केनियाचा जगप्रसिद्ध धावपटु अबेल मुताई ॲालेम्पिक स्पर्धेत शेवटच्या राउंड मधे धावतांना अंतिम रेषेपासुन फक्त काही मीटर दूर होता त्याचे सर्व प्रतिस्पर्धी मागे होते, अबेलने सुवर्ण पदक जिंकल्यातच जमा होते, सर्व प्रेक्षक त्याच्या नावांचा जल्लोष करीत होते, तेवढ्यातच तो गैरसमजातून अंतिम रेषा समजून अंतिम रेषेच्या एक मीटर आधीच थांबला.
त्याच्या मागुन येणाऱ्या स्पेनच्या इव्हान फर्नांडीसच्या लक्षात आले की अंतिम चिन्ह न समजल्यामुळे तो अंतिम रेषेच्या आधीच थांबला आहे.
त्याने ओरडुन अबेलला पुढे जाण्यास सांगितले पण स्पॅनिश समजत नसल्याने तो हलला नाही शेवटी इव्हानने त्याला ढकलुन अंतिम रेषेपर्यंत पोचविले, त्यामुळे अबेल पहिला व इव्हान दुसरा आला.
पत्रकारांनी इव्हानला विचारले, "तू असे का केलेस? तुला संधी असतांना तू पहिला क्रमांक का घालवलास ?"
इव्हान ने सांगितले, "माझे स्वप्न आहे की एक दिवस आम्ही अशी मानव जात बनू जी एकमेकांना मदत करेल. आणि मी पहिला क्रमांक घालविला नाही."
रिपोर्टर पुन्हा म्हणाला, "पण तू केनियन स्पर्धकाला ढकलुन पुढे आणलेस ?"
यांवर इव्हान म्हणाला, "तो पहिला आलेलाच होता ही रेस त्याचीच होती !"
पण रिपोर्टर पुन्हा म्हणाला, "पण तू सुवर्ण पदक जिंकू शकला असतास !"
"त्या जिंकण्याला काय अर्थ होता ? माझ्या मेडलला मान मिळाला असतां ? माझी आई काय म्हणाली असती ? संस्कार हे पिढी दर पिढी पुढे पुढे जात असतात. मी पुढच्या पिढ्यांना काय दिले असते ?"
"दुसऱ्यांच्या दुर्बलतेचा किंवा अज्ञानाचा फायदा न घेता त्यांना मदत करण्याची शिकवण माझ्या आईनी मला दिली आहे."
Once upon a time, there lived a farmer in a village, beside a forest. He had a big garden that had an old apple tree and other plants, trees and beautiful flowers. When the farmer was a little boy, he spent much of his time playing with the apple tree. Those days, the apple tree had given the choicest of apples to him. However, as time passed, the apple tree became old and stopped bearing fruits.
Now that the farmer was not getting any apples from the tree, he decided that the tree was useless. Therefore, he decided to cut the tree and use its wood to make some new furniture. He felt that since the tree was old and huge, he did not have to cure it, and it would make great furniture. He forgot that as a boy, he had spent his entire childhood climbing the tree and eating its apples.
Now the apple tree was home to several little animals in the neighborhood. This included squirrels, sparrows and a huge variety of birds and insects. When the farmer took his axe and began chopping the tree, all the little animals came rushing down.
They all began to plead with the farmer. They gathered round the farmer and said, "Please don't cut the tree. We used to play with you when you were small, under this very tree. This is our home and we have no other place to go".
The farmer was adamant. He raised his axe and the commotion grew.
"Please don't chop and destroy my home and kids," cried the squirrel.
"Please don't chop and destroy my nest," cried the little birds.
"Please don't cut the apple tree," cried the grasshopper.
The farmer, however, forgot his childhood and his animal friends. He began to chop the tree harder. All the little animals became desperate, and wanted to protect the apple tree at any cost.
The little animals said, "We will sing for you when you are toiling away in the fields. We will look after your little boy. He will not cry, but instead will be entertained and happy. You will like our songs and will not feel tired."
However, their cries for help fell on deaf ears. Despite all their requests, the farmer continued to chop down the tree.
All of a sudden, he noticed something shiny. On inspecting it, he realized that it was a beehive, full of honey. He took a little and put it in his mouth. The taste of the honey woke up the little boy in him. Suddenly, the memories of his childhood came rushing back. The honey tasted so good that he wanted more. It brought a sense of happiness to him. He smiled and exclaimed, "This tastes amazing."
Realizing the change in the farmer's attitude, the little animals spoke in unison: The bee said, "I will always provide you with sweet honey." The squirrel said, "I will share any amount of nuts that you want." The birds cried, "We will sing as many songs as you want."
Finally, the farmer realized his folly, and put down his axe. He understood that the tree was home to many lovely animals that provided him with so many things. He wanted his little boy to have the childhood that he had.
The farmer realized that the apple tree was not that fruitless. The little boy in him saved the apple tree.
He threw away the axe and said to the little creatures, "I promise that I would never cut this tree. I have realized my mistake and you all can now live in peace and harmony."
The little creatures thanked the bee profusely. If the farmer had not found the beehive, they would have been homeless by now. They continued living happily in the old apple tree.
Moral: Each and every living thing in nature is of some use: we should not destroy any living thing.
