THE MAGIC KADAHI (PAN)

Once upon a time there was a small village. Salma with her sweet little daughter lived in a small cottage in the village. They were very happy and contented.  Salma had a magic kadahi (pan), which was given to her by a sage who had come to the village just after Salma was married. This pan was a big support to Salma and her daughter.

    At mealtime Salma would put the pan on the stove and say: " Pan. O Pan! Please cook. And quickly too. I am hungry. Cook some porridge." No sooner these words were said than boiling porridge would appear in the pan and the pan would start filling up with it. When there was enough porridge for both Salma and her daughter Salma would say: Pan, O Pan! Please stop. And quickly too. Our stomachs are full. And thank you too." The moment these words were uttered the pan would stop cooking and Salma would place it on the table and she and her daughter would eat their fill. Salma would then say, "Pan, O Pan! Clean thyself. We are full for now. And thank you too." The pan would then become sparkling new and Salma would put it away,
Rahimchacha was Salma's neighbor and a very inquisitive man. He often said to himself, " Salma and her daughter seem very well fed and healthy, but I never hear the rattle of pots and pans which is an indication of someone cooking. I also have never seen her washing her pots and pans ever. The question is do they cook? If they do then when do they cook and as I have never seen her buying any foodstuff, what do they cook?"

Rahimchacha was astonished as the pan went to work and it filled up with boiling porridge. He was afraid of being seen and quietly left at this point and said to himself, "Ah! Now I know the secret of Salma's affluence and her cooking. I am going to take away this magic pan when Salma and her daughter go out."
Next day when Salma and her daughter went out to work, Rahimchacha crept into their house and stole the pan. He came back to his house, went into his kitchen, put the pan on the stove and said: "Pan O Pan! Please cook. And quickly, too. I am hungry. Cook some porridge."
Boiling porridge appeared in the pan and the pan started filling up with it. The pan was soon full. Rahimchacha who had only heard the words that began the cooking did know the magic words that would tell the pan to stop cooking. So he said, " All right enough, please stop cooking……"

The pan did not stop cooking. The porridge began to overflow and spill out from the pan. The whole kitchen floor was full of porridge, and then the other rooms filled and the porridge started flowing out on the streets. Rahimchacha watched helplessly and then began to run away from the boiling flowing porridge.

The porridge was chasing Rahimchacha wherever he went. Rahimchacha now alarmed ran helter skelter shouting for help, " Please! Somebody please help me! Somebody please come and say something to this pan. The whole village will fill up with it. The crows will fill the village to eat it. The village and my house will drown in porridge!"
The porridge continued to overflow and chase Rahimchacha wherever he went.

Meanwhile Salma and her daughter came home. When she saw the street in front of her house filled with porridge she knew what had happened. She walked into Rahimchacha's kitchen; Lo and Behold the porridge made a place for her to walk through. She went up to the pan and whispered to it, " Pan O Pan! Please stop. And quickly, too. Our stomachs are full. And thank you too."

    The pan stopped cooking. Rahimchacha said to Salma, "Please forgive me. I had become greedy. So I stole your pan. Now I do not want this pan or the porridge it cooks. Please pardon me for my behavior."

Rahimchacha had not heard the words Salma had spoken to the pan. Even now he has nightmares and wakes up in fright as he sees the porridge chasing him.

THE POTTER AND HIS DONKEY

Once upon a time lived a potter. He had a son. One day father and son decided to go to a nearby town's market place. They took their donkey along with them. They walked along with the father in the lead, donkey in the middle and the son at the back. After crossing the first village on their way they saw some boys playing on the outskirts of the village. The boys stopped to watch them pass by and one of them said, "Look at these fools. The donkey is without any load on its back. Why can't the father let the son sit on the donkey's back?"

On hearing this the potter thought that he was making a mistake and he asked his son to sit on the donkey's back and he with his long stick continued walking beside the donkey.

After a little while they came across another village. A group of old men were seated at the teashop by the roadside and were gossiping. They looked at the potters' procession and one of them said, " Well this is really Kaliyug (the evil Age). Look at this sight. Whilst the young and sturdy boy is sitting comfortably on the donkey the old father is trudging along with difficulty at his side. The son is not bothered at all!"

