Story Weaver

Once upon a time a sparrow couple decided to make their nest on a tall tree in the countryside. They worked hard to build a nest which was spacious and comfortable for the two of them. A few weeks after the nest was built, the female sparrow laid two eggs. Both the sparrows were very happy. They took turns to sit on the eggs to keep them warm. While one of them would be sitting on the eggs, the other one would fly out in search of water. They expected the eggs to hatch soon and were really excited about having fledglings of their own. Very close to the tree, where the sparrows were busy building their own little world, lived a wild elephant. The elephant was very proud of his strength. So much so that he would trample smaller plants and animals under his feet just to display his might. All the animals were afraid of him and did not want to annoy him. They did not dare to cross his path lest he might kill them. One day, when the elephant was coming after taking a bath in the nea...

Long ago, there was a king who had deep affection for all the animals, especially elephants. He had built a very large stable for his royal elephant. A caretaker was appointed to make sure that all the needs of the royal elephant were met. The king had also ordered that special nutritious food be served to the elephant everyday, to keep him healthy. One afternoon, a stray dog entered the royal stable. The elephant was resting under a shady tree. The dog spotted the food leftover by the elephant and ate to its heart's content. The elephant saw the dog eating the leftover food. From that day on, the elephant gladly let the dog share his food. Soon the two became very good friends. The dog started staying in the stable and the caretaker too did not mind it. Soon, the dog too became very healthy. One day, a farmer saw the dog and asked the caretaker if he would sell the dog to him. He offered good money for the dog. Although the dog did not belong to the caretaker, he accepted ...

An old stag lived in a big forest. The forest was very big and provided for all the animals. The stag stayed on top of a small hillock. The hillock was always covered with tender, green grass. The stag was very happy as he always had plenty of green grass to eat. The stag was always kind to other animals and so all of them loved and respected him. Every morning, after eating his breakfast, he would roam in the jungle and meet all his friends. One day he fell very ill and it became difficult for him to even move. He somehow managed to drag himself to a safe place which had a thick cover of tender grass and some rocks to provide shelter. Every day, he would eat a little grass around him, enough to give him strength to recover. The stag could now no longer meet his friends as he was very weak. Knowing this, the other animals started visiting him from time to time. They all wished him speedy recovery and a healthy life. But before leaving, many of them would eat the fresh grass g...

Long ago a lion lived in a dense forest. He was big, fierce and strong and thus all the other animals accepted him as their king. He was also very kind at heart and hunted only when he was hungry. The animals in the forest lived happily as they knew that they would never be hunted for pleasure by their king. He once thought that as the king of this forest, I am entitled to have courtiers. He began to think who he should choose as his courtiers. After a while, he decided to call three animals - a fox, a leopard and a crow. All the three animals came promptly to see their king. He said to the fox, "You are known to be very swift, alert and strong. I appoint you as my bodyguard. You will protect me against any danger that I may face in this forest." It was now the crow's turn. The king said, "You are a bird and can fly very fast. You are also familiar with every inch of this forest and the adjoining areas. I appoint you as my messenger. You can let me know i...

Long ago, a flock of birds stayed on the trees near a lake. The flock was ruled by an old queen bird. Every morning, she would divide the birds in groups and send them in different directions in search of food. All the birds worked equally hard all day long. Whenever a bird found food anywhere, she would promptly bring the food back to the nest where the queen bird lived. If the food was too much for a bird to carry alone, she would inform the whole group. The birds in the group would then carry it back to the nest. Every evening, the queen bird would divide the food equally among all the birds as they had all worked equally hard in search of food. This made sure that no bird would go hungry. One day, while searching for food, a young bird came to a village. She saw many bullock carts carrying sacks of food grains from the fields to the nearby market. She noticed that a lot of grains were falling on the road as the carts moved. She was delighted to see this. She became gree...

Once upon a time, in a forest, there lived a greedy lion. All the other animals were scared of him, because he hunted everyday and killed the animals in large numbers even when he was not hungry. They knew that soon, none of them would be left alive. The animals met and decided that they would offer one animal to the lion everyday. They went to the lion and said, "Your Majesty, please hear us out. We have a humble request. The rate at which you killing us, soon one of us will be left in the forest. We ask you to stay in your den always. Everyday, we will send you one animal as your food. This way you won't have to hunt for your food and we, too, can survive." The lion agreed and from that day onward, one animal chosen to be sent to the lion, to become his meal. One day it was the turn of an young rabbit. The rabbit was very clever. He did not want to be eaten by the lion. He also wanted to get rid of the lion forever. He also wanted to get rid of the lion foreve...

once there lived a washerman and his donkey in a village. During the day, the donkey would carry the washerman's bags. During the night the washerman would set him free in the field to eat grass. However, the donkey would sneak into nearby farms and eat the fresh vegetables there. One day, while wandering thus, he met a jackal. They became friends and the donkey invited the jackal to join him on his rendezvous at night. They started meeting every night. By day break, the donkey would be back home. This went on for many days. One day the jackal said, "Uncle, I have discovered a new field with ripe, juicy cucumbers not very far off. It is nothing less than a feast for you. I am sure I will also find some small animals for myself in that field. Let's go there tonight." So both of them went to feast on the cucumbers. The donkey feasted to his full, and said, "Nephew. I am so happy today. Look at the full moon. It is so beautiful that it makes me went to sin...

