Contents

1. The Mendicant
2. The Wise Son
3. Desire Breeds Sorrow
4. The Priceless Incantation
5. The Best Gift
6. The Traitor
7. The Swan’s Sacrifice
8. The Miserly Merchant
9. The Generous Giver
10. A Good Friend
11. The Cruel Elephant and the Bird
12. The Fire of Revenge
13. The Greedy Crow


Famous Illustrated
WISDOM TALES

Published in 2018 by

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 The Mendicant
B odhikumara was the son of a rich man. When he attained his youth, his
parents married him off to an extremely beautiful girl. After some time,
Bodhikumara’s parents died. After that he said to his wife, “My dear, I want you
to live a long life, and enjoy all this wealth.”
Puzzled, the wife asked, “And you, my lord?” Bodhikumara said, “I don’t
need wealth. I will go to the Himalayas and seek salvation as a mendicant there.”
The wife said, “My lord, is mendicancy only for men?” Bodhikumara said,
“No, my dear. It is for women too.”
The wife said, “Then, I will also become a mendicant, and come with you. I
don’t want this wealth.”
Bodhikumara said, “As you wish, my dear.”
Thus the couple renounced their ancestral wealth and moved to a far-away
place. They made a hermitage there and lived a mendicant’s life.
One day, they wished to eat some sweetmeat and went to the royal park shop.
 The king of Kashi also arrived in the park at the same time for recreation,
accompanied by his servants. The king saw the mendicant couple sitting there
and he was charmed by the girl’s exceptional beauty. He came near and asked
Bodhikumara, “Young man, how is this lady related to you?”
Bodhikumara said, “Your Majesty, she is not related to me in any sense. We
just became mendicants together. Yes, she used to be my wife when we were
householders.” The king thought to himself, “That means, she is not related to
you in any way!” And he said to Bodhikumara, “O mendicant! If someone takes
away your beautiful wife forcibly from you, what will you do to him?”
Bodhikumara replied, “If I feel anger rising in me in finding my wife taken
away forcibly from me, I will subdue it as the heavy rains subdue the dust.”
The king paid no heed to Bodhikumara’s reply. He could not control his liking
for the girl, and ordered his minister, “Take this mendicant girl to my palace.”
The king’s orders were obeyed. The royal servants dragged the weeping girl to
the palace. She condemned the king for his proposal.
When the king could not bring her around to his own way of thinking, he got
her locked in a room. Then, the king thought, “This mendicant girl is not willing
to marry me. The man also did not show any anger over her abduction. These
mendicants are very illusive. They may ruin me. I must go to the park and see
for myself what that mendicant is doing.” So, he quietly reached the park.
Bodhikumara was sitting calmly, engaged in mending his robe. The king
alighted from his horse and went near him. Bodhikumara paid no attention to the
king and remained engrossed in his work.
The king thought that the mendicant was not speaking to him because of
anger. He thought, “This mendicant said that he would not let anger arise in him
and if it ever arose he would subdue it. Now, he would not speak to me out of
anger.”
Bodhikumara read the king’s thoughts and spoke to him, “The anger arose in
me but I did not let myself be overpowered by it. As long as I am alive, I will not
let myself be overpowered by anger. Just as heavy rains subdue the dust, I have
subdued anger.”
Bodhikumara told many more things about the ill effects of anger. The king
listened to him calmly. His mind’s dirt was removed and he realized his mistake.
Impressed by his moral teachings, the king ordered the minister to bring the
mendicant girl back to the park. He knelt before the couple and folded his hands
to beg their pardon, saying, “Venerable sir! O great hermit! Let both of you stay
in this park and engage in mendicancy quite happily. I will continue to protect
you.” He then saluted the mendicant couple and left for his palace. The
mendicant couple lived there happily ever after.

Moral: Don’t let anger devour you

 The Wise Son
V asittha was born in a poor family. After his mother’s death, he served his
father devotedly. After few years his father got him married, so that his
wife would share his work. Initially the wife served her father-in-law and
husband uncomplainingly. Slowly, however, she started feeling that her father-
in-law was a burden to them. So she decided that she must develop hatred in her
husband’s heart against his father. This way, she could drive him out of the house
without her husband feeling sorry for it, or blaming her.
Thereafter, whenever she found the opportunity, she told her husband, “My
lord, see what your father does. He gets angry with me even if I go and check for
his welfare. Your father has become wicked and harsh. He quarrels with me
every day. He is sick, and I cannot live with him. Please take him to the
cemetery, kill him with the axe and bury him in a ditch.”
When Vasittha’s wife persisted in her demand, he said, “My dear, it is not so
easy to kill a man. How will I commit such a crime against my own father?”
The wife said, “Don’t worry. I will tell you a way.” Then she continued, “Go
to your father’s room and tell him that a man of the neighbouring village owes
you some money, and you are going there to collect it. Then you request him to
go with you. Leave on a bullock cart early in the morning tomorrow. Go on the
way, stop by the cemetery and do whatever I told you earlier.”
Her words were overheard by their seven year old son. He was a wise child.
He thought, “My mother is a sinner. She is compelling my father to kill my
grandfather! I will not let this happen.”
That night, the boy slept with his grandfather. Early the next morning,
Vasittha readied the bullock cart at the appointed hour and called his father to go
with him. The boy came to his father, and starting crying, “O father! You cannot
go without me. Take me along, otherwise I will not let you both leave.”
The wife heard her son say this. So when Vasittha stood helpless, she gestured
to him that he should take the son along, but put him to sleep in the cart, before
he takes his father to the cemetery.
 Thus the three of them, Vasittha, his father and his son, rode the bullock cart.
On the way, the boy pretended to fall asleep. Vasittha stopped the cart by the
cemetery and got down. He asked his father to stand aside. Then, he took a
pickaxe and dug a ditch at a secluded spot in the cemetery.
Hearing the sound, the son got up, came near the father and asked him,
“Father! Why are you digging this ditch in the secluded spot?” Vasittha said,
“Son! Your grandfather has become very old and weak.
A number of ailments bother him. He also fights with your mother. Today, I
will bury him here. I cannot tolerate his afflictions.”
Vasittha’s son was waiting for this opportunity. He snatched the pickaxe from
his father’s hand and began to dig another ditch nearby. Vasittha asked him,
“Son, why are you digging the ditch?”
 The son said, “Father! I must follow the tradition of my family. When you
become old, you too will fall sick, and fight with my wife. I too will not be able
to tolerate you. Then I will bury you in this ditch.”
Upon hearing these words, Vasittha said, “O my son! You have made me
realize my mistake. I was going to commit this cruel deed on your mother’s
insistence. I now promise you, I will never think of committing such a crime
again. I will take good care of your grandfather; my father. Let us return home.”
When Vasittha’s wife saw the three of them coming back, she said angrily,
“So you have brought back the old man?”
Vasittha gave her a good beating and drove her out of the house. But, his wise
son persuaded him to let her stay back. She apologized to her husband and
father-in-law and became a devoted, calm and submissive housewife.

