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Elephant Stories
An elephant's grace often matches his size. Amazingly patient and kind, he can put the petty greed of human beings to shame. But at times the odd elephant can turn nasty. What then can the smaller creatures of the world do to save themselves? Read the ancient wisdom of these Jataka tales to find out.
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Nandivishala
These Jataka tales are a wake-up call to all ungrateful, arrogant, hypocritical and self-serving liars. Full of humor and sound advice, they reveal the tyrannical power of money, the foolishness of superstition and the dangers of losing self-control. So, read and be entertained and laugh as you learn and remember, the good always triumph.
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Kesari The Flying Thief
Is there any end to want? Kesari, the flying thief, was delighted when he found a pair of flying shoes that would help him steal. Vasudeva was in a quandary as to how much money would satisfy all his needs. And Jinadatta hoped that his father-in-law would help him out of bankruptcy. These tales told by Jain monks in ancient times are as relevant today as they were long ago.
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Bird Stories
The heroes of these tales value their friends, their families and their honor. They are brave and selfless. Though each one of them is a bird they are almost always exceptionally wise, at times cunning and often blessed with a sense of humor, just the sort of role models people need to survive the workaday world.
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The Brahmin And The Goat
Three cunning men vex a Brahmin into throwing away a goat carried by him, by calling the animal as a calf, a dog and a donkey. An elephant heeds the request of mice not to trample them and is gratefully freed by them when trapped later. A sage turns a mouse into a girl. When she is grown up and asked to choose a groom, she rejects the sun, cloud, wind and mountain one by one and settles upon the mouse as the mightiest. This Panchatantra collection is a treasure house of a variety of such stories. A collection of tales compiled by Vishnu Sharma, for his young students some 2,200 years ago, the Panchatantra is still correcting common human weakness with its wry humor.
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The Priceless Gem
Is a glowing stone more valuable than wisdom? Is truth more precious than wealth? Answers to such questions came easily to Aushadha Kumar, a Bodhisattva at the court of King Vaideha. A previous incarnation of the wise and compassionate Gautama Buddha, the tale of his life admist adversity and courtly rivalry defines the Buddhist ideal of right thinking and right living. This priceless gem from the Jataka fables teaches even as it entertains.
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Sakshi Gopal
Mahindra and Vasanti want to marry. But Mahindra is only a poor orphan, and Sukhvir, the richest man in the village, wants to marry Vasanti too. During a pilgrimage to a temple of Krishna, Vasanti's father, Raghav, realises Mahindra's qualities of loyalty and integrity and asks him to become his son-in-law. Mahindra is overjoyed but his happiness is shattered when Raghav, swayed by Sukhvir's wealth, breaks his promise. Mahindra calls the village council but no one believes him. In despair, he prays to Lord Gopal to bear witness to Raghav's promise.This is a folktale from Orissa where the Sakshi Gopal temple, in Puri, marks the occasion when Gopal stood witness (Sakshi) so Mahindra and Vasanti could marry.
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Angulimala
Anant Pai (17 September 1929 24 February 2011), popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series viz. Amar Chitra Katha, which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters; and Tinkle, a children's anthology.
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Amrapali
This collection of Buddhist tales tell of Amrapali, an accomplished dancer who commanded the love and admiration of an entire town, and of Upagupta, who was just a poor monk. Amrapali craved peace; Upagupta’s bearing exuded contentment. Amrapali depended on the adulation of her audience; Upagupta spurned the attentions of the rich and famous. Their stories were different, but the Buddha’s wise teachings linked their lives – and the lessons to be learned from them.
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Tales Of Misers
Ilisa and Kesiya, two misers, foolishly filled their lives with worry. Had they understood the joy of giving and sharing, how much happier they and their families, would have been! Buddha's most important message, that desire and greed block the path to eternal bliss, is reiterated in the Jataka tales. These light-hearted parables teach us to respect ourselves as well as others. But, like Manduka, they also relish an occasion to get a fool to part with his money!
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The Tiger-Eater
Anant Pai (17 September 1929 24 February 2011), popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series viz. Amar Chitra Katha, which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters; and Tinkle, a children's anthology.