Both the potter and his son heard these remarks. The son felt ashamed of himself. He got off the donkey's back and asked his father to sit on its back. This was done and they again proceeded towards their destination.

After a little while whilst crossing the third village they came across a group of women drawing water from the village well. On seeing the father seated and the son walking. One of them on seeing this remarked, "Look at this strange sight. The father rides the donkey and his son is walking alongside in this heat. Why can't the father allow his son also to sit on the donkey behind him."

The impressionable father and his son heard all this and since the town was now a short distance away the father asked the son to hop on the donkey's back. Both father and son now astride the donkey proceeded to their destination.

On the outskirts of the town, a city dweller saw the father and the son both riding the donkey. Directing a stream of questions towards the potter he said, " Does this donkey belong to you? Is this way you treat a poor dumb animal? Have you no pity for the donkey? The poor animal may collapse and die under your weight. It will be better if you two carry the donkey for some time!"
The impressionable father and his son again tried to what others had to say. The father and son forced the donkey to lie down. Tied its front legs together and then its back legs together. The father the inserted his stout stick in between the donkeys' legs. They then took the long pole like stick on their shoulders and started walking to their destination with the donkey dangling from the stick.
Many boys seeing this strange site started following them. Soon a small crowd was walking along behind them. Whilst crossing a small stream which had wooden planks as a bridge on their way, the donkey got scared as it saw the water far below and heard the noise that the crowd was making. It started struggling to free itself. The rope tying its legs together snapped. The donkey fell into the shallow stream and hurt itself.

The father and son with great difficulty got the donkey out of the water and hired a cart to take it home. It would take months of care to make the donkey healthy again for work.

The father realizing the mistakes he had made said, " Son we have thoughtlessly listened to what others had to say about what we should or should not do. We nearly paid a very heavy price for not using our judgement and blindly doing what others wanted us to do. We will hence forth listen to all but will do what our own judgement says is right."

LISTEN TO ALL BUT DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT

Mother Advice

Aarohi was little girl with an obsession for lollypops and chocolates. Her mother all ways used to tell her, " If you don't cut down on eating chocolate and candy, you will get cavities in your teeth. More so as you only brush your teeth once."

Aarohi received the same warning everyday but was wont to ignore it.
One day as Aarohi got ready to go to school; she saw her mother's purse lying on the table. She could not control her temptation and stealthily took out some money and quietly put it in her school bag. As she was stepping out of the house she heard her mother, "Aarohi do not eat chocolate or lollypops or …….."
" I will get cavities in my teeth, more so as I brush them only once." She finished the sentence for her mother.

Both mother and daughter burst out laughing and the mother said, "See how sensible my daughter is, she remembers even the words I use in their correct sequence." Aarohi smiled and left for school.
During recess Aarohi came out from the school and went to a candy shop. There she bought five lollypops, finished two in the shop, and one more on her way back to her class. She carefully kept the remaining two in her school bag.

Aarohi returned home and as her friends were waiting for her, she quickly changed her clothes, combed her hair and went out to play.

Aarohi's mother took her school bag and was arranging her books when she found the two lollypops in the bag. She took them out and kept it in the cupboard. Aarohi came back late and she and her mother took dinner together. She was now asked by her mother to finish her homework.

Aarohi took her bag and sat down to do her homework but she could not find the two lollipops she had so carefully kept there. She realized that her mother must have found them and taken them away.

Aarohi immediately ran to her mother. She put her head in her mother's lap and began to cry. Feeling guilty she promised her mother, " Mother from now on I will never eat chocolates or lollypops. I am sorry that I stole money from your purse this morning. I promise not to repeat this mistake."
Aarohi's mother smiled and comforted her lovingly. "My dear daughter! I am happy that you have realized your mistake. I will not say anything about it anymore, I do not think that you do not need any more advice. You are indeed very sensible."

THE VALUE OF MONEY

A rich merchant, child less for many years, was blessed with a boy many years after his marriage. The merchant and his wife brought him up with a lot of care love. They always fulfilled all his needs and demands.

