Ravina Sewani

A Fox, swimming across a river, was barely able to reach the bank, where he lay bruised and exhausted from his struggle with the swift current. Soon a swarm of blood-sucking flies settled on him; but he lay quietly, still too weak to run away from them.A Hedgehog happened by. “Let me drive the flies away,” he said kindly.“No, no!” exclaimed the Fox, “do not disturb them! They have taken all they can hold. If you drive them away, another greedy swarm will come and take the little blood I have left.” Moral:It is better to tolerate a lesser evil than to risk a greater one in removing it.

This is a story fo Aesop fables, fox, hedgehog and river.Moral(s) of the story: tolerance

The Fox And The Hedgehog

Long, long ago, there was a King who was very fond of painting portraits. One day he went to a hilltop and painted a beautiful picture on a canvas. When the picture was ready, he stood before the picture. He moved to and fro and gave it a finishing touch with his brush. Then he stepped backwards, looking at the picture before him, to see how it looked from a distance. He reached almost the edge of the hill.A shepherd boy, who was grazing his sheep on the hill, saw the King. He thought that if the King moved back even a bit, he would fall down into the valley below and die. So he ran to the picture and tore it with a hard blow of his stick.The King was very angry with the boy. He rushed to the boy and caught him. He angrily shouted, “You fool! What have you done? I will kill you.”The shepherd boy fell on his knees before the King and said in a humble voice, “Sir, please look back. If I had not done this, you would have fallen down and lost your life.”The King looked back and thanked the boy for saving his life. He said to the boy, “If you had not used your presence of mind, I would have certainly died.” Then the King took the boy with him to the palace and rewarded him with rich gifts.Later, the boy was brought to the palace and brought up there under the personal care of the King. After a few years, he was made the King’s Chief Minister. Moral:A stitch in time saves nine.

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

The King and the Shepherd Boy

Once there was a village named Singapuram. There lived a carpenter named Kasi. He had a younger son who was five years old. His name was Vasu. Kasi’s father Ramu was too old and he also stayed with them in their house. Kasi began to think that his father is of no use to him since he became too old and was unable to do any work. Kasi always spoke angrily to his father. Ramu was old man and he remained silently whenever Kasi spoke in anger.One day, Kasi gave food in a clay plate for his father to eat. Being too old, Ramu was not able to hold the clay plate properly. He dropped it and the clay plate broke off. Kasi became very angry and scolded his father. Vasu observed his father’s behaviour towards his grandfather.The next day , Kasi gave a new clay plate to his father. He went to work. When he came back, he was angry to see the new clay plate broken into pieces. He scolded his father badly and warned him, “Hey old man, if you break the next clay plate, there will be no food for you and you will have to leave the house”. Vasu was listening to his father’s words silently.Next day, in the evening, when Kasi came back to home after his work, he saw his son Vasu doing some work with his carpentry tools. He was surprised to see this and happily went near him, and asked Vasu “ What are you doing my son?” Vasu replied “Dad, I am making a wooden plate for you. When you grow old, I will give you this wooden plate so that you will not break it and I do not have to send you out of the house”Kasi realized his mistake on hearing his son’s words. He felt sorry for hurting his aged father. He apologised to his father for his mistakes and his angry words. Kasi, Vasu and his grandfather used to eat dinner together that day onward. Moral:Respect your elders. Do not let your parents down; they are the ones to bring you up.