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Battle Of Wits
He was just seven years old, but Aushadha Kumar already had the wisdom of the Buddha. Unscrupulous courtiers were terrified that he would oust them from positions of power and comfort, and tried every trick to keep him away from their king. But Aushadha was needed at court for the greater happiness of the kingdom. Eventually, nothing and no one could subdue his destiny.
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The Learned Pandit
The gentle wit and wisdom of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa pervades this collection of tales. Drawing upon common weaknesses – arrogance, greed and narrow-mindedness among others – he makes us laugh even as we recognise some of our petty weaknesses.
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Sahasramalla
Sahasramalla steals from everyone. But when he tricks the King himself, Sahasramalla realises that there is no longer anyone left to rob and wonders what to do next. Near by, a monk named Vasudda is speaking. Vasudda's words make Sahasramalla realise how many people he has cheated and betrayed. Taken from the Vardhamana-desana, a Jain classic, the story of Sahasramalla is told with compassion. Even a thief is given the option to repent and make up for his crimes.
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The Rainbow Prince
The beautiful and spoilt Princess Rupanjali is determined to marry only the Rainbow Prince. When she hears that he is trapped in the body of a red parrot she orders that every bird in the kingdom be trapped and caged. When her maid Nilanjana protests at her cruelty, Rupanjali has her thrown into the cage too. When the new king ignores his old friend the shepherd, he wakes up the next morning with billions of needles poking his skin. Removing one makes two more grow back. As he lies in agony, his queen must find a way of helping him. In these two folk-tales from Bengal, arrogance is always punished – even in a prince or princess.
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The Mystery Of The Missing Gifts
Bhola is a kind-hearted but lazy old man, the despair of his hard working wife. When he catches a flock of sparrows, the king sparrow promises to reward him richly if he sets the birds free. Bhola agrees and is rewarded with a cow whose dung is pure gold! A wandering sanyasi comes to a village. The richest man refuses him alms but his brother who is poor gives him food and shelter. The sanyasi gives the poor man a magic flute. But his jealous brother cannot bear to see his good fortune. In these witty folk tales from Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, kindness and wisdom are always rewarded.
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The Tiger And The Woodpecker
elugu, a vibrant language even in medieval times, produced the distinguished poet Manchana. His stories are all delightful lessons in wisdom. Some teach us the value of honor while others tell us that might is not always right. We see a tiny rat outwitting a venomous serpent and then an old turtle saving his friends from a greedy eagle.
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The Bridegroom's Ring
Anant Pai (17 September 1929 24 February 2011), popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series viz. Amar Chitra Katha, which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters; and Tinkle, a children's anthology.
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Vikramaditya's Throne
Anant Pai (17 September 1929 24 February 2011), popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series viz. Amar Chitra Katha, which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters; and Tinkle, a children's anthology.
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The Dullard And Other Stories From Panchatantra (A
The 'dullard' of the story, an unfortunate failure at school, is a familiar figure in every age. Poor at his books, he compensates with a wealth of common sense and goes on to survive life's trials rather well. His comically smug, scholarly companions, on the other hand, soon meet their doom. These tales may mirror everyday human vices in a time-tested and engaging way but they are also gentle guides to a wiser, happier path.
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King Kusha
Kusha, prince of Kushavati was blessed with immense wisdom and extraordinary talent but he had the ugliest of faces. The beautiful princess Prabhavati was not aware of his ugliness when she married him. Kusha's mother saw to it that the princess never set eyes on her son's face. But when she did, Prabhavati refused to have anything to do with her husband and went away leaving poor Kusha broken-hearted.
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The Clever Dancer
Though very young, Muladeva is regarded as one of the wisest men in Ujjaini. One day, he sets off for Patliputra, with his friend Shashi, eager to debate with the scholars there. On the outskirts of the city, they meet a girl picking mangoes. She and Muladeva start arguing but the girl outwits him with ease and then, disappears. Enchanted by her quick replies and her intelligence Muladeva decides that he will not rest until he has found her, outsmarted her, and married her. In this story from the Kathasaritsagar, Muladeva's quest results in an elaborate and prolonged battle of wits.
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Bikal The Terrible
Bikal is the original 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. The best way to ward off Bikal the Terrible is to avoid taking his name. The word Bikal inspires such fear and awe that even a tiger gets scared of Bikal and tamely allows himself to be fooled by two daredevils. This is a delightful folktale from Madhya Pradesh.