The Magic Drum Book by Sudha Murthy - 17 stories!

The Magic Drum and Other Favorite Stories by Sudha Murthy is a collection of stories from different cultures. Sudha wanted to create a mix of Indian and Western storytelling elements that focus on human emotions and everyday activities. One story, "The Superman," is about lazy men who are taught a lesson by a stranger pretending to be a messenger from the king. In another story, two men try to cheat each other at a fair but end up getting caught in their own lies. The Magic Drum and Other Favorite Stories by Sudha Murthy. The little note on this book says, this book is dedicated to all those great storytellers around the world who have passed on these stories from generation to generation. Why does she say that? Let's understand from this book's preface. India has a rich tradition of storytelling. Texts like the Kathasarita Sagara, Panchatantra, and Jataka are a rich storehouse of tales which have been enjoyed by several generations of readers and listeners. These stories, full of humors and morals, are the ideal means to introduce the right values to young people. If we look outside our country, we find all kinds of folk tales that have been told to generations of children in every corner of the world. I have included a few such stories in this collection. That's what Sudha is mentioning. Interestingly, while putting together these stories, she noticed that many Indian stories are about gods, curses, and boons. They also often end with a marriage and the characters living happily after. Western stories, on the other hand, tend to emphasize logic and human intellect over other things, while Middle Eastern ones have a lot of magic and supernatural elements. She tried to create a mix of these elements, though she has consciously left out stories which have gods and goddesses and supernatural beings solving problems, or even those in which animals are given human qualities. Her stories do not have animals, gods, miracles, or curses. Her own favorites, and these are ones she loved hearing many years ago, are about how men and women, boys and girls, land themselves in trouble and how they extricate themselves from it. They are about human emotions and everyday human activities. Though these tales have been gathered from all over the world, while retelling them, Sudha have set them all in India so that the Indian child can relate to them. The people have Indian names and they live in ancient Indian kingdoms. She has rewritten many stories which she heard as a child. Some others were told to her by people from other countries and some she has created it herself. The story name is The Superman. The men of Suvarna Nagari were very lazy. They only liked to gossip and tell each other tall tales. As soon as the sun rose, the men would tuck into a hearty breakfast and start gathering in groups. Then they would spend the rest of the day telling each other impossible stories. They came back home only at lunch and dinner time. Suvarna Nagari had fertile land all around it and if the men had spent even a little time in the fields, they would have reaped wonderful crops. But as they did nothing, all responsibilities ended up on the shoulders of the women, who had to sleep the whole day. They cooked, cleaned, sent the children to school, worked in the fields, took the crops to the market. In short, they did everything. One day the tired women got together and decided the men needed to be taught a lesson. Someone suggested writing to the king, who was known to be just unkind about their problem. So a letter was written and sent off. The women went back to their work but kept a sharp lookout to see if the king would send any help. But many days passed and slowly the women began to lose hope. After all, why would the king of such a vast empire be concerned about the plight of a few women in a tiny village like theirs? A month passed by and soon it was a full moon night. The men ate their dinners and because it was so beautiful and well-lit outside, they gathered again to chat and boast. That night they were trying to prove to one another that they were capable of performing the most impossible tasks. As they sat talking and the stories flew around, a tall and handsome stranger joined them. Seeing his noble features and intelligent eyes, each man wanted to prove himself better than the others and impress him. One said, I knew the map of our kingdom even before I left my mother's womb. As soon as I was born, I ran to the capital and met the king. My mother had such trouble bringing me back home. Everyone was impressed with his story. But not to be outdone, a second man said, So what is so great about that? When I was just a day old, I could ride a horse. I sat on a big horse and rode all the way to the king's palace. He received me with a lot of love and we had the most delicious breakfast together. At thought of food, everyone got dreamy-eyed and the story was greeted with a round of applause. Now, a third man said, Ha, that's nothing. I sat on an elephant when I was a week old and had lunch with the king in his palace. Before the admiring murmurs could die down, a fourth one said, I was a month old when I flew like a bird and landed in the king's garden. He picked me up lovingly and even let me sit with him on his throne. While everyone seemed to be aved by these stories, the stranger spoke up, Do you four men know the king very well? Of course we do, they replied together. Our king knows and loves us. In fact, he is proud to have supernatural beings like us in his kingdom. The stranger looked thoughtful. That makes my task so much easier, you see. I work in the king's court. Some time back, the king had called four supermen to the city in order to repair a large hole in the city walls. As you know, we use the largest, toughest stones for building these walls and they could be lifted and put in place only by these supermen. The four asked to be paid in gold bars and the king gave them the money, but that night itself they disappeared from the palace. I have been wandering the kingdom ever since looking for them. The king has ordered me to find the four men and bring them back to the capital to finish the work. They will also have to return the gold they ran away with. It looks like my search has finally ended. I will take you four to the king along with the gold you stole from him and I shall be the rich one now. By the time the stranger finished telling this amazing story, the men's faces had turned ashen. What trouble had their lives landed them in? Together they dived at the stranger's feet. Savers, they wailed, those were all lies. We are just a bunch of lazy men. If you forget our stories, we promise to stop telling lies and do some honest work. The stranger smiled, so be it. I will tell the king there are no supermen in this village, only hardworking, ordinary men and women. That night itself he left the village and the women were sure they saw a happy twinkle in his eyes as he rode away on a handsome white horse fit to belong to the king's stables. Affair deal Himakar and Sitapati were two young men living in neighboring villages. Once affair was being held nearby and they set off from their homes, hoping to do some business there. Himakar filled his sack with some cheap cotton, overlaid it with a layer of fine wool and slinging the sack over his shoulder, set off for the fair. Sitapati too collected wild leaves from some bushes, put a layer of fine betel leaves on top and made his way to the fair. On the way, both stopped to rest under a big tree and got talking. I have the finest wool in these parts in my sack. They come from the most special sheep, boasted Himakar. I have the best betel leaves in my sack. They are so soft, they melt in your mouth. Usually I don't sell them, but this time I need the money, so I am going to the fair to sell them without telling anyone, said Sitapati. Quickly the two crooks struck a deal. They would exchange their goods and since wool was more expensive, Sitapati would pay Himakar an extra rupee, but Sitapati had no money on him. So after agreeing to pay Himakar the rupee later, the two made their way home, secretly laughing at the other's folly. However it did not take long for them to discover that they had been duped. The very next day Himakar landed up at Sitapati's door and yelled, You cheat! Give me my rupee at least. Sitapati was drawing muddy water from his well and was unperturbed by Himakar's words. Of course I will pay, he said, but first help me find the treasure lying at the bottom of this well. If we find it, we can divide it. Both were soon hard at work and there was no more talk of wool or betel leaves. Himakar