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.

Yesha Desai

A long time ago there lived a partridge, in a safe and warm hollow in a tree. Unfortunately, there was no proper source of food available near his home. So, he decided to go out in search of a good source of food. He soon found a field where there was ample supply of food, so he did not come back to his home for a few days and ate to his heart’s content every day. While the partridge was enjoying himself in the field, a hare happened to see the partridge’s old home. He liked it very much and started living in it. One fine day, the partridge decided to go back to his old home again. He had now grown very fat because of consuming a healthy diet. When he saw the hare comfortably living in his home, he asked him to move out immediately.They had a long verbal argument, but could not arrive at any decision. So one day, they decided to approach someone else who could solve their problem. There lived a cat nearby, when the partridge and the hare approached him, he decided to take advantage of the situation. He slyly said, “My dear friends, I am so sorry, I am old and hard of hearing. Both of you come close to me and tell me your problem. I will do my level best to help you out.” As soon as the partridge and the hare came near the wicked cat, he killed them both and had a lavish meal.This story teaches us that whenever two people have a fight, a third, the mediator often takes advantage of the situation. Moral:Someone else can always benefit from your trifle so you must be careful.

This is classic story form Jataka tales.This is a story of cat and rabbit.Moral(s) of the story: smartness

The cat, partridge, and the hare

Ravina Sewani

Once a goat was grazing on the grassy slope of a hill. It decided to taste the grass on the hills across. A narrow log served as a bridge across the stream. While crossing the bridge, it saw another goat coming from the other side. The bridge was so narrow that only one animal could cross the bridge at a time.The first goat said to the other, "Let me pass first." "You let me pass first", shouted the other goat. They started arguing and finally got into a terrible fight. They lost their balance and fell into the stream.The other grazing goats witnessed this and learnt a lesson. After few days, two other goats encountered the same problem.&nbsp;One goat said to the other, "I'll sit down and you can step over my body and pass." The other goat replied, "Thank you. Next time, I'll sit down and let you cross first."Thus both of them were able to cross the bridge safely.Moral: Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

This is a story of goat and jataka tales.Moral(s) of the story: cooperation, foolishness, understanding and wisdom

