Saturday, May 3, 2025
A story passed down through generations
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Chinese folktale
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Heartwarming childhood story of Lord Rama and the Moon’s Reflection.
LITTLE RAMA AND THE ELUSIVE MOON
One evening, Queen Kaushalya was sitting in the palace courtyard, cradling little Rama in her lap. The night sky was clear, and the full moon shone brightly. As Rama looked up, His little eyes twinkled with wonder.
Suddenly, He stretched out His tiny hands and said, “Mother, I want the moon!”
Kaushalya chuckled and said, “My dear child, the moon is far away. I cannot reach it.”
But little Rama insisted, pouting, “I want to play with it!”
Seeing His determination, Kaushalya thought for a moment and took Him to a large silver bowl filled with water. As she placed it before Him, the reflection of the moon appeared on the water’s surface.
“Look, Rama! The moon is now right in front of You,” she said, smiling.
Rama clapped His hands in delight and tried to catch it, but each time He touched the water, the moon’s reflection rippled and disappeared. He looked up at His mother, confused.
Kaushalya laughed gently and said, “The moon, like true happiness, cannot be captured by force. But if you remain patient, its light will always be with you.”
Little Rama listened carefully, storing this wisdom in His divine heart.
The Meaning of This Story: This sweet story teaches us that not everything in life can be grasped through force; some things, like joy and wisdom, must be experienced with patience and an open heart.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
An inexhaustible vessel
Saturday, March 22, 2025
A folktale from West Bengal
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Story of devotion and sacrifice
LEGEND OF DHARMAPADA
The Sun Temple of Konark has several fascinating legends associated with its construction and origin. One of the most popular stories is tied to the devotion and sacrifice of a young boy named Dharmapada.
According to the legend, King Narasimhadeva I commissioned the construction of the Sun Temple, and 1,200 artisans worked on it for 12 years. Despite their dedicated efforts, they struggled to install the crowning stone (kalasha) on the top of the temple, which was crucial for its completion.
The king had declared that if the temple was not completed within the stipulated time, all the artisans would be executed. As the deadline approached, the artisans became increasingly anxious. At that time, a 12-year-old boy named Dharmapada, the son of the chief architect Bishu Maharana, arrived at the site.
Though Bishu Maharana had left his home when his wife was pregnant, Dharmapada had grown up hearing about his father's work on the magnificent temple. When he learned of the artisans' plight, he examined the construction and ingeniously suggested a solution. Following his guidance, the crowning stone was finally placed, completing the temple.
However, the artisans feared that if the king learned a mere boy had succeeded where they had failed, they would still face punishment. To protect his father's reputation and save the artisans, Dharmapada made the ultimate sacrifice—he leapt into the waters of the Chandrabhaga River from the top of the temple.
The legend portrays Dharmapada as a symbol of wisdom, sacrifice, and dedication. Even today, his story resonates with the people of Odisha, adding a mystical aura to the majestic Sun Temple.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Story from Greek mythology
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
56 types of food items
Saturday, February 22, 2025
A popular folktale from Goa
Monday, January 27, 2025
Lessons we learn from Panchatantra
Friday, January 17, 2025
An African folktale
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
A teacher knows the true student
ASHTAVAKRA
Ashtavakra a great sage. He was given this name because his body was bent in eight places, which is what his name literally means. When he was still a baby in his mother’s belly, his father would read aloud sacred verses to him, every night.
Even before his birth, Ashtavakra was so intelligent that he once corrected his father when he mispronounced a verse. His father was short-tempered and tired. He cursed the unborn baby to be born deformed. The curse took hold, and Ashtavakra was born with eight crooks in his body.
People laughed at his appearance in derision as a child wherever he went. Undeterred, he became a learned sage. At a very young age, he had learnt to look not at people’s appearance or status but at their inner qualities. He composed the Ashtavakra Gita. This is in the form of a dialogue between Ashtavakra and King Janaka, the king of Mithila and the father of Devi Sita.
Though a very knowledgeable sage, Ashtavakra was reluctant to take disciples, so he had very few. When King Janaka heard the sage, he was very impressed by his knowledge and wisdom. Janaka humbly requested Ashtavakra to accept him as a disciple. Ashtavakra immediately agreed. This caused some heartburn among his other disciples.