Gold Coins and a Selfish Man:
Sam was a greedy and selfish man. He always desired to have lots and lots of money and never hesitated to cheat others to make money. Also, he never wished to share anything with others. He paid very low wages to his servants.
However, one day, he learned a lesson that changed his life forever.
It so happened that one day, a small bag that belonged to Sam was missing. The bag had 50 gold coins in it. Sam searched high and low for the bag, but could not find it. Sam's friends and neighbours also joined in the search, but all their efforts were in vain.
After a couple of days, the ten year old daughter of a man working for Sam found the bag. She told her father about it. Her father identified the bag as the one that was missing, and immediately decided to take it to his master.
He gave the bag back to his master Sam, and asked him to check whether the bag had 50 gold coins. Sam was exultant to get the coins back, but he decided to play a trick. He shouted at his worker, "there were 75 gold coins in this bag but you gave me only 50! Where are the other coins? You have stolen them!"
The worker was shocked to hear this and pleaded his innocence. Selfish and greedy, Sam did not accept the worker's story, and decided to take the issue to court.
The judge heard both the sides. He questioned the daughter and the worker about the number of coins they had found in the bag, and they assured it was only 50.
He cross-examined Sam and Sam replied, "Yes my lord, I had 75 gold coins in my bag, and they gave me only 50. Hence, it is quite obvious that they have stolen 25 coins!"
The judge then asked, "Are you sure that your bag had 75 coins?"
Sam nodded vigorously.
The judge then made his judgment.
"Since Sam lost a bag of 75 gold coins and the bag found by the girl had only 50 coins, it is obvious that the bag that was found does not belong to Sam. It was lost by someone else. If anyone finds a bag of 75 gold coins, I will declare that it belongs to Sam. As there are no complaints about the loss of 50 coins, I order the girl and his father to take those 50 coins as a token of appreciation for their honesty!"
Honesty will always be rewarded and greed punished!
Money Can't Buy Everything:
Nick was a 10 year old boy. He was the only son to his parents. Nick's father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick yearned for his father's attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did.
One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening.
"Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home," Nick said.
"Yes son, my meeting was cancelled. So I'm at home. But after two hours I have to catch a flight," his father replied.
"When will you be back?"
"Tomorrow noon."
Nick was in deep thought for a while. Then he asked, "Dad, how much do you earn in a year?"
Nick's father was taken aback. He said, "My dear son, it's a very big amount and you won't be able to understand it."
"Ok dad, are you happy with the amount you earn?"
"Yes my dear. I'm very happy, and in fact I'm planning to launch our new branch and a new business in a few months. Isn't that great?"
"Yes, dad. I'm happy to hear that. Can I ask you one more question?"
"Yes, dear."
"Dad, can you tell me how much you earn in a day or even half a day?"
"Nick, why are you asking this question?" Nick's father was perplexed.
But Nick was persistent. "Please answer me. Can you please tell me how much you earn in an hour?"
Nick's father gave in and replied, "It will be around $ 25/- per hour."
Nick ran to his room upstairs, and came down with his piggy bank that contained his savings.
"Dad, I have $50 in my piggy bank. Can you spare two hours for me? I want to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow evening. Can you please mark this in your schedule?"
Nick's father was speechless!
The greatest gift a parent can give his child is time. Money can't buy everything!
True Wealth:
Once upon a time, there lived a very rich and wealthy man in a big town. He led a luxurious life. He always boasted about his wealth to his friends and relatives.
His son was studying in a distant city and he returned home for vacation. The rich man wanted to show off to his son how rich he was. But his son wasn't fond of any luxurious lifestyle. However, the rich man wanted to make his son realize that his lifestyle was extremely rich and that poor people suffered a lot. He planned a day's visit to the entire town to show him the life of the poor people.
The father and the son took a chariot and visited the entire town. They returned home after two days. The father was happy that his son was very quiet after seeing the poor people honouring the rich man and after witnessing the sufferings of the poor due to lack of facilities.
The rich man asked his son, "Dear boy, how was the trip? Have you enjoyed it?"
"Yes my dad, it was a great trip with you," the son replied.
"So, what did you learn from the trip?" the father asked.
The son was silent.
"Finally you have realized how the poor suffer and how they actually live," said the father.
"No father," replied the son. He added, "We have only two dogs, they have 10 dogs. We have a big pool in our garden, but they have a massive bay without any end! We have luxurious and expensive lights imported from various countries, but they have countless stars lighting their nights. We have a house on a small piece of land, but they have abundant fields that go beyond the horizon. We are protected by huge and strong walls around our property, but they bond with each other and surround themselves with their fellow beings. We have to buy food from them, but they are so rich that they can cultivate their own food."
The rich father was stunned and speechless, on hearing his son's words.
Finally the son added, "Dad, thank you so much for showing me who is rich and who is poor. Thank you for letting me understand how poor we really are!"
True wealth is not measured by money and property! True wealth is created in good friendships and compassionate relationships.
Cocoon and the Butterfly:
Many of us know that a beautiful and colourful butterfly comes from an unappealing worm! Here is the story of a butterfly that was never able to live its life as a normal butterfly.
One day, a man saw a cocoon. He loved butterflies and had a craze for its wonderful combination of colours. In fact, he used to spend a lot of time around butterflies. He knew how a butterfly would struggle to transform from an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful one.
