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

Yesha Desai

Two deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother and great herds of deer in a forest. One day their father called them and said, “Dear children, the time has come for the corn in the fields to ripen. It is a time of great danger for us as when the corn is ripening in the fields, the hunters set their traps there to catch us. It will be best for both of you to go away for a while. Each one of you must also take a small herd of young deer with you and keep it safe.”The children asked their father, “Dear father, will you not be accompanying us?” The father replied, “No, there is enough food for me and your mother here! We will stay back with some old deer. But you must leave with the young deer as there is not enough food for all of us. At the hills, you will find plenty of food to sustain yourselves till the time, the corn in the fields is harvested and it is safe to return.” He further instructed them, “Remember to travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go by day. And you must not take your herd near the villages where hunters live.”So Beauty and Brownie both took one herd of young deer and bid adieu to their parents. Beauty remembered his father’s instructions word by word and always travelled at night. He never allowed any deer of his herd to go near any villages. But Brownie was completely oblivious of his father’s advice. He fearlessly travelled in the daylight and when he saw a village, he led his herd right past it. The hunters were able to clearly spot Brownie’s herd, and they killed many deer from his herd.When the crops had been cut, the deer started returning to the forest. Beauty proudly came back with all the deer of his herd while Brownie could bring back only a few.That is why it is said, we must never ignore the advice of our elders. Moral:We should not ignore the advice of our elders.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of deer.Moral(s) of the story: obedience

Beauty and the brownie

Ravina Sewani

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.The ruler of Kishanagar had an extremely beautiful daughter, named Sona. As she was the only child, she enjoyed a lot of freedom. She was intelligent, well read and skilled in the use of weapons. When she reached a marriageable age, the king started looking for a suitable partner for her. The princess coveted to marry a man more skilled than her in every respect. So, she asked her father to make an announcement that she would marry only the person who would be able to defeat her in a fight. The king was very proud to hear his daughter’s views and made announcements in every state, inviting princes to his kingdom.Thinking that it would be very easy to defeat a young woman, many fighters and princes from all over the country came to take the challenge, but none could succeed. As the princess was taking on the suitors one after another, among them was Uday Varma, the prince of Ayodhyapuri. He watched the fight every day, by joining the crowd. He carefully observed her way of fighting. Within a few days, Uday Varma learnt all her strategies, and was fully prepared to fight her and as anticipated it did not take him long to defeat the princess.Uday Varma proudly told the king and the queen that he was able to defeat the princess by closely observing her fighting strategies. On hearing this, the princess suddenly said, “Dear prince, I know that you have defeated me, but I cannot marry you.”The king was surprised by his daughter’s decision and asked her the reason for the refusal. The princess turned towards Uday Varma and asked whether he knew the reason or not. Uday Varma thought for a while and said, “Yes you are right! We cannot get married.” Saying so, he walked away from there.The king and queen were surprised to see Uday Varma accepting Sona’s decision without any argument. They were unable to understand the whole situation.Betaal thus concluded the story and asked King Vikramaditya, “Why did Uday Varma quietly accept the decision of the princess? Tell me Vikram, if you do not speak even if you know the answer, your head will split into pieces.”Vikram replied “Uday Varma had learnt the art of warfare from Sona, just as a student learns it from his teacher. Both of them agreed not to marry each other because they understood that in Bhartiya sanskriti, it is immoral for a teacher to marry his or her student.”Vikram had rightly answered Betaal’s question. Since he had spoken again, Betaal flew back to the tree. Vikram with his sword in his hand, went after the Betaal once again. Moral:Live by your morals throughout your life.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.

A Promise Not Kept

Once, a shepherd used to live in a village. He was the owner of a large flock of sheep. Every morning, he used to take his flock out for grazing. Once, because of some work, he had to go to the city for two to three days. So, he called his son, Ramu and told him that he would have to take care of the sheep for the two-three days that he would be away. “Take good care of the sheep, Ramu,” his father warned him. “There are many wild animals like tigers and wolves in the forest nearby who might kill our sheep. Keep them safe, son. They are your responsibility.” Ramu assured his father that he would follow his advice. The next day, Ramu took the flock of sheep to the hillside for grazing. While the sheep were grazing, Ramu started feeling bored. Being a mischievous boy, he wanted to have some fun. He thought of an idea. He stood up and started shouting, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Ramu’s cry for help was heard by the villagers. Carrying big sticks with them, they rushed to the spot to help the boy. But, on reaching, they found that there was no wolf. Ramu laughed and said, “There is no wolf here. It was just a joke I played on you.” The villagers went back to their homes, irritated.Next day, the same thing happened. The villagers heard Ramu crying for help and went to help him but again, they found that the boy had tricked them again. This time, the villagers were very annoyed and went back to their homes, cursing the boy.On the third day, when Ramu took his sheep for grazing, a wolf actually came there. The wolf looked so ferocious that Ramu was terrified. The wolf was advancing towards the sheep. Ramu shouted, “Help! Help! Wolf!”The villagers heard Ramu’s cry and thought that it must be the boy’s silly trick once again. No one went to help him. Ramu could not keep the wolf off the sheep all by himself. The wolf killed many of Ramu’s sheep. Ramu went back to his home weeping. Moral:If you lie all the time, no one will believe you if for once you speak the truth.

