Yesha Desai

One day, Emperor Akbar got so offended by some comment of Birbal that he ordered him to not only leave the court, but also the city of Agra, his capital. Birbal was terribly hurt and left the city with a heavy heart.Soon Akbar started to find his royal court dull and lifeless without the vibrancy of Birbal’s wit and humour. He desperately wanted him back in the court but did not know about his whereabouts. Nobody else in the court knew where he was.One day, the Emperor had a brainwave. He announced that he will give one thousand gold coins to anyone who will come to his court in half sun and in half shade.Some people came holding a cloth over their heads; some were carrying a wooden board over their head. But, none was able to stand himself before the Emperor, exactly half in sun and half in shade.Just then, a villager came carrying a string cot over his head and claimed the prize money. He said, “Jahanpanah, I stand before you in half sun and in half shade.”Akbar understood that the naïve villager could not have thought of this bright solution himself. On interrogation, he confessed that this idea was suggested to him by a man who was living with him.Akbar was very happy to hear this as he knew it could be only Birbal. Immediately, he sent his men to call Birbal and they had a happy reunion. ﻿Moral:Our traits precede us.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.This is a story of sun.

Birbal betrays himself

Ravina Sewani

It was a hot summer day. A traveller hired a donkey to carry him across the dusty road to the next town. The donkey was lazy. He stopped every now and then.So his master walked behind and flogged the animal to keep him moving on. At noon, they stopped on the way to rest. The traveller sat in the shadow of the donkey for there was no other shade.It was very hot and the donkey's master was also very much tired. He too, wanted to sit in the shade of his donkey. So he said to the traveller, ''The donkey is mine and therefore his shadow, too, is mine. You only hired my donkey. You said nothing about his shadow. So let me sit in the shade of my donkey."The traveller said, "I have hired the donkey for the day. It is my right to use his shadow, too, for the whole day. You can't separate the shadow from the donkey, can you?"While the two men were engaged in quarrelling and fighting, the donkey ran away. He took away his shadow with him. Moral:You lose things of importance in petty fights.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of donkey.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

The  Donkey and his shadow

This story dates back to the time when king Brahmadutta ruled the city of Banaras. He had four young princes. They young princes had grown up hearing many wonderful stories about a beautiful tree known as the Red Bud Tree. They had never seen the Red Bud tree and wished to be the first one to see it.One day, driven by his curiosity to see the tree at the earliest, the eldest prince asked the king’s charioteer to take him deep into the woods where this tree grew. It was still early spring and the tree was standing as a bare stump of wood in the forest, devoid of any leaves or buds. The prince failed to understand why it was known as the Red-Bud tree and returned back to the palace.Sometime later in spring, the next son requested the king’s charioteer to take him to the Red Bud Tree. At this time, the tree was covered with bright red buds and looked very beautiful.The third son went into the woods just after the spring time. Now tree did not have any red buds and was covered with lush green leaves. He also could see no reason for calling it a Red Bud tree.The youngest price also decided to go and have a look at the famous Red Bud tree. By this time, the tree was covered with little bean-pods. When he came back from the forest, he ran into the garden where his brothers were playing and told them with much excitement, "I saw the Red Bud tree!""So, what is special about it?" said the eldest prince. “It is nothing but a dead stump of wood,” He added."What makes you say that?" said the second son. "When I went in the woods, it was covered with hundreds of beautiful red buds. This is why it is known as the Red Bud tree."The third prince said, "I have also seen the Red Bud tree. It is neither a dead stump of wood nor covered with red buds. It looks like an ordinary tree covered with green leaves."The youngest prince said with utmost confidence, "Brothers, all of you are mistaken! I have just a seen the tree and I can say for sure that it is now covered with little bean-pods."The princes wondered that maybe the Red Bud tree was indeed some mystical tree and appeared in different forms before different people. The king was overhearing their conversation. When they stopped talking, he came out and said, "My dear sons, all four of you have seen the same tree, but each of you saw it at a different time of the year." The princes understood what the matter was and laughed at their naivete. Moral: All is not what it seems. The four princes could not agree with each other because all of them had seen different stages of the tree. Sometimes, there’s more to a situation than what meets the eye.

