A Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows.

Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head. She thought, "I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. and when they hatch, I shall have a good poultry farm." She further thought, "I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair, all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them." Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. it was broken and all the milk got spilt. "Dear O dear !" she cried, "I have lost my all."

MORAL: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

Feedback

Once a hare was roaming near a lake in a forest. Suddenly he saw a tortoise and mocked at him saying - "Hurry up, you slow coach! Don't you find life very dull taking so long to cover a few yards? I could have run to the other side of the lake by now." The tortoise felt teased and dared the hare to a race. The race was to be through the wood to a fixed goal. The hare agreed laughingly. In a few minutes he was away and out of sight. "What a funny race it is!" he said to himself , "I am already half -way through. But it is too-too cold; why not have a nap in the warm sunshine?" The tortoise walked steadily on and on. In a short time, he passed by the sleeping hare. The hare slept far longer then he had intended. When he woke up at last, he looked around in surprise and said to himself," Not even a sigh of the poor tortoise anywhere so far; I had better trot along and finish the race." The hare ran to the goal. He was amazed to see all the animals cheering the tortoise who had arrived just a minute earlier. how ashamed he felt indeed!

MORAL : Slow and steady wins the race.

A Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows. Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head. She thought, "I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. and when they hatch, I shall have a good poultry farm." She further thought, "I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair, all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them." Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. it was broken and all the milk got spilt. "Dear O dear !" she cried, "I have lost my all."

MORAL: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

A thirsty crow once found a pitcher with a little water in it. But when he tired to drink the water, he could not. The pitcher was tall and his beak didn't reach the water.

The cleaver crow thought and hit upon a plan. He went on dropping pebbles into the pitcher. The water rose up to its neck and he quenched his thirst.

MORAL : Will finds the way

"Well!" replied the crane, "your look are brighter then mine. but whereas I can fly high up into the sky, all you can do is to strut about on the ground."

MORAL: Never find fault with others.

"Why are you making a fuss? When he catches us, we never cry." said a sheep.

"Shut up, cried the pig, "the shepherd wants only wool from you. But this boy is taking me away for my meat."

MORAL: Life is dear to everyone.

A fisherman had been fishing for along time but without luck. At last he tugged at his net and saw a small fish caught in it.

"Please let me go," begged the fish, "I will grow bigger in a few days and then you can catch me again."

The fisherman said, "Now that I have caught you I won't let you go. If I leave you, I may never see you again."

MORAL: A bird in hand is worth two in bush.

A town-mouse paid a visit to his friend who lived in the countryside. The country-mouse was happy to see his friend. So he prepared a fine feast for him. The town-mouse looked at the fruit and the car of corn with hatred "Is this how you live ?" he asked, "life in the country does not offer much." He persuaded the country-mouse to accompany him to the town and see all the good things there. So, the country-mouse packed all his belongings and off they went to the city. The countrymouse was really surprised to see the things there. But as soon as they settled down to enjoy a fine meal of cheese and fruit, a big cat leapt in through the window. Seeing the cat, both the mice ran into their hole to save themselves, so the cat ate up all the cheese and fruit. When the cat had gone away, the mice came out of their hole. "I am going," cried the country-mouse, "I like my simple fare in safety than this grand feast in such a danger."

MORAL: Safety is the first importance.

A lazy grasshopper laughed at a little ant as she was always busy gathering food. "why are you working so hard?" he asked, "come into the sunshine and listen to my merry notes." "But the ant went on her work. She said" I am lying in a store for the winter. Sunny days won't last for ever." "Winter is so far away yet, "laughed the grasshopper back. And when the winter came, the ant settled down in her snug house. She had plenty of food to last the whole winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat so, he went to the ant and begged her for a little corn.

"No", replied the ant, "you laughed at me when I worked. You yourself sang through the summer. So you had better dance the winter away."

MORAL : Idleness is a curse.

Two frogs had lived in a village all their lives. they thought they would like to go and see the big city that was about ten miles away. They talked about it for a long time, and at last they set off to see the city. It was a hot day, and they soon began to feel tired. They had only gone a little way when one said to the other, "We must be nearly there. Can you see the city?" "No," said the other frog; "but if I climb on your back I might be able to see it." So he climbed up on the back of the other frog to see the city. Now when the frog put up his head, his eyes could only see what was behind, and not what was in front. So he saw the village they had just left. "Can you see the city?", asked the frog who was below. "Yes," answered the frog who had climbed up. " I can see it. It looks just like our village." Then the frogs thought that it was not worthwhile going any farther. They went back and told the frogs round the village that they had seen the city, and it was just like theirs.