went inside the well where he would fill with muddy water. The bucket Sitapati lowered to him. Sitapati would then pull it up. With each bucket, Sitapati pulled up, he exclaimed. Oh! No treasure here. Try again. This went on for a few hours. It started getting dark and Himakar realized that Sitapati was using him as free labor to clean his well. There was no treasure. He was sure that if he stayed much longer, Sitapati would abandon him in the well for good. So he gave a loud shout, Here is the treasure. Watch out. It is heavy. Sitapati was amazed that there really was treasure hidden in the well. He pulled hard and as soon as he pulled up the bucket, he threw away the rope so that Himakar could not come up. But what, or rather who did he find in the bucket but Himakar covered in mud? They started fighting again. You tried to cheat me. You were going to leave me in the well. Soon it got too dark to argue and they left for their homes. But Himakar was not one to give up. He arrived at Sitapati's house after a few days, demanding his one rupee. Sitapati saw him coming and told his wife, I will pretend to be dead to start crying loudly. Himakar will then have to give up trying to get the money from me. But Himakar was clever. As soon as he heard Sitapati's wife wailing, he understood the trick being played on him and rushed out to gather the villagers. My friend has died, he shouted. Let's take his body for cremation. Sitapati's wife got scared. No, no, go away. I will arrange for the cremation myself, she said. But the villagers thought she was too grief-stricken to know what she was saying and carried Sitapati to the cremation ground. There Himakar told the villagers it is getting dark, we cannot burn the body now. You go home and come in the morning, I will watch over him in the night. As soon as the villagers had gone, Himakar said, no, Sitapati, stop pretending now, give up, get up and give me my money. As they were fighting, a gang of thieves came to divide their loot in leisure at the cremation ground. They saw one person sitting on a pyre and another standing next to him. Both were arguing loudly. Thinking them to be ghosts, the thieves dropped their bag of stolen goods and fled at top speed. The two heard the commotion and saw the bag full of gold and silver ornaments lying on the ground. Quickly they divided it up between themselves. Himakar made sure he got an extra gold coin for the rupee that was due to him and the two men made their way back to their homes. The account settled at last. Defeat of Truth Long ago the country of Gandhara was ruled by the just and good king Vidhyadhara. The subjects were very happy. But as the king grew older, everyone got more and more worried. The king did not have any children who could take over the reins of the kingdom after him. The king was an avid gardener. He spent a lot of time tending his garden, planting the finest flowers, fruits, trees and vegetables. One day after he finished working in the garden, he proclaimed, ìI will distribute some seeds to all the children in the kingdom. The one who grows the biggest, healthiest plant within three months will become the prince or the princess.î The next day there was a long line of anxious parents and children outside the palace. One was eager to get a seed and grow the best plant. Pingala, a poor farmerís son, was among these children. Like the king, he too was fond of gardening and grew beautiful plants in his backyard. He took the seed from the king and planted it in a pot with great care. Some weeks passed, he piled it with water and manure, but the plant did not appear. Pingala tried changing the soil and transferred the seed to another pot, but even by the end of three months, nothing appeared. At last the day came when all the children had to go to the king to show the plant they had grown. They started walking to the palace, dressed in their best, holding beautiful plants in their hands. Only Pingala stood sadly watching them go by. Pingalaís father had watched his son working hard with the seed and felt sorry for him. ìWhy donít you go to the king with the empty pot?î he suggested. ìAt least he will know you tried your best.î So Pingala too wore his best dress and joined the others outside the palace, holding his empty pot in his hand and ignoring the laughter around him. Soon the king arrived and began his inspection. The pots held flowers of different shades, beautiful and healthy, but the king did not look happy. At the end of the line stood Pingala and when the king reached him, he stopped in surprise. ìChild, why have you come with an empty pot? Could you not grow anything?î Pingala looked down and said, ìForgive me, your highness. I tried my best. I gave it the best soil and manure I had, but the plant would not grow.î Now the kingís face broke into a smile. He enveloped Pingala in his arms and announced, ìHere is the crown prince. I had given everyone roaster seeds which would never grow, just to see which child was the most honest one and would admit he or she had not been able to grow anything. Only this boy told the truth. I am sure he will rule this kingdom one day with truth and honesty.î And indeed that was what happened. When the king grew old and died, Pingala who had learnt everything from him, came to the throne and ruled Gandhara justly for many years. Haripant the Wise During the reign of one of the Vijayanagara emperors, there lived a wise magistrate named Haripant. His verdicts were always fair and people came to him from all over the vast kingdom so he could settle their disputes. In the city, there lived a greedy ghee merchant named Shriyala Shetty. His shop always had twenty barrels of ghee, but of these, fifteen would be good and the remaining five adulterated. He would mix the adulterated ghee with the good one and sell it to the people. This went on for a long time till finally the people got tired of being cheated and complained to Haripant. Haripant got the ghee examined and found it to be adulterated indeed. He gave Shriyala a choice of punishment. He could either drink the five barrels of adulterated ghee from his shop or he could get hundred lashings or pay a thousand gold coins to the treasury. Shriyala started thinking losing a thousand gold coins was too much and a hundred lashings too painful. So he decided to drink up the five barrels of ghee. Though Shriyala sold adulterated stuff in his shop, he had always made sure his own food was of the best quality. So after drinking one barrel of the bad ghee, he started feeling sick. By the third barrel he was vomiting. At this point he decided to opt for the lashings instead. But his was a pampered body, unused to any hard work. After ten lashes he started trembling, by twenty he was giddy and by forty he was half dead. Stop! He screamed. I will pay the thousand gold coins, just let me go. Finally Shriyala had to pay the money and he ended up suffering all three punishments. Something he would not forget in a hurry. The people of the city got to use only the best quality ghee in their food from then on. Another time, Gunakara, a poor coolie was walking by Vibhandaka's cloth store. Vibhandaka was a rich merchant who owned a huge cloth store right in the center of the town. It was a winter morning and Gunakara was carrying a large sack of waste from a nearby eatery to the rubbish dump. As he was passing by Vibhandaka's store, he slipped and fell. His sack opened up and the stinking waste lay over Vibhandaka's shop floor. The merchant immediately started screaming, look at this mess, clean it right away before my customers come. Screaming, Gunakara took a broom and bucket of water and started cleaning. He cleaned and polished till not a speck of dirt remained on the floor. But Vibhandaka would not give in so easily. The floor is wet, he shouted. Get a cloth and wipe it. Gunakara scratched his head. I don't have any cloth on me, he said. Anyway, by the time your customers come, the sun will be out and it will be drier. For you give me a cloth, I will wipe the floor. Now the merchant was even angrier. Is this a warehouse of old cloths? Where will I get a spare cloth from? You take off your coat and wipe the floor with it. This was too much. Gunakara was wearing an old woollen coat, the only warm clothing he possessed. I am a poor man, he tried to explain. Some rich person like you gave me this used coat for the winter. If I use this coat to clean the floor, what will I wear? Please let me go. But Vibhandaka was adamant. No, if the dirty smell persists, after you go, no customers will come to the shop. I will suffer big losses. My reputation will be ruined and I will become a pauper. Now quick, take off your