This is a story of brother, forest, Jataka tales, prince, red and tree.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

The Red Bud Tree

Once upon a time, a tribal king who was hunting in the forest caught two parrots in his nest. He was very pleased with this and thought that he would teach the parrots to talk and his children would be happy to play with the talking parrots. As the tribal king was returning home with his catch, one of the parrots somehow escaped from the net and flew away to the other end of the forest. At the other end of the forest was a sage’s hut. The parrot that escaped started living here with the sage. The other parrot was carried to the tribal king’s home and he began living there with the tribal king and his family. Many months later, one day, a king from a nearby kingdom was passing through the forest on his horse. While riding, he came near the tribal king’s house. As he came nearer to the house, the tribal king’s parrot who was kept in a cage outside the house, started shouting loudly, “Who is there? Catch this man who is coming here and beat him black and blue.”The king was displeased on hearing the parrot talk in such a filthy way and decided to ride in the other direction. Soon, he reached the other end of the forest where the sage’s hut was situated. When the king came closer to the hut, the sage’s parrot, who was also kept in a cage outside the hut, said politely, “You are welcome, dear sir. Please come in and have a seat. Would you like a glass of water and some sweets?” After having welcomed the guest with proper manners, the parrot called out to his master, “Guruji, you have a visitor. Please take him inside and offer him some refreshments.”The king was amazed to see the intelligence and manners of this parrot. He realized the contrast between the tribal king’s parrot who was extremely rude and the sage’s parrot who was polite and courteous. He understood that a good environment and training always give better results and that a man is known by the company he keeps. Moral:A man is known by the company he keeps. If you have good people around you, you will develop good values. If you have bad people around you, you will be influenced by their values. Hence, choose your circle of people wisely.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of parrot.

The king and the parrots

A long time ago, in a jungle there lived a deer, a mouse, and a crow. They were very good friends. They used to spend most of their time with one another and had their meals together. One day, a turtle came to them and said, “I’m all alone in the jungle. I also want to join your group and become your friend.”“You are most welcome to join our company,” the three friends said. The crow asked the turtle, “But what about your personal safety? You know that the jungle is full of dangers. Many hunters keep coming to the forest regularly. Suppose a hunter attacks, how will you save yourself?” The turtle replied, “That is the main reason why I want to join your group.” The four friends had hardly finished talking when they noticed a hunter approaching them. Quickly, to save their lives, the deer ran away into the forest, the crow flew high in the sky and the mouse darted into a nearby hole. Turtles, as we all know, are slow creatures. The turtle could not crawl away fast enough and the hunter trapped him in a net. Though the hunter was disappointed on not being able to catch the deer, he thought that it was better to at least have a turtle to eat rather than going hungry. The deer, the mouse and the crow were very worried to see the turtle getting trapped. They sat together to think of a plan for freeing their friend from the hunter. Together, they came up with a plan and started working on it. First, the crow flew high up in the sky to locate the hunter. He spotted him next to the river. Then, the deer overtook the hunter, unseen, and went and lay at a little distance, pretending to be dead. When the hunter reached this spot, he saw the deer lying on the ground. He thought that the deer must be dead. He was very happy at having found a deer finally. He thought that he would feast upon the deer’s flesh and sell its skin in the market for good money. So, he put the turtle on the ground and started moving towards the deer. As soon as the hunter left the turtle’s side, the mouse appeared out of a hole and nibbled off the net in which the turtle was trapped. The hunter, completely unaware of the animals’ plan, walked towards the deer thanking his stars. But, as soon as he came near the deer, the deer suddenly got up and bolted into the forest. The hunter was completely taken by surprise. Before he had time to react, the deer was gone. Dejected, the hunter went back to the place where he had set the turtle down. He was shocked to see that the turtle was gone! There was only a piece of nibbled net lying on the ground. By the time that the hunter was away, the turtle, freed by the mouse had crawled to the river and swam away. These strange occurrences were too much for the hunter. For a moment he thought that he must be dreaming. But the damaged, gnawed-through piece of net was evidence that all these things had truly happened. The hunter could not think of any explanation for these strange happenings other than that it was just a miracle. Scared out of his wits, the hunter ran away from the jungle as fast as he could.The turtle thanked his three friends for saving his life. Thereafter, the four friends lived happily. Moral:A friend in need, is a friend indeed.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story from crow, deer, mouse and turtle.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The four friends and the hunter