In the country named India, in the modern day state of Uttar Pradesh stands a little town near the river Yamuna. it is known as - Mathura, a holy city. it is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Nearly 5,000 years ago, Mathura was under the rule of a tyrannical king named Kamsa. Kamsa was so greedy and cunning that he not even spared his father Ugrasena; having imprisoned him kamsa declared himself to be the King of Mathura. Ugrasena was a nice ruler, and Kamsa was just the opposite. It was a trying time for the commoners of Mathura to put up with Kamsa's extravagance and unfair rule. above all this, Kamsa locked his horns time and again with the rulers of the Yadu dynasty which led to frequent wars and troubled the peace-loving citizens of Mathura. But soon a happy news came. Crown princess Devaki was getting married to King Vasudev of the Yadus. The Mathura citizens welcomed the wedding, for it surely meant that Kamsas frequent wars with the Yadu dynasty would come to an end. Soon the much-awaited day arrived. Mathura wore a festive look. Everyone was in festive spirits. Even the usually desolate citizens of Mathura were looking happy. and that was a great thing to see, since the people of Mathura did not smile often. How cold they, with such an awful king like Kamsa to guide them. Soon, Devaki was married to King Vasudev. Kamsa, cunning as he was, thought, Now, Vasudevs kingdom is as good as mine. After the wedding, he decided to drive the royal couple home himself to shower on them a kingly courtesy as was prevalent in those days. But it so happened that as soon as Kamsa took the reins of the wedding chariot, a divine voice thundered from the sky, Evil Kamsa, you dont know it. But know now that by giving Devakis hand to Vasudev, you have signed your own death warrant. The eighth son born to Vasudev and Devaki will kill you! Hearing this, Kamsa froze with fear. But then he became angry. He immediately thought of killing Devaki for he thought, How can a child be born when the mother is dead? So he drew out his sword and raised it to kill Devaki. King Vasudev was horrified at this cruelty and fell on his knees. O Kamsa.. he begged, please dont kill your sister. I shall personally surrender to you all the children she gives birth to, so that the voice of the Oracle doesnt come true. The evil king vacillated. Then you will live in my palace as prisoners, he declared and Vasudev had no choice than accepting his verdict. Kamsa smiled happily. The one person he loved in the whole wide world was his sister and he decided to spare her life. He was content

at the thought that the situation was under his control. After all, he was not going to let her children live, was he? Kamsa confined Devaki and her husband King Vasudev in the palace dungeons and kept them under constant watch. Every time Devaki gave birth to a child in the dungeons, Kamsa destroyed the child. In this manner, he killed seven children born to Devaki. He turned a deaf ear to all the heart- rending cries of his sister. Nine years passed before Devaki got pregnant for the eighth time. Kamsa, troubled by the fear of his possible death, lost his appetite and slept poorly at night. But he waited for the birth of his nemesis with murderous thoughts. In the palace dungeons, Vasudev was trying his best to console his wife, but Devaki was terrified. My eighth child will be born in a day, she wailed. And my cruel brother will kill this one too. Oh mighty Gods, please save my child! The night soon ended and the next day arrived. Devaki spent most of the day in tears. Dusk gave way to a terrible night as had not been seen earlier in Mathura. It seemed that the whole world understood Devakis mind and joined her in mourning for the unborn child. The winds howled angrily and skies seemed to have split apart to pour wrathful rains. Suddenly there was pin drop silence. And then it was broken by the sound of the cry of a divine child. It was of the eighth child, a son, born to Queen Devaki at midnight in the prison. As soon the child was born, the prison was filled with a dazzling, blinding light. Devaki fainted at the sight and Vasudev was mesmerized. The light converged into a sphere and the same voice of the Oracle that scared Kamsa, now spoke to Vasudev: Take this child across the River Yamuna to the Gokul kingdom, ruled by your friend King Nanda. His wife Queen Yashoda has just given birth to a daughter. Exchange your son for this girl child and return to the prison immediately, before anyone comes to know about the birth of this child. Without a word, he new father picked up his son to follow the Oracles advice. He felt grieved to separate the newborn child from his mother but he knew that there was no other way he could save his son. Vasudev also felt very doubtful. There were a hundred soldiers waiting outside. And it was a dark, fearsome night. How could he go out, unnoticed and unscathed? But what he saw astonished him greatly. All his questions were answered one by one. As he