coat and clean up. By now, word of the argument had spread and a crowd had gathered. Haripant on his way to court heard the angry exchanges and pushed his way through the crowd. Everyone fell back. Justice would now be done, they were sure. When he had heard the entire story, Haripant turned to Gunakara. He is right. If you don't clean up well, Vibhandaka will suffer huge losses. Take off your coat and clean the floor. A hush fell on the crowd. How could Haripant deliver such an unjust verdict? As the murmurs grew, Haripant held up his hand. I am not done yet, he announced. There is a second part to my verdict. Turning to the merchant, he said, and you will compensate Gunakara's family for his untimely death. What death? Howled an enraged Vibhandaka. Haripant was calm. Your complaint was based on an if-customer-smelled-the-dirty-smell. They would abandon your shop and you would be ruined. Similarly, if Gunakara loses his coat today, he may catch cold and fever and die in a few days. His whole family depends on his earnings, so they may starve. Some of them might also die due to starvation, so you have to compensate his family. Haripant smiled as Vibhandaka stood looking worried. Gunakara, clean up, he said. Vibhandaka let him go inside the store and choose the best and warmest coat for the winter. The people who had gathered around applauded the clever verdict. Once upon a time, there lived a miserly old couple, Devaiya and Devamma. They did not have any children and never spent a paisa on themselves. They never repaired their house or cooked good food. They wore old patched clothes and lived in a run-down little hut. One day, a family moved into the village close to Devaiya and Devamma's house. It was their little boy's birthday and they sent two delicious besan laddus to the old couple. The two ate a laddu, each with great relish. For many days after that, they could talk of nothing else. How soft they were! How the ghee dripped from them! They exclaimed to each other. Finally, the old man, Devaiya, could take it no more. He told his wife, let's buy the ingredients to make just two laddus. Devamma was delighted. Then she warned her husband, if I make the laddus at home, the neighbors will get to know and want a share. Let's go to a secluded spot in the woods and cook there. That way, no one will ever know. So the next day, Devaiya got the ingredients from the market and they set off to the woods to make the laddus. They indeed turned out delicious, but since they had never cooked anything like this before and had not known the correct measurements, they ended up with three laddus instead of two. The old couple returned home with the bowl of sweets, dying to bite into them. But when they sat down to eat, a problem arose. How would they divide the three laddus? It was my idea and I went to the market. So I must get two and you will get one, said Devaiya. But Devamma was not one to give in so easily. I prepared the sweets. I must have two and you can have one. They started fighting. They wore into night, but still they fought. At last, Devaiya found a way out. Let us not talk to each other. Whoever breaks the silence first will get one laddu and the other person two. Devamma agreed and the two sat quietly, waiting for the other to talk first. Hours passed but no one spoke. After some time, they lay down, bored with the bowl of sweets between them. Two days passed thus and the neighbors got suspicious. They came and banged on the door, but the couple would not answer in the fear of losing the bet. Then one neighbor climbed on the roof and after removing a tile peeped in, he saw the couple lying on the floor, a bowl between them. They are dead. The food is still lying there untouched, he screamed. Soon the door was broken open and the house was swarming with villagers. They discussed the funeral and wondered where the misers had hidden their wealth. Devaiya and Devamma heard everything but did not get up in the fear of losing out on a laddu. Finally, the villagers carried them to the cremation ground and placed them on two pyres, though someone did suggest using only one for the two of them, as they were such misers. As the flames started licking their feet, Devamma jumped up screaming, You win, you win, I don't want to die. Devaiya too jumped up happily, I have won, I will now eat two laddus. And the two rushed home, leaving a flock of bewildered, terrified villagers behind. But alas, in the excitement of the funeral, the villagers had left the door of the hut open. The old man and the woman rushed in to find a stray dog, licking the last crumbs of the sweets from the bowels. The Tastiest of All King Shantivardhana ruled over the kingdom of Vaishali. He was a king who took his job very seriously. Every now and then he would leave the palace in the evening, dressed in the clothes of an ordinary man, to listen to what his people had to say about him and his ministers. Once he set out on a full moon night, he walked into a little garden just in time to hear four girls debating an interesting issue. What is the tastiest thing of all? One said, Meat is the tastiest food of all. Another said, No, it is liquor. The third said, I think it is love. Even though it is a feeling, not a food. And the fourth said, It is hunger. The four friends argued amongst themselves, not knowing that the king was living in the bushes behind them. The king had to go away after a while and he never got to hear the end of the argument. The next day he woke up wondering who won the debate and what were the reasons the winner gave. He summoned the four girls to court. They came trembling in fear and were even more fearful when the king said that he had heard their conversation the night before. Now he said, Each one of you claimed a different thing as the tastiest of all. What were your reasons? If they are good, I will reward each of you. So the first girl said, I think meat is the tastiest thing in the world, even though I am a priest's daughter and have never tasted it. Then how can you say so? Asked the king in surprise. Our house is opposite a butcher shop. Every evening the butcher throws the leftover bones and meat outside the shop. A big crowd of dogs gather there and fights over these few pieces of meat. And after they are done, flocks of flies sit on the bones. So I think meat must be very tasty. The king liked her reasoning and gave her a reward. Then he turned to the second girl. Why did you say liquor is tasty? Have you ever had any? The girl shook her head. My father is a school teacher and no one in my family has had a drop of liquor ever. But I too stay opposite a shop, a liquor shop. There I see many people every day spending so much money on their drinks. And their families come and plead with them to come back home. Old parents and mothers with little children beg their sons, brothers and husbands to come home. But these people don't listen. They are only interested in their next glass. That is why I think liquor must be very tasty. The king liked her argument too and gave her a reward. Now the third girl said, I think love must be very tasty because I have seen how it transformed my sister. She used to be shy and obedient. But when she fell in love with a man my father did not like, she thought nothing of running away with him in the middle of a dark stormy night. The king smiled and rewarded her too. And the last girl said, I agree with them but there is one thing that is tastier than all this. It is hunger. If your stomach is full, the grandest of feasts will be tasteless. But on an empty stomach, the most ordinary, even stale food will taste like nectar. Hunger makes our food tasty whether we are young or old, rich or poor. The king now knew who was the winner of the argument. He gave the last girl a big reward for her clever words. The cunning fruit. Udanka was a rich merchant with a vast business in North India. He had travelled all over the country and had seen many amazing sights during his travels. One day his son, Bhanu Varma said to him, Father, you have seen so many new places. I have seen nothing. I am very keen to see the sea you described to me. Please let me go to the seaside. Udanka thought it was a good idea too and made arrangements for his son to travel to a South Indian town by the seashore, where he could stay with one of Udanka's friends. Thus, Bhanu Varma landed up in a town by the sea. His father's friend greeted him warmly and gave him a nice room in their house. The next day, Bhanu Varma set off to see the town. As he walked in the bazaar, he saw a man selling jackfruit. Now Bhanu Varma had seen apples, oranges, mangoes, even jamuns, but jackfruit was something he had never set