Do you remember the stories that you read as a child? Moral stories can needn’t be serious, but they can be funny at the same time help your child learn something. We have compiled a list of 07 short moral stories that are inspirational, from India, and from around the world. <h3>1. The Boy Who Cried, Wolf</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_boy_who_cried%2C_wolf.webp_image_1638188646554.webp" width="359">There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and save the sheep.When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.Moral of the story: Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth! <h3>2. The Golden Touch Of Midas</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_golden_touch_of_midas.jpg_image_1638188804006.jpg" width="365">A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.Moral of the story: Stay content and grateful for what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere. <h3>3. The Foolish Thief</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_foolish_thief.jpg_image_1638188856227.jpg" width="362">Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed him.On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others.He knew who the thief was.The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.Moral of the story: Truth and justice will always prevail. <h3>4. Two Frogs With The Same Problem</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/two_frogs_with_the_same_problem.png_image_1638188962564.png" width="346">Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!Moral of the story: People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself. <h3>5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_milkmaid_and_her_pail.jpg_image_1638189037353.jpg" width="348">There was once a milkmaid named Patty.She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do with the money she fo for the milk.She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.Moral of the story: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone. <h3>6. The Elephant Circus</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/elepahnt_circus.jpg_image_1638189224771.jpg" width="361">Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.Moral of the story: Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!<h3> </h3>7. The Elephants And The Mice<img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/1_xvfat_v8xumqnkx7-3jcka.png_image_1638189285226.png" width="350">In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that their favour would be returned in the time of their need.The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.Not so long after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!Moral of the story: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you. That’s all folks!We hope children like these short yet interesting stories with morals that we have read growing up!There are more and more stories with morals on <a href="https://www.beeparenting.com/s/moral-stories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bee Stories</a>.

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

07 Must Read Short Moral Stories For Children

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

Shina Utavani

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and Kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata which describes how Dronacharya was defeated.Yudhisthir was the eldest of the Pandava brothers. He had always followed the path of dharma, his whole life. He had never uttered a lie. Due to his values, his chariot stayed 2 feet above the ground.Dronacharya, who was the Guru of Pandavas and Kauravas, had become the chief of the Kaurava army in the Kurukshetra war. He was a warrior and for the victory of Pandavas, it was necessary to defeat Dronacharya.Lord Krishna told Pandavas that it was impossible to defeat Dronacharya because he was very strong. He was the only warrior who had Brahmastra (a weapon with the power of universe) and Divyastra. Krishna told that Dronacharya can be defeated only when he is unarmed.Krishna then said that the only way to remove Dronacharya was to convince him that his son, Aswathama was dead. His son was his weakness. Krishna further said, “If Dronacharya believes that his son is dead, he will drop his weapons.” After listening to this, Arjuna was a little shocked. He disagreed to kill his own Guru.Lord Krishna headed towards Yudhisthir and said, “We have to follow our Dharma. And we have to do anything we can to stand against Adharma. You are the epitome of Dharma and Righteousness. Only you can help do the right thing.” Yudhisthir thought for few seconds and said, “If this is the only way, I will do it. I will carry the weight of this sin on my shoulder.”Lord Krishna then pointed towards an Elephant. He directed Bheem to kill the elephant. The name of the elephant was Aswathama. Bheem killed the elephant and went to the battlefield and announced, “I have killed Aswathama.”Dronacharya did not believe him and went to Yudhisthir to know the truth. Dronacharya asked, “Is it true that my son is no more?” Yudhisthir replied, “Yes Aswathama is dead. I do not know if it is a man or an elephant.”After listening to the words, Dronacharya was shocked. He was in grief and fell on the ground. He dropped all his weapons and sat down. And so Guru Dronacharya was defeated.At that moment Yudhisthir’s chariot touched the ground as he had told a lie.