approached the gate with the child in his arms, the prison doors opened automatically. He came out slowly to find to his utter surprise that all the guards were in a state of hypnotic sleep. Vasudev left Mathura and soon approached the banks of the Yamuna river. The river seemed to be boiling white and seething with anger, due to fierce winds and rain. It looked alive and ready to devour the first person to set foot in it! The Father looked at his the face of his infant child and hesitated in doubt. As if the river sensed his fear, the boiling subsided. But he had to proceed nonetheless. Then a miracle happened. As soon as the feet of Lord immersed in the river, the flow became normal and Yamuna made way for the Lord. To his amazement, Vasudev saw a huge black snake raising its head from the water behind him. He was scared out of his wits at first, but soon realized that it meant no harm when he saw the serpent positioning its hood like an umbrella to save the new born baby from rain. This snake was none other than Sheshnag, the Snake-God, who is known to be the roofing canopy of Lord Vishnu. It is mentioned in the texts that Krishna was the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Vasudev did not delay any further and proceeded in waist-deep water with much difficulty. But in the end, not entirely believing his eyes, Vasudev was able to cross the opposite bank of the river safely and entered the village of Gokul. It was past midnight and the people of Gokul were fast asleep. Thus, Vasudev had no trouble in entering the palace of king Nanda, for the palace doors were, as always, wide open. Nanda, unlike Kamsa, was a fair king and the people under his reign didn't fear for intruders or thieves in the night. Vasudev, by this time, had some idea that his child is really someone special, it was a divine child. All his fears vanished for he understood that when he has come this far, he will surely be able to complete the rest of his journey. And that was what happened. In no time, Vasudev reached his friends palace. Treading softly, Vasudev entered queen Yashoda's quarters. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed and her baby girl beside her was awake, staring at the door. It was almost as if she was expecting him to come! Vasudev scooped Yashoda's baby girl in his other arm and placed his son in the empty space next to Yashoda. With tears in his eyes, Vasudev kissed his sons forehead. "Goodbye, my son," he whispered. Then, without looking back, he left Gokul with Nanda's daughter in his arms. With Sheshnag assisting him like before, Vasudev returned to the prison with the girl-child. He entered his dark cell and laid the baby by Devaki's side. As soon as the child felt the hard

floor on her back, she opened her mouth and cried lustily. Claannnk!!! The prison doors closed. The guards suddenly awoke from their sleep and became aware that a baby was born. They rushed to Kamsa to deliver him the news. The eighth child, slayer of Kamsa, was born! The evil King was both pleased and afraid to hear of the birth of his nephew. He was pleased that he could finally kill the eighth child of his sister and he was also afraid that he might not be able to do so. But putting away all his fears, he rushed to the palace dungeons to execute the child who was said to be his slayer. He reached the dungeons in great anger. The palace guards trembled at his enraged face. Kamsa entered the cell where his sister and her husband lived for the past nine years. "Where is he?" he roared at the now-awake Devaki. "Where's my slayer?" Devaki had regained her consciousness only after Vasudev switched the babies and so, she thought that her eighth child was a daughter. She appealed to her brother, "O Kamsa, my brother- my eighth child is a girl, and not the son that the Oracle warned you about. How can she harm you? There is no way she can. Please let your only niece live!" Kamsa, as always, ignored her cries. He loved his life more than anything else in the world. Love for his life had clouded his common sense and he forgot the Oracle's warning about his slayer being a boy. In blind rage, Kamsa snatched the baby girl from Devaki's lap, and hurled the child against the prison wall. But this time the baby did not die; instead, she flew up and for a second remained suspended in the air to the utter amazement of everyone present there. Then the prison was filled once again with a blinding light. Kamsa covered his face from the intensity of the light. As the light subsided, they realised that the child had changed into a ferocious Goddess! She rose above Kamsa's head as the eight-armed form of Goddess Durga. Dressed in shining garments and dazzling jewels, she looked terrible and divine at the same time. The Goddess looked in contempt and pity at the bewildered Kamsa. She said, "Foolish Kamsa, there is no force on Heaven and earth that can kill me. So how can you, wretched creature? You even if you could, you would have gained nothing by killing me. For your slayer is already born! He is now well and alive in a safe place. And one day, he will come in search of you and kill you! You cant resist him, no matter how hard you try!" Saying so, she disappeared, leaving behind a terror-stricken Kamsa. Kamsa felt humiliated by the turn of events. In his confusion, he freed Vasudev and Devaki from prison. Vasudev then narrated what happened on that night to his wife. Devaki, though sad at her

