Fables

[a.ratchasi]

Mystical stories with talking animals, multi faceted human beings and not forgetting the atrocious plots....interesting....it is.
However, what baffles is the sense of truth thrown that makes a fable what it is....a speedbreaker of sorts for man to stop and evaluate what he has done or should not have done.
Or simply to figure why people are as they are?

Fables... simplicity with abundance of wisdom...

[a.ratchasi]

The Father and His Two Daughters

A MAN had two daughters, the one married to a gardener, and the
other to a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who
had married the gardener, and inquired how she was and how all
things went with her. She said, "All things are prospering with
me, and I have only one wish, that there may be a heavy fall of
rain, in order that the plants may be well watered." Not long
after, he went to the daughter who had married the tilemaker, and
likewise inquired of her how she fared; she replied, "I want for
nothing, and have only one wish, that the dry weather may
continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so that the bricks
might be dried." He said to her, "If your sister wishes for rain,
and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my
wishes?'

Moral of the story:
You can't please everybody

[a.ratchasi]

The Scorpion and the Frog

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the
scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The
frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion
says, "Because if I do, I will die too."

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream,
the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of
paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown,
but has just enough time to gasp "Why?"

Replies the scorpion: "It is my nature..."

[a.ratchasi]

The Serpent and the Eagle

An Eagle swooped down upon a Serpent and seized it in his talons
with the intention of carrying it off and devouring it. But the
Serpent was too quick for him and had its coils round him in a moment; and then there ensued a life-and-death struggle between the two.

A countryman, who was a witness of the encounter, came to the assistance of the eagle, and succeeded in freeing him from the Serpent and enabling him to escape. In revenge, the Serpent spat some of his poison into the man's drinking-horn. Heated with his exertions, the man was about to slake his thirst with a draught from the horn, when the Eagle knocked it out of his hand, and spilled its contents upon the ground.

Moral of the story:
One good turn deserves another

[a.ratchasi]

The Thieves and the rooster

SOME THIEVES broke into a house and found nothing but a rooster,
whom they stole, and got off as fast as they could. Upon
arriving at home they prepared to kill the rooster, who thus pleaded for his life: "Pray spare me; I am very serviceable to men. I wake them up in the night to their work." "That is the very
reason why we must the more kill you," they replied; "for when
you wake your neighbors, you entirely put an end to our
business."

Moral:
The safeguards of virtue are hateful to those with evil intentions.

[a.ratchasi]

The Sick Lion

A Lion had come to the end of his days and lay sick unto death
at the mouth of his cave, gasping for breath. The animals, his
subjects, came round him and drew nearer as he grew more and more helpless.

When they saw him on the point of death they thought to
themselves: "Now is the time to pay off old grudges." So the Boar
came up and drove at him with his tusks; then a Bull gored him
with his horns; still the Lion lay helpless before them: so the
Ass, feeling quite safe from danger, came up, and turning his tail
to the Lion kicked up his heels into his face. "This is a double
death," growled the Lion.

The moral of the story is:
Only cowards insult dying majesty.

[a.ratchasi]

The Travelers and the Plane-Tree

Two travelers, worn out by the heat of the summer's sun, laid
themselves down at noon under the widespreading branches of a
plane tree. As they rested under its shade, one of the travelers
said to the other, "What a singularly useless tree is the Plane!
It bears no fruit, and is not of the least service to man." The
Plane-Tree, interrupting him, said, "You ungrateful fellows! Do
you, while receiving benefits from me and resting under my shade,
dare to describe me as useless, and unprofitable?'

Moral:
Some men underrate their best blessings

[a.ratchasi]

The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Terror

In the Warring States period, the Chu State had a very capable minister called Zhao Xixu. He was well respected and held in awe by the people of other countries as well as his own. One day, the king asked his ministers "I hear every state in the north is afraid of our minister Zhao Xixu, is that so?" At the question, almost all the ministers kept silent except one called Jiangyi, who liked to curry the king's favor very much. He lost no time to seize the opportunity and said, "Your Majesty, you know, it's you who people awe and respect, not him! Have you ever heard the story The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Terror?" Well, here is the story.

