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Plane Truth Two travellers, seeking respite from the searing heat of the midday sun, took shelter under a leafy tree. They soon felt cool and refreshed. What sort of tree is this? Does it produce edible fruits? asked one of the men to the other. Its a plane tree, said his companion. Dont waste your time looking for fruits. It produces neither edible fruits nor good wood. Its one of the most useless trees around. How can you say that when youre enjoying my shade at this very moment? snapped the tree. Moral: Often, a persons worst critics are those who have benefited the most from him.

2. The Sea pleads helplessness A shipwrecked man, struggled mightily against the waves and was finally cast ashore, more dead than alive. When finally he regained consciousness, he saw that the sea was as calm as a pond. "How deceitful you are!" he shouted to the sea. "You draw men unto you showing your peaceful side but when they are in your power you wreak fury against them!" The sea took the form of a woman to defend herself. "Blame me not!" said the woman. "I'm always peaceful. It is the wind that creates waves and turns me into a monster." Moral: Beware of people who are controlled by others.

3. The Foolish Dog There was once a dog that used to run up quietly behind people and bite their heels. Fed up of the numerous complaints, the owner tied a bell around the dogs neck so that the sound of the bell would alert people whenever the animal came near them. The dog felt the bell was a reward of some sort and became extremely conceited, turning up his nose whenever he met other dogs on the street. One day a hound brought him down to earth with some plain speaking and when the dog learnt why the bell had been put around his neck he slunk away in shame. Moral: Sometimes what appears to be a clap on the back is actually a slap on the face.

4. The Unseen Enemy A gnat, annoyed with a lion, for disturbing its sleep with its roaring, stung the beast on its snout. The lion tried to crush it with its paws but without success. The insect dodged the great cats claws and stung it again on its face. Elated by its victory over the king of beasts, the gnat turned to gloat. Unfortunately, there was a web in its path. It got caught in the web, and was devoured by the spider. An insignificant foe is sometimes more dangerous than a mighty adversary because were not on guard against it.

5. Last Boast A fir tree said boastingly to the bramble bush growing in its shade: You are useless. Nobody wants you. I am everywhere used for roofs and houses. Men cant do without me. Youre so right, said the bramble. Heres a man coming to you with an axe, right now. Farewell.

Moral: Pride comes before a fall.

6. Running with the Herd A young deer said to his mother, Im larger than a dog and swifter and I have horns to defend myself with. Yet when a dog appears I run away with the others. I have decided not to run from dogs, in future. Just then they heard the bark of a dog. The young deer was filled with fear and forgetting his resolve, took to his heels along with his mother and the rest of the herd.

Moral: Fear drives away Reason.

7. Defeated by Pride Two roosters fought for supremacy in the farmyard. Finally one was vanquished and he went and hid himself in a corner of the hen-house. The victor flew up to the roof of the barn and begin to crow, Ive won, Ive won! An eagle swooped down and carried him away and the rooster that had been defeated suddenly found himself unchallenged master of the farmyard. Moral: The enemy is often defeated by his own pride.

8. The oil-lamp humbled An oil-lamp, observing how well it was lighting up the area around it, was filled with pride. "Even the sun could not do better!" he boasted. Just then the wind started to blow and the lamp went out. "Next time you think of comparing yourself to the sun," said its owner, re-lighting it, "remember the sun doesn't have to be re-lit."

9. Timidity Rabbits are among the most timid of animals. The rabbits of a colony, once had a meeting to discuss this trait of theirs. They came to the conclusion that as their timidity would never leave them, they were doomed to a miserable existence and it would be better to drown themselves and end their misery once and for all. Accordingly, they began to move towards a large lake. When the frogs in the lake saw the large number of rabbits approaching, they were filled with fear and made for the deepest part of the lake. Seeing this, the leader of the rabbits stopped and said to his fellow-creatures: "It is true we are timid, but here are animals more timid than ourselves. There is hope for us yet. Let us go back to our homes." And that is what they did. Moral: Just as we are afraid of others, others are afraid of us.

10. Pale Hunter A man who wanted to be known as a fearless hunter set out to bag game. He found the tracks of a lion and followed them till they disappeared in stony ground. Just then, a woodcutter came by. Look here, my man," said the hunter grandly. "I was following a lion and have lost his tracks. Can you help me find them again?" ""There's no need to look for his tracks," said the woodcutter. "I'll take you to the lion himself." The hunter turned pale. "The l-lion," he said, "no, no, just show me his tracks." Moral: One who pretends to be what he is not is soon exposed.

11. Speedy Rabbit A dog spotted a rabbit and started chasing him, but the rabbit got away. Seeing this, a goat stopped to gloat. "Too fast for you, wasn't he?" he sneered. "Why are you surprised?" said the dog. "I was chasing him for fun; he was running for his life." Moral: Performance depends on motivation.

12. The Ailing Deer A sick stag was lying in a corner, helpless and weak. He was glad he had collected enough grass to last him through his period of illness. But suddenly, to his dismay, he saw that some friends who had come to see him were helping themselves to the food. "Please go away," he said. "My illness will not kill me but your greed certainly could." Moral: Thoughtless friends are more harmful than enemies.

13. Boar with Foresight A wild boar was rubbing his tusks against a tree. A fox passing by asked him what he was doing. "My tusks are my weapons," said the boar. "I'm sharpening them." "Why waste time sharpening your weapons when there's no danger in sight?" said the fox. "You're being foolish." Just then a hunter appeared on the scene. Frightened by the boar's sharpened tusks, he turned on the fox instead and shot him dead. Moral: Be prepared

14. The Foolish Donkey An idol-maker had to deliver an idol to a customer. He placed it on his donkey's back and they started on their journey. Now the idol-maker was extremely skilled at his job and this particular idol was one of the best he had ever made. Whoever saw it, stopped to bow down and pray. The donkey thought they were bowing to him. He was enormously pleased and flattered and not wishing to go away from a place where he was held in such high esteem, came to an abrupt stop. Nothing his master did would induce him to start walking again, and finally his master lifted the idol on to own head and resumed his journey. The donkey stood where he was, head held high, and braying sonorously until he suddenly became aware that there was no one watching him. The people were now following his master and bowing to the idol. The donkey realized that his pride had clouded his judgment and feeling ashamed of himself, ran to rejoin his master.