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.King Vikramaditya reached the peepul tree and placed Betal on his shoulder once again. As they walked, Betal began to tell another story.“One afternoon, a man came into the court of King Roopsen, asking to be employed as the King’s bodyguard. He introduced himself as Birbal and promised to protect the King. After watching a display of his skills, the King readily agreed to give him the job.As Birbal was walking through the forest one day, he heard a strange and frightening scream. It was a demon who had descended from the mountains and was storming towards the King’s palace. Birbal drew his sword and jumped in the demon’s way.“I am here to banish the King and send him into the forest, away from luxuries and comfort. If he does not leave, I will curse his whole kingdom!” said the demon.Birbal was shocked at this news and asked, “Is there anything I can do to save both the King and Kingdom?”The demon roared, “You must find a suitable substitute for the King! One who is of a pure heart!”Birbal asked for a day to find a substitute and went home. When he told his family the truth, his son offered himself as a substitute for the King.The next morning, King Roopsen received word of the demon and arrived to the forest to try and stop Birbal and his son.“What can I give you, O demon, to stop you from taking this young man! Surely there is something I can offer you!”, said the King.“Give me half your kingdom and I will spare both you and this young boy”, bellowed the demon.The King agreed to hand over half of his kingdom to the demon and Birbal’s son was safe.“So tell me, wise King,” began Betal. “Who made a larger sacrifice? Birbal’s young son or the King?”King Vikramaditya laughed and said, “It is a King’s duty to protect his subjects, but Birbal’s son was ready to give up his life for a man he did not know, and that, is the highest sacrifice.”“You are right! But since you have opened your mouth, I must fly away.” With these words, Betal flew away, leaving King Vikramaditya to chase him with his sword. Moral:Only a pure heart can selflessly sacrifice self.

This is a story of demon, Jataka tales, king and son.Moral(s) of the story:sacrifice

The Brave Son

Once upon a time, there was a small dog that used to sneak in the royal shed to eat some food that was kept for the royal elephant. Since the royal elephant lived alone throughout the day in the shed, he also did not mind the dog visiting him daily and gladly let him eat his leftover food. Soon, the elephant and the dog became very good friends. They ate together, slept together and played together. A time came when they were almost inseparable from each other.Then one day, a farmer who came to visit the elephant-keeper, saw the dog. He liked it very much and asked the elephant keeper to sell it to him. Although the elephant keeper did not own the dog, He took some money from the villager and gave it to him. The king’s elephant became very sad after this incident. He missed his friend a lot and stopped eating, drinking and even bathing.Three days had passed and the elephant had not moved an inch from his place. The elephant keeper had to report the matter to the king. The king asked his wisest minister to look into the matter and find out what was wrong with his elephant. The minister went to the stable and checked the elephant. He could make out that there was nothing physically wrong with the elephant. He then arrived to the conclusion that the big animal was perhaps missing something or someone. He asked the elephant keeper, “ I think that the royal elephant is grief stricken, possibly due to the loss of a dear friend. Do you know if this elephant shared a close friendship with any person or animal?”The elephant-keeper hesitantly said, “Yes, Sir! There was a dog that used to eat, sleep and play with the elephant. A stranger took him away three days ago, but I do not know where he went.” The minister went to the king and told him, “Your Majesty, the royal elephant is fine but he is lonesome without his dear friend, the dog. Some stranger has taken away the dog and nobody knows his whereabouts.”The king was concerned about the well being of his elephant. He asked the minister, “How can we bring back the dog and make my elephant happy again?” The minister suggested, “Your Majesty, make a declaration, that whoever has taken the dog that used to live at the royal elephant’s shed shall be penalised.” The king did the same and the farmer who had taken the dog, quickly let him loose.Once freed, the dog found his way to the elephant’s shed easily. The elephant was so delighted to see the dog that he picked him up with his trunk and made him sit on his head. The king was content to see his elephant happy once again and suitably rewarded the minister for his wise judgement. Moral:True happiness is based on the relations you keep.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of dog and elephant.Moral(s) of the story: happiness

