Bag of Moral Stories - HD PDF

BAG OF SHORT
MORAL STORIES
© 2019 Bhanu Chander V

This book is free to distribute and is not intended for sale.
BAG OF SHORT MORAL STORIES
I’m here today because of the problems that I faced

and the morals that I learned when I was young!
This book tries to demonstrate the importance of

moral thoughts—that we, as a human, should be
having in our day to day life. The list of points at the
end of each story was meant to highlight the important
lessons that we can learn from that particular story.
I strongly believe that reading short moral stories
(especially at an early age) would help our thought
process mature and would make us behave ethically.
And, that’s the very reason why I considered
distributing this book for free so that this will reach to
everyone. I hope this free book will be helpful to you and
your children/family/friends. Also, help me in spreading
this book through your social media.
I’m ever thankful to my family, teachers, friends and
relatives—whom are directly as well as indirectly
responsible for my success.
Thanks!
Bhanu.
17th May 2019.
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Bhanu Chander V
PREFACE ......................................................................... 1
About the Author .......................................................... 4
Story 1 – Digging the water well ................................ 6
Story 2 – The biggest diamond .................................. 16
Story 3 – I won the challenge ................................... 29
Story 4 – The magical Tree ........................................ 37
Story 5 – A Competition between a Bicycle, Car,
Truck, Ferry ..................................................................... 52
and a Plane .................................................................. 52
Story 6 – A diamond to the sage .............................. 67
Story 7 – The merchant and his dog ........................ 80
Story 8 – The story of Rivers .................................... 89
Story 9 – The never-ending desires ....................... 100
Story 10 – Who is the king of Vidyaranya? ..............112
Story 11 – An eye for an eye...................................... 125
Story 12 – The Two Dearest Friends........................ 137
Story 12 – The Cunning Fox ..................................... 147
Story 13 – Your problems are simpler than mine .. 158
Story 14 – The greedy man and his gold ................ 174
Story 15 – Expecting to be asked .............................189
Story 16 – I want the best......................................... 195
Story 17 – The Real Rakshas.................................... 205
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Story 18 – The Changes that were too difficult to

digest .............................................................................. 222
Story 19 – I became old ............................................ 235
Story 20 – Touch me not ......................................... 242
Story 21 – The Insane Idea ....................................... 251
Story 22 – A challenge between an ant and an
elephant ......................................................................... 261
Story 23 – The story of a white and a black horse 273
Story 24 – A race to become the king ..................... 286
Story 25 – The Greatest Doctor ............................... 295
Story 26 – I’ve a new status .................................... 307
Story 27 – The two friends .......................................319
Story 28 – A Miraculous Treatment ....................... 329
Story 29 – The Interview ......................................... 340
Story 30 – The God’s mistake ................................. 349
Story 31 - The Marriage of a Prince ........................ 358
Story 32 - The story of a donkey and a horse ........ 372
Story 33 – The Loyal Dog .......................................... 381
Story 34 – The King and his two sons.................... 389
Story 35 – What is this fruit called? ....................... 403
Story 36 – A bridegroom selection .......................... 413
Story 37 – A Magical Utensil ................................... 426
Story 38 – The warrior brothers ............................. 438
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Bhanu Chander V
Bhanu Chander V completed his masters in

Robotics (M.S. by Research) from IIT Madras,
India. Apart from being passionate about
research and engineering, he is a social worker,
career and life counsellor, motivator, mentor
and educationalist too.
His blog Stuff you look has been providing self-
study guides and free materials to hundreds of
design students every year. Through his personal
blog Bhanu stuff he had shared free career
related digital posters, videos and PDFs in order
to help the youngsters in choosing a right
career/course for their bright future. He had
also sent the printed posters to hundreds of
govt. schools around Tirupati. He had compiled
a list of Indian scholarships in a dedicated
booklet form (exclusively made for the poor and
the deserved) and has been sharing that across
India through social media.
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Bhanu had authored two books before

publishing this book. The first book titled ‘Now
I Know Who I am’ is a fiction fantasy tale of a
super hero. His second book ‘Experience It –
Learn the Secrets of a Successful and Happy
Life from an IITian’ is all about providing
confidence and positive energy to the readers–
by way of his personal life experiences, few short
moral stories (four of them are included in this
book) and also some important points on how
to lead a happy life.
Find him in
Facebook
Instagram
Linkedin
Pinterest
Twitter
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Bhanu Chander V
Content first, language next.

Don’t judge a person by his/her looks. Judge a
person by his/her behavior. Likewise, don’t judge a
book by its cover or language. Give importance to its
content rather than language. I’ve shared some of
my best thoughts in this book minding content.
Please ignore any grammatical errors.
Mukesh hit the ground with his hoe (a long-

handled tool to dig)—with the expectation of
seeing water. He had already dug seventeen
meters deep into the earth. It had been several
weeks since he started his attempt of finding
water. Just like any other farmer in his village,
Mukesh was desperate of finding water for his
farm land—as there were no rains in the past
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one year. His hoe worked tirelessly just like he

worked.
‘No matter what happens, I will complete this
well.’ Mukesh was determined. He continued
digging for three more hours before his eyes
shone. As he dug the earth, he noticed the earth
to be wet.
‘I’m almost there. Just a few more feet to dig and
the water will be available in plenty.’ His
happiness had no bounds.
Out of enthusiasm, he kept digging fast, when
he heard his wife calling him from above the
well.
‘Look what is happening up here! Looks like
God has turned merciful on you after seeing
your hard work!’
Mukesh couldn’t understand what she meant
until rain drops started falling on him.
It was raining!
‘Raining?’ Mukesh’s eyes were filled with
tears. He witnessed rain drops for the first time
after several months. The hoe in his hand fell
down without his notice. He stood there like a
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Bhanu Chander V
statue for several minutes until he heard the

shouts of his wife from above the well.
‘My dear husband, our good days has started.
Let’s catch the rain water in tubs and drums.’
Mukesh told her about his finding of wet mud.
She became excited. ‘This is the happiest
moment in our life. We should enjoy this
moment. Come up quickly and join our
children.’
‘I’ve to dig just a few feet before I complete
this well. What shall I do now? Complete this
work and come up later or do this digging later
and come up now?’ Mukesh asked her wife out
of confusion.
His wife was however excited by the rain. She
replied,
‘Husband, you have been working all these
weeks but nothing turned up. Why do you waste
your time digging there? You can dig it later
also. This is a life time chance and you shouldn’t
miss enjoying this minute.’
Mukesh had always valued her decision. Out
of excitement, he threw the tool there itself and
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climbed through the well in just few minutes.

By then, their children were playing in the rain.
He too joined them along with his wife. It rained
continuously for two hours. Since it was already
dark, the happy family took the shelter of their
home and engaged in making varieties of food.
They organized a feast with whatever they had
and spent hours in cooking and eating—before
they slept.
The next morning, Mukesh felt lazy of
digging the well and so he continued lying on
the bed. Half an hour later he heard the cries of
his wife. Surprised, he looked around and saw
his wife near the well—that was around fifty
meters far from their home. He rushed there
doubtfully and saw her wife weeping like a
child.
Since the well was not filled with water before
the rain and because of the rain water flow, the
walls of the well got eroded—making it collapse
into the well. Almost half of the dug well got
buried by the collapsed earth. There was no sign
of rain water—as the water got seeped through
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Bhanu Chander V
the earth owing to the extreme dryness of the

earth.
‘Husband, I shouldn’t have suggested you to
come out of the well before you finished it. We
haven’t stored the rain water also—because of
getting over-excited. We could’ve at least
stored the rain water in tubs and bowls. Now,
only our tears are left!’
Mukesh stood dumb. He thought, ‘I was lucky
enough to get two opportunities at a time but was
also unlucky to lose them both. I should’ve
completed this well regardless of the rain!’
Helpless, he started digging the well again.
Morals and important points from the story:

1. Because you seem to get some alternative
now, you should not leave/drop your
progress towards your ambitions.
2. Sometimes, deciding to drop in the middle
just because you got some temporary
arrangement/solution would happen with
a cost. Just like in this story, there is a good
10
chance that you might neither get the

temporary one nor your actual target.
3. If started, under any circumstances, aim to
complete—even if it is lengthy or doubtful
or time taking etc.
4. Mukesh could’ve just needed an hour
before he finished digging the well. He
could’ve enjoyed with his family after that
hour. However, seeing the rain (another
source), he got excited—because of which
he left the current task at hand.
5. After Mukesh came out of the well seeing
the rain, he and his wife could’ve at least
stored the rain water in some way. They
didn’t do that and hence they suffered for
the next few weeks despite the rain. They
had to depend on their neighbors for
water.
6. Even if they had stored the rain water, it
would’ve lasted only for a week or so. His
wife should’ve understood that and
should’ve asked him to complete the well
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Bhanu Chander V
instead of getting excited by the temporary

solution (the rain).
7. Although Mukesh’s hard work for more
than a year had no fruit (he couldn’t find
water before the day of rain), he didn’t lose
his enthusiasm. That’s because, he had no
other source and his only hope was on the
well that he was digging. He made it his
only target that he didn’t mind spending
some many months instead of taking up
some other job. But the moment Mukesh
saw the rain, his determination to
complete the well dropped at once. He was
not interested in it anymore and hence he
was at loss.
8. The moment Mukesh saw the rain, he got
a new hope. But his new hope of rain water
destroyed his actual hope on the well.
Within a few minutes of the rain, he
started getting opposite feelings on the
well work. He cursed the well work
thinking that it had eaten his time. That
moment, he felt dissatisfied of the well
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work and gave less important to that.

Because of his change in feelings, he
ignored the well work. And hence,
afterwards, he regretted.
9. Just like Mukesh’s case in the above point,
if you too take your commitments
lightly—because of getting diverted by
something else—then probably you will
regret for that. It’s better if you continue
with whatever you’ve taken up. Success will
follow automatically!
10. A real hard worker will never feel like
his hard work is going waste. Only when
he stops his hard work, he would get that
thought of his hard work going waste.
11. Follow the work and success will
automatically follow you. However, don’t
expect success in everything you do. At
times, you need to fail to achieve a bigger
success—by way of important life
learnings/experiences.
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Bhanu Chander V
12. At times, your over-excitement

might turn your smooth life into a tough
one.
13.Temporary results are just temporary.
Don’t put a full-stop or a comma to your
journey towards your success. Aim for
your actual target in your original speed.
14. Mukesh did several mistakes as
listed: Leaving the ongoing task, relying
on a temporary solution, not listening to
what his heart told—but listening to
others (his wife’s) decision, and becoming
lazy when he felt he found a solution to his
water problem.
15. Mukesh was actually aware that the
rain would be a temporary source of water
and the well water would be a permanent
source. But his wife’s words blinded him.
He ignored his ability to analyze (and
chose) the right decision.
16. Don’t just blindly depend on the
decisions suggested by others. Take others
decisions as a second opinion—only to add
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to your view/judgement—before you

decide by yourself. You are the best judge
to your problems.
17. After the well collapsed, Mukesh realized his
mistake and got engaged in the well work
again. Only after many weeks of hard work he
was able to dig it again. This process costed
him time, effort, patience etc. While the other
farmers did a little farming with the collected
and stored rain water, Mukesh’s family
couldn’t start the farming but had to starve
till the well got completed. In other words,
their mistake had caused them suffer for a
longer period.
18.Mukesh would’ve been the greatest fool on
earth if he had repeated the same mistake
again. With just one experience, we should be
able to learn from it (the causes behind the
failure and the possible ways of tackling it)
and should be in a position to avoid the
repetition of the same mistake again in the
future. If we couldn’t do this, then the
mistakes might keep happening again and
again!
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Bhanu Chander V
Long ago, in the kingdom of Thantripur, there

lived a greedy rice trader named Shatabdi. He
was known for cheating his customers. He sells
rice at a higher price, apart from employing
tricks to increase the weight of the sold rice.
Because he pays bribes to the chief of the
soldiers, he used to get full cooperation from
them. Within few months of his association
with the higher authorities, he started devising
more plans to increase his profits. He ensured
that he was the sole trader in the whole town
and made all the farmers sell all the raw goods
only to him at cheaper rates. However, he sold
the goods to the public at relatively higher
prices. His life was thus filled with full of profits
and money. It so happened that Jogendra
chanced to visit Thantripur. Jogendra was a
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famous Maharshi from Himalaya. Shatabdi

came to hear about his powers. He rushed to the
spot where sage Jogendra was seated under the
shade of a tree. He paid respects and offered a
few fruits to Jogendra. The fruits were rotten by
then. Using his powers, Jogendra understood
Shatabdi’s miser character. He accepted the
fruits with a grin.
‘What brings you here, Son? You seem to be
desirous of something from quite a long time?’
Shatabdi was hesitant of revealing his desire.
When Jogendra insisted, he spoke, ‘Swamy,
right from my youth, I have longed to get a
diamond of the size of a human head. I heard
from forefathers that only one of such kind is
available in this world. Could you please help
me spot that?’
Jogendra grinned. After a minute thought he
spoke, ‘Shatabdi, finding that rare diamond is
not going to be easy. It definitely isn’t a one
man work and needs a lot of effort. The thing is
the diamond keeps changing its location
because of natural movements. Nevertheless,
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Bhanu Chander V
I’ve already located its presence. Fortunately, at

present, it’s not very far from here. But let me
know whether you are willing to take the risk or
not? And, you have to promise me to become my
disciple and join my discipline group at
Himalaya—exactly after fifteen years from
now.’
Shatabdi was overwhelmed with joy. ‘I’m
ready to take any risk for the sake of that
diamond, Swamiji. I will try to join your
disciples after fifteen years, like you
conditioned. I would be much obliged if you can
help me find that diamond. Apart from that, I
won’t hesitate to gift you a basket full of gold
and silver coins.’
Jogendra laughed, ‘You fool, what will a sage
like me do with gold and silver? In fact, if I were
in need of money, I would’ve taken that
diamond by myself. Nonetheless, I will tell you
the exact location of the diamond.’ He made
Shatabdi collect some dried leaves. He spread
the dry leaves on the floor and sprinkled the
sacred water on top of the leaves from his
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kamandal (A kamandal is a copper utensil

possessed a by sage in which he collects sacred
water from several rivers). No sooner did he
sprinkled the auspicious water, the dry leaves
reshaped and aligned such that they formed a
hard paper. Soon, a map appeared on the paper.
Shatabdi excitement had no bounds as he
witnessed the magical formation of the map.
He returned home after he took leave from
Jogendra. Without wasting time, he arranged all
the necessities for his family and then started
his journey to fulfill his quest of finding the
precious diamond. It took him almost a month
to reach the destined location. Shatabdi, with
the help of the map and the instructions given
by the Maharshi, was able to trace the diamond
near the banks of a river. Overwhelmed with joy,
he started back to home with the diamond.
Shatabdi was almost halfway when he chanced
to meet Jogendra at a village. The sage came to
that village in search of new disciples.
‘Shatabdi, Thantripur’s time is running bad
now. Despite your king’s attempt of sustaining
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Bhanu Chander V
peace and prosperity in the kingdom, rains

couldn’t take place. All the agricultural lands
dried up. There is no drinking water even for the
king. He couldn’t build a reservoir or fetch
water from the neighboring kingdoms for he is
in bankruptcy. It is sad to see the struggle of the
people at Thantripur. I have to continue my
journey to the other kingdoms to fulfill my
quest. Hurry to your home and see the
conditions there. And, don’t forget to join my
disciple group after fifteen years.’ The sage
walked away.
Shatabdi rushed to Thantripur. Situation was
very bad everywhere just like the sage had
mentioned. Children, youth, adults and old were
all suffering because of the drought. All the
agricultural lands had dried up. He hurried to
his home and witnessed the suffering of his
wife and children because of dehydration. Tears
rolled over his cheeks as he witnessed their
helpless state. He was moved by the condition
of his family and his native kingdom. With that,
he made his mind to do something.
20
He cut the diamond into pieces and sold them

in other kingdoms. He collected all the money,
using which he engaged many people to dug
wells at several parts of the kingdom. That way
he gave employment to numerous unemployed
youngsters. He met the king and exhibited his
interest in using his money to construct a
canal—meant to divert water from the nearby
kingdom to their whole kingdom. The king felt
happy with the humanity of Shatabdi. He acted
immediately by consulting the neighboring
rulers. He got their support in exchange for the
precious diamond pieces and the collected
money. The canal works progressed at a rapid
speed. Within ten days of thousands of workers
work, the canal was made ready and water was
made to flow to Thantripur. Even though
Shatabdi was greedy by nature, he solved the
most important problem of his kingdom.
He didn’t stop there. He constructed several
reservoirs, rainwater harvesting tanks,
numerous wells and also an underwater
system—all using the money obtained by
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Bhanu Chander V
selling the diamond pieces. The king offered

him the post of welfare minister of Thantripur.
Fifteen years passed. Shatabdi couldn’t even
remember his promise of becoming a disciple to
the sage. He was totally carried away by the
social works and in solving peoples’ problems.
By then, he had utilized all the money.
Thantripur shone like a heaven—with
prosperity and happiness everywhere. Jogendra
remembered the promise of Shatabdi and
expected him to bring in more disciplines along
with him, someday.
It was time for Shatabdi to leave his body.
Even Jogendra decided to attain moksha (going
back to Godhead). After they both died,
Shatabdi’s soul was taken to heaven while
Jogendra’s soul was taken to hell. The Maharshi
became very angry that he quarreled with the
death god (Yama). He demanded an explanation
for why he was taken there and why not
Shatabdi.
The lord of death explained, ‘Though
Shatabdi was a miser and though he had never-
22
ending material desires, he turned a pure

humane. He sacrificed the precious diamond for
the well-being of people. He became a helping
hand to the deserved. His realization had turned
him into a right man. So, all his past sins got
nullified by his pious acts. But you being a sage,
you didn’t warn the king about the drought.
Apart from that, you helped Shatabdi when he
was a greedy man. Instead of teaching him good
manners, you made him achieve his greedy
desire—with the intention of making him your
follower. You are only concerned about
increasing your followers count. On top of all,
when the drought was prevailing, you left the
place in search of new disciples rather than
staying back at Thantripur to assist the people.
It appears that you are greedier than him. You
don’t deserve even to see the gates of heaven,
forget about entering it.’ Saying so, Yama asked
his men to put him in a cell.
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Bhanu Chander V

1. Regardless of being greedy or self-
centered or money minded, be humane.
2. Your pious acts will save you from your
past sins. Nevertheless, whether you are
involved in good or not, not being involved
in sins is the greatest virtue.
3. The sage escaped when there was a
problem, but the trader assisted everyone.
The trader is the greatest person when
compared to the sage.
4. It’s not all about your past. Concern more
about how your present and future are
going to be.
5. Dressing like a sage is of no use. Acting like a
sage makes the difference. Being humane
matters a lot than being sage.
6. It’s quite natural for a sage to help people.
In fact, that’s the usual expectation from a
pious man. Likewise, a king involved in
humane acts is also normal. That’s
because that’s his duty. There is no
greatness in their (king and sage) acts
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because they are bound to do so. However,

being a common man (trader in specific)
and doing even a single humane act is
highly appreciable. Because, that’s his out-
of-responsibility.
7. Jogendra could’ve simply stayed at
Himalayas and continued his meditation,
instead of wandering places in search of
more followers. The former signifies his
detachment state and the later shows his
selfishness and his desire to get a name.
8. The sins of the trader’s misery and greedy
acts were nullified by his timely act of
assisting people.
9. Whether you do good or not, never
consider doing (or thinking) bad. It is
100% better to keep quiet rather than
hurting someone.
10. The sage would’ve been taken to
heaven if he had visited the kingdoms to
teach good things to the people (but not in
search of new disciples) or if he had stayed
back in Thantripur during the drought.
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Bhanu Chander V
11. Trying to escape when someone is in

trouble shows your incapability. It will
fetch you a bad name.
12. The thought of helping is itself a
great act.
13.No matter how many good deeds you do
(let the count be in thousands), a single
bad deed is sufficient to destroy your fame.
14. It takes several months to construct a
building (to build fame). But it takes only
a few minutes to destroy it.
15. The trader was given an opportunity
to become a hero by way of drought
situation. The trader utilized the
opportunity to turn good and hence he
became a hero. Had the case he went
greedy by not using the diamond for good,
his whole property would’ve been at loss
and he would’ve stayed just like before—
with the name ‘The greedy trader.’
16. No matter how bad we were earlier,
life gives numerous chances to us to
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change. Only the wise utilizes the

opportunities.
17. The King of Thantripur was made to
face the bad luck (in the form of drought)
for a reason. Only because of the bad luck,
the king was able to get a good friend—
Shatabdi—who later became the best
helping hand he ever had.
18. Bad lucks in our life are meant to
provide several new opportunities and
advantages. Try to experience the back
lucks and utilize the opportunities to
explore and/or hone your hidden skills.
19. Like prevention is better than cure,
preventing bad is better than doing good.
20. The situation of drought was a test to
the sage, the king and the trader. The
trader and the king won the test and
thereby they lead a happy life. But the sage
lost the test and so he couldn’t attain peace
even after his death.
21. Regardless of the degree of goodness,
every person will be tested often-to check
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Bhanu Chander V
if they have changed. For a bad person, a

chance to turn good would be given. And,
for a good person, he/she will be tested
whether he/she is still good and was not
affected by any means.
22. Upgrading from greedy/bad to good
is appreciable. But, downgrading from
good to bad (out of selfishness? or other
cause) is highly undesirable. Check your
status at every stage of your life.
28
Thikkappa lived in the northern part of

Thantripur. As the name suggests, he was a
dullard by nature. Apart from that, he was very
stubborn. He never accepted defeat. He lived by
selling vegetables. The villagers were aware of
his nature. One day, he traveled to Virupanagar,
the town nearby to their village, to sell some
vegetables at the fair. While returning back
from Virupanagar, he had to walk through a
forest. Because he had nothing to carry, he
walked fast.
He met Raju, a fellow villager, when they were
six kilometers far from their village. Raju was
carrying a sack full of coconuts on his
shoulders, which weighed not less than thirty
kilos. He was walking with difficulty for he had
traveled five kilometers with the coconut sack.
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Bhanu Chander V
When Raju saw Thikkappa, he felt greatly

relieved. He believed that he would not feel the
weight of the sack while they talk and walk
together. But his expectation went wrong.
Instead of having a friendly conversation,
Thikkappa started boasting about himself. In a
few minutes, Raju became intolerable of
Thikkappa’s self-praises. Raju decided to teach
him a lesson. He recalled Thikkappa’s adamant
nature and came up with a plan.
‘You say you are great. But I couldn’t see any
greatness in you. Not even 5%,’ said Raju
inattentively. He pretended as if he walked
casually alongside Thikkappa.
Thikkappa became furious hearing to Raju.
‘What made you say so?’ He yelled.
‘It’s quite obvious. You never showed me the
qualities of a great man.’
‘And what are those qualities that you’re
talking about?’ demanded Thikkappa.
‘A person will be considered great only when
he has physical stamina,’ replied Raju cleverly.
‘Well. Even I’ve good stamina.’
30
‘But you never proved that.’

‘I will prove you wrong by showing my
greatness. Give me the toughest physical task,’
said Thikkappa without even thinking for a
minute.
Raju pretended as if he was thinking. He
looked sideways and inspected the
surroundings. After a few minutes, he waved his
head as if he couldn’t find a suitable test to
Thikkappa.
‘What happened? You couldn’t find a worthy
task for me.’ Thikkappa laughed proudly.
‘Well, Yes. But I do have a better plan to test
your stamina right away. Anyway, forget about
it. We will have an easy test for you some other
day in the village.’
‘No, no. Tell me that plan for the immediate
test. I can’t wait too long to prove myself.’
‘So, be it. The test is to carry my sack till we
reach my home. If you succeed to carry the sack
without feeling tired, I will accept that you are
the greatest man on this earth.’
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Bhanu Chander V
‘What are you waiting for then? Give me that

sack.’ Saying so he grabbed the sack and started
walking with a pride on his face. Raju felt
greatly relieved from the load. Thikkappa felt
the pain of carrying the load in just fifteen
minutes. But, to maintain his status, he didn’t
exhibit his pain in front of Raju. He was afraid
that Raju would speak low about him in front of
all the villagers and so he did his best to carry
the loaded sack and hide his pain. Raju was
aware of Thikkappa’s state. Yet, he remained
quiet as if he didn’t notice Thikkappa’a
struggle. With a great struggle, Thikkappa
managed to carry the sack to Raju’s house.
‘Is this enough to make you agree that ’m
great?’ questioned Thikkappa while he puffed
heavily.
‘Of course, yes. I agree that you are the
greatest.’ Raju took the sack from him and
dropped it in a corner as he thought:
‘I’m looking at the greatest fool on this earth!’
32
While Raju laughed internally, Thikkappa

walked away with a pride face, taking utmost
care of hiding the expression of his back pain.

1. Being adamant and exhibiting pride will
add advantages to others while they bring
disadvantages to self. This type of people
will never have real friends in their life.
2. Though Raju had no intention of tricking
him, Thikkappa gave the clue by himself.
In fact, Thikkappa forced Raju to test his
caliber. That’s how the foolish acts most of
the times.
3. An idiot will give several opportunities to
others to screw himself.
4. There is no need to prove yourself to
others if you really have the capability.
Only the ignorant tries to show off.
5. A real talent will be recognized
automatically, regardless of the
place/situation.
33
Bhanu Chander V
6. A half pot always makes noise while a full

pot never makes noise.
7. The real strength is in preventing the traps
spun by others for your downfall.
8. Either work or keep quiet. It’s better if you
mind your own work and prevent
showcasing yourself to others. Only the
unwise strives to prove their abilities. The
wise remains silent for most of the times.
9. Had the case Thikkappa was not adamant,
he would’ve just been a fellow traveler to
Raju. In fact, if he had helped Raju out of
humanism (rather than for test purpose),
Raju would’ve spread about his good
nature to the villagers. On top of that,
Thikkappa would’ve received help from
Raju in future too.
10. As long as Thikkappa is foolish and
adamant, someone or the other will keep
cheating/exploiting him by taking
advantage of his nature/attitude).
11. Better stay calm if you don’t have talent.
Instead, if you try to command others with
34
your incomplete talent, then you will

become the laughing stock in front of
everyone. In addition, you will lose your
leftover reputation.
12. Real strength is not in physical
stamina but is in self-confidence and in
being wise.
13.Trying to show off your talents
unnecessarily and in front of undeserved
people might make your efforts go waste.
On top of that, you might lose your current
level of confidence on your skills.
14. Some people are so dumb that they
cannot distinguish between a good skill
and an ordinary skill. A person who is
always interested in getting highlighted
will get disturbed because of not getting
appreciation or getting rejected by the
above said people. So, regardless of the
people’s reception, we should progress
forward.
15. Many a times, easy going and not
minding the gossips, rumors etc. would
35
Bhanu Chander V
save your time, money, energy and keeps

you in good health. Taking everything into
your mind will increase your stress level.
16. Try to make friends, not competitors!
17. The more competitors you develop,
the more will be your burden and
headache.
18. We are not the only genius in this
world. We need not have to be in the top
always (and in everything).
19. If someone has surpassed your
success, then don’t consider that as
domination. Instead, take the case as the
means of progressing/developing further
by way of upgradation. Such scenarios will
actually help you open up new possibilities
or talents.
36
Once upon a time, a poor villager by the name

Shatabdi used to live by selling buttermilk.
Seeing his pitiful condition, an old man advised
him to sell buttermilk at Thantripur, the capital
city, that was little far from their village.
‘At Thantripur you can sell buttermilk at a
higher price and you will find more customers,’
advised the old man.
Shatabdi thanked him for his kindness. Next
morning, he woke up very early and got ready
before he churned and prepared buttermilk.
Ensuring that he had prepared the best quality
liquid, he filled that in a mud pot and set to
Thantripur. The day was lucky for him for all
the buttermilk got sold in a matter of few
hours—that too with a good profit. He felt
happy. He roamed around till that afternoon
37
Bhanu Chander V
and enjoyed the sight of the constructions and

architecture of the capital city. Little later he
decided to return back to his village and sell
some more buttermilk in the village instead of
wasting his time there. With that thought, he
started back to his village. He had to pass
through a forest to reach his village. It was mid
noon and a sunny day. Shatabdi had to break in
between to relax and refresh. As he crossed the
mid of the forest, he sat under the shadow of a
banyan tree. There was a one feet trench around
the tree’s circumference. It appeared as if
someone had dug it to water the big banyan
tree.
‘Hello there, what’s in that pot?’ a male voice
was heard to the surprise of Shatabdi. Shatabdi
turned around to see if someone was speaking
to him. To his astonishment, no one was
present.
‘What’s in that pot?’ He heard the same
question again.
This time Shatabdi became little frightened.
His body quivered. He replied with a shivering
38
voice, ‘The pot has some water in it. Who are

you? Where are you hiding?’
‘I’m behind you.’
Shatabdi turned back slowly, expecting a
ghost behind him. But nothing was seen except
the tree trunk.
‘I’m unable to see you,’ replied Shatabdi, his
body was still shivering.
‘You’re looking at me. I’m the tree right
behind you.’ Shatabdi was shocked to death. He
got the confirmation after a careful observation.
He saw two eye like formations on the tree
trunk. The tree branches waved rhythmically in
order to make him sure of its presence.
‘Yes. The tree is speaking,’ Shatabdi got so
scared that he attempted to run away thinking
that it was a ghostly tree. But the next words
spoken by the tree stopped him.
‘There were no rains from the past few
months and I’m feeling very thirsty now. Would
you be kind enough to curb my thirst by pouring
that water on the trench?’
39
Bhanu Chander V
Shatabdi gazed at the tree. It definitely looked

thirsty for its branches and leaves were all dried
up. Shatabdi felt sorry for its condition. He
immediately poured the leftover water in the
trench. As soon as the water touched the
ground, it seeped into the earth without
showing the sign of wetness.
‘The earth must be really dry.’ Shatabdi thought
for a minute. He remembered a small pond on
the way, which is fortunately near to the tree.
He ran to the pond, carried a pot full of water
and poured it in the trench. He didn’t stop there.
He did several to-and-fro movements between
the pond and the tree until the trench got
completely filled with water. It took him more
than two hours to complete the job. By then
Shatabdi was totally worn out. But he felt happy
for what he did. After completing the job, he
gazed at the tree. The tree had regained its
strength and appeared somewhat fresh. Leaves
started coloring to green.
40
‘Very well. I guess you will not feel thirsty for

several days from today.’ He grinned. The
banyan tree shook its branches exhibiting joy.
‘Oh kind one, you have poured fifty-four pots
of water. I pray for your long life. God will
certainly take care of your needs owing to your
merciful act.’ Shatabdi smiled and started back
to the village. Though tired, he felt happy for
what he did. He observed the similar condition
of the other trees and wondered what he could
do to all of them. He didn’t realize that he had
already reached his home while he was
thinking. He unlocked his hut only to get the
shock of his life. His hut was flooded with
several golden pots stacked one above the
other—all filled with gold coins up to the brim.
He rubbed his eyes to confirm. It was for sure
that he wasn’t dreaming. He counted the
number of pots present.
‘That’s exactly fifty-four! This must have
happened because of the blessing of the banyan
tree.’ Shatabdi became happy for the kindness of
the tree. He thanked it heartily.
41
Bhanu Chander V
Soon, he got a new palace, married a poor

woman and started numerous businesses. He
employed several jobless and orphan
youngsters and paid them high—to make their
lives better. Soon, his business expanded. He
never did business by cheating others or by
using wrong strategies. He employed several
workmen to take care of the trees and to sustain
the naturality of the forest. But Shatabdi never
visited the tree again, for he was sure that the
tree would gift him if he takes care of it. He
wished to earn money by hard work. At the
same time, he didn’t want to stop watering the
tree. He therefore asked his men to take care of
the banyan tree just like they took care of the
other trees. However, the tree never spoke with
any workmen.
Drustendra, a merchant and a neighbor to
Shatabdi, had witnessed his abrupt growth. He
wondered how the poor and silly boy became
rich overnight. In fact, he felt jealous of him and
didn’t liked him for the boy was wasting money
on forests and trees.
42
‘Such an idiot,’ he thought. ‘He could’ve done

business with that and made large margins.’ He
was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to know
the secret behind his sudden fortune. As a
matter of curiosity, he visited Shatabdi’s home
as if he went on a business work. While talking,
he kept his face sad and lied to Shatabdi that his
children were starving because of his business
loss. Shatabdi was moved by his condition. He
offered a deal and a partnership with him. But
Drustendra expressed his desire to move to
Thantripur and do business.
‘Not all are as lucky as you for you became
rich overnight.’
Drustendra tried all his ways of getting the
secret out of his mouth. At last, Shatabdi told
him everything about the banyan tree and how
he got the gold coins. The greedy Drustendra
took leave from him and returned home. He got
prepared to meet the banyan tree and wore one
of his oldest torn cloths. Instead of carrying a
regular size bowl, he carried a medium size
bowl, expecting that the tree would gift him as
43
Bhanu Chander V
many times as he pour water in the trench. No

sooner did he reach the place, Drustendra went
straight to the tree.
For a few minutes he acted as if he was not
observing the tree. The tree didn’t speak at all.
Drustendra lost his patience that he faced the
tree trunk and spoke:
‘Hey you, the tree. Why don’t you ask what
I’ve in the bowl?’ The tree didn’t reply.
Drustendra shouted the same thing several
times when at last a voice came from the
banyan tree,
‘That’s none of my business. Why would I
bother?’
‘Because you might be thirsty.’
‘No, I’m not thirsty now. A kind boy fed me
with sufficient water, because of which I will
not be thirsty for the next few months, until the
monsoon.’
‘It shouldn’t be that way. Why did you accept
so much from a single boy, that too from an
idiot?’
44
‘That’s because I needed that time and no one

took care of me before him. And, mind your
language. Think before you speak wrong about
a noble person.’ The tree replied impatiently.
‘I too wish to give you water.’ Drustendra
insisted it, not minding its angry state.
‘I said I don’t need it now. If you’re really
interested, come back next summer’
‘No. I want to give you right away. I can’t wait
till next summer.’
‘But I can’t help. Look at the trench. It is
already half filled with water.’ The tree pointed
towards the trench using its branch.
‘If that’s the problem then let me do one
thing.’ Saying so Drustendra started dewatering
the trench using the bowl.
‘Hey, stop. What are you doing?’
‘I will remove this water so that you will be
needing it again. Only that way I can fill the
trench with water. Don’t worry, I will fill the
trench now itself.’
The tree tried to convince him but Drustendra
eyes were covered with the greediness of
45
Bhanu Chander V
getting plenty of gold coins that he ignored the

words of the tree. It took him one hour to empty
the trench. He then ran towards the pond, filled
the small bowl with water, came back to the tree
and poured it in the trench. He did this hundred
of times till it got filled. By then, He was
exhausted totally.
‘Well. I did two hundred and thirty-three
rounds to the pond and Sixty one rounds of
emptying the trench. So, in total, I should be
gifted with two hundred and ninety four gold
pots. Is that clear?’
‘Two hundred and ninety four pots, is it?
Alright then.’
Without even turning back to thank the tree,
Drustendra rushed to his home. As soon as he
stepped inside his home, his face turned pale.
The hall was flooded with two hundred and
ninety-four mud pots. A disappointed
Drustendra hurriedly opened a pot—hoping
that it would at least be filled with gold coins.
To his dismay, the pots were all filled with
scorpions and snakes.
46
A sudden cry startled him. That was his wife.

He went inside to check the status. She was
tearing apart her jewels.
‘What happened?’
‘The golden jewels and diamonds are turning
into snakes and insects magically,’ replied his
wife.
Something struck his mind. He ran and
opened his locker. All his money and gold had
turned into ashes!

1. No matter how poor you are, your good
qualities always tries to assist you. No
matter how rich you are, your bad qualities
always tries to drown you.
2. Magic, miracles, good luck, fortune etc.
can be seen in the lives of those who are
good at heart and honest in deeds.
3. Misfortune, bad luck, wicked etc. happens
to those who are bad at heart and
dishonest in deeds.
47
Bhanu Chander V
4. Even a king remains unhappy if he

couldn’t find satisfaction in whatever he
has. Being content (satisfied with what we
have) is very important to lead a peaceful
life.
5. No matter how much I accumulate, my
greediness makes me accumulate more.
6. A greedy man keeps accumulating but
never spends. What is the use of having the
world’s biggest diamond with us if we put
them in lockers without using it?
7. God is always with those who have the
heart to give and a willingness to work.
8. When you become eligible, you will be
given an opportunity to succeed in life.
This requires patience, honesty, faith and
determination.
9. Drustendra could’ve got the opportunity of
watering the tree and hence could’ve got
the gold if he had waited patiently until the
next summer. But, his impatience and his
desire of attaining more than the rest
screwed him. In fact, his greedy acts had
48
made him lose his existing valuables. His

whole family suffered because of him.
10. Targeting someone might end up in a
loss/failure.
11. Shatabdi considered the advice of the old
man and hence he got benefitted.
Drustendra denied the advice of the tree
and hence he had to face a loss.
Sometimes, it’s wise to consider the
advices from others.
12. Shatabdi helped the banyan tree
without expecting any return and hence he
got a return. Drustendra forced the tree to
take his help (even though the tree was not
in need of his help) only because he needed
a return favor to fulfill his greedy desires.
He therefore had to face the consequences.
13.A person who does things without any
expectation of results (be it work, studies,
relation etc.) will lead a happy life. He will
turn out to be a greatest man for sure.
14. Every person encounter both good
and bad in their life. Tolerating them with
49
Bhanu Chander V
patience and having immense faith brings

fortune. But, being doubtful and impatient
brings distress.
15. Though Shatabdi got sufficient
money and though he knew that the tree
would gift him more if he gives water to it,
he relied on his hard work only. The tree
had helped him to start his new life. He
never mis utilized the tree’s kindness and
never approached the tree to get the gold
coins, but depended on his hard work.
That’s why he was able to expand his
business and achieve success in whatever
he did.
16. Shatabdi considered expanding his
business to provide a platform of jobs for
the poor (but deserved) people like him.
17. Had Shatabdi went greedy and
desired to accumulate more riches, he
would’ve attained the same condition as
that faced by Drustendra.
18. If you want to get rich very badly,
then get it by your own hard work. Don’t
50
try to get rich by stepping on others or by

illegal means. That’s because they won’t
stay long or will get used for undesired
purposes like for hospitals. Being poor but
healthy is hundred percent better than
being rich but very unhealthy.
51
Bhanu Chander V
Just like every year, the academy of transport

was flooded with different types of vehicles. All
the vehicles were happy to see their fellow
vehicle friends after a year gap. Every year,
several vehicles graduate from the academy.
The academy issues certificates to the
graduated vehicles, which would make them
eligible to operate on roads or water or air,
whichever applicable. The academy teaches for
vehicle students—that includes bikes, cars,
buses, trucks, ships and even air born planes
and fighter crafts. But the academy never gave
admission to bicycles—for the bicycles were not
motored. The academy treated the bicycles as
out-caste vehicles (motor less vehicle). So, the
52
bicycles didn’t receive any upgrades while the

rest of the motor vehicles got upgraded within
no time.
As usual, the four friends—car, truck, ferry
and plane met during the annual get together.
They were happy to see the growth of each
other. They were having chitchat about their
work when their focus shifted towards the
owner of the lubrication, which was adjacent to
the compound wall of their academy.
‘Hey guys, do you remember that lubrication
service shop?’ Plane reminded them.
‘Hmm, ha, does that shop still exist?’ Ferry
mocked. All the remaining three busted out
laughing.
‘I pity that old bicycle. After all, that is the
only profession the out-caste can take up—for
they are not eligible to study in the academy. I
strongly believe that there is no way an illiterate
can excel,’ the plane added.
To do time pass by having some fun, the four
decided to tease the old bicycle. They stopped by
53
Bhanu Chander V
the lubrication shop and ordered the old bicycle

to give lubrication-service to all of them.
‘So, the mechanic is still under service. I
thought his sprocket chain would’ve rusted
already that he would’ve retired by now.’ The
car said.
‘He seems to move his rusted old body parts
by running this shop. Let him do this-at least to
survive. Otherwise, he has to permanently move
to a garage as a garbage.’ All the vehicles
laughed hearing to the comment of the plane.
‘What can I do, Sirs? I’m just an uneducated
powerless bicycle.’ The old bicycle accepted its
incapability.
‘Oh, the old man knew that he is good for
nothing. That must be the reason why he had
his shop adjacent to our academy so that at least
the environment here would educate him of the
ABCDs.’ This time it was the ferry who mocked
at the bicycle.
The wise bicycle kept quiet for he knew very
well that there was no point in arguing with
54
those who doesn’t listen to others, especially

with those who claim themselves to be brilliant.
But it so happened that someone had been
watching their ill treatment. That was the
banyan tree, which had been residing between
the academy compound and the shop from
several years. The banyan tree had been
watchful of the kindness and good nature of the
bicycle. The tree didn’t like the way the four
vehicles were treating his friend.
‘Educated fools.’ The Banyan tree thought. He
decided to teach them a lesson. With that, he
spoke:
‘While you guys believe that being educated
made you great and being uneducated made the
bicycle useless, I argue that he is the greatest
transport vehicle than any of the vehicles in
your academy.’
The four became angry hearing to the tree’s
claim.
‘You must be out of your mind to say that.’
The ferry said as he was unable to tolerate the
55
Bhanu Chander V
insult. Just by then the academy principal, the

helicopter, chanced to pass by the shop.
‘I’m indeed correct, and it’s you who have no
sense. I repeat again: the old bicycle is the
greatest of all.’ The banyan tree stick to his
claim.
Now, the academy principal got furious.
‘How dare this tree speak less about my academy?
How dare he compares my students with an ordinary
old bicycle.’ The college principal decided to
prove the greatness of his academy students.
Thus, he came up with a challenge.
‘In that case, I invite this bicycle to take part
in a competition with my four students. If any
one of my academy members wins, then you
must accept that our academy is great. On top
of that, you should leave the premises. If the
bicycle wins, I will declare him as great and will
felicitate him in front of everyone. Apart from
that, I will permit bicycles to join my academy.’
That sounded a good deal to the bicycle,
though it was not confident of winning. The
bicycle liked the idea of allowing bicycles in the
56
academy. He had long desired to see them

develop too. Though he was sure that the other
vehicles are motored and have upper hand over
him, he got ready to take risk for the sake of
others. ‘I agree to the competition. But what is
the challenge?’
The academy Principal was over-confident
and was sure that the bicycle won’t defeat even
a motor bike. He therefore said,
‘You claim the bicycle to be great and so you
decide what the competition be. Whatever it is
my boys are ready to win.’
The four vehicle friends became excited to
hear their Principal’s words. They also said with
over-confidence:
‘Yes, you decide the competition.’
‘Thank god.’ The tree felt happy for it had a
plan up its sleeves.
‘Alright, since you are insisting, I will put a
challenge. The task is to pluck a fruit from my
friend’s tree, located around twenty kilometer
from here. The vehicle that returns first with
the fruit will be considered as the winner.’
57
Bhanu Chander V
‘Piece of cake.’ The plane laughed.