This fulfilling of all his demands made him grow into a pampered spendthrift. He never had to or did bother about money and spent thoughtlessly. When the merchant and his wife realized that this was due to their short coming in bringing up the child, they tried their best to change their son's habits, but it seemed that it was a bit too late in the day.

After trying every means of persuasions, one day the merchant called the boy to him and said, " Son you will inherit everything I have, but on one condition. You will have to prove to me that you are capable of earning a living. Until you prove yourself capable, you will not get even a miniscule amount of all my wealth."

The father's words hit the boy where it mattered most, his capability to get things done with his father's money!

He accepted his father's challenge and vowed: "I will certainly prove my capability of earning a living."

The following morning the son left his house in search of work. At last he got the job of a porter, to carry bags of grain and to load it on a cart. Take the cart to a customer and unload the bags there. After toiling hard for the whole day he got 10 rupees. He proudly gave the money to his father.

The father took the money and immediately threw it down the drain and it was seen no more.

This routine continued for some days. The merchant never said a word to his son. He would calmly throw his son's hard-earned money down the drain every day.

One day the son lost his patience. He said angrily, "Father! Why do you throw my hard earned money into the drain everyday?"
The father said, "I know that after working hard the whole day you are barely manage to earn ten rupees. I also know that you feel bad and your heart may be bleeding for the hard-earned money of yours being thrown down the drain. Well I hope you now realize how I feel when you spent my hard-earned money thoughtlessly."

The son realizing his mistake resolved to do what was right as far as money goes. Money was discovered to be used for social good. It is today god. I will spend it in the future for our necessities and as much as I can for good of the society.

THE SAINT

One day, a mother brought her eight-year old son to a saint. After touching the ground near the Saint's feet (a sign of respect in India) she appealed to him to solve her problem. She said, " My son eats a lot of jaggery (molasses). I am tiered of telling him not to do so. He just does not listen to me.  Please advise him to give up eating jaggery. I am sure he will listen to you."

The saint looked at the young boy. He then told the mother, "Madam, please bring this boy to again after a week."

After seven days the mother brought her son to the saint again. The mother and the son greeted the saint, and sat before him.
The saint called the young boy to him and asked him to sit near him. Patting his back he said, " Dear boy, from now onwards, please do not eat jaggery. You must listen to what your mother tells you."

The boy did a namaste (a traditional salutation used in India) to the saint in reverence and promised to give up jaggery,
The mother was astonished. She thought, "If the saint had to say just this to the boy, why didn't he do it seven days ago when I had first brought him here?' She was puzzled and stated her puzzlement to the saint.

The saint explained to her, "Madam, I used to enjoy eating jaggery. When I myself ate so much jaggery, what right did I have to ask the boy not to do so? The hollowness of my words would not have had any effect on the boy. For the past seven days I have refrained from eating jaggery, so when I talked to your child he must have sensed that I meant what I was saying."

This was saint Gyanneshwar, the great saint of Maharashtra, one of the states of India.

THE MOTHER IS A CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER

Raju was a good boy. He was very good at his studies amongst other things. He had a neat handwriting that was admired by everybody in his school. He wanted a new pen, as his old was not working properly. He spoke to his mother about this. His mother said, "Yes my son I understand that you need a good pen, but we do not have money to buy a new one." 

Raju thought, "Well, I am definitely going to get a good pen. Kanu and Manu both have new and nice pens. I am the only one without a good pen."
Next day Raju stole Kanu's pen in school and put it in his bag. He brought it home and his mother on seeing it and hearing how he had stealthily taken it away from Kanu said, "How clever of you Raju!"
Instead of scolding her son, Raju's mother praised him giving the impression to Raju that there was nothing wrong in stealing. In due course of time stealing became a habit with Raju.

Often, Raju will be caught red-handed while stealing. People complained to his mother, but Raju's mother would always take her son's side and defend him. 'My Raju is not a thief! He is a good boy," she would say.
Raju grew up and got a good job, as he was good at his studies. However good a job one gets, the cost of, everything he wishes to own cannot be met. He now started commiting bigger and bigger thefts as was by now his habit of getting things he could not afford but craved for.
He one day out of sheer habit entered a big house and picked up some jewelry. Whilst trying to go away with his stolen jewelry, the master of the house woke up, there was a scuffle and Raju was overpowered.
The police arrested him and the Judge sent him to jail.

