamb
A lamb was grazing with a flock of sheep one day. She soon found some sweet grass at the edge of the field. Farther and farther she went, away from the others. She was enjoying herself so much that she did not notice a wolf coming nearer to her. However, when it pounced on her, she was quick to start pleading, "Please, please don't eat me yet. My stomach is full of grass. If you wait a while, I will taste much better." The wolf thought that was a good idea, so he sat down and waited. After a while, the lamb said, " If you allow me to dance, the grass in my stomach will be digested faster." Again the wolf agreed. While the lamb was dancing, she had a new idea. She said, " Please take the bell from around my neck. If you ring it as hard as you can, I will be able to dance even faster." The wolf took the bell and rang it as hard as he could. The shepherd heard the bell ringing and quickly sent his dogs to find the missing lamb. The barking dogs frightened the wolf away and saved the lamb's life.
Moral :
The gentle and weak can sometimes be more clever than fierce and strong.
The Fox And The Grapes
It was a sunny day and fox was walking across the fields. Soon he came to a vineyard. As he came nearer, he could see some bunches of juicy grapes. The fox looked carefully around him. He had to make sure that he was safe from the hunters. He decided to steal some before anyone came along. He jumped upwards but he could not reach the grapes. He jumped again as high as he could. He still could not reach them. The grapes were just too high for him! He was not ready to give up. He backed off, took some running steps and leapt into the air towards the grapes. Again he failed to reach them. It was getting dark, and he was getting angry. His legs hurt with all that running and jumping. At last he stopped trying. As he walked away, he said to himself," I don't really want those grapes. I'm sure they are too sour to eat."
Moral :
Sometimes when we cannot get what we want, we pretend that it is not
worth having.
The Thirsty Crow
One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up hope. Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if there was any water inside. Yes, she could see some water inside the jug! The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug down for the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too heavy. The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she saw some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea. She started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug. As more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked!
Moral :
If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem.
The Milkmaid
A milkmaid was on her way to the market to sell some milk from her cow. As she carried the large jug of milk on top of her head, she began to dream of all the things she could do after selling the milk. "With that money, I'll buy a hundred chicks to rear in my backyard. When they are fully grown. I can sell them at a good price at the market." As she walked on, she continued dreaming," Then I'll buy two young goats and rear them on the grass close by. When they are fully grown, I can sell them at an even better price!" Still dreaming, she said to herself, "Soon, I'll be able to buy another cow, and I will have more milk to sell. Then I shall have even more money..." With these happy thoughts, she began to skip and jump. Suddenly she tripped and fell. The jug broke and all the milk spilt onto the ground. No more dreaming now, she sat down and cried.
Moral :
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
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