In a jungle, there lived a jackal. One day, looking for food, he wandered into a nearby village. A pack of dogs saw him and surrounded him. They attacked him and tried to drive him away. In order to save himself, the jackal ran into a nearby house. The house belonged to a washerman. The front yard of the washerman's house was full of big vats. The jackal jumped into one of these vats to hide himself. The dogs followed him but could not find him anywhere and went away. After a while, the jackal came out of the vat. When he did not realize was that the vat in which he had hidden was full of blue dye and now his whole body was dyed blue. When the dogs saw him, they did not recognize him. Instead they thought it was some strange animal and ran away terrified. The jackal went back to the forest. Everywhere he went the animals would run away from him. The jackal could not understand why all the animals were so terrified of him all of a sudden. He went to the river and looked at...

Once upon a time, long ago, there were four friends who lived in a small village. All of them lived nearby and knew each other since the time they were very young. Three of the friends were good at studies and they soon became very learned. They had studied so many books that they became convinced that there was nothing more left in the world to study or learn. The fourth friend was not good at studies and thus could not continue his studies. He started doing odd jobs at first and became a farmer. But despite the differences all the three learned men were friends with the fourth person. One day the three learned friends decided that they should use their intellect and knowledge to earn lots of money. They decided that they should travel together to different kingdoms. They were sure that with their knowledge they would be able to earn the favour of all the kings in those kingdoms. The kings would in turn reward them and they would soon be rich. They were convinced that their fo...

Once a brahmin (holy man) received a goat as a gift after performing a religious ceremony. The brahmin lifted the goat on his shoulders and left for his home. It so happened that three rogues happened to see the brahmin carrying the goat. They were very hungry. Seeing the goat, the first rogue exclaimed, "Oh! That is a fat goat. We should get that goat". "Yes, it would make for a very nice meal for all three of us," said the second one. "But how can we get the goat. The Brahmin is carrying the goat on his shoulders. Am sure he won't gift it to us", said the third one. "I know how to get that goat. I have a plan", said the first rogue, "Listen to me." He whispered the plan into the ears of the other two. They would fool the brahmin and get the goat for themselves. They ducked behind the trees by the roadside and moved past the brahmin, all the while making sure the brahmin did not see them. A little later, one of ...

Once there was a rich merchant called Naduk. Time passed, and his business turned for the worse. Soon it was so bad that he not only lost all his money but also into debt. He decided to leave the city and find his fortune in a new place. He sold off his possessions to pay off his debts. All that he was left with was a heavy iron beam. Before leaving his town, Naduk went to see his good friend, Bondu. He requested him to keep the beam with him till he returned. "Of course, my friend! I will keep the beam safe for you," said Bondu. Naduk thanked him and left. He travelled far and wide for many years and worked very hard. He started trading in spices and soon became rich again. He returned his town, bought a new house and opened a very large shop. Bondu had also heard that Naduk is back in town and has started a new business with the money that he had earned in all these years. One day, after work, Naduk went to visit his friend Bondu who welcomed him warmly. The...

Long ago there was a beautiful city with lots of large temples and houses. The city was prosperous and its residents were always very happy and cheerful. Close to the city was a large and clean lake. The water in the lake was very sweet. But with the passage of time, the city turned into ruins and its residents moved to far away towns and cities in other kingdoms. They took all their belongings along including their cattle, bullocks, goats and horses. Even the stray dogs and cats decided to follow the residents of the city and moved out with them. Only the mice in the city decided to stay back. Even without any residents, the natural vegetation in the city supplied enough food for the mice that they decided to stay back. The city was lined with a lot of fruit trees. They could now eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that grew in the city. Slowly, the mice grew in number and the entire city turned into a city of mice! Several generations started living together in the ci...

Once a Brahmin was passing through a forest when he came across a tiger caught in a trap. "Oh pious Brahmin. Please let me out of this cage," called the tiger to the Brahmin. "Oh no, my friend!" replied the Brahmin. "If I did so, you would kill me and eat me." The tiger swore to not kill him, and promised he would be the Brahmin's slave for his entire life. Listening to the tiger plead, the Brahmin's heart softened and he released the tiger from the trap. The tiger immediately pounced on the man and cried, "What a fool you are! What is to prevent my eating you now." The Brahmin pleaded for his life. The tiger granted that he would abide by the decision of the first three things the Brahmin chose to question as to the justice of the tiger's action. The Brahmin first asked a tree. "I gave shelter to all who pass by, yet humans tear down my brothers for firewood. You're a fool to expect gratitude!" replied the...