He saw the cocoon with a tiny opening. It meant that the butterfly was trying to make its way out to enjoy the world. He decided to watch how the butterfly would come out of the cocoon. He was watching the butterfly struggling to break the shell for several hours. He spent almost more than 10 hours with the cocoon and the butterfly. The butterfly had been struggling very hard for hours to come out through the tiny opening. Unfortunately, even after continuous attempts for several hours, there was no progress. It seemed that the butterfly had tried its best and could not give any more try.
The man, who had a passion and love for butterflies, decided to help the butterfly. He got a pair of scissors and tweaked the cocoon to make larger opening for the butterfly and removed the remaining cocoon. The butterfly emerged without any struggle!
Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and had a swollen body with small and withered wings.
The man was happy that he had made the butterfly come out of the cocoon without any more struggles. He continued to watch the butterfly and was quite eager to see it fly with its beautiful wings. He thought that at any time, the butterfly might expand its wings, shrink the body and the wings could support the body. Unfortunately, neither did the wings expand nor the swollen body reduce.
Unfortunately, the butterfly just crawled around with withered wings and a huge body. It was never able to fly. Although the man did it with a good intention, he did not know that only by going through struggles the butterfly can emerge to be beautiful, with strong wings.
The continuous effort from the butterfly to come out of its cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body be converted into wings. Thus, the body would become lighter and smaller, and the wings would be beautiful and large.
If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't be able to fly!
Struggles make us shine!
The value of a copper coin:
Mahatma Gandhi, honoured as the father of India, was a very special person. The following story illustrates one of the reasons for him to be called 'Mahatma' (great soul).
Once, Gandhi was on an expedition to collect funds from various cities and villages for an organization to help the poor. He went to several places and finally reached Orissa. He organized a meeting in Orissa.
There, he gave a speech to the public, requesting them to give him funds for the organization. At the end of his speech, a very old woman with bent back, tattered clothing, white hair, and shrunken skin got up. She requested the volunteers to allow her to reach Gandhi. However, the volunteers stopped her. She did not give up. She fought with them and reached Gandhi.
She touched the feet of Gandhi. Then she took out a copper coin kept in the folds of her saree and placed it at his feet. Then the old lady left the stage.
Gandhi very carefully took the coin. The treasurer of the organization for the poor asked Gandhi for the copper coin, but he refused to give it.
"I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees," said the treasurer. "Yet you won't trust me with a copper coin!"
Gandhi said, "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands. If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much."
Yes, the coin might have been the only thing that the poor old woman possessed. She did not even have proper clothes and could not afford good food. Still she gave everything she had. That is why Gandhi regarded the coin as very precious.
Offering help when we have nothing or very little makes it more valuable.
Sand and Stone:
John and James were best friends. They fought for many reasons, but never gave up their friendship. They went in search of a job and visited many places to earn some money. They passed through various places, villages, towns, forests, and beaches. They supported each other throughout their journey.
One day, they reached a desert. They had a very little food and water. John said that they should save the food and water for later use. However, James disagreed. He wanted to drink water, as he was very thirsty. They quarrelled with each other for water. John slapped James, and they walked in silence. James wrote on the sand, "My best friend slapped me!"
Finally, they reached an oasis. They were very happy, and had a lot of fun in the water. While they both were bathing, James was a bit careless and began to drown. John rushed to him and saved him.
James hugged his friend and thanked him. They had a little nap and decided to leave the place. When they were about to leave, James carved something on the rock.
It was "My best friend saved my life!"
He said to John, "When you slapped me, I recorded it on sand. The wind would have blown it away by now. However, when you saved my life, I recorded it on rock. It will remain there forever."
We have to forget the bad things and cherish the good things done to us.
Three Sons and a Bundle of Sticks:
Once upon a time, an old man lived with his three sons in a village. The three sons were hard workers. Still, they quarrelled all the time. The old man tried a lot to unite them but he failed. Though the villagers appreciated their hard work and efforts, they made fun of them on their fights.
Months passed by and the old man fell sick. He told his sons to stay united, but they didn't listen to him. So, he decided to teach them a practical lesson so that they would forget their differences and stay united.
The old man called his sons. He told them, "I will give you a bundle of sticks. Separate each stick and you will have to break each stick into two. The one who breaks the sticks quickly will be rewarded more."
The sons agreed.
The old man gave a bundle of 10 sticks to each of them and asked them to break each stick into pieces. They broke the sticks into pieces in minutes.
And again they started to quarrel among themselves as to who came first.
The old man said, "Dear sons, the game is not over. Now I will give another bundle of sticks to each of you. You will have to break the sticks as a bundle, not as separate sticks."
The sons agreed and tried to break the bundle of sticks. Though they tried their best, they could not break the bundle. They failed to complete the task.
The three sons reported their failure to their father.
Breaking bundle of sticksThe old man replied, "Dear sons, See! You could easily break the single sticks into pieces, but you were not able to break the bundle! So, if you stay united, nobody can do any harm to you. If you quarrel every time with your brothers, anyone can easily defeat you. I request you to stay united."
The three sons understood the power of unity and promised their father that whatever be the situation, they would all stay together.
Moral: Unity is Strength!
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 the 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!"
Those who lie and boast may end up in trouble.
The Ship:
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.
The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.
He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.
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!
If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem.