Two Silly Goats

A long time ago, a king named Brahmadatta ruled the city of Banaras. His chief of guards, Bodhisattva, was a very wise and knowledgeable man.One day, the queen and her friends were walking in the palace gardens. It was a hot summer day, so they decided to get some respite from the heat by swimming in the royal pool. Before going in the pool, the queen took off her pearl necklace and gave it to her maidservant for safekeeping. The maidservant put the necklace in a wooden box and sat down under a tree to watch the royal ladies have fun in the pool.Some monkeys used to live on the trees near that pool. A little girl monkey had got a glimpse of the queen’s shining pearl necklace and was besotted by it. She imagined how beautiful would she look with that necklace around her own neck. So, she waited around, hoping that the maidservant who was guarding the wooden box would soon fall asleep. The girl monkey did not have to wait for long as the maidservant who was tired of watching the queen playing with her friends, began to nod in the heat of the day and was finally fast asleep. Quick as lightning, the girl monkey jumped down, filched the necklace and hurried back to the tree. She put the pearl necklace around her neck and admired herself for a while. Then, not wanting the other monkeys to see it, she hid the string of pearls in a hollow of the tree.When the maidservant woke up, she was petrified to see that the necklace was gone. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Somebody has stolen the queen’s pearl necklace!”The palace guards came from all around and ransacked the royal garden in search of the so-called thief. There was a homeless man loitering outside the walls of the garden. He heard the commotion and sure of being accused, took to his heels. This made the royal guards suspicious. They nabbed him and started beating him up. The man denied stealing the queen’s necklace, but the guards were not ready to believe him and beat him further. The man feared that the guards would probably beat him to death if he kept denying it, so he confessed to the theft.The man was produced before the king and charged with the theft of the queen’s necklace. The king was outraged to hear the whole story and asked the man in a firm tone, “You have committed a serious offense! Now, tell us what did you do with the pearl necklace?” In an endeavour to take off the blame from his shoulders, the man replied, “Your majesty, I am a poor man. What would I do with the string of pearls? All I needed was some money to buy food to eat. It was the treasurer who lured me into stealing the necklace. I stole it from the garden and gave it to him. He knows all about it.” The king sent for the treasurer, and interrogated him on whether the poor man had passed the necklace to him or not. The treasurer also thought on the same lines as the poor man and in order to save his skin, confessed to the crime. The king asked, “What have you done with the string of pearls?” Emulating the poor man, the treasurer transferred the blame on the royal priest and said, “I was working under the directions of the royal priest and the pearl necklace is at his house.”So, the royal priest was summoned on the king’s court and questioned in the same way. Seeing no other way out of the situation, the royal priest also confessed to his involvement in the crime. He also made a statement that he had given the necklace to the chief musician, who in turn said that he had gifted it to a dancer. When the dancer was presented before the king, she denied ever having received it.Bodhisattva was also present in the king’s court and was attentively listening to the versions of all the accused people. He found it difficult to believe that anyone could enter and escape the royal garden without being noticed. He was sure that none of the accused had to do anything with the theft and they were shifting the blame onto each other, just to save themselves from the wrath of the king. He went to the garden and again inspected the whole area where the incident had taken place. He also noticed a group of monkeys swarming in the trees of the garden. He thought that perhaps it was the deed of those naughty monkeys and perhaps they were the real culprits. In order to confirm his suspicion, he got a number of glass bead necklaces made. He then went to the garden and placed them below the trees where the monkeys lived. All the monkeys were charmed by the shining glass beads of the necklaces.Each one of them came down and picked up a string except for the girl monkey who kept sitting contently on a tree. She was not at all interested in collecting a string of glass beads for herself.Bodhisattva hid behind a large rock with other guards and waited. All the monkeys were prancing around and showing off their necklaces. The girl monkey could not control the urge to show off her prized possession as well. She pulled out the pearl necklace from the hollow of the tree and put it around her neck. Then she proudly called out to other monkeys and said, “Look here! All of you have got just ordinary glass bead necklaces, but mine is made of real pearls.”At that moment the guards came out and caught the girl monkey by the arm. After confiscating the queen’s necklace from the girl monkey, Bodhisattva gave her a glass bead necklace and let her go. He had thus solved the mystery of the missing necklace. The king was well pleased with Bodhisattva’s wit and rewarded him generously. Moral:Your intelligence and wisdom are always rewarded.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of monkey.

The girl monkey and the spring of pearls

Once upon a time a deer, a woodpecker and a turtle lived in a forest near a lake. The three were very close friends, and lived together happily. One day a hunter came to that forest and was delighted to see the footprints of the deer near the edge of the lake. He decided to catch the deer, and set a massive leather trap near the lake. Late in the night, when the deer visited the lake to quench his thirst, he was caught in the hunter’s trap. He cried out for help. At once the woodpecker flew down from her tree-top, and the turtle came out of the water to see what had happened to their dear friend.The woodpecker told the turtle to gnaw the leather trap with his teeth and set the deer free, while she flew away to find the hunter and keep him engaged. Soon, the woodpecker was able to locate the hunter’s house. As soon as the hunter came out of the front door, the woodpecker flew as fast as she could and struck the hunter in his face by flapping her wings.The hunter was taken aback by the unexpected attack of a bird and rushed back into his house. His face was badly hurt, but he wanted to find out whether the deer was caught in his trap or not. So, this time, he left the house from the backdoor, hoping that the bird would not see him. The woodpecker was a clever bird. She was already waiting for the hunter to come out of his backdoor. As soon as the hunter came out, she again attacked him, flapping her wings in his face. The hunter once again scuttled back inside the house and lied down on his cot for a while. It was getting difficult for him to wait any longer. So, he mustered up courage and decided to kill the bird if she attacked him again. He came out once again with a knife and dared the bird to come and attack him once more. This time the woodpecker flew back as fast as she could fly to her friends. She yelled at the top of her voice, “Beware my friends! Here comes the hunter!”By this time the turtle had gnawed away most of the leather trap. The deer broke this last piece of the trap with all his might and ran into the woods. The woodpecker flew up to her nest in the tree-top. But the turtle, who had become very weak after gnawing the trap all night long, was unable to get away. The hunter picked the turtle, put him in a bag and tied it to a tree. The deer saw his friend being captured and in order to save the turtle’s life, he slowed down a bit and let the hunter see him.The hunter seized his knife and started chasing the deer. The deer, keeping just out of his reach, led the hunter into the forest. The hunter was not familiar with the forest and got lost in the woods. The deer then took another way and reached the lake once again. Using his sharp horns, he tore open the bag in which the hunter had captured the turtle.The turtle was alive and very happy to see his friend once again. The woodpecker also flew down to meet them. The deer then thanked both of his friends for saving his life and asked them to hide in the forest till the time the hunter did not go away for good. The woodpecker flew away to safety, the turtle hid in the lake and the deer vanished in the thick forest.The hunter finally found his way out of the woods. He was very sad at losing the deer but was content that at least he had the turtle. When he reached the lake, he found that the turtle had also escaped. He cursed his stars, swore never to come back to that place again for hunting and left for his home. The three friends lived together for the rest of their lives. Moral:It is important that we help our friends and stand with them when they are in need so we can thrive.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of deer, tortoise and woodpecker.Moral(s) of the story: friendship and helpfulness

