THE BUBBLEHEADED MONKEY

                                         JAI MA KALI
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                  THE BUBBLEHEADED MONKEY
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 The great emperor,Brahamdatta,once had a counsellor who was both wise and able and who gave him sound and sane advice in all matters.
   One day the king was informed that there was a small revolt by the troops at the frontier.Gurgling with ire,the king,against the advice of this counsellor,set out at once along with his army to incarcerate and castigate the contumacious soldiers.
   On the way they camped for the night in a park.A duct was filled to the brim with peas for the stallions to masticate. While supervising the arrangements,the king noticed a small monkey clambering down from a larch.It helped itself to two handfuls of peas from the trough and returned to the larch.
    However,as the catarrhine roosted on an bough,a pea flumped down from its hand to the ground.At once,the platyrrhine scrabbled down to retrieve it.In the process,it lost all the peas.
   The counsellor now pointed this out to the emperor:
 "Your Majesty,see that monkey,"he trilled,"To retrieve one tiny pea,it has lost all."
  The king brooded about this in terms of his own situation.He realised his folly that to quell a small uprising,he had trooped out with his entire army,leaving his capital unprotected,in danger of enemy onslaught.
   So at once,the king ordered his troops to return.When he got home,he came to know that the rebels in the meanwhile,hearing that the king had set out to punish them,had fled in fear.
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MORAL--------CHASING AFTER TRIFLES RISKS THE LOSS OF GREATER THINGS.
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               [DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA]
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THE FRUIT-SELLER'S DAUGHTER

                                       [JAI MA KALI]
                 THE FRUIT-SELLER'S DAUGHTER
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  Once a great monarch had a very learned,wise and sagacious chief minister by the name of Bodhisatta.
  One day while the king was peeping through a window at the beautiful scenery outside,he heard the echo of the daughter of the fruit-seller vending her wares in the street.
  "Apples!Apples! Cop the rosy apples,"she intonated.
 When she emerged into the sight, the king noticed she was as beautiful as a Cindrela.Captivated,the king fell head over heels in love with her at once.On hearing next that she was a virgin,he made up his mind to tie the nuptial knot with her.
 So without brooking any delay,the king wedded the fruit-seller and she pearched on the throne beside him.The couple was very happy and got on well together.
 Later,one day while they were at the dining table,a dessert of scrumptious apples was served.Seeing the king gormandize the juicy red apple,the diva warbled:
 "What is that fruit you are nibbling at,My Lord?Where does it come from?"
 The king gurgled with ire on being pestered with these vague questions.He yapped:
 "Oh,daughter of the fruit-seller,have you forgotten that at one time you used to sell this fruit?Have you become too great and forgotten your past life?"
 Any explanation by the queen did not subdue the king.He decided to chuck her out of the palace.
 "Henceforth,you cease to be my spouse",he bawled to her.
 However,at this juncture the wise cMhief minister interjected:
"Sir,please forgive her.It is folly to forget one's former self,but by forgiving her you will show your own greatness and magnanimity."
 The compassionate king realising that forgiveness was divine,pardoned the diva.He be
came her guide and preached her about goodness and truth.In time she was a changed person--more humble and proud of her past
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MORAL:------NOMATTER WHERE YOU GO,REMEMBER WHERE YOU COME FROM.
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THE OTTERS AND THE JACKAL

