The Wicked Lion and the Wise Elephant

Once upon a time there lived a simple woodcutter named Bholu.  Bholu lived with wife and two small children in the town of Vikrampur.  Bholu was a kind and generous man.  Everyday, he went into the forest to fetch wood.

One day, Bholu went to the forest as usual.  The village carpenter had wanted to make an armchair.  Bholu was in search of a tree that would provide wood for fine furniture.  He walked about looking at the trees, one by one.

He could not find the perfect one.  As he wandered about, he did not notice that he was going deeper into the forest.    As he went further, he heard a deep roar.  Bholu froze in terror.  He had never heard anything like that before. He hid behind the trunk of a large tree.  Leaning forward, he looked around.  He saw a sight that he never expected to see.  A lion was trapped in a large cage.

The lion had sniffed the scent Bholu.  Its cries grew more and more sad.  Bholu was moved by the scene of such a large majestic animal in such a sad state.  He stepped forward and walked towards the cage.

The cage was made of iron with strong bars.  The trapped lion grew frightened on seeing Bholu.  It thought that he was the hunter.  Bholu smiled at the lion and put it at ease.

He then looked around. The door of the cage had a latch.  Bholu deftly opened the latch.  He then opened the door.  The lion realized what he was doing. He quickly got out of the door.

Bholu was happy.  He had brought freedom to a caged animal.  He turned to the lion expecting to receive his thanks and gratitude.

But to his shock, he found the lion baring his powerful teeth and uttering a loud growl that echoed across the forest.  “O foolish man”, the lion said, “You have saved me but now your are going to be my lunch”.

Bholu was surprised and angry at the lion.  He was also very afraid.  He had taken great risk and effort to free the animal.  But, the ungrateful beast wanted to eat him.

The lion moved towards him. His wild eyes shone with fierceness. His sharp teeth and his gaping mouth were a terrifying sight.  Bholu was frightened to death.  He quickly made a jump and made for the nearby tree.  He climbed fast and soon he was on a branch high away from the ground.  For now, he was safe.

The lion was angry. He let out a loud growl and walked about the tree.  “The man would have to come down eventually”, he told himself, “I will have my fill then”.

As he was thus going round the tree, an elephant happened to pass by that area.
He was puzzled to see a lion walking around a tree.  He asked what the matter was.
The lion replied, ”There is a man on top of the tree.  I am going to eat him.  I am waiting for him to come down. You can go away.”.

But Bholu from his perch up in the tree said, “O Elephant, listen to my sad tale”.  The Elephant looked up.  He saw Bholu holding tight to a branch. Bholu then told him of how he came to the forest and how he helped the lion. “Is this the way to repay someone who has saved your life?”, Bholu asked pitifully.

The Elephant understood what the matter was.  In the forest, he was known for his wisdom.  He understood the wickedness of the lion.  He thought of a clever plan.

“I do not quite understand the situation”, he said to the lion,  “You say you were in the cage and Bholu opened the cage”.  The lion nodded.  “Can you go back into the cage and show me how”.  The lion was annoyed. Nevertheless, he went inside the cage and stood. “This is where I was”, he said.  “I see”, said the elephant, moving towards the cage. He then swiftly locked the cage with the lion inside.  The lion was stunned.  “You wicked animal”, the elephant said, “you want to kill the very man who saved your life. You do not deserve freedom.”

The Elephant asked Bholu to come down.  He, then, carried a grateful Bholu on his back out of the forest.  Bholu thanked the elephant and returned home to his family. As for the lion, he remained in the cage until the hunters came.  They took and sold him to a zoo where he spent the rest of his life in a cage.

Children, this story teaches us to be grateful to those who help us.  Those who help others often put themselves in danger, we should appreciate their actions and be thankful.

The White Elephant and the King of Benaras

Once upon a time there lived a herd of elephants in the forests adjoining the foothills of the mighty Himalayas.

The herd was led by a beautiful white elephant.  The elephant was wise and kind to his subjects.  He lived with his elderly mother.  The mother elephant was advanced in years and was weak.  She was also blind.  Her dutiful son, the white elephant, took great care of his mother.  He loved her very much.

One day, one of the elephants came across a man wandering in the forest.  The man was famished and disheveled.  His clothes were dirty and he was in a bad state.  The White elephant was immediately informed of the intruder.  The white elephant approached the man.  The frightened man only ran further away.