One day a tiger was hunting around in a forest. An unlucky fox was met and caught by the tiger. For the fox, the inescapable fate was very clear -- death. Despite the danger, the fox thought hard to find a way out. Promptly, the fox declared to the tiger, "How dare you kill me!" On hearing the words the tiger was surprised and asked for the reason" The fox raised his voice a bit higher and declared arrogantly: "To tell you the truth, it's I who was accredited by God to the forest as the king of all the animals! If you kill me, that will be against the God's will, you know?" Seeing that the tiger became suspicions, the fox added: "Let's have a test. Let's go through the forest. Follow me and you will see HOW THE ANIMALS ARE FRIGHTENED OF ME." The tiger agreed. So the fox walked ahead of the tiger proudly through the forest. As you can imagine, the animals, seeing the tiger behind, were all terribly frightened and ran away. Then the fox said proudly: "There is no doubt that what I said is true, isn't it?" The tiger had nothing to say but to acknowledge the result. So the tiger nodded and said: "You are right. You are the king."

When Minister Jiangyi finished the story above, he added to the king: "It seems as if the northern neighbors were afraid of Minister Zhao xixu. In fact, they are afraid of Your Majesty just as the animals were afraid of the tiger not of the fox." The king was very pleased at Minister Jiangyi's words. And never doubted its truth.

[blahblah]

Ratchasi,thirty eight views but no posts from others?But you seem to be in good form.Can Icomeout with some Aesop's fables? :lol:

[a.ratchasi]

Blahblah, to post or not to post, is up to the hubbers.
I am not going to measure this thread by the number of 'worded' response it gets. Rather it is the imparting value that counts.

Of course, when a ratchasi can post a fable or two, I dont see why not a rabbit? :wink:

[blahblah]

Really it interests me.I will soon come out with some.The delay comes from the inconvienience that I have to filter out the ones involving rabbits in bad light.Hope you will understand :wink: :D .

[pavalamani pragasam]

Well done, a.ratchasi! I was busy in the morning, saw the thread only now. I love fables, fairy tales, all tales that have a moral- like Aesop’s, mullah’s, Birbal’s, Tenali Raman’s, Pancha Tantra and so on. I am happy to read the tales you have given quite new to me. Please carry on. Our children were lavishly treated by us to a feast of children’s story books & children’s magazines in both Tamil & English. The Muthu comic books were devoured by them. They loved the Phantom stories, Obelix, Mandrak, Flash Gordon, ,Tintin etc. We have the classics collections hard bound, preserved to be read by their sons! I am glad we nurtured book-reading habit in them. We never tired of telling stories to them while feeding them or putting them to sleep. Picture story books sold by the Twentieth Century book shop is the beginner even as soon as the baby sits up. The tradition continues in spite of the TV invasion. Luckily Pogo channel is the younger generation’s favourite. It is not bad. Popayey the sailor, Tom & Jerry, Flintstones are some favourite CD’s. This may be the reason why the the child in all of us has never grown up! I love to read Enid Blyton till today. I am diffident of reading new children’s books like Harry Potter which I have yet to set my eyes on!

[Querida]

I too am a fan of fables but growing up here i only have read those of aesop's tales....please Madame PP or any other poster can you put up some fables from your tamil authors? I really enjoyed reading these fables, I liked how i did not know of any one of them yet thought i have more or less encountered all of them...what a nice way to learn of my ignorance...I will try to find some of my own...but on the way please post some more of yours as well Ratchasi :D

[Querida]

The Ant and the Chrysalis - Aesop's Fables

An Ant nimbly running about in the sunshine in search of food came
across a Chrysalis that was very near its time of change. The
Chrysalis moved its tail, and thus attracted the attention of the Ant,
who then saw for the first time that it was alive. "Poor, pitiable
animal!" cried the Ant disdainfully. "What a sad fate is yours!
While I can run hither and thither, at my pleasure, and, if I wish,
ascend the tallest tree, you lie imprisoned here in your shell, with
power only to move a joint or two of your scaly tail." The Chrysalis
heard all this, but did not try to make any reply. A few days after,
when the Ant passed that way again, nothing but the shell remained.
Wondering what had become of its contents, he felt himself suddenly
shaded and fanned by the gorgeous wings of a beautiful Butterfly.
"Behold in me," said the Butterfly, "your much-pitied friend! Boast
now of your powers to run and climb as long as you can get me to
listen." So saying, the Butterfly rose in the air, and, borne along
and aloft on the summer breeze, was soon lost to the sight of the
Ant forever.