15. The Clever Sheep One day a wolf cornered a sheep. "You can't escape" said the wolf, baring his teeth. "I know," said the sheep, softly. "Please grant me a last wish. Sing a song so that I may dance one last time.' "Certainly,' said the wolf and throwing back his head began to howl. Hearing him howl the farmer's dogs rushed to the spot and drove him away. Moral: Don't attempt anything that is beyond your ability

16. Monkey Business A monkey climbed the roof of a house and entertained the people who had gathered below to watch it, with its antics. After it had gone, an ass who craved popularity climbed the roof and tried to perform the same tricks. In the process, it dislodged and broke several tiles. The owner of the house was furious. His servants went up, drove the ass down, and beat it black and blue.

Moral: Actions that suit others may not suit you. Be yourself.

17. Hanging Together The cranes were eating grain from his field, so the farmer set a trap and caught several of them. Among them was a stork. You can see I dont belong here, said the stork. Im a law- abiding bird. Please let me go. You may well be what you claim to be, said the farmer. But I caught you along with these robbers, so you will have to hang with them. Moral: You are judged by the company you keep

18. A Cartload of Almonds A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given him, quickly and well. The lion became fond of him and promised to give him a cartload of almonds as pension when he retired. The squirrel envied the other squirrels in the forest because of their carefree life. He longed to run up and down trees and leap from branch to branch like them but he could not leave the king's side and even if he could he had to move with courtly dignity. He consoled himself with the thought that at the end of his career, he would receive a cartload of almonds, a food that few squirrels got to taste in their lifetime. "They will envy me then," he would tell himself. The years passed. The squirrel became old and then it was time for him to retire. The king gave a grand banquet in his honour and at the end of it, presented him with a cartload of almonds as he had promised. The squirrel had waited so long for this day but when he saw the almonds, he was seized with sadness. He realised they were of no use to him now. He had lost all his teeth.

19. Fox in the Cart A fox observing a fish cart coming, lay down and pretended to be dead. The cart man, tempted by the idea of making some money by selling the fox's fur, picked up the animal by its tail and flung it into the back of the cart among the fish. Then he resumed his journey. The fox ate his fill of the fish and jumped out of the cart. A wolf saw him jumping out and asked him what he had been doing in it. The fox told him and also how he had got into it in the first place. The wolf ran ahead of the cart and lay down in its path, pretending to be dead. The cart man was delighted to find another animal to sell, but he found the animal too heavy to lift. So he pushed it into a sack, tied the sack to his cart and dragged it away. Moral: What works for one may not work for another.

Jataka Tales 20. The Power of a rumour A hare resting under a banyan tree had a premonition of doom. What would happen to me if the earth were to break up? he wondered. Suddenly, there was a thud followed by a rumbling sound. Its happened, thought the hare, the earths breaking up! He jumped up and ran. Why are you running? asked a hare who crossed his path. The earths breaking up! shouted the hare. Youd better run too. The second hare ran so fast he overtook the first. The earths breaking up, the earths breaking up! he shouted to other hares he passed. Soon thousands of hares were scampering through the forest. Other animals got caught up in the panic. The word spread from mouth to mouth, and soon everyone knew: the earth was breaking up. It was not long before the whole jungle was on the move. Reptiles, insects, birds and four-footed animals fled in wild disorder, and their cries of terror filled the air. A lion standing on a hillock, saw the animals coming and wondered what was going on. He hastened down and positioning himself in front of the horde called for it to stop. His commanding presence stemmed the rising tide of panic among the animals. The earth is breaking up! shrieked a parrot, alighting on a rock near him. Who says so? I heard it from the monkeys." The monkeys said they had heard it from the tigers, who said their informants were the elephants, who gave the buffaloes as their source.When the hares were finally implicated they pointed one to another until the one who had started it all was identified. What makes you think the earth is breaking up? the lion asked him. I heard it cracking with my own ears, sire, squeaked the hare, trembling in fear. The lion investigated the sound the hare had heard and found that it had been caused by a large coconut falling from a tree. It had landed on a pile of rocks, causing a minor landslide. Go back to your homes, said the lion to the animals who had been running away, and who were now looking very foolish. The earths safe. Next time, check a rumour before acting on it.

21. Interdependence In a clearing, deep in the forest, the trees were having a pre-dawn discussion. Animals come and rest in our shade but they leave a mess behind, said the Jamun. The smell on some days is unbearable! They show no concern for us because were silent, said the Sal. But Ive had enough! Ive made up my mind to drive away any animal that comes here! That may not be a wise thing to do, said the Peepul, the oldest and biggest tree there. The animals are a nuisance, I agree, but they serve a useful purpose. We are all inter-dependenttrees, animals, men . . . Im sorry, interrupted the Sal. Ive great respect for your views but in this matter I will not listen to anyone. I wont allow animals here any more! True to his word when a leopard came to rest in the shade later that day, the Sal began to shake violently from side to side. The leopard, frightened out of his wits, jumped up and ran. The Sal drove away all the animals that came to the clearing that day and in the days that followed. In course of time animals stopped coming to that part of the forest. The Sal became a great hero to the younger trees in the neighbourhood and even some of the older ones began bowing to him when the Peepul was not looking. Then one day two woodcutters came to the clearing. Men! gasped the Sal. Why have they come here? Theyve never come here before. If theyve never come here before it was because they were afraid of the animals, said the Peepul. Now the absence of the leopard and the tiger has made them bold. The Sal began to tremble with fear and with good reason. It was the first tree the woodcutters chopped down.