Moral: Even a child can be more wise than the adults

 Desire Breeds Sorrow
O nce upon a time, a king had two sons. He made the elder one his deputy
while the younger one was made the commander. When the king passed
away, the ministers made preparations to crown the elder prince. But, the prince
said, “I don’t want to rule the country. Let my younger brother be made the
king.”
Though, he was repeatedly persuaded to accept the throne, the elder prince
would not change his decision. Therefore, the ministers crowned the younger
prince. The elder prince renounced the royal luxuries and left the city. He moved
to a village on the outskirts of the kingdom and took up a job with a merchant.
When the merchant learnt that he was the prince, he started treating him with
due respect.
One day, the royal servants arrived at the village to measure the fields. The
merchant approached the prince and said, “Sir, I am looking after you. Please
write a note to your younger brother to exempt me from tax.”
The prince gave a letter for his younger brother, the king, stating that he was
serving with a merchant, who should be exempted from tax. So the king
exempted the merchant from the tax. When other villagers came to know about
this, they too went to the elder prince with a request for their taxes to be exempt.
They told him, “We will pay tax to you. Get us exempted from the king’s tax.”
 The prince wrote on their behalf too. Thus, all the villagers were exempted
from tax. They started paying tax to the elder prince. They treated him specially.
Slowly, the prince started becoming greedy. He asked for a town and, then, for a
small state to rule over from his younger brother. His younger brother granted
him everything. Yet his desires increased in number and in intensity. Once, he
sent a message to his younger brother saying, “Either give me the kingdom or
fight with me.”
The younger brother thought, “First my brother refused to be the king, and
now he wants to take the kingdom through fight. If I kill him in fight, the world
will laugh at me.”
He conveyed his response, saying, “Why should we fight? You may come and
handle the affairs of the state.”
Thus, the elder prince became the king. He started extending his kingdom.
One day, when he was presiding over his court, a young celibate sent him a
message, desiring to meet him.
“Let him come in,” the king ordered.
The young celibate went in and hailed the king.
The king asked, “What brings you here?”
The celibate told the king, “Your Majesty, I have something to tell you. I will
need privacy.”
The king dismissed everyone, and the young celibate continued, “Your
Majesty, I can provide you rule over three cities through my resources. The
cities are full of monetary, human and military wealth. We will have to act
immediately.”
The king was overpowered by greed. He started thinking of war, and forgot to
ask the young celibate his name and whereabouts when he left the court.
Then the king called his ministers and said, “A young celibate promised to
acquire three kingdoms for me, but then left hurriedly. Where has he gone?
Search for him. Make an announcement in the town and mobilize the troops. We
must capture the three states immediately.”
The ministers searched the whole town for him. But, the young celibate could
not be found. When all their efforts failed, they informed the king, “Your
Majesty, the young celibate is not to be found anywhere in the town.”
The news made the king sad. He lost his sleep. He would think all the time, “I
have lost the kingdom of three states. My glory has been destroyed.”
These thoughts and his desire destroyed his peace of mind. He lost his appetite
and was tormented by pain. The news of his illness spread in the town.
 It reached a local youth who had just returned from Taxila with a degree in
medicine. When he heard of the king’s illness, he presented himself at the gates
of the royal palace and said, “I will cure the king.”
The king was immediately informed that a young physician has come to cure
him. The king asked the physician, “Even the most capable of physicians could
not cure me. What will you do?”
The young physician replied, “O your majesty! I can assure you that I can cure
you. I am not demanding any fees. You may pay me the cost of medicine only.
But, you must tell me the cause of your ailment in detail.”
The king said, “Why should you know the cause of ailment? You just treat
me.”
The physician explained. “Your Majesty, when the physicians are told about
the cause of an ailment, only then can they treat the patient for full recovery.”
The king told him everything, right from the visit of the young celibate and his
proposal to capture three cities to his present state of health. He said, “Son, my
ailment has risen from the desire to get those three cities. If you can’t treat me,
I would be very happy.”
The young man simply asked the king, “Your Majesty, can worry get you the
three cities?”
The king replied “No, my son! No.”
The young man continued, “Then why do you worry? Even if you could get
the dominion over four cities, you will not eat four plates of food at a time, or
sleep on four beds, or wear four pairs of clothes. You should not be overpowered
by desire. The more desire one forsakes the more happiness one gets. If one
wants complete happiness, one must forsake their desires completely!”
The young physician’s exhortation enlightened the king. He was cured! He
said, “O young physician! Your medicine of wisdom has cured me. You possess
the knowledge of all the worlds. You are an able physician, a scholar, and you
recognize desire, the prime source of sorrow.”
The young physician lived as the royal mentor forever after.