"Appearances are deceptive."

[Querida]

The Ass and the Mule


A MULETEER set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and
a Mule, both well laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along
the plain, carried his load with ease, but when he began to
ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more
than he could bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of
a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the Mule
paid no attention to the request. The Ass shortly afterwards
fell down dead under his burden. Not knowing what else to do in
so wild a region, the Muleteer placed upon the Mule the load
carried by the Ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all
placed the hide of the Ass, after he had skinned him. The Mule,
groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself: " If I had only been willing to assist the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing,together with his burden, himself as well."


-"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"-

[Querida]

The Ass in the Lion's Skin


AN ASS, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest
and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met
in his wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to
frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his
voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened
myself, if I had not heard your bray."


Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away

[Querida]

Belling the Cat


Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what
measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got
up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet
the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger
consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy
approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her
approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore,
to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon
round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know
when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the
neighbourhood."

This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse
got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the
Cat?" The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the
old mouse said:

"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."

[a.ratchasi]

Madam PP, you have evoked my childhood days. :)
I had the privilege of reading a couple of Ambuli Mama comics or was it C something. I am I afraid I cant recall the title.
Initially, those colourful pictures with men attired differently fascinated me. It was an experince itself!

Blahblah, you wouldnt stop me from posting the 'good' rabbit fables, would you?:lol:

Q, that's a good suggestion of yours. :)
Hope to see more of Tamil and other asian fables.

Please keep the ball rolling... :D

[Badri]

I had the privilege of reading a couple of Ambuli Mama comics or was it C something. I am I cant recall the title.

Ratchasi, was it chandamama you were referring to? Or perhaps Champak, where you always had a tale about the clever bunny rabbit? What was his name, now?

blahblah, you listening?

[a.ratchasi]

Yes, Bandri. It is Chandamama. Thanks!
The one about the Clever rabbit? Nay... :lol:

I also recall reading about an 'intelligent' brahmana.
The stories involving him were simply funny!!
Sadly, I cant recall the plots as I read those ancient years ago!
The other reason being the books that I loaned were never returned to me. :(

[a.ratchasi]

The Lion in Love

A Lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden and proposed marriage to her parents. The old people did not know what to say. They did not like to give their daughter to the Lion, yet they did not wish to enrage the King of Beasts. At last the father said: "We feel highly honoured by your Majesty's proposal, but you see our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that in the vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her some injury. Might I venture to suggest that your Majesty should have your claws removed, and your teeth extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal again." The Lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out. But when he came again to the parents of the young girl they simply laughed in his face, and bade him do his worst.

"Love can tame the wildest"

This is one of my favourites.

[a.ratchasi]

The Ass's Brains

The Lion and the Fox went hunting together. The Lion, on the advice of the Fox, sent a message to the Ass, proposing to make an alliance between their two families. The Ass came to the place of meeting, overjoyed at the prospect of a royal alliance. But when he came there the Lion simply pounced on the Ass, and said to the Fox: "Here is our dinner for to-day. Watch you here while I go and have a nap. Woe betide you if you touch my prey." The Lion went away and the Fox waited; but finding that his master did not return, ventured to take out the brains of the Ass and ate them up. When the Lion came back he soon noticed the absence of the brains, and asked the Fox in a terrible voice: "What have you done with the brains?"
"Brains, your Majesty! it had none, or it would never have fallen into your trap."

"Wit has always an answer ready"

[a.ratchasi]

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this
cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily
welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to
offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse rather turned
up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot
understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as
this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the
country; come you with me and I will show you how to live. When
you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever
have stood a country life." No sooner said than done: the two
mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's
residence late at night. "You will want some refreshment after
our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend
into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a
fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes
and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling and barking.
"What is that?" said the Country Mouse. "It is only the dogs of
the house," answered the other. "Only!" said the Country Mouse.
"I do not like that music at my dinner." Just at that moment the
door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to
scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country
Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other. "Yes," he replied;


"Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear."