This is a classic story from panchtnatra.This is a story of sheep and wolf.Moral(s) of the story: honesty

The boy who cried wolf

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

Shina Utavani

The story of Saraswati plays an important role in Indian mythology. It is believed that life would not have been the same that it is today without her. Brahma who is the creator of the Universe, felt that something was missing and was lacking concept. So, he decided to create the embodiment of knowledge to help him with this task of bringing order to the universe. So, Saraswati-the goddess of knowledge and wisdom emerged from his mouth.Goddess Saraswati was a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. She was the goddess of learning, art, and literature. She emerged from Brahma to give him directions. She guided him on how to create order in the cosmos; and that is how moon, sun, and stars all came into being.She guided him in creating the universe we see today. It is said that later she became the bride of Brahma. Thus, Brahma became the creator of the world with Saraswati as his wisdom.

This is a story of Brahma, Saraswati and universe.Moral(s) of the story: knowledge and wisdom

The Origin of Sarawati

Pallavi Hota

Bible is the collection of 66 books written by different authors describing the God's action and purpose with all creations. Bible contains life stories of Jesus. The bible gives the messages God has desired for us to understand. Following is a story from “The Bible”. Moses, the most important Jewish prophet, played many vital roles in the holy book Bible. He had appointed Joshua, one of the twelve spies of Israel sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan, to be his successor, as he was a man who loved God. God told Joshua to prepare the people to cross the river Jordan, so that they could go and take Jericho. Joshua sent two spies to scout the city, and they were given refuge by a woman named Rahab. She asked that when they took the city, they would spare her and her family. They agreed, and as she lived on the wall, she lowered them out her window to the other side. God told the people that the arc that held the Ten Commandments should be carried by twelve priests, and that they and all the people should march around the city of Jericho, sounding their trumpets once every day for six days, and on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. At the sound of the trumpet after the seventh round on the seventh day, the walls of Jericho would come crashing down. Joshua made the people obey, and everything happened just as God said. Joshua remembered Rahab, and took her and her family safely out of the city, after which, they burned the city of Jericho to the ground. Moral:God goes before His people and gives them victory in battle.

This is a story of Jericho, Joshua, and Jordan.

The Fall of Jericho

Chetak was the most well groomed, obedient and good looking horse in the locality. His owner Ram Singh was extremely proud of him. He took very good care of Chetak and never missed a chance to show him off in front of his neighbours and associates. “There goes my young boy,” exclaimed Ram Singh each time he opened the gate to Chetak’s stable. Chetak would immediately come out galloping and would run around the whole ground. His sparkling eyes, light brown mane and shiny brown coat looked very attractive.Ram Singh would then ride him all around the farm. The crowd would look at them admiringly and he would feel extremely proud of Chetak. “Whenever I ride him, it’s like I am flying in the air,” said Ram Singh gladly.Chetak’s old groom had to quit for some reason, so Ram Singh hired a new groom for him. Ram Singh loved Chetak to pieces, so he hired the best groom in the town to take care of Chetak. Baloo, the new groom was very famous and supposedly all the horses groomed by him always ended up looking way better than they had ever done before. Chetak too became very handsome and even more attractive under Baloo’s grooming.Early every morning, Baloo would start with his grooming process. He would bathe Chetak carefully and comb his tails and brush his coat till it started shining. Hours passed this way and Chetak looked well groomed every day.But for some reason, Chetak was not happy. His beautiful eyes lost their sparkle and he became very inactive. Earlier, he would jump and gallop out of his stable as soon as the door was open. However, these days he almost had to be coaxed to get up and run. “What exactly is wrong with him?” thought the worried owner, and decided to find out for himself.One day, he went inside Chetak’s stable to investigate the reason behind the drastic change that had came upon his most loved companion. While walking through the stable, Ram Singh suddenly stumbled upon a stack full of oats. He was taken by surprise as those oats were meant for Chetak. Ram Singh had instructed Baloo strictly to feed them to Chetak thrice a day. Later, he found out that Baloo, instead of feeding Chetak with the oats, was actually saving them to sell them off at a lower price in the market.Ram Singh got very angry and asked Baloo, “Why did you keep the oats aside, while they are meant to be fed to Chetak?” Baloo was absolutely unrepentant and replied, “So what? He does not need to eat that much. Moreover, I do everything possible to make him look good—I rub oil on him and brush his coat to make him look this nice.”Ram Singh lost his temper. He shouted, “I appointed you to take care of him and keep him in good condition. I don’t care if you are grooming him nicely when he is starved and unhappy.” Saying this, Ram Singh dismissed Baloo immediately and started taking care of Chetak personally. Moral:All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes, what our eyes see is not the reality.

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

The groomed horse

Once upon a time, two friends were walking through the forest. They knew that anything dangerous can happen to them at any time in the forest. So they promised each other that they would remain united in any case of danger.Suddenly, they saw a large bear approaching them. One of the friends at once climbed a nearby tree. But the other one did not know how to climb. So being led by his common sense, he lay down on the ground breathless, pretending to be a dead man.The bear came near the man lying on the ground. It smelt in his ears, and slowly left the place because the bears do not touch the dead creatures. Now the friend on the tree came down and asked his friend on the ground, "Friend, what did the bear tell you into your ears? "The other friend replied, "The bear advised me not to believe a false friend." Moral:A friend in need is a friend indeed. And if you commit to be with your friend, you should keep the promise.

dancing 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.