22. The Physician's Revenge This story is adapted from the Jatakas and shows how important it is to evaluate advice before acting on it. A girl threw a firebrand at a goat that was eating her corn and the goats coat caught fire. Maddened with fear, it ran to a haystack and started rubbing against it . The haystack was soon ablaze. The fire spread to the barn and then to the stables in which the royal elephants were housed. Some of the elephants were badly burnt before the fire was finally put out. The men looking after the elephants could not heal their wounds. So the king sent for his own physician. On the way to the palace the physician lay down under a tree for a nap. Hardly had he closed his eyes than he felt something warm running down his face. He got up with a start and found that a crow that was sitting on a branch directly above him, had spattered him with its droppings.The physician cursed the crow and wiping his face, continued on his way, but in a foul mood. When he reached the palace and the king asked him for a remedy for the elephants wounds he replied: "Rub the wounds with crow's fat, lots of crows fat!" And so began a great slaughter of crows. Thousands were shot and it looked as if the slaughter would continue till all the crows in the kingdom were dead. One day, a crow flew into the palace and settled down in front of the king. Soldiers rushed forward to catch it, but the king waved them back. "Let it be, he said. "Perhaps it has come to tell me something." "I have," said the bird. "I am the king of crows and I have come to tell you that you are doing us a great wrong. You are being led astray by a man bent on revenge against my brethren." "You are making a serious accusation," said the king." Have you any proof?" "I have," said the crow. "The proof lies in the fact that crows have no fat, otherwise you would have got bucketfuls of it from the thousands you have already slaughtered." The king felt ashamed of what he had done and immediately stopped the slaughter of the birds.

Humourous Tales 23. The Best Artist A despotic sultan who was blind in one eye invited three artists to paint his picture. If you do a bad portrait, I will punish you he warned, but if you do a good one I will reward you. Now start! The first artist produced a picture that showed the sultan as he was: blind in one eye. The sultan had him executed for showing disrespect to his monarch. The second artist showed him with both eyes intact. The sultan had him flogged for trying to flatter him. The third artist drew him in profile, showing only his good eye. The sultan, pleased, rewarded him with gold and honours.

24. Sleepless Night There was an old Iranian who was intensely proud of two things his long, white beard that reached down to his chest, and his ability to sleep the moment his head touched the pillow. One day, his 3-yearold grandson asked him how he arranged his beard when he slept: did it go under the blanket or did it remain above it? The old man had never paid attention to this detail, and he confessed he didnt remember whether his beard remained above or went under the blanket. He promised to find out. It was very cold that night. The old man got into bed and pulled the blanket over himself. Then he suddenly remembered his grandsons question. He became acutely conscious that his beard was under the blanket. He lifted it from under the blanket, and placed it above it. This made him feel that something was not quite right. So he tucked the beard under the blanket again. But he soon felt it would be better if it were out. In and out went the beard; first under the blanket, then above it, then under once again. The old man spent a sleepless night. The next morning the first thing he did was cut his beard to chin level, to the great joy of his daughter who, for several months, had been urging him to do just that.

25. Change of Mind There was a sickly young girl who always seemed to be at deaths door. Her neighbour was a widow, bent with age. Whenever she caught sight of the girl she would shake her head sadly and say: Oh God, why do you torment that poor child...if you want a life take this old woman! One evening a bull in the village, put its head into a large black pot to get at some grain at the bottom, and then couldnt get its head out. Frightened and confused, it ran hither and thither, unable to see where it was going because its eyes were covered by the pot. Meanwhile, the old woman we mentioned, was visiting her neighbour. She came out and as usual began shaking her head and saying that if God wanted a life he should take hers. Suddenly she became aware that a powerfully-built beast, apparently headless, was rushing at her. Yama has come for me! she thought and was filled with terror. Mercy, my Lord, mercy! she screeched, falling to her knees in front of the advancing bull. Spare me. Theres a sickly girl next door. Take her instead!

26. The Sultan's Robe In the last century, there lived a sultan who waged war tirelessly and finally made himself master of a largish desert. "Surely I'm the greatest monarch in the world," he said to his vizier, one day. "What do the people say about me?" "They're all praise for you, Your Excellency," said the vizier, "all except one man, Ali, a camel-driver by profession. He's always running you down." "How dare he!" roared the Sultan. "Bring him here at once. I'll cut out his tongue!!" When Ali was brought to the palace, he threw himself at the Sultan's feet. "At last my dearest wish to see you has come true," he said, obsequiously. "I used to say nasty things about you so that I might be brought into your august presence." "Why?" boomed the Sultan. "So that I might recite the poem I have written in your honour, O Merciful One." "Recite!" Ali began to recite a poem his grandfather had taught him in his childhood. It proclaimed the greatness of Alexander, the Great but Ali deftly substituted the Sultan's name for Alexander's whenever the need arose. The Sultan was flattered. "Good poem," he said, when Ali had finished. "Describes me exactly. You deserve a reward. Choose from one of these magnificent saddles," and he indicated a pile of saddles, lying nearby. Ali chose a donkey's saddle, and thanking the Sultan, bowed himself out of the palace. The people from his village who were sure he would be executed, and were waiting for news about it, outside the gate, were astounded to see him. "The Sultan let you go?" they asked, bemused. "And why not?" he asked. "I recited a poem in his honour and he rewarded me with one of his best robes." "The sultan gave you his robe!" They gasped. "Where is it?" He showed them the donkey's saddle.

