1.

The Boy who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy who was bored watching his
flock of sheep on the hill. To amuse himself, he shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! The sheep
are being chased by the wolf!” The villagers came running to help the boy and
save the sheep. They found nothing and the boy just laughed looking at their
angry faces.

“Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there’s no wolf boy!”, they said angrily and left. The boy
just laughed at them.

After a while, he got bored and cried ‘wolf!’ again, fooling the villagers a second
time. The angry villagers warned the boy a second time and left. The boy
continued watching the flock. After a while, he saw a real wolf and cried loudly,
“Wolf! Please help! The wolf is chasing the sheep. Help!”

But this time, no one turned up to help. By evening, when the boy didn’t return
home, the villagers wondered what happened to him and went up the hill. The
boy sat on the hill weeping. “Why didn’t you come when I called out that there
was a wolf?” he asked angrily. “The flock is scattered now”, he said.

An old villager approached him and said, “People won’t believe liars even when
they tell the truth. We’ll look for your sheep tomorrow morning. Let’s go home
now”.

Moral: Lying breaks trust. Nobody trusts a liar, even when he is telling the truth.
2. The Midas touch

n ancient Greek, there was a king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and
everything he needed. He also had a beautiful daughter. Midas loved his gold
very much, but he loved his daughter more than his riches.

One day, a satyr named Silenus got drunk and passed out in Midas’ rose
garden. Believing that Satyrs always bring good luck, Midas lets Silenus rest in
his palace until he is sober, against the wishes of his wife and daughter.
Silenus is a friend of Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration. Upon learning
Midas’ kindness towards his friend, Dionysus decides to reward the keg.

When asked to wish for something, Midas says “I wish everything I touch turns
to gold”. Although Dionysus knew it was not a great idea, he granted Midas his
wish.

Happy that his wish was granted, Midas went around touching random things
in the garden and his palace and turned them all into gold. He touched an
apple, and it turned into a shiny gold apple. His subjects were astonished but
happy to see so much gold in the palace.

In his happiness, Midas went and hugged his daughter, and before he realized,
he turned her into a lifeless, golden statue! Aghast, Midas ran back to the
garden and called for Dionysus. He begged the god to take away his power and
save his daughter. Dionysus gives Midas a solution to change everything back
to how it was before the wish. Midas learned his lesson and lived the rest of his
life contended with what he had.

Moral: Do not get greedy. Be happy and content with what you have.
3. The golden egg
Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid a golden egg every day. The
egg provided enough money for the farmer and his wife for their day-to-day
needs. The farmer and his wife were happy for a long time. But one day, the
farmer got an idea and thought, “Why should I take just one egg a day? Why
can’t I take all of them at once and make a lot of money?”

The foolish farmer’s wife also agreed and decided to cut the goose’s stomach for
the eggs. As soon as they killed the bird and opened the goose’s stomach, to
find nothing but guts and blood. The farmer, realizing his foolish mistake, cries
over the lost resource!

Moral: Think before you act.

The English idiom “kill not the goose that lays the golden egg” was also derived
from this classic story.

4. The miser and his gold

An old miser lived in a house with a garden. The miser hid his gold coins in a
pit under some stones in the garden. Every day, before going to bed, the miser
went to the stones where he hid the gold and counted the coins. He continued
this routine every day, but not once did he spend the gold he saved.

One day, a thief who knew the old miser’s routine, waited for the old man to go
back into his house. After it was dark, the thief went to the hiding place and
took the gold. The next day, the old miser found that his treasure was missing
and started crying loudly.

His neighbor heard the miser’s cries and inquired about what happened. On
learning what happened, the neighbor asked, “Why didn’t you save the money
inside the house? It would’ve been easier to access the money when you had to
buy something!”

“Buy?”, said the miser. “I never used the gold to buy anything. I was never
going to spend it.”

On hearing this, the neighbor threw a stone into the pit and said, “If that is the
case, save the stone. It is as worthless as the gold you have lost”.

Moral: A possession is just as worthy of what it is used for.

5. The tortoise and the bird
A tortoise was resting under a tree, on which a bird had built its nest. The
tortoise spoke to the bird mockingly, “What a shabby home you have! It is
made of broken twigs, it has no roof, and looks crude. What’s worse is that you
had to build it yourself. I think my house, which is my shell, is much better
than your pathetic nest”.