[a.ratchasi]

The Two Dogs

A man had two dogs: a Hound, trained to assist him in his sports,
and a Housedog, taught to watch the house. When he returned home after a good day's sport, he always gave the Housedog a large share of his spoil. The Hound, feeling much aggrieved at this,
reproached his companion, saying, "It is very hard to have all
this labor, while you, who do not assist in the chase, luxuriate
on the fruits of my exertions." The Housedog replied, "Do not
blame me, my friend, but find fault with the master, who has not
taught me to labor, but to depend for subsistence on the labor of
others."

"Children are not to be blamed for the faults of their parents"

[a.ratchasi]

The Wolf and the Shepherds

A wolf, passing by, saw some shepherds in a hut eating a haunch
of mutton for their dinner. Approaching them, he said, "What a
clamor you would raise if I were to do as you are doing!"

[Roshan]

a.ratchasi,

Give me some time to go through the whole thing. Thanks for taking time to produce such stuff here. Appreciated :)

[Querida]

The Boy and the Nettles


A BOY was stung by a Nettle. He ran home and told his Mother,
saying, "Although it hurts me very much, I only touched it
gently." "That was just why it stung you," said his Mother. "The
next time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be
soft as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you."


Whatever you do, do with all your might.

[Querida]

The Bear and the Two Travelers


TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on
their path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and
concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he
must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came
up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held
his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he
could. The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch
a dead body. When he was quite gone, the other Traveler
descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend
what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear. "He gave me this
advice," his companion replied. "Never travel with a friend who
deserts you at the approach of danger."


Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.

[Querida]

The Crow and the Pitcher


A CROW perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find
water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he
discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he
could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think
of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last
he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them
one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the
water within his reach and thus saved his life.


Necessity is the mother of invention.

-this is one of my favourites when i was a little one :D

[hehehewalrus]

Another crow saw this crow doing this and being much more intelligent, tossed a huge boulder into the pot. The boulder crashed the pot to pieces and all the water spilled out and dried up.

[blahblah]

Another crow saw this crow doing this and being much more intelligent, tossed a huge boulder into the pot. The boulder crashed the pot to pieces and all the water spilled out and dried up.
Is that crow about to become a senior hubber in this hub? :wink:

[Querida]

that exact same crow blahblah :wink: :lol:

[a.ratchasi]

A Painted Snake Makes a Man Sick

In the Jin Dynasty, there lived a man named Le Guang, who had a bold and uninhabited character and was very friendly. One day Le Guang sent for one of his close friends since the friend had not turned out for long.

At the first sight of his friend, Le Guang realized that something must have happened to his friend for his friend has no peace of mind all the time. So he asked his friend what was the matter. "It was all because of that banquet held at your home. At the banquet, you proposed a toast to me and just when we raised the glasses, I noticed that there was a little snake lying in the wine and I felt particularly sick. Since then, I lay in bed unable to do anything."

Le Guang was very puzzled at the matter. He looked around and then saw a bow with a painted snake hung on the wall of his room.

So Le Guang laid the table at the original place and asked his friend again to have a drink. When the glass was filled with wine, he pointed to the shade of the bow in the glass and asked his friend to see. His friend observed nervously, "Well, well, that is what I saw last time. It is the same snake." Le Guang laughed and took off the bow on the wall. "Could you see the snake any more?" he asked. His friend was surprised to find that the snake was no longer in the wine. Since the whole truth had come out, his friend recovered from his prolonged illness right away.

For thousands of years the story has been told to advise people not to be too suspicious unnecessarily.

[a.ratchasi]

Stopping Halfway, Never Comes One's Day

In the Warring States Period, in the state of Wei lived a man called Leyangtsi. His wife was very angelic and virtuous, who was loved and respected dearly by the husband.

One day, Leyangtsi found a piece of gold on his way home, and he was so delighted that he ran home as fast as he could to tell his wife. Looking at the gold, his wife said calmly and gently, "As you know, it is usually said that a true man never drink the stolen water. How can you take such a piece of gold home which is not yours?" Leyangtsi was greatly moved by the words, and he immediately replaced it where it was.