‘This is not at all a race. This is like a warmup
exercise for us.’ The ferry commented making
the other academic members laugh.
‘We will see how funny it will be after the
race. Are you ready or not?’ The tree questioned.
‘We are ready.’
‘Then, take the coordinates of my friend.’ All
the participants noted the latitude and
longitude of the friend tree.
The race began. The plane flew and
disappeared in minutes. The ferry navigated
through water towards the coordinate direction.
The car and the truck took the roadway and
accelerated with full speed. The bicycle was very
slow as compared to the speed of the other
vehicles. However, he rode steadily with
determination. He kept recalling the insults of
the four friends to keep him motivated.
In just a few minutes the plane reached the
spot. The ferry roved in water until he neared
the spot. The car didn’t check his fuel before he
started and the fuel got over while he was
58
halfway to the target. So, he stopped and stood

helpless in the middle. He tried to accelerate
him using his physical strength. But his efforts
were in vain. Though the truck had extra fuel
the he could’ve shared with his friend car, he
was desirous of winning the race and so he
didn’t share the fuel with his friend. The ferry
was shocked to note that the water-way was not
laid up to the coordinates given by the tree. So,
it couldn’t near the tree. It stood at the bank of
the water—helpless.
The old bicycle moved slowly with his regular
speed. He thought:
‘Who knows how the race ends! Nevertheless,
I will not stop till I reach the target.’ The bicycle
was committed. He took several hours before he
neared the spot when he saw the plane and the
truck being helpless.
‘What a clever tree!’ He appreciated the banyan
tree after seeing the sight. The location of the
friend tree was in between two rocky plateaus.
The path to that spot was constrained and the
available gap between the two plateaus was only
59
Bhanu Chander V
one and half meter, which was definitely

impossible for any motor vehicle to pass, except
for bikes. So, the truck was stalled. The height
of the plateau was more than hundred meters
and so the plane hovered in air wondering how
to reach the tree.
The bicycle had the advantage of passing
through the narrow passage. He cycled slowly.
The bicycle had to take several bends and had to
climb several rocks until he reached the friend
tree. He told about the banyan tree and asked
for a fruit. The friend tree gave him two fruits
and wished him good look. The bicycle returned
back to the academy after several hours of
cycling. The banyan tree knew the outcome of
the race while the Principal felt shocked to see
the bicycle come first. The Principal later came
to know that all the big and heavy vehicles
became helpless while the powerless bicycle
was at an advantage. The academy Principal
regretted his over confidenence on his students.
‘From today onwards, the academy is open to
everyone, including bicycles.’ The bicycle was
60
overjoyed. He thanked the banyan tree. Soon,

the academy became famous for giving
education to all level—without the notion of
discrimination. In the later years, many bicycles
achieved distinctions and surpassed the grades
of even planes and heavy ferries.

1. Who can be considered as great? The one
who is educated, but is not blinded by it,
can be great. The one who is never
educated but maintains dignity and
respect to others can be great.
2. Who can never be considered great? The
one who is educated but is blinded by the
pride of his education will never be great.
The one who is not educated and doesn’t
appreciate the educated people might not
be great.
3. Not all powerful-people are powerful.
Likewise, not all powerless-people are
powerless. At several instances, the
61
Bhanu Chander V
powerful proves to be powerless and vice

versa.
4. The plane has advantage only in air, the
ferry has advantage only in water and the
heavy vehicles (like car and trucks) have
advantage only on roads. But, they are at
disadvantage on the other mediums.
Similarly, every human has advantages at
several things. But they still have
disadvantages in several other things.
5. It’s foolish to believe that you are
great/powerful all the times. Sometimes,
the powerless exhibits extraordinary skills
and achievements and the powerful turns
useless.
6. Never underestimate others. Never
criticize someone just because they are
powerless. Your criticizing would fuel
them and the situation would turn as if you
are the looser and the one who got
criticized will become the winner. You will
lose your fame in the process.
62
7. Remember the famous ‘hare and tortoise’

story? The hare lost the race to the tortoise
because the hare under-estimated the
tortoise instead of focusing on the task.
The tortoise on the other hand was not
worried about the powers of the hare but
was focused on the race and hence he won.
That made the difference. Acting with
confidence and determination without
concerned about the outcome and the
strength of the others makes a lot of
difference.
8. Your target should be winning the race—not
on defeating the others!
9. Working deterministically for the sake of
others (good sake) will definitely bring
success.
10. Being the biggest the plane was at
disadvantage. Because of no water the
ferry became disadvantage. Because of no
fuel the car became immobilized and
because of slim, small and powerless, the
bicycle won the challenge.
63
Bhanu Chander V
11. Confidence and determination win the race.

Never give up attitude brings new changes.
12. The credit of the bicycle’s winning
goes to the wise banyan tree. If someone
appears helpless in front of you and if you
support them (entertaining them only for
genuine cause), then the credit of their
success will be given to you.
13.The Principal got insulted indirectly and
was made to feel ashamed—because of
giving support to the big vehicles.
Likewise, if you support the people whose
purpose appears unjustified, you might
end up getting insulted.
14. On the other hand, if you support
someone who needs moral support very
badly, then the credit of their success goes
to you. The impact of their achievement
will be very high and for the rest of their
life they will dedicate all their success to
you.
15. The credit of the success of the old
bicycle and all the bicycles who got
64
admission in the academy (after the

bicycle won the race) was given to the
banyan tree. The bicycle community
treated the banyan tree as their God.
Thereafter, the banyan tree got good name
in their town and the general vehicle-
public (not just bicycles) consulted the tree
before they took any important decisions.
In other words, the tree’s creditability had
increased—drastically—because of his
support to the deserved at the right time.
Now, you must’ve understood the
significance of assisting others at the right
moment.
16. Be like the tree, not like the academy
Principal.
17. Because the bicycle accepted the
challenge and took the great risk of
competing with heavy motored vehicles
and because he won the race with his
determination, the Principal permitted the
admission of bicycles later on. That’s the
way of great minds. Great people take risks
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Bhanu Chander V
and put their comforts aside—if they

realize that their struggle would benefit
and solves the problems of many.
18. After the race, every year, many
young bicycles were given admissions in
the academy. They remembered the old
bicycle throughout their life. What more
can anyone desire than being remembered
by many? Neither our possessions nor our
family can accompany us after our death.
Only our reputation and contributions stay
lifelong. The benefits will be carried
forward to afterlife too.
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Drustendra, one of the richest merchants of

the capital city of Thantripur, came to hear
about the presence of Sage Jogendra at the city
outskirts. Drustendra recalled the deed that the
sage did to him when he visited the sage several
years ago. Sage Jogendra advised him to remain
detached in life when Drustendra visited him to
attain success in life. After getting all the
advises, the sage gave him blessings. From that
very next day the fate of Drustendra turned. The
goddesses of fortune turned merciful towards
him that all good things happened to him.
Whatever he did turned successful. He started
several businesses and soon he became rich, as
rich as a king.
Right now, he wanted to thank him and get
his blessings once again to become the richest
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Bhanu Chander V
man on earth. With that intention Drustendra

decided to visit sage Jogendra once again.
Several servants accompanied him to carry
flowers, fruits and clothes. The group walked to
the outskirts of Thantripur, near to the banks of
Jalamukhi river, where the sage was in
meditation. The group was led by a band, seeing
which the attention of all the city dwellers drew
towards them.
Drustendra reached the river bank with his
group. They saw the sage meditating under a
tree. His servants went ahead and spread the
flowers around him. They decorated the ground
and the adjacent trees without making any
noise. After that, another set of servants placed
fruits and eatables near to Sage Jogendra. The
nearby monkeys, cows and goats tried to eat the
fruits and the decorated flowers. Drustendra
ordered his men to prevent those animals from
spoiling the arrangement. He waited for few
minutes expecting the sage to open his eyes.
But, in just ten minutes, he became impatient
seeing the sage seated like a statue. He
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considered the waiting time as waste and so he

went forward and interrupted the sage.
The sage opened his eyes slowly. Drustendra
was seen standing in front of him in a royal
attire.
‘Who are you, son?’ asked the sage.
‘Swamiji, you forgot me that soon? We met
several years ago and you blessed me that time
because of which I became rich,' a surprised
Drustendra replied as he expected him to be
remembered.’
‘Well, I usually don't remember people who
remember me only when they are in need. Sorry
for that.’ Drustendra’s face was already pale. He
was worried about his fame in front of his
servants. Regardless, since he needed a further
favor, he spoke:
‘O great one. You blessed me last time and I
became rich. I would like to repay now.’
The sage laughed, ‘There is no repaying for
blessings, son. In fact, if I had expected a return
from you, then my blessings wouldn’t have
worked on you. Forget about it.’
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Bhanu Chander V
Drustendra was not convinced. He somehow

wanted to get his blessings and at the same time
prevent the sage from blessing others.
‘If the sage blesses others, they will also become
rich!’ Thought Drustendra. Determined, he
spoke with the sage again after he sent the
servants away from them.
‘Swamiji. I would like to offer you something.’
Saying so he opened his bag and showed a
medium size diamond. ‘Accept this and bless
me again.’
The sage laughed again when he looked at the
diamond. ‘You haven't understood me properly
yet. I’ve renounced everything in my life. For a
sage like me, diamonds are nothing but
ordinary stones. I would rather prefer to have a
glass of water if you insist on having something
from you.’
‘No, Swamiji. You have to accept this gift for
sure.’ Despite the sage’s rejection, Drustendra
kept insisting him. He went adamant and forced
him to take. At last, Jogendra decided to do
something.
70
‘Alright, I will accept. But once I accept, you

should not question me what I do with that.
Else, the reverse will happen. Only if you are ok
with this condition, I will take your offering.'
‘Of course, yes Swamiji. The moment you take
this, it will become your property and you can
use it like you wish.’ Drustendra wanted the
sage to take the diamond somehow as he
thought that the sage would bestow him with
thousand times of what he is offering. That's
the sole intention of offering the sage the
precious diamond.
‘I’m warning you again. Think twice!’
‘Yes, Swamiji. You’ve my word.’
‘Alright, give it here.’ Jogendra took the
diamond from his hand. He inspected it from all
the sides by turning around. Drustendra felt
happy because his plan had worked. But his
happiness didn’t last long for he witnessed the
sage throw the diamond in the flowing water of
river Jalamukhi. He was stunned at the
unexpected act of the sage.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘What have you done? Are you mad? Do you

know how much I spent on that?’
‘It may be valuable to you, but for me, it’s an
ordinary stone. I don’t mind offering a stone to
the auspicious river, which has been serving
several thousands of people.’ Jogendra replied
calmly.
‘How can an unworthy person like you know
the value of that precious diamond. Instead of
giving that diamond to an idiot like you I
could’ve used that for my business.’
‘Mind your language, Son. You’ve given the
diamond to me and so it belongs to me now.
Also, you promised me that you won’t question
me after you give that to me. So, I can do
whatever I wish to do in my possession.’
Drustendra was not in a position of hearing to
him. By then, he ran towards the river bed and
dived into the water. He didn’t let his servants
into the river for he mistrusted them thinking
that they would steal it instead of giving it to
him. He swam and searched for the diamond.
The valuable jewels that he was wearing were
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all dropping into the river one by one. His mind

was totally fixated on the diamond that he
became ignorant of his surrounds. His servants
stood silent and watched him search like a
madman. He searched for the diamond till dusk
but couldn’t find it. By then Jogendra had left
the place to travel to a neighboring village. With
a heavy heart Drustendra returned home. Only
after he reached his home, he realized that he
had lost all the jewels that he was wearing.
That very day the goddess of misfortune
entered into the life of Drustendra. His business
became dull. He lost all his possessions,
including his house. In a few days, he had to cut
the services of servants. His family did their
own chores. A few months later he was back to
his original state. All his pride and egoism
vanished and he understood the value of people
compared to the value of money and jewels.
Fortunately, Jogendra visited Thantripur once
again. Drustendra felt happy knowing his
arrival. He went to pay respects and apologize
to him for speaking bad of him that time.
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Bhanu Chander V
Drustendra accompanied few fruits with him,

remembering that a sage need nothing more
than a minimal quantity of food. By the time he
reached, the sage was in a trance state. Unlike
the last time, this time Drustendra waited
patiently for the sage to complete his
meditation. After an hour, the sage relaxed from
his trance state and opened his eyes. He cheered
the moment he saw Drustendra.
‘Ah. Here you are, Drustendra. How are you
and what brings you here?’
‘I’m glad you remember my name, Swamiji.’
‘I can’t forget the name and face of people
who are good at heart. Last time when you
visited me, you appeared different to me.’
Drustendra felt sad for how he behaved the
previous time. Tears rolled over his cheeks. He
immediately fell on the sage’s feet.
‘Forgive me, Swamiji. I had done the sin of
insulting and scolding a pious man like you. I’m
facing the consequences now. I’m here to
apologize for that.’
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Jogendra grinned and made him to rise up. He

allowed him to sit on the ground next to him.
‘You became a good man the moment you
realized your mistake. Now tell me son, what
have you brought for me this time? Did you
bring another diamond?’ Jogendra laughed.
‘No, Swamiji. I understood that it is not at all
useful to you, nor to me anymore. Please accept
these bananas.’ Jogendra immediately took the
four bananas offered by Drustendra and placed
that in his cloth bag.
‘I’m little hungry and you’ve bought the right
thing for me. I’m happy with your offering.’ The
sage’s acceptance made Drustendra happy. He
wasn’t expecting anything from the sage. They
conversed for some minutes after which
Jogendra took leave from him. Drustendra got
surprised when he reached his home. His wife
informed him that all the bananas in their home
had turned into gold. Drustendra cried like a
child. He arranged all the necessities for his
family members and handed over his family’s
responsibility to his grown-up son. He then set
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Bhanu Chander V
out to become a disciple of Jogendra. Soon, he

became one of the greatest sages of the century.

1. Detachment is the greatest virtue.
2. Though Drustendra was rich. He was not
willing to leave even a small diamond. He
was so much possessive of his diamond
that blinded him from realizing the loss of
his other jewels, which he was wearing
while he searched.
3. The feeling of ‘mine’ and ‘me’ shows our
attachment level.
4. Drustendra should have remembered that
he was dealing with a great sage. Despite
the situation, one should learn to tolerate
and be patient while dealing with others.
5. As soon as the diamond was given to the
sage, it belonged to him and he was free to
do anything with it. Though Drustendra
gave the diamond to the sage physically,
he was too attached to it mentally and so
he couldn’t bear the loss of it.
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6. Drustendra had the perception of

ownership even after he gave the diamond
to the sage. That shows his attachment
and possessiveness. An attached person
finds less satisfaction (and no peace) in
his/her life.
7. If Drustendra was too attached, he could
have kept the diamond with himself.
8. If Drustendra had no motto behind
offering the diamond to him, the sage
would’ve accepted it to give away to the
needy. But he rejected the offering just
because Drustendra had a greedy
intention.
9. Nothing would’ve happened if Drustendra
had not visited the sage with a greedy
desire. He could’ve simply continued his
life with his work and could’ve satisfied
with what he had.
10. Anything given by willingness will
sustain long. However, anything offered
unwillingly (half-heartedly), especially
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Bhanu Chander V
with the expectation of return, will not last

long.
11. Drustendra could at least have relied on his
servants to search and find the diamond in
the river. He mistrusted them. Even if one
of the servants steal, he should be happy
that at least someone made use of it.
12. I will be treated in the same way as I
treated others. The more I mistrust others,
the more others mistrust me. The more I
like them, the more they like me.
Everything in life is like a mirror.
13.A pious man sees God even in stones and
hence people see God in him.
14. For a sage a diamond and a stone are
equal. Similarly, men and women are equal
to his eyes. He is considered sage because
he had renounced everything including his
family. Drustendra should have
understood that.
15. Offering for name sake and for the
sake of getting fame might be of no use.
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Apart from that, it might bring negative

impact.
16. We get attached more to materialistic
objects than to fellow beings. Often, many
of us give importance and value to objects
than to humans. Sometimes, we even
neglect our family for the sake of money
and assets.
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Bhanu Chander V
There lived a merchant, Drustendra, in the

town of Thantripur. Because he had several
valuable assets in his residence, he had a pet
dog. Every day he used to serve food to the dog
in a bowl. The dog used to be very loyal to him.
He loved his master very much. Though
Drustendra served him less food, the dog didn’t
deny his duty. He was cautious day and night.
Once, the dog chased away a gang of notorious
thieves who tried to loot Drustendra’s house.
One day, Drustendra and his family were
engaged in making food and doing Pooja. It was
an auspicious day for the forefathers, which
occurs once in twelve years. It was said that an
offering to the forefathers during that day
would remove the sins of the forefathers and
would liberate their souls. So, Drustendra
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offered sacrificial food using banana leaves and

utensils, arranged at the center of the free space
inside his house compound. It so happened that
one of the utensils looked similar to the bowl
that the dog used to take food. Thinking that the
food in the bowl was meant for him, the dog
bounced happily, ran towards the Pooja place
and started eating the food from the bowl.
Drustendra was outraged seeing his pet’s
action. He became extremely angry that he took
a nearby stick and started beating it very hard.
The dog couldn't bear the pain and so it ran
away. It never came back nor did Drustendra
tried to search for it.
Three years later, both the dog and
Drustendra died. Two messengers came from
the hell to accompany Drustendra. While on the
way to hell he saw a marvelously glowing
chariot flying high in the air. When he inspected
closely, he saw his old pet dog in the chariot.
The dog was given royal comforts in the chariot
and was treated like a king by the heavenly
servants.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘What is that chariot? And to where those

messengers are taking that dog? The dog looks
similar to my old pet.’ A surprised Drustendra
questioned the messengers traveling along with
him.
‘Yes. That’s your pet dog. The dog’s soul
became pious and hence the chariot is carrying
him to the heaven. He will enjoy godly pleasures
in the heaven for a certain period after which he
will attain the eternity.’
‘How the hell this could happen? The dog had
ruined my forefather’s offerings. In fact, he left
me. On top of that, he is a dog and I’m a human.
Was a dog superior to a human? Is it a fair
comparison? I should be given higher priority
than him. How could he be taken to heaven?
Why not me? I did my duty correctly.’
One of the messengers laughed. He spoke,
‘It’s true the dog had eaten the sacrificial food.
But it was not his fault. The dog believed that
the food in the bowl was meant for him and so
he didn’t hesitate to eat it. You must had noticed
that it didn’t touch food from the other bowls
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and from the banana leaves. Apart from that,

one of your forefathers had entered into the
dog’s body that moment to consume the
offering. You not only beat him, but also drove
him away. So, your forefather got angry that he
didn’t bless you but he blessed the dog. Even
your other forefathers discarded your offerings.
You knew the loyalty of your pet, yet you
doubted him and treated him bad for just one
single act, without giving a minute thought of
the reason behind his action. The dog deserves
more comforts than you in the afterlife. He is
now taken to the place full of royal comforts.’
The other messenger added, ‘Your
discriminative nature has drowned you. It
doesn’t really matter whether the soul is human
or animal, but what actually matters is how
truthful and pious the soul is. That dog’s loyalty
is far better than yours. Though your form is
human and your pet’s form is dog, you have the
nature of an animal while your pet has the
nature of a pious man. After your sufferings at
the hell, you will be thrown back to the earth in
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Bhanu Chander V
the form of some animal. Everyone deserves

according to what and how they act!’
Drustendra became silent for he realized his
mistake of mistrusting his pet.

1. It’s quite natural for us to do mistakes. We
know this very well. But when it comes to
the mistakes done by others, we become
intolerable.
2. Trust calls for having an insight of the
situation. Think before you get angry.
3. Because of not having proper insight and
because of our ego, we might lose our
relations. This is predominantly observed
in the life of married couples in this 21st
century.
4. Forgiveness is a divine quality. The one who
has the heart of forgiving is an expert in the
art of living.
5. Everyone deserves according to what and
how they act
84
6. Had the case Drustendra gave a minute

thought—trying to figure out why the dog
had behaved like that—that never
misbehaved before, he would’ve observed
the similarity of the bowl (because of
which the dog got confused).
7. Had the case Drustendra took the situation
positively and didn’t hurt the dog, he
would’ve got a chance to visit the heaven.
Even his forefather got annoyed because of
his anger and inhuman treatment.
8. It’s very easy to behave bossily but very
difficult to find a loyal follower (or a friend
or even a life partner). You might have to
regret the whole life for a single mistake
that you do in a hurry. So, think before you
act.
9. Drustendra should’ve trusted the dog and
should’ve remembered his previous acts of
safeguarding his home.
10. Greatness needs the qualities of
patience, compassion and being humane.
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Bhanu Chander V
Proper relation demands the necessity of

having a trust on each other.
11. You are not the only correct and perfect
person on this earth. Likewise, others are
not always wrong.
12. No matter how much we train, a dog
will be a dog and a snake will be a snake.
Drustendra should’ve been cautious while
keeping the food in the open space. The
dog took the food casually—owing to its
by-birth nature.
13.Typical human mentality—like or accept
someone only when they behave as per our
expectations, and, avoid or boycott them if
they are not behaving like we expected.
Drustendra was happy with the dog until
the dog listened to him. The moment he
saw it do something against his wish, he
drove it out assuming that his pet is not
listening to him.
14. He had not accounted the previous
works and sacrifices of the dog. For one
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single mistake of the dog, he had put a

permanent black mark on the dog.
15. Drustendra had no problem when he
was taken to the hell. But the moment he
saw his dog being taken to the heaven, he
had a problem. He should’ve been happy
that at least his dog was taken to the
heaven. The pious exhibits this behavior.
Comparison, ego and jealous are what
drowns the character of a human.
16. Many people like Drustendra are so
much self-centered that they want not just
people but also animals to follow their
path and do as they expect.
17. How can an animal know whether
I’m a king or a slave?
18. You don’t have rights to kill or hurt
an animal (or your dependents) just
because you are providing food and raising
it (them).
19. Kill your ego before it kills your
relationship with someone.
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Bhanu Chander V
20. When educated humans are doing

lots of mistakes, how can we expect an
animal (uneducated) to be mistake-less?
88
The story happened several millenniums ago.

Parvatharaj, the lord of mountains, had
hundreds of daughters. The first three
daughters being Ganga, Godavari and
Brahmaputra. The sisters lived happily along
with their father. One fine day Parvatharaj
summoned them all and spoke:
‘My beloved children. You’re well aware that
your mother has become old, because of which
she was not able to take care of her duty just like
she used to do before. Now that you are grown,
I wish to distribute all your mother’s
responsibility among you, for the benefit of this
planet.’
‘Do you have any objections?’ All the sisters
expressed their desire to take up the task
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Bhanu Chander V
immediately. They were very keen of giving rest

to their mother.
Their mother spoke, ‘My children, though I
handled the work single-handedly, I strongly
believe that you are not capable of taking this
up individually.’ The sisters looked sad hearing
to their mother.
‘However,’ she continued, ‘you can make it if
you all join and work together.’ The sisters felt
greatly relieved hearing this.
‘This is what we all needed, mother.’ The
youngest of all said. Remaining sisters
expressed their agreement with her. They all
said they will do the job together.
Feeling happy of their unity, Parvatharaj
immediately assigned the role of supplying
water—by making them flow in the form of a
big river, similar in size to that of their mother.
Before they started, he warned them of one
thing:
‘Remember one thing my beloved
daughters—United you grow, divided you fall.’
They all nodded and started the work happily.
90
Because all the sisters were young and

energetic, the water of the rivers used to be very
clean and fresh. Several centuries passed and all
were happy.
One day, his father summoned everyone for a
feast. The feast was held grand. All the sisters
were chitchatting while having food when one
of the sisters spoke,
‘Look at the youngest, she is eating very less.’
Another sister added sarcastically, ‘Perhaps
that’s why her contribution of water is very less
as compared to the rest.’ All the sisters laughed
except few younger sisters. They all felt
offended for they believed that the elder sisters
were down-looking at them. They didn’t open
up that instant but remained silent. After the
feast, many young sisters met separately and
discussed the issue. They couldn’t digest the
insult they faced. They perceived that the elders
were not joking but were blaming them
seriously. With that, they came up with an idea.
The very next morning, all the sisters met at
the royal hall as usual. Their routine was to take
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Bhanu Chander V
their parents blessing before they go to their

duty. Before they departed, the new group of
young sisters came forward and the youngest of
all spoke, ‘father, we’ve decided not to work
together from today. We wish to work
individually.’ Parvatharaj was stunned to hear
her requirement and at the same time became
angry for he felt that she was the only one
having that thought.
‘How come you deny my words? Because of
you, your sisters might also get that thought.’
‘Father, I’m not the only one wanting this,’
she pointed towards the new group of sisters
whom stood separately.
‘Yes father, we also want separate work.’
They all said unhesitatingly.
‘But why?’
‘We can’t tolerate the insults of the elder
sisters. They say that they are great and our
contributions are negligible. If that’s the case
then let us all operate individually and see who
are great and who serving more,’ one of the
younger sisters said.
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The elder sister who spoke sarcastically

during the feast came front, ‘my dear sisters,
whatever I spoke during the feast was only for
fun. After all, we were in a feast and so we
needed someone to joke and make everyone
laugh. I offer my sincere apologies to you if any
of you have got offended by my mistake. Please
listen to our father.’
‘See. Her words confirm that they all will
become powerless if they operate without us.
That’s why she seems to be afraid of separation.
This is a good sign then. We should definitely go
ahead with our demands,’ the second youngest
whispered in the ears of the sisters standing
adjacent to her. With that, the rest got excited
that they strongly demanded the individual
work. Parvatharaj and the rest sisters tried their
best to convince them. But nothing worked as
their minds were filled with the thoughts of
taking revenge and their eyes were eagerly
waiting to see their elders suffer. Unable to
convince them, Parvatharaj finally agreed to
their decision.
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Bhanu Chander V
From that day onwards all the sisters became

rivers. Since the elder sisters were powerful,
they carried more water, occupied more space,
and spread for longer lengths—thereby
covering many villages and towns. The younger
sisters were less competent and hence they
spread only for smaller areas. Their flow
lengths were also less. Their mother couldn’t
tolerate their separation because of which she
became sick and died in a few months. She
attained heaven and kept watching them from
there. In the very first summer, the younger
sisters realized their mistake. Most of their
water dried up and they remained thirsty until
the next monsoon. They regretted their
unintelligent decision. They realized that all
those years they had survived and were full of
water only because of sharing the elder sisters’
water. Being in the group had kept them
resourceful throughout the year. That reminded
them their father’s words:
‘United you grow, divided you fall’
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Those words rang in their ears. Even the elder

sisters felt sorry for their condition. Once in a
year her mother mourns for what had happened
to their daughters, which appears in the form of
rains. Her cry fills the sisters with water, which
would last for several months, before she needs
to cry again to curb their never-ending thirst.

1. United is gain, divided is pain. United you
grow, divided you fall.
2. Often, you assume that you are the top
contributor in the group you operate.
However, it might turn out that your
contribution to the group was only a small
part of the group work.
3. Initially, the sisters were over confident
because of witnessing too much of
resources. They falsely believed that all of
them had equal capabilities.
4. Had the case they were made to face
individuality from the very beginning,
they wouldn’t have prepared to divide. The
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Bhanu Chander V
sisters should have understood this and

should’ve continued with their regular
routine.
5. A change might be needed to refresh and
feel new, but not every time. Expecting
new every time could be risky. Often, we
need to get adjusted with the existing
principles.
6. If ever someone from your family/friends
circle make fun of you, try to understand
whether they did kiddingly or
intentionally. Many times, someone joking
in front of you might indicate that they feel
very close to you. Close people feel happy
to mock and make fun of you for they feel
comfortable speaking openly with you.
They like to see your emotions. That’s a
way of showing their love.
7. At the same time, some people would
intentionally try to do bad to you—out of
jealousy, ego, or because you might’ve
done the same to them. Fortunately,
humans got the ability to differentiate
96
between the original and the fake—

through the talks of fellow beings. It can
be recognizable by the way they talk,
behave etc.
8. It’s very easy to spot the mistakes of
others. But it’s really tough to identify the
hidden love of people. So, be extra cautious
before you decide to neglect or avoid
people. Grasp their inner intentions rather
than blinded by their external looks (and
by their talks). The youngest sister
could’ve seen the inner love of her elder
sister. Had the case she had taken things
positively, then neither the problem
could’ve occurred nor her mother
would’ve died.
9. Often, those who hate you would speak
appraisingly (and pleasingly) in front of
you. They would show as if they had the
best love/care towards you. But they might
do the opposite behind you. A wise person
should develop the ability to grasp the
inner emotions of the opposite person.
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Bhanu Chander V
10. The sisters should have listened to

their father’s words and should’ve
remained united.
11. Their separation led to the death of their
mother. The younger sisters were the main
people responsible for her death. They
should’ve anticipated the consequences.
Their mother couldn’t find peace even in
heaven and she was made to mourn to
keep them happy. The sin of her distress
goes to the daughters who were
responsible for the separation.
12. Because of the few sisters’
arrogance/ignorance, their whole tribe
suffered. Nevertheless, the elder sisters
got benefitted—in the sense that they
were able to realize their strengths, which
were much more superior than their actual
expectation.
13.One’s foolish acts to cause trouble to
someone would actually bring advantage
to that someone.
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14. Earlier, their diminished capacities

were not known to the public. But later,
the whole world came to know about the
incompetence of the younger rivers
because of their own foolishness.
15. Know your limits to prevent yourself
from facing unnecessary troubles.
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Bhanu Chander V
Drustendra took rebirth in the 19th century.

He was born to a middle-class family in the city
of Thantripur and was raised with the name
Prashant. When he was in his mid 20s, life
appeared miserable to him for he couldn’t enjoy
the benefits and comforts—just like his age
group did. He mourned, cried and blamed God.
Even God became pity of his continuous births
and so he decided to provide him comforts so
that he can enjoy it to the full and later detach
from the material comforts. One night, when he
was about to sleep, God appeared to him and
spoke,
‘Son, despite your evil activities in your
previous birth, I will give you a chance to
enlighten your soul in this life. Otherwise, you
might end up taking rebirth again and again in
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this material world. So, I will grant you eleven

boons. Be wise while you chose the boons. But
remember one thing—if you couldn’t enlighten
your soul in this birth, you will never get a
chance again. So, I warn you to be cautious. And,
after you take eleven boons from me, you will
have to listen to me and do whatever I say. I will
take over the complete control on you by
making you my slave. Are these conditions ok
for you?’
Prashant became delighted to hear the offer.
He at first paid respects to the God and then
spoke, ‘my Lord, I’m really blessed to see you
and I’m happy for your kindness. Do I’ve to ask
the eleven boons all at a time?’
‘It’s up to you. You can ask anytime during
your life. But remember, just eleven boons.
After that, you are my slave!’
Feeling overly excited, Prashant readily
agreed to the conditions.
The next day, he was going to his job on his
old bicycle when he suddenly recalled the
boons.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Why do I have to struggle physically?’ He

remembered God and asked for a motorcycle. In
a fraction of seconds, he witnessed the magical
appearance of a new super bike along the road
side. He became excited. He threw his bicycle
and took the bike to ride to his office. At the
office, he did time pass by daydreaming. One
day, he was riding his bike and felt hot.
‘Why do I’ve to sweat?’ thinking so he wished
for a car. The very next second, a brand new
costly car appeared. He became excited. He went
to the office and as usual daydreamed. His boss
had been observing the changes in his behavior
from the past few days and so he shouted at
him. Unable to bear the insult, Prashant too
shouted at him. He exhibited his arrogance and
walked out of the office saying:
‘Who will do your worthless job?
Out of anger, he remembered God and asked
for a business of big size. As soon as he reached
his home, he saw several heaps of gold and
money. Soon, he became rich. One day, he was
attending the marriage of a fellow businessman
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when he saw the beauty of the bride. He became

jealous, got angry, and therefore made a wish to
get married to the most beautiful woman in the
surroundings. No sooner did he completed his
wish, a famous business magnate stopped by
and expressed his desire in getting his daughter
married to Prashanth. When Prashanth saw her
photo, he became overexcited for she was
certainly the most beautiful women in their
locality. He married her.
Now, being a married man and rich business
tycoon, he wanted privacy. He thought for
several days and came up with an idea. He
wished to own a private island solely for him
and his family. That way, he owned an island.
But the island looked plain, without a home. He
wished to get a big palace on the island and soon
he got one. Now, his car couldn’t help him
travel to the main country from his island and
so he wished to get a ferry. Within a couple of
days, he became fed up with the time taken by
the ferry to travel and so he wished to get a
private plane.
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Bhanu Chander V
A couple of days later, he was reading news

when his attention was drawn towards the
interview of the Chief Minister. He became
lustful of having power and so he wished to
become the Chief Minister of the state. A few
days later, when he was attending a minister
meeting, he was underlooked by the Prime
Minister. He saw the respect that everyone gave
to the Prime minister of the country. He
immediately wished to become the Prime
minister and so he became the Prime minister
of the nation within a few days, magically.
Next, he got attracted to the position of the
head of all the nations. His eyes were covered
with desires that he forgot to note that he was
left with only one boon. He wished to become
the leader. Very soon, he was given the role of
the world leader. Now, everything in the world
was under his control. Whichever countries
opposes him, he would make the other
countries to war on them. Peace became scarce
in the world. Everywhere war, bombs and
deaths prevailed.
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Prashant became even more pride and his

head weight touched the peaks.
He thought, ‘The whole world is under my rule.
That means I’m the God.’ His eyes were blinded by
ignorance. While having that thought, he saw
the wall plate of God. He became angry for he
wished his photo should have been hung on the
walls. He wanted the people to worship him—
like they all worshipped the God. He
immediately got up from his seat and made a
wish to become the God.
Nothing happened.
He got angry on God assuming that he was
not been given proper respect. Outraged, he
called God.
God appeared in his usual calm form a few
minutes later.
‘You cheated me.’ Prashant yelled.
‘Why do you think so?’
‘I made a wish and it didn’t happen.’
‘Did you forget that I gave you only eleven
boons? You had already used all of them before.
Anyway, let me hear your wish. What is it?’
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Bhanu Chander V
‘I want to become the God.’

The supreme God laughed stomach fully.
‘What a joke.’
‘How dare you laugh at me; do you know who
I’m? Have you any idea how many people follow
me and fear for me? This whole world is under
my control and you are insulting me like this?’
Saying so he grabbed his gun and shot at God.
Well, that was the most unintelligent act of
Prashant. His pride had made him act foolishly.
On the other side, God became impatient.
Until then he was tolerant of his mischievous
acts, for he believed that Prashant would
change at some point of time. It was his last
chance and so God did not want to screw him.
But Prashant had crossed his limits. Because of
him, several wars had started, many lives were
lost and the peace of the world had been
destroyed. With that, God became angry. He
spoke.
‘You fool, are you questioning the creator? Do
you even realize how much you have changed
within a matter of few months? This is what
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happens when an ineligible person was given

big responsibilities. Your eleven boons are
already over and as per our deal you are my
slave now. You will face the consequences of
your sin from today.’ Saying so God
disappeared. For a few minutes Prashant
couldn’t understand what had happened.
Meanwhile, his PA came running.
‘Sir, you’ve been removed from the post of
world leader. The committee has withdrawn
your powers. Also, be careful. the country
leaders and many activists has issued shooting
orders on you.’ Prashant was shocked. His body
trembled when he heard the next news in the
phone call.
‘Sir, all your businesses are on loss. All the
country leaders have decided to shut down all
your business. You’re in bankruptcy now.’
Soon, Prashant lost all his possessions one
after another. His wife left him. She felt unsafe
to stay with a selfish guy like him. He had to sell
his island, private plane, ferry and other
properties. Within no time he got back to his
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Bhanu Chander V
initial poor position—with the only difference

that he had to live by hiding. That’s because
everyone was in search of him. On top of that,
he became ill with some unknown diseases and
got paralyzed. Before leaving his last breath, he
sincerely apologized to God for his misconduct
and misutilization of the golden opportunities.
After his death, he had to take another birth in
the animal family before which he was made to
suffer in the hell. In every rebirth, he was given
different animal forms. But, he never got a
chance to take human form again. His soul
never attained moksha (going back to
Godhead).