The White elephant went close to him.  “Do not be afraid”, he said, “we have come to help you”.    The man, who had by now overcome his fear, narrated his sad story.  “I am from a party of woodcutters who were chopping wood in these forests”, he said.  “I went deeper into the forest in search of wood and soon discovered that I was lost”, he sobbed.  He said that he was wandering desperately to get out of the forest for seven days.

The White elephant took pity on him.  He knew the way out of the forest.  He took him to his dwelling and gave him fruits to eat.

A few days later, the White Elephant asked one of the elephants to guide him on the way home.  The man, whose name was Ghanshyam, thanked the elephant very much.

 Ghanshyam came out of the forest and found his way to Benaras.    Just then he heard the news of the death of the Royal Elephant of the King of Benaras.  The whole city of Benaras and the Royal household were in a state of mourning.

As soon as the period of mourning was over, the officials of the palace set about searching for a new elephant which would be the Royal Elephant.  They promised a reward of ten thousand gold coins to someone who would suggest a good elephant.

Ghanshyam suddenly remembered the White Elephant.  He recalled its stately appearance and grand bearing.  If only, he could catch the elephant and give it to the king, he would be a rich man.  In his greed, he had forgotten his debt of gratitude to the kind elephant.

The wicked Ghanshyam approached the Chief Minister and told of his adventure and the white elephant.    Ghanshyam, offered to lead them to the elephant.

A few days, the minister assembled a group of mahouts and other elephants from the royal stables.  A detachment of soldiers were also to accompany the group into the forest.    Ghanshyam took the royal party straight to the pond where the elephants used to bathe.

The royal party positioned their own trained domestic elephants around the lake and sealed all the escape routes.  Unfortunately, for the white elephant, that day he had come to bath with only a couple of his close friends.  The other elephants were in another part of the forest.    Outnumbered and surrounded, the white elephant was caught.

Soon, mahouts atop the tame elephants threw thick ropes over the white elephant and tied him.  The White elephant was led away from the forest to Benaras.  The White elephant was heartbroken when he thought of his poor blind mother.

In Benaras, the white elephant was the talk of the town.  The king was also impressed with the new elephant.  He admired the white complexion of the elephant and his graceful poise.

Soon, the White elephant was decked with all the finery reserved for the elephant of state.  He was then led to the royal stables where a special enclosure was ready for him.  The minister ordered the choicest foods to be placed before him.  But the White elephant did not touch him.  He was depressed.  The king noticed his moody appearance.  He thought that it was due to the stress of capture.

But the white elephant never recovered from his depression.  He was constantly thinking of the forest and his mother.  The king was concerned.  He went down to the royal stables to find the reason for the elephant’s sadness.

The elephant told him the reason for his sadness.  He told him of his poor mother and how he was separated from her and was always thinking of her.  The king was deeply moved.
He was angry with his ministers for having been so cruel.  The next day, he ordered his minister to return the white elephant to the forest.  The white elephant thanked the king and returned to the forest to be with his mother.

The king, made one of his own elephants, the royal elephant.  He ruled Benaras for many years wisely and well.  The White elephant lived in the forest for many years with his mother and his companions.

Children, this story tell us to not to be considerate towards others and their feelings.   If we have unknowingly caused sadness to others, we need to correct our mistakes.

The Proud Elephant and the Wise Jackal

Once upon a time, there lived an elephant in the forests of Devganj.  The Elephant lived a lonely life in the jungle.  He was an arrogant and haughty animal.

It was the strongest animal in the forest.  It terrorized any animal which was small and weak.  Even the tigers and leopards learned to keep a safe distance from the elephant.

Sometimes, when the elephant was in an angry mood, he would run amok across the forest with his trunk held high, trumpeting and charging at anything he could come across.

Many a time, small animals, particularly those which built their homes in the ground would get trampled.

The animals of the forest spent their lives in perpetual fear and terror. They did not know what to do.

One day a jackal came to the forest.  He was in search of food.  He lived nearby.  He found the forest to be a pleasant place.   As he set up his home and made acquaintances with the animals, he came to know of the elephant and the fear he had instilled in the minds of the animals.

The jackal was a wise animal.  He was old in years and experienced in the ways of the forest.  He was sad that all the animals were subjugated by such a tyrant as the elephant

A few days later, news of a terrible tragedy spread through the forest.  A young partridge had laid her eggs on a nest in the ground.  A few weeks later, the eggs hatched into four beautiful fluffy chicks. The chicks were the pride and joy of the partridge.  The chicks had just grown big enough to come out of the nest.