Think Before You Speak:
It was a sunny day, but the climate was enjoyable. Everyone in the railway station was waiting for the train to arrive. Among the crowd, there was a group of friends, youngsters who were on board for vacation.
It was a busy station with juice shop, mobile restaurants, coffee and tea stalls, newspaper shop, restaurants, etc. The announcement regarding the arrival of the train was made and everyone prepared to get into the train to their appropriate places.
The group of friends made loud noise to welcome the train as it entered the station. They ran to get their reserved seats before anyone could get into the train.
The empty seats were filled and the train whistled to move. An old man with a young boy aged around 15 years came running to catch the train. They entered the train and the train started to move. They had their seats just adjacent to the friends' group.
The young boy was so surprised to see everything.
He acclaimed at his father, 'Dad, the train is moving and the things are moving backwards.'
His father smiled and nodded his head.
As the train started moving fast, the young boy again screamed, 'Dad the trees are green in colour and run backward very fast.' His father said, 'Yes dear' and smiled.
Just like a kid, he was watching everything with great enthusiasm and happiness loaded with tons of surprises.
A fruit seller passed selling apples and oranges. The young boy asked his dad, 'I want to eat apples.' His father bought him apples. He said, 'Oh apple looks so sweet than it tastes' I love this colour.'
The group was watching all the activities of this boy and asked the boy's father 'Is your son having any problem? Why is he behaving very differently?'
A friend from the group made fun of him and shouted, 'His son is mad I think.'
The father of the young boy, with patience, replied to the friend-group.
'My son was born blind. Only a few days before he was operated and got the vision. He is seeing various things in his life for the first time.'
The young friends became very quiet and apologized to his father and son.
Think Before You Speak.
Heart Touching Father Son Story:
A young boy used to live with his father alone. He loved playing football and his father always encourage him.
His father never missed a game. Even though his son would always on the bench, yet his father would always be there in stands cheering for him.
When young man entered high school. He was very determined about playing football and despite being a bench warmer for all four years, he never missed even a single practice or game.
When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on.”
Everyone was sure that he wouldn’t make the cut but he did and coach decided to keep him on roaster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice and at the same time provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.
He was so thrilled with the news that he rushed to nearest phone and shared this excitement with his father and told him that he had sent him season tickets fro all college games.
Young boy was persistent and even in college he never missed a practice but still never got to play in game.
It was end of his senior football season and he was on field for practice before big play off game. Just then he received a telegram. After reading telegram young boy became silent and mumbled to coach,”My father died this morning.. Will it be alright if i miss today’s practice?”
Coach gently consoled him and said, “Take rest of week off and you don’t even have to come back for game on Saturday..” and young man left.
Saturday arrived. Game was not going well and in third quarter team was ten points behind. Young boy silently came to locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful team-mate back so soon.
Young boy went to coach and said, “Coach please let me play today..!! I have to play today..”
Coach pretended not to listen to him as he didn’t want to take risk in play off game but young man persisted and at last coach agreed and said, “Alright..!! You can go in.”
When young boy started playing opposing team couldn’t stop him and he played like a star and his team began to triumph. Before long everyone who knew him couldn’t believe their eyes as he had never play in any game before.
In closing seconds of game, Young boy ran all the way for winning touch down. His team won the game and his team mates hoisted him onto his shoulders.
After all concluding ceremony was done everyone left. Just when coach was leaving he saw that young man was sitting quietly in corner all alone. Coach went to him and said, “Congratulation kid, you did great today.. You were fantastic..”
Coach continued and asked him, “You never played in any game before.. Tell me how did you do it??”
Young boy with tears in his eyes replied, “Well you knew my dad died.. but did you knew that he was blind..!!
Still my dad came to all my games but today was first time he could see me play and i wanted to show him i could do it..!!”
Creative Thinking:
Story 1: Card board Sign..!!
Once a young man was passing by a street where he saw an old man sitting on road side begging for money.
That old man was sitting there with an empty bowl in kept in front of him and a card board sign was kept beside that empty bowl.
On card board cut out it was written: “Blind – Please Help..!!”
Young man noticed that despite it was rush hour and many people were passing by that old man yet no one was giving him any money.
Young man felt very bad that no one was helping that old man or giving him any money.
So he went to that old man and took his card board in his hand. He then took out a thick marker pen out of his pocket and turned the cardboard sheet back-to-front and re-wrote the sign then went on her way.
Old man noticed that someone was there writing something on the board but didn’t said anything.
Just in few minutes, that empty bowl was now filled with money. Old man noticed that and stopped a stranger and asked him what was written on that card board.
Stranger replied, “It says.. – It’s a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot..”
Moral:
Our Choice of Words and Language can create Positive or Negative effect on other. If we Chose right words then we can Truly connect with people and Change their Views.
Story 2: Unusual Test..!!
Once a philosophy professor gave an unusual test to his class. He lifted his chair up and kept it on his table.
Now he turned toward board and wrote, “Prove that this chair does not exist..”
Whole class was surprised and confused yet all students started writing long complex explanations.
Among all there was one student who completed that test in a minute and handed paper to professor, attracting surprised glances from his classmates and the professor.
Some days later class received their grades for the test and student who took just a minute to complete the test was announced the best answer.
His answer was, “What chair??”
Moral:
We tend to Think a lot. Sometimes Answers are just simple.
