THE TALKATIVE TORTOISE Once upon a time, two geese by the names of Sankata and Vikata and a tortoise by the name of Kambugriva lived near a river. They were good friends. Once, due to drought in the region, all the rivers, lakes and ponds went dry. There was not a drop of water to drink for the birds and animals. They began to die of thirst. The three friends talked among themselves to find a solution to this problem and go out in search of water. But despite their best efforts they could not find water anywhere around. Having no alternative the three friends decided to go to some dis ... 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

THE THIEF, THE GIANT AND THE BRAHMIN Long ago, there lived a poor Brahmin in a village. He used to perform poojas in the nearby villages to earn his living. Once a rich farmer gave him a cow and told him to sell cow's milk in the market to earn part of his livelihood. But the cow was very weak. The Brahmin then begged for alms and fed the cow. Soon the cow became fat and healthy. Once a thief saw the fat cow of the Brahmin and decided to steal it. One night he headed towards the Brahmin's house. A giant also used to live somewhere near the village. He devoured human beings. The thief me ... read more

THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE Long, long ago, there lived a huge crocodile in the river Ganges. The river flowed through a dense jungle. On both sides of the river there stood tall jamun and other fruit trees. In one such tree there lived a big monkey by the name of Raktamukha. He ate fruits from the tree and passed his days happily jumping from one tree to another. Sometimes, he climbed down the tree; took a bath in the river and rested for a while on its bank. One day, the crocodile came out of the river and sat under the big jamun tree in which the monkey lived. The monkey who was sitt ... read more

THE LITTLE MICE AND THE BIG ELEPHANTS Once upon a time a village was devastated by a strong earthquake. Damaged houses and roads could be seen everywhere. The village was, as a matter of fact, in a total ruin. The villagers had abandoned their houses and had settled in a nearby village. Finding the place totally devoid of residents, the mice began to live in the ruined houses. Soon their number grew into thousands and millions. There was also a big lake situated near the ruined village. A herd of elephants used to visit the lake for drinking water. The herd had no other way but to pass t ... read more