Once upon a time, there lived a cunning wolf in a jungle. One day, while wandering in the forest, he found a dead lamb. While he was eating it, a bone got stuck in his throat. The wolf thought, “I need somebody’s help, or I will die.” He went to the crane and said, “My […]
“So you see,” said Damanaka, “Only if you fool the master will he think that we have served him cleverly.” The jackals, therefore, went to Hefty. Karataka sat under a tree at a distance and Damanaka went up to him and said, “I am the keeper of this forest, sir. That is the General of
The lion decided to get himself a cat, since all the villagers seemed to use cats to catch mice. One day, he brought a cat to catch the mouse. He flattered the cat and requested it to keep an eye on the mouse. The cat was fed plentifully, and the lion talked sweetly to it.
On a high and craggy mountain, there lived a fierce lion. He was very proud of his good looks and his handsome mane. But every day, when he was asleep, a little mouse that lived in a hole in his den, crept out and nibbled his mane. In the morning he found his mane looking
“Did you hear the beast roaring?” asked the worried Lion King. “I did, Sir,” said Damanaka, “Please let me find out what the danger is. Then you will know who your loyal servants are. But, Sir, would you please give something to us so that we may be strong enough to defend you?” The Lion
“So now what do you propose to do?” asked Karataka. “We must find out what has frightened the King,” suggested Damanaka, “even if we have to risk going to him. I will see what his mood is, and then put across some plan to make him pleased with me.” “Be very careful, Damanaka,” warned his
“I agree that this is the Prime Minister’s job, Karataka,” admitted Damanaka after hearing the story, “But we must rise to high positions. We can only do that if we make some effort!” Karataka was not very convinced, so Damanaka gave a lot of arguments to persuade him. “People work to achieve different things, my
There was a huge banyan tree in the jungle, providing shelter to the animals. A sparrow couple lived there. Mrs Sparrow had laid eggs. One afternoon, an evil elephant broke the branch of the tree where the sparrows lived. Their nest fell down and the eggs were broken. The sparrows went to the woodpecker, who
In Banaras, there lived a washerman who had an ass and a dog. The ass was always complaining because he was kept tied to a post, whereas the dog was free to walk around wherever he pleased. One night, when the washerman was fast asleep, a thief crept into the house. The ass was very
Karataka said, “So it is better not to interfere, Damanaka.” “It is for us who serve the king to assist him with the right advice,” said Damanaka. “You know very well that this is a task for the King’s Prime Minister, not us!” argued Karataka. “We should not try to do the work that is
Once upon a time in a town in south Bihar, a man found a clearing on the banks of the Dhurma river and decided to get a temple constructed on it. He gave the task to a man named Shubhadatta. In the afternoon, all the workers of Shubhadatta stopped work to eat their lunch. One
The Lion King was worried as he didn’t know where the sound came from. So, he went to his den and waited. In his court were two very cunning and wicked jackals, Karataka and Damanaka. Damanaka saw the Lion King’s anxiety and wondered why he had returned from the stream without drinking. Karataka was a
Long ago, there lived a prosperous merchant in Swarnapura, a city in south India. He saw people richer than himself and wanted to become more rich. The merchant realised that hard work would make him richer gradually. So he loaded his cart with lots of goods for sale and yoked his two strong bulls, Trusty
Vishnu Sharma, the wise teacher, had told the Princes all about winning friends. The Princes thanked him and asked him if people who were friends remained so always. “No,” explained the Master, “Sometimes you have friends who fall apart or fight and separate. This can happen on one’s own, through a misunderstanding or it can
A monkey lived on a cherry tree by the river. One day, a crocodile asked him, “I am hungry, please give me something to eat.” The monkey gave him cherries. This went on every day and soon, they became good friends. One day the crocodile took some cherries for his wife too. She said, “How