separation from her son, was happy for the baby. Both of them prayed to God that her son should not fall into the clutches of his evil uncle Kamsa. Meanwhile, there was great rejoicing in Gokul. The cowherd tribes of Gokul were smiling from ear to ear. A new baby boy was born to their loved King Nanda ! The streets were swept clean and the houses were decorated with colors, streamers and fragrant flowers. The whole place wore a festive look. Everyone in the household of King Nanda was in a joyous mood. Nanda named the child Krishna. Everybody in Gokul danced with joy and flocked to Nanda's house to see the baby boy and to offer gifts. But it did not escape anyone's notice that the child was like no ordinary child. His skin had a dark - blue color as is seen in a cloud filled with water during the monsoon season. His eyes twinkled merrily. He never cried and always had a smile for everyone. Yashoda felt very proud. "Ah my son!" she crooned lovingly at Little Krishna . my cute little son! You are surely going to be pampered and spoiled by us!. In this way was born Lord Krishna, the supreme God who is the creator of everyone. He was born to save everyone from the terrible tyrants like Kamsa. In his boyhood, he became the cynosure of all eyes- he won the hearts of all men and women, wherever he went. And with his brother Balaram, he later went back to Mathura and killed Kamsa. But that, as people say is another story.

This is the story of Pawanputra Hanuman, the mighty monkey-god. Do you know how he was born? The story of his birth is as fascinating as his mighty deeds. But to know about Hanuman, we have to go back sometime before his birth. Let us go to the palace of Lord Brahma where it all started. Do you know who Lord Brahma is? He is the Hindu god of creation. He is believed to live in a beautiful divine palace in his heavenly abode. Such was the beauty of the palace that it was a constant source of amazement for even the deities. There were a number of attendants in the celestial palace-courts of Lord Brahma. Among them was a beautiful attendant named Anjana. Once, happy with her service, Lord Brahma decided to reward her. He called her and asked what she wanted. Anjana hesitated at first. Then she replied "Lord, I wish you could remove a curse pronounced on me by a sage," "Tell me about it. Maybe I can help you" said Lord Brahma. Hopeful that her curse may be removed, Anjana continued "When I was playing as a child on earth, once I saw a monkey meditating with its legs folded in a lotus pose, like a human sage. It was a funny sight; so I threw some fruits at it." "But here I made a mistake. For it was no ordinary monkey. A powerful sage had taken the form of a monkey to do his tapasya (spiritual practice). My fruits disturbed his penance and he opened his eyes in great indignation." "As soon as he saw me, he cursed me that I would become a monkey when I fall in love with anyone. I begged him to forgive me." "The sage said that as he had already uttered it, he couldn't change the curse. But he assured me that the man I fall in love with will love me in spite of my monkey face." "Lord Brahma, I was born and brought up here. How can I live with a monkey face among my beautiful sisters? If you kindly grant me a boon to become my usual self, I will be very much obliged," she said anxiously. Brahma felt sorry for the unfortunate apsara. He thought for a moment. Then he lifted his eyes towards the anxious Anjana. "I see a way for removing your curse, Anjana," he said kindly. "Go to earth and live there for

a while. You will meet your husband on earth and your curse will be removed if you - give birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva," said Lord Brahma. Anjana accepted Brahma's advice. She was born in the earth shortly afterwards. She lived in a forest as a young huntress. One day she saw a strong man fighting with a lion. "What a brave man!" she thought in wonder. "How I wish he will look at me!" As Anjana looked at the warrior in admiration, the man turned and saw her. As soon as his eyes fell on her, she turned into a monkey! With a pathetic cry, Anjana sank to the ground and covered her face with her hands. Seeing her fall to the ground, the man came running towards her. "Who are you fair maiden? Why do you cry? Uncover your face. Let me see you," he asked her. "I cannot, brave man," Anjana answered gloomily. "I am Anjana, an apsara cursed to become a monkey when I fall in love. I request you to please leave me alone in my sorrow," she wailed and peeked at the handsome man through her fingers. To her great astonishment she found a big monkey-faced man standing before her! If she didn't see his face at first, it was because she couldn't and because till now she saw him from a distance. The monkey-faced man understood her surprise. He spoke. "I am not human, though I can take the human form if I want. I am Kesari, the king of Monkeys, blessed by Lord Shiva with magical powers. If you become my wife, I will be honoured. Would you honour me by becoming my wife, dear Anjana?". Anjana became very happy. She accepted his proposal. "Then the sage's word was indeed true," thought Anjana, "Kesari didn't mind my appearance because he himself is a monkey!" Anjana and Kesari were married in the forests. Being a pious devotee, Anjana performed intense tapasya, worshipping Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was pleased with her. He appeared before her and asked her what she wanted. "Lord Shiva, I wish you to be born as my son, so that I can be freed from the sage's curse," requested Anjana. "So be it!". Lord Shiva gave his consent and disappeared.