27. The Gift Gopal Bhand was once taken to court by a man who claimed that he owned the land on which Gopal's house stood. Gopal had the documents to prove that he owned the land but he knew that the judge who was to try the case was corrupt and could be bought. Gopal decided to take a gift for the judge. At the hearing, the complainant stated his case and then taking out a fat wallet from one pocket transferred it to another in a slow and deliberate manner. The judge understood. He looked at Gopal as if to ask him if he could match the offer. In answer, Gopal patted his own pocket. The judge was pleased to see that it was bulging. He could make out the outlines of two large objects in it and he felt sure they were gold ornaments. He gave a verdict in Gopal's favour and called him to his chambers. Gopal went round to the judge's chambers and began to thank him for deciding the case in his favour. But the judge cut him short with an impatient gesture of his hand. "The gift," he snapped. "Give me whatever you have brought for me!" Gopal took out two large stones from his pocket and gave them to him.

28. The Man Who Loved Bread A man eating in a restaurant called the waiter and complained that he had been given only one loaf with his meat dish. "I like lots of bread," said the man. "Remember that next time." The next time he came the waiter served him three loaves. "This is better than the last time," said the man. "But I would have liked more bread." The next time he came the waiter served him five loaves but sill the man seemed unhappy. Later the waiter told the cook about the man. The cook said he would see to it that the man was fully satisfied the next time he came. Two days later the man came again. The waiter alerted the cook who alerted the bakery with whom he had placed an order for a loaf 2ft wide, 3ft thick and 6ft long. The bakery delivered the loaf to the restaurant, and the cook and the waiter triumphantly carried the loaf to the customer. The customer stared at the loaf in disbelief. "This is the last time I'm coming here!" he announced getting up angrily from his chair and throwing his napkin on the table. "I keep telling you I want more bread and here you are once again serving me just one loaf!"

29. Treble Trouble Speaking without thinking can treble your troubles as this ancient story demonstrates. A man was caught stealing a bag of onions and taken before a judge. The judge gave him a choice of three punishments: eat the onions he had stolen at one sitting; submit to a hundred lashes of the whip or pay a fine. The man said he would eat the onions. He began confidently enough but after eating a few, his eyes began to burn, his nose started running and his mouth felt as if it were on fire. I cant eat the onions, he said. Give me the lashes instead. But after he had received a few strokes he began to turn and twist to avoid the whip. I cant bear it! he screamed, finally. Ill pay the fine. So he paid the fine and was let off, but he became the laughing-stock of the city for having taken three punishments for the same crime.

30. War of Words A king sent a message to the ruler of a neighbouring country. The message read: "Send me a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else..." The king on getting the message wrote back: "We don't have such a diamond and if we had..." The first king got very angry and declared war on his neighbour. The fighting went on for several months till a third king arranged a meeting between the two warring rulers. So they met and the first king said to the other: "What did you mean when you said, 'Send me a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else...'?" "Why," he replied, "I meant a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else... some other diamond. I love diamonds. But what did you mean when you said, 'We don't have such a diamond and if we had-'?" "It is easy to guess my meaning," said the other man. "What I wanted to say was, if we had such a diamond we would have gladly sent it to you." The Kings pledged to write more clearly in future communications and embraced and made peace.

31. The Fear of God There were two brothers who were always up to some mischief. If somebody had been locked up in his house or if somebody's dog had been painted green, one always knew who the culprits were the brothers. One day the boys' mother asked a priest to talk to her sons and put the fear of God in them so that they would mend their ways. The priest asked her to send her sons to him one at a time. When the younger boy, a lad of thirteen, came, he made him sit and asked him: "Where is God?" The boy did not answer. The priest asked again, in a louder voice: "Where is God?" The boy remained silent. But when the priest asked the same question a third time, the boy jumped up and ran away. He went straight to his brother. "We are in big trouble!" he gasped. "What's wrong?" asked the older boy, warily, wondering which of their sins had caught up with them. "God is missing," said the youngster, "and they think we have something to do with it!"

32. Five Men in a Cart Guru Gampar had told his four disciples that they were never to do anything without his permission. One day while they were on their way to a distant town, Guru Gampar fell asleep in the bullock cart they were travelling in. His head rolled from side to side and suddenly his turban slipped from his head and fell on to the road. But as their guru had told them never to do anything without his permission, none of the disciples made a move to get down and pick it up. When the guru woke up and was told about the loss of his turban he was furious. "Next time anything falls off pick it up at once!" he thundered. Some time later the bullock dropped its dung and the four foolish disciples leaped down and picked it up. Guru Gampar was horrified. He made a list of the things that could fall off from a moving cart. "Pick up any of these things if they fall," he told them, handing them the list. "Don't pick up anything that is not mentioned here." Just then the cart lurched violently and Guru Gampar was thrown headlong into a ditch. Guru Gampar yelled to his disciples to pull him out. "We can't, guruji," said his disciples, sadly. "Your name is not on the list you gave us." Guru Gampar pleaded with them to pull him out, but in vain. "We know you are testing us, guruji," they told him. "But you can rest assured that we will never disobey you. You told us not pick up anything that was not mentioned in your list and we will not do so." "Give me the list!" yelled Guru Gampar. They threw him the list and the pen and the guru hastily scrawled his name on it. Then and then only did the obedient disciples pull their beloved guru out of the ditch and put him back into the cart!

33. Madho, the Milkman We've all heard of milkmen adding water to milk. Madho was one such man. His customers knew but were helpless. There was no other milkman in the locality. One day as Madho was about to start on his rounds in the morning, there was a flash of light and a godly being stood before him. Madho cowered in fright. "Why do you add water to milk, Madho?" asked the god. "I...I..." stammered Madho. "Speak up!" said the god. "I-I do it to increase the quantity of milk so that I can make more money, Lord," said Madho. The god waved his hand and a can of milk identical to the one Madho was carrying appeared before him. "Behold!" said the deity, "I have given you another can of milk. You now have double the quantity of milk you got from your cows, this morning." Madho thanked the god profusely and picking up the can, started walking. He took a few steps and stopped. "Yes?" asked the god. "Is there anything more you want?" "I was wondering," said Madho, "If you could..." "Yes! You want another can of milk?" asked the god, kindly. "No...No!" protested Madho. "I'm not that greedy... just give me another can of water.