1. Prashant was the most foolish man on
earth because he had asked for money,
fame, power etc. instead of asking for
peace, content mind, moksha, helping
nature etc. He could’ve used his powers to
make the world a sustainable and peaceful
planet. He instead became selfish.
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2. He could’ve asked for a content mind (or

even moksha) as his first boon. That itself
would’ve solved all his problems. But he
was desirous of material pleasure and
hence choose the other way.
3. His requirements changed one after the
other in the order bike, car, business,
followed by beautiful wife, island, separate
home, ferry, private plane, state chief
minister, nation’s prime minister, a world
leader and finally becoming the God. His
requirements grew high every time and he
wished to attain more and more powers.
But his desires never ended. A stage came
when he became blinded by the reality
because of which he considered himself as
God.
4. The above point can be comparable to our
life. When we are in a small level, we wish
to move to the next level. But, when we
reach that level, we immediately modify
our requirements and wish to move to the
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Bhanu Chander V
next higher level. While development is ok,

it has to be in a certain limit.
5. Money and power are not the only things
that gives us happy. They are temporary
for sure. Humanity, content mind,
determination to work, and our
intelligence are the things that make us
happy.
6. Satisfaction is very important in life. Without
satisfaction, we cannot live happily in this
as well as the upcoming life.
7. The goodness in us tries to take us to the
heaven whereas the badness in us tries to
drag us to the hell.
8. 80% of the time, bad dominates the good.
It’s easy to get bad name than getting a
good name. The one who upkeeps good is
therefore regarded very great.
9. A real achiever doesn’t need boons. He
instead desires to work hard to earn.
Remember, whatever comes for free won’t
last long, and whatever comes after hard
work won’t leave you in any case.
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10. One cannot carry property, fame etc.

after their death. Only the good/bad will be
carried forward.
11. God doesn’t have control over our
thinking/attitude. He gave us the choice to
choose what we do. Persons who are sane
by heart choose to move in pious path
while the ignorant choose to have material
pleasures. They lead a life filled with full
of desires.
12.Too much of desires is always dangerous.
13. Don’t get bored of using something. Use
things until they last. Especially in this
modern world where pollution and
population are increasing like hell, it’s
very necessary that we reduce the usage of
resources.
14. If you are not using, then having
multiple things with you doesn’t makes
any sense. Either have things that you use
or if you are not using, give it away. At
least that way it will get used. Keep
conscious of your environment.
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Bhanu Chander V
On the outskirts of Thantripur city, deep

inside the jungle of Vidyaranya, there lived a
crocodile named Jambu in a pond. Jambu used
to be double the size of regular crocodiles. Just
like his appearance, he used to be strong and
scary. All the animals used to get scared of his
presence. No animal ever dared to near the pond
to drink water, even if the pond was filled with
full of water throughout the year. It so
happened that the king of Vidyaranya, a lion,
once tried to drink water from the pond when
Jambu appeared from the water and tried to
drive him away. Veerasimha, the lion king,
became angry.
‘Do you think that this naturally made water
pond belongs only to you?’
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‘Of course, yes. Don’t you think so? Is there

anyone who says no to that?’
‘Is this your father’s property to claim? You
cannot decide that by yourself without taking
permission from me, for I’m the king of this
forest. Even if you come to seek permission, I
won’t allow you. That’s because this pond
should be available for everyone in the jungle.’
‘So, you are saying that only the king has the
power to permit to do anything in this forest,
right?’
‘Yes.’
‘In that case, I will be the king.’
‘You are certainly mad.’ Veerasimha laughed.
But he couldn’t expect the sudden attack of
Jambu with his strong teeth. Jambu didn’t give
the fight signal yet. In fact, Veerasimha was not
prepared for the fight and was facing the other
side. But Jambu attacked him by breaking the
rule of the forest combat. He crushed the legs
and neck of Veerasimha. While Veerasimha was
about to die he said his last words:
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Attacking me in an incorrect way proves your

incapability. That itself shows how unfair you
are. Though you seem to have won now, one day
or the other you are sure to get defeated.
Dishonesty won’t survive long.’ Veerasimha
died.
Jambu laughed crookedly. He ordered the
audience monkeys to hang the head of
Veerasimha to a nearby tree—as a sign of his
victory and to tell everyone in the forest that the
old king was no more. It was also intended to
warn all the resident animals to keep away from
the affairs of Jambu. An announcement was
made and Jambu was declared as the new king.
All the animals considered him as their king,
out of fear. They never dared to go nearby to the
pond. While Jambu was busy with his self-
pleasures—enjoying in the pond, there was no
one to handle and attend the matters of the
forest and so many animals started disobeying
the forest rules. Cruelty prevailed. The powerful
harmed the powerless. Soon, Vidyaranya lost its
peaceful environment because of which many
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animals started migrating to the neighboring

forests.
Gaja, an elephant in the neighboring forest
was surprised to see Dola, a rabbit friend from
Vidyaranya.
‘Happy to see you, friend. I suppose you are
here on a vacation.’
Dola kept a sad face and said. ‘I’m not here on
vacation, Gaja. I’ve moved my residence to your
forest.’
‘Why? What happened? Vidyaranya has plenty
of vegetables and grass. And, our friend
Veerasimha is known to take good care of
subjects. How is he doing by the way?’
Dola busted out crying. She told him
everything about the death of Veerasimha and
the cunningness of Jambu. Gaja became
extremely angry. He couldn’t take the death
news of his dearest friend, Veerasimha, who
was also helpful to his forest. He became furious
and decided to teach Jambu a lesson. Seeing him
move, Dola stopped him to warn,
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Brother Gaja, Jambu is a tough guy and it is

not that easy to handle him. Even Veerasimha
couldn’t stand against his strength. Going
against him with anger won’t be helpful. If you
wish to do something, then better have a proper
plan.’ Gaja stopped at once. He considered the
advice of Dola. With that, Gaja sat and thought
for several hours. After careful deliberation, he
came up with a plan.
When Saturday came, he traveled to
Vidyaranya. Before he started, he gave a task to
Kapil—his monkey friend. As per the plan Kapil
went to the border of the forest where wildlife
safaris camp every Saturday. Kapil stealthily
intruded into the camp and grabbed one of the
guns. He ran outside and stood little away from
the campers such that they would notice him.
The campers pursued Kapil to get back their
gun. Back in the forest, Gaja halted a hundred
meter far from the pond. Dola then neared the
pond and called out Jambu.
‘My beloved king. There’s a guy over there
who claims himself as king. I couldn’t tolerate
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that and so I came here to inform you. Please

come out and finish him.’
Jambu sniffed heavily out of anger. He wanted
to kill the animals who are on his path. His pride
had blinded his eyes that he forgot one
important thing—Crocodiles are at an advantage
only in water, but not on land. Gaja knew this very
well and so he made Jambu to come out of
water. Just like Jambu did before, Gaja gave a
surprise attack by hiding behind a tree and
throwing a boulder above the crocodile. The
stone fell on one of its legs. Blood started
bleeding from Jambu’s affected leg. Gaza moved
forward and stamped its affected leg and
mouth. Many of its teeth got broken because of
the sudden thrust. Jambu cried in pain.
‘This is how it looks when you attack without
the conscious of your opponent. You should be
ashamed of killing Veerasimha in an improper
way. You deserve this.’ Saying so Gaja stamped
his legs.
Though Jambu was powerful and could’ve
fought him back, but because he was away from
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Bhanu Chander V
water, he became powerless. Jambu realized his

mistake.
‘Crocodiles are powerful in water and elephants
are powerful on land. I should’ve stayed back in the
pond,’ thought Jambu.
Meanwhile, Kapil led the wildlife safaris to
the spot. No sooner did he reached the spot he
threw the gun near to Jambu and sat on one of
the trees. The safaris reached the spot within
few minutes. They were astonished to see a
giant crocodile lying on the floor. No one was
seen around. Gaja and others had already moved
back to a safe distance. Humans were
flabbergasted to see one of the biggest
crocodiles on earth.
‘This is definitely a beast. This is worth to be
displayed in the city zoo rather than being
hidden in this forest. How lucky we are!’
Humans felt happy. Soon, specialists arrived
and gave anesthesia to the beast.
When Jambu woke from his unconscious
state, he was no more surrounded by trees and
forest but was locked in a small cage. He tried
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his best to get free but couldn’t. On top of that,

he realized that his affected leg had been
removed. After several weeks of treatment
Jambu was shifted to a zoo. There, he was
locked in a small artificially made pond along
with the company of many small crocodiles.
Regardless, this time he didn’t try to act bossy.
His fellow crocodiles made fun of him because
of his powerless and leg-less state. Life became
miserable to Jambu. He realized his mistake.
‘I should’ve stayed back at the pond and should’ve
let others to drink the pond water so that I myself
would’ve survived.’ It was too late to realize for
he couldn’t help himself other than staying
there lifelong—becoming an attractive animal
for the visitors.
Back at Vidyaranya, the animals celebrated
for the defeat of Jambu. They all joined together
and elected Gaja as their king. Gaja strived hard
to get back the peace within a short time. Soon,
Vidyaranya became the most peaceful forest in
the surroundings, just like it used to be before.
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Bhanu Chander V

1. A person cannot become a true leader by
forcing/scaring others. A person who
became leader in this manner will not stay
long in that position.
2. A true leader is the one who is followed by
everyone, but not the one who is feared by
everyone. Making everyone fear for you
will only bring more enemies than friends.
Their curse is sufficient to bring your
downfall. A true leader is easily reachable
to his/her followers.
3. Everyone has skills in something or the
other but may not be skilled in everything.
It’s very rare to see all-rounders. Jambu
should have realized his boundaries. He
could’ve remained the king of the pond
rather than becoming the king of the
whole forest.
4. A crocodile is at an advantage in water but
is at a disadvantage on land. An elephant
finds an advantage on land but is at a
disadvantage on water. One should know
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where his/her advantage lies and should

restrict to it. Trying to exhibit your powers
at at a wrong time and/or a wrong place
would worsen the situation. A king is king
only to his subjects, not to the subjects of
the neighboring kingdoms.
5. Acting with Situational judgement is very
important.
6. Someone occupying an place/position by
force will not make him a leader. Winning
the hearts of the followers is the true way
of becoming a leader.
7. While a selfless nature becomes popular, a
selfish nature becomes highly rejected.
8. Live and let others live. The world is not
just for you and your family. Natural
resources are not the possession of
someone. It belongs equally to everyone.
Let others enjoy the benefit that you’re
enjoying.
9. If you cannot make something, don’t
break it!
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Bhanu Chander V
10. The world is in need of people who

care for others. The world doesn’t need
people who care only for themselves and
their families by causing discomfort to
others.
11. The property and fame of an untruth
person won’t stay long.
12. You might need several good acts to
prove to be good. But you just need one
single bad act to lose your long-earned
reputation.
13.A person who don’t feel pride while in
power will become famous.
14. A great man is one who stands and
fight for the sake of others. A selfish man
is one who fights with others for the sake
of self. Gaja became great and Jambu
became the most cursed animal in the
forest.
15. What is the use/fun of having a big
pond when Jambu doesn’t have friends
and family to enjoy together?
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16. There is no point in saving crores of

money if you (and your family) can’t enjoy
it to the full. A stone above the floor is
worthier than a diamond hidden deep
inside the earth. The stone could at least
be used for several purposes, but the
buried diamond is good for nothing.
17. If you’ve plenty of resources,
distribute some of them to others. At least
that would make you a good person in the
society. In future, whenever you are in
problems, you will get instant help!
18. Giving is an art. Not all have the heart
of giving. Most of us are interested in
taking rather than giving. Taking is the art
of ordinary humans but giving is the art of
extraordinary humans. Taking is a weakness
whereas giving is a strength.
19. The consequence of preventing
others from using something (that belongs
to everyone) is wide. Jambu lost his
physical strength, lost his powers in the
forest, was no more the king, got locked in
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Bhanu Chander V
a small enclosure and was controlled by

humans. He totally became powerless and
was treated just like he treated others.
20. Jambu could’ve stayed normal
(without controlling the pond and the
forest), just like his fellow animals. At
least that way he could’ve survived long in
the pond by enjoying his freedom. His
pride, arrogance, selfishness and head-
weight had affected his freedom.
21. For every action, there will be an
equal and opposite reaction. You will be
treated just like how you treated others.
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The wall clock showed ten minutes past

eleven. Anirudh was still sitting in the visitor
chair, anxiously waiting for the arrival of the
revenue officer. The revenue officer was
supposed to be there at 10 AM. Anirudh needed
the signature of the revenue officer on the
income certificate. The certificate was meant to
apply for his son’s education loan. Anirudh had
come last week too, but the officer was on leave
for the whole week. Vikrut, the officer, was
supposed to arrive today.
Half an hour later, Vikrut arrived relaxedly.
Anirudh wasn’t given a chance to talk to him for
Vikrut got engaged in distributing sweets and
chitchatting with the office staff. Time ran fast
and an hour later Vikrut placed his suitcase on
his table as if he was about to settle. When he
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Bhanu Chander V
saw Anirudh, he gestured asking what the

matter was. Anirudh stood and greeted him.
‘Good morning sir. I’m here to get your
signature on the income certificate. I need that
very urgently to submit to the bank- to get an
educational loan for my son. If I get this signed
today, I will get the loan on time before the
admissions start. Kindly look at this.’ Anirudh
moved his hand with the paper to show him.
Vikrut waved his hand and said,
‘I will do it. Drop it there in the tapal and
come later. Now, it’s our tea time.’ Without
even looking at him, he walked away, joining
the office mates.
Anirudh was in an emergency and so he
stayed back till they finished their tea time. The
officer came back after fourty minutes. He sat
in his chair and saw through the tapal. In
between, an attendee would come and drop
some papers - muttering something on his ears.
Vikrut would then stop the current work and
would attend the papers carried by the
attendant. An hour passed and the officer went
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away for his lunch. He came back after two

hours. Anirudh was eagerly waiting for his
paper to be seen. The officer deliberately
avoided signing some set of papers, which are
in the tapal. He was instead interested in
signing the papers brought by the attendant. He
had three tea breaks in the afternoon session
before he finally wrapped his work for the day.
It was just 5PM when he left.
‘Sir, Kindly look into the paper. It’s urgent.’
Anirudh pleaded.
‘Which paper?’ Vikrut questioned as if he
didn’t remember his request. Anirudh briefly
explained the story of his educational loan.
‘Alright, come the next working day. I will do
it for sure next time.’ Saying so he walked away
with his suitcase.
Anirudh became disappointed. The more he
delayed, the more trouble he had to face for his
Son’s education. But, being helpless, he too left
the place.
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Bhanu Chander V
When he went to the revenue office the next

day, he was shocked to hear that the revenue
officer was on personal leave for that day.
‘We don’t know when he comes and when he
goes. You are lucky if he is available tomorrow.’
An attendee informed him. A distressed Anirudh
walked out of the hall.
Fortunately, Vikrut came the next day.
Anirudh somehow got his signature before that
evening. He immediately rushed to the bank
and applied for the loan by submitting all the
details required by them. But it was already late
and so Anirudh had arranged the fees by
borrowing money with high interest rate from
his neighbours. When the bank processed his
loan, he returned the money with interest to the
lenders.
One month passed. One day Vikrut was on his
way to a city. He had to catch a flight to the city
to attend an important meeting. He was already
late when he started at home and the
unexpected traffic added tension to him. There
was only one flight till that evening and so
128
Vikrut was tensed. As soon as he reached the

airport, he rushed and stood in a line to get the
boarding pass. Queue was long and he had to
wait for quite a time before his turn came. He
finally got the ticket. Now, only the security
check was left after which he can board the
plane. An announcement was given stating that
it was the last call and the passengers need to
get past the clearance gate within five minutes.
‘Thank god, I’m almost saved.’ He felt relaxed.
But he was long. At the check gate Anirudh was
standing at the check gate as the security
man—checking and allowing the passengers to
inside. When he saw Vikrut, his blood pressure
raised. Exactly at that minute, he heard the
announcement.
‘Now, it’s my time.’ Anirudh thought. He
decided to teach Vikrut a lesson so that Vikrut
would never dare to delay the works of the
public.
‘Hmm, delay!’ An idea struck his mind.
When Vikrut’s turn came, Anirudh
deliberately did additional checks. He also made
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Bhanu Chander V
Anuridh’s trolley bag to be opened, saying, ‘I

doubt there is something suspicious in this
bag.’ The bag was given a rigorous check. By
then only one minute was left. Vikrut pleaded
him to permit as the time was running.
‘Do you remember me?’ Vikrut spoke, ‘You
came to my office to get my signature on your
income certificate.’
‘Who are you? I don’t remember seeing you
any time before. Are you trying to escape the
security check by building false relations?’
Saying so he looked at his colleagues. The fellow
security men became even more suspicious that
they took him inside to the security room and
stripped his clothes to inspect. Vikrut felt
ashamed. After the check, they made him pass
the gate. But it was of no use, for the flight had
already taken off. Now he had to wait one more
day.
He almost cried. Several thoughts ran in his
mind. He wondered how he would survive with
his children and family if he goes jobless. With
that, he returned home. An hour later he got a
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call from the conference. The chief fired him for

his irresponsibility.
‘We already have received several complaints
about you from the public and you yourself have
proved your indiscipline. It seems you are not
valuing your superior’s instructions.’ Like this
the chief kept firing him on the phone. Vikrut
tried to explain him the situation, but his
attempts were in vain. A few days later an order
was sent to Vikrut to surrender his
responsibility to a new officer. He was
transferred to a far village as a post office clerk.
Vikrut suffered for the rest of his life—all
because of his past irresponsible behavior.

1. An eye for an eye. Every dog has a day.
2. You will be treated the way you treated
others. Everyone will get a chance in life.
If you do bad to someone, fate will give
them a chance to insult or do bad to you.
Beware!
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3. If you are an officer, your corruption,

insincerity and delays would affect
countless general public. Sometimes, the
officer’s insincerity results in the death of
many people.
4. Your insincerity at work would bring
trouble to many common people. However,
your sincerity at work would bring several
benefits to your surrounds. Choose the one
that you felt is better. Becoming famous by
being sincere at work or becoming affected
by being lazy at work—which one is
better?
5. One who does his/her work perfectly will
have everything in life. They will be
treated as a great person. In fact, almost
everyone adores great people who are
sincere at work and have helping nature.
God will never dare to trouble them. Even
the surrounding nature assists them. A
perfect hard worker enjoys satisfaction in
this as well as the next life.
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6. Because of Vikrut’s attitude, his whole

family got affected. All the curse of the
public (including Anirudh and his son’s)
who got affected by Vikrut were shared
among his family members too. That’s
because their family members lived on the
illegal money earned by Vikrut. In fact, the
curse will be carried forward to several
generations too.
7. Anirudh turned bad because Vikrut had
done the same to him. Part of the sin of
Anirudh’s behavioral change goes to
Vikrut only.
8. Just like we saw how a crocodile is
powerless on land, the powers of the
government officials are restricted to their
office, or in the extreme case, to some
other government office. When they come
out of the office, they too are ordinary
citizens.
9. If everyone does their duty in time and
dedicatedly, there won’t be any delays in
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the system. Life would become easy that

way.
10. There’s an old proverb in Telugu that
says: ‘in order to remove a thorn, another
thorn is needed’. Similarly, to destroy an
evil, another evil might be needed. To
teach the officer a lesson, he was made to
face a similar situation.
11. Humanity is what is needed for every
government officer. Their behavior and
sincerity will affect the lives of countless
people and so they need to have the quality
of helping nature. A heartless and
corrupted government officer—who
troubles the general public for his own
benefits—suffers a lot in his future. Peace
becomes scarce in his (and his family’s)
life.
12. What use is there to have crores of
money when it can’t fetch you peace of
mind? Leading a peaceful life is worth than
having even thousands of crores.
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13.Because of a single daring act of Anirudh,

to teach the officer a lesson, life became
easy to many people. Because he delayed
the officer's security check and because
the office couldn’t attend the meeting, the
office was fired from his job and a new one
was allotted to the post. So, the new officer
would work with care in order to avoid
being fired just like it happened to Vikrut.
That way, the general public would receive
a fast service. So, even though Anirudh
made the sin of deliberately delaying
Vikrut’s check, his sins were covered by
the virtuous benefit—that was obtained
indirectly by way of fast and uncorrupted
services and benefits to the public. In fact,
his positive benefits were way more than
his one single sinful act.
14. When you see someone/something
doing wrong consciously/deliberately,
don’t hesitate to teach them a lesson. So
that, at least in future, they won’t repeat
the wrong and trouble many
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people/animals. Your daring act would

benefit many people and so you always
receive their blessings.
15. If not you, who will? If everyone
keeps quiet thinking that someone else
would do, then who is left to do?
Ultimately, nothing will happen.
16. A person who takes an initiative for a
good cause will definitely become a hero (a
Mahan). His/her story will remain in the
history forever!
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Long ago, in the jungle of Vidyaranya, a lion

cub got separated from his parents. Veerasimha,
the lion cub, wandered around in search of his
parents. While searching, he neared the peak of
a nearby hill and accidentally slipped from
there. He was about to fall down when he seized
a nearby tree root and hung using his tiny jaws.
He shouted for help. His cries were heard by a
group of elephants who chanced to pass that
side. Gaja, the elephant kid, was the first to hear
the cub’s cries. He at once stopped moving and
searched sideways. When their parents
inquired, he told them about the cry. The whole
group searched in all the directions. One of the
elephants spotted the lion cub struggling to
save himself from falling down the hill.
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Gaja immediately tried to spring front when

his mother stopped him. His father understood
his intention and so he moved front and used
his trunk to save the kid. No sooner did
Veerasimha was taken out, he became
unconscious. When he woke, he in some other
location along with the elephants. Veerasimha
explained his helpless condition hearing which
Gaja was moved. He insisted his parents to
search for their parents. But, Gaja’s parents
denied the idea saying that Veerasimha’s
parents would harm their family for they were
all lions. Gaja forced their parents and asked
them to consider Veerasimha as their own kid.
With that, they agreed to search. It took them
three weeks to find the location of Veerasimha’s
parents. But, when the cub’s parents saw the
elephant’s group, they became excited for they
thought they would get good food for several
days. When Veerasimha’s father was about to
pounce on Gaja, he was distracted by the roar of
Veerasimha. Feeling happy of seeing his lost
son, he stopped the idea of attacking Gaja and
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ran towards his kid. His eyes became wet. He

licked his son with joy. Veerasimha explained
everything about the elephants’ help. He was so
moved that he offered respects to Gaja’s parents
and requested for their mercy.
That evening, a feast was organized and all
the lions in the jungle were called—on the eve
of the king’s son return. During the get-
together, the king of the jungle, Veerasimha’s
father, commanded all the lions to never harm
Gaja and his family. All the Lions agreed to the
king’s order.
‘Now, we can roam peacefully for food and
water.’ Gana’s parents became happy. It was
time for the elephant’s group to leave.
‘Why don’t you stay here? You will find plenty
of food around.’ The king advised to Gaja’s
father.
‘Oh kind king. We, the elephants, have the
nature of traveling, and the fact is we belong to
the neighboring forest where our relatives are
all residing. I apologize for the denial’
They bowed to the king.
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Veerasimha cried. He was not willing to leave

his friend. He said he will also join them. But
Gaja convinced him and said he will meet him
for sure one day. After the goodbyes, the
elephant group departed.
Ten years passed. Veerasimha became the
king of the forest. He proved to be a good king
to his subjects. One day, he went to the riverside
to drink water. While drinking, he heard the
sound of elephants. Veerasimha went behind
tree bushes and waited patiently. He was
hungry and it had been a while since he ate
elephant fresh.
‘This is going to yummy.’ He became excited.
In a few minutes he saw an elephant. The
elephant was bigger and stronger than he
thought. Nevertheless, Veerasimha decided to
taste the blood of it. He took slow steps. The
elephant was facing the side of the river.
Veerasimha moved from tree to tree until he
reached the tree just behind the elephant. From
there, he ran towards it and attempted to
pounce on it. By then, the elephant had finished
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drinking water and so it turned slightly to its

side. The elephant’s face became visible to
Veerasimha upon which he decelerated his
speed. His mind worked.
‘How can I forget my friend’s face?’
That was none other than Gaja. Although
grown, Veerasimha neither forgot him nor
forgot the help that he did long ago. He stopped
pouncing. By then, Gaja turned back and
spotted the big lion. He thought of running
away from the spot assuming that the lion was
ready to attack him. But the moment he saw
through Veerasimha’s eyes, he stood still. His
eyes appeared familiar to him. For a minute
both stood and saw through each other’s eyes.
Gaja’s eyes enlarged. His hairs stood on end and
his ears flapped out of excitement.
‘Veerasimha,’ he called aloud. His legs
automatically moved front just like
Veerasimha’s did. Both the friends met and
rejoiced. Veerasimha felt ashamed of his earlier
thought of killing his own friend whom had
once saved his life. Though he didn’t express his
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feelings out, his heart regretted the thought.

Later on, both met the other’s family members
and became family friends.

1. Whether a good friend or a bad friend, a
friend is a friend. Whether your friend is
perfect or imperfect, drinker/smoker or
nondrinker/nonsmoker, vegetarian or
non-vegetarian, addicted or not, etc. until
and unless he/she is not making
friendship with you only for benefits or to
drag you to trouble, consider him/her as
your friend.
2. Remember, everyone has their own nature.
You shouldn’t expect people to follow your
footsteps. If that was your way, then, you
better find like-minded people instead of
expecting them to adopt to your
requirements.
3. It is not who the friends are, it is how friendly
they are with you!
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4. A good deed will be remembered even by

bad people. So, regardless of how the
others are, do your part of helping them if
they are in trouble, thereby making them
your friends.
5. If Gaja and his parents had not saved
Veerasimha, then Gaja wouldn’t have got a
good friend. Later, Veerasimha protected
Gaja in the best possible ways.
6. Friendship is more valuable than money,
assets and food. However, there are some
people who try to make friendship only to
get material benefits or to use you to the
maximum extent and forget you when
they don’t need you. In other words, they
try to exploit you and your resources. You
should be careful with this category of
friends.
7. It’s foolish if you try to make friends with
only those who are as per your
expectations—like behavioral, specific
habits, vegetarian, way of talking,
nonsmoker/nondrinkers etc.
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8. On the other side, a great man will turn out

to be a good (and trusted) friend to
everyone. He will only take positives from
them. He remains detached and prevents
too much of friendship—for he knows the
consequences of being influenced by
different kinds of friends. His moral and
humane acts will itself motivate his
friends to act so.
9. So, being friendly has at least two benefits.
First—you will have an opportunity to
stand beside them when they are in
trouble, thereby proving your care for
them. Second—they will be beside you to
assist you in moral as well as other support
(financial, work etc.). Finally, what more
do you need than having the backup of
more people? The more the people support
you’ve, the stronger you will be.
10. A person who tries to exploit in the
name of friendship will never make good
friends throughout his life. He will be
rejected/neglected.
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11. These days, for many people, the term

friend means ‘the one who helps financially’.
Some people measure friendship by how
much help (financial, facilities like
accommodating, provision etc.) they
receive. This is seriously a bad thinking.
12. Age, gender, caste, religion, looks,
color, financial status shouldn’t be a
barrier to your friendship.
13.‘A friend in need is a friend in deed’ doesn’t
mean that only those who help you are
your friends.
14. Some people act like a friend only till
they get benefited. After that, you won’t
even hear a word from them. Nor they
show their face to you. Be wise to know
who is what.
15. Those people who are always present
for dinners, parties, fun etc. are not the
only ones considered as your friends.
Remember, they might not be your true
friends. But, even those who speak very
less with you might turn out to be your
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good friends. Their friendship and their

value will be clearly recognizable at some
point of time in your life. You should be in
a position to judge who is what!
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Gaja (an elephant) and Veerasimha (a lion

king) lived happily together with their families.
Their friendship astounded all the animals in
the forest. Animals started praising their
friendship. They appreciated the way they are.
Soon, the news about the two friends reached
Nakki, a fox. Nakki was known for his
cunningness. He has the habit of taking the
advantage of animals’ weaknesses to get good
meal. As soon as he heard about Gaja, his mouth
watered.
‘If I get Gaja’s dead body, I will not be having food
problem for the next one month.’ He got excited.
With that, he devised a plan.
According to the plan, he started roaming in
the place near to where the two friends resided.
He acted as if he was helpful to fellow animals.
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Whenever any small animals come across him,

he would not eat them but would let them go,
exhibiting a fake merciful face. With that, even
the surrounding animals started believing him.
His fame spread to the whole forest. Meanwhile,
the cunning Nakki started taking advantage of
his fame. Whenever he comes across a small
animal with no one around, he would lure them
to a deserted cave, promising them to show a
miraculous stone hidden inside it. As soon as
the animal walks inside, he would kill and eat
it.
Thus, Nakki got two advantages by acting as
a good animal—fame, and food. Meanwhile,
Nakki also got close to the two friends. Both the
friends appreciated his good nature. Soon
enough he started executing his cunning idea.
Whenever Veerasimha was alone, he would join
and express his dissatisfaction with Gaja. When
Veerasimha questions him, Nakki would say
that Gaja was spreading wrongly about Veera in
the forest. Veerasimha at first didn’t believed
him. But, hearing about the goodness of Nakki
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and his fame among the fellow animals, he

started feeling doubtful of Gaja. At the same
time, some small animals tried to keep far from
Veera’s sight. Though they used to behave the
same earlier too, Veerasimha got to notice that
only when Nakki informed him. He became very
suspicious as days moved.
In parallel, like he confused Veerasimha,
Nakki tried to influence Gaja too. Whenever Gaja
was alone, he would try to complain about Veera
saying that Veera was not liking the way Gaja
was. But Gaja was not as blind as Veera to
understand the reality. He didn’t immediately
act by falsely spreading about Veerasimha but
instead thought carefully. He knew that foxes
are cunning by nature. In fact, Gaja was
doubtful from the very beginning about Nakki
for Nakki showed over care to fellow beings,
which shouldn’t be his nature.
Day by day, Nakki’s complaints increased and
he started conversing only about Veera in front
of Gaja and vice Versa. Veera started interacting
less with Gaja. Unlike before, he didn’t rely
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much on Gaja’s suggestions for advice—to

solve the animals’ problems. He rather involved
Nakki for kingly affairs. Gaja on the other side
was not silent either. He consulted his friend
Garuda, the eagle, and asked him to spy on the
movements of Nakki. That very night, Garuda
saw Nakki entering a Cave along with a rabbit.
He sat on top of a tree, far from the cave, and
eyed the cave cautiously so that Nakki won’t get
a doubt.
Half an hour later, Nakki came out licking his
hands. He inspected his surroundings and made
sure that no one had seen him come out of the
cave. Satisfied, he walked away. Garuda waited
for fifteen more minutes—with the hope of
seeing the rabbit come out of the cave. Unable
to see the movements of the rabbit, Garuda flew
to the cave. He landed on the floor, investigated
his surroundings and finally flew into the cave.
To his horror, Garuda saw countless small size
bones lying on the floor. He also saw fresh blood
strains on a nearby stone. The rabbit’s ears were
visible.
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‘Gaja said it correct!’ Garuda thought. ‘This evil

fox is luring small animals and eating them all. He
should be stopped somehow.’ He flew back to Gaja
and informed him.
By then, Nakki had made Veerasimha attack
Gaja. Veerasimha decided to fight Gaja and
throw him out of the forest. Nakki became
excited for he was sure that the small fight
between the two friends would end up into a big
one, ultimately making the lion kill the
elephant, after which, Nikki would get a
stomach full of food for the next whole month.
Veerasimha was about to pounce on Gaja
when Garuda hit him with his legs from above.
Distracted, he turned back to hunt down the
eagle when Gaja spoke,
‘I never imagined you would go this far just
by listening to a cunning fox. I’m sad that you
mistrusted me, your friend. You instead
believed this fox who is known for cunningness.
You are yet to know about him. Come with me
and I will show you what he is. If you feel I’m
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wrong even after that then I’m ready to kill

myself.’ Veerasimha thought for a minute.
‘He sounds right. Nakki always complained
behind him. If what he said was true, why couldn’t
he complain in front of Gaza? Also, no other animal
except Nakki complained about Gaja.’
Veera’s wits were back, ‘Alright. But I won’t
come unless my dearest friend Nakki is with
me.’ He lied, in order to make sure that Nakki
wouldn’t escape from there when they were
gone. On the other side, Nakki showed a proud
face feeling happy of being praised. He was sure
that Veerasimha was not going to leave Gaja.
They started moving. As they neared the cave,
Nakki’s legs trembled. He doubted that Gaja
would’ve tracked his movements. With that, he
tried to escape. Gaja was fully attentive of
Nakki’s moves that he immediately caught him
with his trunk.
‘I’m not leaving. I just thought to pee.’ Nakki
said keeping a fake smile.
‘Well, you will pee automatically in a minute.’
Gaja gripped his hold over Nakki.
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Garuda lead Veerasimha into the cave and

showed him the bones. He explained him clearly
about what had happened. Veerasimha became
angry. He came out and roared.
‘What does this mean?’ He questioned Nakki
authoritatively.
‘No. Please don’t listen to these people. They
are lying and are trying to trap us both.’
‘And what about this?’ Garuda showed the
footmarks of Nakki on the ground. Fortunately,
the ground was wet because of recent rains and
the mud surface had clear footprints of Nakki
and other small animals.
‘You cheater.’ Veerasimha attacked him using
his strong jaws without a minute thought.
Nakki died.
They all looked happy except Veerasimha.
‘I’m sorry my friend. I’m the biggest idiot in
this world. My acts are definitely punishable.’
Gaja smiled as he said. ‘It’s ok friend. When
friends become best friends, some people like
Nakki would try to break their friendship. It’s
upon us to be strong and believe each other.’
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From that day, they remained best friends

and no one succeeded in influencing them to
break their friendship.

1. Don’t think that your cunningness
wouldn’t be identified. Your bad (and/or
good) will be revealed to the world
someday. Be careful.
2. If you think you can fool someone, then
you will be easily fooled in the process.
3. Nakki could’ve satisfied by eating small
animals. But he was too greedy to aim for
the bigger elephant, which had brought his
downfall. Likewise, any person who
doesn’t find satisfaction with the available
stuff, but becomes greedy for a bigger (and
highly impossible) stuff would end up in
distress at the end.
4. Friendship, love and married life calls for
a trust between each other.
5. Don’t believe just because someone told
you. Trust more on what you see rather
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than what you hear. Often, we believe

more on what we hear. At times, this will
mislead us.
6. Your doubts might ruin you. The more you
doubt, the more you fail.
7. Doubts would result in destroying good
relation between friends, kinsmen,
cousins, parents, fiancée etc.
8. To prevent misunderstandings, stop
doubting people unnecessarily, especially
those who are close to you. Believe that
only good can happen between you.
9. Our weakness is easily identifiable by how
quickly we get influenced by others. You
will be at a loss if you are easily influenced.
10. A successful man relies on his own
decisions—by way of analyzing the
situations and the surrounding people.
11. What and how you think—will happen to
you. Good will happen if your thoughts are
good. A stone can become a God if you see
God in it. Similarly, if you see good in a
person, he/she will behave well.
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12. One thing is for sure—If you see good

even in a bad person, he will behave
properly with you, even if he doesn’t
behave properly with others!
13.The material pleasures enjoyed by
cheating someone can only be temporary.
After the duration, it will start showing
many side effects. These side effects will
have more than double the impact on the
person. The person could instead have
stayed honest.
14. Sometimes, the side effects (like
discussed above) could even bring danger
to life. Nakki met his death just because of
cheating many. If he had stayed just like
before, he could’ve lived long! Is life less
important than temporary and short
duration material pleasures? Decide for
yourself.
15. Money earned by cheating people
won’t stay long, though it seems to fetch
instant material pleasures. But it comes
with the add-ons of ‘side effects.’ If a
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person cheats too much to earn, then the

side effects in the long run could be—non-
functioning of body parts, loss of some
body parts etc.
16. The advantages of being honest—
many friends, fewer troubles, liked and
trusted by many, numerous opportunities,
fame, positive impression, good luck,
support from all sides etc.
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Deep in the forest of Vidyaranya, along the

banks of river Jalamukhi, an ashram was
located. The Ashram was surrounded by
pleasant flower-bearing plants. The
surrounding air was fresh and divine. Under an
auspicious tree, sage Jogendra was meditating.
His eyes were closed while he kept repeating a
magical mantra. Anirudh strode through the
entrance of the ashram. On both the sides of the
walkway, several varieties of plants were seen.
That very sight of nature relaxed Anirudh’s
mind. The surroundings were filled with
chirping noises of birds, insects, and squirrels.
‘Staying here just for half an hour would bring
trance to me.’ When he neared the tree beneath
which the sage was meditating, another person
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was already present there. That was Bharat.

Bharat was seated on a nearby stone made
platform. He looked impatient of waiting.
Anirudh went by the side of Jogendra and sat on
the floor with legs crossed. Half an hour later,
sage Jogendra opened his eyes. He saw the two
men and spoke.
‘What brings you here, my sons?’
Bharat was impatient that he immediately
spoke,
‘Oh, sage. I came first. So, you should ask me
first.’
Jogendra grinned. ‘Be it. Say what you want
from me?’
Bharat narrated his tale. ‘Oh, the great one.
I’m a rich merchant from Thantripur. I started
several businesses. Whatever I touched turned
into gold. I got good profits and with that, I kept
adding new business. Life was good for some
time. But, regardless of the money that I earned,
I’m unable to find satisfaction. I’m not getting
regular sleep and the food that I eat is not
getting digested. I consulted doctors but they
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said I’m perfectly fine. They gave many

medicines but nothing worked on me. Soon,
another problem popped up. Just like me, my
family members also started falling ill. Even our
children have been suffering from illness. Life
is becoming miserable day by day. I feel like
those who live in huts lead a royal and peaceful
life than those who live in a bungalow. I better
be a middle-class family. Please do some magic
and help me out in bringing peace to my
family.’
‘What do you know about living in huts?’
Anirudh joined the conversation. ‘Do you know
how much pain it is to lead a middle-class
family life?’
Sage Jogendra interfered between the two.
‘Alright, let’s listen his story too. Continue,
son.’
Anirudh started his tale. ‘Oh, the great soul. I
offer my respects to you. Being poor is not as
comfortable as this man has just said. Taking
birth in a poor family is a curse. Take my case—
my family members have to fight for food every
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day. I’m unable to provide proper education to

my children. When I’m not capable of feeding
them properly, how can I make them go to
Gurukul? My wife also works to support our
living. I have to walk all the streets every day to
sell vegetables. We don’t even have proper
facilities to live happily in our hut. Life is
miserable by being poor. Being rich means we
can lead a luxurious life, always surrounded by
servants. We won’t be having tensions, no
headache of everyday works and no quarrels.
We can even provide luxurious education to
children. Overall, I can say that being rich is a
boon.’
Bharat was not appreciating the words of
Anirudh, just like Anirudh didn’t accept
Bharat’s claims. Both were arguing with each
other when Jogendra finally spoke.
‘Calm down, Sons. I have an idea, which will
solve both your problems. But you shouldn’t
blame me later. Are you willing to hear the
plan?’
‘Yes, Swamy.’ Both agreed.
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‘Alright then. Bharat wanted to enjoy the life

of a middle-class family and Anirudh wanted to
taste the life of a rich man. So, how about you
both exchange the places for a few days?’
‘I didn’t get you, Swamy,’ Bharat looked
confused while Anirudh scratched his head.
‘Listen, I will transfer the soul of Anirudh‘s
into your body and your soul into Anirudh’s
body. In other words, you both will be swapping
your places. For a week, you go to his house and
stay there. And, Anirudh will stay at your house.
Come back here after the week and tell me
whether you wish to continue. If you are happy
with this week’s experience, then you both can
exchange your possessions and live happily.’
Both thought for several minutes. Bharat was
the one who spoke first.
‘The first idea of swapping our places sounds
great to me. But I’m not yet convinced with the
thought of exchanging our possessions. Let us
swap our positions and experience it first. We
will decide after the week.’
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Jogendra grinned. ‘That’s wise. What do you

say Anirudh?’ Anirudh too agreed to the idea.
Jogendra sprinkled magical water on both of
them and chanted some mantras. Both of them
lost their conscious for a minute. After they
became conscious, they were stunned to see
their body standing opposite to them. They got
excited to see the change. The sage warned the
two to behave properly and involve only to a
limit with the family members. The two agreed.
After that, Bharat told Anirudh the position of
his home, the details of his family members, his
hobbies and the activities that he does every
day. He also gave precautious how to behave
and things not to do that might give doubt to
their family. Likewise, Anirudh shared his
family details to Bharat.
After the detailed discussion, they both
departed and reached the opposite houses.
Four days passed. After the meditation, Sage
Jogendra opened his eyes—only to get surprised
to see the two standing in front of him.
‘You came so early?’
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‘Yes, the great sage. We made the decision,’

replied Bharat.
‘This early?’ Jogendra closed his eyes for a
few seconds. ‘So, you two are ready to
permanently swap your positions?’ The sage
grinned.
‘Definitely no, Swamy. I want my previous
life,’ said Bharat.
‘Why? You said being poor is fortunate.
Couldn’t you find peace at Anirudh’s home?’
Jogendra questioned as if he didn’t knew
anything.
Bharat continued, ‘when I went to his home,
I was happy for the first hour. The body that I
carried don’t have any health problems. I
wasn’t tortured by other fellow businessmen
and even his family members appeared less
involved and healthy. As soon as I went and laid
down to rest, his wife came with a brome and
yelled at me complaining that I don’t have any
other work other than relaxing. Hearing to her
shouts Anirudh’s parents appeared from
nowhere and scolded me until their mouths
164
ached. I thought I would get peace of mind if I

go outside and work. So, I took the basket of
vegetables and walked in the streets to sell. The
sun was too intense and there was no place to
find shadow.
For the first time in my life I felt the need for
trees. Earlier, I made my men to cut the trees
just because they were coming in the midway to
my horse chariot. The job of vegetable selling
was the toughest of all, I suppose. I got
exhausted in just half an hour. Not many
purchased the vegetables and so I had to plead
the public. My first day experience was thus
horrible. After I returned home, I was totally
exhausted. My legs ached like anything and I
only got half the regular meal, that too a day’s
old boiled rice mixed in salt water and nothing
else. Surprisingly, I got the best sleep in my life
that night. I haven’t slept properly until then. It
relived my several years of struggle for a proper
sleep. A day’s hard work solved a big problem of
mine, which couldn’t be treated even by the best
doctors.
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Bhanu Chander V
The next day, I acted smart by selling all the

vegetables to a nearby vendor at lower prices. I
rested the whole day in a nearby temple before
I went to his home in the evening. His wife was
ferocious at me. She was not as dumb as my wife
as she found out what I had done. Therefore,
she cut that night’s dinner. I completely
understood the power of a housewife that day.
The other two days went like that. I became
weak without food and my legs were all burnt
because of roaming with bare feet. I don’t want
to stay in anyone’s life. My life is far better than
anyone’s life. I learned a good lesson on how to
solve my problems. The answer is hard work
and getting away from comfort zone. Please
swap me to my original body for I understood
how to keep myself happy and healthy.’ He
pleaded with folded hands.
‘Yes, I will. But, let’s hear to Anirudh’s
experience as well.’
‘That was the most horrible experience that I
ever faced in my life, Jogendraji.’ Anirudh gave
his comment.
166
‘I was overwhelmed initially for I thought I

would enjoy material pleasures. As I reached
their home, I saw their family members
coughing and squeezing heavily. The house was
totally filled with illness and I’m sure if I had
stayed there for four more days, I would also
have become a patient. In fact, all his family
members were very greedy. In fact, I had never
come across such greediest people in my life.
His children are spoilt. They waste money on ill
habits. His wife doesn’t even know how to cook.
She doesn’t even care whether I eat or not, not
like my wife who cares to provide the share even
if we had less.
To avoid interacting with his family
members, I went to the terrace and relaxed on
the balcony all the day. To my horror, I
overheard a servant speak with another servant
about the plan of a neighboring merchant to kill
me because of business egos. I couldn’t sleep
the whole night. I got prepared to face them
with the help of many servants. Whenever I
came across any stranger, my heart-beats
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Bhanu Chander V
increased. In fact, I couldn’t help but had to

doubt his family members and each and every
servant present at his home. Who knows who is
genuine and who isn’t? With that fear, I stayed
attentive all the night. Nothing happened. Next
day, in order to escape from the family and the
fear of being attacked, I went to attend the
business. At work, the workers were all scolding
and cursing me from behind. I was able to hear
to their blames secretly for I know the mentality
of workmen. I guess Bharat was deaf all these
days for he seems to be unaware of all these
happenings behind him. Unable to bear that too,
I went to his so-called trusted friends. But It
didn’t take much time to realize that they were
all acting in front of this body just because
Anirudh is wealthy. I was also able to sense their
evil thoughts in their minds. I felt danger
interacting with them too.
Helpless I went to a nearby Shiva temple and
decided to spend the rest of that day there. But,
it seems Bharat had a very bad reputation even
among the temple authorities and the priests
168
that they were angry of my presence at the