They said, "Our guru too plays favourites. Otherwise, why did he accept the king as a disciple without any of the trials that he had us face?"
The talk reached Ashtavakra’s ears too. One day, King Janaka was late in attending Ashtavakra’s discourse. All the other disciples were already gathered and waiting.
The moment the king dismounted his horse, Ashtavakra said, ‘Today, I had a terrible vision. The capital of Mithila will be destroyed by earthquake and fire. All the people in the city will die. Those of you who have loved ones or valuables in the city must hurry there now to save whatever you can."
There was unrest among the monks, and all of them quickly left for the capital. Only King Janaka and Ashtavakra were left sitting. Ashtavakra said, "O King! Would you not save anything?"
King Janaka said, "O Guru! You are my only treasure."
Ashtavakra nodded and said, "If that is the case, mount your horse now, and go and gather my students back to me. Tell them that I have been mistaken, and the capital is in no danger."
When the other disciples came back, they grumbled about being sent on foolish errands here and there. Slowly, however, they understood that Ashtavakra had not accepted Janaka as a disciple because he was a king but because he had recognised that Janaka was a true student.
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Story
CHANGING OUR VISION
There was once a very wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians and was being treated by several of them. But the ache persisted with more vigour than before.
Finally, a monk who was supposed to be an expert in treating such patients was called for by the suffering man. The monk understood his problem, and said that for some time he should concentrate only on green colour, and not to let his eyes fall on any other colours. It was a strange prescription, but the wealthy man was desperate and decided to try it out.
The millionaire got together a group of painters, purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object his eye was likely to fall on, be painted green; precisely as the monk had directed. When the monk came to visit him after few days, the millionaire's servants ran with buckets of green paint and poured them on him since he was in red attire, lest their master see any other colour, and his eye ache come back.
Hearing this, the monk laughed and said, "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles worth just a few dollars, you could have saved these walls, trees, pots, all other articles, and also you could have saved a large share of his fortune. You just cannot paint the whole world green."
Let us first change our vision and perception; and the world will appear accordingly. It is foolish to shape the world; we need to shape ourselves first.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
From Greek Mythology
THE TALE OF ATALANTA AND HIPPOMENES
In ancient Greece, there was a swift and fearless young woman named Atalanta. She was raised in the wild by a bear and became an outstanding hunter, known for her amazing speed. Her fame spread widely, and many people came to challenge her in a footrace.
Confident in her skills, Atalanta made a daring declaration: “I will marry anyone who can outrun me in a race. But those who lose will face a penalty.” Her rules were strict, but many were eager to try, drawn by her beauty and the excitement of the challenge.
One day, a young man named Hippomenes watched Atalanta while she raced. He was amazed by her speed and grace. “How can anyone be so fast?” he wondered aloud.
Hearing this, Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, appeared before him. “You admire Atalanta, don’t you?” she asked. Hippomenes nodded, and Aphrodite handed him three golden apples.
“Use these in the race. They are no ordinary apples; they are gifts from the Gods.”
Hippomenes accepted the challenge. As the race began, Atalanta took off with incredible speed. But Hippomenes had a plan. He threw one of the golden apples off the track.
Atalanta, drawn to the golden glow of the apple, veered off course to pick it up, giving Hippomenes a chance to get ahead. But she quickly caught up. Again, Hippomenes threw a second apple, and again, Atalanta was briefly distracted.
As they neared the finish line, Hippomenes threw the final apple. Atalanta hesitated, caught between the race and the beautiful apple. This brief pause allowed Hippomenes to cross the finish line first.
Breathless, Atalanta walked up to him. “You have won the race and my heart,” she said, smiling. “But how did you beat me?”
Hippomenes showed her the last piece of the golden apple. “It was Aphrodite’s divine gift that helped me. But it wasn’t just about winning. I admire your strength and spirit.”
The two, brought together by the race and respect for each other, eventually married and began new adventures together.
Moral of the Story: The story of Atalanta and the footrace teaches us that sometimes wit and cleverness can overcome sheer strength.
Monday, January 6, 2025
A short moral story
THE FOOLISH OLD FROG
Once upon a time, there was an old frog which was called the Foolish Old Frog. His most prominent character trait was his extremely low intelligence. He had difficulty with just about everything. He always acted in a silly manner that made everyone laugh at him. They considered him a moron and a worthless creature.