“Yes, it is made of broken sticks, looks shabby and is open to the elements of
nature. It is crude, but I built it, and I like it.”

“I guess it’s just like any other nest, but not better than mine”, said the
tortoise. “You must be jealous of my shell, though.”

“On the contrary”, the bird replied. “My home has space for my family and
friends; your shell cannot accommodate anyone other than you. Maybe you
have a better house. But I have a better home”, said the bird happily.

Moral: Better a crowded hut than a lonely mansion.

6. The cows and the tiger
Four cows lived in a forest near a meadow. They were good friends and did
everything together. They grazed together and stayed together, because of
which no tigers or lions were able to kill them for food.

But one day, the friends fought and each cow went to graze in a different
direction. A tiger and a lion saw this and decided that it was the perfect
opportunity to kill the cows. They hid in the bushes and surprised the cows
and killed them all, one by one.

Moral: Unity is strength.

7. The Four Students

There were four friends who hated studying. They partied all night before their
exams and planned to skip the test by lying to the professor. So they went to
the dean and told him that they had been to a wedding the previous night and
on their way back, they had a flat tire. They continued to say that they had to
push the car all the way back, as they didn’t have a spare tire and hence, were
not in a position to write the exam.

The dean listened and agreed to let them take the test on a later date. Happy
that they got a second chance, the four friends studied hard and were ready for
the exam. On exam day, the dean asked the students to sit in separate
classrooms, which the students agreed to.

The examination paper had only two questions, for a total of 100 marks. The
questions were thus:

1. Your name:
 2. Which tire of the car burst: a) Front left b) Front right c) Rear left d) Rear
right
Moral: You may be smart, but there are people smarter than you in the world.

8. The boasting traveler (Aesop’s fables)

A man came back from a tour and boasted about his adventurous journeys. He
talked at length about the different people he met and his amazing feats that
got him fame and praise from people everywhere. He went on to say that he
went to the Rhodes where he had leaped to such distances that no man could
ever match his feat.

He even went on to say that there were witnesses who would vouch for his
words. Hearing the man boast so much, a smart bystander said, “Oh good
man, we do not need any witnesses to believe your words. Imagine this place to
be Rhodes and leap for us”.

The lying traveler didn’t know what to do and went away quietly.

Moral: He who does a thing well does not need to boast.

9. The camel and the baby

One day, a camel and her baby were chatting. The baby asked, “Mother, why
do we have humps?” The mother replied, “Our humps are for storing water so
that we can survive in the desert”.

“Oh”, said the child, “and why do we have rounded feet mother?” “Because they
are meant to help us walk comfortably in the desert. These legs help us move
around in the sand.”
“Alright. But why are our eyelashes so long?” “To protect our eyes from the
desert dust and sand. They are the protective covers for the eyes”, replied the
mother camel.

The baby camel thought for a while and said, “So we have humps to store
water for desert journeys, rounded hooves to keep us comfortable when we
walk in the desert sand, and long eyelashes to protect us from sand and dust
during a desert storm. Then what are we doing in a zoo?”

The mother was dumbfounded.

Moral: Your strengths, skills, and knowledge are useless if you are not in the
right place.

10. The farmer and the well

A farmer looking for a source of water for his farm bought a well from his
neighbor. The neighbor was cunning, though, and refused to let the farmer
take water from the well. On asking why, he replied, “I sold the well to you, not
the water”, and walked away. The distraught farmer didn’t know what to do. So
he went to Birbal, a clever man and one of the nine courtiers of Emperor
Akbar, for a solution.

The emperor called the farmer and his neighbor and asked why the man was
not letting the farmer draw water from the well. The cunning man said the
same thing again, “I sold the well, not the water. So he cannot take my water”.

To this, Birbal replied, “All that sounds fine to me. But if you have sold the
water and the water is yours, then you have no business keeping your water in
his well. Remove the water or use it all up immediately. If not the water will
belong to the owner of the well”.

Realizing that he’s been tricked and taught his lesson, the man apologized and
left.

Moral: Cheating will not get you anything. If you do cheat, you’ll pay for it soon
enough.

11. True friends love you anyway

Lord Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends. While Krishna thrived and
prospered, Sudama didn’t. He lead the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a
small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn’t even get enough
to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go
and ask his friend Krishna for help.

Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn’t want his kids to suffer.
So his wife borrows some rice from the neighbors to make some rice snacks
that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took
it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build
the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who
judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.

Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend
Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and
informs the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing
whatever he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.

Krishna hugs Sudama welcomes him to his abode and treats him with utmost
love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man’s rice snacks he got for
Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his gift
and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.

Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood
but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion showed by his
friend, is unable to ask Krishna for help. When he returns home, Sudama finds
that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids are
dressed in fine clothes.

Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn’t
even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.

Moral: True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always
there for you when you need them.

12. Elephant and friends

A lone elephant wandered the forest looking for friends. She came across a
monkey and asked, “Will you be my friend, monkey?” “You are too big and
cannot swing on trees as I do. So I cannot be your friend”, said the monkey.

The elephant them came across a rabbit and asked him if she could be his
friend. “You are too big to fit inside my burrow. You cannot be my friend”,
replied the rabbit.

Then the elephant met a frog and asked if she could be her friend. The frog said
“You are too big and heavy. You cannot jump like me. I am sorry, but you
cannot be my friend”.
The elephant asked a fox, and he got the same reply, that he was too big. The
next day, all the animals in the forest were running in fear. The elephant
stopped a bear and asked what was happening and was told that a tiger has
been attacking all the animals.

The elephant wanted to save the other weak animals and went to the tiger and
said “Please sir, leave my friends alone. Do not eat them”. The tiger didn’t listen
and asked the elephant to mind her own business. Seeing no other way to solve
the problem, the elephant kicked the tiger and scared it away.

She then went back to the others and told them what happened. On hearing
how the elephant saved their lives, the animals agreed in unison, “You are just
the right size to be our friend”.

Moral: Friends come in all shapes and sizes!

13. The wolf and the shepherds

This is one of the many Aesop’s fables that one can relate to in any day and
age.

One day a wolf was chased away from a farm for trying to steal some of the
sheep for food. Later that week, the wolf came back to the farm hoping to find
some food. He peeped inside the house and found the farmer and his family
feasting on lamb roast.

“Aha!”, he thought. “If I were to do the same thing that the farmer and his
family are doing now, I would be shunted and chased, or even killed for killing
a weak, innocent lamb.”
Moral: We are quick to judge and condemn others for what they do, but see
nothing wrong in doing so ourselves.

14. The young crab and his mother

One day, a young crab and his mother were on the beach, spending some time
together. The young crab gets up to move, but it can only walk sideways. His
mother scolds him for walking sideways and asks him to walk forward by
pointing his toes out front. The young crab responds, “I would like to walk
forward mom, but I do not know how to”.

Hearing this, his mom gets up to show him how, but even she is unable to
bend her knees forward. She realizes that she was being unfair, apologizes
sheepishly, and sits back in the sand.

Moral: Don’t condemn someone for not doing something that you yourself are
unable to do.

15. The other side of the wall

There was a young woman inherited a beautiful garden from her grandmother.
She loved gardening too and was very proud of her garden. One day, she saw a
very beautiful plant in a catalog and wanted that for her garden. She ordered it
and planted it at the base of the stonewall in her backyard. She took great care
of the plant, which grew quickly and had beautiful green leaves on it.

Months passed, but not a single flower bloomed on the tree. Vexed, she almost
wanted to cut the tree down. At such a time, her invalid called and said,
“Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers. You have no idea how much I
enjoy looking at the blooms of the vine you have planted”.
Hearing this, the young girl rushes to the neighbor’s side of the wall and sees
the most beautiful flower in bloom. All the care she took had paid off. Only the
vine crept through the crevices because of which it did not flower on her side of
the wall but did generously on the other side.

Moral: Just because you cannot see the good results of your efforts does not
mean that it bore no fruit.

16. The dog at the well

A dog and her pups lived on a farm, where there was a well. The mother dog
told the pups, do not go near the well or play around it. One of the pups
wondered why they shouldn’t go to the well and decided to explore it. He went
to the well. Climbed up the wall and peeked inside.

In there, he saw his reflection and thought it was another dog. The pup saw
that the other dog in the well (his reflection) was doing whatever he was doing,
and got angry for imitating him. He decided to fight with the dog and jumped
into the well, only to find no dog there. He barked and barked and swam until
the farmer came and rescued him. The pup had learned his lesson.

Moral: Always listen to what the elders say. Question them, but do not defy
them.

17. Controlling anger

There was once a young boy who had problem controlling his temper. When he
became angry, he would just say anything that came to his mind and hurt
people. So his father gave him a bag of nails and a hammer and said, “Every
time you get angry, hammer one nail into the fence in our backyard”.

