Mandamati decided to check up how his wife behaved in his absence. So one day, he told her he had work in another city and would return late. But he came back and hid under the bed in his house. When he left, the wife invited her lover home. They sat chatting on the bed, […]
“Sir,” said Long-Bill, narrating this to King Silver Plume, “I tried to tell the parrot that I wasn’t the wicked fellow! But he was not ready to trust me.” The parrot said that people who are wicked often speak very sweetly and then he told a story about a foolish man who trusted his wife’s
All the birds were going on a pilgrimage to the sea-shore to worship the King of Birds, Garuda. A quail decided to go along in the company of a crow. On the way, there was a cowherd walking along with a pot of curds on his head. The crow would swoop down and dip into
Once, a sage lived in a dense forest. He had divine powers by praying to God for many years. One day, a mouse was wandering in the forest for food, when he was attacked by a fox. The mouse ran to the sage to save his life and the fox followed him. The sage transformed
He was a kind-hearted bird, so he looked around to see how he could protect the traveller from the direct heat of the sun’s rays. He tried to hold a leafy twig to provide him with shade, but it was heavy and he couldn’t hold it for long. Besides, the sun was moving along the
Far away on the road to Ujjayini was a large tree on which a heron and a crow lived. One day, a traveller carrying a bow and arrows sat down to rest under the tree on his way to the city. He put down his bow and arrows and was so tired that he soon
King Jewel Plume appointed a parrot to go with Long-Bill to Karpuradweepa as his messenger. But the parrot objected. “Sir, I will go,” said the parrot, “but not with this wicked crane! It is said that bad things will happen even to good people if we accompany an evil person!” The King was not sure
Long-Bill told his King that he challenged the soldiers of Jambudweepa telling them that Silver Plume was the greatest King in the world. The angry soldiers took him to their King Jewel Plume and presented him as a wicked crane who was criticising their country and king. Long-Bill said he was from Karpuradweepa. A vulture
“Lord Moon is very angry, sir,” said the Old Hare. You have entered his lake and killed the hares. They are the guardians of his lake.” This worried King Elephant, who replied, “It was done by mistake, sir. We are very sorry, but we only wanted to drink water and crushed the hares without intending
The hares were in panic. They called a meeting and wondered how to deal with the herd of elephants. Finally an old hare said, “You leave it to me. Let me think. I’ll find some way to solve our problem.” The hares were puzzled how the Old One was going to find a solution. But
Two swans and a talkative turtle lived in a lake. They were close friends. In the summer, when the lake began to dry up, the swans decided to move to another lake. But the turtle could not fly. So he asked the swans to find a strong wooden stick. He said, “You hold the stick
Long ago in a forest, there lived a herd of elephants. They had a lake where they would regularly drink and bathe. During one rainy season, however, there was very little rain. So, their lake became dry. The elephants needed a lot of water. Soon, they became desperate. So, they went to their king and
Long-Bill heard the King’s story but said, “I told them, Sir, that you will also become petty like a petty master if you serve him!” They asked the crane, “What do you mean?” “Haven’t you ever looked into trick mirrors? In them, a fat man will appear thin and a giant will look like a
A jackal lived in a cave deep in the forest. Every morning, he would go out looking for food and would return in the evening. One day, an old lion hid in the cave. He thought, ‘Some animal lives here and is sure to return. I will eat him up.’ In the evening, when the
A crow was flying in search of water on a hot summer afternoon. He couldn’t find a single drop. Thirsty and tired, the crow sat on the branch of a banyan tree. Suddenly, he saw a pitcher on the other side of the tree. Delighted, the crow flew to the pitcher and saw there was