A partridge lived in a nest beneath a large peepul tree. She had been living there for many years. One day she left home to look for food. She travelled to a corn field far away and stayed in the field for many days. While the partridge was away, a rabbit found her empty nest and made it his home. When the partridge returned, she was surprised and angry to find the rabbit living there. She told the rabbit to leave, but the rabbit refused saying that it was no longer her home since she had not been living there for many days and he had found it empty. The rabbit and the partridge argued loudly for some time. Many animals and birds gathered around. They heard both sides of the argument but were unable to decide who the house belonged to. They told the partridge and the rabbit to take the dispute to a judge. The partridge and rabbit travelled far and wide, finally reaching the banks of the Ganges. There at a distance, they saw a tom-cat. However, they were scared to approach him...

Long ago, there lived a flock of pigeons in a dense forest. In the flock, there was an old pigeon who was very wise. All the pigeons respected and loved the wise pigeon. During the daytime, the pigeons used to fly all over the jungle in search of food and water. Everyday, before the nightfall, they used to come back to their nest. One day, while searching for food, the pigeons saw rice grains spread on the ground. All the pigeons, at once, decided fly down and eat the rice grains. But the wise pigeon did nit think it was a good idea. He became suspicious that it could be a trap laid down by a bird catcher. "How could so much of rice be found in this thick forest," he thought.  He tried to stop all the other pigeons from going down and eating the rice, but none of them listened as they were very hungry. It was indeed a trap. A bird-catcher had laid the net to catch the pigeons. The pigeons flew down, sat on the net and began to eat the rice grains. Soon they foun...

Long ago, there lived a poor brahmin in a village. He used to beg for a living and sometimes, had to go without food for many days. One day he got a pot full of flour. He was very happy. He took the pot home and hung it up near his bed. He lay on the bed and gazed at his pot. Soon, he fell fast asleep and started dreaming. He dreamt that if a famine came to the land, he could sell the flour for a very good price. People would outbid each other. He would finally sell it for twenty rupees. With these twenty rupees, he would buy a pair of goats. He would feed these goats on green grass. Soon the goats would have a lots of kids and he would trade the whole herd of goats for buffaloes and cows. The cows would have calves of their own and there would be lots and lots of milk. He would make sweetmeats with the milk, and butter and curd and sell it all in the market. Soon, he would grew very rich and build a big house with huge gardens and fruit orchards. He would now start trading i...

Once there was a farmer who lived with his wife and his infant son in a village. The farmer and his wife loved their son very much. One day, while returning from the fields, the farmer found a little mongoose lying near the road. It looked pale and hurt. The farmer picked it up and brought it to his home. He told his wife that the little mongoose would be a pet for their son. His wife did not like the idea of having a mongoose near their son but accepted reluctantly. The farmer tendered to the wounds of the mongoose and gave it food and water. The mongoose recovered very quickly. The farmers son and the mongoose started growing together. One day the farmer's wife had to go to the market. She put her son to sleep and told her husband to look after him. She told him not to let the mongoose go near their son. The husband assured her that he would look after the baby. Soon after his wife had left for the market, the farmer was called by the local moneylender. The moneylende...

On upon a time, there lived a stork by the side of a tank. There were plenty of fish in the tank and the stork always had a full meal. As the years passed, the stork grew old and found it difficult to catch fish for food. Sometimes, he would be hungry for days. The stork thought of a plan. He stood by the tank with a sad look on his face. He did not attempt to catch my fish. The fish, frogs and crabs in the tank noticed and asked him what the matter was. "I have heard that some humans will soon fill this tank and grow crops over it." There will not be any fish left alive. This makes me sad," replied the stork. The fish were very worried and asked the stork to help them. The stork offered to take all of them to a bigger tank some distance away. But since he was old, he would need to rest between trips and would be able to carry only a few fish at a time. Saying this he set out on his first trip taking a few fish in his beak. However, he did not go to another tan...

A long time ago, there was a monkey who lived in a rose-apple tree by the side of a river. He lived alone, but was very happy. One day, a crocodile came out of the river. He swan up to the tree and told the monkey that he had travelled a long distance and was in search of food as he was very hungry. The kind monkey offered him a few rose apples. The crocodile thanked him and asked him if he could visit the monkey again. "You are always welcome," said the monkey. After that, the crocodile started visiting the monkey everyday. They would share rose-apples and talk about everything they knew. The crocodile told the monkey that he had a wife and they lived on the other side of the river. So the generous monkey plucked many rose-apples and gave them to the crocodile for his wife. The crocodile's wife loved the rose-apples, but she grew jealous of her husband spending so much time away from her, in the company of his new friend. She pretended as if she did not be...