temple. It seems Bharat had never given a single
rupee as a donation to the temple works or as
alms. How can a rich man be this much miser?
Even I, as a vegetable seller, had donated several
times to my best. This rich guy had not only
avoided donations, but had also insulted the
priests in front of public because of head-
weight. His pride and arrogance made his name
bad that he cannot survive in public. I don’t
want to get trapped in such a disgraceful life.
My poor life is two hundred times better than
his. If not food, we are healthy, we care for
relations and we are social. On top of all, we
value and help people. Please give back my
body.’
The two fell silent and gazed at the Guru.
Jogendra grinned. He sprinkled the water again
and they swapped into their respective bodies.
They felt very happy to receive their bodies.
They paid obeisance to him and tried to leave
the place. For some reason they didn’t consider
asking further boons from the sage. They
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Bhanu Chander V
instead preferred to stay silent. Jogendra

stopped them and spoke.
‘Sons, by now you must’ve understood that
no one in the world is happy with his/her life.
Regardless of rich or poor, problems exists.
Problems would appear in different ways for
different financial levels. It’s unwise to think
that others are leading a happy and peaceful life
than us. Everyone has their own problems. Even
the king had a high-level problem that you even
won’t imagine. A man will lead a happy life
when he is content with what he has. A happy
man works hard, lives and also helps fellow
beings. Stop fearing for problems and get ready
to face them. If you have this attitude you will
live a heavenly life wherever you go.’
The two understood the reason why the sage
had advised them earlier to swap their bodies.
From that day, they tried to live happily with
what they have. They worked hard, cared for
their surrounding people and thereby earned
fame very soon. They lead a happy life and
became good friends.
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1. When you take help from others, have
patience. A man who isn’t patient will lose
many things in life, including relations.
2. You need to be patient when you deal with
women, parents, husband/wife (most
important), elders, children, doctors,
teachers, God (most important) and when
you are in government offices.
3. Your life is far better than anyone in the
world. Experience your life wholeheartedly
and never desire to have the life of others.
Never regret seeing the life of successful
men/women. They too have numerous
problems. Just that they haven’t revealed
their problems.
4. Whether rich or poor, everyone will have
some kind of problems. It all depends on
what and how you perceive.
5. Show me any person on this earth who
claims to be problem-free in his/her life. I
bet you can’t find one!
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Bhanu Chander V
6. For me, your life appears good. But for you,

my life appears good. In reality, for me my
life is the best and for you your life is the
best.
7. Take the case of Indian epics. Even Gods
were made to face problems in the stories.
When the Gods with supernatural powers
couldn’t escape problems in life, how
come ordinary humans like us escape the
cycle of problems and solutions in life?
8. A person becomes great when he doesn’t
get disturbed by his problems. A great
person takes the problems sportively and
overcomes it. He knows that both
happiness and problems are temporary.
Instead of complaining he praises his
problems for he derives advantages from
his problems.
9. A sage is free from material bonds. He has
no headache of business, family etc. and
hence he heads a trance life. In fact, he is
needed by others but he doesn’t need
anyone’s assistance. Yet, he engages in
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helping everyone. Just like the sage, create

a pleasant environment wherever you live.
10. Losers quit in the middle, winners
either won’t take up or will strive till they
finish it (if started).
11. Initially, Bharat (the rich) wished to enjoy
the life of Anirudh (the poor) and Anirudh
wished to enjoy the life of Bharat. Later,
they found their lives to be better. Same
experience in life would appear different to
different eyes. Some like it and some
blame it. One who likes his/her own
experiences will identify himself as a positive
and successful man.
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Bhanu Chander V
Drustendra was born to a rich merchant in the

kingdom of Thantripur. As he grew, he lived
among merchants and businessmen. When he
was just fifteen years old, he started taking care
of his father’s business. He learned all the tricks
and techniques, which he started applying to
his business. His father saw through his
business mind and warned him,
‘Son, you cannot do everything with money
and you should not do everything for the sake
of money. You need to grasp the situation and
act accordingly. It’s true that business means
providing products and services to the
customers with marginal profits. But a business
that doesn’t care for customers but aims only at
high profits by way of charging them with high
prices —will always end in a disaster. I have a
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good experience and so listen to me. Only take

up a business that is fair. You seem to do
anything for the sake of profits. Beware.’
His father’s prediction was correct for
Drustendra’s only target was earning very high
margins, regardless of whether his customers
benefited or not. Many of his customers became
debt. He would lend money to the poor and
would occupy their properties—like lands, huts,
houses, jewelry, cattle etc. That way, he earned
more and more money. He would club small
adjacent properties and would sell the whole
property at a higher price, by creating an
unnecessary hype in the real estate market.
Once, he got a jackpot when the king of
Thantripur purchased a vast land from him at a
very high price, for developing the
infrastructure of the region. After that, he
became even more trouble to the people. His
sole purpose of life was to accumulate as much
as he can. His father and his wife kept
questioning him ‘what are you going to do with
so many assets and money.’ He neither replied
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Bhanu Chander V
nor worried about their suggestions. The truth

was he wasn’t sure of why he was money-
minded. ‘Loot money as much as I can’ that was
his only thinking. Years passed and his father
became sick. On his deathbed, he advised
Drustendra to stop earning and to start
donating to charity. He warned him about the
consequences of bad deeds.
Though Drustendra nodded his head, his
mind was not attentive to his father’s
suggestions. His mind was busy in making
plans to cheat a merchant in the neighboring
village. The merchant was already in a great
loss and had taken money on interest basis from
Drustendra. His father’s suggestions couldn’t
enter into his ears except for the last word,
‘understood?’
‘Yes, yes, Appa.’ Drustendra lied. His father
tried to speak further but couldn’t. He left his
last breath.
Even before completing the formalities of his
father’s death, he traveled to the neighboring
village. He had to cross river Jalamukhi and had
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to travel nine kilometers by road to reach that

village. After successfully cheating the
merchant, he forcibly took over the only
possession of the poor merchant—his family’s
gold—charging triple the price of what he had
given to that merchant. Feeling achieved and
overwhelmed with joy, he started back carrying
a big bag full of gold.
The merchant’s wife cursed Drustendra for
cheating them, ‘I thought like selling the jewels
at a good price and use that for our children’s
education. However, this greedy man has looted
us. His sins will not leave him and he will surely
meet a disaster very soon. Whatever money or
property he has will not help him during his
problems. This is my curse.’ She was red with
anger. The merchant tried to console her but
she couldn’t stop.
By then, Drustendra had reached the
riverbank. It was 6.30 in the evening. A woman
was already waiting there for a boat along with
her small kid. A small boat came after ten
minutes.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Why didn’t the big boat come?’ Drustendra

questioned.
‘The climate is not good and heavy winds are
blowing. So, they will not come.’ Kaala, the boat
driver, informed him. By then the lady with the
small kid got into the boat.
Drustendra thought, ‘If I stay here for the night,
I have to pay for the night stay. Also, I will have to
pay only a few bucks if I travel by this small boat.’
But, to his dismay, Kaala started undoing the
boat rope.
‘Wait. I haven’t boarded yet.’
‘Sir, this boat can’t handle three people and
this madam had already boarded in. The boat
will get overloaded if you also board.’
‘You should not speak in front of me,’
Drustendra shouted. ‘I’m related to the emperor
and if you go against my wish, you will be
punished severely.’
Drustendra’s threatening words had no effect
on Kaala. He replied calmly, ‘Sir, she is the first
to get in the boat. That too, she is a women with
a kid. I have no other option.’
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‘Then take us both and that’s final.’ Saying so

he sat in the boat adamantly. Kaala didn’t wish
to fight with him and since the time was
running late, he undid the boat’s rope and set
sail.
While in the boat, he clutched the jewelry bag
tightly as if someone was trying to snatch it
from him. Seeing his attitude, the women
turned to the other side. They were only a few
hundred meters far from their destination when
wind started blowing heavily. The river water
fluctuated and made the boat move up and
down uncontrollably. The women clutched her
kid tightly with one hand and with the other
hand she held the boat. Drustendra was so keen
in protecting his jewels that he held the bag as
tight as he can with his both hands.
‘In any case I should protect the jewels.’ He
was determined.
The wind became so strong and it pushed the
boat in the opposite direction of its motion. At
the same tim,e stormy rain started causing the
river water go turbulent. Drustendra was so
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Bhanu Chander V
conscious of his bag that he forgot to grip the

boat. Losing his balance, he leaned to a side of
the boat. Even while leaning, he didn’t let loose
his hood on the bag. He lost his balance that he
toppled to a side and fell in the river. Because of
him, the whole boat toppled and turned upside
down—making the woman and Kaala fall in the
river. Kaala tried his best to turn it back but the
boat was heavy and shaking that it became
impossible for him to set it back. At the same
time, the boat’s base cracked.
A horrified Kaala swam to the top and checked
around to see the status of his travelers. The
woman was struggling hard to keep his child
above the water, but was unable to save herself
from drowning. Kaala turned back and saw
Drustendra drowning too. He decided to help
the woman first. He lowered into the water and
pushed her from below. The lady took a deep
breathe right after she surfaced. Kaala struggled
hard and swam to lift her further. After a few
minutes of struggle, the woman was half above
the water surface after which she took the
180
support of the broken boat. Kaala made her

climb the upside-down boat. She balanced her
weight equally on the boat, making it difficult
to topple.
Kaala didn’t stop there. He quickly swam to
Drustendra and grabbed his hands. He pushed
from below and surfaced him somehow.
Drustendra vomited the drunk water.
‘Let go your bag. It’s making you heavy. It’s
difficult for me to hold you with the bag.’
‘No. I can’t drop the bag. Help me somehow.’
‘Can’t you swim?’
‘No!’
Kaala tried his best to lift Drustendra but it
became difficult for him.
‘You need to drop your bag for sure.’
‘No way. This bag is more important than the
woman and the kid over there. I will give half
the jewels to you. Drop those two in the river
and help me sit on top of the boat. After all,
what is the use of those two lives? They are
nothing but burden to this earth. I’m a rich and
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Bhanu Chander V
successful man. I’m more eligible to live than

the two.’
Kaala couldn’t tolerate the words anymore.
He looked at the woman’s eyes and saw the
helpless state of her. Her eyes told him that she
was pleading him indirectly while Drustendra
eyes as well as words were still covered with
pride and selfishness.
Kaala spoke, ‘Actually, it is you who is the real
burden to this earth, not her. There is no point
in your life when you don’t even know the value
of fellow humans. You have no respect for
others. How selfish you are that you are not
letting the gold but are not bothered about the
two helpless lives. Do you still think that your
riches can do anything for you? In that case, let
me see how your jewelry bag is going to help
you.’ Saying so he unclasped his hold.
‘No, don’t do that. Take this whole bag and
help me.’ Drustendra yelled.
But Kaala had made his mind to move. He
made the women bend to the surface of the boat
so that the weight will not topple the boat. He
182
then pushed it with his hands while he himself

swam along with that.
After several minutes of struggle, Drustendra
drowned along with his jewelry bag. The bag got
carried away by the river water. The very next
day, the king came to know about the rescue of
the woman by Kaala. He summoned the two and
appreciated Kaala for saving her. He presented
him a big ferry. Kaala felt happy and thanked
him. The king also consoled the woman for he
came to knew that because of the foolish and
selfish act of Drustendra, she and her son was
put into trouble.
‘The boat wouldn’t have toppled if
Drustendra hadn’t got into the boat.’ The king
realized. He therefore presented the woman
with money and a house. The woman became
happy and praised both the king and Kaala. The
king also offered free education for her son.
Meanwhile, the merchant who was looted by
Drustendra couldn’t understand what to do as
he had lost all his possessions, including his
family’s leftover jewels. He decided to end his
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Bhanu Chander V
life by drowning in river Jalamukhi. He reached

the river bank and walked into it. As he was
pacing inside the water, his right leg got stuck
to something. It appeared like a river weed. He
bent down and tried to free his leg by removing
the weed like thing. The sensation of the touch
didn’t appear like weed but some cloth tag.
Curious of what it could be, he lifted it up above
the water. Because it was in water, he had to put
a great effort. As he lifted it up, he saw the same
bag that Drustendra was carrying a few days
ago. Surprised, he opened the bag and saw all
his jewels present.
‘God is great.’ He thanked the god as he
returned back to his home with a happy face.

1. Money saving may not help you every
time. But your pious deeds will help you in
multiple times.
2. Accumulating money without enjoying
self or letting others enjoy will ultimate
end in spending the money for hospitals,
184
addictions, taxes, wastes, robbery etc. It’s

no use in saving money when you know
you have more than sufficient.
3. Money can’t solve all your problems.
4. Expecting help from Kaala is ordinary but
expecting his help for protecting his jewels
at the cost of two lives, that too a woman
and a child, shows his selfishness. His
selfishness had reached peaks and he was
so inhuman to speak so.
5. Kaala could’ve considered helping
Drustendra if Drustendra hadn’t asked
him to drop the woman and the kid. He
would’ve risked his own life to save
Drustendra. But Drustendra’s cruel
mentality made Kaala to ignore him. In
fact, Kaala realized that his life was more
important at that moment than
Drustendra’s life for if he was alive, he can
save two more lives, but if Drustendra was
alive, he would make the two lives suffer.
So, he took a wise decision without getting
attracted to the offers.
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Bhanu Chander V
6. Drustendra could’ve at least freed his bag

to reduce the weight in order to save him.
His greediness drowned him. Sometimes,
we need to sacrifice something in order to
gain some other thing. Wanting to have
both the things during such situations is
foolish.
7. Give preference in the order—children,
elders, women and finally men.
8. The merchant who got cheated by
Drustendra was genuine in his business
and was good at heart. So, he got back
whatever belonged to him.
9. If something belongs to you, it won’t leave
you. If something belongs to someone else,
it won’t stay with you. On top of that, it
might bring trouble to you.
10. Only a truthful business brings
permanent success. A business done
illegally by cheating people might have
given temporary pleasures. But, it will
come with side effects and the intensity of
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the side effects would be multiple times

the intensity of the temporary pleasures.
11. None of Drustendra’s earnings were
helpful to him when he was in real need
(when he was drowning). If he had
humanity, he would’ve somehow got help
for sure.
12. There is a limit to everything,
especially the bad.
13.Over accumulation (of money, property
etc.) results only in distress, tensions,
illness, dissatisfaction, break of relations,
loss of friends and family, no help/support
from others, loss of peace etc.
14. Drustendra should’ve given value to
his father’s suggestions. He should’ve
remembered that he learnt business from
his father only and so he should’ve given a
thought on his father’s suggestions.
15. It turned out that Drustendra was the
greatest selfish man on earth.
16. The poor merchant had thought of
using the jewels for his children’s
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Bhanu Chander V
education. But, Drustendra had taken

them by charging more interest rates. That
sin of a family and the children resulted in
a bad luck to Drustendra.
17. The overall impact of occupying
others’ properties, taking away money etc.
resulted in his drowning. Those who had
suffered because of him had celebrated
after the news of his drowning. Such a soul
has no propose on earth, simply living just
for the sake of money?’
18. Living long has no purpose if the life
is filled with selfishness and inhuman
thoughts. A person is considered to have
lived a perfect life when he lives even after
his death. In other words, he will be
remembered for generations for his noble
deeds. That is the true meaning of life.
188
The time was four in the evening. Thikkappa

was still sitting in the clinic, eagerly waiting for
the doctor to come. He was sitting in a row, next
to a few more people. The receptionist had been
seated in the room corner and was giving token
to the patients. When Thikkappa stepped inside
the hall around 1’o clock, she was having her
lunch. She asked him to wait for her. After she
completed eating, she gave him the token. Now,
it’s almost three hours since he had arrived.
He saw many patients come and go. Many of
them were bored of waiting in the same place
doing nothing for many hours. The receptionist
had been observing the patients’ movements.
She would move in between and supply water to
the elders and to those who face difficulty in
moving. Thikkappa was expecting her to
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Bhanu Chander V
remember his purpose of visit. In between, he

kept gazing at her as if he was expecting
something from her. But she was busy with
phone calls and in attending the patients. Ten
minutes later, the doctor came. The receptionist
was sending the patients one by one as per the
token she gave them on first come basis. After
two more patients, Thikkappa’s turn would
come. Yet, he was gazing at the receptionist in
between.
Suddenly, Thikkappa fell on the floor from
the seat. He became unconscious. When he
woke up, he was lying on a bed. A saline bottle
was hung next to him and the liquid was
injected into his body. He tried to wake up but
couldn’t as he felt weakness. His limbs weren’t
moving. The doctor came and sat by his side.
‘Your body got dehydrated. It seems you
haven’t taken sufficient water today.’
‘Till noon I drank sufficient water, Doctor.
But, After I came to the clinic, I couldn’t drink
any water.’ Thikkappa replied weakly.
190
‘Why? What’s the matter? I suppose the water

filter in the hall is working and is full of water.
Did someone prevented you from using it?’
‘No, doctor.’
‘Then?’
‘I was expecting the clinic receptionist to
bring me water when I was thirsty!’
‘But why? Couldn’t you move? Were you weak
that time?’
‘No, doctor. I was perfectly alright that time.
I came here to get medicines for my cold. But
your receptionist didn’t give me water.’
The doctor got confused with the reply. ‘Did
you ask her at least?’
‘No.’
‘Then how could she know that you were
thirsty?’
‘Like she gave water to few others in the hall,
I expected that she would serve me too when I
was thirsty. But she didn’t.’ Thikkappa replied
casually, blaming the receptionist, as if it was
the duty of her.
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Bhanu Chander V
His reply made the doctor angry. ‘You fool.

You should not expect others to work for you
when you are capable of doing. She does service
only to those who cannot move. But you being
young and energetic you shouldn’t have
expected the same. Your body parts are working
fine and still you didn’t take the minimal effort
of moving to the hall corner to drink water. How
idiotic you are! When you are not ready to help
yourself how would others help you? At least
you should’ve asked her or someone. You have
wasted your time and you became sick just
because of your foolish expectation.’ The doctor
walked away cursing the foolishness of
Thikkappa.

1. If not asked, even mother won’t give food.
Be clear and communicate well, especially
when you are taking someone’s assistance.
2. If you are capable of doing, then do them
by yourself. Don’t expect that others would
do for your sake.
192
3. When you can’t help yourself (though you

could have), how come others help you?
4. Expect more from self and less from
others.
5. Stand on your own legs and eat your own
bread. You will miss the balance if you try
to stand on others legs.
6. Even God won’t help you if you are capable
of doing that. Don’t blame God for your
laziness and negligence.
7. Pursuing something requires your
willingness. If you do halfheartedly or
without interest, your performance will
drop. You might not be able to complete it
as well. So, be wise in choosing what you
do.
8. Your over expectation on others might end
in misery. The problems could be delays,
losses, mis-understandings and/or illness.
9. Don’t wait for something to come. Go and
grab it, or, move on and try next
opportunity.
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Bhanu Chander V
10. Sitting idle at home—expecting that

opportunities (like jobs) would knock at
your door—is like day dreaming. You
won’t get a job unless you don’t
approach/try.
11. If everyone sits idle expecting that
someone would do for them, then, who is
left to do? In such a scenario, all the works
will get stagnated. On the other side, if
everyone does their job perfectly, then
there wouldn’t be any need of helping each
other, making everyone self-dependent.
And, there wouldn’t be any quarrels,
misunderstandings, blaming, delays etc.
194
Nanda, Sunanda and Paramanada were three

brothers. They grew together and their parents
took all care in teaching them the notion of
equanimity. Their parents wanted the three to
maintain same perception by avoiding
differences in beliefs. Despite their efforts, the
three grew with different views. Time had come
for them to get married. Their parents wanted
them to get married at the same time. So, they
started in search of suitable brides for the three.
However, the three exhibited their desire to
choose the bride as per their requirements. They
were not happy with the matches that their
parents showed.
‘Let me decide who to choose.’ Nanda, the
first brother told them. Sunanda and
Paramanada too said the same.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘What kind of girl you are looking for?’

Venkatesh, his father, asked him.
‘A girl who is good at heart and very
beautiful,’ replied Nanda deterministically.
‘And what about you?’ Sunanda, the second
brother was asked.
‘I’m looking for a woman who is the most
beautiful of all girls. I’m not much concerned
about her qualities.’
‘And you, Paramanada? Do you have similar
demands like your brothers? Are you looking for
a beautiful woman as your wife?’ Venkatesh
doubtfully questioned the third son.
‘Definitely no, father.’ Paramanada added, ‘I
wish to get married to a descent, kind and
good-hearted woman, regardless of her looks.’
‘Alright. Be it. I will search for matches
accordingly.’
Venkatesh searched for matches everywhere.
Whoever he finds, he would counsel them. With
that counselling, he would get an idea of
whether the girl is good natured or not. He went
through the profiles of several girls. He got a
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perfect match for Sunanda as it was easy to find

a girl who was beautiful regardless of her
nature. Next, he found a good match to
Paramanada after a thorough search. It took
him a long time to screen the profiles and short
list the best girl for him. But, the girl was not
great in looks. Paramanada was not worried
about the looks and so he agreed to marry the
girl.
After finding two matches, Venkatesh felt
relieved assuming that he would also find a
match to Nanda. But, as he started searching, he
found it difficult to find a girl (within their
region) with both the qualities—beautiful and
good natured. Because he couldn’t find a match
for his elder son, he kept on hold the marriages
of the other two. A year passed but he couldn’t
find a single match. He had checked through
thousands of profiles, but none appeared a good
fit to the needs of Nanda. Venkatesh had also
searched outside the state. Fed up of the
searches and since it was getting late, he
allowed the two younger sons to get married. He
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Bhanu Chander V
continued the search after the marriage of the

two.
Another year passed and Nanda remained
bachelor. By then, both Sunanda and
Paramanada had children. Paramanada lived a
happy life with his wife. Though she was not
beautiful, she was very adjusting. She valued
the opinions of her husband just like
Paramanada valued her opinions. She
considered family and children as her first
priority. Paramanda’s parents liked her very
much for she never behaved with attitude and
pride.
Sunanda lived a distressed life. Her wife was
always in pride. She considered herself as the
most beautiful woman on earth. Until marriage,
she didn’t reveal her requirements. But right
after marriage, she put several conditions,
requirements and also demanded him to change
his life style and hobbies to suit her status. She
was less worried about family, children etc. She
would instead care about her interests, habits,
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parties, beauty care etc. Sunanda had already

spent a fortune for her—just to meet her needs.
He tried to provide her what whatever she
liked. Yet, she was unsatisfied with him. She
would often blame and insult him. Often, she
kept saying that she had been leading a
miserable life because he was not as handsome
as she expected. If he says something loudly,
then she would threaten him saying that she
would give divorce and/or go to their parent’s
home. Life became miserable to Sunanda and he
regretted his mistake of falling behind a
beautiful girl, who had no respect, moral and
ethical values. The only thing Sunanda could do
was narrate his miserable life to Paramanda and
also appreciate Paramanda’s decision of not
falling just behind beauty—by ignoring the
matching qualities.
Like Sunanda, Nanda too regretted for having
over expectation.
‘I could better have followed the footsteps of
Paramanada.’ He would often feel sad realizing
his mistake.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘I should’ve listened to father. He always said

to give importance to the qualities and the right
match rather than worrying about beauty. He
said that looks are deceiving. Looks like finding
a match with right qualities and beauty is rare.
One must be very lucky if he/she finds both the
qualities in a person.’
Nanda remained a bachelor for many years.
He finally decided to be flexible. At last, he
married a fat woman.

1. To gain something, you might have to lose
some other thing. This is applicable even
for relations. If you are looking for good,
you might have to sacrifice beauty, and
vice versa. If you are able to find a match
with all the qualities, then you are very
lucky.
2. Although Paramanada was the youngest,
he was the wisest among the three
brothers. He grasped that beauty comes
with a cost. He realized that the first
200
criteria to be consider while marrying a

girl (or a girl deciding to marry a boy)
should be their nature/character.
According to him, beauty shouldn’t be the
first criteria. He therefore lived a happy
life with his understandable wife. In fact,
she had adjusting nature because
Paramanada gave importance to her
decisions apart from loving her. To
maintain a good relationship,
understanding and adjustment from both
the sides are very important.
3. Sunanda was an idiot. He didn’t bother
about the quality/character that a woman
should have. Therefore, he suffered
throughout his life. Not only him, his
children also suffered because of his
unintelligent decision.
4. Sunanda’s wife should’ve previously
informed him about her requirement,
interests, demands and her character to
Sunanda before they got married. She (and
her family) hid them for she somehow
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Bhanu Chander V
wanted to get married to someone. Later,

because of her mistake, Sunanda and his
whole family had to suffer.
5. A woman should therefore openly and
clearly state her nature, character,
attitude, hobbies, habits, previous
relations, requirements, demands,
perceptions, and likes/dislikes to the one
with whom she is going to get married.
Because of hiding the facts before
marriage, she will not only feel troubled
but also will trouble many others—
including her children. This is applicable
to men also.
6. Because of one single girl/boy (who hides
the facts), the whole family of the boy/girl
suffers, including the next generations.
Even their relatives suffer a lot. A
woman/man should therefore openly state
her/his likings/disliking to prevent the
after-consequences.
7. If both husband and wife are egoistic, they
would never lead a happy life. One of them
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has to compromise every time. It’s wise if

the husband compromises than expecting
his wife to be compromised.
8. A husband shouldn’t expect too much
from his wife. He should adapt to some
changes in order to lead a satisfied life.
9. Nanda was the biggest fool of the century,
for he desired both the qualities in a
woman, which was surely difficult to find.
He should’ve learnt from his younger
brother. At least after one or two years he
should’ve changed his perception by
grasping the truth. But, his foolishness
kept him unmarried for several years until
he became old.
10. Nanda and Sunanda could’ve
considered marrying even a handicapped
woman (provided she is good hearted)
rather than suffering lifelong by marrying
beautiful looking woman with no moral or
ethical values.
11. It is not fair if you are not good looking yet
you expect a good-looking partner. Like
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Bhanu Chander V
you, the opposite (bride/bride-groom)

might also have his/her expectations. So,
make sure and confirm with your wannabe
partner whether they are happy by
marrying you—in case if you feel doubtful.
204
It was a bright sunny noon. Raghu, a cloth

business man, was returning from Thantripur
to his village after he sold his goods in a fair. As
it was too hot, he decided to travel off road,
along the banks of the river Jalamukhi. On the
mid-way, he encountered a small water fall. He
Climbed the stones—with the intention of
continuing his journey when something caught
his attention. Around half the height of the
water fall, he spotted the presence of a hollow
structure behind the waterfall. He carefully
trekked the stones and moved sideways until he
reached the side of the waterfall.
‘No doubt, this is a cave.’ His eagerness made
him move towards the cave to explore it, instead
of continuing to home. In a few minutes, he was
completely behind the water fall. He took slow
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Bhanu Chander V
steps through the passage. Surprisingly, the

cave was neither filled with spider webs nor
with bats. As he stepped further, he met a dead
end.
‘Just an ordinary cave, I suppose!’ he tried to
turn back when he saw another passage to his
right. His mind worked fast. He turned to his
left expecting to see a passage just like the right
passage. His assumption was correct for he was
able to see another similar passage in the
dimness. He rotated to the previous position
and kept walking front. As he paced in the
darkness, he was not able to see anything and
so he tried to return back. To his horror,
something held him from behind. He was scared
to death.
His attempts to get free from the hold was not
fruitful. His hands and shoulders were tightly
caught. To his surprise, the cave started lighting
up. After it was completely lit, Raghu tried to
twist back to see who was holding him. He
screamed with fear as he saw a monster
standing behind him, holding his both hands.
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‘Spare me. Don’t kill me.’

Rakasura, the monster, laughed loudly. His
laugh echoed in the whole cave.
‘How can I spare a meal that came for free?’
His voice was rude.
‘Please let me go. I’ve two children. If you eat
me, they will become poor and helpless.’
Rakasura didn’t speak. He was thoughtful.
Raghu took the advantage and added, ‘if you are
hungry, why don’t you taste the food in this
lunch box?’
‘Give that,’ the monster released the clutch
on Raghu and grabbed the lunch box that Raghu
had been carrying with him. The monster then
opened it and started eating. After two
mouthfuls of food, he got excited to eat the food.
Without delay, he ate the leftover food. He then
licked his hand and the lunch box until the box
shone like a washed one.
‘Delicious.’ The monster looked happy. ‘Who
made this?’
‘My wife cooked the food.’
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Very well. I’m happy with the food. As a

reward, I’m sparing your life.’ Raghu became
excited.
‘And,’ Rakasura added, ‘come with me.
You’ve another reward for the food.’ Raghu
walked behind Rakasura, who led him into the
other passage way. As they went inside, they
stopped at the end of the wall.
‘This looks same as the other passage.’ Raghu
commented.
‘Well, almost same except for one addition.’
Rakasura pressed a slightly projected portion of
the rocky wall. The projected button went inside
the wall. A cracking sound was heard and a
portion of the wall started moving. To the
dismay of Raghu, the wall opened. No sooner
did the wall opened Raghu had to cover his
eyes—for something illuminated the whole
space. After a few seconds of struggle, he
opened his eyes only to see countless gold coins
present in the big secret room. Apart from gold
coins, Raghu saw different variants of stones
like diamond, ruby, pearl and also some jewels.
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Rakasura grasped a fistful of the coins and gave

it to Raghu who was still in a shock.
‘This is the reward for the food.’ He spoke.
Rakasura made Raghu move out of the secret
room. He then pressed the stone-made
projection again—making the wall close.
Rakasura added, ‘Whenever you bring me the
food, you will get a fistful of gold. But
remember, I should get the food that is cooked
only by your wife. I won’t accept any kind of
food made by others. I don’t think anyone in the
world can cook so tastily than your wife. You
must be lucky.’ He patted Raghu on his
shoulder.
Raghu then left the place, still in confusion.
He walked home and explained everything to
his wife. His wife too agreed to cook for the
rakshas every day. From that day he stopped
going to work. Carrying the food to the cave,
handing it over to the rakshas, and getting some
gold as a return became his only job. After a few
days, Rakasura started trusting Raghu that he
allowed him to take the gold coins by himself.
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Bhanu Chander V
Days moved and Raghu got richer day by day.

The more he got, the more he felt like getting.
Raghu started cheating Rakasura by taking
more gold than what he was permitted. A stage
came where he carried a bag full of gold every
day. Seeing gold, even his wife became lazy. She
starting making less dishes. After some days,
she made half boiled food as she was impatient
of waiting till the food gets cooked. She spent
more time in front of mirrors and in getting
services from her maids.
‘Why do I have to do the works of a maid?’ She
thought. ‘Cooking and household chores are
meant for maids, not for wealthy lady like me.’
Just like his wife became over pride, Raghu
too was not convinced of doing the food supply
job.
‘How dare the rakshas Makes me, the richest
man, work for him, instead of giving proper
attention to me? How dare he treats me like his
slave.’ He thought for several hours and finally
decided on what he should do. The next day, he
asked his wife to parcel food for the rakshas.
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But, just like Raghu, she too decided to stop

cooking from that day and so she ordered one of
her maids to cook and pack the food. Raghu took
the boxes and went to the forest. Unlike the
usual days, he allowed the chariot driver and his
servants to stay little near to the cave. Until that
day, he took all precautions in preventing them
from getting the clue of where he went and
what he did. That’s because he feared that if he
allowed them, then they would also learn about
the secret. He wished to enjoy the gold all by
himself.
Raghu entered the cave and went into the
passage where the rakshas resided. Rakasura
was not present that time. Raghu placed the
lunch box on a corner of the cave. He then went
to the other cave, opened the secret chamber’s
door and walked inside to get his that day’s
quota of gold. He filled the big bag as usual.
While raising up, he gazed at the leftover gold.
‘Plenty of gold is still left here. How selfish is
Rakasura that he is keeping these all by himself.
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Bhanu Chander V
What would a demon like him do with such a

huge collection of gold?’
Feeling lucky of the absence of the rakshas,
Raghu went near to the bushes outside the cave
where he hid large sized bags and sacks before
he entered the cave. He then went straight into
the second cave and filled all the big bags with
the coins. He also filled the sacks with
ornaments, jewelry and precious stones. After a
four-hour struggle of filling the bags with
whatever he can, he finally decided to end it as
he doubted that the rakshas would come
anytime. With that, he transported them to the
nearby bush one by one—all by himself. It took
another couple of hours to complete the task
and. By then, he was totally exhausted. Though
he was low of energy, his desire to quickly
transport the valuables to his residence had
given him energy that he immediately ran to the
chariot and asked the driver to accompany him.
Using his servants, he hurriedly loaded the
chariot. They started to his residence. The
horses couldn’t bear the load because the bags
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and sacks were many and were full. His four

servants had to get down and push it from
behind, to reduce the weight of the chariot.
Meanwhile, Rakasura returned to the cave
after he enjoyed the pleasantness of the nature
at the banks of the river. He found the food box
at its usual place. He opened the box to eat it
when he immediately sensed the difference in
the food smell. In order to confirm, Rakasura
ate two handful of food.
‘No doubt, this is prepared by someone else.’
‘Looks like his wife had lost her patience and
is feeling pride of her new status that she
doesn’t want to cook for anyone anymore.
Alright, let me see to what extent she can go
with her pride.’ He smiled. Rakasura also got a
doubt on Raghu that he decided to check the
status of the secret chamber with gold. It had
been a while since he visited that room, for, he
had been trusting Raghu. When he went to the
next room to inspect, he was shocked to see
large quantities of valuables missing. He closed
his eyes and used his super natural powers to
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Bhanu Chander V
visualize the past. He got to know the cheating

of Raghu.
‘That rouge had been cheating me from a while
and today he went to the extreme level. In fact, he
didn’t bring the food as promised. He and his wife
will suffer for their foolish mistakes.’ He closed his
eyes and chanted something.
By then, Raghu had dumped the new
possessions in his locker room, dedicated
especially for stacking the gold. He gazed at the
wholly filled room and became excited. He
turned back to leave the locker when he heard
hissing sounds. Wondering what that could be,
he turned back again—only to get the shock of
his life. There were countless snakes, lizards,
scorpions and other dangerous insects and
reptiles in the room.
‘The gold is gone?’ He became dumbstruck.
He got conscious only when a scorpion bit him
on his leg. Seeing many snakes move towards
him, he ran out of the room.
He didn’t even had time to think as he heard
a sudden cry from his wife’s room. He hurried
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inside—only to see the struggle of his wife to

remove snakes on her neck.
‘All the jewels are turning into snake.’ He
realized while he removed the snakes on her.
They then rushed out of the home.
Back at the cave, All the gold appeared in front
of Rakasura, magically.
Raghu rushed to the waterfalls. To his horror,
neither the cave nor the rakshas were seen.
Everything disappeared.
Many days passed. All the servants and maids
of the Raghu’s family left their jobs for Raghu
couldn’t give salaries to them. His residence
was still a home to snakes and scorpions that
nobody ever dared to open even the windows.
Raghu had no idea as to what to do. Earlier,
because of turning rich, he had stopped his
business. He neither invested his money on
something nor did he start a new business as a
backup. He never gave a single rupee to anyone
and so nobody came forward to lend him money
for his living. Even his servants treated the
couple very badly—as a revenge to how the
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Bhanu Chander V
couple treated them earlier. Realizing that they

were helpless in that village and feeling
ashamed of their status, they migrated to some
far place and lived by doing maiden jobs.
For the rest of their life, Raghu blamed his
wife for not cooking and Raghu’s wife blamed
him for bringing too many bags of gold at a
time.

1. Who is the real monster? Rakasura or
Raghu and his wife?
2. Rakasura was not actually in need of food
from Raghu. In fact, the small quantity of
food was not at all sufficient for him. He
acted as if he was in need of food, just to
help Raghu. But Raghu and his wife miss-
utilized his lenience and exploited him.
Moreover, Raghu had not helped a single
soul, though he was capable of helping
hundreds of lives. Therefore, Raghu and
his wife are the real monsters.
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3. Both Raghu and his wife blamed each

other for the rest of their life, though both
were responsible.
4. If Raghu had changed, Rakasura would’ve
reappeared and helped him again. But
Raghu remained the same throughout his
life and so he lost the opportunity.
5. Rakasura actually helped Raghu and made
him rich expecting that Raghu would help
many poor people. But the more Raghu got
the greedier he became.
6. Raghu initially took only two fistfuls of
valuables. After a few days of getting
permission from Rakasura to take the
fistful of gold by himself and observing
that Rakasura was not minding him, he
started taking a whole bag of gold. His
dishonest attitude had given him the evil
thought of going for sacks, which finally
ended up in a disaster.
7. This is an example of what happens when
we break someone’s trust. Whether
someone is watching us or not, we should
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Bhanu Chander V
maintain the goodness in us. Remember,

God is watching us from above and we
can’t escape or hide anything from him.
8. The good or bad that we do will surely get
back to us.
9. Becoming rich shouldn’t hamper your
usual work. It shouldn’t make you stay
relaxed and stop your usual career.
10. Raghu’s wife eyes were covered with
pride and her mind was filled with the
perception: ‘this is a cheap work and
doesn’t suit my status,’ which is what
brought their down fall.
11. A duty is a duty—regardless of your status.
Just because your life got upgraded doesn’t
mean you are restricted from doing some
worthy work. Remember where you came
from and the struggles that you faced (if
any).
12. You will be treated the way you treat
others.
13.What is the use of accumulating gold when
Raghu had lost the hearts of people? Had
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the case Raghu helped people when he was

capable, he would have definitely received
help when he was truly needed.
14. Being truthful is the trusted quality.
15. Everything is like a mirror in this
world. If you help others, you will be
helped. If you cheat others, you will be
cheated. When you serve the world, the
world will take care of you and your family
as well. When you act like a monster, you
will be meeting monsters everywhere.
16. Raghu should’ve gained the heart of
giving to someone (just like Rakasura did)
rather than taking from someone. He
should’ve given value/respect to the trust
that Rakasura had on him.
17. Because he got cheated by Raghu,
Rakasura didn’t trust any other human.
The sin of Rakasura doubting the good
people goes to Raghu only, even though
Rakasura does that. The one who is
responsible for a person’s behavioral
change will also carry the good/bad
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Bhanu Chander V
(pious/sin) due to the person’s behavioral

change.
18. Had Raghu inspired the rakshas by
being loyal, Rakasura would’ve trusted
more people and would’ve helped them all.
That way, Rakasura would’ve got an
opportunity to reduce his past sins. The
behavioral change in Rakasura would’ve
given benefit to Raghu as well. The result
of Raghu’s dishonesty changed he mind of
Rakasura, the sin of which will be shared
between Raghu and his wife.
19. Loyalty comes with several direct and
indirect advantages. Your loyalty will not
only help you but also benefit others.
20. Loyalty calls for consistency.
21. It takes several months to construct a
building even with advanced technologies,
but only a few minutes is sufficient to
destroy it. It might take a lifetime to make
people trust you, but only one single
wrong act would be enough to destroy the
trust that they had on you. So, be careful.
220
22. Your gold, diamond, money, assets

etc. are all temporary. What remains
permanent is the good that you do. Your
fame will remain till this planet remains.
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Bhanu Chander V
Dhruva was born in a poor family. His parents

were farmers. Because of the high prices of
land, scarcity and price of raw material supplies
and because of unavailability of water, their
family migrated to a nearby city. Both his father
and mother worked in a construction site as
daily waged labors. What better job would a
farmer gets in cities other than housekeeping,
labor and similar works?
The contractor for that construction site
comes in a costly air-conditioned car. He sits in
shadows, orders and shouts at the workers. In
case if something goes wrong, he would blame
the workmen as if the whole mistake happened
because of them. Right from the childhood
Dhruva had been observing this. He became fed
222
up with the system. He wanted to remove the

differences and the notion of inferiority. With
that motto he studied day and night and got
distinctions in his studies. After putting much
struggle, he cleared Indian civil service exam.
Dhruva became an IAS officer. He was posted
in a town, which was not developed until then.
Dhruva utilized the opportunity and put his
struggle in turning the town into a city. Soon,
the newly developed city became a model to
numerous developing towns throughout the
country. He became famous for his honesty and
also for the reforms that he initiated within a
short time. In a span of nine years, he was
transferred to several places throughout India.
He took up the role of officer for several fields.
Attaining vast experience, Dhruva entered into
politics. With a step by step progress, he raised
to the level of minister. He became so famous
that within a few years he was elected as the
prime minister of India. He felt happy for he had
waited and struggled all those years for that
position.
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Bhanu Chander V
Without waiting any further, he implemented

several policies that he had carefully thought
and framed based on his experience. The
policies are:
• Those who spend more physical strength
should be paid equal to the pay of white-
collar jobs. The prices of labor were
increased, scalable to that of banking and
IT sectors.
• Prices of farming goods like vegetables,
raw rice, milk etc. were increased. At the
same time, the policy stated the slight
reduction in the pay of jobs like
software/IT, Government offices etc.
• Reduced the market for foreign made
products and encouraged to use country
made products.
• Imposed strict punishment rules for
women harassments. If found guilty after
rigorous checking, the convict will be
sentenced to death immediately.
• Waived taxes on daily used and country
made products, but multiplied the taxes on
224
costly and exported products and vehicles.