                                            [JAI MA KALI]
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              THE OTTERS AND THE JACKAL
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   Once upon a time a cunning jackal and his pretty spouse dwelt in proximity to a great river.One day finding the jackal in a cheerful state of mind,the wife crooned in his ears,"My dear handsome hubby,for the last few days I have been desperately longing to gormandize some scrumptious fresh fish!Would you please get me some?"
  Moved by her earnest entreaty,the jackal assented.He instantaneously darted out to the river.Arriving on the bank of the river,he noticed a pair of otters.The otters were also in search of fresh fish.The jackal realising that the otters were better fishermen than he was, camouflaged himself behind a larch.He mulled over a trick to gull the gullible otters by pilfering a fish from the otters when they caught some.
   Very soon the jackal saw one otter plunge into the water.Moments later he emerged up with a large fish in his mouth.The fish was brought safely to land.Now a verbal duel ensued between the two otters.
  The otter who had caught the fish demanded a larger share.The other felt the fish should be sliced equally.The sly jackal waited with baited breath till things got a tad warm,then tiptoed forward.
"What is the trouble,friends?,he asked politely.
 The otters explained and the jackal trilled,"IN that case,I will be the judge.I will decide.I have great experience as a competent judge.I will sort out the problem."
   Upon which,he decreed that one otter would receive the head of the fish; the other would get the tail.While he claimed the body of the fish as his fee for judging.
   And it was only after he had quit the place that the otters realised they had been diddled by a clever trick of the jackal.
 When the jackal reached home his better-half warbled,"Darling,how did yFou manage to get this large fish?After all,you cannot swim."
 The scalawag jackal burst into peals of laughter and narrated her the story.His queen nodded in affirmation with her hubby that the otters deserved what they got for their mulishness.
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 MORAL OF THE STORY------
Fools in their quarrels deserve to lose,
What the opportunist claims as his dues !!!
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THE WISHING CUP

                                                [JAI MA KALI]
                       THE WISHING CUP
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            During the regime of king Brahamadatta,the Bodhisatta was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His pater was an opulent merchandiser.When he ceased to exist in flesh and blood,Bodhisatta took his place and inherited his vast fortune.
  Bodhisatta had a son.He was lethargic,careless and reckless sort of fellow.He believed in 'eating,drinking and making merry.'When Bodhisatta gave up ghost,the fortune passed into the hands of his son.Instead of taking up his pa's business,he,as per his bad habit,started playing ducks and drakes with the inherited lucre untrammeled.Soon he squandered all his wealth and became impecunious.He had to pass his days sans any viand.
    Bodhisatta,now feeling pity for him at his pathetic plight,appeared as Sakka,the king of the Gods.He then said to him:
"I gave you a chance to make good,my dear son,but you have failed!Now I am giving you a second chance."
 With which,he presented his son with a wishing cup.
"So long as you keep this wishing cup,you will be wealthy,"he explained,"Take good care of it."
  But the recalcitrant son did not heed his advice.With good fortune returning to him,once more he resumed his careless ways-eating,drinking and making merry.He even took drinking from the wishing cup and felt giddy pleasure in doing so.But as the ill luck would have it,one day whilst handling it carelessly,the cup tumbled down from his hand and lay in tits and bits on the floor.
   Instantaneously his fortune began to change.In a short while he had no money.Even his 'dollar money'was spent in making both ends meet.He became an indigent.He was not even able to find a crust of bread.In the end he perished due to hunger and weakness.
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 MORAL----- Miss a second chance and pay a heavier price.
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             -----DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA------
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FAST OR FARCE

                                             JAI MAA KAALI
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                         FAST   OR   FARCE
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  Once during the reign of king Brahmadatta,the Bodhisatta made himself exist as sakka,the king of the gods.One day Sakka saw a canid(wolf) stranded on a rock by the side of the river Ganges.As the river was in high flood at the time,the entire rock was surrounded by the water;and the helpless wolf got entrapped there and could not escape.
    Famished,the canid lay down to slumber.
  "Since I cannot arrange viand for myself,I will observe a Sabbath fast,"he chortled to himself.
 Sakka was watching him.He decided to test the wolf.He turned himself into a plump goat and emerged on the rock.
 The canid was on cloud nine to see the goat and was highly temted.He instantaneously pounced upon the goat to capture and gormandize it,saying;
"I will relish the scrumptious flesh of this goat now and fast later."
 But the goat eluded and dodged him in such a way that he finally gave up,exhausted.As he lay down to snooze once again he consoled himself:
 "I have not broken my fast,after all,"he said.
Upon which,Sakka now revealed himself to the wolf:
 "I put you to the test and you have badly failed,"he said sternly.
 The canid had no answer but to hang his head in utter shame.
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MORAL****An imposed fast has no value,if you are willing to fall the moment temptation comes.
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       *******DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA*******
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OVER- CONFIDENCE