This is a story of Ashwatthama, Dronacharya, Krishna and Yudhistra

Yudhisthir and Dronachrayaa

Pallavi Hota

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata.” When Jayadratha, the husband of Dushala, the only sister of the Kauravas, was killed by the clever plan of Krishna, Duryodhana was pacing up and down in the night and he was thinking, “What is this? The clouds just came and then went! I am not a weather-man. This Krishna is just too much.” Gandhari, his mother, was thinking, “I must protect my son. This is cheating. With Krishna on their side, Pandavas will get victory.” Gandhari thought, “I have my siddhi.” So she said, “My dear Duryodhana, come and see me in the night without any clothes. When you stand before my eyes, I will take off the blindfold and by the force of my siddhi over the years, I will make you so strong that no one can touch you.” So in the dead of the night Duryodhana went to see his mother.He saw Krishna. Duryodhana was thinking, “Of all the people in the world, why should I see this personality?” Krishna saw him and started smiling. Duryodhan became ruffled. He asked, “why are you smiling?” Krishna said, “Why do you think I am smiling? Grown up man with no clothes walking in the dead of the night. Are you mental?” Duryodhana was embarrassed and said, “No no. I am just going to see my mother.” Krishna then said, “Your mother! You are going to see your mother with no clothes on? Where have you learned your etiquette? Some decency is required. At least wear some gumcha or something and then go to see your mother. I know you have had a bad day in the battlefield but that does not mean you have to become mental.” Duryodhana thinks, “Yes, it is very bad. I am very embarrassed.” He thought to himself , “I will wear my gamcha and when I stand before my mother, I will take it off. Then everything will be alright.” So he went before his mother. Gandhari asked, “Are you ready son? Is everything as I told you?” He replied “Yes.” She opened her eyes and saw him. She went all the way down and she saw the gamcha. At the end, Duryodhana’s thighs could not be strengthened because they were covered. Gandhari tells Duryodhana, “I gave you a simple instruction to take off your clothes and stand.” He said, “I met Krishna.” Gandhari thought, “why of all people must my son meet Krishna? In the night, the Pandavas were very happy and they must have all gone to sleep. Why was Krishna roaming around?” She asked his son, “What did Krishna tell you?” He replied, “Krishna told me to wear a gamcha as it is not right to walk around without any clothes. Mother, I agreed to Him and I decided to remove the gumcha when I came to you.” But Gandhari realized with an air of resignation that no matter what she planned for her son, the truth is Krishna in a very simple and cheeky way was teaching her something that whatever plans she had for her son, were not within His line of vision. It was not going to help. She was only going to be disturbed. But till the end of the war, Gandhari could not accept this.

This is a story of Duryodhana, Gandhari, Krishna, and Pandavas.

Naked Duryodhana in front his mother Gandhari

Lord Ganesha had a younger brother named Karthikeya. One day they were playing in the forest. Lord Shiva and Parvati received a special fruit from gods. Lord Shiva decided to share the fruit with Parvati. But then, they realized that the fruit can be eaten by one person only. No one was ready to eat the fruit alone.At the same time, Karthikeya and Ganesha entered and asked them what was special about the fruit. Lord Shiva told them that the fruit was of immorality and supreme knowledge. To choose who will get the fruit, Parvati and Lord Shiva said that the first one who will revolve around the world three times and come back will get the fruit.Karthikeya took his vehicle, peacock and went off to take three rounds of the world. Ganesha was worried about winning the race as his vehicle, Mouse did not have wings. Later, he took a decision based on his wisdom. He asked his parents’ permission to revolve around them as he felt that his parents were his universe. Lord Shiva and Parvati were impressed by his decision. They allowed Lord Ganeshato revolve around them three times and won the race. Finally, Ganesh got the fruit. Moral:Use wisdom at the right time and the right place. Respect your parents; there can be no one as important as them in your life.

