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Short Story one from Panchatantra: There is Strength in Unity and wisdom in Age
In a dense forest in central India, there lived a flock of pigeons. These pigeons lived together on a nest in a large tree. During the day, the would fly across the forest in search of food, but as the day ended they always came to the tree . Amongst this flock lived an old and wise pigeon. All the other pigeons loved him and went to him for counsel
One day, just near the trree where they were nesting, they found a lot of rice grains strewn about. All the pigeons got excited. They thought to themselves,” Wow! Today we dont have to go on a long and tiring journey in search of food. We have food right here.”
Just as they were planning to fly down, the old pigeon cautioned the rest of the pigeons that it is very odd that so many grains of rice should be found near the tree where the pigeons have their nest. But, in the excitement of finding so much yummy food, they decided to ignore the old pigeons advice and went straight for the grains of rice
Just as the old pigeon had predicted, it was a trap set by a hunter. The pigeon's feet got stuck in the net the hunter had set . As soon as the pigeons got trapped, the hunter started walking towards them. He was very happy, he thought he could sell these pigeons in the market for a good price.
The pigeons were trying very had to fly but they were not able to free themselves from the net. The old pigeon advised,” Dont try to individually escape, you will never be able to. All of you lift the net up at the same time and then you can escape.”
This time, the pigeons decided to go by the old pigeon’s advice. They all at once flew upward lifting the net with them. The hunter was left shocked and didnt know what to do.
The pigeons flew some distance and landed. The old pigeon took the help of his friend the mouse to nibble on the net and free the pigeons
Moral of the story:
This is a Panchatantra tale . It is a good way to teach children that sometimes what we are not able do individually, we can work together and accomplish.
This also a good story to teach kids that it is a good idea to listen to advice from experienced older people
Short Story Two from Panchatantra: Never Speak when its not necessary
Once upon a time, two cranes and a tortoise lived in a jungle close to a pond. This year the summer was very very harsh. The water in the pond was almost dry.
The Cranes could not survive without water, so they asked around and their friends told them there was a place far from this one , where they could find a lot of water . The cranes decided to migrate to the place.
The tortoise was feeling very bad, he didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to go with the cranes. He kept begging them to take him along. Finally, the cranes came up with a solution. They would hold a stick in their beaks and the tortoise had to hold the stick with his mouth. The cranes would then fly carrying the tortoise to the new place.
Now, this tortoise had a particular weakness. He was talkative and very argumentative. He just couldn’t shut his mouth for anything. The cranes were worried about this. They told him, “ on no account will you open your mouth.”
The tortoise agreed. And so they took a strong stick and held it with their beaks. The tortoise held on to the stick with his mouth. The journey was going smoothly, until the tortoise heard a couple of people say,” The Cranes seem to have captured the tortoise.” The tortoise just couldn’t help himself. He had to “correct” the people. The minute he opened his mouth, he fell
Moral of the story:
This short story contains a very important moral lesson for kids. When we talk a lot, we contradict ourselves a lot. Also, if talking takes an argumentative turn, we end up fighting battles that don’t need fighting
Short StoryThree from Panchatantra: The Lion and the Rabbit
This is timeless tale from the Panchatantra to give example of how aggression always leads to a abd end. It is also a story, where the main character uses his wit to escape from a tough situation
In a beautiful forest, an extremely large, slothful, and old lion dwelt .The lion, who reigned supreme over the forest, summoned all the creatures and told them to obey his command: "Everyday, one of you should come by yourself as my prey, or else I will destroy the entire jungle."
The animals complied with the lion's command since they were afraid of him too much. The animals intended to proceed one at a time.The sluggish lion was content with his simple prey. Days passed.The rabbits had their turn one day. A young rabbit volunteered to enter the lion's den.
Very late, the little rabbit arrived at the lion's den. Why are you late? the enraged lion growled at the young rabbit.
The rabbit made a prudent decision and informed the king that he had encountered a lion that was larger than himself. “It made me fear for my safety.”, said the little rabbit
Do you know where he lives? the lion growled and questioned the rabbit. Yes, the rabbit answered, and he beckoned the king to follow.
When the rabbit arrived at an old well, he told the lion, "the other lion lives in this well."
The foolish lion looked into the well and shouted loudly after mistaking his own reflection for another lion.
The lion became enraged upon hearing his own echo, leaped into the well, and drowned.