One day his mother came to the jail to see him. Raju went to his mother, embraced her and made as if to say something to her. He however bit off her nose. The policemen present there immediately caught him and dragged him away. As he was being taken to his cell one of the policemen wanted to know what made him to bite off his mother's nose.

.

Raju said, "The person responsible for bringing me to this state is no one else but my mother. When people caught me stealing, my mother instead of punishing me always supported me. She never tried to stop me from stealing, instead she encouraged me everytime."

TWO FRIENDS

Once upon a time, there were two friends who were very close to each other. They were always seen together. Their natures were however very different, one was greedy and the other jealous.
One day both friends roaming in the forest saw a temple, on peeping inside a black granite shivling was visible. They decided then and there to go in and do penance to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva could be easily pleased, they felt. If they could please him he would give them whatever they craved for.

The entered the temple and sat before the lingam in deep meditation for seven days without food or water or for a moment leaving their meditation. At last a pleased Lord Shiva appeared before them and said, " I am pleased with your penance. I will give you whatever you ask for. Only one of you, however, can ask for a boon. The other will get double of what is granted to the first."
The two friends were perplexed about who should ask the boon.

The greedy man thought, "I will not ask for a boon. If I do, my friend will get double of what I get. I will not allow this to happen. I think I deserve to get double of what he gets. " Thinking this the greedy man refused to ask for a boon.
The jealous man thought, "If I also refuse to ask for a boon, we will lose this opportunity. I should ask for a boon which should teach this greedy man a lesson. He is greedy as by refusing to ask for a boon he wants to get double o what I will get."
After thinking for a little while, the jealous man turned to Lord Shiva and said, "

O Lord! Please take away one of my eyes so that I turn blind in one eye."
Lord Shiva looked for a while at the jealous man and said, "How can you ask for such a boon? Your request shows up your jealous nature. Ask for a boon which will be good for you and your friend also."
The jealous friend realizing his mistake said, " O Lord! Give me good thoughts and good faith."
"So be it!" said Lord Shiva and disappeared.

DO NOT CUT OFF YOUR NOSE TO SPITE YOUR FACE!

THE BOAR AND THE FOX

A wild boar, by the name of Bore, lived in the dense jungle of Kalaikunda.
Bore was a strong and fearsome creature. He had big and strong tusks and used them effectively as weapons of self-defense.

One day he was busy sharpening his tusks by rubbing it against the trunk of a tree. Faltu the fox was passing by and stopped to watch the boar at his task. Faltu was unable to understand why the boar was sharpening his tusks, as he looked around and saw no danger or enemies anywhere around that was a threat for the boar.

Surprised at Bore's actions, Faltu went to the wild boar and said, " May I know Mr. Bore, why you are sharpening your tusks? There are no hunters or any other danger around. Why are you busy with this useless exercise?"

"You are not wrong abbot the hunters and danger, my dear Mr.Faltu," said Bore, 'but will it be wise to start digging a well to find water after a fire has broken out? We live in a forest where there are enemies and dangers at every step. Who knows when I will have to face an enemy and use my weapons against him? If I d not sharpen my tusks now I may not get any time to do so when I need them the most."

The wisdom of Bore's words made Faltu wiser.

THE DEER AND THE FOX

Once upon a time there was a forest which now due to the greed of men has been deforested. In this forest lived a Deer and a Fox.
In the storybooks a Fox is almost always known as a cunning and selfish character and Deers as helpful, innocent and loving character. Every day when the fox saw the deer he would think,
" If I could only catch this deer I would enjoy a excellent meal."
But as he could not run as fast as the deer he knew that he would never be able to catch the deer. He then thought of a plan for catching the deer.

He sat on the path frequented by the deer and started crying loudly. As the deer was passing by she heard the loud wailing of the fox, she stopped and asked him," Dear fox! What has happened? Why are you crying?"