34. An Old Joke An elderly man went to a doctor with multiple complaints. "I see spots before my eyes," he said. "It's due to old age," said the doctor. "No food agrees with me," said the man. "That too is due to old age," said the doctor. "The digestive system becomes weaker as we grow older." "My back is giving trouble," persisted the man. "Sometimes the pain becomes unbearable." "Old age," said the doctor. This was too much for the man. "Why do you go on saying 'old age, old age'," he screamed. "If you cannot cure me, say so. I'll go elsewhere." "See how easily you lost you temper," said the doctor. "That is another characteristic of old age."

35. Master of the Game An old man who lived in a small side street in the city of Mumbai had to put up with the nuisance of having boys play cricket outside his house, at night. One evening when the boys were particularly noisy he went out to talk to them. He explained that he was a pensioner who was happiest when he could see or hear boys playing his favourite game, cricket. He said he would give them 25 rupees each week to play in the street at night. The boys were thrilled. They were being paid to do something they enjoyed! At the end of the first week they knocked at the old man's house and asked to be paid. He did so. The second week when they asked for payment he said he had run out of money and sent them away with only 15 rupees. The third week the man said he had not yet received his pension and gave them only 10 rupees. The boys were very disappointed but there was not much they could do about it. The fourth week the man said he could not afford to pay them 25 rupees as he had promised, but would give them 5 rupees each week without fail. This was too much for the boys. "You expect us to play seven days a week for a measly 5 rupees!" they yelled. "Go to blazes." They stormed away and never played on the street again.

36. The Servant's Ruse A man was expecting a visit from an acquaintance. He gave two ripe mangoes to his servant and asked him to slice them and serve the fruit when the man came. The servant gave in to temptation and ate a slice. It was so sweet he could not resist eating another one. Then the madness of gluttony seized him and he devoured all the remaining pieces. Suddenly he saw the man his master was expecting coming towards the house. He thought fast. He grabbed a rusty knife and rushing to his master told him he couldn't cut the mangoes as the knife was blunt. "I'll sharpen it," said his master and going to a stone in the garden began to rub the cutting edge of the knife against it. Leaving him to the task the servant ran out to meet the man who was coming. "Beware! Beware!" he said when he reached him. "Don't come to our house. My master has gone mad. He's planning to cut both your ears." "Cut my ears!" exclaimed the man, turning pale. "Why?!" "There he is sharpening the knife," said the servant. The man saw that his host did indeed have a knife in his hands and was sharpening it with what looked to him like a maniacal fury. He did not wait to find out why his host wanted his ears. He turned around and started walking away as fast as he could. The servant rushed back to his master and told him that the man he had invited was running away with the mangoes. "What!" said his master. "The greedy fellow! Has he taken both the mangoes?!" "Yes," said the servant. The man ran after the acquaintance shouting: "Give me one! Give me one at least!" The other man thought he was asking for one of his ears and ran for his life!

37. The Mysterious Tracks Lal Bujhakkad is a comic hero of Hindi folklore. He is fond of offering elaborate but foolish explanations for simple phenomena and suggesting outlandish solutions for simple problems or riddles. But he lives among foolish people who are in awe of his learning. They readily believe whatever he tells them and never hesitate to carry out his instructions. Here is a Lal Bujhakkad story. One morning a villager stepped out of his hut and saw huge, round footmarks in the mud outside his dwelling. "Oh, my God! What's this!" he shouted. Soon there was a large crowd outside his hut. None of the villagers had ever seen such large footprints before and they were bewildered by them. They followed the tracks and found that they ran all through the village to the other side. "I think... I think," said a villager, finally, "we were visited by a demon last night." "He must've been of a monstrous size," said another man, shuddering. "Let us not panic," advised a third villager. "There might be a simple explanation for all this. Let's call Lal Bujhakkad. He has helped us so many times in the past..." So Lal Bujhakkad who lived in a neighbouring village, was sent for and he came without fuss. He bent over the prints and studied them from every angle. "Some of us think they were made by a d-demon," said the headman, hesitatingly. "You people have such fertile imaginations," said Lal Bujhakkad, giving him a withering look. "No, these tracks were not made by a demon or monster. They were made by a deer." "A deer!" exclaimed the headman. "But they're so big!" "That's because," explained Lal Bujhakkad patiently, "the animal tied large stones to its feet to fool us." The villagers stood gaping in wonder at Lal Bujhakkad. "Only you could have seen through the deer's clever trick," said the headman. Lal Bujhakkad graciously acknowledged the compliment and admonishing the villagers for their foolishness, returned home. Some nights later, the animal who had made the tracks, a large elephant, came that way again. The villagers saw the tracks the next morning but this time they were not afraid. They knew the deer was trying to fool them again.

Mythological Stories 38. How the Ketaki Fell from Grace Once while Vishnu and Brahma were quarrelling about which of them was superior to the other, Shiva, in the form of a column of light,appeared beside them. The column seemed to have no beginning or end, stretching upwards and downwards as far as the eye could see. The two gods decided that whoever found the top or the bottom of the column first would be deemed to be superior to the other. So they set out, Vishnu in the form of a boar, and Brahma in the form of a swan. Vishnu descended for aeons together, but could not find the base of the column, and finally gave up the search. Brahma, soaring upwards, was equally unsuccessful in reaching the top. He saw a ketaki flower wafting down, and catching it, returned to the starting point where Vishnu was waiting for him. Then followed a spot of duplicity. Brahma, claiming success, waved the flower, which he said he had found at the summit, in Vishnus face. Vishnu doubted his claim. He asked the ketaki if what Brahma said was true. The flower said it was. The barefaced lie infuriated Shiva, and he cursed the flower (another version says the flower refused to substantiate Brahmas claim and that it was Brahma who cursed it). The ketaki, till then considered the best among flowers, lost its importance and was never again offered in worship except on Mahashivratri when it makes a shy appearance.

