The Wicked Minister and the Cart Driver

 Once, a wicked minister had to halt his horse-cart as another cart had blocked the road. Enraged by the delay, the minister threw a stick at the cart driver. Strangely, the stick hit the cart, bounced back and hit the minister on his head. The angry minister complained to the King that the cart driver attacked him. But the King's chief advisor protested, 'A just King should not imprison the cart driver without hearing his side of the story.' The King learnt that the minister alone was to be blamed. He punished him. 

Moral:- Listen to both sides of the story. 

The Proud Spring

 Two Springs of water fell out of the fountain on a hill. One spring flowed slowly, while the other rushed noisily. The fast spring said proudly, 'Sister, if you flow so slowly, you may become dry. Look at me, people will use me to travel. Ships will sail wherever I flow, then I shall empty myself into the ocean.' Her sister calmly flowed down where many small brooks joined her along the way. But as luck has it, the fast spring joined her sister who had now become a river. She was ashamed and apologised for her pride. 

Moral:- Do not be too proud of your abilities. 

The Foolish Bird

 A beautiful Singing Bird lived in a cage. When the other birds were asleep, she sang throughout the night. One night, a Bat asked, 'Why do you only sing at night?' The bird replied, 'I am in this cage because I sang during the day. A bird catcher heard me and caught me. So, I only sing at night.' The Bat said, 'If you had done this before  you  may  be  free today. Your beautiful voice  should be heard in the day by people who are awake. Now, you disturb everyone at night!'

Moral:- There is no use thinking of the past. 

The Kind King and the Fairies

 A wise King ruled a country. There were constant droughts in his kingdom; crops failed and cattle died. Many people suffered without food and water. A sorcerer suggested, 'We must offer some animals.' The King did not agree as he was against the killing of animals. The ogres heard this and were displeased. They hid in the King's bedroom to kill him. However, the fairies drove the ogres away. Hearing the noise, the King woke up. The fairies said, 'Kind King, from now there will never be a shortage of food and water.'

Moral:- It is wrong to kill innocent animals. 

Encouraging Words Always Pay

 Once, an elephant trainer trained the King's elephant well. The King thought, 'This elephant will win every battle for me!' He challenged the neighbouring ruler to a battle. With the King on his back, the elephant entered the battlefield. He saw wounded soldiers and scary weapons and ran away. The trainer encouraged, 'Brave elephant! You are the most powerful creature! Win the battle and make your king proud!' The elephant was encouraged. He fought the enemy well. The King won the battle and rewarded the trainer for encouraging the elephant. 

Moral Gist:- A right word used at the right time always helps. 

Be Yourself

 Once, a music concert was held in the forest. All the birds took part in it. They came and sang their songs. When it was the mockingbird's chance to sing, he started imitating the other birds. All the birds were angry. They didn't like the mockingbird imitating them. A wren said, 'Mockingbird! You can sing beautifully. All the birds in the forest want to listen to your song. Please sing a new song for us. The Mockingbird tried but he could not sing a song of his own. He felt embarrassed and flew away. 

Moral:- Do not copy others. 

The Two Best Friends

 Hema and  Sulata lived in an orphanage. They were best friends. One day, two different families adopted them. So, they started living in two different towns. The girls exchanged pendants and promised to find each other when they grew up. Hema's parents loved her a lot. But Sulata's parents made her do all the chores. Many years passed. Once, Sulata was selling vegetables in the market. Suddenly, a beautiful girl stopped by. She stared  at Sulata's pendant and said, 'Sulata, I am Hema, your friend.' Sulata was very happy. Hema hugged her and took her home. 

Moral:- True friendship never fades. 

A Mother's Love

 A mother goose used to feed her young ones by the pond. She didn't allow any other animal to drink from the pond, thinking they might harm her babies. The goose drove away the ducks, chicken and cat. One day, a big strong dog came to drink. The mother goose pecked him and slapped him with her feathers. The furious dog said to the goose, 'Neither are you strong nor you have sharp teeth. But, I won't say anything to you because you are only protecting your children.' He drank water and went away. 

Moral Gist:- One must be sympathetic towards other's situation. 

The Wicked Gardener

 An old man had an orchard. When he died, his wicked gardener built a house in the orchard and declared it was his. The fairies in the orchard decided to teach him a lesson. They caused a strong wind to blow down all the fruits! The angry gardener shouted at four travellers who who were passing by, 'You spoiled my orchard!' He picked up a stick to beat them. However, being stronger than him, these travellers beat him very badly. Then, they carried him to the King's court. The King made enquiries and jailed the gardener for cheating! 

Morality:- Cheating and dishonesty are grave crimes. 

The Big Tree

A monkey, a sparrow and a fox lived near a big tree. One day, the monkey asked, 'Do you remember how big the tree was when you first saw it?' The fox said, 'When I was a baby, it was a mere bush.' The monkey said, 'When I was very young, I had to stretch my neck to reach its topmost leaves.' The sparrow said, 'I carried the seeds of a great tree here. That was the origin of this tree. So, I have known it since its birth.' The others respected the sparrow even more. 

Moral Gist:- Don't judge anyone by their size as each one has their own  value.