The fox replied, " Oh deer! Because of my nature I do not have any friends. I feel all-alone in this world. I feel like jumping into the river to end this miserable life."

The deer feeling sorry for the fox consoled him saying, "Dear fox how will jumping into the river help you? Life is for living and if you live you will surely find a good friend. If you so wish I will be glad to be your friend."

The fox's joy knew no bounds. At long last his dream of making a meal of the deer would succeed. By befriending the deer betrayal would be easier.

The deer and the fox became good friends. They would roam around together in the forest. A crow who lived in the same forest was also a friend of the deer. One day the crow saw the deer with the fox. He was surprised and asked the deer," Hello friend, how are you and who is this with you today.'

The deer said, "Ah! This is a fox. He is a new friend of mine!" The crow on hearing this said, "Dear deer! You should not be a friend to someone unless you know him or her very very well." The deer was confused. The cunning fox immediately said, " dear crow! How can we know each other well unless we become friends? Did you know the deer before you became her friend?"

Though the clever crow was not convinced about the foxes motive he had no answer to his argument and so he flew away.

One fine day the fox took the deer to a lovely field lush with the growth of wheat. The deer was thrilled to see the enticing food, as the forest fare was mostly grass and bushes. She waded in and ate to her heart's content and enjoyed running around in the big wheat field. Urged on by the fox the friends started going to the field every day and caused a lot of damage to the crop. A farmer, the owner of the field, was naturally annoyed and angry. He spread a net hidden by the wheat crop to trap the animals that had been causing damage to his fields and destroying his crop.

The next day the deer was caught in the net after she had entered the field. The fox was happy to see this as he had finally succeeded in trapping the deer. Instead of helping his friend he went away and hid himself behind a tree, waiting for the deer to die or be killed by the farmer.

The crow, which flew all around the forest and the fields had not seen the two friends that day, and as far as his sharp eyes went did not see them anywhere.  Knowing where they went everyday he flew to the field and saw the trapped deer amongst the wheat crop. The crow hopped close to his friend and said,' Dear friend Do not worry. Be quite and pretend to be dead. As soon as you hear me cawing, get up and run away as fast as you can!'

After a little while the farmer came to the field to tend to his crop and saw the deer trapped in the net. Seeing the deer so still he thought that it was dead and he slowly removed the net so as to carry the deer home. Instantaneously the crow started cawing," Caw…  Caw…. Caw.. “The deer got up and ran as fast as she could. The farmer was surprised to see the deer running away and threw the heavy stick he was carrying at the deer.

In the mean time the fox seeing his scheme go up in smoke came out and started chasing the deer. The stick instead of hitting the deer hit the fox on the head and killed him on the spot.

The deer whilst running away looked up and thanked thee crow, who was flying along over the deer for saving her life.

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WITH CARE!

THE MISCHIEVOUS CROW

There stood a big banyan tree in a small village. The travelers passing by sat in the cool shade of the big tree. A kind-hearted person had kept a large pot of water for the thirsty travelers. The travelers would drink the cool water and then proceed on their journey.

In the thick branches of the tree, lived many animals and birds. In the hot sun of the afternoon the animals rested under the tree.

In the thick branches of the tree, lived many animals and birds. In the hot sun of the afternoon the animals rested under the tree.

In this tree there also lived a crow that was mischievous and rude by nature. He would sit on the branch of the tree and play pranks with the travelers resting below. Some time he would sit on the top of a branch and caw for a long time. Its loud and harsh cawing would disturb the peaceful neighbor-hood.

One afternoon a lock of swans came and perched on the branches of the tree to rest. A traveler was fast asleep under the bunion tree but the rays of the sun, filtering through the leaves was falling on his face. One of the swans saw this and spread its wings in such a way that the traveler's face was in its shadow so as to protect him from the furious heat of the tropical sun.

The rude, crude and jealous Crow could not bear to see this sight. He immediately decided to break up this cozy arrangement. The crow was playing with a piece of brick in its beak. It lined up itself on the branch and let go of the brick piece so that it landed on the traveler's head. The traveler woke up wiped his face and saw the swan with its wings spread over him. The crow had flown away and was circling the tree.