eyes upon. What a strange shape it had, and what a sweet smell. How do you eat this, he asked the man selling it. Cut it, eat the fruit, and throw away the seed, replied the man. When Bhanu Varma heard that one big fruit cost only two annas, he was delighted and bought one. He carried it up to his room and proceeded to cut it open. He ate and ate the sweet fruit. It was like honey. Finally, when he was done, he realized that the gum from the fruit has made his hands all sticky. To get rid of the sticky gum, he wiped his hands on his dress. But that only made his dress sticky. He then tried washing his hands with water, but the gum remained. He slapped his head in despair, and now his face too became sticky. Then he remembered there was a sack of cotton kept outside his door. He crept out quietly and tried to wipe his hands and face with the cotton, but he only managed to cover himself with cotton, which now stuck fast onto his hands and face. The more cotton he used, the more it stuck to him. Feeling ashamed, he went to the backyard, where he knew a pot of hot water was kept. By then it was evening, and his host was calling him in for dinner. Not wanting to appear before him in that state, Bhanuvarma hid behind a tree. The people of the house called out for him for some time. Then thinking he must still be out somewhere, they took the vessel of hot water inside and shut the door. Bhanuvarma looked this way and that. There was only this sheep-shed now for him to sleep in. He went there and lay down among the sheep. That night some thieves came to steal the sheep when they saw Bhanuvarma covered in cotton. They thought he was the biggest sheep of all and carried him away. Poor Bhanuvarma dared not open his mouth to shout. At last, when they reached the outskirts of the town, they put him down. They took one close look at him, and they fled, taking him to be a ghost. Bhanuvarma stood by the roadside, wondering what to do. A milkmaid who was walking by saw the young man covered in cotton and asked him what had happened. When he told her, she laughed for a long time. Then she said, you must always rub oil on your hands before you eat jackfruit, otherwise the gum will stick to your hands and neither water nor cotton will take it off. She was very kind and took him to her house, where she gently removed all the cotton and the gum. Then Bhanuvarma set off back to town. After some weeks, when he came home, Udanka asked him, so what did you see and what did you learn? Bhanuvarma sighed and said, father, I saw many strange sights, learnt many new things, but the biggest lesson I learnt was, whatever you do, never eat a jackfruit. It is the most cunning fruit of all. Nine Questions for a Princess Princess Suryaprabha, who was very beautiful and intelligent, wanted to marry a man who was even more intelligent and learned than her. She was not too concerned about wealth or looks. So she said to her father, I have decided. Let any man ask me nine questions. If I am unable to answer even one of them, I will marry him. The king knew well how bright she was and was worried. And what if you answer all the questions he asked? Then he will be rejected and will not get a second chance. The king had no choice but to agree to her condition and made the announcement in the kingdom. Many people arrived to try their luck, but the princess was too clever for them and she answered each one's questions in no time. The king became more and more worried. He decided to talk to his most trusted friend, Ganapati Maharaj, who was a teacher about this. Ganapati heard him out. Then she said he would send his brightest student, Shashi Shekhar to question the princess. The next day, a handsome young man appeared in court. He was dressed simply, but his eyes shone bright with the light of knowledge. He announced that he had nine questions for the princess and in no time was sitting before her. How many stars are there in the sky? was his first question. Suryaprabha replied, there are as many stars as there are hair on a goat. Which is the most beautiful child on earth? For every mother, her child is the most beautiful. What is the difference between truth and lies? It is the difference between our eyes and ears. Our eyes will always see the truth, but our ears can hear both truth and lies. Which person has hands, yet is considered handless? A rich man who does not share his wealth. Who has eyes, but is still blind? A man without compassion who does not see the suffering that exists in this world. Then Shashi Shekhar showed her a picture of a crumbling palace and asked what it meant. By now the princess was sure this was no ordinary man, but it did not take her long to give her answer. A house without a proper foundation, be it a palace, will collapse. He showed another picture of an old lady, collecting firewood while carrying a heavy load on her back. The princess smiled and replied, this picture depicts human greed. The woman has collected so much wood, yet she does not want to give up and go home. Now the princess had answered seven questions accurately. There were only two left. Shashi Shekhar then asked a very clever question. Which is the question you can't answer? Surya Prabha was stumped. If she told him, Shashi Shekhar would ask that question as the last one, and if she did not, she would lose anyway. She smiled and bowed her head. I accept defeat. Thus it came to be that the two wisest people in the kingdom got married and lived happily. Dead Man's Painting Raghupati was a rich landlord who had a son called Sahadeva. The boy's mother died when he was very young. So Sahadeva was brought up by his father. He turned out a spoiled and mean child. When Sahadeva was about ten years old, his father married a second time. His new wife Arundhati was a sweet, good-natured woman. Sahadeva was furious when his father got a new wife home and refused to behave well with his step-mother. After some time, when Arundhati gave birth to a boy, Sahadeva started hating her even more. He wanted nothing to do with his step-mother. Raghupati tried his best to make him see reason, but he refused to listen. Then came a day when Raghupati fell very sick. Though he was treated by the best doctors in the kingdom, he soon realized his end was near. He decided to make a will and write down his vast property should be divided after his death. When he finished writing his will, he called his wife and told her, When you first read this, it may seem to you that I have done you a great injustice. But have faith, I only want to protect you and our son Janardhan from Sahadeva's wrath. Then he gave her a beautifully framed painting of his own face, done by one of the best artists of the kingdom, and told her, when our son Janardhan is eighteen years old, take this to the king's minister, Krishnakant, he will see that justice is done to you. Arundhati was puzzled. Do you know Krishnakant? She asked. No, replied her husband, but I have heard a lot about his wisdom. He will know how to help you. A few days after this conversation, Raghupati died. Sahadeva could not wait for the rituals to be over, so he could read the will. The day came when the will was finally opened and read out. In it, Raghupati had left his large mansion and the surrounding fertile fields to Sahadeva. To Arundhati and Janardhan, he had left only a ramshackle outhouse and some dry scrub land surrounding it. Sahadeva was thrilled when he heard this. At least his father had seen sense on his deathbed. Happily, he moved into the big house and poor Arundhati and her younger son went to live in the broken down little hut. But she remembered what her husband had told her and kept the painting safe with her, waiting for the day Janardhan would turn eighteen. Thus, years passed and on the day of Janardhan's eighteenth birthday, Arundhati made her way to Krishnakant's house. The painting tucked under her arm. When she met him, she told him her entire story. Krishnakant was surprised. How was he to help her? After all, he had never seen, let alone known, Raghupati. But Arundhati was insistent. You must help, she pleaded. My husband had great faith in your wisdom. She left the painting with him and went back home. After she had gone, Krishnakant laid the painting on the floor and looked at it carefully. He wondered what secret was hidden in it. Then he noticed the painting was crooked and pulled at a corner. To his surprise, the painting came out and hidden behind it was a sheet of paper, a letter. Sir said the letter. You must be reading this many years after my death. In my life I heard many stories about you and how you helped people who were in trouble. I am sure my wife and son are in misery now. You