This is a story of father, grandfather and son.Moral(s) of the story: respect

A son walks the path of respect

Once upon a time, a goat lived in a forest with her seven lambs. Every day, the goat used to go out in search of food while the seven little lambs stayed back at home and waited for her. Every time, before going out the goat warned her lambs to be careful and explained, “There is a bad wolf that lives in the forest. When I am away, he will try to come and eat you. You must not open the door for him. He has a gruff voice and a bushy tail. Open the door only for me and no one else.”Soon the wolf found out about the little lambs and wanted to eat them. He started roaming around that place, looking for an opportunity. One day, while the goat was away looking for food, the wolf came to the door and knocked. The lambs asked from inside, “Who is there?” The wolf replied in his heavy, rough voice, “Your mother.” But the lambs recognized the voice and said, “You are not our mother. You have a gruff voice. You are the wolf.” The wolf went away disappointed.The next day, the wolf thought of trying the trick again. But, this time, he swallowed a lot of butter to make his voice less gruff. Then he went and knocked at the door of the goat’s house when the goat was away. Again, the lambs inquired who it was. The wolf replied in a soft voice, “Your mother. Open the door, dear children.” The lambs heard the smooth voice but were not convinced. They said, “Show us your tail.” So, the wolf let his tail in through the crack in the door. The lambs saw that it was hairy and bushy. They said, “Go away. You are not our mother. You are the wolf. Your tail is hairy.”The wolf had to return hungry once again. But the next day, along with swallowing a lot of butter, he also tied a silken cloth around his tail. Once again, he knocked at the lambs’ door and spoke in a soft voice, “Mommy’s back. Open the door for me.” The lambs again said, “Show us your tail first.” The wolf let his tail slide inside. The lambs felt it and found it smooth and soft. They did not have any doubt left so they opened the door. Immediately the wolf pounced on them and swallowed them in big gulps. But one lamb, who was taking a shower in the bathroom, was saved. The wolf left the house and satisfied with his enormous meal, he lay down under a tree near the river and went to sleep.When the goat came back, she was filled with sorrow to find six of her lambs gone. The remaining lamb told her the whole story and both of them went out to look for the wolf. They found him in a deep sleep near the river. They also saw that some things were jumping inside the wolf’s stomach. Quietly, the goat and the lamb crept close to the wolf. They cut a slit in the wolf’s stomach and one by one rescued all the six lambs. But each time they took out a lamb, they placed a heavy stone inside the wolf’s stomach in place of the lamb so that the wolf did not wake up. When all six lambs were out of the wolf’s stomach, they stitched it up back again and hurried back to their house.After a while, the wolf woke up and felt thirsty. He thought of going to the nearby river to have water. He stood up but his stomach felt very heavy. He could not walk properly. He wobbled up to the river but on reaching the bank, he was unable to maintain his balance and fell into the river and drowned. The goat and her lambs did not face any danger now. They lived freely and happily. Moral:Families always stand by each other and protect one another in all the difficult situations.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of goat, lamb and wolf.Moral(s) of the story: family value

The wolf and the seven lambs

Shina Utavani

Krishna’s childhood was filled with adventurous stories. Though filled with joy, each episode of his childhood shows one spiritual dimension or the other.Gokula was a land with pure cowherds (a person who tends to cows), the men were named 'Gopalas' and the girls were called 'Gopis'. Krishna was about three months old when his mother brought him to the place where people gathered for a festival with their relatives.Yashoda and other people had to prepare the afternoon meal and she left the sleeping child in the shade of a bullock cart. The food was consumed, people were busy with the music. Krishna woke up to the sounds of music while sleeping soundly.Playfully, wanting to join the party, the kid began to move his feet to the beat and pushed the cart's wheel. The cart fell with a thud, and everyone was surprised by the sound, and they ran to the place hoping for the worst. Together they raised the collapsed cart and were overjoyed to see the boy, appearing as happy as ever, and completely unharmed by the crash.&nbsp;That was indeed the first confirmation of his heavenly abilities, but this fact was not known by everyone around at that moment, but rather played off as a miraculous escape.

This is a story of bullock cart, Krishna and Yashoda.