                                                JAI MA KALI

                        OVER-CONFIDENCE

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 Once upon a time a marsh raven dwelt by a lake.As a terrible famine broke out in the land at that time,there was a shortage of food.But the marsh raven was not affected.He was able to gormandize plenty of fish from the lake.

  One day a pair of ravenous common crows happened to come to the lake.Seeing the comfort and luxury of the marsh crow,the hubby chirred to his spouse:

"Let us reside here,darling.We will woo the marsh crow to help us."

 So the crows began to live by the lake. They cajoled the marsh raven for help.

"We will be your servants,"they burred,"We will be at your beck and call and will ever remain faithful to thee.In return, please provide us with viands."

The marsh crow felt pity and acceded to their entreaties.The crows began to serve him and run errands for him.In return for their services,the marsh crow daily supplied them with fish.

 Few days rolled by.Then one day the husband mused to himself,"I am also a crow.I am as black as coal.I do have a beak.I,too, possess wings.Then why do I live as a parasite and beg the favour of the marsh crow for our food?Why must I serve him? from tomorrow I will do what he does.I will dive into the lake and catch fish for myself."So he told the marsh crow this.The marsh crow replied:

"Oh,don't be a chump.You are not built to catch fish.You can not swim.You would surely drown."

  But the foolish crow poo-poohed his advice. Next day

 he dived into the lake to hunt fish;but he could

 never come up again.

  When his consort heard what had happened,she was extremely sad and wept bitterly.

"I warned him,"cawed the marsh crow to her,"But he refused to listen."

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MORAL:  OVER-CONFIDENCE MEETS A SAD END !!

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UNSOLICITED ADVICE

                                          JAI MA KALI
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                           UNSOLICITED ADVICE
                          $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
        Once upon a time an industrious sparrow dwelt in a forest on the branch of a larch at the foot of the Himalayas.She lived in her nest as comfortably as a pea in a pod.
       One day a vagabond monkey happened to come there.He liked the place very much and decided to reside beneath the tree.Instead of building a dwelling for himself,he was content enough to sleep out in the open sky.He was most careless and reckless sort and was very lethargic. Not observing any strict routine,he loitered about hither and thither,doing nothing.His way of living was strongly disapproved by the sparrow who was extremely orderly.
  With the advent of monsoons,it started to rain cats and dogs.Sans any shelter over his head,the monkey was naturally drenched to the hilt.He plopped down shivering at the foot of the tree while the sparrow was snug in her nest.
    Observing the monkey's pathetic plight,the sparrow started to admonish him.
   "Nincompoop monkey!"She reprimanded,"Do you realize the folly of your careless ways? If you had not squandered your valuable time all summer,you'd have a proper habitation now.Instead of which you have to sit cooped up shivering in the rain and chill."
   At first the monkey paid no heed to what the sparrow said.But as time went on,and the sparrow continued to lecture,the monkey flew into unbridled fury and sizzled like an omelette.He decided th teach a befitting lesson to the sparrow.One day when the sparrow was out,the monkey clambered the tree and extirpated her cozy nest.
  "Serve her right!"reasoned the monkey,"This will teach her not to poke her nose into others affairs and mind her own business."
   When the sparrow returned and saw what had happened to her nest,she was very sad and burst into tears.She realised she should not have continued to give advice,when advice was not welcome.
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 MORAL OF THE STORY------ UNSOLICITED ADVICE IS SELDOM WELL-RECEIVED.
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                 ---------DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA
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