The woodpecker, turtle and the deer

One day a she-wolf had a craving to eat fresh fish-meat. The wolf did not know how to swim, but still he went down to the river, hoping to get some fish-meat for his mate.When the wolf reached the river, he saw two otters standing on the bank, also looking for fish. Soon one of the otters spotted a big fish in the water. He swiftly jumped into the river and caught the fish by its head. But the fish was very strong and was struggling continuously to get out of the otter’s hold. Fearing that he might lose the fish, he called out to his friend for help. The other otter also jumped into the river and held the fish tightly from the tail. Together, they were able to bring the fish to land.The first otter said, “This fish is good enough for both of us! Let us divide the fish into two parts.”“I want the half with the head on,” said one.“You cannot have that half. That is mine,” said the other. “You can take the tail.”The wolf heard the otters arguing over the division of fish and a brilliant idea struck him. He went up to the otters and offered his help to settle the dispute. There was no other way of ending the quarrel, so the otters also readily agreed. The wolf cut off the head and gave it to the first otter as he had caught the fish by the head. Then he severed the tail of the fish and gave it to the second otter as he had caught the fish by the tail. Both the otters were anxiously waiting to find out how the wolf would divide the rest of the fish, just then, quick as the lightning, the cunning wolf quickly ran away with the body of the fish.The otters realized that they had been fooled by the wolf. They were full of remorse and said, “If only we had not been greedy and fought with each other, we could have enjoyed a scrumptious meal.”The wolf was very pleased with himself for fooling the two otters and happily went home with the fish-meat. Moral:You must be very clever with how you deal with people so you are not fooled.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of wolf and otter.Morals(s) of the story: foolishness