have to help them somehow. The painting you are holding is my portrait. I can also tell you that the house where my wife now lives has ten golden bricks. It is up to you to extract those bricks and see she gets them without being harassed by my first son Sahadeva. It was signed Raghupati. Krishnakant stood quietly for a while after reading this, deep in thought. Then he smiled. He had a plan. The next day Krishnakant called Sahadeva and a few wise men to Arundhati's house. He got chairs laid out for everyone in the open field outside. To their surprise he kept one chair separate and would not let anyone sit in it. When everyone was seated, he turned to the uncopied chair and spoken to it. I will see that things are carried out according to your will. The wisest men of this village are my witness. You will at last go to heaven in peace. Then he turned around to the astonished group of people and said, I was visited yesterday by the ghost of Raghupati. Was he not a fair tall man with a long nose and a mark on his forehead? The people nodded in fear. Krishnakant had never met Raghupati when he was alive. So how did he know what he looked like? Surely his ghost could not be around still. Krishnakant now nodded and sighed sadly. So it was his ghost that came to me yesterday and said his wishes according to his will and had not been carried out and I promised to look into the matter. He asked Sahadeva, did your father leave you the big house and all the fields? Sahadeva nodded and he left the small outhouse and the land around it to your step-mother and step-brother. Sahadeva nodded again and are you sure you have no claim to whatever there is in that house and on that land? Sahadeva nodded again vigorously. Krishnakant now turned to Arundhati and said, your husband's ghost wanted me to tell you that he wishes the house to be destroyed. Now that Sahadeva has said he has no interest in the house and whatever lies in it, I am ordering your house to be demolished right now. Arundhati almost in tears did not know what to say. She could only look on in horror as Krishnakant's men went up to her little hut with hammers and crowbars and started breaking it down. Sahadeva looked on happily till, imagine his dismay, the men came back to the group holding ten golden bricks in their hands. Holding ten golden bricks in their hands, Krishnakant turned to Arundhati, your husband left these bricks in the house, since everything there belongs to you and Sahadeva has set in front of everyone, he has no claim on anything from there, you are now their rightful owner. Taking a quick look at the empty chair, he said, Raghupati is happy now. He will go to heaven at last, his soul in peace. With a twill of his moustache, Krishnakant marched off, leaving behind an amazed Arundhati, now rich beyond her dreams and a furious Sahadeva who had been outwitted at last, all thanks to the painting of a dead man. The White Crow Uma Sundari was a very talkative woman. She loved to sit and gossip the whole day, what the neighbors did, what they ate, what the village carpenter said to his mother-in-law. She enjoyed talking about all this. Her husband Sivasundara was a mild mannered man and often told her to stop discussing other people's affairs, but she would never listen to him. One day Sivasundara was sitting outside his house when he suddenly looked up and said, Uma Sundari, look, what a beautiful crow is sitting on the white roof of our outhouse, but don't tell anyone about it. Uma Sundari looked up and saw an ordinary black crow sitting on the roof. When they had Sivasundara been so excited, why had he asked her not to tell anyone about the crow? Uma Sundari felt as though her stomach would burst with this news, so she went to her neighbor and said, did you see our house today early in the morning? A huge black crow was sitting on the white roof of our outhouse. I have never seen such a huge crow. My husband saw it too and he behaved like it was a big secret. He told me not to tell anyone, but I had to tell you. You will not tell anyone else, will you? Saying this much, Uma Sundari ran back home. Her neighbor, whose name was Satyabhama, was having lunch. She got up midway and ran to her friend Vimalavati's house. Vimalavati had finished her lunch and was cleaning her gold bangles. Satyabhama told her in a low voice, have you heard the latest news? A massive crow was sitting on the roof of Uma Sundari's outhouse today. It was as big as an eagle and would not budge even though they tried to shoo it away. Maybe they have some hidden treasure and the crow knows about it. But don't tell anyone about this. So saying, she ran back home. Vimalavati was very jealous. Her grandmother had told her long ago that unusual things always pointed to hidden treasure in a place. The presence of a huge crow must mean Uma Sundari had some treasure in her house. She was angry now. There she was with a pair of worn out old bangles and Uma Sundari had discovered treasure. She ran to her husband Kamlesh. Kamlesh was a writer and was trying to think of an idea for a story. Vimalavati told him, stop writing imaginary stories. Look at Uma Sundari. They will soon have sacks of gold and diamonds without lifting a finger. Kamlesh too was upset to hear this. How could his neighbors get rich so quickly? He asked his wife how she had found out about the treasure. It seems there was a white crow sitting on the roof of Uma Sundari's outhouse and that means there is a lot of treasure beneath it. Kamlesh had never liked Shiva Sundara. Here was a good way to get back at him. He caught up from his writing desk and went straight to the village headman. I have just got to know there is hidden treasure under Shiva Sundara's house, he reported. In their kingdom, the rule was that any treasure found below the earth belonged to the king and not to the owner of the land. The headman rushed to Shiva Sundara's house with a few soldiers. We have to break down your outhouse, they said. It is the king's order. Shiva Sundara tried to say something but no one listened. They started breaking down the house and digging away right then. After a lot of searching, they found nothing. The angry headman now summoned Kamlesh and asked, who told you about the treasure? Kamlesh pointed to his wife Vimalavati, who in turn pointed to Satyabhama, who pointed out Uma Sundari. She had to appear before the headman and confess she had exaggerated in the first place. After that day, no one believed a word of what she said and nobody would sit down to chat with her. And Shiva Sundara would smile secretly to himself and say, I used Uma Sundari's loud mouth to break down the old outhouse. How much it would have cost me to do it myself. Now I will make a nice garden there. And the two of us will sit there and talk only to each other in peace. The Horse in the Burrow Niranjan was a very clever man. One day as he was walking down the road, he met his friend Jayadev, who was returning from somewhere. He looked very sad and in his hand, he held the tail of a horse. What is the matter? asked Niranjan. My horse died in an accident. By the time I heard about it and reached the place, a fox had taken away the body and only the tail was left. Jayadeva was a poor farmer and the horse had been his one expensive possession. Niranjan felt sorry for him. Give me the tail, he told his friend. I will get a new horse for you. Jayadeva had no idea how Niranjan would produce a new horse using only a tail. But he knew how clever Niranjan was, so he gave the tail to him and went back to his farm. Niranjan walked down a forest path and saw a rabbit's burrow. He placed the tail at the mouth of the burrow and sat down next to it, holding on to the tail. Soon a rich merchant passed by, riding a beautiful horse. He looked in amazement at Niranjan sitting there, holding the tail in his hands. What are you doing? he asked. I was walking with my magic horse down this path when it ran into this burrow. You see, it can sense treasure and follow it anywhere. It has gone down the burrow to get the treasure and I am holding on to its tail. I will be rich when it comes up. The silly merchant believed this story. Then Niranjan said, I don't have a bag to keep the treasure. Can you give me one? Quickly the merchant replied, this bag has a hole in it. Why don't you go back to your village and get a bag? I will hold on to the tail till you come back. Here, take my horse, that will be quicker. Niranjan left riding the horse after pretending great reluctance. An hour passed by, but there was no sign of Niranjan nor of the horse emerging from the burrow. The merchant pulled the tail and fell back. When he peeped into the hole, he saw, of