The traveler thought that the swan was the guilty party. He picked up a big stone and threw it at the swan in anger. It hit the swan on the chest, wounding it considerably.
The Crow's prank led to the near death of a swan.

AVOID THE COMPANY OF MISCHIVEOUS PERSONS! 

THE FOOLISH FRIEND

Long long time ago lived a king in karnataka. He was a good hunter and an excellent marksman.

One morning, the King decided to go out hunting, He mounted his horse and galloped into the thick forest. But he did mot find any game that day. Tired and exhausted he tied his horse to a tree and sat down under a tree to rest. Soon he fell asleep.

Suddenly the King's sleep was disturbed by a painful wail; he woke up with a start. The King saw a baby monkey groaning. He took pity on it and gathered the trembling up in his arms to comfort it. He saw that the baby monkey's leg was badly wounded. The king thought to himself, 'let me take this baby to the palace. There the vaids (doctors) and the guards will take good care of him and he will be soon cured.

The King took the baby monkey to his palace and asked the guards to bandage its wounds. He also ordered them to take good care of it.

After a few weeks the monkey got well and tried prancing around and getting mischievous. The King loved the monkey and it became his favorite pet. They became good friends. However the King's minister did not like this at all. He however could not utter a single word and only wondered to himself how the King could be so friendly with a monkey?

One day when the king was about to sleep, the monkey hopped up on his bed and sat down near him. He King said to the monkey, "See to it that no one disturbs me during my sleep. Saying this in a few minutes the King was fast asleep.
Just then a fly flew in and sat on the King's forehead. The King shook his head to shoo it away. The fly then sat on the King's cheek. This time the monkey shooed the fly away but back came the fly and sat down on the King's nose.

This angered the monkey no end. He stealthily moved his hand over the fly so as not to disturb it and then with a resounding slap tried to kill it. The fly flew away. The slap landed on the king's nose and he woke up cursing and groaning. Hearing all this the guards rushed in. The monkey was caught and put in a cage so that he could indulge in foolish acts, inspire of his good intentions.

HAVING A FOOL AS A FRIEND IS DAGEROUS!

THE WILY FOX.

Long long ago, a lake was inhabited by a crocodile and a crab. The other inhabitants being mostly fish, plenty of them. The crocodile and the crab were very close friends. The lake was in the middle of a forest and both the friends to feast on fish daily.

The two friend's staple diet being fish and fish only resulted in the number of fish in the lake. This led to the crocodile thinking that it would catch the animals that came to the lake for watering. Catching a prey every day was improbable, as the animals of the jungle knew about the crocodile living in it and was always careful.

The crab and the crocodile were really worried when the crocodile had an idea. He said to the crab, 'I will pretend to be dead. You can go and spread this news in the forest. Once the animals come to know that I am no more, they will come here to drink water but will be less careful about avoiding me. It will thus be easy to catch them.

The crab at once set off to spread the news of the crocodile's death to all the animals living in the Forest.

His first meeting turned out to be the sly fox. The crab told the fox about the crocodile's death. "Isn't this excellent news? The animals now will not have to worry about endangering their lives when they go to the lake to drink water. You may tell whomsoever you meet about this so that all of them can come for a safe drink from the lakes sweet water.

The wily fox, used to living in the forest by his wits, smelled something amiss, he remarked, " Poor crocodile, let me come and see for myself his dead body."

The crab took the fox to the crocodile, lying motionless close to the bank of the lake. "Friend Crab, he asked, " when did the crocodile die?'

'A little while ago," replied the crab, " I ran to the forest to spread the good news even as he was on the verge of death."

"Funny," said the fox, " since he died only a few minutes ago his tail should still be twitching." On hearing this the foolish crocodile moved his tail.

The wily fox then asked the crab"; can any dead animal move its tail? A dead animal can neither move nor hear. The crocodile is alive and he also heard me and that is why he moved his tail. Well Mr. Crocodile your trick did not work did it? Ha! Ha!"
Saying this the fox moved away to the forest and told all the animals in it about the trick the two friends wanted to play upon all the animals.
The two friends thus had to keep on eating fish till they were exhausted and then…………