Moral: Desire is the enemy of happiness

 The Priceless Incantation
O nce upon a time, there was a wise and learned teacher, who lived in the
outcastes’ colony. He knew the magic words by which he could produce a
fruit out of season. If he stood near a mango tree, recited magical words and
sprinkled water on its roots, the old mango leaves would fall and be replaced by
new ones, the tree would blossom, and mangoes would grow on it. The mangoes
would then ripen and fall from the tree as sweet divine fruits. The teacher would
bring them home and sell them to run his household.
Once a priest’s son saw him selling mangoes out of season. He thought, “How
is this man selling mangoes in this season? He must have obtained these
mangoes by virtue of some incantation. I must learn this priceless incantation
from him.”
Therefore, when the teacher had gone to the forest one day, the priest’s son
appeared at the gate of his house and asked his wife, “O mother! I have come
here to meet your husband. Is he home?”
The wife said, “No, son, he has gone to the forest.”
The priest’s son waited for him. When the teacher came home, his wife told
him about the priest’s son. He told his wife, “Dear, this youth is here to get the
incantation. But he is wicked. He will not retain the incantation.” But his wife
asked him to reconsider and accept the student.
 The teacher agreed to his wife. The priest’s son started staying with the
teacher and served him. He brought fire wood from the forest, pounded rice,
cooked food, fetched water, and performed other domestic errands.
One day, the teacher’s wife said to him, “My lord, this is a priest’s son and
still he is serving us. Please teach him the incantation even if he will not retain
it.”
The teacher honoured his wife’s words and called the youth. He taught him the
magical words and said, “Son, this incantation is priceless. You will greatly
benefit by it. If anyone asks you your teacher’s name, you must tell them that
you learnt it from an outcaste. If you tell any other name out of shame, the
incantation will lose its effect.”
The priest’s son said, “Why should I conceal the matter that I learnt it from
you? If anyone asks me, I will tell your name.”
After receiving the incantation he took a formal leave of his teacher. Then, he
went out into the town and started selling the mangoes he produced through
magic.
Once, a gardener bought a mango from him and presented it to the king. When
the king ate the mango, he asked, “Where did you get such a delicious fruit?”
The gardener replied, “Your Majesty, there is a man who sells mangoes out of
season. I bought it from him.”
The king said, “Tell him that he should bring all the mangoes for me from now
on.”
The gardener conveyed the king’s order to the priest’s son, who started taking
all his produce to the king’s palace. Thus, he earned a lot of money from the
king.
Once, the king called him at his palace and asked him, “Where do you get
such delicious mangoes from?”
The priest’s son said, “Your Majesty! I have a priceless incantation. I get the
mangoes by virtue of it.”
The king got curious and said, “I would like to see you using the incantation.”
The priest’s son also agreed, “I will show you, Your Majesty!”
The next day, the king went to the forest with the priest’s son. The youth stood
near a mango tree. He recited the magic words and sprinkled water on the root of
the tree. Instantly, the old leaves fell from the tree and new ones appeared. Then,
blossoms came and fell, and soon delicious mangoes fell from the tree in a
shower. The king ate the mangoes and rewarded the youth with a lot of money.
He asked him, “Young man! Who taught you such a marvellous incantation?”
 The priest’s son thought, “If I name the outcaste teacher, it will be shameful
for me. The people will condemn me. They will speak against a priest’s son
learning under an outcaste. Since I have mastered the incantation, let me name
some eminent teacher.” Therefore, he said, “Your Majesty, I learnt this
incantation from an eminent high caste teacher in Taxila.” When the priest’s son
told this lie, the incantation lost its effect. Next day, the king desired to eat
mangoes again. He called the priest’s son and said, “Young man, bring some
mangoes for me.”
But, the priest’s son could not produce any mangoes. The king asked him,
“Young man, what happened to your magic?”
The priest’s son said, “Your Majesty, the stars are not favourable now. I will
fetch mangoes some other time.”
The king got angry and said, “How dare you deny mangoes to me? You never
talked of favourable stars or any auspicious time ever before.”
The priest’s son thought that if he told a lie the king would punish him
severely. He decided to speak the truth. He said, “O Majesty! Please forgive me.
I told you a lie about my teacher. Actually, I received this incantation from an
outcaste teacher. I have betrayed him by holding back his name from you. I have
committed a breach of vow. So, the incantation has left me. That is why I could
not produce mangoes for you.”
The king said, “You have committed a sin by telling a lie. One who possesses
knowledge is superior. Go back to your teacher and try to please him. Don’t dare
to come back here if you do not regain the incantation.”
The king, thus, sent him into banishment. He walked back to the outcastes’
colony in dismay. When the teacher saw him coming back, he said to his wife,
“Dear, see that student of mine is coming back after losing the incantation.” The
priest’s son saluted the teacher and confessed his fault. He requested the teacher
even as he cried, “O, respected sir! Have mercy on me. Give me that incantation
again.”
The teacher said, “I explained everything to you earlier. Why do you come
back to me now? He who is foolish, stupid, ungrateful, liar and unrestrained, we
do not give incantation to such a man. Go away.”
 When the priest’s son was so reprimanded by the teacher, he was dejected. He
did not want to live any more. Therefore, he went to the forest and met an
untimely death.

