The cowherd went back to sleep after punishing the woman he thought was his wife. His own wife later returned and set the barber’s wife free. In the morning, the cowherd came to see his wife. He was stunned to see that her nose was intact! ‘She must be a saint!’ he thought, ‘I should […]
One day, Kandarpaketu stayed in a cowherd’s house. He heard his wife talking to the barber’s wife who was not a good woman. The cowherd had told his wife to keep away from the barber’s wife. So when he heard her talking to the barber’s wife, he was very angry. He scolded his wife and
Once, a group of rats lived in a grocery shop. They would eat whatever they saw. The grocer was unhappy that the rats were creating havoc in the store every day. One day, he brought a cat to his shop. The cat began to kill the rats one by one. The rats were scared of
They had been very happy together for a long time. Ratnamanjari had a painting in her chamber of a Vidyadhari female named Suvarnarekha. When she married Kandarpaketu, she warned him never to touch that picture. In the beginning, he followed her instruction. But gradually, his curiosity to find out what would happen if he touched
Kanchanpura was ruled by a just king named Viravikrama. One day, his soldiers were taking a barber to the court whom they had arrested. A mendicant saw them and stopped the soldiers, saying, “Don’t punish him, sir! Only those who knowingly do wrong things should be punished.” The soldiers took him also along to the
One day, the king’s brother came to visit. The King asked for a feast for Brother Lion. Once again, the King found that a deer that had been available had been eaten by the jackals. Brother Lion advised the King to place the stores in the charge of Hefty, rather than the jackals. Hefty did
“Sir, we have brought you the bull!” said Damanaka. The King spent a lot of time talking to Hefty and gradually realised how wise the bull was. One day, Hefty asked him what became of the deer he had killed earlier in the day. “The jackals will know about it,” said the King. Hefty asked
A woman named Karala lived in the town. She was clever and did not accept things blindly. She always wished to know the truth and only then she believed something. So, she went to the king and offered to find out the truth, if she was rewarded suitably. The King ordered that she would be
A thief once came into the city of Brahmapura and stole a bell. He was running away into the surrounding Sriparvata hills when he was killed by a tiger. The bell lay in the forest on the mountainside. Some days later, a troop of monkeys found the bell. They enjoyed themselves playing with it. Jumping
Damanaka was not going to tell the King straightaway that it was only a bull bellowing in the forest. He planned first to create a mystery so that when he finally led Hefty to him, the King might feel very grateful to the jackals for having found out the truth. He told the King that
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