39. The Dissatisfied Devotee

Many tales are told about Neptune the Roman god of the sea. Neptune was said to be one of the most generous of the gods. One day a woman who lived close to the sea went down to the beach and began singing songs in his praise. Finally the god came to the surface and asked her what she wanted. I want a cow, said the woman. The next moment there was a cow standing beside her. The woman was thrilled. She began singing another song. At the end of it there was another cow beside her. The woman went on singing and every time she stopped for breath there would be another cow on the beach. The beach was small and so as the number of cows started growing it started getting crowded. Finally there was just enough room for her to stand. Yet the woman was not satisfied. There was a large rock at her feet. She felt that if she removed the rock there would be place for one more cow there. So she picked it up and summoning all her strength heaved it into the sea. Unfortunately for her, Neptune himself was coming to the surface at that moment to bestow his blessings on his devotee. The rock hit him on the head. The god was so angry he dived back into the waters taking with him all the cows he had given the woman.

40. The Man Who Couldnt Die Eos, Goddess of Dawn fell in love with a youth named Tithonius, and the two spent many happy years together. But while Eos being a goddess retained her youth, Tithonius began to age. He asked his beloved to grant him immortality. She couldnt do it on her own so she pleaded his case with Zeus, the supreme deity. Zeus reluctantly granted the boon. The story unfortunately does not have a happy ending. Tithonius had forgotten to ask for eternal youth. So though he could not die he could age. As his age advanced he became wrinkled and hunchbacked and revoltingly ugly. He pleaded with Eos to help him. She could not take back the gift of immortality nor could she give him back his youth. But she could change his form. She turned him into a grasshopper.

41. The Story of Lord Ganesha One day, Goddess Parvathi, the wife of Lord Shiva, was getting ready for her bath and needed someone to guard her chamber. Therefore she made a beautiful, young boy from the sandalwood from her body. She gave him life by sprinkling the Holy Ganges water on him and entrusted him with guarding the door. While she was away, Lord Shiva returned and was surprised to find a little boy standing at the entrance to his wifes chamber. When he tried to enter, the boy blocked his path. Who are you and why are you blocking my path? demanded Lord Shiva. No one enters my mothers chamber, declared the boy boldly. Taken aback, Lord Shiva replied, Step away; I have the right to enter my wifes chamber. But the young and courageous boy did not move but stood his ground. Not knowing that this was his own son, Lord Shiva who was quick to anger grew enraged. Not used to be disobeyed he cut off the boys head. Goddess Parvathi on returning from her bath saw her son lying dead and was overcome with grief. She was filled with both anger and sorrow. Seeing this Lord Shiva sent his soldiers to fetch the head of the first beast that they saw. The men rushed and finally came upon an elephant. They immediately took the head to Lord Shiva, who quickly attached it onto the body of the slain boy and gave him life once again. To further appease his grief-stricken wife he promised that her son would be worshipped first, before all other Gods. Even today at the entrance of all temples one would find the idol of the elephant-headed God, Lord Ganesha.

42. Green Missile Balder was the god of light in Norse mythology. He was the son of the chief god, Odin, and the goddess Frigg. Balder was loved by all except the wicked Loki, who, jealous of his popularity, plotted his death. Balder's mother had made all thingsliving and non-livingswear an oath that they would never harm her son. So there was no weapon that could hurt him. Nevertheless, Loki cast about for a way to destroy Balder. One day he learnt that there was one plant, the mistletoe, that had not sworn the oath to Frigg. He obtained a slender branch of the tree, sharpened one of its ends, and hastened to the great hall where the gods were feasting. They were entertaining themselves by good-naturedly flinging rocks and spears at Balder, knowing full well that nothing could harm him. Loki stole up to the blind god Hoder who also happened to be Balder's brother and asked him why he was not hurling things at Balder like the others. "I cannot see," said the god. "Throw this," said Loki, thrusting the weapon he had made, into his hands. "I'll guide you." Hoder flung the sharpened branch. It pierced Balder, and he fell down dead. Loki did not go unpunished. The gods chained him to rocks in a deep cavern. There, he awaits his release, for according to Norse mythology, he will eventually break free and take his revenge on the deities who had attempted to bound him for eternity. A story from Norse Mythology

43. The Sun-Goddess of Korea Byun-soon, Dael-soon and Hae-soon were three sisters. One day a tiger came to their house, and on seeing him the girls ran out of the back door and climbed a tree. When the tiger began to climb the tree, the sisters prayed to the gods to save them. Their prayers were answered. An iron chain descended from the skies and the sisters climbed up to safety. They lived happily in the land of the gods, and in time, Byun-soon was transformed into a star, Dael-soon into the moon and Haesoon into the sun. When Hae-soon set out across the skies on her first day out as the sun, people on earth came out of their homes to stare at her. Hae-soon was an extremely shy girl and she turned bright with embarrassment when she saw the people looking up at her. The more they stared, the brighter she became, till finally she became so bright that the people were blinded by her radiance and could no longer look up. This suited the shy Hae-soon and she continued to glow brightly from then on.