The otters and the wolf

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 lived a skilful archer in a city. Though he was short in height and had a hunched back, none could beat him in archery. One day he thought, “I am good enough to join the king’s army, but he would never take me in because of my short stature and hunched back. I must look for someone tall and powerful, and then I can enter the king’s army as his page.”One day, the little bowman found the kind of man he was looking for. He was a tall and powerful man and used to dig ditches to earn his living. The bowman approached him and said, “The days of your misery are over! I am the best archer of this country and worthy of being a part of the king’s royal army. But, I may get rejected because of my height and crooked back. So, I need your help. You will immediately be recruited in the army because of your physique and you can then introduce me to them as your page. I will do the work that you will be given to do and we shall divide the pay between us. This way both of us will be able to live comfortably.”The tall man gladly agreed. Together they reached the king’s palace and sent word to the king that a famous bowman was there to meet him. The king met the bowman and being impressed by his towering personality, inducted him in the royal army. The little man’s dream had come true. He was now a part of the royal army, though disguised as the page of the big man.In those days, there was a man-eater tiger on the loose in the jungle. The king sent for the big man and ordered him to kill the tiger. The big man told the little bowman what the king had said. They went to the forest together and soon, the little bowman shot the tiger dead. The king was extremely impressed by the heroic act of the big man and rewarded him with expensive gifts.Some days later, a mad buffalo let itself loose on the city roads and started killing the people with its horns. The big man was asked to go and kill the buffalo. The big man carried the little bowman on his shoulders and as always, the little bowman hit his target and killed the buffalo. The king was full of praise for the big man and gave him a big bag of money as a gift.The big man slowly started to think that he deserved all the credit and the little bowman had no right to share the prize money or any praise. He started treating the little man as his servant and spoke to him very rudely. The little bowman was very sad.A few days later, the king of the neighbouring country attacked the kingdom. The king at once sent his army. The big man was mounted on a majestic elephant and was wearing shining armour. The little bowman knew that the big man could not shoot, so he also took his bow and arrow and quietly sat behind the big man on the elephant.When the big man saw a huge enemy army in front of him, he started to shake with fear. The little bowman asked him to keep sitting quietly, but the big man was so nervous that he jumped off the elephant and ran back to the city from the battle field.The little bowman led the elephant fearlessly into the battlefield and killed many of the enemies with his unmistakable shots. All the soldiers were motivated by the little man’s act of bravery and they soon forced the enemy army to withdraw itself. The king now understood that it was the little bowman who was the real hero. He made him the chief of his army and also rewarded him with rich gifts. Moral:Bravery and kindness are always rewarded.

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

The brave little bowman

Once upon a time there lived a king who had three sons. The first one was known as the Prince of Stars, the second was known as the Moon Prince and the third was called the Sun Prince. The king had his first two sons from his first wife, and the third one from his second wife. When the third prince was born, the king had promised the second queen to give her any boon she might ask.The queen remembered this and waited for an opportune moment, to put forward her demands. When the third son grew up, she asked the king to grant her the promised boon. She wanted the king to give the reins of the kingdom to the youngest prince. The king refused to do so, saying, “Dear, the kingdom must go to the eldest prince, and never to the youngest. Please ask me for something else.” The queen was infuriated and accused the king of not being a man of his word.The way the second queen was fuming with anger, got the king worried. He thought the queen may try to harm the elder princes, in order to make the youngest prince the king. So, he called his elder sons and told them to go away and live in the forest. He instructed them to come back to the city and start ruling it. With a heavy heart, he bid adieu to his beloved sons and sent them away.The youngest prince happened to see them walking out of the palace. On hearing where they were going, he also decided to leave the palace and go with them. The three of them thus set out towards the forest. When they reached in the middle of the forest, they sat down to take rest near a pond. The elder princes asked the youngest prince to fetch some water for them from the pond.That pond belonged to a water sprite, who had the power in him to enslave every human being that came to drink water from the pond and failed to give the correct answers of his questions. When the Sun prince went to take water from the pond, the water sprite appeared before him and said, “O Prince, you can only have water from my pond if you answer my question correctly.” The Sun Prince said, “Sure, I will try my best to answer your question.” The water sprite then asked the prince, “What are the good fairies like?” The Sun Prince replied, “They are like the sun and the moon.” The water sprite did not quite like his answer and shouted, “No, this is not true! Now, you will have to come with me and be my slave.” Saying so, he took the prince into his cave under the water.” When the Sun Prince did not come back for a long time, the eldest prince sent the Moon Prince to go and look for him. When he reached near the pond, the water sprite appeared before him and asked him the same question, “What are good fairies like?”The Moon Prince answered, “Well, they are like the sky above us.”The water sprite said, “No, that is the wrong answer!” And saying so, he took the Moon Prince also to his cave.Then at last, the eldest prince decided to go and look for his brothers. When he reached the pond, he saw the water sprite there. He understood that the water sprite must have taken his brothers into his custody.The prince called out to the water sprite and said, “O Water Sprite, have you taken my brothers with you?”The water sprite replied, “Oh yes, I had to take them in my custody because they failed to answer my question. I own this pond and allow only those to take water from my pond who answer my question correctly. Those who don’t, have to come with me and become my slaves.”The Star Prince said, “I will answer your questions. And if my answer is correct, promise me that you will release my brothers.”The water sprite said, “We shall see! My question to you is that, what are the good fairies like?”The Star Prince replied, “They are pure in heart, who fear to sin. They are good and kindly in word and deed.”The water sprite was pleased with the prince’s answer, “You are indeed very wise! But, I will return only one of your brothers. Tell me whom should I bring back?”The Star Prince replied, “Give me the youngest brother back. Though, he is my step brother, I love him as dearly as my real brother. If I ask for my own brother back, it would be unjust to the second queen. One of the first queen’s sons, that is me, is alive and so, it should be the second queen’s son whose life should be spared. Apart from that, if I return to the kingdom without the youngest brother, people will think that I have killed my step brother. No one will believe that a water sprite is holding him as a prisoner.”The water sprite was so pleased with the prince’s answer that he released both the princes from captivity. Moral:Our wisdom can get us out of tricky situations with minimal causality.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of king, prince and queen.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

