THE LION'S BAD BREATH Long ago, there lived a lion in a dense forest. One morning his wife told him that his breath was bad and unpleasant. The lion became very angry and got embarassed to hear this comment. He wanted to check this fact with his councillors, as well. So he summoned them one by one to his court. First came the sheep. "Hello friend sheep," said the lion, opening his mouth wide, "tell me, if my mouth smells bad?" The sheep thought that king lion wanted an honest answer from him, so he said, "Yes, Your Majesty. There seems to be something wrong with your breath." This plain ... read more

THE CROW AND THE WATER PITCHER Long ago, there lived a crow in a jungle. Once he was wandering in search of water to quench his thirst. At last, he came flying over a village. There he saw a pitcher lying in front of a house. There was some water in it. The crow tried to reach the water, but couldn't succeed. The water level was too low in the pitcher. The crow began to think of some practicable device and finally came up with a bright idea. He looked around and found a pebble. He picked up the pebble in his beak and dropped it into the pitcher. The crow realised that the water level had r ... read more

THE BRAHMIN AND THE THREE THUGS Long, long ago, there lived a Brahmin in a small village. His name was Mitra Sharma. Once his father told him to sacrifice a goat according to some ancient Hindu rites. He asked him to visit the cattle fair in a nearby village and purchase a healthy goat for that purpose. The Brahmin visited the cattle fair and bought a healthy and fat goat. He slung the goat over his shoulder and headed back for his home. There were three thugs also roaming in the fair, with the sole intention of cheating the shopkeepers and other customers there. When they saw the Brahm ... read more

THE WIND AND THE SUN Long ago, there lived a wolf in a dense forest. The forest was surrounded by hills and gorges. A small river flowed through it. Once the wolf was drinking water at the head of a stream, when he saw a lamb drinking water from the same source down at some distance. The cunning wolf began to think of an excuse for attacking the gentle lamb and eating him. So he shouted down at the lamb, "How dare you make the water dirty I am drinking?" "You must be mistaken, sir," said the poor lamb gently. "How can I be making your water dirty, since it flows from you to me and not f ... read more

THE CLEVER JACKAL Once upon a time, there lived a jackal in a dense forest. His name was Mahachaturaka. He was very clever. One day, while he was wandering in search of food, he came across a dead elephant. He wanted to eat its flesh, but his teeth were not strong enough to cut through the tough hide of the elephant. So, he waited patiently for someone to come around. In the meantime, a lion came there. The jackal said to him, "Your Majesty, please have a taste of the elephant. I have been guarding it for you only." "I eat only fresh animals, not the stale ones," said the lion and went ... read more