A boy named John was upset. His father found him crying.
When his father asked John why he was crying, he said that he had a lot of problems in his life.
His father simply smiled and asked him to get a potato, an egg, and some coffee beans. He placed them in three bowls.
He then asked John to feel their texture and then fill each bowl with water.
John did as he had been told. His father then boiled all three bowls.
Once the bowls had cooled down, John’s father asked him to feel the texture of the different food items again.
John noticed that the potato had become soft and its skin was peeling off easily; the egg had become harder and tougher; the coffee beans had completely changed and filled the bowl of water with aroma and flavour.
Moral of the story
Life will always have problems and pressures, like the boiling water in the story. It’s how you respond and react to these problems that counts the most!
2) Two Frogs With The Same Problem
Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.
The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.
Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.
They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.
Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.
The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.
The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!
Moral of the story
People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself.
Moral Stories From Around The World
3) The Tortoise And The Hare
This popular story is about a hare (an animal belonging to the rabbit family), which is known to move quickly and a tortoise, which is known to move slower.
The story began when the hare who has won many races proposed a race with the tortoise. The hare simply wanted to prove that he was the best and have the satisfaction of beating him.
The tortoise agreed and the race began.
The hare got a head-start but became overconfident towards the end of the race. His ego made him believe that he could win the race even if he rested for a while.
And so, he took a nap right near the finish line.
Meanwhile, the tortoise walked slowly but extremely determined and dedicated. He did not give up for a second and kept persevering despite the odds not being in his favour.
While the hare was asleep, the tortoise crossed the finish line and won the race!
The best part was that the tortoise did not gloat or put the hare down!
Moral of the story
Slow and steady wins the race. When you work hard, stay focused, you can achieve anything, even when it seems impossible.
4) The Milkmaid And Her Pail
There was once a milkmaid named Patty.
She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.
As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do from the money she fo for the milk.
She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.
She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!
In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.
Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.
Moral of the story
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone.
Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants that performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.
One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”
The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”
It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.
Moral of the story
Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!
6) The Boy Who Cried, Wolf
There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.
One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”
On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and safe the sheep.
When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!
The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.
Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.
The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”
But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.
Moral of the story
Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth!
7) The Golden Touch Of Midas
A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.
He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.
One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.
The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.
Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.
As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.
Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.
Moral of the story
Stay content and grateful with what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere.
8) The Three Little Pigs
Once, there lived three little pigs who were sent out into the world by their mother.
Each of the three little pigs decided to build a house of their own.
The first pig barely put in any effort and built a house made of straw.
The second pig put in a little effort and built a house made of sticks.
The third pig put in a lot of hard work and effort to build a house made of brick and stone.
One fine day, a big bad wolf came to attack each of the three little pigs.
He huffed and puffed and blew away the houses of the first two little pigs that were made of straw and sticks.
He then huffed and puffed but could not blow away the house of the third little pig, who sat snuggly in his house.
Soon, the big bad wolf was breath and ran away.
Moral of the story
Hard work always pays off. Always think of the bigger picture and don’t be lazy.
Moral Stories From India
9) The Monkey And The Crocodile
This famous moral story is from the Panchatantra.
There was a monkey that lived on a berry tree on the riverbank. He ate the delicious berries every day.
Once, he saw a crocodile rest under the tree who looked tired and hungry. He gave the crocodile some berries.
The crocodile thanked the monkey. Soon, they became best friends. The monkey gave the crocodile berries every day.
One day, the monkey gave the crocodile extra berries to take home to his wife.
His wife, a wicked crocodile, enjoyed the sweet berries, but then told her husband that she wanted to eat the monkey’s heart as that would be sweeter!
The crocodile was upset at first but decided to give in to his wife’s wishes.
The next day, he told the monkey that his wife invited the monkey home for dinner.
As the crocodile carried the monkey on his back across the river, he told him about his wife’s plan to eat his heart.
The monkey, being smart, told the crocodile that he left his heart on the berry tree and needed to get it.
The crocodile foolishly took him back to the berry tree. On reaching, the monkey climbed onto the tree.
“Who will keep the heart on a tree? You have betrayed my trust. We can never be friends again!” the monkey told his friend.
Sad after losing his friend, the crocodile swims back to his wicked wife.
Moral of the story
Choose your friends and the people you trust wisely. Moreover, never betray the trust of someone who trusts you.
10) The Elephants And The Mice
Yet another moral story from the Panchatantra.
In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.
The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.
The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that they favour would be returned in the time of their need.
The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.
Not-so-long-after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.
Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.
The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!
Moral of the story
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you.
11) The Foolish Thief
Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed from him.
On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.
He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.
The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others’.
He knew who the thief was.
The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.
Moral of the story
Truth and justice will always prevail.
1. THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
It was an afternoon of a scorching summer day. The ponds and lakes were almost dry. There was not a bit of cloud visible. The sun was burning hot. A thirsty crow was flying over a long deserted field. The crow looked here and there for well or any shelter. But alas! There was no one nearby. At a distance, the crow found an earthen pot under a tree. His heart became filled with joy, and with much hope, he peeped into it. There was a little water at the bottom of the pot. The crow tried to reach the water with its beak but to no avail. His little beaks could not reach the level of the water.
The crow looked here and there with disparity, and suddenly he found some peebles spread over the ground. The crow hatched a plan and started gathering peebles. He took them one by one and filled the pot with them. Slowly the water level rose to the brim of the pot. The crow then quenched his thirst and flew away.
