The Salt Merchant and His Ass A Merchant took his Ass to the shore to buy salt. On the way home the Ass tripped and fell into a stream. On rising, the load of the Ass was lightened because some of the salt had dissolved. The Merchant returned to the shore to replenish the salt and, on returning, this time the Ass fell into the stream on purpose to lighten the load. Again, the Merchant returned to the shore, but this time, knowing what the Ass would do, loaded the Ass down with sponges. On returning home the Ass again fell into the stream but this time the sponges filled with water and doubl ... read more

The Indigo Jackal In a jungle there lived a pack of jackals. They would hunt together to eat from the left-overs of the lion's meal. One of the jackals was getting a little old. All the younger jackals bullied him and did not allow him to share the food. "I have to do something to satisfy my hunger. Like this, I will not survive for very long," thought the jackal to himself. He decided to leave his pack and go in search of food. He wandered around for many days but could not find any food. Everywhere he went, other animals chased him away. Finally he decided to venture into the vil ... read more

King Bruce and the Spider Once upon a time there was a king in Scotland. His name was Robert Bruce. He fought many battles. Once he was defeated. He ran away from the battle field. He hid himself in a cave. There was a spider in that cave. It was trying to reach the roof of the cave. It failed again and again. After every fall, the spider tried again. It did not lose heart. The spider reached its web in the seventh attempt. The spider taught King Bruce a great lesson. It filled him with new hope and courage. He came out of the cave and gathered his forces. This time he fought bravely. ... read more

The Tiger and the Traveller One day the villagers caught a tiger by setting a trap, and placed him inside a cage. They placed the edge by the side of the road for the people to see the wicked tiger who had so far killed many cattle and children by suddenly attacking the villagers. The tiger was now in real problem. He was not given any food nor any drink. He requested each and every passer­by to release him, promising that he would not kill his rescuer. But no one believed the ferocious animal. At last, a kind traveller agreed to help the tiger, after the latter promised not to kill h ... read more

A fox was once very hungry and went in search of some food. He searched everywhere, but he couldn’t find anything that he could eat. Finally, with his stomach rumbling, he came upon a farmer’s wall. On top of the wall were the biggest, juiciest grapes the fox had ever seen. The rich purple color told the fox that they were ready to be eaten. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his mouth, but he missed. He tried again and missed again. He tried a few more times but missed each time. Finally, the fox decided to go home all the while muttering, ‘I’m sure the grapes were sour any ... read more