Krishna’s Childhood

Book Author

Much of Jawaharlal’s childhood was spent in the Palatial Building named Anand Bhawan spread on 16 acres situated very close to the University of Allahabad. So Nehru described his childhood as a "sheltered and uneventful one".Nehru received most of his primary education at home by many English teachers. Out of them only one managed to influence him. His name was Ferdinand Brooks—a part-Irish, part-Belgian theosophist. Under him Nehru became interested in Science and Theosophy. Nehru started taking interest in Theosophical Society at age thirteen by family friend Annie Besant. However, his interest in theosophy did not continue and he left the society shortly after Brooks departed as his tutor. Jawaharlal with Children / YouthChacha Nehru as the children fondly referred to him, was fond of both children and roses. In fact he often compared the two, saying that children were like the buds in a garden. They should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they were the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. He felt that children are the real strength of a country and the very foundation of society. He was the ‘beloved’ of all the children who gave him the endearing name of ‘Chacha Nehru’. He started to wear a rose on his jacket after a child pinned one on it. He always said that children were "future of bright India". On his birthday, he used to have the children at his place to play and enjoy together. So he asked not to have any holiday for his birthday after his death but let the children enjoy the way they want. Nehru chacha’s birthday is celebrated as ‘Baal Din’. Nehru had invited all the newly elected MPs (Member of Parliament) of his party for a dinner held in the lawns of Teen Murti house. During dinner Nehru saw that some poor family children had climbed the boundary wall. They were sitting on it looking at the guests who were having dinner. So he took his plate and went to the wall and gave it to a young boy. Immediately all the MPs also gave their dinner plates to the children! On October 2, 1957, during the Ramlila celebrations in Old Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, Nehru along with some foreign delegates was watching the fireworks. Some sparks fell on the tent in which they were standing and it caught fire. A Boy Scout assigned to Nehru’s stand, grabbed Nehru’s hand and pulled him towards the dais. Then he climbed onto one of the poles, and with his scouts’ knife cut off the burning portion of the tent. This boy was Harish Chand Mehra. On February 4, 1958, a special programme was organised to honour Harish Chand and he was presented the award by Nehru at Teen Murti Bhawan. Nehru said that Harish needed no introduction, as he was himself an eyewitness to the whole account. He said it would be better if we could have more children of undoubted courage.Japan’s zookeepers had killed most of Tokyo’s wild animals to prevent them from escaping during World War II air raids. In 1949, Nehru delighted Japanese children by presenting Ueno Zoo with an Indian elephant.

Much of Jawaharlal’s childhood was spent in the Palatial Building named Anand Bhawan spread on 16 acres situated very close to the University of Allahabad. So Nehru described his childhood as a "sheltered and uneventful one".

Jawaharlal Nehru’s Childhood

Yesha Desai

A long time ago, there lived a beautiful woman called Vidyullatha in Vijayanagar. She was a learned lady who was accomplished in all genres of fine arts.One day, because of her pride and arrogance about her abilities, she put a hoarding outside her house that said, “A reward of one thousand gold coins would be presented to those who would be able to defeat me in humour, wit and knowledge of ancient texts.”This became an issue of prestige for all the scholars in the region. Many of them took up the challenge and tried to defeat Vidyullatha in the war of words, but none succeeded.Days passed like this. One morning, a vendor happened to pass by her house selling firewood. The man was shouting at the top of his voice, “Firewood ..strong firewood….Who wants my strong and long lasting firewood?”The vendor had a shrill voice and was shouting continuously which irritated Vidyullatha. She stormed out of the house and called the vendor, “Oh vendor! Come here! I will buy your firewood. Just tell me how much you want for it, but please stop shouting.”The vendor replied, “Madam, I will not sell this for money. If you can give me a handful grain I will readily give you all the firewood that I have.”Vidyullatha promised him to give what he wanted and ordered him to dump the load in the backyard.The vendor said, “I need a handful of grain, Madam. Have you understood me clearly?”Vidyulltha yelled at the vendor, “You are asking me whether or not I have understood what a handful of grains mean? I am the most learned lady in the entire district! I know what you want. Now stop arguing and put this firewood in the backyard.”The persistent vendor said, “Madam, I pity you! You really do not know what I want. If you cannot pay the price, you should pay me one thousand gold coins and wipe the invitation hoarding on the compound wall.”Vidyullatha was infuriated. She asked angrily, “What nonsense are you saying?”The vendor said, “This is no nonsense. I told you the price and you agreed for it. Now if you cannot pay the price, you must give me one thousand gold coins for you have clearly failed to understand what I meant. And considering that, I have defeated you in the war of words.”A heated argument ensued between the two and then Vidyullatha decided to approach the provincial Court of Law for justice.&nbsp;She presented her argument in front of the judge, “My Lord! This firewood vendor is crazy. He asked for a handful of grains in lieu of his load of firewood. I agreed to give him that but he keeps saying that I do not know what it means and wants me to wipe off the board in front of the house. I plead for justice!”The judge looked at the vendor and asked him what the matter was. He humbly replied, “Sir, I informed her beforehand that the load of firewood would cost her a handful grain. I actually wanted one grain that could fill the hand. If she cannot understand this much, she has no right to put up that hoarding in front of her house.”Vidyullatha was outwitted by the firewood vendor and the verdict was given in favour of the vendor. Vidyullatha was ordered to pay him one thousand gold coins and ordered to take down the hoarding from her wall.That witty vendor was none other than Tenaliram.&nbsp;He had also heard about Vidyulalltha’s arrogance and haughtiness, and had thus taken the guise of a firewood vendor to teach her a lesson. Moral:Arrogance and pride leads you nowhere.