One day, the mother partridge had gone out in search of food.  When she returned, she was shocked to see that her chicks were dead.  They had apparently been crushed to death by the cruel elephant.

The anger of the other animals knew no bounds.  But they were powerless in front of the mighty elephant.

The old jackal who was observing the grim situation had an idea to rid the forest of the elephant for ever.  He discussed his plan with a few of the animals in the forest.

The next day, the wise jackal slowly approached the Elephant.  The elephant lived in a corner of the forest.  No animal dared come close to his residence.  Summoning courage, the jackal entered his place.

“Your Excellency!”, he began.  The elephant was pleased.  He loved to see other animals cower before him.  “All the animals of the forest have decided that the forest needs a king”, the jackal said.  The elephant grew interested.  The idea never occurred to him.  The jackal continued, “Seeing that you are the most powerful and mighty animal in the forest, the animals have decided to crown you as their king”.  The elephant was pleased.  Till now, he thought that the animals were frightened of him.  But now it appeared that they really loved him.

He consented to attend the function and get himself crowned as king.  “It is only a formality. I am already king”, he thought to himself.  But the thought of him being hailed as king by all of the forest creatures made him very happy.

The jackal left the elephant after thanking him for his graciousness.  On the day of the coronation, the jackal arrived early in the morning.  The elephant was already waiting for him.  He had just returned from an early morning bath.  He wanted to look his best.

The jackal led him through the forest.  The walked for about an hour until they came to a river bank.  The elephant was apprehensive.  ”Just a few more minutes, Your Excellency”, the jackal reassured him.    There was quicksand a few metres away.  The jackal walked slowly sideways.  The elephant did not notice this.  He went forward and got caught in the quicksand.  Being heavy, the sand gave way and soon he was sinking.   He struggled to get out.  But the more he struggled, the more he got caught in the loose soil.

He cried out for help.  But no one could save him.  The other animals of the forest watched from a distance.  That was the end of the wicked elephant. The animals of the forest thanked the wise jackal for saving them.  They lived in peace for many years.

Children, this story tells us that people who are arrogant and cruel will one day be brought down.  Therefore, we need to be humble and never proud of our strength or our intelligence.  He must always be kind and helpful to others.

The Wise Elephant and the Greedy Monkey

Once upon a time there lived a wise elephant in a  forest.  The forest was huge and spread over many hundreds of acres with plants and animals of all kinds. 

The forest was a  paradise where all the animals lived in harmony under the benevolent rule of the Elephant. The animals of the forest loved and adored the elephant.  They looked upon the elephant as a father-figure.  The elephant, for his part, saw all the inhabitants of the forest as his own children.

One day a monkey entered the forest.   He had lived in another forest.  He found a home in one of the tree branches.  He was a cunning and a greedy creature.

The monkey  was jealous of the elephant and the respect he commanded.  He imagined himself as the ruler of the forest with all other animals paying homage to him.

The monkey went about the forest spreading rumours about the elephant.   He said that the elephant was greedy and only cared about himself.

The rumours spread through the forest.  They soon reached the Elephant’s ears.  The elephant was pained to hear them.  He had always considered himself to be a servant of the forest and its inhabitants.

He knew that his reputation was at stake.  It was only a matter of time before more people started to believe him.  He thought for a while and hit upon a wise plan.

A few days later, the elephant summoned all the inhabitants of the forest.  He asked all the animals to assemble in a open field in the middle of the jungle.

On the day of the meeting, the animals gathered together at the appointed place.  The shrewd monkey was also there.

The elephant began, ”Friends, I have been in this forest for many years.  I have tried to do my best to you.   I have been your friend and guide.   But now, there are rumours about my integrity and my character.  Some say that I am greedy and hungry for power.  I have all along acted as a servant of the forest and its dwellers.”  The other animals began to feel sorry for the elephant.  They knew that everything that the elephant said was true.

The elephant continued, “So, Friends!  Today I have decided to relinquish my authority over this forest to this monkey who desires my office.”  All eyes now turned on the monkey who was surprised by the sudden attention.

The elephant looked at the monkey.  “Friend”, he said, “I offer to step aside for you.  But before that I want you to specify what area you wish to rule over.  Our forest is huge and broad.  I suggest that you run around the forest over each area over which you want to govern.  Whatever area you cover during your run will be yours.” he said.  The monkey was pleased.   The other animals were also sad that their ruler for so many years was planning to step aside.  Some were angry at the insolence of the monkey.  But all agreed that the task was fair and were ready to give the monkey a chance.