This is a story of Ganesh, Kartikey, mouse and peacock.Moral(s) of the story: knowledge and wisdom

Lord Ganesha And Karthikeya

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from ìThe Ramayana.It is said that when Ravana abducted Mother Sita, Lord Ram was roaming around looking for her. He was crying, shouting and moaning as he was so sad. Of course, the Lord was playing a role on earth as a human, so he had to display human emotions.Lord Shiva and Mother Sati came across this scene. Lord Shiva bowed down to his Lord Rama. Mother Sati asked why he was bowing down? Lord Shiva answered because he is the Supreme Lord.Mother Sati said that he is crying like humans, how can he be God? I want to test him. Lord Shiva agreed but asked Mother Sati to stay within her principles. Mother Sati changed herself into the form of Mother Sita and appeared in front of Lord Ram, trying to confuse and fool him. Lord Ram knew she was Mother Sati and greeted her and asked her where Lord Shiva was? She was ashamed and closed her eyes. But even as her eyes were closed, Lord Rama gave her darshan along with Mother Sita.

Mother Sati Tested Lord Ram

Indra, the King of heaven, committed an offense at the feet of his spiritual master, Brhaspati. Brhaspati therefore left the demigods, who then had no priest. However, at the request of the demigods, Visvarupa, the son of the brahmana Tvasta, became their priest. Once upon a time, Indra, the King of the demigods, was sitting with his wife Sacidevi and being praised by various demigods like the Siddhas, Caranas and Gandharvas when Brhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, entered the assembly. Indra, being too absorbed in material opulence, forgot himself and did not respect Brhaspati, who thus became aware of Indra’s pride in his material opulence and immediately disappeared from the assembly to teach him a lesson. Indra became most repentant, understanding that because of his opulence he had forgotten to respect his spiritual master. He left the palace to beg pardon from his spiritual master, but could not find Brhaspati anywhere. Because of his disrespectful behavior toward his spiritual master. Indra lost all his opulence and was conquered by the demons, who defeated the demigods in a great fight and occupied Indra’s throne. King Indra, along with the other demigods, later took shelter of Lord Brahma. Understanding the situation, Lord Brahma chastised the demigods for their offense to their spiritual master. Following Lord Brahma’s orders, the demigods accepted Visvarupa, who was a brahmana and the son of Tvasta, as their priest. Then they performed yajnas under the priesthood of Visvarupa and were able to conquer the demons.

Indra Offends His Spiritual Master, Brhaspati

When Krishna grew up, he saw milk, curds, and butter all around in Gokula, the land of 'Gopalas' or cowherds (a person who tends to cows). He was always showered upon by the love by Gopis. He had watched them clean the greasy vessels using mud after they were emptied of the butter and always wondered if his stomach also needed to be similarly cleaned.He sat and started to put mud into his mouth and started eating it. His brother, Balarama, and other children around saw this strange sight and demanded to know what he had in the mouth. His mouth was filled with mud so he couldn’t say anything.His brothers took him to Yashoda. He kept shaking his head when Yashoda asked him if he had eaten more butter. Angrily, she took a stick and asked for his mouth to be opened. Krishna opened his mouth wide open, and Yashoda was unable to believe her eyes! What she saw was the entire universe, with Gokula in clear detail, and a glimpse of herself before the Krishna child.She closed her eyes to clear her own head and saw the little fellow seated in front of her as if nothing had occurred. That was when she discovered that he wasn't a regular baby. However, the innocent and amused look of Krishna made her keep this discovery to herself.

This is a story of Yashoda and Krishna when she discovers the truth about Krishna.