The next year, Leyangtsi went to a distant place to study classics with a talent teacher, leaving his wife home alone. One day, his wife was weaving on the loom, when Leyangtsi entered. At his coming, the wife seemed to be worried, and she at once asked the reason why he came back so soon. The husband explained how he missed her. The wife got angry with what the husband did. Advising his husband to be fortitude and not too indulged in the love, the wife took up a pair of scissors and cut down what she had woven on the loom, which made Leyangtsi very puzzled. His wife declared, "If something is stopped halfway, it is just like the cut cloth on the loom. The cloth will only be useful if finished. But now, it has been nothing but a mess, and so it is with your study."

Leyangtsi was greatly moved by his wife. He left home resolutely and went on with his study. He didn't return home to see his beloved wife until gaining great achievements.

[a.ratchasi]

The Wild Boar and the Fox

A wild boar stood under a tree and rubbed his tusks against the
trunk. A Fox passing by asked him why he thus sharpened his
teeth when there was no danger threatening from either huntsman
or hound. He replied, "I do it advisedly; for it would never do
to have to sharpen my weapons just at the time I ought to be
using them."

[a.ratchasi]

Once upon a time...

There was a rich King who had 4 wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and
treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the
best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day
she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidante and was always
kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a
problem, he could confide in her to help him get through the difficult
times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great
contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short.

He thought of his luxurious life and pondered, "I now have 4 wives
with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life.
Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good!
When you die, I'm going to remarry!"

His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife.
"At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."

Her answer came like a bolt of thunder and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out:

"I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny,
she suffered from malnutrition.

Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In Truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives .

Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth.
When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the ego. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.

So cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now!
It is your greatest gift to offer the world.

[temporary sori-Observer]

Moral of the story-
Having many wives is allowed, as long as you dont neglect the ugly first wife :twisted:

[Anoushka]

AR, Thanks for these wonderful fables, I wanted to collect them and you have made my job easy :)

[a.ratchasi]

Hi Anoushka, I have quite a collection myself, though all are electronically stashed away.
Will try to look for the file and post when time permits. :)

[a.ratchasi]

A Wife and Mother Who Was a Sister First (An Intelligent Woman)

Once upon a time some bandits robbed a village. Then they escaped into a thick forest. Some men from the village chased them. They surrounded the forest and searched it for the robbers, but they could not find them.

When they came out of the forest they saw three farmers plowing in their field. They immediately captured them and said, "Aha! You bandits are pretending to be innocent farmers interested only in plowing! Come with us to the king, you thieves!" They tied them up and took them as prisoners to the king. He locked them in the palace dungeon.

Then a woman began coming to the palace courtyard. For several days she came and cried, as if in mourning.

One day the king heard her cries and asked her to come inside. He asked why she was crying. She said, "I have heard that my husband, son and brother are all your prisoners, my lord."

The king had the three men brought up from the dungeon. Being a generous ruler, he said to the woman, "I will give you one of these three. Which one do you choose?"

The woman asked, "Can't you give me all three, my lord?" The king replied, "No, I cannot."

After carefully considering, she said, "If you will not give me all three, then give me my brother, oh lord king."

The king was surprised by her choice. He said, "You should choose your husband or son. Why would you want your brother instead?"

The smart woman replied, "Oh my lord, when I go out onto the roadway, a new husband would be easy to find. And then I could easily have another son. A husband or a son is easy to come by in this world. But since my parents are dead, I could never get another brother!"

The king was impressed by the intelligence and thinking ability shown by this simple woman. Some of his own ministers were not nearly as smart! So he decided to reward her. He said, "I return all three to you - your brother, husband and son."

The moral is: It's a fortunate brother who has an intelligent sister.

[a.ratchasi]

[tscii:039fdd0a69]The Elephant King Goodness (Generosity and Ingratitude)

Once upon a time the Enlightenment Being was born as an elephant. He was wonderfully white in colour, glowing like polished silver. His feet were as smooth and bright as the finest lacquer. His mouth was as red as the most elegant red carpet. And his marvellous eyes were like precious jewels, sparkling in five colours - blue, yellow, red, white and crimson.

The splendid beauty of this magnificent elephant was the outer form of the Enlightenment Being. But this was only a pale reflection of his inner beauty - because during many previous lives he had filled himself with the Ten Perfections: energy, determination, truthfulness, wholesomeness, giving up attachment to the ordinary world, evenmindedness, wisdom, patience, generosity, and of course - loving-kindness.