Spent most of the money for education and
agriculture.
• Gave more facilities to farmers—with the
view of reducing the farmers’ death and
their critical problems.
• He imposed conditions on the number of
supermarkets per city/town. While the
big-scale supermarkets were reduced,
opportunities for small-scale shop
vendors shall be increased.
• Strict rules for waste management, water
supply and hygiene checks.
• Shutdown (and restrictions) of beverage
and other foreign companies that had been
using much of the country’s resources like
water, silk, wool, wood etc. The resources
would instead be utilized for agricultural
and domestic purposes.
• Observing that the private businesses and
corporates had been over-utilizing the
resources (like packaging, ACs,
construction for aesthetics etc.) by
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Bhanu Chander V
claiming that they were eligible because of

paying for that, and not bothered about the
serious side effects of over using them,
Dhruva imposed strict regulations on
water, plastic, electricity and other
resource usage, in particular for the
industries and corporates.
Apart from the listed policies, he had initiated
several health, child welfare, road, security
policies etc. He had also imposed strict
conditions on police and security powers—for
he had personally seen the torment of some
police on general public. In a year span, like
Dhruva forecasted, the farmers’ death toll
drastically reduced. Education system
improved. Women security improved along with
reductions in theft, extortions, cheating etc.
Farmers and labors started earning
reasonable wages as per their physical
involvement and the duration of work. They
were given additional bonus. Soon, the number
of debts taken by daily waged workmen
reduced. The demand for manpower increased
226
that nobody dared to negotiate even for a single

rupee for getting a service done, just like they
used to negotiate earlier, especially with
vegetable and flower sellers, street vendors etc.
The fees and charges of educational institutions
dropped—making it possible for the middle
class and lower-class students to continue their
education. While the poor got benefitted in
several ways, the rich started to oppose him,
‘I think the prime minister has lost his mind.
He has gone mad. How can he make the daily
wagers earn equal to what we earn? Is there no
difference between them and us?’
The so-called learned scholars also blamed
him and raised protest against his decisions.
Soon, he was thrown out of the seat and was
given collector post to a city, just like before.
Another Prime Minster was elected. He
reformed the policies set by Dhruva, which was
more favorable to the rich, big shots and
corporates. Though the policies looked
favorable to the poor, but in actual, they were
unfavorable to the poor. The general public
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Bhanu Chander V
couldn’t see the hidden side effects of the

policies that many of them blindly believed that
to be appropriate for their benefit. Just like
many other political leaders, he too was fearful
of losing his seat and therefore he acted to
please the majority rather than doing the right
and appropriate thing.
The rich benefitted again while the poor
became poor as before. The dreams of the daily
wage men and the farmers were destroyed for
they were forced to get back to their previous
state. The prices of their daily wages got
reduced. The fees and donations of the
educational institutes hiked once again. It
became difficult for the students from middle
class families and rural areas to continue their
studies. The number of students dropping out
of school increased.
As usual, the poor became helpless. All they
could do was blame the system and gossip with
their neighbors.
228

1. We cannot bring a sudden change in the
world. The surroundings would feel weird
when you stand out of the crowd by doing
something unique/different. Nevertheless,
you shouldn’t give up if you see
genuineness in your work.
2. It’s true that Dhruva’s policies were
rejected when he introduced them
initially. But the world might accept them
sometime in the future.
3. It’s not a surprise to tell that many of the
inventions done by many scientists were
recognized several decades/centuries after
their death. Yet, their inventions are
helping us now and thus their name
remained in the history. So, don’t hesitate
to share your ideas if you believe that your
ideas have the ability to bring a change.
4. Often, bad gets accepted easily, and bad
gets more support than good. We believe
more in people who talks more. However,
we believe less in the people who are
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Bhanu Chander V
genuine, act appropriately and who talks

less.
5. In general, truth appears bitter and false
appears sweet. But, the bitterness in truth
won’t stay long. It is succeeded by the
actual benefit (sweet) which will remain
long. Likewise, the sweetness of the false
won’t remain long and will be succeeded
by a bitterness, which will remain long.
6. Which one would you prefer? Suffering
bitterness initially for a short period and
later enjoying the sweetness for a long
period, or, enjoying the benefits initially
for a short duration and later suffering the
bitterness for a long period? I would go for
the first option.
7. Rich are getting richer and poor are getting
poorer.
8. Dhruva works were initially appreciated.
His ideologies were accepted for more than
nine years. But, only after the opposition
(by the sufferers) started, he was thrown
out and his ideologies were disregarded.
230
The general public and those who had

actually benefitted because of his policies
were blindly carried away by the rumors of
the sufferers that they too supported the
downfall of his power. This is similar to
marketing.
9. Marketing is ruling the whole world. Even
a worthless product (say a book) can
become the bestselling product, just by
marketing. Are we so foolish to blindly fall
into the traps spun by marketers?
10. A branded snack making company
sells less quantity of snacks for a price
equal to the price of a local made product
(same product) obtained in higher
quantities. Same product but sold with
brand name and marketing tricks (like
filling air etc.) are attracting us more,
though they cost us high.
11. Dhruva’s ideas had actually tried to
balance the economy gaps in the country.
He was not just worried about the wealthy
status of the company among the other
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Bhanu Chander V
countries (in terms of GDP, economy etc.).

His policies addressed the educational
problems of the below poverty level
students and had bought value to those
who put physical strength at work.
12. He tried to maintain equanimity and
so he was considered insignificant. Others
didn’t bother bridging the gap and so they
survived.
13.After several years of Dhruva’s death, the
world recognized the ideologies of Dhruva.
Thereupon, many leaders tried to
implement them. Many believed that if the
policies were implemented way back,
many of the world’s problems could’ve
been addressed already.
14. When someone comes up with a new
concept/idea, allow him/her to take a
chance. Maybe he/she could make a
difference and might answer many of the
unaddressed problems. A tiny grass grows
by piercing through the earth. Don’t
underestimate someone.
232
15. Dhruva worked genuinely for the

sake of helping people and hence he was
down looked. Other leaders worked for the
sake of their name and hence they were
accepted. At the end, the reverse was
proved to be true.
16. Regardless of what people consider,
be yourself. Don’t consider taking
inappropriate things—just because they
are accepted and appreciated by many.
17. Often, we tend to believe in what the
majority believes.
18. Even if the whole world view’s is on
one side and your view is on the opposite
side, never give up until you yourself
confirm that it is the other way. Many
people are believing - doesn’t mean it is
right. Many people are believing just
because their neighbors are believing so.
19. It’s very important that we have self-
analysis skills. Believe something
completely and agree to the rumor—only
when you have analyzed the subject by
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Bhanu Chander V
yourself and your personal views matches

to the one rumored.
20. You don’t have to prove to others, you
better prove to yourself.
234
Bhanu Chander was not happy with his

parents—who had been mistreating his
grandparents. Even when he was kid, he used to
have the thoughts of why his parents were
treating them bad. Several times he tried to
interfere with their ongoing discussions, but he
was made to keep quiet.
‘You’re still a kid and you better behave like
that. Don’t teach us what we should be doing.
We gave birth to you, not that you gave birth to
us.’
He thought of telling, ‘likewise, grandparents
gave birth to you, not the reverse.’ But he kept
quiet—fearful of being scold and beat by them.
He couldn’t help but simply watch his parents
curse his grandparents. His grandparents used
to keep silent most of the times. Though they
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Bhanu Chander V
were blamed, they didn’t stop loving their

children and grandchildren. They would try to
help with home chores, purchases etc. but no
amount of efforts stopped the never-ending
insults of their daughter-in-law.
Years moved fast. Bhanu’s grandparents were
no more and Bhanu was grownup now. He
started working in a company with a good pay.
He got married to Sulekha and lived a happy
life—together with his parents. Sulekha started
torturing Bhanu’s parents. She would complain
to him that they were interfering with all their
personal matters and they were making her
overloaded with extra work. For some reason
Bhanu kept quiet, though he could’ve easily
sorted out the problem. This became an
advantage to Sulekha for she started
tormenting them more. Day by day her insults
increased. She would scold them even if they
were doing anything
One fine day, feeling enough of being ill-
treated, Bhanu’s parents went up to him and
complained about her wife.
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‘I’m surprised you are keeping quiet.’ His

mother continued, ‘does that mean you are also
not interested in letting us stay here? Are you
feeling that whatever your wife has been doing
is correct?’
Bhanu finally broke his silence as he spoke,
‘Why? I too feel that whatever Sulekha has been
doing is correct.’ His reply startled them. They
became sad that they spoke as if they will leave
the place and live by themselves.
‘I never imagined that my son would be this
stone hearted. You are not at all loyal.’ His
father muttered.
‘Why do you think I’m wrong?’ Bhanu added,
‘If I was to be blamed, then you should be
blamed first.’ Their parents were confused.
Bhanu continued,
‘I had learnt this from you only. Likewise,
Sulekha must’ve learnt this nature from her
parents. Like you treated your parents, I’m
treating you the same and so is my wife. How
fair is it to blame us both. How can you change
the rules? When it was the case of your parents,
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Bhanu Chander V
you neglected them saying that you were not

responsible for their living. Now, you claim that
it’s the duty of son/daughter to take care of
their parents. Why didn’t you apply this rule
earlier?’
They became silent for they had no answers
for his questions. All his questions made sense
to them. They recalled how they used to
mistreat their parents. Tears filled their eyes.
Realizing their big mistake, they took their bags
to leave when Bhanu spoke,
‘I’m not that stone hearted to allow you to
leave the place. I’ve already spoken with
Sulekha. She said she was in office tension and
so she misbehaved with you. Don’t ever think of
leaving this place.’ Saying so he grabbed their
bags, held their hands and walked inside.
Sulekha grinned feeling happy of her husband’s
behavior.

1. Elders shouldn’t be a burden to us (unless
they are big mouthed and trying to trouble
238
us). Remember their support when we

were depended on them. Don’t forgot that
we had not grown all by ourselves. All
these years they fed us, provided shelter
and clothing, allowed us to study, and
made us enjoy the benefits that they
themselves couldn’t.
2. If you say that you grew all by yourself and
your parents didn’t cared about you, then
you have all the rights to blame them. But,
that shouldn’t the case if otherwise.
3. Just because you’re earning doesn’t mean
you’re the head of the family. It doesn’t
give you an authority over your parents.
Money shouldn’t be a barrier between
family and relations.
4. Sometimes, we may have to teach our
parents some good manners. That’s
because not everyone are right. Becoming
old doesn’t mean whatever they do are
correct. At times, they does more mistakes
than what a kid would do. Try to aware
them, but don’t deny them completely.
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Bhanu Chander V
5. Bhanu could’ve prevented his wife from

scolding his parents. But, Bhanu
deliberately kept silent for two reasons.
The first reason was to make them realize
what it would feel like to be blamed and
insulted unnecessarily and the second
reason was to allow them experience their
Karma, because they had blamed their
parents earlier. He knew very well that
people will be treated in the same way like
they treated others.
6. Your children will just imitate you. They will
behave the same—like you had behaved
when they were kids. Their thinking,
talking, perception, acting etc. will just be
a clone to yours. So, be careful whenever
you are in front of your children. It’s not
wise to discuss everything in front of
them.
7. Likewise, give respect and value to all
elders, not just your family members,
especially if they are not trouble makers.
Beware, some elders are very selfish that
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they always worry about their comforts.

Even then, do your part of assisting them,
though you didn’t like them.
8. Rules should be the same for everyone.
Often, we speak rules when it comes to
others, but we deny them when it is
applied to us.
9. If you consider elders as insignificant,
then you should be ready to be considered
insignificant by others (in particular, your
next generation) when you become old.
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Bhanu Chander V
Kaala was a young boy in the village of

Thantripur. Though he used to be sportive, he
was dignified and well mannered. He was good
at giving respect to others. It so happened that
the day of Shivrathri came. The whole village
was lit with lights and bands were arranged
everywhere as part of the celebrations.
Kaala went to the Shiva temple along with his
friends. Perusastri, the priest of the temple was
giving the sacred water. When Kaala was about
to take the water, he accidentally touched him.
Perusastri became furious. He shouted aloud
angrily in front of everyone.
‘How dare you touch me? You’re not even
eligible to see my face. This is what happens
when we allow ineligible people inside sacred
temples.’ Perusastri kept cursing him for more
242
than ten minutes while the rest of the devotees

stared at the two. Kaala tried to explain him the
mistake and thought of saying apologizes him.
But, Perusastri didn’t gave a gap as he
continued blaming him. Many of the villagers
moved front and tried to convince him. Only
when the village head got involved in the
matter, Perusastri stopped his curses. He asked
the head to throw Kaala out of the temple.
Perusastri didn’t stop there. The next day he
dragged the issue to the Panchayat. The village
head knew very well that it happened
accidentally and so he didn’t punish Kaala but
instead banned him from the temple for one
week. Kaala was asked to stay away from the
temple and the sight of Perusastri for at least a
week.
Days moved fast. One day, Kaala went up the
hill, adjoining his village, to shepherd his goats.
Their family lived by selling goat milk. The hill
was covered with massive sized rocks and the
landing top area of it was almost flat. When he
reached the top surface, he heard the shouts of
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Bhanu Chander V
some one. Kaala hurriedly inspected the

surroundings and went in the direction of the
sound. At one edge of the top surface of the hill,
Kaala saw human hands clinging to the edge of
the rock. He at once ran towards the corner of
the rock—only to see Perusastri clinging to the
edge of the rock. Perusastri had accidentally
slipped from the top rock but luckily got hold of
the edges. Else, he could’ve been dead by falling
from that height.
Kaala neared the edge and laid flat on the rock
top while he forwarded his hand—with the
intention helping him. But, he recalled the
incident on Shivrathri and so stopped his effort.
‘Forgive me Swamyji, for I attempted to hold
your hands in order to help you. I know you
won’t like that. I don’t want to offend you again
by touching. Also, I have been restricted to show
my face to you and so I better step back.’ Saying
so he took two back steps and stood there with
his hands crossed and his face to the right side.
Before Perusastri could react, he heard several
human shouts from the ground. Farmers
244
working in the farms had seen Perusastri and

Kaala.
‘Don’t dare to touch the pious priest, Kaala.
Remember what had happened to you last time.
We had sent a person in search of an eligible
person to help the priest. The eligible person
will be here in half an hour or so. Make sure that
you won’t lay even your shadow on our pious
priest.’ One of the farmers shouted from the
fields while the rest nodded their heads. They
were actually mocking at Perusastri for they
didn’t liked the ill-treatment done by Perusastri
on Kaala, whom they considered as one of them.
‘No, no,’ cried Perusastri. ‘I will lose my grip
in few minutes. Half an hour will be too long.
Let Kaala help me. Come Kaala, give me your
hand please.’ He begged.
‘How can you change your policies, swamy?’
The farmer shouted from the fields. ‘That day
you poke as if policies and customs were more
important than humans. You had also brought a
new rule that restricted the entry of low caste
people like us into the temple main shrine. You
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Bhanu Chander V
are such a sincere follower of rules and so please

don’t break them.’
‘Kaala.’ The farmer spoke to Kaala, ‘don’t
hurt the principles of our great priest by
touching him. Better stay far from him.’ The
farmers were trying to teach Perusastri a lesson.
Kaala simply watched him.
By then, Perusastri had understood the lesson
that the farmers were trying to teach him. He
felt ashamed of his past behavior. His hand grip
started loosening slowly. However, Kaala acted
at once by holding his hands. He used his full
strength in gripping Perusastri’s hands. While
they were speaking, couple of farmers had
already moved to the hill top. They hurried to
the spot and assisted Kaala in lifting Perusastri
up to the surface. After a few minutes of
struggle, Perusastri was saved and was standing
on the ground.
The very next day, Perusastri pleaded the
village head to remove all the restrictions that
he had initiated earlier. From that day he
treated everyone equally.
246

1. Untouchability is crime.
2. Though Perusastri was the highest learned
scholar of the village, he was a greatest
fool. That’s because, he had the nature of
discrimination. He failed to maintain
equanimity. Even God maintains
equanimity.
3. All the priests should be very careful—for
they represent their religion and God.
Their misbehavior gives negative
impression on their whole religion.
4. Similarly, a government employee
represents the government. And, a citizen
represents his nation, especially if he is
surrounded by foreigners. In such a
situation, the citizen has to be careful with
his habits and behavior—for the sake of
nation’s pride. That’s because, for the
outsiders, the citizen is the face of the
nation. If not interested in helping them,
at least try to be clean with good habits,
though helping them is recommended.
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Bhanu Chander V
5. God is never worried about caste, religion,

color of a person, his status, cleanliness
etc. He is just worried about how good the
person is.
6. For every action, there will be an equal and
opposite reaction. If you ill-treat others,
they will be given a chance to ill treat you.
7. Kaala could’ve just walked away instead of
helping Perusastri, but he didn’t. Although
Perusastri insulted him in front of the
whole village, Kaala didn’t minded that
when Perusastri was in need of help. He
exhibited his humanism, which is why he
became famous in the village.
8. Right after the incident, Perusastri’s
attitude changed. The credit goes to Kaala.
9. Perusastri is more respectable and
powerful than Kaala. Yet, when the
incident took place, every one supported
Kaala instead of the priest, despite the
priest was in a great danger. So, regardless
of a person’s position or power, people will
support the one who is truthful.
248
10. Actually, because Kaala was insulted

by Perusastri for a wrong reason, everyone
exhibited sympathy on Kaala while they
showed disrespect to Perusastri.
11. Perusastri should’ve accepted the things
that was done by mistake by others. Or, he
should’ve controlled his feelings in front
of everyone. His arrogance, pride, and
feeling of higher-caste had made him
loose his reputation.
12. It’s easy to behave bossily than
behave humanely. Those who behave
humanely will have many true followers
than bosses.
13.Religion, caste, status, position, gender
and age shouldn’t be a barrier to
humanity. Gender and age could be
considered while giving preference, but
religion and caste should never come into
picture.
14. Even God is not satisfied with the
discriminative nature of Perusastri and
thus he created the dreadful situation of
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Bhanu Chander V
slipping from the hill top. He decided to

teach him a lesson and so created the
situation such that Kaala would come to
that location at that time. God taught the
priest a lesson in the form of the farmers
and the incident.
15. You are in a higher position/post
doesn’t mean you have all the rights to
blame or insult other people. If you don’t
give respect, you will not be given respect.
16. There is no point in getting saluted by
everyone in front of you but getting
scolded/cursed by all of them behind you.
Such a life has no value at all.
17. What value you are given behind you
shows your real status.
18. A person having too much of attitude
will suffer a lot in his/her life.
250
It so happened that a tiger cub once got lost

from his parents and roamed aimlessly in the
forest of Vidyaranya. Tara, the cub, cried and
shouted for their parents but couldn’t find
them, nor their parents found him. While Tara
was moving aimlessly, his attention was
diverted towards a group of animals moving
along the riverside. He felt wonderful to see the
strange animal group. Tara went close by the
group. The animals were busy eating grass. He
neared a small animal and spoke:
‘What are you animals? You look different
from me.’
‘We are called goats,’ replied the smallest
goat in the group.
‘I’m Tara and I got lost from my parents.’ He
sobbed.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘That’s sad to hear. By the way I’m Mitra.

Don’t worry, you will meet your parents soon.’
Tara felt happy to hear positive and consoling
words from his new friend—Mitra.
Mitra, the goat calf, informed about Tara to
his parent goats, who felt pity for Tara’s
condition.
‘Come with us child.’ Mitra’s mother
suggested, ‘we are going little near to the
location of Tigers. We will take you there.’ Tara
and Mitra felt excited. While the goats ate grass,
both the kids played together. They enjoyed in
water, ran around the group, climbed on top of
other big goats, and did all kinds of kids play.
Initially, many goats in the group disliked Tara.
But seeing his kiddish nature, they too got
attracted to him. Soon, the herd made a move.
Whenever Mitra and other goats stop to eat
grass, Tara would walk around to find some
dead animals remains to eat.
Two days passed. By then Tara and Mitra
became very good friends. That noon, Mitra’s
father gave a good news to Tara.
252
‘Kid, we are near to the place of tigers. I’m

positive your parents would be somewhere
around this place. Unfortunately, we cannot
step inside the boundaries of your land for we
will get killed by the tigers. So, I will take you to
a nearby location to the tigers’ boundary while
the rest stays back here. Is that ok?’
Tara became speechless,
‘Do I have to miss Mitra?’ He cried, ‘I thought
I would take Mitra along with me.’ Mitra too
cried.
‘It can’t be helped son,’ replied Mitra’s father.
‘If Mitra joins you, one of the tigers might kill
him. Do you want your friend to be killed?’
‘Uncle, if that’s the case then I won’t go there.
I will stay with you all.’ Tara ran towards Mitra
and started licking him. The goats became
happy seeing the kindness of the cub. One of
them suggested:
‘It’s better if you stay with your group, kid.
After all, we can’t provide you food all the times.
Anyway, why don’t you come once in a week
and meet at this spot?’
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Bhanu Chander V
That idea sounded practical. The other goats

agreed to that, including Mitra. Mitra assured
him that he would meet Tara every Sunday at
that spot. Though not convinced, Tara too
agreed. Thereafter, Mitra’s father escorted him.
The father goat was cautious in taking a path
free of tigers. As he neared the border, he saw a
monkey sitting on top of a nearby tree.
‘What brings you here my old friend and why
is this cub with you?’ Anji, the monkey friend,
questioned the goat.
‘Glad to see you after a long time, Anji. I came
here to drop this kid as he got lost from his
parents three days ago.’
‘Two tigers have been searching everywhere
for their lost cub and I believe you must be that
cub,’ Anji gazed at Tara and continued, ‘Leave
him here you better get going before any tiger
sees you. I will take this cub to his parents. I
know where they live.’ The goat thanked his
friend for the help. He returned immediately,
running as fast as he can. The monkey led the
cub. He jumped from one tree to another. In just
254
ten minutes, Anji led Tara to his parents. Tara

cried joyfully seeing his parents. His parents
were also overjoyed. They looked sick of his
absence. Tara explained the help of Mitra and
his family in finding their location. He also
showed Anji, who was seated on top of a branch
of a nearby tree.
‘Thank you, friend.’ Tara’s mother greeted
Anji. ‘Convey my thanks to the whole group,
especially to Mitra and his father.’
Anji felt glad about their warm reception. He
thought, ‘even cruel animals are kind.’ Anji then
turned back to leave the place when Tara’s
mother voiced.
‘Tell them that we, the tiger's group in this
forest, shall not hurt any goat from today.
That’s our promise.’ The rest Tigers nodded,
though they were not completely happy.
That Sunday, Tara hurried to the spot. By
then, Mitra was already present. They played
and roamed around. This had become a routine
to them. They started meeting twice a week.
Years passed and Tara grew bigger in size. Mitra
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Bhanu Chander V
too grew—but in his usual size. Despite the

appearance, the two remained close friends and
they kept meeting as before. Even their kids and
family members got close and became family
friends.
One day, while both were relaxing near
Jalamukhi river, a weird thought struck Tara.
‘We are the best friends in this forest.
However, only one thing bothers me always.’
Tara said.
‘What is that my friend?’
‘While we both have same views on
everything, the only difference that I see is in
the food that we take. You never tried what I like
and I never tried what you like.’
‘I must be dumb that I never thought about
this. Yes, you are absolutely right. Only our
habits are different while our thoughts are the
same.’ Mitra agreed to his friend’s thought.
‘What shall we do Mitra?’
‘I have a plan. How about we try exchanging
our foods?’ Tara was thoughtful. Mitra
continued, ‘we will exchange our food for some
256
days after which we both will get used to both

the foods. Thereafter, we will be able to eat both
the foods.’
‘Wow. What a brilliant idea! Let’s do it.’
Saying so Tara raised. Soon, Tara hunted a
rabbit and brought the flesh while Mitra
searched and found the place where fresh grass
was available. They exchanged their foods. Tara
tried to eat grass and Mitra tried to eat the flesh.
It didn’t take few minutes before Mitra vomited.
On the other side, blood started coming out of
Tara’s mouth. Realizing their mistake, Tara
finally decided,
‘Friend, this is not going to work. It’s our
mistake to try to have similar likings and
nature. We got a lesson today that a tiger is a
tiger and a goat is a goat. We can’t change our
nature.’ Mitra nodded. They remained friends
for the rest of their life, but they never tried to
have similar nature and habits.
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Bhanu Chander V

1. Like a goat cannot eat meat and a tiger
cannot eat grass, you cannot expect to see
your nature in others. You shouldn’t
expect how you wanted others to be.
That’s because everyone will have their
own nature.
2. If you expect to have similarities in
thoughts, habits, interests/likes etc. in
your friends (as well as fiancée, kinsmen
and colleagues), then you might have to
stay alone. You won’t be able to sustain a
good friendship or relation.
3. Even, blood-related brothers and/or
sisters have different (highly varying)
qualities and thinking. How fair is it to
expect your desired nature/qualities in a
person, that too outside the family? Or, try
finding a family with all the family
members having the same mentality. You
Will realize that it will be difficult to find
such similar minded group of family
member. If such is the case, then, we need
258
to accept differences in surrounding

people as well.
4. Like you wish to see your nature in others,
others too wish to see their nature in you.
Are you ready to change your nature for
the sake of others? Definitely no, right?
5. You might be having some habits/qualities
matching with someone. But that doesn’t
mean that you both have same mentality
or interests.
6. It’s foolish if we think that our
husband/wife must follow the same
interests like us.
7. Better don’t change for the sake of
others—without a proper reason. Change
when you see genuineness in changing.
Change when what you are doing is not
proper/correct. Change for the sake of
upgrading to good habits, social and
ethical thoughts, clean and hygiene habits
etc. But, never degrade even if others try to
influence you.
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Bhanu Chander V
8. Friendship, love and relationship call for

trust on each other rather than similarities
in characters.
9. A real love is one who really loves you by
heart, not the one who loves your
habits/status.
10. Be yourself and let others be
themselves.
11. Similar habits or mindset between two
people might just have happened by
coincidence. It might not mean that they
both are made for each other. Relationship
between two equal status people might
induce ego in either.
260
Balla, the head of the elephants, was a terror

to all the animals in the forest of Vidyaranya.
His very presence scares all the animals. In fact,
the king of the forest, the lion, used to flee far
from him. Balla thus enjoyed a royal life in the
forest.
‘I’m the greatest animal and nobody can face
me.’ That’s how he used to say proudly in front
of everyone.
Summer had started and animals were
migrating places in search of water. Balla’s herd
too roamed around in the forest until they found
a pond. The pond had enough water and would
not get dry till the next monsoons. Before the
herd came, numerous small animals had been
dependent on the pond. It wouldn’t be a
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Bhanu Chander V
problem if the elephant herd were just using the

pond for drinking. They instead miss utilized
the pond water by taking baths, having fun by
throwing water on one another. In addition,
they had turned the water muddy. This became
a headache to all the small animals living
nearby the pond. Many animals migrated in
search of another water source.
Whenever the animals tried to drink the pond
water the elephants would drive them away.
Balla’s team made the pond available only for
them. All the affected animals went to the lion
king and complained about the elephants.
‘I too heard about their misbehavior. But what
can we do? You all know that Balla is their
strength and he is a total fear for us. Whenever
I tried to discuss about this, he changed the
discussion. I’m helpless in this regard. Please
migrate to the pond on the northern side of
Vidyaranya. That pond’s water might not be
sufficient for all of you, but you can stay
peacefully until the water is available.’
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The animals returned back distressfully. As

suggested by their king, they decided to
migrate. Meanwhile, back at the pond, while
Balla’s herd were playing by pouring mud and
water on each other, chitti, the ant that stayed
on a nearby tree came down along with his
friends to drink water. As it reached the surface,
It tried to drink water from the pond. But it
couldn’t drink water because the water was
fluctuating due to the plays of the herd.
‘Excuse me.’ Chitti tried to speak with Balla
who was just about to enter the pond.
‘What is it?’
‘Could you please ask your group to stop their
play for just a minute so that I and my friends
here would be able to drink water?’
Balla looked at them sarcastically, ‘you want
water? Take this.’ Saying so Balla took some
water into his trunk from the pond and flushed
the spot where the ants had been standing. All
the ants got flushed to a little far. Luckily that
they didn’t get hurt. By the time they became
conscious, they saw all the elephants laughing
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Bhanu Chander V
out heavily—feeling fun of watching the poor

tiny ants. ‘Did you get enough water? Or, do you
want more? My elephant friends are ready to
play the flush game.’ They couldn’t stop their
laugh.
Chitti was red with angry. He disliked the way
they were treated.
‘Just because you are big doesn’t mean you
are great in everything. I’m challenge you for a
competition. Laugh with your big teeth only
after you win the challenge, not now.’
The elephants busted out laughing again. ‘An
ant challenging an elephant?’ One of the
elephants mocked, ‘this is the biggest joke we
ever heard.’
‘Don’t make comedy at this time, kid. I’m
busy in taking bath.’ Balla tried to get into water
when Chitti challenged him again.
‘What happened? Retiring already? Are you
afraid of the challenge?’ All the ants including
the nearby animals and birds laughed. Animals
who had gone to complain to the king had
returned by then. They watched the discussion
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eagerly and laughed heartily—seeing the small

ants making make fun of elephants.
‘How dare you joke at me?’ Balla stopped
progressing. ‘I will stampede you with my leg.’
‘Crush me after you win the challenge. But
your whole herd should leave Vidyaranya if you
lose the challenge. Are you ready to take this up
or do you want to escape?’
‘Alright, whatever the challenge is, I’m ready.
Take the help of all your ant friends if that
matters to you. I will face you all by myself.’
‘No, the challenge is just between you and
me.’ Chitti said deterministically.
‘Deal. I’m afraid you will regret for this later,’
replied Balla proudly.
‘Let’s see who will regret.’
Chitti took Balla to the top of an adjacent hill.
Balla’s elephant team followed them to see the
fun. Chitti’s ant friends too followed them. They
were confident that Chitti will do something for
they had seen his talent before. Rest of the
animals too followed them—still doubtful of
Chitti’s challenge.
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‘Can this tiny ant win over Balla? I think this

ant must’ve gone crazy.’ They were all eager to
see the result and so they too followed them.
They wished that Balla would be defeated
somehow even though the chances were less. As
they all reached the hill, Balla teased him.
‘I suggest you to think again before you
compete with me. Your friends can still join
you!’
‘You will see whether I need support or not!’
‘What is the challenge?’ one of the animals in
the crowd questioned curiously.
‘The challenge is to jump from this hill.
Whoever survives without any injuries are the
winner. If he loses, his whole herd should leave
the forest. If I lose, my whole ant group will
leave.’ The animals got excited to hear the
challenge.
‘What an intelligent challenge!’ They
appreciated Chitti for they understood his clever
idea. Since ants don’t have bones, they will not
get injured even if they fall from clouds. But
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elephants have bones. So, they would get hurt

for sure.
‘What happened? Already frightened?’ Chitti
teased Balla as he saw Balla taking back steps.
‘How dare you say that? Let’s do now.’
The two jumped from that hill. Chitti floated
in air and descended slowly because of being
weightless. He landed safely, as light as a paper.
Balla on the other side fell with all force. His
weight and size became a disadvantage. As he
touched the ground, many of his bones got
broken. His fall made a huge crashing sound,
which reverberated the surroundings. All the
animals rushed to the spot. Chitti woke casually
and moved to the side. Balla couldn’t move as
his bones were damaged. He suffered to stand
up.
‘I agree to the defeat. Please help me,’ pleaded
Balla.
‘You will be helped to leave the forest.’ Many
animals replied. The elephant’s friends took
him and moved away.
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That day, a big feast was organized. All the

animals, including the lion king, celebrated the
defeat of Balla. They all praised the wit of Chitti.

1. Balla got defeated because of his over
confidence. Because he was big, he under-
estimated the remaining animals.
2. His misbehavior and his act of under-
looking Chitti had brought his defeat.
3. Size doesn’t matter. What matters is the
guts of a person. Just because you’re big
(in other words—rich, powerful,
gymnastic etc.) doesn’t mean you’ve
advantage always.
4. If you insult someone, they will grow
stronger than you, at least to prove to you.
So, be careful and never consider insulting
others.
5. An elephant has several advantages as well
as disadvantages. Its massively built body
could be an advantage and at the same
time a disadvantage.
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6. At times, what you assume to be your

advantage would become your
disadvantage and what you believe to be
your disadvantage would turn out to be
your real advantage. So, never under look
anything.
7. Similarly, an Ant has advantages on
several things compared to elephant. In
fact, its small size is very advantage in
many ways.
8. Because of Balla’s insult, Chitti became
famous. Otherwise, he would’ve been an
ordinary ant—never known to anyone.
9. Many times, our bad fate and insults are
meant to highlight our talents and skills.
So, never worry about any unfortunate
event or insult by others. Instead, take
them sportively to prove yourself.
10. If you try making a hole (in earth)
using a big and wide width log, you may
find it difficult. You may not be successful.
But, a tiny grass grows by piercing through
the ground, though the earth is strong. At
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times, big and powerful might not work

but the small and powerless works well.
11. The above is applicable in your life too. At
times, even a small opportunity or an
explored skill of yours (that you thought
were not useful to you) would turn out to
be your real strength. So, try to clearly list
out your capabilities and see what
advantage you can avail from them.
12. Balla was big in appearance but small
in thinking. He didn’t deny the challenge
even though he knew he cannot survive by
falling from that height. That time, his
arrogance and pride blinded his eyes that
he couldn’t grasp the consequences.
13.Balla should’ve been cautious when he saw
through the confidence of Chitti.
Chitti’self-confidence brought him
success while Balla’s overconfidence (and
ill treatment of others) brought him
failure.
14. Your powers are not your actual
powers, your confidence is your actual
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power. Even if you are unskilled, your

confidence can bring victory to you.
Regardless of whether you had prepared or
not (say for exams), unless you are not
confident, you are not going to succeed
(get good scores for the case of exams).
15. Balla was carried away by the praises
of fellow elephants because of which his
eyes were blinded. Though Balla was
confident when he defeated lion king, he
became overconfident when he came
across the praises of his fellow elephants.
16. Balla didn’t realize that his fellow
elephants were praising him just for their
own benefit. Because they were supporting
Balla, they were benefitted by way of free
food, facilities, power/control, respect etc.
For the sake of their benefits, they kept
praising Balla and changed him into a
more adamant, proud, arrogant and
heartless elephant. They induced false
believe in him and made act without
thinking.
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17. Those who appear to be good to your

eyes may not be truly good. Realize their
inner intentions before you put your total
trust on them. Every individual will have
their own intention for their interaction
with you. Their intentions might be good
or bad.
18. Because the lion king was afraid of
him, Balla assumed that he was the
greatest of all. Just because someone fear
for you—doesn’t mean you are the leader
for everyone. Just because you’re a leader,
doesn’t mean you’ve all the rights on your
subordinates.
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The King of Thantripur loved his horse very

much. Bhairav, the horse, was a special breed
exported from a far country. It is pitch white in
color with shiny hairs all around its neck. The
King liked Bhairav very much that he arranged
four special maids to take care of him. He
ordered his men to keep the horse well fed and
healthy. He also arranged a special shed for
Bhairav, just opposite to the shed of the rest
horses.
The king’s love became an advantage to
Bhairav. Bhairav used to be very proud of his
status. Because many servants were always
around him, he imagined himself as the king of
the horses. He mistreated human servants by
way of kicking them or by splitting saliva on
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them whenever he was not provided with his

desired food. Since the king used to love
Bhairav, as much as he loves the queen, the
servants were afraid of punishing Bhairav and
so they kept ignoring the attitude of Bhairav.
This became an added advantage to the royal
horse that his ego and pride often crossed the
limits, making him the most arrogant horse.
Bhairav started teasing the remaining horses
in the shed opposite to him. For him they were
just slaves. While the other horses were taken
out for training Bhairav would be made to rest.
That’s because the king didn’t want his dearest
horse to strain much. Bhairav was always let
free inside the shed compound, unlike the
remaining horses. He would go around and
contaminate the food of the horses. Often, he
puts horse dung at the places where the other
horses used to sleep. When the horses try to
drive him out, the servants would appear and
would beat the remaining horses.
In particular, Bhairav’s whole concentration
was on one specific horse, Muktha. Muktha was
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completely black in color. Whenever Bhairav

came across Muktha, he would make fun of his
colour and appearance.
‘How can a horse be this much black? You’re
such a disgrace to the whole horse race.’
However, Muktha would keep quiet without
fighting him back. When the other horses
questioned him, he said
‘If you throw a stone on mud water, it will fall
on you. There is no point in arguing with
someone who never accepts their faults nor
value and respect others. if I also repeat the
same just because he blames me, then, there
won’t be any difference between me and him.’
The horses agreed to him and they too started
ignoring Bhairav. In just few days Bhairav felt
lonely. Neither any horse spoke with him nor
bothered about his presence.
A few months passed. The kingdom of
Thantripur faced a threat from enemies. The
king ordered his men to prepare all the horses,
elephants etc. for the war. Soon, all the horses
in the shed were prepared for the war. The king
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personally chose to ride on his favorite horse—

Bhairav. Once again Bhairav pride was in peaks.
But his pride didn’t last long. As soon as he was
taken to the battle field the king realized that
Bhairav was good for nothing except for the
looks. Bhairav had no talent in war. The king
realized that his favorite horse had no talent
even in avoiding the stones and potholes.
The king felt unsafe to ride on him. But since
the war had already began, he went ahead—
wishing good luck to self. The fight was going
in full phase and the king was lucky that he
missed being hit by his enemies several times.
He was put to trouble because of Bhairav. After
an hour of struggle, Bhairav got scared seeing
the battle ground that he froze at the center.
Seeing the king’s horse immobilized, an enemy
took the advantage and came forward with his
spear. The king was busy in making Bhairav to
move because of which he couldn’t notice the
enemy. It was when the enemies spear was a
few feet from the king’s body when Muktha
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came running and hit the enemy with his head,

thereby throwing the enemy far from the king..
Before that, seeing the enemy move towards
the king, Muktha at once rose his front body—
keeping his hind legs on ground—thereby
making the rider (a soldier) fell off from him.
Thus, Mukta was able to hit the enemy. The
king got down from Bhairav and appreciated
Muktha, by rubbing his neck, for saving his life.
Without wasting further time, the king rode
Muktha after he left Bhairav in the hands of a
soldier. The king got thrilled in using Muktha.
He was amazed of the battle skills of Muktha.
With a new enthusiasm, he fought like a lion. At
the end of the day, the king of Thantripur
defeated the enemy and the war came to an end.
While all the warriors were engaged in praising
the king, he kept praising the timely act of
Muktha.
‘Muktha will be my official horse from today,’
declared the king. Also, he ordered his men to
take away Bhairav and teach him the right
skills.
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‘Looks like Bhairav got used to timely food

and over-comforts that he forgot his duty and
the purpose why he was kept here. Take him to
the regular shed and treat him the right lessons
and skills. I pity myself for choosing this horse
based on his color and looks.’ Hearing the
king’s order, the caretakers felt very happy.
‘Time has come for us to treat you the way you
treated all of us,’ thought the caretakers. They
dragged Bhairav to the shed. They hit him hard
and tied him to a pole. They gave him training
by punishing him whenever he denies or does
any mistake. All the animals except Bhairav
were given proper respect—in view of their
efforts in the battle field. All the horses in the
shed boycotted Bhairav and never
communicated with him.
‘Serves right to that idiot. It’s time we treat
him like he treated us earlier.’ All the horses
decided except Muktha.
Muktha was given a royal treatment by the
caretakers, just like they used to treat Bhairav
earlier. But Muktha didn’t turn pride and never
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miss-behaved with the caretakers because of

the new status. He remained friendly with his
other friends too. His good and controlled
nature brought him fame. Soon, all the horses
in the shed considered him as their leader.
Muktha felt sorry of Bhairav’s condition that
he shared his food with him without their
notice. By then, Bhairav had realized his
mistake and felt regret of his past behavior. He
cried every night after all the horses in the shed
slept. After several days, he asked the advice of
Muktha to help him get more friends.
‘Speak less, be true, never insult others, and
most importantly, mind your own work
regardless of the disturbances and how others
are treating your work. If you develop these
qualities then you will be liked by everyone and
everything will come to you automatically.’
Muktha considered his advice. He spoke less
and did his job correctly. Soon, Bhairav also
turned to be a great warrior horse. The two
remained great friends forever.
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1. Being silent solves several problems. Being
assertive for no reason might create new
problems.
2. An intelligent person keeps silent to the
insulting words of an ignorant. That’s
because he knew very well that only a half
pot makes noise. A full pot never makes
noise. A real scholar will never show off
and will rarely argues to prove what he/she
said is correct.
3. Everyone will get good time. If you take
advantage of other’s bad time—just
because your time is good, then, many
people will take advantage of your bad
time for sure. Remember, everyone has to
face the cycle of both good and bad time in
their life.
4. If Muktha had quarreled with Bhairav
(when Bhairav insulted him), he wouldn’t
have got the heart of helping Muktha when
Muktha was in real need of someone’s
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assistance. Thus, he wouldn’t have

become the only friend to Muktha.
5. Not everyone can become a friend to all.
Only a few are lucky to be a friend of
everyone. It all depends on their behavior
and their reception of others.
6. I‘m not looking for a friend who helps me
financially every time. But, I always need a
person who can hear to my problems even
though he/she doesn’t solve my problems.
Friends are meant for sharing their
opinions and problems. Being a friend and
giving moral support are part of our life
and are important. One who stands next to
you whenever you are in need of moral
support is your true friend.
7. Because Bhairav was pride of his status
and because he misbehaved with everyone,
he couldn’t find even a single friend later.
8. Because Muktha didn’t minded the insults
of Bhairav, he was able to become the only
friend to him—thus helping him become
good. Had the case Bhairav was kept
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lonely, he would’ve become a psycho.

