Friar Andres de Urdaneta was born on 30th November 1498 in Villafranca de Oria, Spain, and he died on 3rd June 1568 (aged 70 years), in Mexico City. Friar Andres spent eight adventurous years in the Spice Islands (Moluccas) and then, in 1553, entered the Augustinian order in Mexico City. Philip II of Spain asked […]
Doordarshi reached the court of King Jewel Plume of Jambudweepa with the minister Chakravaka of the kingdom of Karpuradweepa. The wise vulture had already told his King about what to expect and what to do when the representative from Karpuradweepa came. So, King Jewel Plume welcomed Chakravaka and discussed the peace treaty with him and
Once, there lived a strange bird in the forest. He had two heads. One day, the bird found a rare golden fruit by the lake. The left head began eating the fruit, when the right head tweeted, “The fruit looks tempting. Let me have a taste of it too.” The left head tweeted haughtily, “Since
The noble Swan King spoke to Doordarshi politely and asked him what kind of peace he would like to suggest. “I am old, my lord,” said the vulture, “I know that the body and everything in the world will die, so the most important thing is to be friends with noble and good people.” “And
Doordarshi came to the court of Karpuradweepa and was welcomed warmly by the King and by Chakravaka. They began to discuss the purpose of his visit. Doordarshi said that different people had to be attracted in different ways. For instance, a greedy man would only be attracted by wealth. But only the truth attracts a
Abel Janszoon Tasman was born in 1603 in Lutjegast, Netherlands and he died on 10th October 1659 (aged 56 years) in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. Abel is best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 during which he discovered the islands of Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand. On his second voyage,
The King and Chakravaka talked for a long time as they discussed the merits of trusting people or distrusting them. “Noble-minded people,” said the wise minister, “know when and whom to trust. But those who are not sensible swing from one extreme to another. Sometimes they will trust people completely and be fooled by their
In the court of the Swan King, meanwhile, the crane who was a spy had arrived with the news. “My lord,” said the crane to Chakravaka, “Doordarshi, the wise old vulture who is prime minister to the King of Jambudweepa, is coming here to discuss an offer of peace.” King Silver Plume wondered whether there could
“So you see, Sir, it is not sensible to be impatient and act in a hurry,” advised the old vulture, “One should not do things when one is highly emotional or angry, drunk, full of pride or greed or be too attached to anything. Then one will make mistakes.” “So what do you think we
The mongoose was a very faithful pet and he loved the little baby. While he sat guard near the sleeping baby, a snake came into the room. The mongoose saw that he was slithering closer to the baby’s cradle. So, he attacked him immediately and killed him. When the Brahmin returned after performing the rites,
Diego Velazquez de Cuellar was born in 1465 in Cuellar, Spain, and he died in 12th June 1524 (aged 59 years) in Cuba. Diego was involved in the second voyage of Christopher Columbus to America. He also sailed to Cuba to conquer it with Hernan Cortes in 1511 and founded four settlements there including Santiago
A brahmin named Madhav lived in Ujjayini. He had a wife and a little son was born to them. The Brahmin had a pet mongoose whom he also loved very dearly. He had brought him home as a baby and reared him with love and care. One day, his wife went to the river to
King Jewel Plume was furious and exclaimed that he would immediately destroy the enemy. Wise old Doordarshi smiled to himself. He realised that this must be the work of Chakravaka, the clever minister of the Swan King. “Why do you smile, Doordarshi?” asked the King. “For two reasons, Sir,” replied the old vulture, “Firstly it
A poor Brahmin lived in a village. He used to beg for alms and kept it in a pot beside his cot. One day, a rich merchant gave him a pot of cooked rice. He ate a little and kept the rest near his cot. Then, with his eyes on the pot, he fell asleep.
Meghavarna completed the story and smiled, saying, “So you see, Sir, when there is a motive to gain something, you can carry the enemy on your back too. That was why I made friends with the Swan King.” Doordarshi told the King not to get influenced by the stories Meghavarna was telling. “That is all