course, there was nothing, no horse, no treasure, not even a rabbit. Niranjan often used his wit to teach people a lesson. Once he met Dayanand, the milkman. Dayananda cheated his customers by adding water in their milk. That day he was carrying a large mud pot on his head filled with milk. As soon as he saw Niranjan, he said, you think you are so clever, but you won't be able to cheat me. Niranjan smiled and said, Dayananda, why should I cheat you? Particularly today when there are so many clouds in the sky, it will rain in any moment and I don't want to get drenched in the rain. Oh, I have a long way to go, is it going to rain? Dayananda said, and forgetting the pot on his head, looked up. The pitcher fell and broke and the milk spilled all over the road. That day Dayananda could not sell his milk mixed with water to anyone. The Very Expensive Coconut Chandrakant was a miser. He hated spending money on anything and his wife was tired of his stringy ways. One day Chandrakant went to a wedding. There he was served a coconut burfi. Chandrakant felt he had never tasted anything so good and decided he wanted another one. He went back home and asked his wife to make him one. His wife looked at him and said, You hardly give me enough money to cook dal and rice. How will I make burfis? Go and buy a coconut at least and then I will make burfi for you. So Chandrakant set off for the market. He saw a man sitting by the roadside with a heap of coconuts. He selected one and asked, How much is this for? The man who knew Chandrakant and his miserliness well, like everyone else in the bazaar, said five rupees. Chandrakant nearly fainted when he heard this. Five rupees for a coconut? Seeing his face, the shopkeeper said, Walk ahead. You will come to a coconut grove ten kilometers from there. There you will get coconuts for three rupees. Chandrakant thought this was a wonderful idea. What if he had to walk ten kilometers, he would save two full rupees. So he walked and after an hour reached the grove. When he saw the coconuts, he felt that even three rupees was a very high price for them and asked the gardener, Will you give it to me for one rupee? The gardener was busy. Without looking around, he said, Ten kilometers from here, there is another coconut grove. There you can get it for one rupee. He would save two rupees more. Chandrakant set off at once. Tired, he reached the next coconut grove, but when he saw the coconuts, he felt like haggling again and asked the gardener, Will you give me a coconut for fifty rupees? The gardener was upset. Walk ten kilometers further and you will reach the seashore, where there are many coconut trees. Just pluck one, you will get it for free. Free? Chandrakant would walk to the end of the earth to get anything for free. He walked and walked and finally reached the seashore. Sure enough, there were rows of trees with coconuts hanging from them. Anybody could just climb up and take one. Chandrakant started climbing. Up and up he went. On the highest treetop, he grabbed a delicious looking coconut. Just then a gust of wind shook the tree and he lost his hold. He held on to the coconut for dear life. Help! He shouted. A man came by on an elephant. When he saw Chandrakant hanging on to the coconut, he went up to the tree. Chandrakant begged him, Sir, will you stand on the elephant and hold my leg so that I can get down. The mahout said, I am in a hurry, but if you give me a hundred rupees, I will do it. A hundred rupees? But Chandrakant would break his bones if he remained there. He would have to pay up. He agreed sadly. The man stood on his elephant and grabbed his legs. But just then the elephant moved away and both of them were left hanging there. Chandrakant was even more worried. Then they saw a horseman and both of them begged, will you stand on the horse and hold our feet so that we can get down. The horseman said, only if you give me a thousand rupees. There was no other way out, so Chandrakant agreed. But when the man grabbed their feet, horse got scared and galloped away. Everyone fell in a heap and bunch of coconuts fell on them. They broke bones and Chandrakant had to pay a thousand rupees for their treatment. And all because he would not pay five rupees for a coconut. The Wise King In the city of Manmathapura, which stood by the sea, there lived a young boy named Veeravara. He was brave and intelligent. He also longed for adventure and when he became eighteen years of age, he took up a job on a ship so that he could travel and see other countries. He travelled to many places on the ship and had many adventures. One day when the ship was out at sea, a fierce storm began. The ship was tossed about and everyone was thrown overboard, including Veeravara. He managed to clutch on to a piece of wood and save his life. And he was floating in the sea, he lost consciousness. When at last he woke up, he found himself lying on the sandy shore of an unknown island under the piercing rays of the sun. Glad to be alive, he got up. He was on a large island and some miles inland. He could make out a city. Veeravara started walking in that direction. When he reached the city, to his surprise, he was greeted by a great crowd which was cheering him. Somebody came and garlanded him. He did not know what was happening. An elephant was brought forward and he was made to climb on to its back and sit on the howdah. A sad looking old man was also sitting there silently. The elephant marched towards the palatial building. Veeravara asked the old man, why did the people welcome a stranger like me in the grand fashion? What are they celebrating and where are they taking me? The old man now looked sadder. This is an unusual island, he explained. The people here are very intelligent, but they have some funny rules. They are prosperous, but they don't have a king. They feel if they choose a king from someone within themselves, he will be partial. So they wait for an unknown person to come to this island. When someone like you, a shipwrecked traveler, gets washed up at the shore, they make him their king. They are taking us to the palace. You are our new king now. What happens to the previous king and who are you, Veeravara asked. I was the king till you came along. The old king is given a day to teach the new one the rules. Then he is sent off to the next deserted island. There he has to look after himself, that's the rule. Saying this, the old man pointed to an island. Veeravara could see it was covered with dense forest. Now he knew why the old man was sad. Veeravara was crowned king with great pomp. He quickly learnt his new job and became a good and fair king. But deep inside, a little part of him reminded unhappy. When would the next shipwrecked person show up and he be sent off to the other island to live till the end of his days with wild animals and other retired kings. As he thought about this, he came up with an idea. As long as he was the king, he had absolute power. He ordered his men to go to the island and to clear a part of the forest. There he ordered roads and houses to be built. Soon there were roads, shops and pretty little houses on the island. People would go to the forest and see the wild animals. They gathered honey and fruits from the trees there. And in a few years, the island was no longer deserted but a cheerful little town. Now Veeravara was not worried at all. When the next king appeared, he would not have to fend for himself in a forest. Instead, he would live in a little cottage and grow vegetables. Years passed and he got older. The people loved him and were sad whenever they thought he would no longer be their king. Then one day Veeravara called his people and said, It is good when you make a person from outside your king. He is fresh and unbiased. But this may not always be a good idea. What if the next person who comes here is a crook? You will make him king without knowing anything about him. Instead, let us have a system where the cleverest people of this island are chosen and rule the place together. Then no one person will have absolute power and if anyone turns dishonest, you can always remove him from the council. The islanders liked the idea and in a few days chose their new rulers. Veeravara handed over charge of the kingdom to them and retired happily to his cottage where he stayed till the end of his days. Ramnatha was the son of a rich landlord. His father left him large tracts of land when he died. But Ramnatha did not spend even one day looking after his land. This was because he had a funny idea that there exists a magic potion which if touched to any object turns it into gold. He spent all his time trying to learn more about this potion. People