Muktha therefore became famous because
of his kindness towards his enemies.
9. Looks are deceiving. Looks doesn’t make
you great. It’s your good nature that brings
greatness to you. A person is falsely
directed if he/she believes that he/she is
awesome because of his/her looks.
10. Many of us are not just interested in
good looking people. We are interested in
good hearted people. If you are able to
influence the people with bad thoughts by
making them think good, then the
scenario is acceptable. On the flip side, if
you are getting influenced by them, then
it’s time you need to check your friendship
and restrict yourself from getting
influenced. Remember, make or break—is
in your hands.
11. The King faced trouble (that too during
crucial time) because he blindly believed in
a good-looking horse (Bhairav) without
checking Bhairav’s eligibility. In one way,
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the king was also responsible for the pride

and attitude of Bhairav. Had he treated
him in the same way as he treated the
other horses, Bhairav would’ve been a
better horse. This proves the side effects of
providing over-comforts to someone
dependent on you.
12. The above point is applicable even to
humans. If you provide too much of
comfort to your children or if you seek
comfort in everything, then the chances of
getting spoiled are high. On the other side,
if you make the problems visible to your
children, then the chances of their moral
growth is very high.
13.The feeling of being royal and too much of
comforts had given the tendency of
arrogance to Bhairav. He became lazy
because of the comforts. Most
importantly, he couldn’t upgrade his skills
but remained in the same position, which
is why he was consider insignificant and
hence was made to move out of the royal
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position. His incapability became an

advantage to someone like Muktha..
14. Regardless of the status, one should
upgrade his/her skills to keep up with the
current. Else, he/she will be treated as
insignificant.
15. If not interested in cutting the
comforts, the king could at least have
made his men test Bhairav’s skills
frequently. At least that way the
worthiness of Bhairav could’ve been
evaluated earlier. Or, Bhairav would’ve got
proper training before head. Because of the
king’s over-belief, Bhairav was at loss—in
terms of future comforts, fame, skills and
mental stability.
16. Muktha had faced several problems
and insults in his life, which is what made
him strong—both morally and mentally.
Because of his past sufferings he enjoyed
the following benefits later: skills,
comforts, fame, friends, peace and mental
stability.
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17. It’s not proper to mock at the color

and appearance of someone. If you do so,
then get ready to get mocked by others.
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All the animals in the forest of Vidyaranya

were excited. That’s because the election for the
post of the King of their forest was happening.
There were nine contests from all over the
forest. As usual, many of them were making
false promises, ‘I will do this,’ ‘I will do that,’
and so on.
Voting happened and all the animals were
welcomed to take part in the vote, including
those animals whom were born recently. The
result of the voting was announced and there
was a tie between the two contestants viz. Sher
Singh—the lion and Anji—the monkey. The
judges were in a dilemma as to whom to select.
Sher Singh was very cruel. He got the votes by
threatening the voters. A week before the voting
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day, he went to the houses of small animals and

threatened to vote for him only.
‘You can imagine the consequences if you
don’t vote for me,’ Sher Singh warned the small
animals. They were afraid and so had to vote for
him.
On the other side, Anji was genuine. Even
before contesting, he had been helping many
forest dwellers and had saved many of their
lives when they were in danger. So, the votes he
got was genuine. In fact, those who voted for
Sher Singh was actually favorable to Anji. But
just because they were forced, they were
helpless. The wise judge, Kurma, the tortoise,
knew all these. He wished to somehow remove
Sher Singh from the contest. After discussing
with the other judges, he finally came up with a
decision. As per the decision, they will conduct
a race and the one who emerges out victoriously
will be given the post of the king. Both Sher and
Anji accepted to the challenge.
The challenge is to reach a target position
from the start by carrying a flag. The target is
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Bhanu Chander V
located three kilometers from the start and the

two had to cross a canal near to the target. The
race began. Sher Singh ran fast on the ground
while Anji used trees to jump from one to
another. Sher Singh reached one-kilometer
milestone but Anji was hundred meters behind.
Sher Singh became exited and moved fast when
something caught his eyes.
‘Food!’ He became happy seeing some fresh
meat and bunch of bananas lying near a tree.
‘Thank God. I’m feeling hungry. I had not
taken food this morning because of the election.
That silly monkey has time to come and even if
he comes, he can’t catch up with me. I better fill
my stomach because food is the first most
requirement for everyone.’ Sher Singh stopped
at once and started enjoying the meat.
Few minutes later Anji reached the spot. He
saw Sher Singh eating the meat. He also saw
bunch of bananas and several other fruits lying
on the floor near to a tree. Anji stopped for a
minute for he too felt hungry. But he considered
the race to be important that he immediately
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sprang and moved front. Several minutes later

Anji saw Sher running behind him. Sher Singh
was definitely a fast runner. By then they
neared the canal. Lucky for Sher that there were
boulders in the naturally made canal. Anji
spotted a location, little away from the main
road, where he saw trees on both the sides of
the canal.
He climbed a tree and was about to jump onto
the opposite tree when he heard the cries of
someone.
‘Help, help me.’ A bird was flowing with the
stream of water. He looked helpless and was
trying to surface. But he was not able to swim.
It came across Sher Singh first.
‘Please help me to get out of water.’
‘Why do I’ve to care for a silly bird? For me
this race is more important than your life.’
Saying so Sher Singh crossed the canal without
minding the bird. The bird was getting away by
the water. Anji saw the bird drowning. Using the
banyan tree branch, he lowered down till the
surface of water. He clutched the bird’s legs as
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soon as it neared him. He then raised it above

the water surface. The bird breathed heavily. It
looked totally exhausted and appeared as if it
drank the canal water.
Anji took the bird to the other side of to the
canal and allowed it to relax and rest. Anji used
the flag to wrap around the bird to protect it
from catching cold. After ensuring that the bird
was back to normal, he continued with the race.
By the time he reached the target location Sher
Singh was already there—celebrating his
success with his followers.
Kurma announced his judgement, ‘Anji is the
king of the forest.’
‘What? Are you blind? I came first. Can’t you
see that?’
‘This race is not about who comes first. This
race is actually about checking the character of
the contestants.’
‘Character what?’
Kurma elaborated his judgement. ‘The first
test is to check what your priority was. You gave
first priority to your stomach and second
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priority to the race. A good leader is one who is

ready to spare his hobbies and control his
hunger for the sake of his job. Anji passed the
test and you failed. Helping the bird is the
second test that we put. The bird was actually
not drowning. It acted so, as told by us. Saving
someone should be considered as priority. Job
and self-interest should come next. A real
leader bothers less about his achievements and
comforts but cares more about his people. Anji
proved his humanity while you went so selfish
that you preferred to continue with the race
instead of helping the distressed. How can you
think about others when you are so self-
obsessed? Physically strength is not the only
deciding factor in choosing a king. You are not
fit for this post and Anji is the best fit. Our
decision is final.’
All the remaining judges, including the
audience, appreciated the judgement of the wise
tortoise. With that, Sher Singh became helpless.
The animals celebrated the success of Anji. Anji
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didn’t take much time to prove himself as a

good leader.

1. No amount of frightening others will make
one a leader. A person cannot be
considered as a leader when his presence
simply frightens the rest. A good leader is
one whose presence comforts the people
around him.
2. A leader is one who is one with the
followers. His followers are his family. His
intentions would be on how to assist his
followers, rather than on how to get more
followers and how to make the followers
praise him.
3. Typical mindset of a successful leader—
Humanity first, duty next and self-
interest last.
4. Typical mindset of an unsuccessful
leader—self-interest first, duty and
humanity last.
292
5. You don’t have to sacrifice your life for

sake others’. As a leader, you better do the
minimum criteria of doing your duty.
Sacrificing additional time for the benefit
of others is an optional choice to you,
which is completely up to you. But, if you
do so, you will be considered more than a
leader—sometimes even as a God!
6. When animals are not blind to recognize
the difference in characters (evil and
good), how difficult is it for us?
7. Though Sher Singh won the race, he lost
the hearts of the animals. On the flip side,
Anji lost the race but gained the heart of
the animals. So, Anji became the true
winner.
8. Winning a race (in other words—getting
rich, a high paying job, purchasing home,
costly cars etc.) might not be the true
achievements. Attaining them will not
complete our life. Similarly, losing a race
(being poor, jobless, no assets etc.) might
not be the actual failures.
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9. Neither good nor bad hides. They will be

revealed to the world somehow (and
someday). Believing that our misdeeds
would be buried is foolish. So, be careful.
10. Though the mischievous appear to
excel in life, they will face a brake in their
progress for sure. Nevertheless, their
progress shouldn’t act as a hindrance to
your success. Regardless of what others
get, never stop your duties.
11. To do good, you don’t need to be a leader and
you don’t need to be in a suitable position. You
just need the heart to do. If you have the heart
to do, you can do wonders.
12. Remember, initiation is more important. Next
only comes how we execute. Many of us would
be lost in the thoughts of should I start or not.
Pondering continuously on the confusion of
starting or not, rather than just starting,
wastes the time. Instead, just start. Successful
people won’t hesitate to start. That’s because
they find several opportunities once they
start.
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Gana was returning from Thantripur to his

town. The king of Thantripur had facilitated and
rewarded him for his contribution in the field of
medicine. Gana happened to be a famous doctor
and a pharmacist. He had invented several
medicines for the diseases, which were
considered as incurable. Because of his
medicine, many people were saved from the
recent disease Trengue. Trengue had caused the
death of many people. Gana worked day and
night until he invented a new medicine to cure
Trengue. His contribution reached the ears of
the king who invited him to facilitate. The King
had also given him sufficient funds to open a
Laboratory. All the couturiers, including the
king, appreciated and praised him for his
knowledge.
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Bhanu Chander V
While returning back, Gana recalled the

praises and felt happy of the reception. He liked
the way everyone looked at him. Many poor
people offered namaskar (two hands brought
together) to him for saving their (their
relatives) lives. Their eyes told Gana that he had
been looked as God. That excited him very
much. The king had arranged a royal caravan as
a transport to drop Gana at his home.
‘If I walk through the city and the adjoining
village, I will get to know more about how people are
treating me.’ Deciding to check the respect given
to him, he walked to his town.
All along the way till the forest of Vidyaranya,
as expected by him, he was given a special
treatment in all the homes he entered, the
whole family members treated him as a God.
They welcomed him and offered sweets and
eatables. All the special treatment made Gana
feel proud of his work. He perceived himself as
the sole savior of the kingdom. He thought:
‘These people must’ve been dead by now if
they couldn’t receive my medicines in the right
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time. Literally, their lives should be dedicated to

me. In fact, the king had recognized me. He
must’ve been afraid of me, which was visible
through his behavior. In fact, all the couturiers
eyes showed their fear for me. I’m certainly
their God. The king should’ve given more
respect and money than what he had given me.’
Gana felt little dissatisfied and at the same time
angry, for, the king had given him just one
laboratory instead of a whole village!
‘Next time, when the king seeks my help, I
will teach him a lesson and will make him
understand what he should’ve offered me for
my contribution to the society.’ He strongly
decided.
By then, he was in the Vidyaranya. He sat
under the shade of a tree and ate some food.
After resting for a while, he decided to start and
so raised when. But, to his surprise, he realized
that his legs were not supporting his weight. He
tried and tried but couldn’t get up. His hands
were shivering and headache started.
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‘What? This can’t be.’ His whole body trembled

for the very thought of Trengue.
‘These are the symptoms of Trengue,’ he
confirmed. Being a doctor and because of
treating countless people, he knew very well the
symptoms of Trengue disease.
‘Oh god. I don’t have special medicine with
me. Now, I can’t even stand and I’m in the mid
of jungle. What can I do?’ His body kept
trembling. He knew very well that the suffering
will last only for few hours before the affected
person dies.
‘God, save me.’ He cried and pleaded.
Half an hour passed, his condition became
worse and he was still lying on the floor
helplessly. By then his attitude had changed. He
thought.
‘Being a doctor, I’ve treated countless
patients for this disease. But I’m unable to help
myself now. Why so?’ He recalled all his
thoughts of getting benefits and also his
thought of teaching a lesson to the king.
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‘I understood. How foolish that I desired a village

instead of feeling happy with the provision of
laboratory. How foolish that I thought of teaching
the king a lesson. God seems unhappy with me and
so he is teaching a lesson to me. Oh God, forgive my
offence.’ He realized his mistake and pleaded the
God. Within no time, he heard some noise from
a nearby bush.
‘Gana’s terror level rose as he thought that
some wild animal was making its way towards
him. Surprisingly, for he saw a tribal man
instead of a wild animal. The man was old and
was carrying a spear. He neared Gana, sniffed
his legs and his arms, and then put him on his
shoulders. While he carried, Gana fell
unconscious.
Everything was blank until he opened his
eyes. His conscious was back. He was in a hut,
which was totally flooded with several bottles of
herbs, liquids and insects. He rose from the mat
when the old man stepped into the hut.
‘I’m Bruha. I saw you suffering with a disease
and so brought you here to treat. You’re alright
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Bhanu Chander V
now. Your disease has been cured and you are as

energetic as before.’
‘What? You treated Trengue? Since how many
days I’m here?’
‘This is your second day here.’
Gana was stunned to hear that. ‘Trengue
treated in just two days.’ He couldn’t believe that
because he thought he was the only person who
could treat that diseases and his treatment
usually last for a minimum of ten days. He
inspected his legs and hands and walked a bit to
further confirm. No doubt, Gana was cured.
‘What chemicals did you use for the
medicine?’ Gana asked Bruha out of curiosity.
‘Chemical what? What is that? Is that a
plantain? I have never heard about that before.
I just used some combination of herbs and
flower extracts. This is the medicine I use to
treat this disease for the people in our tribe.’
Gana was Stunned. He stepped out and saw a
group of huts with several tribal men and
women. Gana walked out and saw tribal men
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and women. He realized that he was in the

center of a hidden tribal area.
‘Incredible! A tribal man is more genius than any
scholars in the city.’
He at once turned back and kneeled down in
front of Bruha.
‘Master, make me your disciple. Teach me
medical techniques. I promise I will serve the
humanity for free.’ Bruha grinned as an
acceptance to his request.
Gana stayed there for several weeks and
learnt some techniques from his new teacher.
He then moved to his town and set a laboratory
funded by the king. He provided free treatment
to the poor. With the consultancy of the king, he
opened several medical centers throughout the
kingdom. Soon, his fame spread like wildfire.
But he never felt pride again. He went to villages
and other tribe groups and explored their skills.
He gave proper credits to them and made them
chief medical officers for several parts of the
kingdom.
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Bhanu Chander V

1. The couturiers and the king’s eyes were
actually respectful rather than fearful.
Because Gana’s eyes had been covered
with ignorance, he perceived that they
were afraid of his presence.
2. It’s foolish if you consider yourself as
great or God. It is the people around you
who can declare/judge whether you are
great/God or not.
3. You are a doctor doesn’t mean you are
eligible to rule people. A professional
should better stick to his/her profession
unless he attains skills in other platforms
too.
4. In the process of teaching someone a
lesson, because of non-genuine reason or
because of your personal agenda, you will
be taught a lesson.
5. Doing with expectation is the cheapest
attitude that one can ever have. Such a
contribution is good for nothing. Gana
expected to get more benefits from the
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king in exchange of his service and he

thought of limiting his treatment to make
the king realize his importance and
provide him with additional benefits. This
very nature had taught him a lesson by
making him feel sick.
6. Because of Gana’s pride and over
expectation, God himself decided to teach
him a lesson. God made him feel sick of
what he thought he was master at treating
that.
7. Gana was under the perception that he was
the greatest pharmacists. Only when he
saw the old tribal man treat better and
faster than him, that too using lesser
resources, his pride melted. He realized
that being educated doesn’t make one a
complete scholar. A scholar is one who is
not pride of his skills.
8. Many people praising you doesn’t mean
you are great and they are completely
depended on you. It’s their good nature of
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appreciating others. Likewise, you should

also appreciate others’ success.
9. While the skills and hard work of a person
helps him grow, his pride and laziness will
drown him and his reputation.
10. Whether big or small, a reward is a
reward. The king had initiated the
facilitating ceremony because he wanted
to praise Gana’s contribution. He could’ve
kept quiet if he had wished. Gana
should’ve realized that and should’ve
appreciated the King’s concern instead of
blaming him.
11. Learning is a continuous process. It
happens lifelong. We can learn from same
age group, seniors, elders and also from
children. At times, children teach us very
good life lessons than elders.
12. If you think that you are an expert in
something, you might stop looking for the
advanced topics of that something. You
may end up with the false belief that you
know A to Z of that field. With this
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mentality you would be missing several

opportunities That’s because the fact is no
one knows 100% of something.
13.Regardless of how much you study or
experience, there will always be something
left to upgrade. So, keep upgrading
yourself and never fall in the trap of
perceiving yourself as an expert.
14. Gana realized that his knowledge was
only limited. The moment he came across
an uneducated tribal man, who exhibited
an awe-inspiring skill, his perception of
being the greatest doctor changed. He
understood that—regardless of the
degree, one cannot become a master of
everything. Therefore, he continued
learning from different uneducated
doctors by making them his guru. At his
death bed also, he was in search of a
master for he knew he wasn’t a complete
scholar yet.
15. Gana was assuming that he was the
only one who can treat the disease. After
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meeting Bruha, he realized that there were

several people whom were treating the
same disease more efficiently than him.
Because he did marketing and attempted
to get highlighted among public, his
lengthy treatment became famous.
16. Gana regretted that because of the
hype he created related to the disease, all
the general public believed that the disease
was untreatable and would take several
days to get cured. Later, he realized that he
had been falsely directing the public.
Bruha’s treatment opened his eyes and
made him realize that the disease was
considered ordinary in several small parts
of the kingdom and the treatment was
quite easy.
17. Local made products are great. The
problem is most of us don’t believe in local
made products.
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Sharavati was born in a farmer family in the

village Surgoan. Though their parents weren’t
that rich, they made her go to a good English
medium school in a little far town. She had to
take school bus to travel to other school. Her
father didn’t care about his own comforts but
took all care in providing comforts to Sharavati.
At home, she would do all home chores like
cleaning, washing, shopping etc. she used to be
a good girl for she understood the pain of their
parents and their struggle to provide her
facilities.
After completing 12th, she had to go another
town to pursue bachelors. Her father took loan
and made her join an engineering college.
Sharavati was accommodated in the college’s
hostel. He used to timely pay her college and
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Bhanu Chander V
hostel fees. He never disclosed his

troubles/struggles to her. As soon as she
completed her first year, she changed her
lifestyle. Though her fellow classmates didn’t
try to influence her, but, she was very much
attracted to their lifestyle that she altered her
attitude by her own will.
Sharavati started dressing modernly, brought
many cosmetics, smart phones, apparels,
several shoes pairs etc. She spent time on
outings, for enjoying parties in restaurants,
movies and fun shows. On top of that, she
shortened her name to ‘Sharav’ so that it sounds
modern rather than being called with a
traditional name. Regardless of sharavati’s acts,
her father kept sending money—whenever she
calls and asks him. He had to take debts from
his fellow farmers to meet her expenses,
thinking that she was expending for college
related stuff.
Four years passed and Sharavati somehow got
placed in an IT job. As usual, many worthy
students couldn’t get jobs while many
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unworthy students got campus placements. She

moved to a city for working. Now, there was no
one to control her. She upgraded her lifestyle
further, to meet the trend and city life.
Sharavati looked more like a rich girl. She spent
money for her hairs, facials, apparels, etc. But
she never bothered giving money to his father
to repay the education loan. His father too kept
quit for he wanted his daughter to live a happy
life, which they couldn’t.
Within a year, she moved to a costly flat. She
hired a maid and a cook
Whenever her friends asked her why she
wouldn’t do the chores by herself, just like
them, she would reply:
‘Cleaning, cooking, and other home works
doesn’t fit my status. If I give money, many
maids will stand in line to do the job.’ Her
arrogance and head-weight reached the peaks
that even her friends started keeping away from
her. In fact, her friends from rich background
would comment.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘Even we don’t spend this much for apparels.

We do our home chores to save money.’ But
Sharavati never cared what her friends and
well-wishers had been suggesting.
‘These people are just jealous of my status.’ She
mistreated them. Her friends tried to stay away
from her because of her change in attitude.
But, as the Saying goes, ‘everything has a
limit,’ her fate decided to teach her a good
lesson. As obvious in IT field, recession came
and many people lost their jobs. The company
in which she had been working had to remove
employees. Only the hard working, well-
behaved (with clients) and top performing
employees were allowed to continue the job
while the rest were asked to quit the job.
Sharavati was one among them. There were
several occasions when she misbehaved and
gave improper response to her colleagues and
managers. So, her manager used the
opportunity to screw her by removing her from
the job.
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She doesn’t know other than her previous job

work for she spent most of her time on her self-
interests rather than on developing skills. She
searched for similar jobs, but everywhere the
situation was bad because of recession. She saw
opportunities for other closely related IT field.
But because she hadn’t tried them before, she
became less preferred compared to others. Even
in that critical situation, she wasn’t cautious
that she spent her leftover money for beauty
parlors, apparels and night parties. She got so
addicted to city life that she didn’t leave the
place despite being jobless.
Eight months passed and still she remained
jobless. By then, all her savings were over. On
the ninth month, fear started in her. She was
clueless as to how to manage the house rent and
maid monthly charges.
‘I should’ve cut down the parlor charge that I
made a few days ago.’ She regretted her nature.
She came to know that many of their colleagues
had found alternate jobs in other companies.
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Bhanu Chander V
When she contacted them for help, they gave

the common reply:
‘Did it take these many months to just
remember me that too when you are in need?’
She had no reply for their question that she
remained silent. Though they felt pity of her
condition, they didn’t help her.
‘I will treat her in the same way as she treated me
earlier.’
Within a few days, her head-weight started
dropping. She regretted for her carelessness and
her attitude. She felt ashamed of asking her
father’s help for she had not sent even a single
rupee to him nor to her mother, right from the
day she got into the job.
‘With what face I can ask him?’
Not having the heart and dare of asking him,
Sharavati kept quiet. That month end, the flat
owner called her father and informed about the
non-payment of rent. Her father got confused
as to why she couldn’t pay. He got the whole
picture only when the owner informed him
about Sharav’s jobless state. Startled, he
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immediately called Sharavati and got to know

everything.
‘I called you several times and when you
didn’t attend my call, I thought you were busy
with work.’ He said. Sharavati couldn’t give any
reply other than crying like a child.
The very next day, he came to the city and
settled all the balances. He made her vacate the
flat and took her back to the village. When her
mother saw Sharav, she couldn’t recognize
Sharavati as Sharavati appeared different.
‘Is that you, Sharavati?’ Her doubtful face
made Sharav feel guilty of her change. She
busted out crying. Her mother consoled her.
Few days passed and Sharav started turning
back to Sharavati. She got back to her usual
lifestyle and also helped her mother with home
chores and cooking. She came to know that her
father had sold some of their lands to pay back
the educational loan, which Sharavati didn’t
cared to pay. Sharavati faced the extreme pain
in her life—listening to what had happened
because of her negligence. She regretted her
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earlier behavior. She regretted for neglecting

her parents when she was in job. Meanwhile,
her realization made her utilize the time and
develop new skills (related to her IT job) while
sitting at home.
As soon as she completely realized her
mistakes and became normal, she got several
job opportunities. Within a month, she was back
to job. This time she started working with
seriousness. She sent the whole salary to her
father every month. She made new friends and
behaved appropriately. In particular, she didn’t
used them for her purpose purpose—like she
used to do earlier. In a couple of months, she
took personal loan and made her father
purchase the lost land. Life became interesting
to Sharavati later on as she started involving in
social cause. She soon got married to a
handsome guy and proved to be a good wife.

1. Better if you remember where you came
from and what your previous status was.
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2. Those who forget their past sufferings will

have to regret at least once in their
lifetime. The suffering in this way would
be very high. Afterall, any bad occurrences
in our life are meant to caution us on
preventing the repetition of similar bad
experiences in the future.
3. Because of Sharavati, her parents were
troubled. They lost fame and property.
4. Had the case Sharavati didn’t regretted,
she would’ve behaved the same after
marriage and so the chances of her
relation break would’ve been high.
5. Sharavati would’ve faced the extreme level
of horrible situation if in case she had
repeated the same attitude after getting
the second job. Luckily, she got back to
normal and so she was saved.
6. Those who change their attitude after they
get job, money, success etc. will have to
regret at least once in their life time. But
those who sustain their moral values and
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Bhanu Chander V
remain descent as before will not be facing

any such regretting scenarios.
7. Attitude ruins you. Your attitude shouldn’t
be a barrier between you and your friends,
family members, colleagues etc.
8. Everyday will not be the same. Some day
or the other the unexpected would happen.
One who doesn’t keep backup plans to
overcome future situations might have to
struggle in future.
9. Getting/doing job or earning money
doesn’t make you great. Observing the
present scenario, it is obvious that many of
the undeserved candidates are easily
getting jobs than the deserved candidates.
10. You are great if your behavior and
thoughts are great.
11. I don’t care whether I look
beautiful/handsome or ugly. I only care
how I behave. I know very well that my
looks have nothing to do with my true
status. That’s because, my behavior is my
true status.
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12. A woman without patience and with

full of head-weight will face plenty of
problems and rejections in her life.
13.Friends are not just to get help from them
when you’re in trouble. Remembering
friends only when you’re in need or in
some trouble means you are trying to be
more like a business man than a real
friend.
14. A happy man is one who is with
everyone even if he has everything.
15. Your parents are providing you the
required necessities and are allowing you
to work or do as you wish. That’s because
they trust you. It’s your duty to sustain
that faith by intimating them what you’re
doing and what you plan to do.
16. Your anger (for no valid reason), egoism,
pride and carelessness are your enemies.
17. Don’t show yourself, show your skills!
18. It’s very important to keep yourself
updated with the current—by upgrading
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Bhanu Chander V
your skills. Otherwise, you will be

preferred last.
19. You might be the reason for your
failure. Recall the past and understand the
reasons behind your past failures—so as to
prevent them in the future.
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(Story taken from my self-help book titled:

‘Experience It – Learn the secrets of a Successful and
Happy Life from an IITian’)
Long ago, two childhood friends Raman and

Vikrant lived in a village. They were neighbors
and so they grew together. It so happened that
Raman met with an accident while farming. The
plough tool that his father was using struck his
right leg toe. The village doctor had to remove
his cut toe. Several years passed and the two
friends were in their twenties. While Raman
grew thin, Vikrant grew stouter and stronger.
Vikrant made it a habit of mocking at his friend
about the loss of his body part. Instead of
motivating Raman, Vikrant used to comment
and tease him in front of their other friends.
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Bhanu Chander V
Raman used to keep quiet. He felt bad about his

body looks and complexion. Many times, he
wondered why he was made to face the bad luck.
He couldn’t see any advantage in his life. On the
other side, Vikrant was proud of his appearance.
He felt happy for he was the center of attraction
in the whole village. Many families came
forward to give him a girl.
Once, the two friends had to travel to a far
town to sell their agricultural goods. They need
to travel through a deep forest and so they
started very early in the morning of a fine day.
But it so happened that Vikrant wanted to roam
around the town to purchase some stuff and so
they stayed back till that evening. After
finishing the works, they started back to their
village in the evening. Fate was so strong for
that day’s sunset occurred very early. Soon,
darkness surrounded the whole forest. The two
friends were only a few miles away far from
their village. They weren’t prepared for night
journey and so they didn’t have light
arrangements. All they could rely was on the
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moonlight. Unfortunately, they got diverted

from their main track. They took a path that
took them deep into the forest—to the place
where a tribal race resided. The tribal existence
was not known to the outside world. A group of
tribal people spotted the two friends, upon
which they captured them and roped together.
The two friends were then led to their hidden
base and were presented in front of their leader.
The leader spelled something in their language,
which the two couldn’t understand a bit. It was
only when the two were tied to two stand poles
in front of a sacrificial fire that they realized
that the tribal people were planning to offer
their bodies as a sacrifice to the tribal God.
The two got frightened to death. They did
their best and tried all possible ways of getting
free from the ropes. But nothing turned out to
be fruitful. Meanwhile, a group of four men got
prepared with sharp swords and daggers to
chop the two. They were spelling something in
their weird language while the rest were
making moves. Some exhibited gymnastics,
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Bhanu Chander V
some sounded conch shells while the children

and women danced in a pattern. No sooner did
the four neared the two—one of the tribal men
yelled loudly, which dragged the attention of
the rest. They halted their dance and gawked at
him. The tribal man pointed his finger towards
Raman’s missing toe. A huge commotion
persisted until the tribal head gave a signal to
stay calm. He too was in a confusion. It was
their custom that they shouldn’t offer the
material bodies of those whose part or parts
were already taken. The sacrificial body must be
physically sound. Luck was with Raman for the
tribal people let him loose while they didn’t
untie Vikrant. Raman understood their idea. He
tried to convince them to release his friend in
human language. He pleaded them like
anything and had fallen on the legs of the tribal
head. Even the tribal head was moved by
Raman’s persistence and affection towards his
friend. For a minute, he thought like releasing
the other. But, considering the body structure of
Vikrant, he didn’t wish to miss the chance of
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offering a perfect sacrifice—for the betterment

of his tribe.
The tribal head was under the perception that
offering such a massive human flesh as a
sacrifice to their God would bestow them with
more good fortune. Seeing all the happenings in
front of his eyes, Vikrant, who was still tied to
the post, was moved by the efforts of his dearest
friend. He recalled the mistakes he did until that
day. Tears rolled over his cheeks. He felt sad for
he didn’t treat his friend in a proper way. A little
ago, while both were walking through the
forest, Vikrant was busy criticizing Raman. As
he recapped the series of past events, he
regretted his mistakes. Meanwhile, Raman was
not idle. He came up with an idea and had
decided to put his life at risk to save his friend.
He slightly moved to the front and with force
grabbed a knife from the hand of a tribal man.
Instead of attacking them, Raman instantly
turned back and cut the arm of Vikrant. Blood
oozed out from his arm.
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Bhanu Chander V
Vikrant gazed at Raman with an astounded

look. The attempts of the tribal men to stab
Raman was stopped by their leader. The tribal
leader understood the friendly affection of
Raman towards his friend. Apart from that,
since Vikrant was also blood strained, he
couldn’t afford to offer him as a sacrifice. He
therefore ordered his men to free Vikrant.
Despite being angry, the tribal men obeyed their
leader’s orders by escorting the two friends to
the main route, which lead to the village. They
gave them a wooden lantern upon which they
disappeared into the jungle.
The two friends quickly strode towards the
village. Vikrant had no words to appreciate. His
throat got jammed while he recalled his friend’s
risky attempt to save his life. His friend didn’t
even care about his own safety. How humane!
He walked alongside Raman—his whole gaze
towards his friend with his eyes full of emotion
and thankfulness. That minute he swore that he
will never insult his friend or anyone for that
324
matter. He took an oath to help his friend till his

last breath.

1. Sometimes, what we believe to be our
advantage will become our disadvantage and
what we assume to be our disadvantage will
turn out to be an advantage to us.
2. Raman’s disadvantage of the missing toe
became an advantage. His life was saved
because of his missing toe. The stout guy’s
advantage of strong built body became a
disadvantage, putting his life in danger.
3. The same is true with strength and
weaknesses. Sometimes, our strengths
(positives) becomes weaknesses (negatives).
Sometimes, our weakness (negatives) would
turn out to be our real strengths (positives).
4. Be like the thin friend, not like the stout
friend.
5. The tribal leader is far better than the stout
friend in many ways. He thought of killing
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Bhanu Chander V
the two friends just for the benefit of their

men, but not for having fun or food.
6. It’s the willpower of Raman and his
determination of saving his friend (the
necessity) that made him the hero of the
hour.
7. Had the case Raman minded the insults of
Vikrant, he would’ve lost a good-turned-
friend and would’ve regret the rest of his life.
8. Raman could’ve walked away leisurely
without worrying about the other. But that
wouldn’t have made him a hero.
9. The group of 40 to 50 tribal men including
the tribal head got frightened by the daring
act of one single lean guy. It’s not his
appearance but his willpower that frightened
them.
10. Looks are deceiving. Real awesomeness is
not in the looks but in the way you think
positively and in what (and how) you do.
11. A person might be skilled in one thing but he
might not be fit for another thing. This is the
way of life for everyone. The same is true in
326
your case too. So, not having skills is not

your weakness. The real weakness is in not
identifying your real strengths.
12. The real failure is when you have the
opportunity to try but you didn’t care to do
so. In the current story, Raman utilized the
opportunity of showcasing his heroism,
which he never believed he could do so. Else,
he would’ve missed the chance. Situation
demands you to take the right step and you
should decide what that right step is!
13. The moment you regret for doing some
mistake/wrong is the sign of changeover.
Regret is the very first step indicating that
you’ve started the process of accepting the
mistake. One who agrees to his/her mistakes
will also learn to excel in life. On the other
hand, when a person doesn’t regret for his
mistakes, then his life will be filled with full
of frustrations, quarrels, dissatisfaction, loss
of relation etc.
14. The moment Vikrant took the oath, he
became a good friend to Raman. There upon
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Bhanu Chander V
his attitude changed and he got a good name

in the village.
15. Never underestimate or criticize others. Your
attitude will get reflected and will come back
to you. If you behave well, others will be good
towards you. If you don’t give respect, others
won’t respect you either.
16. Make or break—it’s up to you.
17. Never consider your weakness as your
disadvantage. It will help you at times.
Accept them too. Experience it!
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Once a 63-year-old lady fell sick. Even the

best doctors in the town couldn’t treat her and
give proper medicine. The doctors couldn’t spot
any illness as such. For some reason, she
became weak day by day. Seeing her pitiful
condition, people confirmed that she would not
survive more than a few weeks. Just like they
suspected, she stopped eating food. She also
stopped interacting with her own people. She
was in bed struggling for her breath. Her
neighbor, a boy, remembered a famous pious
man named Ravi, who was said to have magical
medicines. Fortunately, Ravi was available in a
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Bhanu Chander V
neighboring village at that time. The youngster

informed her son, Nirup, who immediately
approached him. Nirup pleaded Ravi to visit his
home and help her recover. Ravi understood her
helpless state and so he immediately started to
her home along with Nirup and his favorite
disciple.
The pious man, Ravi, saw her critical
condition. He immediately did several
observations—like checking her eyes, pulse on
arm etc. Later, he applied a specially made gel
to her right arm and waited for ten minutes. He
then observed the condition of her skin. His
disciple watched him attentively. He had been
writing down the steps in his notes with at most
care, in order not to miss a single step. After few
more analysis, Ravi’s eyes widened. He
appeared happy, seeing which Nirup felt eager.
Even the lady seemed to have gained some hope.
The doctor revealed to them that he can cure her
disease with 100% success. But he said he would
need one whole night to collect the required rare
herbs from a nearby forest. In addition, he
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imposed a condition on the treatment. The

condition is—by the time he comes back with
the medicine the next day, she should have
taken food at least twice, such that, her stomach
shouldn’t be empty. The procedure of
maintaining a required weight is required for
the medicine to work. Ravi was supposed to
start the treatment by eleven in the morning.
The lady felt happy hearing to him. Seeing the
confidence of Ravi in curing her, even she
gained hope and believed in Ravi. At that time,
Ravi was the most reliable person to her. The
lady agreed to the condition with a weak nod.
After Ravi and his disciple left, she made Nirup
feed her food. Initially, she vomited. But she
didn’t lose hope. She made Nirup feed her again.
This time she managed to prevent vomit by
doing a slight walking. She strengthened her
mind to prevent the thought of vomiting.
The very next morning, she took a heavy
breakfast as prescribed by Ravi—consisting of
liquids and serials. By then, she was able to
stand and walk slothfully. That was a big
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Bhanu Chander V
improvement compared to the previous day.

Ravi arrived with his disciple. He gave a bottle
full of specially made pills and an ointment.
Ravi showed a demo to Nirup on how to apply
the ointment. The ointment had to be applied
near her ears and neck using a cloth. He
instructed them to do that twice a day and also
asked her to take three doses of pills every day.
For consuming the pills, he instructed a
procedure. She needs to walk for at least 200
meters, take two pills, wait for fifteen minutes
and then take food. Ravi set the routine to a
minimum of fifteen days. He told them he will
return to recheck her after the first phase of
medication.
Nirup thanked him like anything, just like the
old lady did. After further instructions, Ravi left
along with his disciple. From the previous
night, the disciple’s brain was heated up
because of having several doubts. Unable to
tolerate it anymore, he spoke: ‘Sir, why did you
fool them by saying that the pills are specially
made? Although you haven’t charged them a
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paisa, still, it’s unfair to say that those pills are

specially made. They are nothing but fever and
weakness pills, except that you made me add
some extra quantity of Tulasi and few other
plantains extracts that doesn’t add any benefit
to the patient. What is this all about?’
Ravi grinned. He expected the question from
his disciple. Ravi patted him on his shoulder as
he spoke, ‘Son, pills and medicines are not
required every time. In fact, they are not as
effective as two ingredients.’
‘What are those ingredients? Tulasi and
Turmeric?’
Ravi grinned again, Confidence and faith of
the patient.’ The disciple looked confused,
seeing which the doctor continued. ‘A doctor
should not just give medicines to the patient. A
doctor should also add some confidence to them
by telling them that their health will get
recovered for sure. These positive words will act
as a supplement to the patient. If the doctor
himself says that the patient has no chance of
getting away from the disease, then, regardless
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Bhanu Chander V
of the medicine given, the thoughts of

negativity will act as a repellent. Any efforts of
the medicine may not function because of the
loss of faith.’
Ravi continued, ‘When Nirup was
accompanying me to his home, he told that the
earlier doctors had said the non-possibility of
her living. I suspected that those negative words
could’ve depressed her. In actual, she doesn’t
have any major disease at all. A combination of
multiple illnesses added with a negative impact
of the surroundings took her into a negative
state, because of which she lost her hopes on
living. The whole thing added to the worsening
of her heath. When I inspected her yesterday, I
understood that she was weak because of not
taking food. So, I came up with a plan. With
that, I executed fake experiments yesterday.
They are not prescribed tests. In fact, they are
not even tests, but just some dummy acts to fool
her to believe in whatever I would be saying
after exhibiting such rigorous-looking tests.
When we met them today, she was already fed
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with food twice. I saw a hope in her eyes.

Moreover, she believes in me. She got the trust
of recovering soon. The dosage that I gave was
just to improve her appetite and nutrition
requirements. Other than that, there is no
specialty in the medicine. But, those two pills
will serve the magic of inducing confidence in
her. Now, will you appreciate what I did?’
The disciple nodded with a smile. He bowed
his head in respect. Ravi spoke, ‘Monitor her
status once in a week and see the progress by
yourself.’
Ravi was right. His magic of faith and
confidence booster worked on her, for, in the
very first week, her condition had improved a
lot. She was back to normal in just three weeks.
The disciple witnessed her improvement in
happiness every week. The disciple felt proud of
his master. He got motivated by Ravi’s
psychological way of giving treatments to the
patients.
He took an oath, ‘Apart from medicines, I will
try to induce confidence in my patients.’
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Bhanu Chander V
He learnt an important life lesson:

Humans suffer mostly because to their
desires and their lack of confidence and faith.
Diseases are only secondary.
With this learning, he started applying new
techniques by understanding the psychological
conditions of the patients. Soon, he turned out
to be a best doctor in the country.
The moral of the story is very clear. Though
the intelligent doctor lied, he saved the old
lady’s life by boosting her confidence and by
giving hope to both the lady and her son.
Earlier, even though the lady had a little hope of
surveying, the mistrust of her neighbors, added
with her son’s doubtful eyes, had made her lose
the hope of surviving—thereby taking her into
a depressive state. Had she opposed them by
being firm on her beliefs, she wouldn’t have
taken the bed. When she came across a soul,
Ravi, who hoped that she would recover, she
gained her confidence. The fact that he was a
doctor further strengthened her belief.
336

1. Your surrounding people might tend to
induce negative belief in you. Opposing such
thoughts is possible only with your
confidence and positive attitude. Don’t take
others’ suggestions as it is. Apply your own
analysis and judgment skills. If you don’t
have these skills, learn to acquire them.
2. It’s far better to stay alone rather than
surrounded by negative-minded people.
3. The lady trusted others more than herself
and hence she got easily manipulated. First
her neighbors and later the pious doctor
influenced her. She was at loss for not having
trust on her.
4. Never give up! Even during last minute
breath. Believe in self.
5. Regardless of your state, maintain your
confidence level. One needs more confidence
during bad times than during good times.
Often, the reverse happens.
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Bhanu Chander V
6. The real problem is when a person is

mentally weak rather than physically weak.
Illness is only to the material body while
distress/depression is to the mind. The latter
is more problematic than the former.
7. When in mental weakness, others will take
advantage of bullying you.
8. Dependency on others is your main
weakness. Real strength is in standing on
your own legs.
9. If your friend is in need of moral support—
create a positive environment to him/her.
Whenever your neighbors are feeling low or
in some difficulty—maintain the positivity
in your looks and in your talks.
10. Never demotivate others. If you can’t
motivate, you better keep quiet.
11. Be like the doctor. Don’t be like the lady or
the son.
12. Sometimes, superstitious beliefs/acts are
needed for good reasons.
13. False belief and low confidence made the
lady depend on the dummy pills. She
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wouldn’t have needed them if she was

positive.
14. If you are not confident, you might be forced
to rely on talismans and superstitious
beliefs.
15. Talismans are for losers
16. We won’t hesitate to purchase a
product/service if that was shown with some
rigorous process (like for example
over/unnecessary packaging, air-filled
packages, using brand marks, quality marks,
stamps etc.) rather than purchasing the
same product without any such show-off
marks.
17. Ravi played the marketing trick to make the
old woman believe that the medicines and
the procedure that he was going to tell her
was trustable—just by doing some fake
checkups on her. If the lady had confidence
and faith, Ravi wouldn’t have needed those
false experiments.
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Bhanu Chander V

Nine men were called for an IT interview.