Moral: Anyone with knowledge is superior

 The Best Gift
P rasanna Sivi was the king of Aritthapura. He was a generous king who had
built six charity houses, one each at the four gates of the city, one in the
middle of the city, and one at the main gate of the palace. From these houses, he
offered alms to the poor.
On one full moon’s day, as he sat on the royal throne, he thought, “There is no
object that I have not gifted. But, I am not satisfied. I wish to make a personal
gift. I will be happy if someone came to me in the charity house today and asked
for something personal. If someone asked me for my heart, I would donate it. If
someone asked me for my eyes, I would donate them. There is no human gift
that I cannot make.”
The king rode his well-decked elephant and reached his charity house. Lord
Indra had been watching the king all through this time. He thought, “King Sivi
resolves to gift his eyes to anyone who asks for them. Can he actually do it in
practice?”
 Therefore, Lord Indra decided to test King Sivi. He disguised himself as a
blind brahmin. As the king marched towards his charity house, Lord Indra came
in front of his elephant. Then he hailed the king. Sivi stopped the elephant and
asked him, “What do you want O’ learned brahmin?”
The brahmin said, “Your Majesty, your deeds of charity have become known
in all the worlds. I’m blind. I beg you to give me one of your eyes, so we both
can live at least as one-eyed.”
The king was immensely pleased. He thought to himself, “I was just wanting
the same in my palace. Today, my wish will be fulfilled. I will make a gift that I
have never made before.”
Then he said to the brahmin, “O brahmin, it is an honour for me! Why one
eye? I can give both my eyes!”
He called his royal physician, and said, “Neither I give for glory, nor do I wish
for a son, wealth or kingdom. Do as I ask you to. Take out one of my eyes and
hand it to this blind brahmin here.”
But the royal physician was taken aback. He told the king, “Your Majesty!
Donating eyes is not a small thing. Think over it.”
The king was firm in his decision. He said, “I have already thought over it.
Don’t delay.”
The physician ground a few medicines and prepared a powder. He placed the
powder in a blue lotus and blew it into the king’s right eye. The eye rolled and
pained. The physician said to the king, “Your Majesty, you still have time to
think. I can reset your eye.”
The king again assured him, “Friend, do your work. Don’t delay.”
The physician again blew the powder into the king’s eye. It rolled out of its
socket. The pain was unbearable. He again said to the king, “Your Majesty,
please reconsider it. I can reset the eye.”
But the king insisted, “Hurry, don’t delay.”
The physician blew the powder into the king’s eye once again. The eye hung
out on its nerve. “Your Majesty, you have time to reconsider. I can still reset it.”
“No, don’t delay,” said the king inspite of the unbearable pain. The queen and
the ministers fell upon his feet and cried, “Your Majesty, don’t donate your
eyes.”
The king endured the pain and said to the physician, “Please finish the task.”
The physician held the king’s eye with his left hand while with the right hand
he held a knife and cut it. He placed the eye in the king’s hand. The king
endured the pain and handed the eye over to the brahmin, and said, “O brahmin!
I love the supreme knowledge more than this eye. Let the donation of this eye be
the cause of acquiring the eye of supreme knowledge.”
The brahmin took the eye from the king and set it in his hollow socket so that
it looked like a blooming blue lotus. King Sivi saw this eye with his remaining
eye and said, “Oh! My eye-donation has been successful.”
Then, he donated his other eye in a similar manner. The brahmin set this eye
too and left the palace. All those present in the royal palace could only watch
him go.
By virtue of the great charity, the king soon started recovering. His eye
sockets were no longer hollow. They gathered flesh. The pain subsided. The
king stayed in the palace for a few days more and thought to himself, “What
does a blind man do with kingship? I will become a mendicant and live an
ascetic’s life.”
Therefore, he called the council of ministers and spoke about his decision.
They carried him in a palanquin to the park and seated him beside the pond
there. An attendant was appointed for him. The king squatted there and
meditated over his great charity. It shook Indra’s seat. He appeared in the park.
When the king heard his footsteps, he said, “Who is there?”
Lord Indra said, “I am Indra. I have come to you. Ask whatever you want.”
Delighted, the king said, “O lord Indra! I have everything. I have enough
wealth and troops. I have great wealth. This blind man requires nothing more.”
Lord Indra persisted, “O great king! Charity is rewarded in the same birth.
Perform Satya-Kriya (a vow of truth and virtue). You will regain your eyes.”
King Sivi performed the Satya-Kriya. He said, “Whichever mendicant begged
to me were all very dear to me. Let this statement of truth heal my eyes.”
His true statement healed one of the eyes. Then, he made another statement of
truth, “This blind brahmin approached me. When he begged, I donated my eyes
to him. I was filled with the feelings of love and pleasure at that time. Let this
statement of truth heal my other eye.”
Instantly, his other eye was also healed. His new eyes came to be known as the
eyes of the transcendental virtue of truth. The council of ministers met. The
whole kingdom knew that the king had regained his eyes. The people of the land
thronged to see him. A huge canopy was erected at the main gate of the palace.
The king was seated on a throne under a white canopy in the sandalwood
palace. He announced, “Let the residents of Sivi see my eyes. There is no wealth
that cannot be given out. Let all of you donate something every day before
taking meals.” The people of Sivi spent their lives giving alms and doing other
deeds of charity from then on.

Moral: In life, there is nothing greater than sacrifice

 The Traitor
A farmer was ploughing his field. When his oxen were tired, he released them
and resumed his work with a spade. While the oxen grazed in a cluster of bushes,
they wandered off into the forest. When the farmer did not find his oxen after his
work, he set out to look for them but in vain. He was so distressed over the loss
of his oxen that he did not realize and got lost in the dense forest. He spent a
week roaming and trying to find the way out. Then, he discovered some fruit
trees beside a spring. Since he was hungry, he ate some fruits that lay on the
ground. The fruits were very delicious. His hunger was intensified, and he
climbed a tree to have some more. The branch on which he sat to pluck the fruits,
suddenly gave way and he came down with it into the deep spring. He was not
hurt, for the spring had plenty of water. The farmer lay in the deep waters for
many days.
One day, a monkey, that lived on the tree near the spring, saw the farmer lying
in the water. He asked, “How did you come to this place? Are you a human
being or someone else? Tell me something about you.”
The farmer replied, “I got lost in the jungle and am living my last days here.
But I can be saved if you help me.”
The monkey took pity on the farmer. He collected some rocks and cut steps
into them for the man to climb. Then he said, “Friend! Come, hold my arms. I
will pull you out.”
 Thus, the strong monkey pulled the farmer out of water and seated him on a
rock. He then said to the farmer, “Friend, I am very tired. I would like to take a
short nap. The lions, the tigers, the cheetahs and the bears could attack me while
I am asleep. Please, keep watch over me.”
When the monkey had slept off, the farmer developed evil thoughts. He
mulled, “I should kill this monkey and satisfy my hunger. I will have some
strength then and, therefore, will be able to go out of this forest.”
Therefore, he picked up a stone and hit the monkey on its head. As the farmer
had grown weak, his blow did not have much strength, and the monkey escaped
with a minor injury. He rose at once and looked at the farmer with tears in his
eyes. He said, “Why did you do it? I pulled you out of the perilous spring. You
have betrayed me. Still, I forgive you. Follow me. I will show you the way out of
this forest into the human colony.”
The monkey led the farmer out of the forest.
The farmer, because of his sin, became a leper. Wherever he went, everyone
snubbed him. “Your body stinks,” they would say, “Get away from here.” The
farmer suffered a lot because he had betrayed his friend.