The Princess and the Water Sprite

At one time, there were two traders who were great friends. One of them lived in a small village, while the other one lived in a big town nearby.One day, the village trader took his plow to the town and left it with his friend to get it mended. The town trader promised to have the plow repaired and send it back to his friend in the village. Instead of getting the plow repaired, the cunning town trader sold it and kept the money.When the trader from the village did not get his plow back for a long time, he decided to go to the town again. The village trader met the town trader and asked him about the plow. The town trader slyly replied, “My friend, I am sorry. The mice have eaten your plow.”It was the strangest reply that the village trader had ever heard! How an iron plow could be eaten by mice, he wondered, but kept quiet. The village trader was very clever. He thought of a plan and said, “Things happen, my friend! Let us not worry over what has happened. It is so hot in the town. I would like to go for a swim in the nearby pond. Please send your son also with me to take care of my clothes while I bathe in the water.” The town trader heaved a sigh of relief as the village trader did not make any issue about his plow and gladly sent his son with him.The village trader took the town trader’s son with him and hid him in a cave. Hours later, he returned alone to his friend with a long face. The town trader anxiously asked, “Where is my son? You took him along. Why didn’t you bring him back?”“Yes, I took him with me and left him on the bank of that river while I went down into the water,” said the villager. “While I was swimming, a big bird came, grabbed your son in its claws and flew high in the air. Before I could do anything, the bird vanished with your son.” he said.“You are lying!” yelled the town trader. “It is just impossible. No bird could pick up a child and fly away like that! I will take you to the court.”The village trader calmly said, “As you please.” They both went to the court.The town trader pleaded to the judge, “Your Honour! This fellow took my son with him to the river in the afternoon. Now he has come back alone and is telling me that a bird took away my son in its claws.”“What have you to say?” the judge asked the village trader.“Sir, it is true! I did tell this man that a bird has taken away his son,” said the village trader.“What you say is just impossible! No bird is strong enough to carry away a small boy in its claws.” said the judge.The village trader said, “I beg your pardon, but if the mice can eat an iron plow, the birds can also fly away with small children.”“What do you mean by that?” asked the judge.“Some time back, I had left my plow with this man. When I came to get it back, he told me that the mice had eaten it. I believed him and now he must also believe me. A bird has taken away his boy!”The judge understood the whole matter and ordered the town trader, “You have cheated your friend! You must now give him a new plow and he shall return your son to you.”This is how the witty village trader taught a lesson to the greedy town trader. Moral:Greediness never gets you anywhere.

This is a classic story from Jataka Tales.Moral(s) of the story: greediness

jataka tales 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.

The cat, partridge, and the hare

Two Silly Goats

The girl monkey and the spring of pearls

The woodpecker, turtle and the deer

The otters and the wolf

The Brave Son

The brave little bowman

The Princess and the Water Sprite

The stolen plow

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