Soon after this, one day, as Anjana was worshipping Lord Shiva, in another part of the country, Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, was performing a yagna (religious rite) to have children. It was the Putrakama Yagna. As a result, Agni, the Fire-God gave him some sacred payasa (pudding) and asked him to share the payasa among his wives so that they may have divine children. Here, Lord Shiva's boon to Anjana started to work. While Dasaratha gave payasa to his elder wife Kausalya, by divine ordinance a kite snatched a portion of that pudding. Holding the pudding in its tails, the kite-bird flew away from Ayodhya towards the forests Anjana lived. It flew over the dense trees and dropped the payasa where Anjana was engaged in tapasya. Vayu, the ever-present Wind-God, saw this event. "Go, Vayu!" he heard a silent command in his mind from Lord Shiva. Vayu immediately caught that portion of pudding and placed onto the outstretched hands of Anjana. Anjana felt something drop in her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at the payasa in her hand. "Is this offering from Lord Shiva?" she wondered and swallowed it. As the divine pudding went inside her throat, Anjana immediately felt the blessings of Lord Shiva. In due course, she gave birth to a little monkey-faced boy. Kesari was very happy to see his son. The child was called as Anjaneya or the son of Anjana. Having given birth to Lord Shiva's incarnation, Anjana was released from the curse of the sage. She began to express her wish to return to Heaven. When Anjaneya came to know about her mother's wish, he became sad. "Mother, without you what will be my future? How can I feed myself? How will I live?" he asked. "Don't worry, Anjaneya," said Anjana. "Your father is the brave Kesari. Your guardian spirit is the life-giving Vayu. They'll always protect you. When you feel hungry, fruits as red and ripe as a rising sun would be your nourishment." Saying so, Anjana kissed her son and left her alone. She went back to her heavenly abode. "Fruits as red and ripe as the sun?" thought Anjaneya. "Is sun such a ripe fruit? Let's see!" Thinking that the sun was actually some delicious fruit, the baby Anjaneya wanted to taste the sun. Now, Anjaneya was a divine child. His mother was an apsara and his father was a Monkey-King, so it was natural that little Anjaneya should inherit some magical powers. He was, after all, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. So reaching for the sun was not a tough task for him. He made a giant leap to catch the glowing ball on the sky.

Suryadeva, the Sun-God was glowing peacefully in the sky when he suddenly saw a monkey coming towards him. The monkey grew bigger and bigger as he neared the sun. But the terribly hot rays which made any mortal presence impossible near the sun, had no effect on the creature. Seeing that, Suryadeva got scared and started calling out for help. "Indra! Indra! Help me!" he shouted. Indra, king of the gods in heaven, was resting nearby in his heavenly abode. He was surprised to hear the Sun-God pleading for his help. "Why is Suryadeva yelling for my help?" Indra wondered. "Is he not powerful enough to burn everything that comes near him? Or is it something beyond his control? I have to see what's happening!" Indradeva promptly climbed on Airavatha the white elephant, his mount, and left his abode to find the cause of Suryadeva's fear. Soon he found that a flying monster was trying to catch hold of the sun. "Little wonder then that Suryadeva was so scared!" thought Indra, who had never seen such a creature. Nearing the sun, Indra was surprised to see that the monster was actually a giant monkey. "Stop!" he ordered. "Who are you? Why are you trying to catch the sun?" "I'm Anjaneya, son of Kesari and Anjana." replied the giant child. "My mother told me that fruits as ripe as the red sun will be my food so I'm going to catch the sun and eat it." At first, Indra was amused by the child's innocence, so he advised him to return to earth. "This is not a fruit, Anjaneya, this is the sun- the source of all light and life." said he and commanded, "Return whence you came". But naughty Anjaneya ignored his commands and continued on his journey to capture the sun. Now Indra became angry at the child's impertinence. He warned him several times not to go near the sun, but Anjaneya did not listen to him. Finally, the King of Devas became so enraged that he struck Anjaneya with his thunderbolt "vajra". Kaaabuuuuuuum!!! The thunderbolt hit the child, wounding his chin and causing him to fall down to earth. The "vajra" hit Anjaneya's face. So his cheeks were swollen twice its size. As the boy fell, his body became smaller and smaller. Finally he became the child-sized monkey