Moral: Betrayal is sin. A traitor gets punishment

 The Swan’s Sacrifice
A king had a beautiful lotus pond in his palace garden. Many birds flocked to
the garden and the pond. A hunter too came there everyday. He would cast his
net to trap the birds; whom he sold in the market to earn his living. Once, a few
golden swans visited the Lotus Pond. They fed there happily and returned to their
habitat. Then they went to the chief swan and reported, “Sir, there is a lotus pond
near the town. There is plenty of feed there. Let us go there regularly.”
Their chief warned them, “No, friends! There is always danger near a town.
We should not go there.”
When the other swans insisted, the chief swan said, “If you all like it so much,
let us go.”
 The swans flew off to the lotus pond in a flock. The hunter had already spread
his net there. The chief swan’s leg got trapped in the net. He tried his best to
release his leg but in vain. His leg bled and he felt great pain. But, he endured it,
thinking, “If I call out to indicate that I am trapped, my fellow swans will fly
away in fear without taking any feed.”
 When all the swans had their feed, the chief called out to them. The swans
were alarmed and flew off for their lives. A wise swan, however, thought, “Let
me find out whether our chief is with us.” He sped to the front of the flying
group. The chief swan was not there. Then, he looked for the chief in the middle
bunch. The chief was not there either. He realised that their chief had been
caught in the net. He turned and flew back to the lotus pond, where he found the
chief swan in distress.
The other swan alighted at the same spot and consoled his chief, “Sir! Don’t
worry. I will sacrifice my life to release you from the net.”
But the chief swan said, “Friend, other swans are flying away without even
looking at me. You should also go with them. Don’t worry about me. No one can
help a trapped bird.”
The other swan said, “Whether I leave or not, it is not going to make me
immortal. I have always served you in happy days. How can I leave you now? I
am devoted to you, and I will not desert you in any case.”
The chief swan said, “My dear friend, you are right! When crisis comes, one
should not desert one’s friend. It is the righteous duty of the noble ones.”
While the two swans were talking, the hunter approached them. The two
swans fell silent. The hunter saw that a swan was caught in the net while the
other one was free.
He thought, “Why should the free swan be sitting here?” He asked the swan,
“A trapped swan cannot fly away. But, why haven’t you flown to safety? You
are free. How are you related to that swan?”
The other swan replied, “O hunter! This swan is our chief, my close friend. I
will not desert him as long as I live.”
The hunter however said to the other swan, “You are free. I have nothing
against you. You may go and live happily.”
But the swan said, “I cannot think of my freedom without him. You can
devour me if you so wish, but you must release him. We are equal in respect of
size and age. You will lose nothing.”
The hunter was impressed by the sense of sacrifice in the two swans. He
released the chief swan and hugged him. He washed the chief swan’s wounds
with the water. The kind treatment healed his wounds. The chief swan now
asked the hunter, “Friend, why do you cast this net?”
The hunter replied, “For money.”
The chief swan suggested, “In that case, you could take us to the king. We will
get you a lot of money from him.”
But the hunter denied saying, “I do not wish to see the king. Kings are
whimsical. He can make you a fowl of sport, or even kill you for food.”
On this, the chief swan said, “Friend, do not fear. Kings can be righteous; and
understanding too. Take us to the king please.”
The hunter carried them on a sling to the king. He showed the swans to the
king, who was very glad to see the golden fowls. He offered a gem-studded seat
to the chief swan, while the other swan was given a golden stool to sit. He
offered them delicious food in golden dishes. The king also ordered his men to
give the hunter a good shave and bath. The hunter was given a royal treatment,
and decked with precious ornaments. Then the king sent him back with valuable
gifts. The two swans were kept in the palace for quite a few days before they
were also allowed to fly back and rejoin their flock.

Moral: Sacrifice and courage bring great rewards

 The Miserly Merchant
O nce there lived a merchant named Kosiya. His ancestors were rich and
known for their charity. They had built homes for the poor and ailing in
many parts of the city. Thus, they had earned great respect in the state. But,
Kosiya thought, “My forefathers wasted their hard-earned wealth in charity. I
will save this wealth and not make any gifts.” Therefore, he shut his ancestors’
charity houses and became a miser.
The beggars wailed and shouted at his threshold, “O great merchant! Don’t
destroy the tradition of your forefathers. Give alms. You and your family will
live for long.”
But Kosiya was not moved. He deployed guards at his gates to stop the
beggars from entering his house. Kosiya engaged himself in accumulating
wealth, ate very little himself and prevented his family from eating sufficiently
too. He wore torn old clothes, and rode an old chariot. Thus, his wealth turned
useless!
One day, Kosiya decided to present himself at the king’s service. He thought
to take the junior merchant along with him. He went to his house. The junior
merchant was eating a delicious meal with his family. He offered a seat to
Kosiya and said, “Great merchant! Come, have some food.”
Kosiya was tempted by the delicious dish. He desired to eat it. But, he thought
that if he ate anything at the junior merchant’s house, he would also have to
invite him over. That will be a sheer loss. So he declined the food. When the
junior merchant asked again, he said, “I have just eaten. I am full.”
But his mouth watered enjoying the sight of the delicious food. When the
junior merchant had finished eating, the two went to the royal palace and
returned after meeting the king. Kosiya kept thinking of the delicious food all the
way. He thought, “If I prepare that delicious dish at my home, a lot of people
will arrive to share it. A lot of grain, milk and sugar will be wasted. No, I will
not cook it.” Yet he kept thinking about the dish all the time. The thought of that
food tormented him. He grew pale. Still, he did not ask anyone to prepare it. He
was really afraid of losing his money. His health deteriorated and, finally, he was
confined to bed.
His wife asked him, “My lord! What worries you? You have grown pale. Is
the king angry with you? Have our sons insulted you? What is tormenting you?
Tell me.”
The merchant said, “My dear! I have one desire. Will you be able to fulfill it?”
The wife said, “My lord! I will certainly fulfill it if it is within my powers.”
He then told her, “Dear, some days back, I saw the junior merchant eating a
rich, delicious dish. I have been wanting to eat the same food ever since.”
The wife asked him, “My lord, are you so poor, that you could not afford to
prepare such a food at home and have it? I will prepare such a lot of that dish
that the whole town could eat from it.”
Kosiya was so agitated by his wife’s response that he shouted at her, “I know
you are very rich. If you brought the money from your parental home, you can
feed the whole town.”
His wife was amazed. She gave it a thought and said, “Then, I will prepare
such a lot of it as will be sufficient for our neighbourhood.”
Kosiya again said, “What do you have to do with the people in our
neighbourhood? They can cook it at their own homes.”
The wife now said, “Then, I will prepare such a lot of it as will be sufficient
for our seven neighbouring houses.”
Kosiya asked, “What have you got to do with them?”
His wife said, “Then, I will cook enough for our family.”
Again Kosiya shot back, “What have you got to do with all of them too?”
The wife said, “Then, my lord! I will cook it for you and me.” Still Kosiya
was not convinced, and he said, “Who are you? Why should you eat it?”
Finally the wife said “Then, my lord, I will cook it for you only.”
Kosiya told her, “Don’t cook it for me. If it is cooked, many will expect to
have it. You just give me some grain, milk and sugar. I will go to the forest,
cook and eat it there.”
The merchant’s wife provided him all the ingredients. The merchant asked a
servant to carry all the material and marched to the forest in disguise. He made
an oven beneath a tree and asked the servant to fetch some fire wood. Then, he
told the servant, “Now, you may go. Wait beside the road. If you see anyone
coming this way, tell me. Come here only when I call you.”