Yashoda Discovers about Krishna

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata.” Once Durvasa Muni, the ancient Rishi, who was known for granting boons to people who pleased him, visited the house of&nbsp;Duryodhana, the enemy cousin of Maharaja Yudhisthira. Duryodhana was&nbsp;intelligent enough to satisfy the brahmana by all means, and the&nbsp;great rishi wanted to give some blessings to Duryodhana. Duryodhana knew his mystic powers, and he also knew that the mystic brahmana, if&nbsp;dissatisfied, could cause some havoc. When the rishi asked Duryodhana, Duryodhana wished that he should visit the house of Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was the eldest and chief among all his cousins. He requested the rishi to go to Yudhisthira after he had finished his meals with his Queen, Draupadi. Duryodhana knew that after Draupadi’s dinner, it would be impossible for Maharaja Yudhisthira to receive such a large number of brahmana guests, and thus the rishi would be annoyed and would create some trouble for his cousin Maharaja Yudhisthira. That was the plan of Duryodhana. Durvasa Muni agreed to this proposal, and he approached the King in exile, according to the plan of Duryodhana, after the King and Draupadi had finished their meals. On his arrival at the door of Maharaja Yudhisthira, he was at once well received, and the King requested him to finish his noontime religious rites in the river, for by that time the foodstuff would be prepared. Durvasa Muni, along with his large number of disciples, went to take a bath in the river. Maharaja Yudhisthira was in great anxiety about the guests. If Draupadi had not taken her meals, food could have been served to any number of guests, but the rishi, by the plan of Duryodhana, reached there after Draupadi had finished her meals.Draupadi was thinking of Lord Krishna in that difficult situation. Lord Krishna arrived at the scene and asked Draupadi to give whatever food she might have in her stock. Draupadi apologised to Lord Krishna and told Him that the mysterious dish which she had received from the sun-god could supply any amount of food if she herself had not eaten. But on that particular day, she had already taken her meals.The Lord, however, asked Draupadi to bring up the cooking pots to see if there was any&nbsp;particle of food left, and on Draupadi doing so, the Lord found a few particles of vegetables sticking to the pot. The Lord at once picked it up and ate it. After doing so, the Lord asked Draupadi to call for her guests, the company of Durvasa. Bhima was sent to call them from the river. Bhima said, “Why are you delaying, sirs? Come on, the food is ready for you.” But the brahmanas, because of Lord Krisha’s accepting a little particle of food, felt sumptuously fed, even while they were in the water. They thought that since Maharaja Yudhisthira must have prepared many valuable dishes for them and since they were not hungry and could not eat, the King would feel very sorry, so it was better not to go there. Thus they decided to go away.

This is a story of Krishna and Draupadi.

Durvasa Muni and cooking pot of Draupadi

Shivratri is an important Indian festival. It is celebrated in regards to Lord Shiva’s worship. It has accorded a lot of significance in Hindu mythology. Shivratri is observed once in every month (on the month's 13th night/14th day) but Mahashivratri is celebrated once in a year (the month of February/March, or phalgun). The festival is celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm. Devotees observe various fasts and pujas on this day. Mahashivratri is celebrated on the fourth day of the Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar. It is believed that on this day, Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. The festival commemorates their marriage. Unmarried girls fast and pray to Lord Shiva for an ideal husband. Some people also celebrate this festival by maintaining a "jaagaran", an all-night vigil and prayers offering to Lord Shiva. Fruits, leaves, sweets, and milk are offered to Lord Shiva. The Hindu mantra- Om Namah Shivaya is chanted throughout the day in Shiva temples on this day. It is believed that a person who performs sincere worship to Lord Shiva on this day is relieved from all the sins and attains moksha. Some believe that on this day, Lord Shiva consumed the poison to save the world. Others believe that it is the night when Lord Shiva performed the heavenly dance of creation and perseverance.

This is a story of Parvati, Shiva and Shivratri.

Shivratri

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.After the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Rama in Tretayug, the next one called Dwaparayug entered in which Lord reincarnated as Krishna. Before this, Sheshnag has made another request to the Lord Vishnu that he wants to be an elder brother this time and would like to instruct the lord. As wished, he was born as Balram, Krishna’s elder brother.Laxman was the incarnation of Sheshnag, Lord Vishnu’s seat. Laxman had complained all his life being born as the younger brother who he had to obey all the commands of Ram. His wish to be the elder brother was fulfilled when he was born as Balram.

hindu god 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.

Yudhisthir and Dronachrayaa

Naked Duryodhana in front his mother Gandhari

Lord Ganesha And Karthikeya

Mother Sati Tested Lord Ram

Indra Offends His Spiritual Master, Brhaspati

Yashoda Discovers about Krishna

Durvasa Muni and cooking pot of Draupadi

Shivratri

Laxman’s Wish to be an Elder Brother

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