When he became an adult, all the other elephants in the Himalayan forests came to follow and serve him. Before long his kingdom contained a population of 80,000 elephants. Such a large nation was crowded and filled with distractions. In order to live more quietly, he separated himself from the rest and went to live alone in a secluded part of the forest. Because of his wholesomeness and purity, which were easily seen by everyone, he was known as the Elephant King Goodness.

In the meantime, a forester from Benares travelled into these Himalayan foothills. He was searching for things of value he could sell back in Benares. After a while he lost his sense of direction. He ran back and forth trying to find his way. Soon he became exhausted and scared to death! He began trembling and crying out loud from fear.

The Elephant King Goodness heard the sound of the poor lost man's frightened weeping. Immediately he was filled with pity and compassion. Wishing to help him in any way he could, he began walking through the forest towards him.

But the man was in such a big panic that, when he saw the gigantic elephant coming towards him, he started running away. When the wise elephant king saw this, he stopped moving. Seeing this, the forester also stopped. Then King Goodness began walking towards him again, the man started running, and once again stopped when the elephant stopped.

At that point the man thought, "This noble elephant! When I run, he stops. And when I stop, he walks towards me. No doubt he intends me no harm - he must want to help me instead!" Realising this gave him the courage to stop and wait.

As the Elephant King Goodness slowly approached, he said, "My human friend, why are you wandering about crying in panic?"

"Lord elephant," said the man, "I lost all sense of direction, became hopelessly lost, and was afraid I would die!"

Then the Enlightenment Being took the forester to his own secluded dwelling place. He comforted and soothed him by treating him to the finest fruits and nuts in all the Himalayas. After several days he said, "My friend, don't be afraid. I will take you to the land where people live. Sit on my back." Then he began carrying him towards the land of men.

While riding comfortably on this glorious being, the man thought, "Suppose people ask me where I was. I must be able to tell everything." So he made notes of all the landmarks, while being carried to safety by the kind elephant king.

When he came out of the thick forest near the highway to Benares, the Elephant King Goodness said, "My good friend, take this road to Benares. Please don't tell anyone where I live, whether they ask you or not." With these parting words, the gentle elephant turned around and went back to his safe and secret home.

The man had no trouble finding his way to Benares. Then one day, while walking in the bazaar, he came to the shops of the ivory carvers. They carved ivory into delicate and beautiful statues, scenes and shapes. The forester asked them, "Would you buy tusks that come from living elephants?"

The ivory carvers replied, "What a question! Everyone knows the tusks from a live elephant are much more valuable than from a dead one." "Then I will bring you some live elephant tusks," said the forester.

Caring only for money, ignoring the safety of the elephant king, and without any gratitude towards the one who had saved his life – the man put a sharp saw in with his other provisions, and set out towards the home of King Goodness.

When he arrived the elephant king asked him, "Oh my dear human friend, what brings you back again?" Making up a story, the greedy man said, "My lord elephant, I am a poor man, living very humbly. As these times are very difficult for me, I have come to beg from you just a little piece of tusk. If you can give it to me, I will take it home and sell it. Then I will be able to provide for myself, and survive for a while longer."

Pitying the man, the Elephant King Goodness said, "Of course my friend, I will give you a big piece of tusk! Did you happen to bring a saw with you?" "Yes lord," said the forester, "I did bring a saw." "All right then," said the generous King Goodness, "cut from both my tusks!"

As he said this, the elephant bent down on his knees and offered up his spectacular silvery-white tusks. Without the slightest regret, the man sawed off big pieces of ivory from both tusks.



The Enlightenment Being picked up both pieces with his trunk. He said, "Good friend, I am not giving you my lovely tusks because I dislike them and want to get rid of them. Nor is it because they are not valuable to me. But a thousand times, even a hundred thousand times more lovely and valuable are the tusks of all knowable wisdom, which leads to the realisation of all Truth."

Giving the wonderful tusks to the man, it was the elephant’s wish that his perfect generosity would eventually lead him to the greatest wisdom.