he really was and hit the ground. Vayu, the Wind God, was roaming here and there when he heard a big "thud". Curious, he went towards the direction of the noise to investigate. What he saw shocked Vayu. He couldn't believe his eyes. Anjaneya was lying unconscious on the ground. Who had dared to injure his god-son? "Who has done this?" he roared but no one answered. Indra had already left for his abode and the sun was once again peacefully glowing in the sky. The Wind God was terribly angry. "Why should I bother to do my duty when no one answers my question?" he thought. With great affection, he lifted his godson in his hands and went to the Patalloka, the world below the grounds of the earth. As Vayu left the earth, there was no air in the world. People, animals and trees struggled to breathe and started to die. The Sun-God was shocked at the turn of the events and he ran to Brahma, telling Him about the calamity on earth. Brahma became worried about the situation on Earth. He called Indra and accused him. "Look what your silly anger has caused!" he thundered. "You have hurt a divine child and now the people on earth are suffering because of your mistake. This is all because of you!". Indra hung his head in shame. "I am sorry for my actions" he murmured. Brahma took him and the other gods to Patalloka and begged Vayu to return to earth. "I beg pardon on behalf of all men, all creatures and divine beings. Please return to the earth, o gentle Vayu." "I'll not come anywhere without my Anjaneya", Vayu said firmly. Then, using his powers, Brahma magically cured Anjaneya's wounds. He also gave him a boon saying, "No weapon will be ever able to have an effect on Anjaneya again." To please Vayu further, Indra said to the boy, "You will be a 'Chiranjeevi' (immortal). I had taken my aim in your hanu (cheek). So from now, you will be called as the valiant Hanuman!"

Thus Anjaneya came to be known as Hanuman and had many more adventures during his childhood. With the blessings of all the gods,Hanuman became a great warrior later and had helped Lord Rama in his quest to bring back the latter's wife, Sita. This incident is known to everyone and is recorded in the great epic called Ramyana.

On their way to Panchavati, Rama, Laxmana, and Sita had seen a huge vulture swooping down towards them. Rama had confronted him and asked who he was. The bird saluted them and said he was Jatayu, King Dasaratha's friend. He had protected him during the battle with Samparasura. Rama had welcomed his father's saviour. Then jatayu had narrated this story. He said that he was the grandson of sage Kashyap and his father Arun was the charioteer of the sun god Surya. He had also told them how his elder brother Sapati had burnt his wings while trying to save him from soaring towards the sun. He had come to the forest of Panchavati where he was entrusted with the kingship of the vultures. Jatayu had promised Rama that he would protect them with all his might.

Sakhubai was born into a very poor family of Pandharpur. She was a great devotee of Panduranga Vittala, which is another name of Krishna. She was married into a rich family but her in-laws were very cruel. They beat her up, gave her leftover food to eat, and took away all her jewellery.

Sakhubai bore all the pain and asked Vittala to give her strength. She dearly wished to see him. Vittala gave her a vision that would help her to see him. One day, Vittala in the guise of a woman told Sakhubai to go to Panharpur to see the Lord. He took the place of Sakhubai in her house and worked tirelessly. Meanwhile, Sakhubai forgot everything in her devotion to God. She breathed her last while praying. Seeing her devotion Krishna brought her back to life. When Sakhubai came back and narrated the truth to her in-laws they repented misbehaving with her.

This is the story of a long-gone era. In the country of India, nearly five thousand years back, lived a boy named Eklavya, the son of a tribal chief in the forests of the kingdomHastinapura. Eklavya was a brave, handsome boy. He was loved by all. But he was not happy. His father saw that something troubled Eklavya. More than once he found his son lost deep in thought when other boys enjoyed the pleasures of hunting and playing. One day the father asked his son, Why are you so unhappy, Eklavya? Why dont you join your friends? Why are you not interested in hunting?. Father, I want to be an archer replied Eklavya, I want to become a disciple of the great Dronacharya, the great tutor of Archery in Hastinapura. His Gurukul is a magical place where ordinary boys are turned into mighty warriors. Eklavya saw his father was silent. He continued, Father, I know that we belong to the hunting tribe, but I want to be a warrior, father, not a mere hunter. So please allow me to leave home and become the disciple of Dronacharya. Eklavya's father was troubled, for he knew that his sons ambition was not an easy one. But the chief was a loving father and he did not want to refuse his only sons wish. So the kind man gave his blessings and sent his son on his way to Dronas Gurukul. Eklavya set on his way. Soon he reached the part of the forest where Drona taught the princes of Hastinapur. In those days, there was no such system as a school, college, university or hostel. The only place where one could get some education was a Gurukul. A Gurukul (Guru refers to "teacher" or "master"; Kul refers to his domain, from the Sanskrit word kula, meaning extended family.) is a type of ancient Hindu school in India that is residential in nature with the shishyas or students and the guru or teacher living in proximity, many a time within the same house. The Gurukul is the place where the students resided together as equals, irrespective of their social standing. The students learned from the guru and also helped the