Thus, Kosiya cooked the delicious dish in the forest. Lord Indra, who was
watching all this while, realized that the tradition and the reputation of the
merchant’s forefathers’ were in danger. His miserliness prevented the merchant
from eating himself and also offering anything to the others. Indra sent brahmins
dressed as beggars to Kosiya. The five beggars came and asked him, “Which is
the way to the town?”
Kosiya said, “Why! You don’t even know the way to the town? Go that way.”
But, the beggars walked towards Kosiya instead, and he shouted, “Are you all
deaf? Why are you coming towards me? Go that way. That is the way to the
town.”
The beggar brahmins said, “Why are you shouting? Here we see smoke and
fire. Kheer is being prepared. It is meal time. We are brahmin beggars. We must
have our share.”
But Kosiya stopped them, saying, “I don’t have any brahmins’ feast here. Go
away. I will not give you a grain. I have very little food. Get your food
somewhere else.”
Finally, one of the brahmin beggars addressed Kosiya, and said, “Give a little
out of a little. Give a moderate amount out of a moderate amount. Give a lot out
of a lot. It is not fair to give nothing. O Kosiya! Give generously and eat well.
Follow the noble path. You will not find happiness by eating alone.”
Touched by these words, Kosiya requested the brahmins to be seated for the
meal. All the beggars were served the delicious dish. Surprisingly, the amount of
kheer remained the same even as all of them ate their fill. Kosiya was greatly
amazed. The brahmins said, “Kosiya! We have not come to you for kheer. Your
forefathers were great givers. You have become miserly, hot-tempered and a
sinner. Follow the path of your ancestors. That will do you good.”
Kosiya returned home with this message. He rebuilt the charity houses and
followed his forefathers’ tradition of benevolence there after.

Moral: Charity brings abundance

 The Generous Giver
L ong ago, a king named Sanjaya ruled over the city of Jetuttara. At the full
stage of her pregnancy, the queen said to the king, “My Lord! I want to
roam the city.” The king issued orders to decorate the city. The queen rode a fine
chariot and went round the city. When she was passing through the Vaishyas’
(traders’) lane, her labour pains started, and she gave birth to a baby boy. As the
boy was born in the Vaishyas’ lane, he was aptly named Vessantara.
Prince Vessantara was a noble person and took up charity from an early age.
When Vessantara became a youth, he was married with Princess Madri. The
couple had two children; a son named Jali and a daughter named Krishnarjina.
About that time, a severe drought struck the adjoining land of Kalinga. The
people went to the king and appealed, “Your Majesty! In the city of Jetuttara,
there is Vessantara, the son of King Sanjaya. He is a great giver. He has a white
elephant. That elephant brings rains wherever he goes. Try to being him here!”
 The king of Kalinga dispatched eight brahmins to bring the elephant. When
they arrived in Jetuttara, Prince Vessantara was sitting on his auspicious elephant
beside his charity house. The brahmins begged him for the elephant. Prince
Vessantara gifted them the preciously decked elephant. But the people of the
kingdom were unhappy with this act of his. They went to their king and said,
“Your Majesty! Our land is now ruined. Why did prince Vessantara give away
the elephant that was venerated by the whole land? He’s not fit to live in our
land.”
Forced by the agitating people, the king announced prince Vessantara’s
banishment. But, prince Vessantara took it uncomplainingly. He said, “I love
giving alms. Even if all the citizens of my kingdom join hands to kill me or cut
me into pieces, they will not be able to stop me from charity.”
Then, he went his parents to take their blessings. He saluted to them and said,
“Dear parent, please give me permission to leave the country. I have caused you
pain by giving out the auspicious elephant. But I am not sorry for the gift I have
made to the people of Kalinga.”
The king granted him permission and asked his daughter-in-law, Madri, to
stay back along with her children in the palace. But she said, “I cannot live
without my husband. I will endure all sufferings in the forests. I will take my
children along with me. They will live there as comfortably as us.”
Prince Vessantara rode a four-horse chariot along with his wife and two
children and started for Mount Vanka in the forests. Some brahmins followed
them. Vessantara stopped the chariot. The brahmins asked for the horses.
Vessantara gave out all the four horses to them. One of the brahmins asked for
the chariot.
He was given the chariot. Prince Vessantara then walked on foot with his
family.
 On the way, they halted at the city of Matula in Cheti. The people of Matula
greeted them very warmly. They told them the way to Mount Vanka. Lord Indra
had built two cottages for them there. Vessantara rested awhile beside the square
pond there. Then they removed the royal clothes and put on a hermit’s attire. The
four of them took residence in the cottage on Mount Vanka. Madri got up early
in the morning everyday and went out into the forest to pluck herbs and fruits.
Then all the four took their meals together. They spent seven months on Mount
Vanka this way.
Incidentally, an old brahmin named Pujaka lived in a village in the land of
Kalinga then. His wife was young. She told her husband, “I will live with you
only if you will engage a servant for me.” The brahmin replied, “My dear! I am
poor. How can I engage a servant for you?”
The young wife advised him to go to Prince Vessantara and beg for a servant.
She said, “Vessantara is a great giver. He will surely provide you with a
servant.”
The old brahmin could not decline his wife’s insistence. He arrived at
Jettutara, where he was told of Vessantara’s banishment and his residence on
Mount Vanka. He marched towards Mount Vanka.
When the old brahmin reached there, it was already dusk. He spent the night
on a rock nearby.
That night, Madri had a bad dream. She saw a black man in saffron clothes.
He had red flowers in both his ears. He came with arms in his hands, spelling
danger. He entered the cottage and held Madri by her long hair and threw her on
the ground. She started wailing. He removed both her eyes, cut both her arms,
tore her bosom, and left with her bleeding heart.
Madri revealed her dream to Vessantara in the morning. Vessantara tried to
pacify her, saying, “Madri! You need not worry. Sometimes it happens when
your mind is not rested.” Convinced, Madri went to the forest to fetch herbs and
fruits.
When Vessantara saw the old brahmin Pujaka, he asked, “O brahmin! Why
have you come to this dense forest.”
Pujaka said, “O great sir! I have come to ask for your children as alms.”
Vessantara was not at all afraid by the brahmin’s demand. He knew that the
old brahmin wanted to use his children as servants. He gave away both his
children and said, “O brahmin! This supreme knowledge in the form of the
transcendental virtue of benevolence and charity; is even dearer to me than a
hundred sons, a thousand sons, and a hundred thousand sons.”
 Pujaka took the children with him.
Towards the evening, as Madri walked back to the cottage with her daily
supplies of herbs and fruits, she kept remembering her dream. Her children used
to wait for her on the meditation platform every day. But, she felt something
amiss, when she did not find her children standing there as usual. There was an
eerie silence in the hermitage. Vessantara sat there all alone. She asked about the
children and declared, “O prince! If you do not tell me about my children, you
will find me dead by the morning.”
Vessantara told her nothing till morning. Madri wept the whole night and fell
down unconscious. He sprinkled some water on her face. When she regained
consciousness, Madri asked, “Vessantara, my lord! Tell me. Where are my
children?”
Vessantara replied at length, “Madri! When you left for the forest, a poor old
brahmin approached me. I gave him both our children upon his begging for
them. Madri! Look at me. Don’t cry like that. If alive, we will get our children,
and we will again be happy. Madri! The gift of a son is the best gift. You should
approve of my gift.”
Hearing his plea, somehow, Madri was moved. She got convinced that her
husband had done the right thing.
On the other hand, Lord Indra decided that Vessantara had shaken the earth by
giving away his children. He planned to test his benevolence even further. He
disguised himself as a brahmin and arrived at Vessantara’s cottage on Mount
Vanka. After formal greetings, he said to Vessantara, “Sir! I have grown old. I
have come to beg you for something with great expectations. As a full flowing
river would never diminish, give out your wife, Madri, upon my asking.”
Vessantara was stunned at first. “Yesterday, an old brahmin took away my two
children,” he thought. “How will I live without Madri in this forest?” But, he
composed himself and said, “O brahmin! I give you what you have asked for.”
Then he took a vessel of water and gave Madri formally as charity to the
brahmin. As he made the gift, the earth shook. Madri did not object or complain.
It was a noble gift. She just watched as Vessantara declared, “I am not hostile to
the two children or to Madri. But, I love supreme knowledge. Therefore, I
renounced my dear ones.”
Moved by Vessantara’s benevolence, Lord Indra declared, “I return you your
beautiful wife, Madri. In the whole world, only you suit Madri and she suits
you.”
As for Pujaka, he chained Vessantara’s children to a tree in the night and
forced them to lie on the ground while he slept on the tree to save himself from
wild animals. In the forest, he lost his way and arrived in Jetuttara instead of
Kalinga. Sanjaya, the king, recognized his grandchildren. He asked Pujaka,
“Where did you get these children from?”
Pujaka answered, “Prince Vessantara gifted them to me in the forest.” The
children told the king, “This brahmin beats us with stick like slaves. He is not a
brahmin, but a demon.”
King Sanjaya caressed them lovingly and took them in his arms. He said “Are
your parents well?”
Jali replied, “They are well. Our mother brings herbs and fruits from the forest
and we all live on them. They have withered like a lotus under extreme sun and
wind. They spread an animal’s skin on the floor and sleep on it.”
The king was very sad to learn about the life of his son and daughter-in-law.
He immediately left for Mount Vanka to bring back Vessantara and Madri. On
seeing the king, the couple touched his feet, and received his blessings. Madri
was especially happy to have her children back with her. Smile returned to her
face. All were delighted at the reunion. Vessantara and Madri retired to their
cottage and removed the hermits’ attire. All of them returned to Jetuttara quite
happily.