The man went home and sold both pieces of ivory. But it didn’t take long for him to spend all the money. So again he returned to the Elephant King Goodness. He begged him, "My lord, the money I got by selling your ivory was only enough to pay off my debts. I am still a poor man, living very humbly. Times are still hard in Benares, so please give me the rest of your tusks, oh generous one!"

Without hesitation, the elephant king offered what was left of his tusks. The man cut off all that he could see of them, right down to the sockets in the elephant’s skull! He left without a word of thanks. The wonderful kind elephant meant no more to him than a bank account! He took the ivory back to Benares, sold it, and squandered the money as before.

Once again the forester returned to the Himalayan home of the Elephant King Goodness. And again he begged him, "Oh noble elephant king, it is so very hard to make a living in Benares. Have pit on me and let me have the rest of your ivory – the roots of your tusks."

Perfect generosity holds nothing back. So once again the elephant king bent down on his knees and offered his remaining stumps of ivory. The ungrateful betrayer did not care at all for the elephant. He stepped onto the magnificent trunk – like a thick silver chain. He climbed up and sat between the pure white temples, on top of the great head – like a snowy Himalayan dome. Then he roughly dug in with his heels, rubbing and tearing away the tender flesh from the stumps of the once-beautiful tusks. He used his dull worn-down saw to cut and hack the ivory roots out of the noble skull!

It is said there are many worlds – the hell world of torture, the worlds of hungry ghosts, of animals and of mankind, as well as many heaven worlds – from the lowest to the highest. In all these worlds there are millions of beings who, at one time or another, have been born and lived as elephants. And some who tell this story say, that although they knew not why, all those one-time elephants felt the pain of the Great Being – the Elephant King Goodness.

The forester departed carrying the bloody ivory stumps. Thinking there was no reason to see the elephant again, the didn’t bother to show any sign of gratitude or respect.

The vast solid earth, which is strong enough to easily support great mountains, and is able to bear the worst filth and stench, could not bear and support this cruel man’s enormous unwholesomeness. So, when he could no longer be seen by the suffering elephant, the mighty earth cracked open beneath him. Fire from the lowest hell world leaped up, engulfed him in bright red flames, and pulled him down to his doom!

The moral is: The ungrateful stops at nothing, and digs his own grave.

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Buddhist Tales
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[a.ratchasi]

A Question From a Seven-year-old (Six Worthy Ways)

Once upon a time there was a rich man living in Benares, in northern India. He had a son who was intelligent, curious and eager to learn. Even though he was only seven years old, he was determined to find out what is really valuable.

One day the little boy asked his father, "What are the ways to gain the most valuable things in life?"

His father said, "Only worthy ways lead to worthwhile goals. These are the six worthy ways:

keep yourself healthy and fit;
be wholesome in every way;
listen to those with more experience;
learn from those with more knowledge;
live according to Truth;
act with sincerity, not just energy."
The boy paid close attention to his father's words. He tried hard to practice these ways from then on. As he grew up and became wise, he realized that the six worthy ways, and the most valuable things in life, could not be separated.

The moral is: "A serious question deserves a serious answer."

[hehehewalrus]

ratchasi
why dont u put that link and let people read at their own leisure instead of having to scroll

[j.chenkalvarayan]

The Crow and the Raven

A crow was jealous of the Raven, because he was considered a bird of good omen and always attracted the attention of men, who noted by his flight the good or evil course of future events. Seeing some travelers approaching, the Crow flew up into a tree, and perching herself on one of the branches, cawed as loudly as she could. The travelers turned towards the sound and wondered what it foreboded, when one of them said to his companion, "Let us proceed on our journey, my friend, for it is only the caw of a crow, and her cry, you know, is no omen." Those who assume a character which does not belong to them,only make themselves ridiculous

[j.chenkalvarayan]

The Wasp and the Snake
A wasp seated himself upon the head of a Snake and, striking him unceasingly with his stings, wounded him to death. The Snake, being in great torment and not knowing how to rid himself of his enemy, saw a wagon heavily laden with wood, and went and purposely placed his head under the wheels, saying, "At least my enemy and I shall perish together."

[a.ratchasi]

walrus, these, I'm sure, are from other websites.
However, I receive the fables from good natured friends via email individually.
Therefore, there's no link whatsoever for me to provide here unless I am doing the search myself.

Satisfied? :D