In a village, there lived a shepherd who used to take his sheep to a pasture for grazing. Among the sheep there was a clever lamb. A bell was tied to its neck.
One day, all the sheep were grazing green and soft grass in the pasture. The lamb while grazing the grass reached the other end of the pasture.
The lamb was fully engrossed in grazing the juicy grass. It was unaware of the fact that it had come very far from its flock.
All of a sudden, a crafty wolf grabbed the lamb. But the lamb, even in face of dire circumstances, kept its cool.
The lamb stated, “Sir! You want to kill and devour me. OK, I will not stop you. But I have a request.” The lamb had hit upon a plan to save its skin.
The wolf spoke out, “Yes, yes! Say. I promise you to fulfil your last wish. Tell me what you want.”
The lamb said very politely, “I have eaten the grass just now. Please wait a little bit so that I may be able to digest the grass. Then you will relish eating me.”
The wolf agreed. The lamb remarked, “Sir! In order to digest the grass quickly I want to dance.”
The wolf permitted the lamb to dance. He thought, ‘What harm can the lamb’s dance do?’
The lamb began to dance fast. In doing so, the bell tied to its neck began to ring continuously.
Hearing the sound of the bell the shepherd at once rushed his dogs towards the sound. Seeing the barking dogs approaching the wolf got frightened. In no time, he rushed away from there.
Moral : Even a small and innocent animal can defeat a crafty animal.
The Box Full of Ornaments
There lived a woman named Mohini with her husband in a city. They had two sons. Both were married.
After the death of their father the two sons and their wives cared well for their mother for some time. In due course, they began to neglect her. They did not provide her with even a proper meal.
Seeing all this Mohini got grieved. She failed to understand what to do.
Suddenly, Mohini recollected her childhood friend named Sheela. She set out to meet her.
After listening to the pathetic tale of Mohini, Sheela stated, “Don’t worry, my dear friend. Everything will be all right. You will not face any difficulty.”
Giving Mohini a box Sheela remarked, “This box is full of gold ornaments. Don’t give it to your sons.” Afterwards, Sheela let her understand a few things.
When Mohini returned home, her sons and their wives asked her about the box.
Mohini said, “My sons! This box is full of my ornaments which your father bought me. These ornaments will stand in good stead during my hard times.”
Seeing the box full of ornaments both the sons felt extremely happy. Each of them was lost in thought, ‘If I serve my mother well, I will surely get this box of ornaments.’
Thereafter, both the sons set about serving their mother as before. Now, Mohini faced no difficulty.
The sons demanded the key of the box many a time. But Mohini did not give the key to them.After several years Mohini breathed her last.
After the funeral rites were over, both the sons broke open the box. The box contained no ornaments. It had only papers, rags and stones.
Moral : The greedy never get anything.