Despite his low intelligence, the frog was very kind-hearted, as he often went out of his way to help others, even if he was sometimes oblivious to their problems. He was generous and compassionate.
One day, the king decided to hold a quiz competition among the top five smartest animals. He called all the animals in the kingdom and asked them to select five contestants known for their intelligence.
The Wise Dolphin was the first contestant selected for the competition. The second was the Smart Chimpanzee. The third was the Intelligent Wolf. The fourth was the Brilliant Squirrel.
Now, some animals wanted to mock and ridicule the old frog, so they chose him as the fifth contestant. They all laughed at him heartlessly and began to mumur,
"He is such a fool! He is an old fool! He will never be able to answer the question correctly! He will be humiliated! Hahaha!"
When the five contestants were ready, the king came up and promised that whichever animal won the quiz would be given a huge sum of money as a prize. An amount that could change their life forever.
At that moment, he asked the question,
"Which mammal is known to have the most powerful bite in the world?"
All the contestants became terribly confused. For several minutes, none was able to get the correct answer. They tried and tried, but all to no avail. Just then, the old frog screamed,
"Hippopotamus!"
The king smiled broadly and exclaimed,
"Wow... correct! You won the quiz!"
The animals were surprised and could not believe it. They suddenly felt ashamed of looking down on the old frog. They felt so guilty that they asked for his forgiveness.
Later on, an animal approached the old frog and asked,
"Tell me, how did you know the correct answer to the quiz question?"
He answered,
"I didn't know the answer. It was just luck. I noticed the hippopotamus was eating my cake, so I screamed his name for him to stop."
MORAL LESSON:
Don't mock or look down on anyone for whatever they are. You may think you've seen it all, but luck and chance are capable of changing a person's life forever!
Monday, December 30, 2024
HUMOROUS SHORT STORY
Thursday, October 31, 2024
STORY
Friday, October 11, 2024
THE FOLKTALE FROM MYANMAR
Monday, October 7, 2024
STORY TIME
The wise farmer and the magic pot
Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a poor but wise farmer. One day, while working in the field, he found a strange pot buried in the ground. To his surprise, the pot had magical powers. Whatever he placed inside it would double! The farmer used the pot wisely, placing seeds, grains and even money inside and soon he became prosperous.
However, the farmer never let greed take over. He continued to help his neighbours and shared his newfound wealth with the village. Hearing about the pot, a greedy man from the village tried to steal it, but when he placed his hand inside, his greed caused the pot to trap him. The wise farmer, seeing this, warned everyone that greed leads to downfall.
Moral: Use your blessings wisely and never let greed take over, for it can lead to your ruin.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
A NATIVE AMERICAN FOLK TALE
Why do owls stare?
An owl and a pigeon were friends. One day, the owl began boastfully, “I think there are more owls than pigeons.”
The pigeon laughed, “You must be joking! We pigeons can easily outnumber you.”
The owl frowned haughtily and said, “I challenge you to a count!”
“Done!” cooed the pigeon.
“But, first, let’s decide where the count will be held. After all, we’ll need plenty of perching space.”
The owl thought for a while and said, “How about the Big Woods? It has lots of trees.”
“Fine,” agreed the pigeon. “Go and inform all the owls and I’ll gather my flock. You have a week’s time. On the seventh day, an hour after sunrise, all owls and pigeons have to be there. Latecomers will not be counted.”
“Agreed,” hooted the owl and flew off to spread the news of the challenge.
A week passed and on the seventh day, the owls arrived at sunrise. They swooped down on Big Woods and occupied several trees.
“Toowit, toowit! Looks like the pigeons forgot to wake up,” they hooted joyfully.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as huge clouds rumbled over the woods from all four directions. The owls stared in shock as they realised that the clouds were actually pigeons. Thousands of pigeons swooped down, blocking the sunlight. They perched on the trees, pushing the owls together. Branches snapped, unable to take the weight of so many pigeons at once. The owls forgot to blink and started moving their heads from side to side in surprise. Their eyes grew wider and wider as the pigeons just kept coming in hordes.
Nervous about being squashed by the pigeons, the owls finally flew up into the sky.
Since then, owls travel only at night when pigeons are fast asleep. And they stare at everything around them, watching out for pigeons.
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