Moral: Charity begins at home

 A Good Friend
L ong ago, there was a devoted disciple of Lord Buddha. His friend was a
barber by profession. Once the two friends decided to travel by a ship
towards East. The barber’s wife asked the disciple to look after her husband, to
which he agreed.
A week after the ship left the port, a storm struck and it sank in mid-ocean.
The two friends saved themselves by clinging to a plank of wood. The plank
drifted and both the men were cast upon a deserted island. Famished, the barber
immediately killed some birds, cooked them, and offered a share of his meal to
the disciple of the Buddha.
 “No, thank you,” he answered, “I am fine.” Then he thought to himself, “In
this isolated place, there is no work for us except to meditate on the holy
scripts.” Then he started meditating and reading the scripts.
As he sat meditating, a Naga king who was born on that island transformed
himself into a beautiful ship filled with the seven precious things. The three
masts were made of sapphire, the planks and anchor of gold, and the ropes of
silver. The helmsman, who was a spirit of the sea; stood on the deck and cried,
“Any passengers for India?”
“Yes,” the lay disciple answered, “that is where we are bound.”
“Then come on board,” the sea spirit said.
The layman climbed aboard the beautiful ship and turned to call his friend the
barber.
But the sea spirit stopped him, saying, “You may come; but he may not.”
Surprised, the disciple asked, “Why not?”
The spirit explained, “He is not a follower of the holy life. I brought this ship
for you; not for him.”
“In that case,” the disciple announced, “all the gifts I have given, all the
virtues I have practiced, all the powers I have developed; I give the fruit of them
all to my friend.”
The barber was so overwhelmed by the action of the disciple that he cried out,
“Thank you, my friend!”
“Very well,” said the sea spirit, “now I can take you both aboard.”
The ship carried the two men over the sea and up the Ganges River. After
depositing them safely at the home of a holy man, the sea spirit used its magical
power to create enormous wealth for both of them. Then, poising himself in mid-
air, it instructed everyone present there, “Keep company with the wise and good.
If this barber had not been in company with this pious disciple, he would have
perished in the middle of the ocean.” Finally, the sea spirit returned to his own
abode, taking the Naga king with him.

Moral: Always keep good men as friends

 The Cruel Elephant
and the Bird
A large number of elephants once lived in a dense forest, where they would
roam freely, grazing and eating fruits off the trees. A sparrow named Latukika
also lived there. Once, the little sparrow laid eggs at a place that fell on the
elephants’ path. In due course of time, small chicks were hatched. The chicks had
hardly grown wings when a herd of elephants passed that way. Latukika was
frightened. She was afraid that her little ones would be crushed under the
elephants’ feet. So, she begged for mercy to the leader of the tuskers, “O king of
forests! Leader of the herd! O renowned tusker! I salute you. I bow to you with
my folded wings. Please, don’t kill my little ones. I am weak.”
The leader of the elephants was a generous tusker. He said, “Latukika! I will
protect your little ones. You should not worry.” And, he stood over the chicks
shielding them. When the eighty thousand elephants of the herd had passed by,
he told the sparrow, “Latukika, there comes a crazy elephant after me. He would
not obey me. When he arrives here, you should request him too to spare your
little ones. I should leave now.” Then the elephants’ leader was gone.
 In a short while, the solitary elephant came there swinging merrily. Latukika,
who was already alert, told him, “O king of forests! O dweller of hills! O solitary
elephant! I salute you. I bow to you with folded wings. Please, don’t kill my
little ones.” The arrogant elephant said, “Latukika! You are feeble. You cannot
do me any harm. I could crush thousands like you under my feet. I am surely
going to kill your little ones.” And, the wicked tusker crushed the chicks under
his feet and walked away trumpeting.
Latukika cried bitterly over the mortal remains of her little ones. She said to
herself, “O tusker! You may now lurch away trumpeting in the pride of your
strength, but you will soon bear the consequence. You are not aware that the
power of intellect is greater than the power of body. The physical power will not
always work. It may kill you. O mighty elephant! You have killed my little ones.
I will surely take my revenge.”
Then Latukika drew out a scheme. She started serving a crow with devotion.
The crow was pleased with her and said, “What can I do for you dear Latutika?”
The sparrow requested the crow, “Master! Please poke the eyes of the elephant
who roams alone.”
The crow obliged her.
Then, Latukika pleased a fly in the same manner and requested her to lay eggs
in the elephant’s hollow eyes. The fly did the same. The elephant roamed the
forest in pain. The sparrow then pleased a frog by serving him. She made him
promise that when he saw the elephant, he would croak from the hill-top, and
when the elephant climbed it anticipating presence of water the frog would jump
into the lake. The frog was pleased to do so for Latukika. Thus, when the thirsty
elephant passed by the frog, he first croaked from the hill-top, then jumped into
the lake, and croaked from there. The blind elephant moved forward, slipped and
fell into the lake, dying on the spot.
Latukika was relieved to see the killer of her little ones. She hopped over the
elephant’s body to reassure herself.