cheated him off and promising to tell him about it. But he did not give up. His wife Madhamati was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Ramnatha was spending. She was sure that soon there would be left paupers. One day a famous sage called Mahipati came to their town. Ramnatha became his follower and asked him about the potion. To his surprise, the sage answered, Yes, in my travels in the Himalayas, I heard how you could make such a potion. But it is a difficult process. Tell me, insisted Ramnatha, not believing his luck, you have to plant a banana tree and water it regularly with your own hands. In winter, the morning dew will settle on its leaves. You have to collect the dew and store it in a bottle. When you have 5 liters of dew, bring it to me. I will chant a secret mantra which will turn it into the magic potion. A drop of this potion will transform any object into gold. Ramnatha was worried, but winter is only after a few months. It will take me years to collect 5 liters of dew. You can plant as many trees as you want, but remember you must look after them yourself and collect the dew with your own hands. Ramnatha went home and after talking to his wife, started clearing his large fields which had been laying empty all these years. There he planted rows and rows of banana trees. He tended them carefully and during the winter months, collected the dew that formed on them with great care. His wife helped him too. Madhumati gathered the banana crop, took it to the market and got a good price for it. Over the years, Ramnatha planted more and more trees and they had a huge banana plantation. At the end of 6 years, he finally had his 5 liters of dew. Carefully, he took the bottles to the sage. The sage smiled and muttered a mantra over the water. Then he turned the bottle and said, try it out. Ramnatha sprinkled a few drops on a copper vessel and waited for it to turn to gold. To his dismay, nothing happened. This is cheating, he told the sage. I have wasted 6 precious years of my life. But sage Mahipati only smiled and called Madhumati to come forward. She came with a big box. When she opened it, inside glinted stacks of gold coins. Now the sage turned to the astonished Ramnatha and said, there is no magic potion that can turn things into gold. You worked hard on your land and created this plantation. While you looked after the trees, your wife sold the fruits in the market. That's how you got this money. It was your hard work that created this wealth and not magic. If I had told you about this earlier, you would not have listened to me. So I played trick on you. Ramnatha understood the wisdom behind these words and worked even harder on his plantation from that day on. Two Thieves Saranga was a clever minister in the court of King Devaprasanna. Saranga was such a good advisor that none of the neighboring kings could ever succeed in attacking the kingdom. Naturally, they were very jealous of Devaprasanna and his brilliant minister. Saranga was also a great patron of the arts. Many artists, writers and thinkers gathered in his house. He gave them shelter and the means to work on their art. One day two strangers appeared at his doorstep. We have been wandering in many places. We heard you are kind to talented people, so we have come to ask you for shelter, they said. What are your talents? asked Saranga. I can bark like a dog, said one. My imitation is so good that even real dogs get confused. And my friend here can crow better than a cock. What have you been doing all this while with these talents? asked Saranga amazed. Now the two friends looked embarrassed. Finally they said, we will be honest. We were thieves and used these talents to confuse the owners of the houses we robbed. Now we have decided to mend our ways and do some honest work. That is why we have come to you. Saranga decided to let the two stay in his house even though his other guests protested. He felt they were truly repentant and should be given a chance. So the two stayed with him and became a part of his group. Now Himabindu was a wicked old king of a neighboring kingdom. Several times he had wanted to invade Devaprasanna's kingdom but had failed miserably because Saranga would always foil his plans. He wanted Saranga to become his minister. Then he could easily conquer Devaprasanna's kingdom. One day he sent a letter to Devaprasanna. I want to honor your minister Saranga. I want him to come to my kingdom and give my minister some lessons in statecraft. Please send Saranga to my kingdom and allow him to stay here for a few days. Saranga was suspicious when the king informed him about the letter. But Devaprasanna wanted to be on good terms with his neighbors. So he said, why don't you go? If you suspect something is wrong, just come back. Saranga now had no choice but to go with Himabindu's court. He took his group of artists and writers with him as well as the two ex-thieves. Himabindu welcomed Saranga with great respect. Saranga too had come with many gifts for the king. Among them a beautiful rare shawl. Finally the king sat down to talk to him. Saranga, I know you are the brain behind Devaprasanna's success as a king. You have served him for many years. Why don't you work for me now? I will make you richer than ever. You will be my chief minister. Saranga, who had suspected all along that something like this would happen, had his answer ready. My family has served King Devaprasanna for many generations. I cannot leave his service. I am sorry. As soon as the words had left his mouth, Himabindu flew into a rage and ordered that Saranga be thrown into prison. When his friends, who were waiting in another room, heard about this, they were shocked. How could they save their beloved Saranga now? They came up with many plans, none of which could be carried out by a bunch of artists. Finally, one said, Queen Sanmohini is the king's favorite king. She is beautiful and intelligent. She loves rare art objects, especially shawls. But we came with only one shawl and Saranga presented it to the king. If only we could get it back, the two formattees listened to the discussion in silence. After some time, they walked out quietly. They went to the royal chamber where the gifts were piled up. A ferocious-looking guard stood at the door and frowned at them. Quickly they slipped behind a tree and one of them began barking like a dog. The guard was startled. How could a dog enter the royal palace? Surely if the king heard the noise it was making, the guard would be out of a job. He rushed off to find the dog while the other friend went inside and found the shawl. Then they quickly made their way back to the group of friends who were still deep in discussion. Here is the shawl, they said, giving it to the oldest and wisest person in the group. Now you can present it to the queen. The man took the shawl to the queen. She was delighted with the shawl. What a beautiful design! Such soft wool! How much do you want for this? Saranga's friend bowed low and said, Your Highness, I don't want any money for this but please request the king to free our dear friend Saranga. The queen agreed. That night when Himabindu came to have dinner with his favourite queen, she served him the most delicious dishes. He was delighted and after tucking into a huge dinner, leaned back happily and asked, What is it, my dear? You look worried. Is there anything you desire? Quickly the queen said, I have heard that a clever minister called Saranga has been imprisoned by you. He said to be a wise man. Should we treat him like this? Why don't you free him now, just for me? The king, already sleepy after his enormous dinner, said yes, yes and ordered Saranga's release. Saranga was greeted by his friends with great delight. Then someone said, We should leave the kingdom before the king discovers we stole his shawl and gave it to the queen. Everyone agreed and quietly the group packed their bags and left the palace. But there was a problem when they reached the city walls, the huge gates were locked. The soldier guarding them said, That is the law. I cannot open them till it is dawn. Saranga and his friends sat down to wait. As the hours passed, they grew more and more nervous. What if the king got to know about the theft before they could escape? Finally, one of the two former thieves got up. He climbed a tree near the soldiers guarding the gates and crowded loudly like a cock. The soldiers jumped up and thinking it was morning already, rushed to open the gates. Saranga and his group were ready. They left as quickly as they could and reached their own kingdom by early morning. In the meantime, the king Himabundu woke up after a long refreshing sleep and saw his