The Merchant and The Foolish Barber In a small town there lived a merchant named Manibhadra. He and his wife were very generous and kind. Everyone in the town knew them and visited their house and enjoyed their hospitality. One day. Manibhadra lost all his ships in a storm at sea. They were loaded with valuable cargo. All the people who had lent him money for trading demanded immediate repayment. Manibhadra had to sell all his possessions and pay them. In the end he was left with nothing. Along with his wealth, all his friends also left him. Manibhadra was very discouraged. "Even my f ... read more

Three neighbors were having trouble with their crops. All three fields had crops that were wilting and infested with pests. Each day they would try different ideas to help their crops. The first one tried using a scarecrow, the second used pesticides, and the third built a fence on his field, all to no avail. One day, the village head came by and called all three farmers. He gave them each a stick and asked them to break the sticks. The farmers could break them easily. He then gave them a bundle of three sticks and asked them to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. T ... read more

The Clever Crab There lived a heron by a big lake. He used to catch fish and eat them. But he had become old and could not catch fish like before. He went without food for many days together. "I have to think of a plan. Otherwise I won't live for long," thought the heron. Soon he came out with a clever plan. The heron sat at the water's edge looking depressed and thoughtful. In the same lake lived a crab who was friendly and thoughtful. As he went past, he noticed how the heron looked and asked him, "Why are you looking depressed my friend?" "What can I say," said the heron in a sad v ... read more

The Fox and the Crane Once there was a fox. He lived in a jungle. A crane was his best friend. They visited each other's home now and then. One day, the fox invited the crane to dinner. He put the soup in a flat dish. The crane had a long beak. He could not take the soup. The fox licked the dish. The crane felt insulted. Now the crane wanted to take revenge. He invited the fox to dine with him. He served boiled rice in a jug. Its neck was narrow. The fox could eat nothing. The crane enjoyed the food very much. The fox felt sorry for his behavior. Moral: As you sow, so shall you reap?

The Clever Crow It was then summer season. The day was very hot, when a crow became thirsty. He flied hither and thither in search of water. But he could not find water anywhere. After some time, the crow came across a pitcher that was lying under a tree. He peeped into it, and found that there was water, but at a very low level, and it was not possi­ble for him to suck it with his beak. He was disheartened. But he did not leave the place, because the presence of water in the pitcher made him eager to drink it. The crow's eyes suddenly fell on a heap of pebbles which were lying under ... read more