THY CHIPPY QUAILS

                                           JAI MA KALI
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                    THE CHIPPY QUAILS
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   Once upon a time,a large number of quails dwelt in a certain forest.They were a happy lot.Their leader was a very intelligent and prudent bird.They were passing their days blithely.
 As the ill luck would have it,a nimrod used to come daily into the forest and by mimicking the sound of the quail,entice the birds,then spread his net over the gullible birds and incarcerated them and carried them home.
 This became a daily routine.Consequently,the number of the quails started dwindling by leaps and bounds.This made their leader chew the cud to find a remedy for grappling with the problem.He advised his flock:
"Dear chums,henceforth,when the hunter spreads his net and you are snared,then grip a portion of the net by your beaks.Then soaring upwards simultaneously,deposit the net on a thorny bush.While the hunter gets engrossed in realising the net from the bush,all of you flee instantaneously."
 The quails followed this advice seriously.Next time when they were trapped,they lifted the net all together and flew with it to a thorny bush.When the hunter arrived and released the net from the bush,all the birds made made god their escape in the twinkling of an eye.Thus the quails managed to save themselves for a long time.However as the time passed,they grew a tad lethargic and became vainglorious and thought themselves to be invincible.
 One day ,as they were entrapped in the net,a quail by accident trampled upon the foot of another quail.The two began wrangling and soon other also joined in and there was an open warfare .A veritable bedlam was let loose.
Their leader seeing this trilled to himself,"If the pugnacious birds continue this way,they might not be able to escape the net.In sheer desperation,he jettisoned the forest lock,stock and barrel to seek shelter elsewhere.
Then shortly after the hunter spread his net,a large number of the quails were trapped.But instead of flying with the net to a thorny bush,the quails indulged into fueds.
"Why don't you lift the net?"yelled one at another.
"Why don't you?"retorded the other with ire.
 AS it continued, the hunter arrived and it was too late for the quails to escape.
 The hunter made a good catch that day and his spouse let out a yowl of joy to see the catch.
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 MORAL: WHEN UNITY FAILS,DISASTER PREVAILS.
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              ----DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA
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THE MALCONTENT BOVINE

                                           JAI MA KALI
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            THE  MALCONTENT  BOVINE
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 Once an opulent peasant had a pair of sturdy oxen.One was named'Big Red Ox' and the other who was a tad younger,'Little Red Ox.'
  The two were real brothers.The peasant made them toil and moil from dawn to dusk in his field.They had to lug the plow and do other related works.In return for their services,they received only straw and dry grass to chow down.
    The farmer had a beautiful young daughter of marriageable age.Her marriage was settled and she was to tie the nuptial knot with the son of a croesus,a resident of a nearby town.To kill the fatted calf for the celebration of the wedding and entertain the wedding guests,the peasant copped a pig,which he fed on healthy and scrumptious viands in order to fatten it.
   Seeing the swine being so nicely treated,Little Red Ox one day whimpered to his brother:
  "Respected brother,do you observe how the peasant pampers the pig and fleeces us ruthlessly?The bloody hog does nothing,yet he is given the 'creme de la cr'me'victuals to chomp on.We labor the whole day without any grudge but the master offers us only straw and dry grass to masticate."
    "Oh,calm down.don't envy that hog.His situation is not at all enviable.He will be slaughtered very shortly to feed those wedding guests.The luscious cates it receives are being given with an ulterior motive."consoled Big Red Ox.
     However, Little Red Ox was not mollified.He continued to sizzle with anguish and envy.
   Then one day he was aghast to see the hapless and helpless pig yanked out and ruthlessly butchered.He realised the truth that in spite of poor vittles he received,his situation was far far better.
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MORAL----Better to chew plain fare and live long,than gobble up grand fare and get butchered.
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                   ----DEVENDRA  SRIVASTAVA
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CATARRHINE VS. CACODEMON

                  (JAI MA KALI)
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      CATARRHINE VS. CACODEMON
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  Once a troop of catarrhines lived in a dense forest.Their leader was very intelligent.He knew every nook and cranny of the jungle very well like the palm of his hand as he had seen the light of the earth there.He was also well aware of the fact that the forest was infested with horrible cacodemons and trees bearing highly venomous fruits.So he cautioned his troop of these things:
"Make it a point to consult me prior to nibbling at any thing or quaffing water,"he counseled,"Otherwise you might come to grievous harm."
   Thus,the platyrrhines followed their leader implicitly and unflinchingly.
    One day some catarrhines gallivanted quite far from their habitat.The sweltering heat at that time made their throats parch and they badly needed water to drink.Searching high and low for a lake or river,they spotted a large lake of cool aqua.They trooped there blithely and were about to enter the lake to swill,one platyrrhine suddenly gibbered:
"Have you forgotten the warning of our leader?We must consult him first."
  "Yes,"assented some in chorus.
 As the leader was not there at that time,the others were adamant to swill the water.At this,a frightful argument arose among themselves.Blows were exchanged and some of them got badly battered. 
 Fortunately,their leader arrived there in the nick of time before the situation went out of control.He dashed to examine the lake.
 The wise leader noticed that there were footprints entering the lake but none came out again.So he claimed that a cacodemon lived in the water.He cautioned his troop not to go near the lake.
  At that very moment,a cacodemon emerged out of the water and burst into peals of laughter to know how thirsty the catarrhines were.He threw the gauntlet to them;
 "Just dare to quaff water from the lake,I will gormandize all of you in the twinkling of an eye."
 The leader felt humiliated and offended.He chewed the cud for a way to drink water without getting close to the lake.An idea struck him.He put together a number of hollow reeds,like a straw and slid one end into the water.The other end he popped in his mouth and from a safe distance sucked up the water.
 All the other platyrrhines swigged the water one by one.They jeered the the cacodemon as he looked on helplessly and powerless,yammering with unbridled fury as unless they entered the lake he could not gobble up them.

MORAL------THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED GOAL.
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                  -------DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA.

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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    **********DEVENDRA SRIVASTAVA*******
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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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