44. The God of Love Eros was the son of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and was always at her side to assist her in her matchmaking endeavours. He was a blond and playful winged youth, armed with a golden bow and arrows. Whoever he shot at immediately fell in love. One day Aphrodite, jealous of the beauty of the earthly princess, Psyche, ordered her son to make the princess fall in love with the ugliest man on earth. Eros set out to do his mother's bidding, but when he saw Psyche fell in love with her himself. He began to visit her every night, but afraid of his mother's wrath, always remained in the shadows, to conceal his identity. One night while he was asleep, Psyche lit an oil lamp in order to get a look at his face. But her hand trembled and a drop of hot oil fell on the god, awakening him. Angry and frightened, he made himself invisible and went away, never to return. But the two pined for each other and eventually Zeus, the king of gods, intervened to bring them together again. Psyche was taken to Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods, and there she became revered as the personification of the human soul. Later, when the Romans imported Greek gods into their pantheon, Eros became Cupid and though he remained the god of love he was not given as much importance as the Greeks had given Eros. Cupid was usually shown blindfolded, perhaps to indicate that he chose his victims at random. In later art Cupid was shown as a small cherubic winged boy armed with a bow and arrow.

45. The Dowry One day Mahadev saw four men coming to his abode. "They are my brothers," said his wife, Parvati. "They've come for dahej (bride price)." Mahadev welcomed his brothers-in-law and offered them food and drink, but when they began to talk of dowry he told them he had only two possessionshis khappar (a broken earthern pot) and his bull, Nandi. "Take one of them," he said. The brothers took Nandi. As they were leaving, Parvati advised them to take good care of Nandi as the bull could make them wealthy. "Take a look at his hump," she said. When the brothers returned they wondered how Nandi could make them rich. "Perhaps there are jewels in his hump," said one of the brothers, "else why should Parvati have drawn our attention to it." They slew the animal and were greatly disappointed when it yielded no gems. Parvati was furious. "Oh, you foolish men!" she said. "When I drew attention to Nandi's hump I wanted to show you what a powerful body he had. If you had yoked him to a plough he would have helped you reap a rich harvest and made you prosperous. Now you will have to pay dearly for slaying a sacred animal!" Having vented her fury on them she left, saying she never wanted to see them again. Bhils attribute their penury to the folly of these four men who were their ancestors. (An Agricultural People: One of our important tribes, the Bhil number nearly 2.5 million. They are based in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra. Nearly all of them are engaged in agriculture.)

46. Solar Deities Ravana once went to challenge Surya, the Sun-God, to a fight. When he reached the Solar Region he saw that the sun was about to rise and sent an envoy to inform Surya of his arrival and the reason for his coming. "Tell him," he instructed his envoy, "that he should either stay and fight or accept defeat." Surya had begun his ascent into the sky when the envoy reached the gates of his palace. One of the gatekeepers, Dandi, shouted out Ravana's message to his master. Surya shrugged and continued rising. "Tell Ravana," he said, "that I've no time to spare." Ravana went away shouting that he had defeated the Sun.

47. The Gift of Fire Fire being so important to us, it is not surprising that several mythologies of the world contain references to how fire was first revealed to or obtained by man. In Polynesian mythology it was the god Maui who gave fire to mortals after stealing it from the fire goddess. Prometheus of Greek mythology too stole fire from the gods to give to man. The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have their own legend about fire. Interestingly, in their tale, man gets fire through his own efforts and not through the kindness of any god. The Ostrich Stretches Its Wings -a Bushman Legend Mantis, the creator-god, felt that mankind was not ready for the gift of fire. So he entrusted it to the ostrich who kept it safely under one of its wings. A Bushman learnt that the ostrich had fire and made up his mind to steal it. So one day he paid the ostrich a visit. "I've come to tell you my dream," he said. "Why should your dream interest me?" asked the ostrich. "Because it concerns you," said the

Bushman. "In my dream I learnt that if you were to stand with your wings spread out in the strong wind preceding dawn, you would soar into the sky like an eagle." "That's interesting," said the ostrich, secretly thrilled. Its greatest wish was to be able to fly. "Do not pass up this chance to get the gift of flight," advised the Bushman before leaving. Before dawn the next day, the ostrich spread out its wings and waited to be lifted into the sky. As it waited, the Bushman crept up to it, grabbed the fire and ran. That is how people got fire and that is why, say he Bushmen, the ostrich is not as smart as other birds. The loss of the fire upset it so much that it became feeble-minded.

48. Coconut Tree's Origin King Trishanku was a saintly man whose one great desire was to ascend bodily into heaven. He had once done a good turn to sage Vishwamitra and the sage decided to help him fulfil his desire. Accordingly, he performed a yagna and Trishanku began to rise heavenwards. When Indra, King of the gods, saw Trishanku at the gates of Heaven, he was furious and catching hold of him, threw him down. Vishwamitra saw Trishanku hurtling downwards and shouted: "Let Trishanku stay where he is now!" Trishankus fall was arrested. As Indra would not let him ascend into heaven and Vishwamitra would not allow him to come down, Trishanku became suspended between heaven and earth. Folklore has expanded this mythological story to explain the origin of the coconut tree: Vishwamitra knew that Trishanku would eventually fall to earth unless held up by physical means, so he propped him up with a long pole. The pole eventually turned into a coconut tree and Trishankus head became its fruit. The fibre around the coconut is Trishankus beard. When you take it off, you see his eyes peering at you.

49. The Two Bachelors Narada, the celestial sage, was a confirmed bachelor, but one day he saw Princess Shrimati and fell in love with her. To his dismay another sage, Tumburu, was also smitten by her and wanted to marry her. Both were devotees of Lord Vishnu and both sought his help. Narada asked that Tumburu's face should change into a bear's at the Swayamvar at which the princess would select her husband. Tumburu, not knowing that his rival had already approached Vishnu, made a similar request. He asked that Narada should appear to have a monkey's face. At the Swayamvar, the princess trooped down the long line of suitors with her garland. Narada and Tumburu stood out among the others, but when she went closer, Narada's face suddenly seemed to change and take on a simian look. She hastily turned to Tumburu, but to her horror he now looked like a bear. As she stood there in confusion, she suddenly saw another man standing between Narada and Tumburu. It was Lord Vishnu himself. He had come to find out how his devotees were faring. The princess, however, did not care who he was and why he had come. She was so relieved to see a normal human face that she immediately put the garland round his neck. Narada and Tumburu did not mind losing to Lord Vishnu, but each was secretly glad that the other had not got the princess.

