An Indian Folktale There was a woman who worked for the queen. The queen trusted her very much. While sweeping the queen’s room, some-times the woman found pearls or gold beads which could have fallen from the queen’s several neck-laces and other jewellery. She faithfully restored them to the queen. The queen was so pleased… Continue reading What is Beauty?
Category: Folklores
What is real Wealth and Happiness?
An Indian Folklore Once lived a proud King. The King one day decided to go on a pilgrimage. Late one afternoon he camped in a village close to a forest. He heard that in that forest lived a Sage for whom the local people had great respect. What was intriguing, the Sage was once a… Continue reading What is real Wealth and Happiness?
What is true freedom?
An Odia Folktale Once lived a very poor plumber in a town in India. One day he was assigned to repair the toilet of the queen of that town. While he was finishing up his work and leaving, he somehow saw a glimpse of the queen’s thigh. It was smooth as silk, fair and soft… Continue reading What is true freedom?
What is virtue?
An Indian Folktale In a village, there lived a thief. He stole things from here and there, sold what he got cheaply and thus made a living. Once someone in the village died and everyone in the house went to the cremation ground to cremate his body. The thief thought there would be nobody in… Continue reading What is virtue?
What are we really seeking?
An Indian Folktale (In Search of Fire) It was a winter night. The chowkidar (the village guard) had already made two rounds of the village. He was carrying a kalke, a handy earthen pipe through which one smokes. He had filled it with tobacco, but he could not light it as he had no match-box with… Continue reading What are we really seeking?
What is psychological progress?
An Indian Folklore “How long will it take to reach the other bank?” the solitary passenger asked the lone boatman as they started crossing the river. “It takes around half an hour. It depends on the course of wind and the current. Since there is storm gathering on the horizon, I will row as fast… Continue reading What is psychological progress?
Is Surrender really important?
An Indian Folklore This is a story of the Mighty Elephant and the Tiny Fish. A wealthy merchant often visited the holy city of Haridwar where his guru lived. He loved to listen to his guru’s discourse, even though he failed to appreciate all the concepts and ideas the sage presented. For instance, he could… Continue reading Is Surrender really important?
How to be wise?
A Kashmiri folktale One day a dissatisfied fellow was sitting under a walnut tree, and his eyes fell on a great pumpkin growing nearby. He thought: “Nature is so foolish. It had to give such small nuts to this big walnut tree and such immense fruits to this thin plant! Now if pumpkins were growing… Continue reading How to be wise?
How half-knowledge can mislead us?
A Urdu Folktale A man from the city of Kabul in Afghanistan once visited India. Walking along an Indian street, he came to a sweatmeat shop where all sorts of sweets were neatly displayed. Now the man knew only one or two words of Hindustani. He went up to the vendor of sweets and pointed… Continue reading How half-knowledge can mislead us?
The Tale of Melon City
A Sufi story The ruler of a certain city one day decided that he would like an arch built, so that he could ride under it with all pomp, for the public to see. But when the great moment came, his crown was knocked off while he was passing the arch. It was found that… Continue reading The Tale of Melon City
Tell it to the Walls
A Tamil Folklore A poor widow lived with her two sons and two daughter-in-laws. All four of them scolded and ill-treated her all day. She had no one to whom she could turn and tell her woes. As she kept all her woes to herself, she grew fatter and fatter. Her sons and daughter-in-laws now… Continue reading Tell it to the Walls
What is the mystery of Life and Death?
A Bengali Folklore A young king was stricken with impotence. He became bitter and unhappy. No doctor or medicine could restore to him the pleasures of potency, available even to the poorest man. The sight of beautiful women only made him sick with grief. One day, word reached him that there is a dervish who… Continue reading What is the mystery of Life and Death?
What Happens When You Really Listen?
A Telugu Folktale There was a villager who was uncultured and stupid. He was married to a very cultured woman. She tried various ways of cultivating his taste for the higher things of life, but he just wasn’t interested. Once a great reciter of the grand epic, the Ramayana, came to the village. Every evening,… Continue reading What Happens When You Really Listen?
How are women represented in Indian Folklores?
A Tamil folktale (A Hair-Breadth Escape) Once upon a time there lived a rich landlord. He was very miserly and difficult, and hence nobody was willing to work for him. Soon he had no labour for tilling his lands or filling up his tanks. One day, a holy man visited the landlord and heard about… Continue reading How are women represented in Indian Folklores?
The Crying Cherry Tree
A JAPANESE FOLK-TALE Once upon a time there lived a poor woman in a village. One day as she was praying at the shrine of Lord Buddha a lovely green scarf fluttered down and fell before her. She felt as if she had received Buddha’s blessings. She thanked the Lord and picked up the scarf. … Continue reading The Crying Cherry Tree
Who is a Sufi?
TO BE A SUFI Being a Sufi is to put away what is in your head—imagined truth, preconceptions, conditioning and to face what may happen to you. – [Abu Said] WHAT MUST COME To those who seek truth in conventionalized religion: Until college and minaret have crumbled This holy work of ours will not be… Continue reading Who is a Sufi?
How not to be hopeless?
An Indian Folktale One evening, a merchant was locking the doors of his shop. Suddenly, a young man sprang up from behind and snatched the bag he was holding in his hand that contained the day’s collection from his business. The merchant as well as some passers-by chased the thief and managed to catch him.… Continue reading How not to be hopeless?
What the Devil said?
Once upon a time there was a Dervish. As he was sitting in contemplation, he noticed that there was a sort of Devil near him. The Dervish said: “Why are you sitting there, making no mischief?” The Devil raised its head wearily and said: “Since the theoreticians and intellectuals have appeared in such numbers, there… Continue reading What the Devil said?
Being grounded
An Indian Folktale Once a FARMER and a CLEVER MINDED person got together to do farming jointly. They acquired some farmland. The farmer BARRICADED it with hedging and tilled it and PREPARED for sowing. Then went to the clever one and asked about the details of sharing the harvest. The clever one said, “I shall… Continue reading Being grounded
Melon and Knife
A Kashmiri Folktale There was a King who had a dream one night – a strange dream. He saw that there were three things lying in front of him — a watermelon, a knife and a plate. An invisible hand operated the knife, cutting slices of the melon which fell into the plate one after… Continue reading Melon and Knife