This is a classic story from Tenali Raman.Moral(s) of the story: arrogance

Thousand gold coins and a handful grain

In a kingdom long lost, there lived a very old wizard in the woods located on the edge of the kingdom. In the small hut that was heavily guarded by magic spells, she created her own potions and spells.This wise wizard was known throughout the lands and was always present to help people. But the wizard was now growing old and she was worried about who will help the ordinary people after she is dead. So she decided to take on a student to whom she could teach and pass her knowledge.Soon, the wizard began searching for people who showed the potential to take on such a massive responsibility. For months and months she searched the kingdom and further but to no avail.Everyone would have one or the other flaws. Either someone was too stupid to cope up with her knowledge, or people were too greedy to work with her and would compromise their morals.At this rate, the wizard thought that she would never find someone.So the wizard came up with a plan. She spread the news in the kingdom that she lost her book of magic spells. She went to the town square and yelled with distress, “I have lost my book of magic spells. Oh, what am I going to do now. The book contained all of my spells— powerful and weak. It had all of my knowledge what should I do now?”The people surrounding her looked at her with worry. They all tried to comfort the wizard since she always helped them but they all also wondered what would happen now that the wizard had lost such an important book.The news of this lost book spread across the kingdom very quickly. In fact, it spread across the world and lots of people came to the wizard. Many young men and women came to the wizard and said that they will find the book for her.There were many other people who tried their best to find the book for their own gains. Lots of people wanted to find the book of magic spells to become powerful.Days passed and turned into weeks. Still no one had successfully found the book. Lot of people had already given up by now and others had turned even more aggressive. To get the people to search more she went to the town square and said, “I still haven't found my book! What am I going to do now? The last I remember is taking the book to the woods. It must be there. I need your help my friends. If anyone finds that book for me, I will take them as my student.”This got the people to search for the book even more actively.One day when the wizard was eating in a diner, she met a teenage girl. She asked the girl, “Child, are you not trying to find the book of magic spells? Have you already given up?”The girl smiled and replied, “I have not given up Ma’am, I did not even begin.”The wizard was confused and asked, “Why so? Do you not want to help this old feeble woman? Or are you not interested in being my student?”The young girl smiled again, “That is not so. I definitely want to help you. But there is just nothing to help with.”The wizard was even more confused now. She asked, “What do you mean?”“You have lost no book, have you? A clever and responsible person like you wouldn’t lose something so important. And even if you did you can find the location of the book by the magic spell you created yourself.”Now the wizard was very shocked. This young girl was very clever. And that is how the wizard found her student. The wizard taught the clever girl all that she had learned in her life and soon the young girl grew up to be a very wise and talented young woman.

This is a story of notebook, teacher and wizard.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

The book of magic spells

Bunny rabbit lived in the forest. He had many friends. He was proud of his friends.One day Bunny rabbit heard the loud barking of wild dogs. He was very scared. He decided to ask for help. He quickly went to his friend deer. He said, “Dear friend, some wild dogs are chasing me. Can you chase them away with your sharp antlers?”The deer said, “That is right, I can. But now I am busy. Why don’t you ask bear for help?”Bunny rabbit ran to the bear. “My dear friend, you are very strong. Please help me. Some wild dogs are after me. Please chase them away,” he requested to the bear.The bear replied, “I am sorry. I am hungry and tired. I need to find some food. Please ask the monkey for help.”Poor Bunny went to the monkey, the elephant, the goat and all his other friends. Bunny felt sad that nobody was ready to help him.He understood that he had to think of a way out by himself. He hid under a bush. He lay very still. The wild dogs did not find the bunny. They went chasing other animals.Bunny rabbit learnt that he had to learn to survive by himself, not depending on his unhelpful friends.

This is a story of friend and rabbit.Moral(s) of the story: confidence

cosmos 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.