The next day the animals assembled at the field at daybreak.  The monkey was there.  He planned to run all over the forest to stake his claim to rule.   The monkey began by running over the nearby river bank.  He then ran across the small hill which lay nearby and the marshes and the ravines and the thickets.

He was tired but would not rest.  He wanted to stake his claim to as large a territory as possible.  It was noon.  The monkey kept running. He could hardly breathe.  He did not pause even to eat or to turn back.

Dusk was turning into darkness and soon it was night.  The other animals  had been waiting the whole day for the monkey to return.  But there was no sign of the monkey.

The next day, the sun rose.  There was no sign of the monkey. Some time later, a pair of geese who were flying by told of a monkey who was lying motionless on the ground a few miles away.

The Elephant and the other animals quickly made their way to the location.  They found the monkey on the ground.  They lifted the monkey off the ground.  They were happy to find that it was still alive.  It had fainted out of exhaustion.

The elephant went to a nearby stream filled his trunk with water and sprayed it on the unconscious monkey.  The monkey slowly revived.  After he had drunk some water and had had some food, he realized where he was.

In his greed for more land, he had worked himself almost to the point of death.  He realized his folly.    He apologized to the elephant who was happy that the monkey had learnt his lesson.  The kind elephant hoisted him on his back and carried him back to his home.

Calm and tranquility returned to the forest and the monkey lived in peace with the other animals for many many years.

Children, this story teaches us not be greedy for power.  A leader is to serve the people.  A person who is greedy can never be a good leader.

The Clothes Merchant and the Elephant

Once upon a time there lived a clothes merchant.  His name was Ajay.  Ajay lived in the town of Rishipur.  Rishipur was a small town.  It had a population of a few thousand people.
Ajay had his shop in the bazaar in the middle of town.  Ajay was a skilled tailor who could stitch almost any kind of dress.   He stitched dresses and hung them in his shop for sale.
Since, his shop was located in the centre of the bazaar, Ajay did brisk business.  He was well known to people and had a large clientele.

The bazaar had shops selling all kinds of items.  Every evening, people would throng the bazaar in their thousands.  Near the bazaar lived an elephant.  The elephant and its mahout had lived in Rishipur for many years too.  The Mahout made his living by making his elephant work in the forests where he transported chopped tree trunks with his powerful tusks.

Every Monday, the elephant went down to the river for a bath early in the morning.    After the bath, elephant and mahout used to go on a trip through the bazaar.  The elephant loved this morning walk through the bazaar.  The people, delighted on seeing the elephant, gave him small gifts and money.  The elephant would lovingly collect the gift and lift them in his trunk to his master seated on his back.  The elephant would, then, bless the person giving the gift with his trunk.

Some shopkeepers would give him titbits such as coconuts or bananas.  While some others would give him gifts such as rice or sugar which the elephant dutifully gave to his master.  Ajay used to observe this weekly routine of the elephant.  He felt jealous.  He thought it was wrong that an elephant should get so much attention.  Ajay was famous too, as a merchant.  However, he felt that he had earned it by his hard work while the elephant got such adulation doing nothing.

One day, the elephant was going through the market as he did every week.  It went from shop to shop as usual collecting gifts and money and handing them to its mahout.  It then came to the Ajay’s clothes shop.  Ajay was busy with his work.    He looked up and saw the elephant.  A wicked idea came to him.  He took a needle from his table and pricked the elephant with it on its trunk.

The elephant gave a sharp yelp of pain and made a step backward.  The mahout sitting on top was alarmed.  Any sudden movement in the crowded streets could have been disastrous and many people could have been crushed.  The Mahout managed to control the elephant by reassuringly patting it.  The Elephant was furious at the insult.  However, it went away to visit other shops. 

Ajay was pleased with what he did.  “This would teach the elephant and its mahout a lesson”, he thought.    Soon he forgot about it and went back to his normal routine.  The next day, the mahout and the elephant went back to their work in the forests.  The mahout soon forgot all about the incident.  But the elephant did not.

Many months passed by and it was the month of August.  In a few months, Diwali would come.  Ajay was already seeing an increase in his business.  Everyone was buying new clothes.   His shop was a riot of colors – Yellow, red, blue, black.  His cupboards were stacked with the most exquisite of dresses that he had stitched and kept ready for his customers to buy.   Ajay was happy.  He looked forward to making a lot of money this time.