Pradeep was sitting next to Shyam. He was little
tensed for he was in desperate need of a job.
Getting job would solve many of his family and
personal problems. He gazed at Shyam for he
appeared tensionless. Feeling motivated by
Shyam’s attitude, he introduced himself and
started chatting with him. Both exchanged their
views and became good friends within no time.
The interviews started. All of them got
interviewed in two hours. Though Shyam’s
interview went well, he appeared bit
unsatisfied. When Pradeep asked him why he
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was feeling uncomfortable, Shyam stated his

disinterest in taking up the job.
‘As you know, the pay that they mentioned
during the interview is very less. I expected
more.’
‘Yes, I agree,’ replied Pradeep. ‘Still, the
offered salary is not that bad. Also, don’t forget
the current recession in the IT industry.
According to IT analysts, the effect of recession
will be there for the next two years.’
Shyam nodded negligently. ‘But you know,
I’m holding distinctions in all my studies.
According to me, this job is underpaying. Don’t
you think I’m overfit to this job?’ Pradeep
nodded his head agreeing with Shyam for he
had seen his certificates. Shyam was definitely
an eligible person to get paid more than anyone
in the hall.
Pradeep spoke after a minute thought,
‘Anyway, since the company doesn’t need a
bond, you can join if you get the offer. You may
plan to switch once you find a relevant job.’
Shyam nodded his head exhibiting his
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Bhanu Chander V
disagreement. He said he will not accept the

offer. Pradeep tried his best to convince him to
take up the current offer. Shyam didn’t listen to
his advice. He didn’t wish to get stuck in a low-
profile job. Without giving a further thought, he
revealed his decision to the receptionist. Within
minutes, the interview panel came to know
about his decision. The results were announced
half an hour later. Three candidates were
chosen and since Shyam had dropped, the
vacancy was filled by shortlisting Pradeep. Had
the case Shyam took the job, Pradeep wouldn’t
have got the offer.
One and half years passed. Due to the
recession and because of waiting for the best
and high paying job, by rejecting all other
comparatively low-paying jobs, Shyam couldn’t
get any suitable offer and so he sat at home,
jobless. On the other side, Pradeep was in need
of the job and so he did his best while at work.
His necessity of sustaining in work helped him
become the best employee of the year. In a year
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span, he got double promotion and was

assigned the role of team lead.
Shyam regretted every day for rejecting his
earlier opportunities because of over-
confidence. Since the recession persisted, he
couldn’t do anything other than teaching school
students at home. Often, his frustration levels
touched the peaks. Pradeep chanced to meet
him one day. While they conversed, Pradeep
came to know about Shyam’s jobless state. He
at once acted by contacting his company HR.
Soon, he arranged an offer in the company in
the same project he worked. This time, Shyam
didn’t deny taking up the offer. He instead
thanked his friend and took up the offer for he
realized that only a fool would repeat the same
mistake again. In just few months, Shyam too
became one of the best employees of the
company. By the time Shyam became a team
lead, Pradeep was already in project manager
position.
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Bhanu Chander V

1. Attaining distinctions is not the deal. The
real deal is in situational-thinking.
2. Whether big or small—an opportunity is an
opportunity. Never let them go easily. Shyam
had lost one and half year’s salary and work
experience just because of neglecting the
offers. He had also lost seniority at work.
3. Overconfidence leads to negative results.
4. Shyam’s negligence became an advantage to
Pradeep. Because he rejected the offer,
Pradeep got the advantage.
5. Pradeep was in need and hence he was
serious in his job search. His fate helped him
get the job owing to his seriousness. Shyam
was aimless, not serious, relied more on
future than present and hence he was made
to wait until he became serious.
6. Shyam could’ve considered Pradeep’s idea of
joining the job immediately, even if they paid
less. But Shyam was overconfident and
hence had to face the consequences.
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7. Maintaining the same level of confidence

during certain situations (in this story—
during the recession) is definitely pointless
and brings disadvantages. Shyam should’ve
grasped the situation and should’ve
considered the best offer available at that
time.
8. Something is better than nothing. Pradeep
got something and Shyam got nothing.
9. Pradeep got something because he had
perceived the problematic situation
(recession) correctly and had adapted to it.
He wasn’t under over expectation. He had
exhibited the nature of adjustment.
10. Shyam was negligent of the then prevailing
situation and hence he suffered. Though he
had the right skills and though he was the
first eligible person of all the nine
candidates, he under-looked the situation of
the recession and hence couldn’t utilize the
ability of his skills.
11. A guy with distinctions in academics (but
average in situational judgement) got a job
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Bhanu Chander V
because of a guy with average academic

records (but high in situational judgement).
12. A wise learns from a mistake at the very first
instance and prevents repeating the same
mistake in the future. An unwise repeat the
same mistake several times before finally
realizing the mistake of doing that mistake.
A fool repeats the same mistake every time
but never learns or wishes to change. The
first sign of an idiot is ‘always lamenting’ on
someone or something and always believing
himself/herself to be right while the rest
world to be wrong. Persons of the third type
are worth to be ignored, for, it’s hard to
convince them of the truth.
13. When an opportunity comes, analyze the
situation and act accordingly. Grab the offer
if the situation relies on the probabilities
(say 50-50 chances) of future events. Else, if
the situation is good, keep the offer as a
backup until you get a better option.
14. An education that couldn’t enhance moral
behavior is nothing but commercial. Some
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people don’t know how to eat food and/or

respect elders (and teachers) properly,
though they achieve distinctions in their
studies. What purpose is their education for?
Just to grow technically and financially? Not
on how to live?
15. Common sense is the first quality you need
to have. Education is only secondary. That’s
because the real definition of the term
‘education’ has been changing these days.
16. Common sense is not age specific. Many
times, common sense out-beats your
technical and other skills.
17. Leave some space for others too. We’re not
the only ones staying in this world. Because
Shyam created a space (job vacancy) that
helped Pradeep initially, Shyam got
benefitted when he really needed, that too
without much effort.
18. Fortunately, Shyam didn’t behave proudly in
front of Pradeep during their first meet. Else,
Shyam wouldn’t have got a good friend who
helped him later.
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Bhanu Chander V
19. Necessity played vital roles and that’s why

differences were observed in both the
friends’ cases. The intensity of necessity
made them perceive the situation
differently. Shyam perceived the necessity
lately while Pradeep perceived the necessity
at the correct time.
20. Our future growth or success is dependent
on our current necessities, failures and also
on the current situation (recession in this
case).
21. We need to change our level whenever the
situation demands. Sometimes, lowering our
level/status turns out to be advantageous.
Maintaining the same status/level during
such situations exhibits our egoism and
ignorance and often ends up in failures.
22. Changing according to the situation
(lowering our level/expectation/status or
taking up something else) is one way how we
turn our negatives into positives.
348

Long ago, when the God was set to start the

creation, he decided to create four planets. The
first two planets were planned such that in one
world only men were made to take shape and in
the other world only women were made to take
shape. The idea of the God was to prevent
problems in the future. He thought that an all-
woman world would maintain peace. Likewise,
he believed that a world with only men would
help in preventing complications. The creation
occurred and the two separate planets were
under operation.
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Bhanu Chander V
Meanwhile, his creation of the other two

planets happened such that in one planet he
made the demigods (godly men) to occupy while
he allotted the other planet to the demons. The
very idea of his creation was that since the
demigods were all in the same planet, the
goodness of the demigods would multiple
exponentially—thereby flourishing peace at a
rapid pace. At the same time, since the demons
were all put in one planet and since they can’t
meet the good guys, they would neither create
any problems nor quarrel with each other. Thus,
even the fourth world would remain in harmony
as per the God’s expectation.
After he created the worlds, he went into a
trance state. Two decades passed and God once
wished to check the status of the four planets.
Until then, he didn’t bother checking the
condition expecting that the four planets would
be filled with peace. In order to confirm, he
made a visit to the first two planets. To his
dismay, in both the planets, peace was not
observed. Men got fed up of seeing men
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everywhere. They were all bored and weren’t

happy. They couldn’t identify the purpose of
their lives. Since reproduction couldn’t happen,
the number of men drastically reduced. The
whole world was filled with sadness,
dissatisfaction and blamings. God was shocked
to see the same situation in the planet of
women. They too were unhappy seeing women
everywhere. They often ended up fighting with
each other and their number too reduced
because of no chance of reproduction.
A worried God then moved to see the
conditions on the other two planets. In the
planet assigned to the demigods and since only
good men were present everywhere, none of
them needed to show their goodness. The good
thing was that there were no sign of badness
and so they didn’t got the opportunity to utilize
their goodness. Ahead of the God’s expectations
of the goodness being multiplied, the world of
demigods stayed at the same level with no
improvement on peace. On the flip side, the
conditions on the demon’s planet also turned
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Bhanu Chander V
out to be unexpected. Since the demons couldn’t

find any good men to torture, they started
quarreling among themselves to satisfy their
sadistic and egoistic behavior. This created a
havoc in the planet and un-satisfaction was
seen everywhere.
A distressed God returned back to his adobe
feeling miserable. He understood his blunder of
assigning separate planets to each group. After
several days of thinking, he finally came up
with a new idea. According to his plan, he put
all the men and the women in one planet.
Likewise, he put all the demigods and the
demons in one single planet. He understood
that men will not be happy without women and
vice versa. Likewise, goodness is visible and
prominent mostly when badness comes into
picture.
The value of goodness is recognized mostly
when there is a need for it (due to the presence
of bad).
The supreme God realized: ‘since the planet
of demigods had no bad men, they couldn’t get
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an opportunity to showcase their goodness. All

their talents got hidden and became useless.
Therefore, the heroes weren’t needed.’
Further deliberation made him implement his
new idea. After the allocations, he returned back
to his adobe and instead of waiting for some
decades, he monitored their progress every now
and then. In the planet of men and women,
couples were formed. They found satisfaction
living with each other. Reproduction took place
that gave rise to new offsets. Thus, life
sustained. In the second planet, since bad men
(demons) got the chance of tormenting
demigods (good men), the demigods too
utilized their skills to oppose them. In order to
save their race, they learned new methods and
techniques of countering the demons. Soon,
many heroes emerged out (from the tribe of
good men) and their goodness and skills
became recognizable. Mortals and immortals
found a way to sustain their life.
God became happy because they figured out
the actual reasons for their existence.
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Bhanu Chander V
He finally made the first planet as earth and

added many life elements like animals, insects
etc. He distributed the qualities of good and bad
among humans such that some would get good
qualities while others would exhibit bad nature,
though he gave chance to everyone to choose
one of the two paths as per their wish. In
addition, he included the symptoms of both
good and bad in the lives of each and every
individual on the earth— thereby allowing
them to learn the true meaning of life apart
from knowing their hidden internal potencies.
That’s how life kept sustaining—giving chance
to the humans to enhance their skills and
become heroes by overcoming the bad.

1. Only good or only bad has no value. Both
can’t happen separately. They maintain
duality.
2. The goodness of a person is recognized
mostly during bad times.
354
3. Similarly, your skills are invoked during

bad times. It’s better to face some
problems in order to unearth your
problem-solving skills and also to unearth
your hidden talents. Experience them!
4. Extreme of only one thing is always
dangerous. Expecting only extreme of one
thing (whether it is good or bad, happy or
sad etc.) is not advisable. Be balanced.
5. To realize your hidden skills, you better
face some problems. You won’t find
solutions unless you know the problems.
Necessity is the mother of creativity.
6. God realized that only good or only bad
had no use (no purpose). Therefore, he
created the world with both so that one
would know what the problem would look
like; upon which he/she will try to come up
with a solution by upgrading self.
7. God has been giving you several chances to
unearth your skills and to help you become
a dependable person. He is trying to make
you a role model and a hero. Do you wish
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Bhanu Chander V
to deny the chance? Do you really wish to

stay at the same level (just like others do)
rather than upgrading your talents? And,
do you still blame God or someone for
getting this beautiful chance?
8. Winners derive most of the opportunities
during their bad times only.
9. Some people become losers when they try
to run away from their problems. They will
lose the chance of getting upgraded to the
next levels (both skill wise and financial
wise).
10. Everyone in the world has numerous
problems. When others can withstand and
overcome that, why can’t you? Are you
that weak? I don’t think you are!
11. Like you wish to have happiness in life,
don’t get upset when bad happens. The
state of happiness and distress need to be
balanced to maintain duality. Expecting
only extreme of happiness is ignorance.
12. The real knowledge is in seeing both
the happiness and distress with the same
356
eye. Don’t expect or deny any one of the

dualities. Appreciate both the dualities and
try to be neutral.
13.A balanced person will have everything in
his life. A person will be considered as a
hero only when he/she solves at least one
important problem (or had solved in the
past). The same person wouldn’t be
recognized as a hero when he/she couldn’t
get an opportunity to face a problem or
didn’t involve at all when a problem
existed.
14. Though a person has the required
caliber, if he just sits back relaxing, not
willing to take up the pain, then he cannot
be regarded as a hero.
15. A weak or an unskilled person who
had failed but had tried his level best is
regarded and appreciated to the fullest
then an acclaimed hero who didn’t involve
at all. Failing by trying is 200% better than
having the right skills but never trying.
Experience it!
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Bhanu Chander V
It was the rule of King Vijaya Varma. Prince

Dhruvsena had completed his training at a
Gurukul Ashram. He was regarded as one of the
most eligible bachelors in the surroundings. He
had learned all the techniques—that were
needed for a person to be eligible for ruling a
kingdom. Apart from that, he never had the
feeling of discrimination. He was kind towards
the poor and the deserved. His mind was always
engaged in devising strategies that were meant
to uplift the subject’s lives, in particular, the
farmers. At that early age he assisted his father,
the king, in taking the most critical decisions of
the state. The subjects got to realize the good
nature of Dhruvsena very soon. When he
returned from the Gurukul, he received a warm
welcome from everyone in Thantripur, the
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capital of Vijaya Varma’s kingdom. No sooner

did he reached the palace, King Vijaya Varma
officially announced his desire of making the
prince the ruler of Thantripur. He also
announced that he had been in search of a
perfect bride for Dhruvsena for which he had
decided to send invitations to the neighboring
kings.
King Pradhyumna was one of the rulers under
the emperor Vijaya Varma. He got excited seeing
the invitation for he had the desire of getting his
daughter, Suruchi, married to Dhruvsena in
order to strengthen their alliance. The program
was to attend an open house exhibition where
several trading products would be exhibited
from all over the kingdom. The exhibition
would be followed by a visit to the Royal
meeting hall where all the princesses would be
made to seat and Dhruvsena would visit and
choose one of the princesses as his better half.
The open house went well. Several princesses
and daughters of wealthy traders were present
at the hall. Next to each and every princess seat,
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Bhanu Chander V
a display had been kept. The display board

showed the details of the princess including the
details of their rule, their assets, possessions,
family information etc. Suruchi was also
present. Among all the attendees, her details
her details happened to be the top—in terms of
wealth and family background. No doubt she
was the most beautiful women in the hall. She
looked adorable with her rare collection of
jewels. Her glittering and costly cloth gave her
a pride look. She was very concerned in taking
utmost care of her possessions. Unlike the other
princess present, she had many royal maids to
take care of her needs.
When Dhruvsena entered the hall, Suruchi’s
maids were busy attending to her beauty. All
other princesses were paying attention to him
while Suruchi, out of pride, avoided direct
eyesight with him deliberately. She was pretty
sure that Dhruvsena would near her because of
getting attracted to her beauty. In fact, the rest
of the princesses in the hall were sure that
Suruchi would be chosen owing to her beauty
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and status. Things happened just like everyone

had anticipated for Dhruvsena walked straight
to her. King Pradhyumna grinned and twisted
his mustache as if his daughter had already
stolen the heart of Dhruvsena. The remaining
princess lost their hopes. Many of them rose
from their seats seeing which Dhruvsena
signaled to his father upon which Vijaya Varma
rose from his throne and made an
announcement,
‘Everyone please be seated. This is just the
beginning and the selection is not yet over.’ All
the princess and the kings sat in their respective
places. They were pretty sure that it would be of
no use waiting anymore. That’s because
Dhruvsena had been inspecting Suruchi very
keenly. A few minutes later Dhruvsena took
small steps and moved around as he inspected
the other princess. He stood at the display
boards for at least a minute and inspected the
details very carefully. After a complete round,
he walked back and sat next to the throne of
Vijaya Varma. He finally revealed his decision in
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the ears of Vijaya Varma hearing which the King

became happy. He displayed pride on his face
while he gently patted the shoulders of
Dhruvsena.
The emperor arose from his throne and
spoke, ‘I pay my humble respects to all the
kings, princesses and the audience. I’m happy
to announce the decision of my son. Prince
Dhruvsena is interested in marrying princess
Priyadarshini from Mukundapur. His decision is
final. If princess Priyadarshini has no
objections, the marriage will be held on the
auspicious day of Rajabhishek.’
Everyone in the hall was stunned to hear the
result.
‘Princess Priyadarshini? Are you kidding?’ That’s
what everyone thought. It was sure that the
king of Mukundapur was the poorest of all the
kings. He had very few assets and his ruling
zone was very limited. In fact, Priyadarshini
was just ok in looks.
King Pradhyumna couldn’t stand the insult
anymore. He immediately stood and yelled,
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‘I guess prince Dhruvsena had lost his mind.

How could he be blind to choose a worthless
princess by ignoring the worthy and the richest
princess? This’s not fair.’
‘I would suggest King Pradhyumna to mind
his language. Things will go upside down if I
remove you from your throne. After all, the
comforts you’re enjoying are just because I
appointed you to that region. It is wise if you sit
and just listen to why the prince had chosen
princess Priyadarshini.’ By then Suruchi face
was filled with shame. She became angry and
stood up,
‘Who cares what the prince likes. After all, he
is not worthy enough to stand next to me as my
husband. I will find a better groom soon and will
show to you all what I’m and my status is.’
Saying so she walked way along with her maids.
King Pradhyumna waited to listen to
Dhruvsena, who stood up and addressed all the
audience.
‘It is known to us that the city of Mukundapur
has very limited resources. But the king was
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good and humane. He is known for his kindness

and helping nature. The king has been charging
less tax on the public that no other king ever
did. Only because of his helping nature he
couldn’t stock more wealth just like us. Apart
from that, I chanced to come across princess
Priyadarshini when I visited their kingdom in a
disguise. I was surprised to see her live a very
simple life—just like one of the city dwellers.
I’m sure no one from Mukundapur dislikes her
for she never showed the wrong attitude. I
closely watched her activities for a couple of
days before I confirmed her good nature. The
royal comforts are nothing for her. She likes to
move in public and solve their problems. On the
other side, when I was traveling in the regions
ruled by King Pradhyumna, I observed the
dissatisfaction of public. They were
complaining about the high tax rates and the
restrictions imposed on them. I saw princess
Suruchi punishing an elderly woman, for the
woman crossed the street unknowingly when
the royal chariot was about to come. Princess
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Priyadarshini is the real beauty. I adore her very

much. My decision is final and I would like to
hear her willingness too.’
Priyadarshini smiled at him and lowered her
eyes with shy. King Vijaya Varma felt happy
seeing her acceptance. People praised the
greatness of Dhruvsena while Pradhyumna
walked out of the hall with his head lowered.
The marriage happened grandly. As predicted
by Dhruvsena, Priyadarshini became the best
queen of the region. She gave her valuable
advices and decisions to him every now and
then.
Suruchi remained unmarried for several years
because of her attitude. She kept rejecting even
good matches—with the expectation of
marrying an employer's son. She had put the
condition that the person should be richer and
should have higher status than Dhruvsena.
Unfortunately, Thantripur was the biggest
kingdom and Dhruvsena became the famous
and the richest king. At last, because she was
getting aged, Pradhyumna had to get her
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married to a fat looking merchant of fifty years

old, as a second wife. She regretted her rudeness
and attitude for the rest of her life.

1. While simplicity is liked by everyone, the
qualities of being pride, arrogant and over
expectation are the most hated ones.
2. The pride and adamant nature in us might
prevent the happening of good to us.
3. Looks and wealth are not the sole deciding
factor in judging a person. Having the
right qualities in a person matters the
most. Out of many qualities, humanity and
determination are the two qualities needed
by everyone.
4. A marriage is between two people with
matching hearts, not by matching status,
wealth, property etc. unless the two don’t
understand each other, they may not lead
a happy life.
5. A person shall be considered as rich when
he has the following qualities—hard
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working, caring, determined, good-

hearted, lust-free, respecting his wife, not
trying to control his wife and children,
forecasting and being cautious of future,
helping hand, good at analyzing, not
causing trouble to their family, adjustive,
flexibility, compromising nature, taking
up responsibilities, avoiding work to
woman etc.
6. A woman shall be considered as rich when
she has the following qualities—smart
working, simplicity, less talkative or
silent, modesty, un-pride, having less
desires, devoted, adjusting nature,
cautious, daring, self-defensive, not
trying to impress others, not showcasing,
jealous-less and egoless, not adamant,
determined, self-realized, not being too
selfish, less dependent on others, rejecting
others wealth etc.
7. Despite of having wealth and riches
(financially), Pradhyumna was still poor.
That’s because he couldn’t win the hearts
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Bhanu Chander V
of his subjects. Though the King of

Mukundapur had only few properties, he
was very rich for he was liked by almost all
his subjects.
8. Our possessions (money and riches) might
accompany us only till we live. But our
good/bad will be carried forward even to
our next birth(s).
9. The real greatness is not in how many
people are behind you, but is in how many
people believe you and follow you true
heartedly.
10. An adamant woman never lives
happily. Suruchi got a lesson and realized
the mistake of her past attitude. She
regretted her whole life for having over
expectation and behaving as if she was the
most beautiful and the greatest woman on
earth. Her expectation that all men were
desirious of beautiful women was proved
wrong. She learned that most men like a
simpleton and cultured woman.
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11. Be equal minded and treat everyone the

same.
12. Dhruvsena lived happily because he
chose a girl by giving emphasis to behavior
rather than looks. He would’ve regretted
his whole life if he had chosen Suruchi by
giving emphasis to beauty. Looks
shouldn’t be a deciding factor if ever you
are getting married. What matters the
most is the person’s behavior and attitude.
13.People around you will be observing
whatever you are doing—good or bad. You
can’t hide your qualities from being
publicized. Good or bad will be revealed to
everyone and you will be given treatment
accordingly. Though Priyadarshini never
tried to show off, the way she treated and
the way she interacted with others gave an
impression to everyone that she was a
good-hearted girl. Hence, she became the
most respected woman—not only in their
kingdom but also in the neighboring
kingdoms too.
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14. No one in the selection hall liked

Suruchi though she was the most eligible
candidate (in terms of financially) in the
hall. Had the case she was chosen, not a
single soul would’ve been happy—
including her maids! But everyone
appreciated Dhruvsena when he chose
Priyadarshini. They were happy and was
sure that Priyadarshini would be the
perfect fit for him.
15. Never under look anyone. Else, your
life (fate) will under look you. Your life is
just a reflection of how you act. If you act
good, your life will give all good things to
you. If you treat others as slaves, you
might come across situations where you
will be treated as a slave.
16. Forget about the outside people, even
the maids around Suruchi were angry and
were cursing her because of her ill
treatment and attitude. How can her life be
good then?
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17. Don’t worry if you haven’t received

blessings from others, but always worry if
you are being cursed by others (in front or
behind you). If that’s the case, then it’s
time you revamp your thoughts/behavior
etc.
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Once a merchant had a horse and a donkey.

He used the donkey for carrying goods while he
rides the horse. Though the donkey worked
more than the horse, the horse was given
comforts while the donkey was treated as a
slave. Even the merchant’s children liked the
horse very much and hated the donkey. Still, the
donkey served his master very well.
‘You’re such a disgrace to the owner’s family.
If someone else was owner, they would’ve
already sent you out.’ Bhairav, the horse said
once.
‘Who said so? our master likes me too and
that’s why he is keeping me with you.’ Muktha,
the donkey replied.
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‘Are you perceiving that way?’ Bhairav busted

out laughing.
‘You’re just a slave to him and that’s why he
is still bearing you. Else, he would’ve thrown
you out. After all, everyone needs slaves. For
master’s family, you’re the slave. Look at me.
Everyone in their family adores me, even the
kids. They feel happy and get excited watching
me while they show disinterest in seeing you.’
Muktha mind got disturbed because of the
words of Bhairav.
‘This is the way someone treat their mate?’
Muktha thought. From that day, Muktha
preferred to stay far from Bhairav. But Bhairav
wouldn’t let him free, he would walk behind
him and would continue teasing. Whenever
Muktha was grazing, Bhairav would kick his
vessel with his hind legs thereby disturbing
him. Thereafter, he would laugh aloud. Day by
day his mischievous behavior and ill treatment
multiplied.
Like the saying goes, ‘every dog has a day’, the
day had come to end the Bhairav’s attitude.
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That was a weekend. After the outing and

celebration, the merchant’s family returned to
their house and slept. Bhairav had completed
his insults for that day and had slept in the
shed. Muktha was trying to sleep but he was
disturbed by the blames of Bhairav. In the late
hour he heard the noise of footsteps. Alarmed,
he cautiously inspected around and observed
some moving shadows.
He waited for some more times and
confirmed their identity, ‘No doubt, they are
robbers.’ He neared Bhairav and tried to wake
him up. Bhairav got angry that he tried to kick
Muktha with his hind legs. Muktha managed to
escape from the kick and tried to tell him again.
But Bhairav ignored his appeals and went back
to sleep. Muktha moved to the other side of the
home and peeped through the window. The
robbers were on their move. They started
stealing valuable items in the room. Two of
them were trying to crack the locker when
Muktha made his move too.
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He brayed loudly alarming the owners. Both

the merchant and the robbers became confused.
Before the merchant woke and realized that
they were looted, the robbers hurriedly rushed
out with the valuable items that they collected.
While leaving from the back door they saw the
healthy horse, Bhairav, sleeping peacefully. One
of them got hold of him and tried to ride on him.
Bhairav was unable to understand who that
stranger was and what he was trying to do. By
then, Muktha had come to the shed. He alarmed
Bhairav to keep away from them. But Bhairav
was so adamant that because Muktha told he did
the opposite. He allowed the robber to ride on
him without even realizing what and why he
was doing.
Another robber came and thought of stealing
Muktha too. But the rest denied his idea saying
that the horse was more valuable than the
donkey. Soon, they flee from there. The
merchant came out—only to realize that his
favorite horse had been stolen. He came to
Muktha and rubbed his neck as he spoke:
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Bhanu Chander V
‘You saved our whole family and our

possessions. I don’t know how to thank you.’
From that day, the merchant’s family treated
Muktha appropriately.
On the other side, the robbers treated Bhairav
very badly. They gave very less food to him and
used him while robbing. Often, they beat him
hard to make him work. Life became miserable
for Bhairav. He recalled his past life and
regretted for ill-treating Muktha. He became
shameful whenever he recalled the denial that
he did when Muktha tried to save him.
‘I should’ve listened to him. I didn’t care his good
words and now I’m suffering.’

1. Never ill-treat others. If you treat
someone bad, you will be mistreated
badly—more than twice.
2. While our good never ends, our nature of
pride and arrogance will definitely have an
end. Someday or the other we have to
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regret for our bad misbehavior and

attitude.
3. Keeping silent when someone is barking at
you shows your intelligence. Shout back
only when you feel it is needed to shut
them silent.
4. Some people keep insulting you just
because you didn’t react. If you react once,
they will shut and will never consider
bothering you. So, you need to have
situational judgement to act accordingly.
5. The merchant believed that the horse was
worthier than the donkey and so he didn’t
give proper facilities to the donkey. Later,
he realized that what he thought to be
good was not actually good and what he
thought to be useless turned out to be his
family’s life and property saver. From that
day, he never under-estimated anything
and so he lived happily.
6. Treat everyone equally—regardless of
religion, nationality, caste, color etc.
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Maintaining equanimity is the greatest

virtue that one can ever enjoy in life.
7. Our sufferings and experiences make us
strong. Take them positively.
8. The donkey’s bad looks had actually
turned out to be an advantage to him.
That’s because, the robbers had neglected
him. On the other hand, the horse’s good
looks became a disadvantage to him and an
advantage to the robbers due to which he
got stolen.
9. Regardless of what you are now—never
forget your past.
10. A special treatment from others
doesn’t mean you are special. It might
mean that you are needed there. Likewise,
giving extra works to say someone next to
you or not given full respect to that
someone (as given to you) doesn’t mean
that you are superior and he/she is
inferior.
11. Imagine the situation where there are no
house-keeping people or washroom
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cleaning staff, then all the place around

you will look messy. This tells the
significance of each and every small role
that has been looked down by the top roles.
12. In this story, the owner of the donkey
looked down on the donkey because of the
nature of works that the donkey was
meant for. However, he failed to realize the
amount of struggle that he had to face in
the absence of the donkey. Here, the
absence of horse would not have made as
much difference as the absence of the
donkey. At the end, it was the donkey that
saved the merchant.
13.Like in the story, we often prefer decorated
and well wrapped things (products,
persons, friends etc.) whereas we fail to
see the hollow space (loop holes) inside the
decoration.
14. Appreciate the inner qualities first
(like good behavior, talents, straight
forward, silent etc.) before appreciating
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Bhanu Chander V
the external qualities (beauty, riches,

talkative etc.)
15. Though the donkey was angry on the
horse, he tried to help him at the needy
hour. This is the way of the good hearts.
Whether you like or dislike the opposite
person, try to assist them when they are
eligible and they are in real need of help.
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Bhairav was a loved pet to the family of

Kishore. He brought him to his house when it
was a puppy of just one month old. From that
day it became one of his family members.
Kishore’s kids liked Bhairav very much just like
Bhairav loved the family members. His two kids
brought up along with Bhairav and they
consider it as their brother. Years passed. The
family moved to a new town because Kishore
got a transfer, being a forest department head.
Now the children as well as the dog are eight
years old.
One day, Kishore returned from duty and was
tired of that day’s work. His wife and children
had gone out to take part in a local fair. He was
surprised to note that Bhairav was not seen
around. Usually, the moment Kishore steps
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Bhanu Chander V
inside the house compound, Bhairav would

come running and would welcome him with
love. But that day, Bhairav neither came
running nor gave a clue where it was. Kishore
was moving towards bed room when he heard
noises from kitchen. As he went to the kitchen,
he saw Bhairav searching for something on the
kitchen floor. The room was totally messed up.
All the raw materials were scattered in the
kitchen floor. The whole floor was spilled with
milk. The utensil with which his wife usually
stores the milk was lying down.
On top of the milk surface, several raw
materials, including the dog’s favorite packaged
food, was seen. Despite the availability of his
favorite food on the floor Bhairav kept
searching for something behind the racks and
utensils. Though it had seen his master, it
ignored his presence but kept engaged in his
search. Kishore was totally clueless as to what
was happening. At the same time, he felt
shocked of witnessing the new attitude of his
pet. He never expected such behavior from
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Bhairav. Seeing the chaos that his dearest dog

had created he understood one thing
‘So, this is what Bhairav’s other side is! It seems it
had been acting like a good pet all these years in
front of us.’
Kishore tried to near Bhairav when it turned
back and started barking at him. Now, that was
the strangest thing that surprised him. He never
expected such behavior from Bhairav and so he
got angry. Kishore tried to move front again
when Bhairav started barking dangerously. It
showed its teeth out of its mouth while it
barked. It made Kishore go mad.
He became so uncontrolled that he
immediately ran to the living room and
returned back with his rifle. Even then, Bhairav
prevented him from entering the room.
‘I will teach you a lesson.’ Saying so Kishore
shot Bhairav. Blood spilled on the floor and
Bhairav started mourning because of pain.
Bhairav understood that it will die in a few
minutes. It grouped the left-over strength and
dragged its body till it reached the opposite
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Bhanu Chander V
corner—beneath a rack. It moved the utensils

aside using its mouth until it cleared a way. It
then put its head inside and vibrated it—
making a rattling sound. Few seconds later it
undid its head.
Kishore was shocked to death seeing the
scene.
Bhairav was clutching a big sized cobra with
its teeth. Bhairav ensured that the snake was
dead. It dragged its body towards the door and
moved carefully ensuring that the snake would
not hurt Kishore by any chance. It then went
outside the home, threw it far, returned back
and collapsed at the foot of Kishore with a
happy yet painful face.
Tears filled the eyes of Kishore.
‘It’s the snake that created the mess. Bhairav tried
to keep me away so that I will not get bitten by the
snake. How foolish I’m that I didn’t understood
Bhairav—who is like my own son.’ Kishore cried
like a child.
But none of his sorrow brought back his pet.
His wife and children returned and learnt what
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had happened. Everyone mourned for the

demise of their loyal pet. His wife blamed him
for his anger and mistrustful behavior.
‘How could you forget that Bhairav had
helped us several times. How could you even get
the thought of hurting our own son?’
Kishore had no answers. All he did was cry
and regret for the rest of his life.

1. Bhairav actually tried to prevent the snake
from hurting the family members,
especially Kishore’s wife. It tried to drive
out the snake. But Kishore misunderstood
its behavior. The moment he thought the
dog was barking at him, he lost his
humanity. His ego came into the picture.
He didn’t hesitate to fire at him.
2. At that instant, his self-respect became
more important to him than even the life
of his family’s beloved pet. He shot he dog
Just because it barked at him. How
inhuman!
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Bhanu Chander V
3. Hurrying is a mistake. Taking decisions

while in hurry results in failures.
4. Kishore should’ve remembered that his
two children were very much found of
Bhairav. He should’ve let it go even if
Bhairav rejected it. Or, he could’ve given
any usual punishment—like cutting its
night food, confining it by chain etc.,
instead of taking a cruel step.
5. Kishore should’ve got a doubt seeing the
immediate change in the behavior of
Bhairav, which never happened before. He
should have taken time to think, to inspect
the surroundings, and to find out the real
truth.
6. A very close person exhibiting a sudden
change in behavior indicates that
something was not correct and the person
wants to warn you of something or keep
you far to prevent from that danger (or
damage or fight etc.).
7. A person behaving badly doesn’t mean
that he/she hates you. Certain situations
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must’ve made them act so. If you don’t

realize their actual intention, you might be
losing a dearest friend!
8. Kishore and his family loved Bhairav
because it behaved like they expected. Had
the case it was not listening to them or had
the case it acted with its casual dog habits,
they wouldn’t have treated it well.
9. The whole world moves with faith (and
trust on each other). Without faith you
cannot live happily even for a minute.
Regardless of where you go (say you hide
in forest) your doubts will disturb you. So,
learn to have faith. Doubt only when
required.
10. Kishore was under the expectation
that his pet would behave decently with
them always. He should’ve remembered
that Bhairav was an animal. That’s
because it is natural for an animal to
sometimes behave unexpectedly. He
should’ve maintained his situational
judgment.
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Bhanu Chander V
11. At times, even your enemies might try to

do good for you. It all depends on the
situation and how you perceive that.
12. Just because you gave food and raised
something (animal, children etc.) doesn’t
mean that can you have total control over
their lives. It doesn’t mean you can make
their lives as per your wish. However, you
can go strict to make their future bright.
388
Jayasimha, the king of Thantripur, was a kind

and honest ruler. He ruled the kingdom by
considering his subjects as his own family
members. He brought several initiations and
developments across the kingdom that brought
welfare to the poor. Jayasimha had two sons—
Veerasimha and Samarasimha. The two grew
young and completed their Gurukul at an
ashram in the forest of Vidyaranya.
Destiny was so playful that Jayasimha fell
sick. The royal doctor tried his best in curing the
king. But, all his attempts didn’t work. Seeing
his incapability, the minister summoned many
famous doctors from around the kingdom. He
announced a handsome reward for the one who
could cure King. But, none of them were
successful. The king had a unique disease and
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Bhanu Chander V
hence the doctors were clueless as to how to

treat it. A month passed and Jayasimha
remained untreated. He became weak—both
physically and mentally.
It so happened that a sage chanced to pass
through the capital city. He came to know about
the illness of the king. Vibhuti, the sage, paid a
visit to the palace and checked the condition of
Jayasimha. He did several physical tests before
he came to the conclusion:
‘The king has been affected by a rare disease.
There is no point in blaming the doctors as the
treatment for this disease is near to impossible
by the regular medical practices.’
The King was feeling upset when Vibhuti
added further, ‘However, I have two special
herbs at my ashram—a combination of which
can cure this disease.’
Jayasimha and the minister felt very happy.
‘I will come with you, Swamyji. Please give
me the herbs to cure our king.’ The minister
pleaded the sage.
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‘Not that easy.’ Vibhuti grinned. ‘I want the

two princes to come with me and work for me
for some days. I will give them one herb each—
only if I get satisfied with their services. If
that’s ok then I will accompany the two.’
‘I’m ready to do anything for father,’ said
Samarasimha.
‘Me too,’ joined Veerasimha.
‘Alright, we will move to the ashram
tomorrow.’
The next day, a caravan was arranged with all
the traveling facilities along with horses,
servants and food.
‘What are these for?’ Vibhuti asked the
minister.
‘These are for our princes. The ashram is
quite far from here and our princes have to
travel to and fro. So, we are sending the
necessities for them.’
‘Nothing goes with us expect the two princes.
They are going to be the upcoming rulers and
they need to experience both good and bad. The
princes should not get used to the royal
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Bhanu Chander V
comforts and should be flexible enough to get

adjusted to the worst situations too. We three
are going by three horses and that’s it.’
The minister couldn’t deny the sage’s words.
The three then set to Vidyaranya. Samarasimha
was not worried about the facilities and the
arrangements but was totally concerned about
his father’s recovery. He wanted to get the herbs
as soon as possible to treat Jayasimha at the
earliest. On the other side, Veerasimha cursed
the sage.
‘What an idiot this sage is! He must be a sadist to
bring trouble to me. He could’ve simply given the
herbs without any conditions like this. I wonder
whether I should trust this idiotic sage or not.’
After four hours of travel they reached the
ashram. The ashram was surrounded by
pleasant trees, near river Jalamukhi, deep inside
the forest of Vidyaranya. Both the princes
enjoyed the naturality of the location—as it was
way different from the comforts of their royal
palace.
The very next day, Vibhuti started the course.
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‘To be a king, you need to have patience,

situational thinking and honesty. Attaining
success is never easy and the success that you
obtain without putting much effort might not
stay long. So, I will give one herb to each of you
only after you complete the given work.
Remember, you should be consistent and
shouldn’t leave the work in the middle. The one
who doesn’t complete the given job will not get
the job. In which case you cannot help in curing
your father. So, you both should complete the
task for sure. Do you agree to the conditions?’
Samarasimha readily agreed while
Veerasimha was hesitant. He didn’t give his
confirmation. When the sage questioned him
again and after Samarasimha insisted, he too
agreed. Their work started.
The sage gave the first task of filling two big
sized vessels with water. He gave one small
utensil to the two and using that the two
princess had to carry water from the river and
fill the vessel at the ashram. By the end of four
hours, Samarasimha filled his vessel while
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Veerasimha could fill only half the vessel

assigned to him. He was lazy enough to do to-
and-fro moves. He took breaks in between—by
resting under the shade of trees. After
Samarasimha completed his work, he asked the
sage to give the next task so that he can
complete that soon.
Vibhuti asked him to empty the vessel with
the same utensil. Without questioning him why,
he immediately got engaged in the task. By the
time he finished emptying, Veerasimha had just
completed his first task of filling the water. He
was angry already for the tasks appeared a
nonsense to him.
‘What is this all about? I could’ve engaged a
hundred workers and would’ve got this vessel filled
in just ten minutes. How silly it is to fill the vessel
with this tiny utensil. This sage must be mad to make
us empty the vessel after filling it. I shouldn’t have
come here.’
Samarasimha had approached the sage
already. ‘What’s next, Guruji.’
Vibhuti grinned. ‘Do you’ve a coin with you?’
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‘Yes, Master.’ Samarasimha took a coin from

his pocket.
‘Throw it in Jalamukhi.’
Samarasimha threw it in the river.
‘Now go and find it!’
Without wasting time, Samarasimha
immediately ran to the river and dived into it.
Half an hour later Veerasimha came panting. He
was totally exhausted. As he approached the
sage he spoke:
‘Now give me the herb. I completed the task
you gave.’
‘You are not done yet, prince.’ Vibhuti
grinned. He then asked him to throw the coin
and fetch it back.
‘What? Throwing and fetching? Are you mad?
I shouldn’t have trusted you from the
beginning. Such an idiot you’re.’ Saying so, he
immediately left the ashram without even
checking where his younger brother was.
One hour later, Samarasimha came out
victoriously. He stood in front of the sage and
paid respects to him.
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Bhanu Chander V
‘I found the coin, master. What’s my next

task?’ The sage felt happy of the commitment
of the young prince.
‘You don’t need any further task, my son. I
will give you the herb.’ Sage Vibhuti went inside
the ashram and came out with a peculiar plant
in his hand.
‘Master, what about brother? Did he get the
herb too? You said the two herbs are required
for father’s treatment.’
‘Well, your brother left this place for he
doesn’t want to take part in the test. I haven’t
given him the herb.’
Samarasimha became upset hearing to that.
He knew that without the other herb it was no
use.
‘Swamy, please permit me to do his part of
work too so that I can get the second herb. My
father cannot be treated with this single herb.’
Vibhuti grinned. He went inside and brought
the herb.
‘You have already passed the second test.
Take this herb too. Long live, Son.’ He blessed
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the young prince. Vibhuti also explained the

way of applying the herbs and the procedure to
treat the king. He then permitted him to go,
Samarasimha felt happy of the kindness of the
sage. He paid obeisance and then started to his
kingdom.
No sooner did Samarasimha reached
Thantripur, he made immediate arrangements
to start the treatment. He prepared the herb mix
and prepared a paste as instructed by the sage.
He then applied the paste to all over the body of
the king. The herb paste was made to dry on the
King’s body. On the third day, the King stood up
and walked normally. On the fifth day, his
disease was cured completely and he was back
to normal. He appreciated his young son for
saving his life.
A few months later, the king arranged a
ceremony function to hand-over the kingdom
to his elder son Veerasimha when the saint
Vibhuti met the King.
‘I thought you are intelligent enough to
realize the truth. But unfortunately, you haven’t
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realized anything. Samarasimha, the young

prince is the most eligible person to adorn this
throne than your eldest son Veerasimha.
Samarasimha has all the qualities of
consistency, determination, humbleness,
humanity and care. It is because of him only you
were able to get the two herbs. Veerasimha on
the other hand had left the task in the middle—
just because he was missing the comforts. He
cannot prove to be a good leader. He has no
patience, no care and no respect. He was not
bothered about your illness but was very much
concerned about his comforts. Be wise and take
the right decision.’
The King understood the concerns explained
by sage Vibhuti. He announced Samarasimha as
his successor. Later, Samarasimha proved as the
best king of the century. Veerasimha learnt his
mistakes and felt bad of his impatient attitude.