The first few days the boy hammered so many nails that he emptied half the
bag. Over the weeks, the number of nails he hammered to the fence reduced
and gradually, his temper was much in control. Then came a day when he
didn’t lose his temper at all. His father asked him to remove one nail each day
that he manages not to lose his temper.

Finally, on the day the child was removing the last nail, his father says, “You
have done well, boy. But do you see the holes in the wall? The fence is never
going to be the same, even after repainting. Likewise, when you say mean
things in anger, you will leave a scar in the person’s mind, as the nails did to
the fence”.

Moral: Anger is a dangerous weapon like a knife. When you put a knife in a man
and draw it out, the wound heals but the scar remains.
18. The wet pants
A nine-year-old boy was sitting at his desk in class, when suddenly, his pants
felt wet, and there was a puddle at his feet. His heart almost skipped a beat, as
he got worried that his classmates would see that and make fun of him.

He quickly wanted to do something, and saw the teacher and his classmate
Susie walking towards him. Susie was carrying a bowl of goldfish. As they
came closer, the boy thought that the teacher noticed his wet pants, and
suddenly Susie trips and drops the fishbowl in his lap. While thanking God for
helping him, he pretends to get angry with Susie and yells at her.

Everyone in the class thinks it is Susie’s fault that the boy’s pants got wet. The
teacher helps the boy change into dry clothes, and the class continues. Later
that evening, the boy asks Susie, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” “I wet
my pants once too”, whispers Susie.

Moral: Each one of us goes through good days and bad days. Only those who
help you out on your bad days are your true friends.

19. Bad habits

A wealthy businessman was worried about his son’s bad habits. He sought
counsel from a wise, old man. The old man met the man’s son and took him
out for a stroll. They walked into the woods, and the old man showed the boy a
small sapling and asked him to pull it out. The boy did so with ease, and they
walked on.

The old man then asked the boy to pull out a small plant. The boy did that too,
with a little effort. As they walked, the old man asked the boy to pull out the
bush, which he did. The next was a small tree, which the child had to struggle
a lot to pull out. Finally, the old man showed him a bigger tree and asked the
child to pull it out.

The child failed to pull it out even after trying several times, in different ways.
The old man looks at the boy, smiles and says, “So is the case with habits,
good or bad”.

Moral: Bad habits are hard to get rid of once they have settled in our system. It
is best to get rid of them early on.
20. Good company, bad company

Two parrots built a nest in a banyan tree. They lived with their two young ones,
which they took good care of. The mother and the father parrot went out to
gather food in the morning and came back home by evening. One day, when
their parents were away, the young parrots were taken by a cruel hunter.

One of the birds managed to escape and flew away from the hunter. He ended
up at a hermitage and grew up listening to kind words and compassion. The
hunter put the other parrot in a cage, and soon it learned a few words and
phrases. The hunter and his family were crude and didn’t care much about
kind words.

One day, a passerby was resting outside the hunter’s hut. Sensing someone
outside, the parrot said, “Fool, why are you here? Fool! Leave! I’ll cut your
throat”. Scared, the traveler went away, and on his journey, he reached the
hermitage where the other parrot was. The parrot at the hermitage spoke,
“Welcome traveler. You are free to stay here as long as you want”.

Surprised, the traveler told the parrot that he encountered a similar parrot
elsewhere and it was very cruel. How is that you are so kind?” The parrot
replied, “That must be my brother. I live with the sages, and my brother lives
with hunters. I learned the sage’s language, and my brother learned the
hunter’s language. The company we keep decides who we will be”.

Moral: Keep good company if you want to be a good person.

21. The man and the cat
One day, a man was walking by a road when he heard a cat meowing from the
bushes nearby. The cat was stuck and needed help getting out. When the man
reached out, the cat got scared and scratched the man. The man screamed in
pain but didn’t back down. He tried again and again, even as the cat continued
to scratch his hands.
Another passerby saw this and said, “Just let it be! The cat will find a way to
come out later”. The man didn’t pay heed but tried until he helped the cat.
Once he let the cat free, he told the other man, “The cat is an animal, and its
instincts make him scratch and attack. I am a human and my instincts make
me compassionate and kind”.

Moral: Treat everyone around you like you want to be treated. Adhere to your
own rules or ethics, not theirs.