All creatures in the jungle lived contentedly after the lion was killed.
Moral of the Story:
One can always think and act in the most toughest of situations. Being thoughtful always has great results
Story Four from Panchatantra - Helping others is important to get help
In a jungle, there lived a dove. The dove usually sat at a tree near the river . This was his usual spot. One day after a long day of looking for food, he sat exhausted on the tree. He was so tired that he didnt want to even move. As he was about to fall asleep, he saw a large red ant. It had fallen in the water by mistake and did not know how to swim
The river was carrying the ant downstream and he was crying for help. The dove saw the ant, he was so tired that he wanted to go back to sleep, but he fought the instinct to sleep and tore a leaf from the tree flew on top of the river and dropped it near the ant. The ant managed to grab the leaf and stay afloat. Once the dove saw that the ant was safe he went back to his tree and fell asleep.
A few days later, a hunter was walking by the forest, he saw the dove sitting on his tree. The dove hadn’t noticed him. He was taking aim at the dove. The ant which the dove had saves, saw this and he immediately knew he had to help. He went close to the hunter and bit him hard. The hunter let out a scream and this alerted the dove. The dove flew away and saved himself
Moral of the story:
When we help others, others will help us in times of our need
Story Five from Panchatantra: Verify your assumptions before acting on them
Once upon a time in a village a farmer lived with his wife. They had a little son whom they loved a lot. The farmer used to work at the farm during the day .The farmer’s wife would work at home making food and taking care of the baby.
One day, while getting back from the farm, the farmer found a mongoose. The Mongoose was hurt and needed help. The farmer was a kind hearted man and he brought the mongoose home and nursed its wounds. Soon, the mongoose was fine but he refused to leave the house.
He was very attached to the farmer’s son and would play with the kid. The kid also loved the mongoose back in return. But, the farmer’s wife did not like the mongoose. She felt that it was a wild animal and its behaviour would be unpredictable. She was always suspicious of the mongoose.
One day, the farmer’s wife had gone to fetch some water at the well. In the interim, a snake had entered their home and was about to bite the child. The mongoose who was around saw this, and attacked the snake and kiiled it.
As the farmer’s wife was returning, the mongoose came out proudly to say that he had saved the child. But the farmer’s wife without a moment of hesitation though that the mongoose had harmed her child. Without thinking, she threw the pot of water at him and hurt the mongoose very badly,
As soon as she entered the room and saw the dead snake near her son, she realised her mistake. She ran out to see how the mongoose was doing. But, Alas! She was too late.
Moral of the story:
We often form opinions about people just by looking at them and then tend to judge them harshly. We must pause and collect all data before acting harshly
Story Six from Panchatantra : Be careful whom you give and seek help from
Once a man was passing by the jungle. He was lost in his thoughts. In the middle of the forest he heard a loud roar . He looked up and saw that a tiger was trapped in a cage.The tiger begged the man to release him from the cage. The man said, “ I can’t do that because you will hunt me for food if I release you from the cage.” The tiger promised the man that he will not kill him. After a bit of persuasion the man agreed and released the tiger.
The tiger quickly went back on his promise and sprang at the man. The man screamed in terror and reminded the tiger of his promise.The tiger said,” ok here is the deal, let's relate the incident to three creatures, if anyone feels am not right. I won't kill you.”
The man first asked the tree nearby. The tree said,” You are a human. You are so bad . you cut trees. I think the tiger should eat you, so you know what its like to be treated unfairly.”The man was a bit dejected. He saw a buffalo and related the incident to the buffalo. The buffalo said,” You are a man. You use me for milk and when Im old you dont take care of me. I think you should be hunted by the tiger.”
Just then a Jackal was passing by. The Jackal heard what had happened and pretended like he didnt know how the tiger got rapped. He kept asking how the tiger managed to fit in the cage. The Tiger got frustrated and entered the cage, and without wasting a second the jackal closed the door.
The man thanked the Jackal and walked away
Moral of the story:
It was foolish of the man to help the tiger. When someone asks for help we should be careful before helping. We should not end up harming ourselves when helping the person. We should look to see if the person is deserving of help
Why Short Stories for Kids?
Short stories are great conversation buildres. They help kids build empathy. Short stories are a great way to keep kids away from the screen. We have other resources like posters, maps and flashcards as well to help your screen free parenting journing. Do take a look.