1. Consistency and patience are very
important to lead a successful life. A
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person who desires to get benefits without

putting any efforts will not find
satisfaction in his/her life.
2. The saint could’ve given the herbs without
any restrictions. However, he wanted to
test and choose the best successor for the
king and so he took the two along with
him.
3. Though the tests sounded silly, the sage
had many reasons to put the tests to the
two youngsters. For instance, the first task
of filling and emptying the vessels was
meant to test the patience and obedience
of the subjects. The second task of fetching
a coin was to test the consistency and
determination of the subjects.
4. Despite the reasons mentioned above, the
sage had no intention of using them for his
personal purpose. And that’s why he was
considered as a sage.
5. Of the two qualities—choosing self-
comforts by escaping struggles, or,
choosing to help others by sacrificing self-
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comforts, the one with the later quality

(sacrificing comforts for helping others)
gains more prominence (and benefits) in
the society. This kind of people will be
given a special place in the society and will
be remembered even after their death. Is
there any greater virtue than this?
6. Though Veerasimha was the eldest prince
and was eligible for the position of King,
he lost the opportunity because of his
laziness, carelessness, irresponsibility,
disrespect and because of thinking high of
himself. He thought that filling water,
diving etc., are not a worthy task for a
person like him.
7. Being a King/prince doesn’t mean that the
they are not required to do small tasks. A
King/prince should be ready to face any
kind of situation. He should know all the
skills. If situation demands he should be
like a worker.
8. A person cannot become a leader if he
simply issues orders but never gets
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involved. How would he know the pain of

work when he hadn’t faced that before? If
he doesn’t know the ups and downs of
something, he would end up taking
inappropriate and unjustified decisions.
9. A King is not the one who enjoys pleasures
and leads a comfortable life. A real King is
the one who manages any situation and
takes right decisions for the welfare of his
subjects.
10. Veerasimha was not eligible to
become a leader—for he was more into his
personal comforts. Most importantly, he
had the nature of discrimination. He failed
to maintain equanimity and he had the eye
of differentiating between a slave and a
king. If a person like him becomes a ruler,
then the subjects under him are sure to
suffer because of unfair rules, restrictions
etc.
11. Though Samarasimha was younger, he
was given the throne. His qualities made
him eligible to sit on the throne. His aim
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was to get the herbs somehow and help his

father recover. So, he didn’t hesitate to do
any kind of work—even if the works were
illogical.
12. Whenever Samarasimha completed a
task, he would ask, ‘give me the next task,’
but Veerasimha would demand, ‘I’m done,
give me the herb.’ That itself shows the
major difference between the two
brothers’ attitude.
13.There is a difference between asking and
demanding. Asking would help you get the
things done whereas demanding would
prevent support from others—apart from
bringing troubles. Even if you are a boss,
try to avoid the habit of demanding.
Leaders know how to get their jobs done
without any hassle.
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Pankaj used to be a playful boy when he was

kid. His parents always kept an eye on him for
he often runs into trouble. His father, Ashok,
had farm lands apart from a big mango garden.
When he was just four years old his father used
to accompany him to their mango garden every
day to water the plants. While Ashok was busy
watering the plants, Pankaj would pick stones
from the ground and would plunge them aiming
at the mangoes for no reason. No matter how
many times Ashok prevented him from
throwing stones, Pankaj made it his habit of
throwing stones. He would grab the fallen
mangoes and eat it.
Ashok wouldn’t have minded him eat one or
two mangoes. But the problem was—Pankaj
would give only one bite to each mango and
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would throw them before he picks another fresh

mango. This way, he would spoil several
mangoes in a matter of one hour. Because
Pankaj was the only son to Ashok, he never
wished to hurt him by beating or scolding. At
the same time, he couldn’t tolerate the mango
wastage. He tried to aware Pankaj in a very
smooth way but Pankaj was not stopping his
new habit. It became his routine for the next
few weeks. Ashok was fed up by his son’s new
habit. He was at a great loss as numerous
mangoes were going waste every day. He tried
preventing Pankaj from accompanying him. But
Pankaj would go adamant and would cry like
anything until he was also taken to the garden.
On the fourth day, Ashok came up with an
idea. While they were in the garden, Ashok
offered a free help to Pankaj.
‘Son, why are you struggling this much?
When I’m here why do you bother? I will climb
and fetch you plenty of mangoes.’
Pankaj clapped happily for his father’s
support. He watched his father climb a nearby
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tree. Pankaj was under the perception that his

father was trying to fetch him good mangoes.
However, Ashok had some other idea in his
mind. As per the idea, he inspected the mangoes
and carefully choose them such that whatever
he picked was sour. When Pankaj tasted the first
mango his expressions changed. The fruit
tasted very sour.
‘This taste bad, father.’
‘Alright, try this.’ Ashok gave another mango.
Pankaj experienced the same sourness. He kept
tasting one by one, but all the fruits were not
sweet as he expected.
‘Why these fruits are different today?’ Pankaj
asked his father.
‘What to say, Son? From today onwards, the
fruits of all the mango trees will be sour.’
‘Why so?’
‘Yesterday, there was a huge change in the
earth’s soil and so everyone is saying that
mangoes will be sour from today.’
‘Is that only to our garden?’ asked Pankaj
curiously.
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Ashok thought for a second. ‘If I say that this

happens only to our garden, he might go and hit
mangoes in others’ gardens. I better stop his habit
completely.’
He replied after the thought. ‘No, Pankaj. All
the mango trees are affected from today.’
‘Then why we are still growing this?’
Ashok replied after giving a thought. ‘Well,
since these fruits are sour, they will be used for
making medicines. So, we continue to grow
this.’
By then, Pankaj was already sad. He bit
another mango as a final check. But that mango
too was sour. He then dropped the stones in his
hands and moved away.
From that day, Pankaj never tasted mango in
his life. As he grew young Ashok tried to make
him eat mangoes. But Pankaj’s mind was
strongly fixed that he didn’t tried. Ashok felt
sad realizing his mistake. Ashok tried his best
to change his mind on several occasions. He also
made Ashok’s friends speak about the goodness
of the mangoes. But nothing worked on Pankaj.
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Twenty-five years passed. Pankaj got married

to a girl. Right after his marriage, he went to his
father-in-law’s house— to stay there for a
week as a custom. During the third day, his
mother-in-law served him a juice. He felt
amazed drinking the juice.
‘What is this juice made from, mother-in-
law?’
She was flabbergasted. ‘You’re the son of a
mango garden owner and it’s strange to hear
this question from you. This is mango juice.’
‘Mango juice?’ Pankaj was shocked to hear
that.
‘It seems you have added double or triple the
regular quantity of sugar to balance its
sourness. Otherwise, mango would be the most
horrible fruit that one can ever taste. I still
wonder how this juice is tasting good!’
‘No, Son. Mango is considered as the king of
all the fruits. It is one of the sweetest and
tastiest fruits. In fact, these mangoes are
brought from your garden only!’
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Bhanu Chander V
Before Pankaj could reply, she went into the

kitchen and returned with a plate full of sliced
mangoes.
‘This is the same thing that you just drank.
You can taste this to feel how sweet your
garden’s fruits are.’
For the first time after several years Pankaj
thought of tying it with confidence.
As he grabbed one piece his hands trembled.
‘Will this be sour?’ He was still doubtful. By
then, his mother-in-law ate three slices of
mango—feeling delighted of the smell. Pankaj
instantly pushed the mango slice in his mouth.
As he chewed the mango, his facials altered. He
finally realized:
‘This is the best fruit that I ever tasted. How foolish
I’m that I never tried this!’

1. Because you disliked something when you
were immature, you cannot continue
disliking them even after you became
mature. It’s wise to give them a try. May
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be you had different reasons for disliking

them earlier. May be, they would fit you
perfectly now. Give them a try.
2. You will never know unless you don’t try.
3. It’s unwise to remain the same without
upgrading yourself. You might lose several
opportunities and might fall back if you
don’t keep up with the changes.
4. Sticking to a decision is good. But, when all
the people around you are suggesting the
other way, you better check and analysis it.
That way you can confirm whether what
you believed is correct or not.
5. In order to get rid of a habit of Pankaj,
Ashok induced a false belief (superstition)
in him, which impacted Pankaj in the long
run. So, be cautious when you attempt to
give false beliefs to others—especially to
the children.
6. Instead of lying, Ashok could’ve used other
ways of stopping his son from wasting the
mangoes. In fact, he could’ve told him the
truth of mangoes wastage. Had Pankaj was
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educated in a proper way, the probability

of Pankaj listening to Ashok was high.
Ashok should’ve given a try.
7. Had the case Pankaj hadn’t listened to
Ashok even after telling/educating him
numerous times, then, Ashok could’ve
considered treating him in some other way
(going strict, getting angry, putting
restrictions etc.) Punishing him was 100%
better than lying, that too when he was
just a small kid.
8. Only son/daughter doesn’t mean you have
to give full freedom to them. Often, too
much of lenience is bad. The consequences
will be clearly perceivable only after some
years.
9. Parents need to have some level of control
over their children, even if the children
turn adults. As a parent, if you let them
free without any control (right from their
childhood), THEN They might get falsely
guided and/or get so much freedom that
they might start ignoring you (and your
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words)—thereby disrespecting you in

front of everyone. In such a scenario, you
will regret for your lenience when they
become adults. So, take the precautionary
step of having some control over your
children, at least for their benefit.
10. Small children have the nature of
imitating whatever their parents do. So, as
a parent, you need to create an
environment, which will be filled with
truth, respect to fellow beings esp. elders,
good manners, moral and ethical values,
and free from lying, adamant, egoistic etc.
11. If you lie to your children to escape from
them and to prevent them from doing
something wrong, your children might
face some trouble in the future. Instead,
teach them the pros and cons of it.
12. Being adamant might induce
ignorance and the inability to understand
or get things. Changing (whenever
required) is actually needed as time
progress. Sometimes, because of our
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adamant nature, we lose several things,

including relations.
13.Try and learn new things. After some
years, the earlier new things (say
operating a mobile phone) will become a
common thing that you might be lagging
behind and fail to operate/understand
them if you haven’t experienced them.
14. Unless you haven’t tasted any
bitterness before (speaking about life,
bitter here mean problems) you might not
be able to fully recognize the significance
of sweetness.
15. If trying something is within our
ethics (say a new course), then there is no
harm in pursuing that. Who knows what
capability you’ve? We never know unless
we don’t try.
16. If you ever feel that trying something
is not ethical, then better don’t give it a
try. Because, once tried, there is no coming
back! So, exhibit caution while trying out
something new.
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Ananya was an orphan in a village adjacent to

the forest of Vidyaranya. She was still in an
orphanage when she was just eight years old.
One day, Ananya was returning back to the
orphanage home after taking alms from the
village dwellers when she came across an old
thin lady begging in the streets. Ananya felt
sorry for her condition and so gave her all the
food that she carried. She continued to the
orphanage when she was called by someone
from behind. That was a sage. Nagamani, the
sage, was watchful of her feelings from the
moment she came across the old woman.
Nagamani became happy of her nature. The
sage went to the orphanage along with her and
exhibited his interest in raising Ananya as his
own daughter. The orphanage head was more
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than happy as he knew the kindness of the sage.

Nagamani accompanied her to his Ashram.
Fifteen years passed and Anaya was already a
beautiful girl. Just like her beauty, her heart was
pure. She learnt morals from the sage
Nagamani. Apart from that, Nagamani gave her
his special ability—his magical powers. One
day, sage Nagamani advised Ananya to get
married to a good man so that he can get free
from the material bonding and can thus move
to the next higher level of attaining the God.
Ananya knew the stages of life and the need of
going back to Godhead and so she happily
agreed to his suggestion. After the sage left to
Kailas, Ananya made arrangement to choose the
best bridegroom for her.
A few days passed. Abhilasha, the prince of
the kingdom, happened to visit Vidyaranya for
hunting. While he was chasing a deer, he got
separated from his followers. Abhilasha
continued tracking the deer until he came
across Ananya. She was standing next to an old
water well. He was mesmerized by her beauty
414
that he immediately stopped his horse and got

down. All his gaze was towards her. Abhilasha
neared Ananya without blinking his eyes.
Though she looked worried, Abhilasha couldn’t
notice her emotional state. His whole
observation was on her duty.
‘Help, please help the goat calf,’ she asked
him pleadingly. A goat calf was seen in the well.
The well was filled with water up to the calf’s
ankles. Two goats were standing next to her,
fearful and tensed, wondering how to get the
baby calf from the well.
‘What’s your name, beautiful lady?’
Abhilasha asked her as he glared intensively at
her—not even mindful of the situation at stake.
She didn’t answer him but got engaged in lifting
the goat from the well. Ananya found a rope
nearby and managed to pull the goat out of the
well using it. Though Ananya struggled to help
the goat, Abhilasha didn’t even attempt to hold
the rope. He stood there gazing at her, enjoying
her beauty. He was not at all worried about the
struggle that she was taking. After the goat was
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taken out, she inspected it. Ensuring that the

calf was not injured, she left it on ground and
watched it walk towards the two parent goats.
The three then disappeared into the forest.
Ananya felt happy of helping the calf before
she walked back to the Ashram. Abhilasha eyes
got covered with lust that he left his horse at the
well and walked behind her.
‘Why are you following me?’
‘Young lady. Will you marry me?’
‘Are you out of your mind? I’m just an
ordinary girl living in forests but you look like a
royal person. Go and find someone equal to your
status.’
‘Well, I’ve already found one. There is no one
equal to you nor anything worthier than your
beauty,’ replied Abhilasha.
‘Why do you think so? What is that you liked
in me?’ Ananya questioned while she stepped
inside the compound of the Ashram.
‘What else would a man expect other than a
beautiful girl. It is your charming beauty and
your looks that are making me open mouthed.
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Such a beautiful girl should belong only to the

royal family and should not fall in the hands of
any ordinary man. Otherwise, people won’t see
any difference between me, the prince, and
ordinary and ineligible men in the kingdom.’
‘Is it so?’ She asked him for which Abhilasha
nodded excitedly. He was excited because she
spoke as if she was interested in him.
‘In that case, please wait here for a minute. I
will show you my original beauty.’
‘I’m very eager to see more of your beauty.
Come fast, my dear.’
She went inside and latched the door. After a
couple of minutes, the door opened—only to
give a shock to Abhilasha.
‘What? Who is this? Where is that girl?’
A very fat, black colored and ugly looking
monster was standing at the door. It replied:
‘I’m the same girl you saw just before and this
is my original form. Do you like me? Shall we
get married? I’ve been waiting for this day.
What are you waiting for? Come inside and we
will live here forever?’ Saying so the monstrous
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woman tried to hold his hands. He escaped the

clutch of the woman and spoke,
‘Eek, don’t even think of touching me, you
ugly demon. How dare you try to cheat me?
Have you lost your mind and did you forget that
I’m the future of this kingdom? Another word
and I will go mad.’ Saying so Abhilasha turned
back and ran away—even without turning back.
The monster woman transformed back to
Ananya, the original form.
‘Such an idiot,’ she cursed the prince. He failed
her test.
Couple of days later a young man was passing
through the forest when he heard the cries of a
woman and goats. When he ran in that
direction, he saw Ananya standing next to a
well. As before, two goats were standing near to
her and were weeping. Virupa, a youngster, saw
through the eyes of the goats and the condition
of Ananya. He immediately ran to her and
spoke:
‘What happened lady? Is something wrong?
Why do you look so worried?’
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She showed the calf and asked him to help it.

Virupa at once turned around and inspected the
surroundings. He found a long rope. He
prepared knot and with the help of Ananya he
lifted the goat calf very carefully. After the calf
was given back to the two goats, he spoke:
‘Young lady, I appreciate your kindness in
saving the calf. However, I’m now worried
about your return to your living place. Since you
look beautiful, it’s very unsafe to travel alone in
this forest. If you have no issues, I will drop you
at your home. I will continue my journey after
that.’
‘Yes. That would be kind of you.’
Virupa asked her to follow him while he
himself led the path so that he would safe guard
her. Ananya instructed the directions until she
took him to the ashram.
‘This is where you live?’
‘Yes.’
‘Alright. My job is done and I take leave now.
Take care.’ Saying so he turned back when she
spoke,
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‘Oh, the great one. Will you marry me?’

‘Lady, it’s not proper to marry someone
without knowing their character. What if I had
pretended in front of you just to win your heart?
You should be very cautious before you decide
to marry someone. Please don’t keep other
thoughts. I’m just a passerby and I feel that I’m
not suitable to your status. I’m just a poor man
living with my parents in the next village. Take
your parents decisions before choosing
someone.’
Once again, Ananya was impressed by his
genuine words. She told him everything about
her and the test. She promised him that she will
not use her supernatural powers—other than
for good reasons. Knowing that Anaya was an
orphan and had been leading a solo life, Virupa
agreed to her proposal and accompanied her to
his village. He showed her to his parents and
asked their decision before he committed to her.
Soon, the two got married and lived a happy life.
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1. Ananya’s kindness impressed the saint.
Her good nature helped her get a good
caretaker. She also obtained the sage’s
powers and his ashram—just because of
her simpleton and good heart.
2. Those who are good natured and have a
pure heart will never feel shortage of
anything in their life. That’s because their
shortages will be taken care in some way
or the other for sure. This is very true.
3. The sage was not in need of a wife or a kid
or a care taker. Yet he considered raising
Ananya. That’s because she needed
someone to look after her. According to the
sage, helping someone in need was more
important than staying far from
attachments. He gave a new life to Ananya
and because of him she was able to lead a
decent life
4. Nagamani, the sage, was thus a great man.
He was greater than the more powerful
sages whom had sacrificed everything in
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their lives and had gone to Himalaya to

stay detached and attain Godhead. Instead,
Nagamani chose to stay back for some
time—until Ananya was able to stand on
her own legs. Thus, he was able to see God
in Ananya. He therefore became a God to
Ananya.
5. Ananya could’ve stayed bachelor
throughout her life. But she gave value to
the sage’s words—despite he allowed her
to decide whether she needed someone’s
hand or not. She planned to assist a poor
family and several other neighboring
families by way of marrying a poor man.
6. The prince was the most ineligible person
in the kingdom. Three major reasons to
support this statement. First reason—he
was proud of his status and was mis-
utilizing his powers, second—he was not
worried about the calf inside the well, and
third—he was lustrous of Ananya’s
beauty.
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7. Being a prince, Abhilasha should’ve the

control over his desires. He should’ve
involved more in welfare acts. The
moment he saw Ananya (who was
struggling to save the calf) his intention
should be on how to ease her struggle and
how to save the calf rather than on how to
impress the beautiful girl. A leader with
this attitude will never shine in his life. He
troubles himself as well as his followers.
8. A leader with lustrous eyes on his
followers is a worst human. Such leaders
shall be called as wild animals instead of
humans. For a king/leader, his followers
should be like his own children.
9. We are always carried away by our
personal interests. For us—our
necessities, comforts, and welfare are top
priorities. Because of our priorities, we
sometimes won’t even care about what
happens around us—even if one of our
dearest people was getting affected.
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10. You are rich if you are a kind hearted

and care taking person. You are poor if you
are a selfish, demanding type (taking by
force) and lustful person. How much
money/property you possess are not the
real measure of your wealth!
11. Though people like Virupa are financially
poor, they are rich by heart. People adore
to stay with people like Virupa. Many of
them consider them (Virupa kind) as a God
in human form. For Virupa kind, all are
friends and family. They give as well as
obtain help in all possible ways and from
all possible directions. That’s the true way
of leading a saintly life.
12. The qualities of Virupa are clearly
visible. The minute he came across
Ananya, his eyes caught her struggle and
tension instead of observing her beauty.
When he neared her, his only concern was
on how to save the calf. After saving the
calf, he didn’t take the advantage to
propose her—just like the prince did. He
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instead thought on how she will reach her

home. There’s a huge difference between
his and Abhilasha’s thinking.
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Bhanu Chander V
Thikkappa was tired of his life. Whatever he

did turned out to be a failure. His business went
down. He lost all his properties. His wife kept
scolding him even for a small thing. She didn’t
like even the sight of him. Life was getting
miserable day by day. One day, he was about to
go to market when her wife said,
‘What is the use of going to market? You
behave as if you earn lakhs of rupees a day.
Don’t waste time going there. You’ve no earning
skills at all.’
Hearing her shouts, Thikkappa skipped the
idea of going to the market.
‘See, how lazy you are. The moment I told you
not to go, you took the advantage of taking rest
here. I wonder how men like you live in this
world. You are a total failure.’
426
This time he decided to do the opposite of

what she says. So, since she complained of
staying at home, he considered to stay home.
But that again became a topic for her to insult
Thikkappa. She would comment and scold even
when he sits, stand, sleep, help his children and
grandparents etc.
Soon, Thikkappa lost his patience. She had
crossed the tolerance limit. He didn’t want to
hear any of her complaints and so he left the
home and aimlessly paced towards the forest.
He didn’t know where he was moving. But he
just wanted to get away from the hellish site of
her woman. He went deep into the forest and
kept moving, rewinding the blames and the
scolds that his wife had put on him. By the time
he regained conscious and came back to
present, he was standing in front of a small cave
adjacent to a waterfall. He went inside and saw
if there was any lion or wild animal that can
take his life.
‘It’s better to be a food to wild animals rather than
bearing her torture and leading a hellish life.’ But
427
Bhanu Chander V
he didn’t find any animal inside the small cave.

Instead, he found some bones and an utensil
lying on the floor.
‘Useless,’ he thought as he came out. All his
walking made him hungry.
‘I couldn’t satisfy myself or my family
members. At least, Let me satisfy my stomach
before I die.’ He searched around and found
several fruit bearing trees. He kept eating until
he got hiccups. He went into the cave, took the
utensil, washed it in the river and took fresh
water in it. While drinking he thought,
‘I wish I would’ve taken fish rather than these
plain fruits.’
No sooner did he complete his words, several
plates of cooked fish appeared around him,
magically. He was shocked to see that.
‘Whatever it is, let me eat.’ He ate to the full. He
thought again while he drank water using the
utensil:
‘I wish I had juice at this time.’ And the juice
appeared. This time, Thikkappa was really
shocked. He was frightened to death for he
428
thought some evil power was around him. He

immediately threw the utensil and climbed a
nearby tree. Half an hour passed and nothing
happened. In between, as a trial, he made
wishes. But none of them happened.
‘Confirm. That’s because of the utensil.’ He got
down, took water in the utensil, drank some
water and thought,
‘I wish to get a hundred gold coins.’
Immediately, hundred gold coins appeared in
front of him. He became over excited. He took
the coins and the utensil and reached his home.
‘The useless man has come back. I thought I
would save at least one plate of food.’ His wife
started her complaints when his reply shut her.
‘You don’t have to save anything from today.
You will get whatever you want using this
magical utensil!’ He showed the gold coins,
seeing which she became speechless. He
explained everything about the utensil and its
magical power.
‘Ask for more gold.’ She demanded.
‘One hundred sufficient?’
429
Bhanu Chander V
‘Idiot. I wonder how I got married to you. Ask

for one lakh gold coins!’
‘But, What is the use of having that much?’
‘Just do like I say, will you?’
Seeing Thikkappa hesitant of asking the gold,
she forcefully grabbed the utensil into her hand.
She then poured water and drank from it—
making a wish of one lakh gold coins. Within
seconds their house was totally flooded with
gold coins.
In a few minutes, she felt the need of a palace.
She made a wish and got a big palace at the
outskirts of their town. She then kept wishing
for things until her stomach was full with
water. Thikkappa’s wife ordered for maids,
home items, jewels etc. Everything appeared
like she wished,
The more she got gold, diamonds and
precious jewels, the greedier she became.
She decided to accumulate more and more
that she started using it day and night. The
magical utensil delivered everything that she
wished. Thikkappa got scared of the
430
possessions that he left that palace and stayed

at his old house with his old parents. He was
sure that her eyes got blinded by the desire of
accumulating more and becoming rich. On the
other side, Thikkappa’s wife started doubting
the utensil.
‘I wonder how this utensil is functioning. This
must be either magical or wicked.’ She drank water
with the intention of wishing for house hold
appliances when her parallel thought
continued:
‘Is this a demon that has come to eat me?’
The moment she doubted and thought of it as
the work of a demon’s, the utensil turned into a
demon and ate her. All the riches, palaces and
other possessions turned back to normal.
Thikkappa came and realized what had
happened.
‘She should have been content and happy with
whatever came by hard work rather than depending
on the things that came for free.’ He thought.
He took the utensil, went to the cave and kept
it at the location where he found it.
431
Bhanu Chander V
‘I better keep this back before it turns me greedy!’

1. When Thikkappa’s business was good, his
wife was happy. But when his business fell
down, she became unhappy. Looks like his
wife loved his income (money and
possessions) rather than loving him.
2. Thikkappa shouldn’t have given lenience
to his wife to permit her to speak and do as
she wished. Because of her he lost his
peace of mind. He couldn’t concentrate on
his business, nor concentrate on himself.
He lost his confidence. Satisfying her
requirements became his only goal in his
life and hence he failed. Had the case he
worked for his own satisfaction; he would
have prospered.
3. Clearly, from the very beginning,
Thikkappa was not interested in the free
gold. Even when the utensil produced
whatever he wished; he made a single
wish—just to check the originality of the
432
utensil. He didn’t ask for anything after he

figured out the magical powers of the
utensil. In fact, he took the utensil with
him only to satisfy his never-satisfied
wife. That’s why he wasn’t affected in the
process; except that he lost his wife—who
was full of desires, complaints and blames.
After she was taken away by the monster,
he lived a peaceful and content life.
4. Some women find faults in everything
their husbands do. To their eyes—sitting,
standing, going out, speaking, being
silent, sleeping, trying new things etc. are
all mistakes. Because of these kinds of
women, men are becoming incompetent
and useless. These women make their men
feel low and hence turn out to be the only
reason for their drop in confidence,
capabilities etc. Frankly speaking, in many
families, woman stand as the only reason
for the failure of her man (sometimes the
whole family).
433
Bhanu Chander V
5. This doesn’t mean that all men are

genuine or all women are bad. It’s usual to
see families suffering because of an
improper head (a male). However, the
intention here is to say that a woman’s
support is the greatest need for the welfare
of the whole family.
6. That which comes freely won’t stay long
and won’t benefit you. That which comes
by hard work won’t leave you and will stay
with you forever. This is applicable for
your fame too.
7. At the end, Thikkappa realized that the
utensil was not full of wishes but was full
of selfish and hankering desires. He
therefore kept it back—in order to prevent
him from changing.
8. Desires keep multiplying when you try to
fulfil your existing desires (self-interest).
9. Though it was Thikkappa who gave the
utensil to her, it was she who drove him
out earlier, because of which Thikkappa
went to the forest and accidentally found
434
the magical utensil. So, she is the reason

behind her own downfall.
10. The moment she got a doubt when
she was making a wish, the utensil turned
into a monster and ate her. This is
applicable to everyone. Your doubts ruin
you. The more you doubt, the more you
lose.
11. If you believe that whatever happens to
you in your life is positive and for your
good only, then, every happening in your
life will prove to be positive. You will see
advantage in everything—even if the
incidents are likely bad. Likewise, if you
consider the happenings to you as negative
and if you doubt a possible failure in the
future because of your present (even if
they are positive), then, you might have to
face failure in the future.
12. Your faith and your positive attitude
are your weapons.
435
Bhanu Chander V
13.Faith and confidence helps in the

happening of good. Doubting and
arrogance leads to the happening of bad.
14. Right after Thikkappa’s wife started
getting benefits from the utensil, she
forgot about Thikkappa. She didn’t care
whether he ate or not, whether he was
present at the palace or not. Her total love
was on gold rather than on her
husband/family—that made her become
food for the monster. No matter how much
he tried, Thikkappa couldn’t feel sad after
she was no more. If she was truthful and a
human-lover, there would’ve been at least
a soul to mourn for her loss.
15. Our thoughts reflect the happenings
to us. To the eyes of a monk (or a sage or a
person in celibacy), everything appears
equal. He sees God in everything and hence
all the people see God in him. The demons
see evil in everything and hence all the
people see evil in them.
436
16. The world around us is just a mirror

reflection. We tend to see our nature in
everything around us. To be a great man or
a demon—it’s in our hands!
437
Bhanu Chander V
Stephen and Joseph were brothers. When they

were young their father made them joined the
army. The two grew up together in the academy
of defense. After several years of training, they
turned up as war warriors. They underwent
numerous tests before the academy heads
recognized them as great soldiers of the decade.
While they were under training, war broke out
in their country. All the trainees were called for
the war. The war took place and several men
died on both the sides. The two brothers fought
like lions. They defeated several enemies and
destroyed numerous tankers and weapons of
the enemies.
After several weeks, the war came to an end.
The army recognized the contribution of many
soldiers, including the two trainee brothers
438
Stephen and Joseph. The two were given special

treatment. They were given promotions with
higher grades. They became the first trainees
who got promoted to such high positions during
the training period. The entire training academy
celebrated for the success of the two and for
winning the war.
After the party, the two took leave to visit
their native place, for it had been more than two
years since they visited their home. The
brothers set to their village, which was near to
Thantripur city. They had to travel through a
forest to reach their village. After two hours of
walking they decided to halt for a while. They
settled near a tree, next to the bank of river
Jalamukhi. They ate food, drank water from
Jalamukhi and took rest under the shade of the
tree.
Ten minutes passed. Stephen sensed a strong
fragrance that surrounded the place. He rose
above and inspected the surroundings. The
aroma got stronger within no time. Stephen
went into a semi-conscious state because of the
439
Bhanu Chander V
addictive fragrance. It appeared as if Stephen

was not the only one enjoying the aroma, the
strong scent awakened Joseph too. He too rose
and inspected the surroundings. A few minutes
later the two brothers saw a human figure in
white clothes that glittered in the dimness of
the deep forest. The glittering light moved
towards the river.
‘That is a woman,’ Joseph was the first one to
spot a girl.
‘Yes. She is a girl and she is beautiful.’
The two was dumbstruck by seeing the beauty
of the girl. She was white in complexion and
wore half skirt with a sleeveless top. It was rare
to see such a beautiful woman in their
surroundings during that time. The beautiful
girl walked straight towards the river, little far
from the two. She didn’t notice their presence.
She neared the river and sat on a rock adjacent
to the flowing water. She dipped her legs on the
flowing water and started washing her legs and
hands. That sight caught the attention of
Stephen and Joseph. Their eyes got blinded by
440
lust. Her beauty and her wear attracted them.

After washing and drinking water, she rose up
and turned back—only to see two stout looking
men standing behind her. She was stunned by
their sudden presence.
Both of them couldn’t even blink their eyes—
for they enjoyed the view of the young girl. They
wanted her somehow!
‘What’s your name, young lady?’ Joseph
questioned.
‘Jasmine,’ replied the beautiful girl. Her voice
was very sweet.
‘Just like you, your name is beautiful.’ Joseph
was high on flattering her.
The young girl cherished at the comment.
The two brothers shared their introductions.
The girl listened to them patiently. She then
narrated her story. Jasmine lost her parents
when she was just ten years old. After her
parent’s death, her relatives took away her
parent’s assets and stated ill-treating her. They
treated her like a slave.
441
Bhanu Chander V
‘Whenever I feel lonely and sad, I come here

and roam in this forest—to freshen my mind. I
feel happy to see this river, the environment
and the surrounds,’ said Jasmine. The two got
moved by her story. On top of that, both wanted
her. They felt happy of her pitiful condition for
it would be easy for them to get her.
‘You don’t have to suffer from today, my
dear.’ Joseph spoke, ‘If you have no objection, I
would like to marry you. I will provide you all
the comforts.’
Jasmine felt shy hearing to him. Her cheeks
blushed as it turned red. She looked down after
she gave a quick look at his stout build body.
‘Hurray, that mean she accepted me.’ The inner
Joseph felt happy. But it didn’t last long when
heard the shocking words of his brother.
‘It is not proper to ask your sister-in-law to
marry you. I’ve considered her as my wife the
moment I saw her,’ said Stephen.
‘That doesn’t make any sense. I proposed her
first. I’m the eligible one.’
442
‘Not so easy, Joseph. I’m the first to see her.

In fact, I’m elder to you. Better remember that.
Don’t even think of her.’ Stephen replied in an
authoritative manner.
‘Alright. We will ask her decision then.
Whoever she loves will become her husband.’
‘Deal!’ Stephen agreed.
Both turned towards the girl and gazed at her.
The girl was not knowing what to say. She
thought for a minute and said,
‘Both of you look handsome with muscular
bodies. I’m confused on who to accept. ‘
The two again started quarrelling with each
other for her. Seeing that the two are not
stopping their arguments, the girl stopped
them.
‘Alright. I’ve an idea. Since you both are
equally handsome and strong, I will choose one
of you based on your physical strength. Both of
you will fight with each other and whoever wins
will marry me. If that is ok, then I will stay here.
Else, I will move on. I won’t show my face
again.’
443
Bhanu Chander V
‘No, no. Don’t go away. I’m ready for the

fight.’ Stephen said immediately. He was afraid
she would leave and so he agreed.
‘The same is with me. I won’t even hesitate to
stand against my own parents if they disallow
me,’ said Joseph deterministically.
The two started a dual fight. They fought with
all their might. They picked whatever came in
their path and plunged at the other. Stones,
stem, logs etc.—whatever they could grab. Half
an hour passed. The two are equally strong that
they couldn’t make the other fall down. Not
happy to see the girl wait for such a long time,
Stephen decided to destroy his blood-related
brother. He took out his knife seeing which
Joseph too took out his. The two fought with
knife until both sliced each other. Stephen cut
Joseph’s throat when Joseph pierced his knife
into the heart of Stephen. The two struggled for
their last breath when they saw the girl come
forward towards them. To their horror, she
transformed into an ugly monster. When she
444
stood in front of her, she was a complete

monster with several sharp protruding teeth.
‘We fought for a monster, Stephen.’ Joseph
said with a low voice.
Stephen was already mourning for the
mistake that he did.
The two looked at each other’s eyes before
their heartbeats stopped. The monster felt
happy—for she got two humans as her food—
without the effort of killing them. She was
successful in making them fight with each other
so that she can take advantage of their fight.

1. Two great men—who fought for the sake
of their nation, who out beat even the
experienced warriors, and who were
physically strong—were destroyed just
because of their lust for a woman.
2. Lust brings several problems. It lowers the
strength of people and makes them unfit
for several things. A lustful person loses
his fame.
445
Bhanu Chander V
3. women shouldn’t be the main reason for a

fight between brothers and family
members. Stephen and Joseph started with
a small fight, which later made them kill
each other.
4. Lust and desires shouldn’t be the main
motto for the cause of fights between
brothers and friends. They result in break
of long-relations too. Family relations
should be given a higher priority over your
relation with a third person (for ex. a
girl/boy).
5. One of the brothers should’ve
compromised, letting the other marry her.
Because both were adamant, none of them
enjoyed. On top of that, both suffered. Had
the case one of them had let the girl for the
other, the situation would’ve been
different.
6. The brothers should’ve remembered that
they were warriors and their duty was to
fight for saving people’s life (including
their family) from the enemies. Instead,
446
the two fought with each other for the sake

a girl—that too being blood related—
which is against their army principle. For
them, the girl became highly important
than their relation.
7. Foresight and situational analysis are
required for any person. The brothers
should’ve thought on how a young girl was
roaming alone in that deep forest. They
should’ve suspected her instead of blindly
believing her.
8. A man might have conquered nations,
fought war with monsters, stood as a great
leader etc., but he might become weak,
lose his fame, and might get defeated just
because of a woman. A great man should
therefore have control over his desires. In
particular, he should not have a weakness
for women.
9. It turns out that if you’re not conscious
(and cautious), then, your weakness will
became an advantage to others. The
monster took the advantage of the
447
Bhanu Chander V
weakness of the two physically strong

brothers.
10. In most cases, people fight for the
sake of money and women. The first most
weakness of a human is his/her attraction
towards the opposite gender. If a person
tries to control his attractions, then he
would definitely become the greatest.
11. Distractions at work (and/or study) would
end up in failures. It spoils the fame of the
person.
12. A self-controlled and hard-working
person has the ability of achieving
anything in his/her life.
13.Identify and eradicate your weakness
before someone take advantage of that or
mis-utilize that. Let others (including the
monsters, spirits etc.) feel that you are
strong and are tough to be influenced.
448

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BAG OF SHORT

© 2019 Bhanu Chander V

I’m here today because of the problems that I faced

This book tries to demonstrate the importance of

Story 18 – The Changes that were too difficult to

Bhanu Chander V completed his masters in

Bhanu had authored two books before

Content first, language next.

Mukesh hit the ground with his hoe (a long-

one year. His hoe worked tirelessly just like he

statue for several minutes until he heard the

climbed through the well in just few minutes.

the earth owing to the extreme dryness of the

Morals and important points from the story:

chance that you might neither get the

instead of getting excited by the temporary

work and gave less important to that.

12. At times, your over-excitement

to your view/judgement—before you

Long ago, in the kingdom of Thantripur, there

famous Maharshi from Himalaya. Shatabdi

I’ve already located its presence. Fortunately, at

kamandal (A kamandal is a copper utensil

peace and prosperity in the kingdom, rains

He cut the diamond into pieces and sold them

selling the diamond pieces. The king offered

ending material desires, he turned a pure

Morals and important points from the story:

because they are bound to do so. However,

11. Trying to escape when someone is in

change. Only the wise utilizes the

if they have changed. For a bad person, a

Thikkappa lived in the northern part of

When Raju saw Thikkappa, he felt greatly

‘But you never proved that.’

‘What are you waiting for then? Give me that

While Raju laughed internally, Thikkappa

Morals and important points from the story:

6. A half pot always makes noise while a full

your incomplete talent, then you will

save your time, money, energy and keeps

Once upon a time, a poor villager by the name

and enjoyed the sight of the constructions and

voice, ‘The pot has some water in it. Who are

Shatabdi gazed at the tree. It definitely looked

‘Very well. I guess you will not feel thirsty for

Soon, he got a new palace, married a poor

‘Such an idiot,’ he thought. ‘He could’ve done

many times as he pour water in the trench. No

‘That’s because I needed that time and no one

getting plenty of gold coins that he ignored the

A sudden cry startled him. That was his wife.

Morals and important points from the story:

4. Even a king remains unhappy if he

made him lose his existing valuables. His

patience and having immense faith brings

try to get rich by stepping on others or by

Just like every year, the academy of transport

bicycles didn’t receive any upgrades while the

the lubrication shop and ordered the old bicycle

those who doesn’t listen to others, especially

insult. Just by then the academy principal, the

academy. He had long desired to see them