Moral: Intelligence wins over might

 The Fire of Revenge
O nce a king had a pet bird named Kuntini. She was wise and noble, and the
king used her to deliver his messages to the other kings. The king was quite
pleased with Kuntini’s services, and the bird was also happy with the way the
king looked after her.
Once, Kuntini hatched two chicks and started bringing them up lovingly in her
nest. One day, the king needed to send her to another kingdom to deliver his
message. When he called her, she said, “O king! My two little ones are very
small. They cannot even fly. Who will protect them?” When the king asked her
not to worry and leave it to him, Kuntini left satisfied.
 When Kuntini was gone, the king’s children killed her little ones while they
were playing near her nest. She got the news on her return and was very grieved.
She asked about the killers and the servants in the palace told her the truth. She
could not bear the loss of her little ones, and decided to avenge their killing. But
outwardly, she worked as usual and showed no emotions. The king did not
suspect anything.
One day, while the king was away from the palace, Kuntini lured the king’s
sons to a ferocious pet lion, who at once attacked and devoured them. Kuntini
thought she had duly revenged her little ones’ death. However, she now feared
that the king would get her killed. So, she decided to leave the palace, but not
before she had informed her master. Thus, she went to the king on his return, and
said, “O king! It was due to your callousness that your children killed my little
ones. Now my fury has led me to kill your children. I have decided to leave your
kingdom as I have always been respected here. It is because of you that I leave.
Let me go.” The king was wise, conscientious and well-versed in moral virtues.
He told her, “One’s sense of animosity is removed, when one realizes that an ill
has been done against an ill. So, Kuntini! You should not go.” But, she insisted,
“Master! The guilty and the victim can never reconcile. So, I don’t feel like
staying here. I must go.”
The king tried to convince her once more, “Kuntini! The guilty and the victim
can definitely reconcile. But, the patient ones cannot befriend the fool. I will
only repeat that you should not go.”
Kuntini finally replied, “Master! My decision is final. I will not stay here.”
Then she saluted the king and flew away to the Himalayas.

Moral: Relationship can flourish on faith

 The Greedy Crow
A long time ago, the residents of Mayurpatnam hung wicker cages (baskets) in
their homes and in the streets during the summer months. They filled these with
grains and water for the birds to feed from. A cook who worked at a millionaire’s
house in Mayurpatnam also hung such a basket in the kitchen where he prepared
meals. This wicker basket was inhabited by a noble pigeon, who left it in the
morning daily, and returned to it at dusk.
One day, as a crow flew over the kitchen, he was attracted by the smell of fish
being cooked. “How could I get this meal?” He wondered as he perched nearby.
When, in the evening, he saw the pigeon entering the kitchen, he decided that he
could get his meals through the pigeon. So, when the pigeon left the kitchen the
following morning, the crow followed him.
 The pigeon said, “Brother crow, why should you be following me?”
“Master! I have come to like your life. I wish to be in your service,” the crow
said.
The pigeon replied, “Brother crow, our feeds are different. You will not find it
easy to serve me.”
 “Master, I will feed with you, and return when you return,” the crow insisted.
“Well, you should be mindful”, the pigeon exhorted the crow.
The pigeon fed on seeds and grains while the crow picked insects from the
heap of dung nearby. He came back to the pigeon and said, “Master! You take a
long time to feed. You should eat less.” In the evening, he returned to the kitchen
in the pigeon’s company. When the cook saw that his pet had another bird with
it, he hung another basket. Thus, the two birds started living together.
One day, the millionaire bought a lot of fish for a feast. The cook hung it in
the kitchen. The crow was tempted to see the fish. He decided to stay back and
somehow devour it. He spent the night impatiently. When the pigeon prepared to
leave in the morning, he said, “Brother crow, let us go.”
“Master! You may go alone today. My stomach aches,” the crow said.
“O brother crow! The crows have never had a stomach ache before. They are
tormented by hunger in the three quarters of night. You must be planning to eat
this fish. Come, what is man’s food is not proper for you to eat. Don’t do it.
Come with me to feed.”
“Master! I cannot come,” the crow insisted.
“Well! So you will not listen to me. Be mindful, this may harm you,” said the
pigeon and flew off.
The cook prepared many dishes with the fish that day. He removed the lid of
the pot to let the steam out, put the ladle on the pot, and stood outside the kitchen
wiping his sweat.
When the crow saw that the cook was outside the kitchen, he thought, “Now is
the time for me to eat as much fish as I can. I may eat the big chunks or the
smaller bits, as I wish. I will take a big piece of fish to my basket where I could
feed on it freely.”
So, he flew down from the basket and landed on the ladle. It produced a
clinking sound, which alarmed the cook and he rushed inside. When he saw the
crow, he thought, “So, this wicked crow is out to devour the fish cooked for my
master’s feast. I will teach him a lesson.” Therefore, he shut the doors of the
kitchen and caught the bird. He picked its feathers, garnished it with salt, pepper,
ginger and cumin seed, and soaked him in whey.
 Then, he threw it into the basket. The crow writhed in pain as it lay there.
When the pigeon returned in the evening, he found the crow in a pitiable
condition. He said, “O greedy crow! You did not heed my advice, and now you
suffer for your greed.”

Moral: Giving to the one without greed is the most fruitful