The elephant and the dog

A long time ago, there was a king who reigned over a large empire. The king was very noble and kind but his son was rude, ill-mannered and bad-tempered. The king tried all kinds of ways to reform his son. The ministers, courtiers and other important and learned people of the kingdom also tried to make the prince change his ways but to no avail. They tried to make the prince realize that his bad behaviour could create a bad impression on the public, but the prince was never willing to listen to any well-meant advice. One day, while the king was taking a walk in his palace garden, he saw a sage pass by. There was a radiant glow on the sage’s face and a confidence in his gait that made the king infer that the sage must be a very learned person full of divine knowledge. The king sent a messenger to invite the sage to his palace. The sage accepted the invitation and was welcomed warmly by the king. When the king found out that the sage was looking for a place to live in, he offered to make a hermitage in the palace for the sage. The sage accepted the king’s offer and started residing in the hermitage in the palace.One day, while the king was talking to the sage, he said, “Dear Sir, it must have come to your knowledge by now that I have a son on whose account I am constantly worried. He is very ill-mannered and bad-tempered. The public of my kingdom considers him unworthy of being a prince. I’m afraid they won’t accept him as their king after me. Please help me, Sir. You are wise; you can teach my son to mend his ways.” The sage assured the king that he would do something to set things right.Next day, the sage asked the prince to come for a walk with him in the palace garden. There, he pointed towards a little plant and said, “Eat a leaf of this plant and tell me how the taste is.” The prince plucked a leaf of the plant and put it in his mouth. As soon as he tasted it, he spat it out on the ground in disgust. “It’s bitter! It must be some poisonous seedling. It could prove to be dangerous to the health of many people if it grows. So, it should not be allowed to grow into a big tree.” Saying this, the prince pulled the plant out of the ground and tore it up.The sage picked up the plant that the prince had destroyed and said, “The way that you reacted towards this plant today, one day the people of your kingdom may react towards you in the same way. They think that you are a wicked prince, so they may not allow you to become their king and may exile you. It is for your own good that you must mend your ways and try to develop a sense of sympathy, compassion and kind-heartedness towards all your fellow beings.”The prince learnt his lesson. He understood the message that the sage was trying to convey through the example of the plant. From that day forth, the prince tried to change his rude and ill-mannered behaviour and became humble and kind. The king was very pleased to see a change in his son and expressed his gratitude to the sage. Moral:All beings deserve respect, empathy, and compassion.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of king and prince.Moral(s) of the story: compassion, empathy and respect

The prince and the seedling

An old woman had two servants. Every day the woman would wake up as soon as her cock started crowing. Then she would rouse the servants as well and ask them to begin the day's work.The servants did not like to get up early in the morning. All the time they were thinking what to do to have longer and undisturbed sleep in the morning.One day one servant said to the other, "Let us kill the cock. If there is no cock, there will be no crowing. If there is no crowing, the mistress won't wake up early in the morning. If she does not wake up early in the morning, she will not disturb our quiet sleep."The other servant agreed. So the next day they killed the cock. Now that there was no cock, the old woman would not know the exact time. She would wake up even earlier than before. Once she was out of her bed, she would not let her servants remain in bed.The cock was gone. But the servants had a harder time than before. Moral:A wrong remedy is worse than the disease.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of hen.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

classic story stories

Kids moral stories help in improving their imagination & relate to real-world life. Here are age-specific bedtime stories for children by renowned storytellers.