The story of the clever crow teaches us that we should remain calm in adversity and use our wisdom to get over the situation. The story retells the well-known proverb, and Where there is a will, there is a way.
Moral: Wisdom not only helps a man to overcome adverse situations, but it also helps people of his surroundings. In the next story, we will see how a little rabbit defeated a powerful lion with its wit and saved all the animals of the jungle.
2. LOOK INTO THE WELL
Once upon a time, there was a powerful Lion who was the king of the jungle. The Lion was very powerful, and other animals in the jungle were afraid of him. The Lion used to kill little animals to satisfy his hunger. To save themselves, the animals of the jungle prayed to the Lion and requested him to kill and eat one animal per day that will be sent to him as a prayer
. The Lion agreed, and each day an animal was sent to him as his food. Thus little rabbits to dear and birds, all were sent to the Lion to satisfy his hunger. As time passed by, the number of animals in the jungle started decreasing, and the animals were spending days in fear and waiting for their turn.
One day, a rabbit was sent to the Lion. But the rabbit did not reach the Lion at expected hours, and the Lion became restless in hunger. When the rabbit reached, the angry Lion asked it, “Why are you so late? Do you know about the dire consequences of making me wait for so long?” The little rabbit sat on the ground with folded hands and told the Lion, “Please forgive me, my Lord. I started at the right time with 4 of my companions. But a Lion more powerful than you stopped us in the way and ate four of them. I managed to flee and come to your service.”
The proud and powerful Lion could not tolerate a second one in the same jungle who was as powerful as him and was eating away his share of food. The Lion became blind in anger and ordered the rabbit, “Take me to the Lion. I will teach him lessons. I am the only king of this jungle, and all the animals should come to my service.” The rabbit smiled and took the Lion to a nearby well. The Lion started grunting loud and called the second Lion for a battle. The clever rabbit told the Lion, “My lord, the Lion is inside the well, and he will not come out unless you kill him inside the well.” The foolish Lion jumped inside the well to kill his opponent and drowned in the well. Thus the witty rabbit saved his jungle from the greedy and cruel Lion.
Thus we may see that wisdom is the only way to fight against the arm power, and if you are wise, you can overcome hurdles more easily and with more precision. Clever thinking can sometimes help us to overcome tough situations. Our success in life sometimes depends on how we handle a situation that is out of our way.
The moral of the story is, Wit is Might.
The next story is about a cap-seller and how he managed to get back his caps from the naughty and mischievous monkeys.
3. MONKEY AND THE CAPS
On an afternoon of a summer day, a cap-seller was selling caps in a village. He became tired and sat for some rest under a big tree. The tree was the abode of many monkeys, and when the cap-seller fell asleep, one of the naughty monkeys opened his bag and found colorful caps. They thought the caps to be playthings and took them on the high branches.
In the evening, when the seller rose, he found his bag almost empty. He was very disappointed and started to search for the caps. He suddenly found some monkeys playing with caps on the branches. As the cap-seller started yielding at them, the yield back to him, and this made the man angrier. He started throwing pebbles while the monkeys threw fruits from the trees. The cap-seller was astonished, and he made a plan. He started wearing a cap and threw it on the ground. The monkeys started imitating him, and soon, all the caps were thrown on the ground. The seller collected all the caps and went back home smiling.
Moral: This story shows us that wisdom is a mightier weapon than others. One should always keep his head cool and think to overcome the situation.
We should always help the old and helpless persons. But sometimes cunning people take advantage of their weakness and cheat them. The next story is about an old lady and a deceiving physician.
4. TIT FOR TAT
One day, an old woman went to the doctor and requested him for her treatment. The old lady lived alone in her house. She was rich, but she lost her eye-sight due to old age. The physician agreed to treat her and asked for rewards after the completion of her treatment. The old lady agreed and said that he would not get anything if the treatment was not successful. The doctor agreed and started her treatment in her home.
As days went by, the doctor became tempted to see the well-furnished house of the old lady and started stealing precious materials from her house. Soon the house became empty, and the old woman was unaware of all. Fortunately, she got back her eye-sight and understood the treasons of the Doctor. When the doctor demanded his reward and fees for her treatment, the old lady denied to give him any money. The doctor complained to the king. As the king’s personnel took her in front of the king, the lady said to the king, “My Lord, I promised to give him money only if I can see like before. But now I cannot see any vessels or furniture in my house. How can he say that I have recovered completely?” The king understood everything and ordered his attendants to free the old lady and send the physician to the prison.
The cunning doctor took the opportunity of the helplessness of the old lady. But the lady taught him a lesson with her wit. The story proves the well-known proverb, “As you sow, So you reap.”
Moral: Intelligence and alertness always make man extraordinary. We should always remain cautious about dangers, and if it comes, we should fight the situation with intelligence and proficiency. Now we will hear a story about a greedy fox and a cleaver cock.
5. THE FOX AND THE COCK
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful rooster named Chanticleer with a host of hens and other animals in a yard. Chanticleer was excellent both in his appearance and his punctuality of crowing at dawn. He had a host of hen-wives, and a hen, named Partelote was his favorite one.