The next day was Monday. As was their custom, the elephant and its mahout were making their way through the bazaar.  The elephant stopped at the other shops as the shopkeepers lovingly patted its trunk and gave it their gifts as usual.  The elephant had ignored Ajay’s shop for the past few months.   However, today, it stealthily walked towards his shop.  Ajay was alarmed.   Then it happened.  The elephant pointed its trunk and blew a spout of dirty river water it had carried in its trunk into the shop.  Ajay was devastated.  His precious clothes were now ruined.  The elephant then let out a loud trumpeting sound and walked away.

The elephant had taken its revenge on Ajay. Ajay was ruined now.  It would be too late now to recover his clothes or order new clothes for the Diwali Season.

Children, this story teach us not to insult or unnecessarily hurt anyone.  While it is good to forgive insults which others may do to us, we must remember that others may not always forgive our insults.  They may hit us back at an opportune moment.  Hence, it is necessary that we respect all people and live in peace with others.

The Clever Fox and the Dead Elephant

Once upon a time, there was a fox  in a forest.  He was not a hunter.  He did not catch any prey of sufficient size to eat.  Sometimes, he would catch a small mouse or a hare.  But, those were rare occasions.   He mostly lived on leftovers of animals hunted by other predators. Often, he went hungry for many days.

So, when the fox discovered an elephant’s carcass one day, his joy knew no bounds.  He was extremely happy. 

The elephant was a large animal.  “I will never go hungry this year”, the fox told himself, “this will last me many months.”

He walked around the elephant and looked at it.  It was indeed a large animal.  He wanted to start eating it at once.  But there was a problem.  The elephant’s hide was thick and the fox’s teeth were not strong enough to tear the thick skin.  The fox was perplexed.  Here he was with such a large quantity of food and unable to taste it.  He felt helpless.  His quick-thinking mind was working on how he could get at the meat.

Just then he could hear the roar of a lion.  The fox was alarmed. “What if the lion steals my prized finding”, he thought to himself.  The roar was getting closer.  Quickly, he hit upon an idea.  As the lion appeared, the fox fell prostrate before him.  “Your majesty,  You are the king of the forest.”, he said, “I have just found a dead elephant.  It appears that the carcass is a few days old.  I wanted to come and  offer it to you.  But now you have yourself come here.”

The clever fox played to the lion’s vanity.  He knew that the lion would not eat a carcass that was dead for days.  The lion declined as he had expected and went his way.  The fox was relieved.

He was still looking for a way to open up the thick hide when he heard a tiger’s growl.  He was afraid once more.  He wondered how would he save his finding from this predator.  The tiger came close.  Seeing the dead elephant and the fox, he gave an angry growl.  He expected that the fox would run away.  But the quick-witted fox did not.  He seemed not to bother.  The tiger lounged a few steps forward and gave another growl and made a display of its sharp teeth.

The fox turned to the tiger and said.  “O Tiger, I would gladly give this elephant to you.  But this elephant was killed by the Lion.  He has asked me to look after it while he returns after a bath.”  The Tiger was scared of the lion.  He did not dare stay in the vicinity any longer.  The quickly left.
The Fox was relieved again.

He was still wondering how he could get to the flesh of the elephant.  He tried to bite at the skin but the skin was too thick for him.

Just then, he saw a leopard.  The leopard was slightly smaller and lightly built than the tiger.  But he still had sharp teeth and powerful jaws.  The fox had a brilliant idea.  The leopard came close and sniffed at the carcass.  He looked at the fox.  The fox looked at the leopard and smiled, “O Leopard, this elephant was killed by a lion.  The Lion has asked me to look after it.  He had gone to have a bath.  I am taking care of this.”

The leopard was disappointed that he would not be able to eat the flesh of the elephant.  Sensing this, the wily fox said, “I have an idea.  You can eat of the elephant’s flesh.  I will keep watch.  If I see the lion coming, I will sound the alarm.  You can leave at once”.

The leopard was pleased.  The idea seemed good.  “The fox is such a kind animal”, he thought to himself.  He thanked the fox for his graciousness.  He soon set upon the dead animal.  His sharp teeth cut through the hide easily.  Soon, he had reached the flesh.  He ate in great haste.  The fox was closely watching the leopard.  As soon as he felt that sufficient skin had been opened and he could handle the carcass himself, the fox shouted to the leopard, ”Here comes the Lion!. Quick! Run!”.  The leopard did not even dare to look to see if the lion was coming.  He stopped eating and fled in terror.

The fox was now happy.  He had cleverly outwitted two big animals and intelligently put the third animal to use.  The elephant was now his.  The fox feasted on the elephant for a long time.