guru in his day-to-day life, including the carrying out of mundane chores such as washing clothes, cooking, etc. The education imparted thus, was a wholesome one. Having said this much, let us now return to Eklavya. When the boy reached Dronacharyas Gurukul, he saw that it consisted of a group of huts, surrounded by trees and an archery yard. The disciples were practicing to shoot arrows with their bows and arrows in the yard. It was an engaging sight. But Eklavyas eyes searched Drona. Where was he? Will he be able to see the man? Without Drona, all his purpose of coming here would be meaningless. But all his worries soon subsided. He didnt have to wait for long. There was the man standing near a tree busy instructing a boy, who was none else than the third Pandava prince Arjuna, as Eklavya came to know later. Though Eklavya had never seen Drona before, he put his guess at work. He went near Drona and bowed. The sage was surprised to see a strange boy addressing him. Who are you? he asked. "Dronacharya, I am Eklavya, son of the Tribal Chief in the western part of the forests of Hastinapura." Eklavya replied. "Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the wonderful art of Archery." Drona sighed. "Eklavya..." said he,"... if you are a tribal hunter, you must be a Shudra, the lowest social community according to the Vedic Caste System. I am a Brahmin, the highest caste in the kingdom. I cannot teach a Shudra boy." "And he's also a Royal teacher," interrupted Prince Arjuna. "Our Guru has been appointed by the King to train us, the princes and the highborn. How dare you come inside the Gurukul and seek him? Leave! NOW!" he spat out, looking enraged that Eklavya had disturbed his practice. Eklavya was stunned at Arjuna's behaviour. He himself was the son of the chief of his clan, but he never insulted anyone below him in such a way. He looked at Drona for some kind of support, but the sage remained silent. The message was loud and clear. Dronacharya also wanted him to leave. He refused to teach him. The innocent tribal boy was deeply hurt by Drona's refusal to teach him. "It's not fair!" he thought miserably. "God has given knowledge to all, but man alone differentiates his kind." He left the place with a broken heart and a bitter taste in his mouth. But it could not shatter his ambition to learn Archery. He was still as determined to learn Archery. "I may be a Shudra but does it make any difference?" thought he. " I am as strong and zealous as Drona's princes and disciples. If I practice the art everyday, I can surely become an archer." Eklavya reached his own forests and took some mud from a nearby river. He made a statue of Dronacharya and selected a secluded clearing in the forests to place it. Eklavya did this

because he faithfully believed that if he practiced before his Guru, he would become an able archer. Thus, though his Guru shunned him, he still held him in high esteem and thought of him as his Guru. Day after day, he took his bow and arrow, worshipped the statue of Drona and started practice. In time faith, courage and perseverance transformed Eklavya the mere tribal hunter into Eklavya the extraordinary archer. Eklavya became an archer of exceptional prowess, superior even to Drona's best pupil, Arjuna. One day while Eklavya is practicing, he hears a dog barking. At first the boy ignored the dog, but continuous disturbance in his practice angered him. He stopped his practice and went towards the place where the dog was barking. Before the dog could shut up or get out of the way, Eklavya fired seven arrows in rapid succession to fill the dog's mouth without injuring it. As a result it roamed the forests with its mouth opened. But Eklavya was not alone in his practice. He was unaware of the fact that just some distance away, the Pandava princes were also present in that area of the forest. As fate would have it, that day, they had come with their teacher, Drona, who was instructing them about some finer points of archery by making them learn in the real-life condition of the open jungle. As they were busy practicing, they suddenly chanced upon the "stuffed" dog, and wonder who could have pulled off such a feat of archery. Drona was amazed too." Such an excellent aim can only come from a mighty archer." he exclaimed. He told the Pandavas that if somebody was such a good archer then he surely needed to be met. The practice was stopped and together they began searching the forest for the one behind such amazing feat. They found a dark-skinned man dressed all in black, his body besmeared with filth and his hair in matted locks. It was Eklavya. Dronacharya went up to him. "Your aim is truly remarkable!" Drona praised Eklavya, and asked "From whom did you learn Archery?" Eklavya was thrilled to hear Drona's praises. How surprised he will be if he told Drona that he, in fact was his Guru! "From you my Master. You are my Guru," Eklavya replied humbly. "Your Guru? How can I be your Guru? I have never seen you before!" Drona exclaimed in surprise. But all of a sudden he remembered something. He remembered about an eager boy who had visited his Gurukul several months ago. " Now I remember," said he. "Are you not the same hunter boy whom I refused admission in my Gurukul some months back?" "Yes, Dronacharya", replied the boy. "After I left your Gurukul, I came home and made a statue like you and worshipped it every day. I practiced before your image. You refused to teach me, but your statue did not. Thanks to it, I have become a good archer."