One night, Chanticleer had a terrible nightmare that he was taken away by an animal from his yard. Though Partelote tried to pacify him with her knowledge and common senses, the wildest nightmare turns into reality very soon. One day, when the rooster was taking a rest on a tree, a cleaver and greedy Fox came to Chanticleer. He flattered Chanticleer by praising his beautiful voice. Chanticleer fell into the trap and started boosting his quality. As soon as he closed his eyes and started singing, the mischievous Fox took him by his neck and flew away.
The other animals in the yard saw the fox and chased the fox with loud cries. As Chanticleer understood his situation, he came up with a counter plan. He suggested the fox chase his pursuers. As soon as the Fox opened his mouth to do so, Chantecleer flew away. The fox tried to catch him with further flatteries but in vain. Chanticleer learned the lesson and caught the fox’s dangerous trap to catch and kill him. The rooster returned to his yard and his hen-lives and started living happily.
Moral: We should never fall prey to flattery as many mischievous people can allure us with flattery, and then we may be subjected to dangers.
We all have friends, and we must help our friends with their needs. We should not leave them alone in their difficulties. But sometimes over talkativeness leads to many problems. Now we will hear a story about three friends, two swans, and a tortoise and how the help of friends went in vain for the talkative nature of a tortoise.
6. THE FLYING TORTOISE
Once upon a time, there lived two swans and a tortoise in a lake. They were great friends and used to help one another when they needed them. In a year of constant drought and lack of rain, they started planning to go to another lake for survival. As a friend must save one another, the swans started thinking about the tortoise who could not fly without losing hope in such a situation. They hatched a plan and told the tortoise, “Dear friend, we have planned to go to a nearby lake as you know that this lake is going to get dry within someday. We don’t want you to die here without water and food and have made a plan to rescue you from here. We will fly with a stick in our beaks, and you will hold it tight with your teeth throughout the journey. But be aware of talking during our flight as it may cost you your life”.
The tortoise agreed, and they started their flight to a nearby lake. On the way, a group of schoolboys started laughing and making noise to the flying tortoise. Unable to control his tongue, the tortoise asked the swans, “What is the sound about?”. He could not complete his sentence as he fell on a rock and died.
Thus lack of wisdom and talkativeness of the tortoise caused his death. The moral of the story is over talking may lead to downfall, so we might be cautious before speaking something to somebody.
Moral: Life is a constant battle through winning and defeat. Perseverance is the only medium to remain in the battleground called life. Now we will hear a story about a famous king and how he survived his defeat with the lessons from a spider.
7. PERSEVERANCE
Robert the Bruce was the legendary and celebrated king of Scotland. He fought a vicious battle against the strong force of the English army. But luck was not with him as he was facing repeated defeats in the course of the battle. The incessant defeat took on his mental strength, and he decided to take shelter in a cave to camouflage from the enemies.
As the night came, the cave became dark, and he started a fire by friction of stones. The king was tired and was anxious about the freedom of his nation. The constant defeat took away his mental strength, and the tiresome battle made him tired. Suddenly he found a little spider struggling on the greasy and wet walls of the cave. The spider was trying to weave its net again and again. But the wall was not suitable for weaving its net, and it felt multiple times. But the spider did not give up his endeavor. After falling several times, the spider finally succeeded in weaving its net on the wall.
The famed king of Scots realized that he should not lose his mental strength and should fight till the end without losing his spirit. He took a lesson from the spider. He realized that he should not lose hope and spirit under the pressure of initial defeat before the English Army. As a good king and warrior, he should fight the battle till the end against the English army. This time Bruce and his army won the battle against the English force and Scotland got its freedom.
The moral of the story is that we should not lose hope and spirit before adverse situations. We might fight till the end with the best of our endeavors. Then finally we will be the winners. As the proverb goes by, Perseverance is the mother of success.
Greed always takes away whatever we have. A greedy person can neither become happy nor can acquire someone’s belief. Now we will hear a story about a hen that laid golden eggs.
8. THE GOLDEN EGGS
In a village, a man lived with his family. They were well off and had a beautiful hen that laid an egg daily. Those were golden eggs and the man used to sell them at the market and get money from them. But the man was greedy and could not be satisfied with only one egg a day. He thought that if he could kill the hen and open its belly, he will get all the eggs at a time and he will be rich at a time. He wanted to become rich like the king and one day, he and his wife decided to kill the hen and cut its belly to get all the eggs at a time.
On the next day, he and his wife rose early and killed the hen and cut open its belly. But to their astonishment, there was not a single golden egg. He could find only blood all around and the hen was gone forever. Now he could not get even a single egg. He started regretting his deeds but to no avail. It was already too late. He lost the boon of golden egg-laying hen due to his overwhelming greed. He became poor within one day and left the village with his family.
Greedy people can never become happy as they want all and they lose everything they have. So we should follow the proverb that a Greedy man is forever poor. All the abundance of the world can not make him happy and content.
Every individual has his own pace and method. We should not boast about our qualities or mean someone for their shortcomings. Sometimes overconfidence leads to downfall and we should avoid pride and remain grounded as truly talented people never boost their qualities before the weaker ones. Never make others feel inferior for their shortcomings. Now we will see a hare and tortoise in a race.
9. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
One day a hare challenged a slow tortoise for a race. The tortoise started with much speed and finished half of the race within a few minutes. The tortoise was old and he was moving slowly with his heavy shell on the back. When the hare looked behind, he saw the rabbit was far behind him and smiled in satisfaction. He felt that the tortoise could never reach him in time. The hare was tired and decided to rest under the tree for some time and start the race again. The slow tortoise continued his race and went forward slowly.
The tortoise moved very slowly with his heavy shell and did not stop despite the tiresome journey. When the hare rose, he found the tortoise was very close to the finishing line. The hare could not believe his eyes that a slow tortoise could win the match. He tried his best to reach the line. He leaped and jumped for pace and threw his light furred body towards the line. But alas! It was too late. The tortoise’s continuous try bore fruit and he won the match.
The story teaches us that overconfidence and demeaning others may bring about downfall even when he is more capable in the beginning. So we should identify our strengths and should learn from failures. As the proverb says, “Slow but steady wins the race”.
Moral: Freedom is one of the fundamentals of living a happy life. No one can remain happy, compromising on freedom. All the riches and comfort of the world can not be a substitute for freedom. The next story is about a dog and a wolf.
10. THE DOG AND THE WOLF
In a jungle, there lived a Wolf. The wolf could not get enough food for him as the people from the nearby village used to chase him and he seldom got a chance to catch their hens or pets. One night, when the Wolf was roaming about in the village in search of food, he met a well-fed Dog. The bony and starved wolf was impressed to see the strong and plump dog. He forgot to kill him and out of interest, and the Wolf asked the Dog, “How do you manage to keep yourself well-fed in the village as I seldom get chances to have any food from the villagers”. The Dog smiled and replied, “you too can enjoy such a relaxed life with ample food and care. I just watch the house of my lord at night and get a whole day of rest and food from them. You too can join me.” The Wolf was very happy to hear about the chicken bones, cakes, excess foods and caresses that he used to enjoy from the Dog and decided to follow him.
Suddenly, the Wolf found a black spot on the Dog’s neck. The Wolf asked the Dog about the reason for that mark. At first, the dog avoided his question, telling it to be just a trifle. At last, the Dog replied, “It was the mark of the collar with which my master fastened me in the day time.” The wolf was astonished to hear that the Dog could not move according to his wish and decided to return. As the Dog asked him the reason for his return, the Wolf answered, “Dear, it is better to live a starved life in the woods than to remain fastened with food and comfort”.
The story gives us the lesson that freedom is more valuable than the ease and comfort of life. The proverb says Lean freedom is better than fat slavery.
All of us wish for a more comfortable and easy life. The next story is adapted from Tagore’s writings and the story is about a father and his son and their interchanging of the role.
11. WISH COME TRUE
Subal and Sushil both were unhappy in their place. Subal, the father, unlike the meaning of his name, was weak and old, while his son Sushil was just the opposite of his name in his characteristics. He was a naughty boy and used to do everything to disturb his neighbors, to irritate his teachers and his father Subal was frustrated with his son. Sushil used to make new excuses like abdominal pains to avoid punishments from his teachers and one day, infuriated Subal locked his son into his home to punish him for his behavior and misdemeanor.
At nightfall, Subal and Sushil started repenting for their condition. Subal wished that he could get back to his childhood days and start studying again, while Sushil prayed that he could move independently like his father and do whatever he wanted. The Goddess of Desires heard their prayers and granted their wishes.
The next morning, Subal found himself in large clothes while Sushil, now old and grey-haired, tried to cling to his old routine. When Subal tried to climb on the tree, he fell and the passer-by started laughing at him. Sushil, who thought that his old age would provide him with more freedom, realized that from then on, he could not drink coffee as it contains much sugar and is harmful to his health. He even can not play with his friends as he can not play like before because of his old bones.
On the other side, Subal was discontented with the old diet of an old man to which Sushil, now authoritative like his father, made him cling too. Both of them were unhappy with their current situation. On that night, Subal and Sushil both pray to the Goddess of Desire to take back her boon so that they can get back to their regular life. Goddess granted their request and on the next day, they returned to their daily routine.
The story gives us a moral lesson that we should be content and satisfied with whatever we have in our life. Nature is the greatest teacher in our life. It teaches us many lessons that we can not learn from the outside. We experience six different seasons over the year. All have their distinct features. Some have their own stories like Winter and Spring.
12. THE TALE OF WINTER AND SPRING
In Greek Mythology, Persephone is the daughter of the goddess of fruits, plants and agriculture. One day, the princess was roaming about in the garden with her dazzling gown and golden hair. Suddenly, Hades, God of the underworld and death, came into the garden and abducted her. As the evening came and her mother, Demeter, could not find her, she left all the harvest and went away to find her daughter. As a result, a mass famine broke out all over the world.
During the routine visit to the underworld, Apollo, the God of Sun and truth, saw Persephone and the messenger from God rescued her. However, during Persephone’s stay in the dark underworld, she was tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds that make her six months of stay in the underworld mandatory for her, far from her mother. When Persephone comes to her mother, the world we live in becomes happy again. Demeter fills nature with fruits and flowers to welcome her dear child, and thus the Spring and Summer come. But after six months, when her daughter goes back to Hades, Winter and fall come. Loving mother Demeter starts waiting for the next six months as we wait for springs and summer to come.
Every child is dear to his/her mother, precious to their parents. When they go far from them, their world becomes dark
Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.
Yet another moral story from the Panchatantra.
