Folktales In English

Krishna’s Childhood in Vrindavan: When Yasoda and Nanda found Krishna as their son, they performed all the religious ceremonies in secret, to avoid Kansa’s wrath. The family astrologer, Gargamuni, told the family, “Your son Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He will protect you from Kansa’s persecutions, and by His grace only, you will surpass all difficulties. Therefore raise …

Guru Har Rai passed away on October 6, 1661. Guru Har Krishan consoled the disciples. He asked them not to give way to despair but abide by the will of the Almighty. All should sing God’s praises and not weep or lament. As days went by, the disciples began pouring in from far and near. They were delighted to have …

Guru Hargobind Singh and his unique leadership of the Sikhs after the brutal execution of Guru Arjan by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Guru Hargobind Singh was only 11 years old when he was appointed the Guru. The Sikhs were already a community of people who had a culture that was distinct from all others – Sikhs were a community that …

Guru Arjan Dev: First martyr of Sikh Faith – The death of Guru Arjan Dev was a great event in the history of India, and it gave a new turn to the events in the country. With his martyrdom the attitude of the Sikhs towards life changed. Emulating the Guru, they could now readily give their lives for any cause …

The Ridge Forest: A long time ago, when it was all right for men to hunt animals, there was a man who was known to be a perfect shot. He would always kill a wild animal in one shot. He never missed and he never shot an animal except when he was hungry. The Ridge Forest: Hunter who became conservationist …

When Goddess Lakshmi Begged: Long Long ago there was a king in Jaisalmer whose name was Rawal Prithvi Singh. His kingdom was very prosperous. He built up his capital with latticed windows and large havelis (palaces). He also captured some areas of neighboring kingdoms. But he was not broadminded. His success made him unreasonable, foolish and haughty. When Goddess Lakshmi …

Group of Monkeys: Once upon a time, in the city of , there lived a thief. One day, he stole a temple bell and ran away into jungle. A tiger, who heard the sound of the bell, was curious to know where the sound was coming from. Group of Monkeys, A Bell and A Brave Woman When he saw the …

A Bribe: Once upon a time, in a village near the Banas River there lived side by side a Gurjar and a merchant family. Both were on friendly terms. While the Gurjar was poor but honest, the merchant was cunning and shrewd. Besides his grocery business, the merchant loaned his money on very high interest. A Bribe: Indian Folktale by …

A Ball for Ben Badger: Ben Badger came out of his tunnel and went across the grass to his favourite tree. There he began to sharpen his claws, up and down the trunk. Scratch, scratch, scratch, went Ben, making his claws sharper every minute. Suddenly, as he scratched, something fell plop, right on to his head. Now, Ben’s favourite tree …

The Doctor Who Did Not Cure: An old woman had lost her eyesight completely. So she went to a doctor to help her see again and made a bargain with him in the presence of a few witnesses. The bargain was that: if he could cure her, he would be paid handsomely. But if he couldn’t, she would not be …