50. Why Snakes Have Forked Tongues Vinata, mother of Garuda, had been enslaved by the nagas after she had quarrelled with their mother, Kadru. The nagas offered to release Vinata from servitude if Garuda brought them amrita (nectar of immortality) from the moon. Garuda brought the nectar after overcoming numerous obstacles, battling even the gods in

the process. The nagas were delighted when he placed the pot containing the nectar before them. They let Vinata go and then they went to wash themselves before partaking of the ambrosia. On their return they found the pot missing. Indra had taken it away. The nagas feverishly tried to lick up the drops of nectar that had fallen on the darbha grass on which the pot had been kept. They didn't get much nectar, but the sharp blades of the grass slit their tongues. Snakes ever since have had forked tongues. Fact File: Snakes smell with the help of their tongues and an organ of smell called Jacobson's organ in the roof of the mouth. A forked tongue helps them smell better. Besides snakes, a few species of lizards too have forked tongues.

51. Summer Madness One morning when the sage Jamadagni stepped out of his ashram he found that the sun was unusually hot. Soon the sweat began to pour down his body and his throat became parched. He found it hard to concentrate on his work. "Go away," he shouted at the sun, staring up angrily at the shining orb. "You'll burn the earth!" But the sun stayed where he was and indeed seemed to become even bigger. Enraged, the sage rushed into his ashram and coming out with his weapons began to shoot arrows into the sky. The arrows fell far short of their mark.The sage shouted to his wife Renuka to bring some more arrows. When she had brought them, he began shooting again. With each shot the arrows rose higher and higher till finally even the sun began to feel vulnerable. He made himself still hotter, hoping the heat would drive Jamadagni back into his house. Jamadagni stood his ground but his wife began to wilt. Finally, she fell down unconscious. Jamadagni carried his wife indoors, revived her with water and then rushing out again resumed his battle with the sun, with a renewed fury. Now the sun decided to go down to reason with him. He took the form of a brahmin and sauntered up to the sage. "Shooting at the sky?" he asked. "I'm shooting at the sun!" growled Jamadagni. "Too far away for your arrows, don't you think?" "Right now, may be. But at midday, he'll be directly overhead and then he'll be within range. I'll get him then!" The sun shuddered. "Please put down your bow," he said, "I am the sun. Heat the earth I must, but I'll give you something that will protect you from my heat." Jamadagni cooled down and remained cool the rest of the summer because what the sun gave him was a pair of sandals and a very large umbrella, which, they say, was the world's first portable sunshade.

52. Kubera's Feast Kubera, god of wealth, had become arrogant. One day he decided to host an extravagant feast for the gods, such a feast as never had been hosted before. It would increase his prestige and show all men and gods the extent of his wealth and influence. Accordingly, he went to Mount Kailash to invite Lord Shiva. Shiva was his patron. Kubera owed all his wealth to Shiva who, pleased with his devotion had given him the boon that his wealth would never diminish, no matter how much he spent. Shiva declined to come but said he would send his son, Ganesha. Kubera was disappointed. Shiva's presence would have been a feather in his cap. But at least he was sending Ganesha. It would have been a terrible snub if no one from the family were to come. Kubera resolved to make the feast so grand that Shiva's absence would not be felt. The guests were many, thousands of them, both gods and men. They were accommodated in a huge hall built especially for the purpose. The chief guest, Ganesha, was the last to come. The moment he entered, he began to ask for food. He was shown to a seat of honour and tantalising dishes were set before him. He gulped them down and asked for more. He was given a second helping and then a third but his appetite remained undiminished. Kubera ordered his army of cooks to produce more food but they could not keep pace with Ganesha's eating frenzy. The elephant-god was eating food meant for thousands. When he had finished all the food set before him, he began to shout, "Give me more, give me more!" and then getting impatiently to his feet, rushed to the enormous kitchen and devoured all the food there. Kubera was aghast. All the food was gone and the guests had not been fed. Worse,

Ganesha was still hungry. "You call this a feast?" Ganesha admonished Kubera. "There's no food here. I'm going home."Kubera pleaded with him to stay, promising him more food in a little while but his young guest was in no mood to listen. He got on his mount and sped away. Kubera, fearing Shiva's wrath, followed in his own vehicle. When he arrived at Kailash, he found Ganesha complaining loudly to his father about the lack of food at his feast. "What's this I hear, Kubera?" asked Shiva, turning to the god. "No food at your feast?" "I....I....," mumbled Kubera. "Go in and ask your mother for some food," said Shiva to his son. "I'm sure Kubera did his best." "I did, I did, my lord," said Kubera, feeling miserable. His feast had turned into a farce. Instead of adding to his prestige it had made him a laughing stock. But he was relieved to see that Shiva did not appear to be angry. He fell at his patron's feet and begged forgiveness for his pride.

53. Ganpati Swoops Down There was an unusually hot summer prevailing in South India and Sage Agastya went to mount Kailas to ask Lord Shiva for water. Kaveri happened to be worshipping Shiva at that time. Shiva picked her up and put her in Agastya's kamandalu. The sage thanked his benefactor and set out for home. Indra did not approve of what Shiva had done and requested Ganpati to somehow overturn Agastya's kamandalu. Ganpati took the form of a crow and when Agastya kept the vessel down swooped down, and sat on its rim. The vessel overturned and Kaveri flowed out. Agastya was very angry but calmed down when Ganpati revealed his true form. Ganpati refilled Agastya's kamandalu, but Kaveri flowed on and continues to flow to this day.