queen dressed in a beautiful saree with an even more exquisite shawl around her shoulders. But why did the shawl look familiar? When he kissed her, she told him the story of the man who gave it to her as a present and asked for Saranga's release in return. The king now ordered his men to bring in the shawl presented by Saranga. But it was nowhere to be found. Finally, he understood what had happened. He could only smile at the cleverness of Saranga and his friends. It was better to have such clever people as friends than enemies, he decided. And from that day, the two kingdoms became friendly neighbors. Keshava was a lonely washerman. His only friend was his donkey. They worked together the whole day and often Keshava would talk to the donkey and pour out his heart to it. One day, Keshava had many clothes to wash. He was walking home with the donkey when suddenly he felt very tired. He tied the donkey to a tree and sat down to rest for a while. Nearby, there was a school. The window of a classroom was open. And through it, the noise the children were making could be heard. Then came the voice of the teacher. He was calling the students, Here I am, trying to turn you donkeys into human beings, but you just won't study. As soon as Keshava heard these words, his ears pricked up. What? Here was a man who could actually turn donkeys into humans? This was the answer to his prayers. Impatiently, he waited for school to be over for the day. Then when all the children had gone home and only the teacher reminded behind the check some papers, Keshava entered the classroom. What do you want, Keshava, asked the teacher who knew him well. Keshava scratched his head and said, I heard what you said to the children. Please take my donkey and make him into a human being. I am very lonely and this donkey is my only friend. If it became a human, we could have such good times together. The teacher realized Keshava was a simple tongue and decided to fool him. He pretended to think for a while. Then he said, it will take some time. Give me six months. Oh yes, it is an expensive request. It will cost you a thousand rupees. The foolish washerman agreed and rushed home to get the money. He left the donkey with the teacher and settled down to wait. Exactly six months later, Keshava appeared at the teacher's door. Now the teacher had been using the donkey for his own work and had found it most useful. Not wanting to give it up, he said, Oh, your donkey became so clever that it ran away. Where is he now? asked Keshava. He is the headman of the next village, said the cunning teacher and slammed his door shut. Keshava trotted off to the next village. There, the village elders were sitting under a tree discussing some serious problems. How surprised they were when Keshava marched up to the headman, huffing and puffing, grabbed his hand and said, How dare you! You think you are so clever that you can run away? I spent a thousand rupees to make you a human from a donkey. Come home at once. The headman understood someone had played a trick on Keshava. I am not your donkey, he said. Go to the sage sitting in the forest. He will explain everything to you. Sadly, Keshava went to find the sage. He found him sitting under a tree deep in meditation. He crept up and quickly grabbed the sage's beard. Come back now, he shouted. Enough of this. The startled sage stood up and somehow calmed Keshava. When he finally heard what had happened, he had a good laugh. Then he told the washerman, The teacher made a fool of you. Your donkey must be still with him. Go and take it back from him and then try to make some real friends who will talk with you and share your troubles with you. A donkey will never be able to do that. Good luck, Gopal Gopal was a good natured but very dull boy. His father was a learned man and despired for his son. You must study hard, Gopal, he would tell his son. Without learning, you will remain a frog in the well. Poor Gopal tried very hard but he was rather stupid and could not progress much with his studies. Some years later, his father died but then Gopal was married and had a family to look after. But no one would give him a job. He was so silly. One day, there was no food in the house and Gopal's wife said to him, I have heard that our king is very fond of good literature. Why don't you write him a nice poem? Perhaps he will like it and give you a reward. Gopal had no choice but to agree and he set off to have a bath in the pond before sitting down to write his verse. At the pond, he saw a pig covered in mud rubbing its back against a tree trunk. The pig was rubbing so hard that Gopal was afraid its skin would come off. So he said, don't rub so hard. It is not good for you. It will put your life in danger. Then, unable to think of anything else to write, he put down these words on a palm leaf and made his way to the palace. By the time he reached there, it was evening and the palace gates were shut. The guard refused to let him in. Please, Gopal pleaded, I have an important document for the king. One of the guards took pity on him and agreed to leave the palm leaf where the king would see it in the morning. Gopal handed over the palm leaf and went to rest in dormitory. The royal guard placed the palm leaf on the king's table for him to see when he woke up. The next morning, the royal barber came to trim the king's hair and was sharpening his knife against a stone. While the king waited for his haircut, just then the king's eye fell on the palm leaf It is not good for you. It will put your life in danger. The barber had been sharpening his knife because he planned to use it to kill the king. An evil minister had made him agree to take on the job. When he heard the king's words, he was scared out of his wits. The king knew his plan. He fell at the king's feet and begged for forgiveness. He also told the king about the minister and how he had made the barber agree to carry out the killing. The king got the minister arrested and threw him into prison. Then he realized the words on the palm leaf had saved his life and he wanted to know who had written them. An astonished Gopal was dragged out of bed and presented before the king who showered him with rewards and appointed him as a court astrologer. A few days later, the queen could not find her favorite necklace. The whole palace was in turmoil. Even the king was worried. If the queen did not get the necklace soon, he would have to face the consequences. So he summoned Gopal You saved my life with your divine powers. Now help us find this necklace, he commanded. Gopal did not know what to do. Trembling, he said, I can look at the past and predict the future only when I am alone. Please let me go to my room. I will come to you shortly with the whereabouts of the necklace. Then he rushed to his room, bolted the door and lamented to himself loudly cursing his wife for the situation. Oh lady, your desires have doomed your husband. Because of you, your husband is in trouble and you may be a widow soon. Your husband escaped once but this time there is no escape for him. On the other side of the door, a maid servant heard these words and started trembling. She had stolen an earring once with the help of her husband who was the palace gardener and this time the two had got greedy and stolen a precious necklace. Hearing Gopal's words, she thought he was talking to her and knocked on his door. As soon as he opened it, she fell at his feet and begged forgiveness. Then she told him where the necklace and the earring were kept. Gopal happily went and told this to the king and once again everyone marveled at Gopal's divine powers. A few weeks went by peacefully then one day a messenger arrived from the neighboring king. In his hand he held a wooden box its lid shut tight. The message from the king said, we have heard much about the new astrologer in your court on his powers. Here is a test. Can he tell what is in this box? The court now turned towards Gopal. The kingdom's reputation was hanging on his words. Gopal, who of course had no idea what was in the box, muttered his father's words to himself. Oh frog, your life is indeed becoming very difficult. No one understood what he meant. But the messenger looked amazed. He opened the lid and out hopped a frog. By now the king was very impressed with Gopal and showered him with gold coins. But Gopal had enough. I was told I would be able to predict only three things correctly, he told the king. I have finished making all three prophecies. Now please let me return to my wife. Sadly the king agreed and sent Gopal home, but not before plying him with more gifts. Gopal and his wife lived the rest of their lives in happiness and comfort.