Hearing this, Arjuna became angry. "But you promised me that you'd make me the best archer in the world!" he accused Drona. "Now how can that be? Now a common hunter has become better than me!" The other princes remembered their master frequently praising Arjuna that he had immense talent and will be the greatest archer in the kingdom. They waited with bated breath. What will their teacher do now? Unable to answer Arjuna's question, Drona remained silent. The sage too was upset that his promise to Prince Arjuna was not going to be fulfilled. He was also angry with Eklavya for disobeying him. So the sage planned to punish Eklavya. "Where is your guru dakhsina? You have to give me a gift for your training," the sage demanded. He had finally found a way to make Eklavya suffer for his disobedience. Eklavya was overjoyed. A guru dakshina was the voluntary fee or gift offered by a disciple to his guru at the end of his training. The guru-shishya parampara, i.e. the teacher-student tradition, was a hallowed tradition in Hinduism. At the end of a shishya's study, the guru asks for a "guru dakshina," since a guru does not take fees. A guru dakshina is the final offering from a student to the guru before leaving the ashram. The teacher may ask for something or nothing at all. "Dronacharya, I'll be the happiest person on earth to serve you. Ask me anything and I will offer it to you as my guru dhakshina "he said. "I might ask something you don't like to give me. What if you refuse the dhakshina I want?" Drona asked cunningly. Eklavya was shocked. It was considered a grave insult and a great sin if a guru's dakshina was refused. "No! How can I, teacher? I am not that ungrateful. I'll never refuse anything you ask, Dronacharya," promised the unsuspecting boy. Drona did not wait anymore. "Eklavya, I seek to have your right-hand thumb as my guru dhakshina" he declared. Silence befell on everyone. Everyone was shocked, even Arjuna. He looked at his teacher in horror and disbelief. How could their teacher make such a cruel demand? That too, from a mere boy? For a moment Eklavya stood silent. Without his thumb he could never shoot arrows again. But the teacher must be satisfied. "Ok Gurudev, as you wish." said he. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Eklavya drew out his knife and cut his thumb! The princes gasped at Eklavya's act of bravery. But the tribal boy betrayed no signs of pain, and held out his severed thumb to Dronacharya.

"Here is my guru dakshina, Drona", Ekalavya said. "I am happy that you have made me your disciple, even if I'm a mere Shudra hunter." The sage was humbled. He blessed the young archer for his courage. "Eklavya, even with out your thumb, you'll be known as a great archer. I bless you that you will be remembered forever for your loyalty to your guru," Drona declared and left the forests. He was moved and grieved at his own action. But he was content that his promise to Arjuna was not broken. The Gods blessed Eklavya from above. But despite his handicap, Eklavya continued to practice archery. How could he do so? When one is dedicated, one can make even mountains bow. With practice, Eklavya could shoot arrows with his index and middle finger and he became a greater archer than he was ever before. His renown spread far and wide. When Drona came to know this, he blessed the boy silently and begged for divine forgiveness. And true to Drona's blessing, Eklavya is still praised as the most loyal and brave student in the epic of Mahabharatha.

Betal told Vikram, "You are a brave warrior, but let me tell you the story of a brave boy." Once there lived a king called Jairajan. One day he discovered that his relatives were planning to steal his throne and kill him. To avoid bloodshed, Jairajan gave up his crown and went to live in a far-off village . Here he married a girl and started living happily. One day, while returning home he saw a pile of human bones lying on the path. Shocked, he hurried back home and told his wife about the incident. She told him that the wicked king of the kingdom was sacrificing young boys to the eagle, Garuda. Jairajan found out that the next time, a boy named Shankar was going to be fed to the eagle. He met Shankar's parents and offered to sacrifice his life instead, though Shankar protested. On the day of the sacrifice, Garuda whisked Jairajan away. Shankar risked his life and ran to save Jairajan, but he was killed. When the news reached Jairajan's wife she begged Garuda to return her husband. Seeing her devotion, Garuda gave back Jairajan's life. Jairajan now prayed to Garuda to revive all the other corpses. The eagle fulfilled his wish. Now Betal put forward the question, "Whose sacrifice was greater, Shankar's or Jairajan's?" Vikram promptly replied, "Shankar. Though he was a mere boy he volunteered to sacrifice his own life." Since Vikram had opened his mouth again, Betal flew away.