Tuesday, December 9, 2014

10. Hitopadesh -The Monkey And The Temple Bell

Long time ago, in a far village there lived a thief. One night, the thief stole the temple bell and ran to hide in the forest.

The tiger heard the bell sound. He found the thief and killed him. The bell fell on the forest soil.
One afternoon, a troop of monkeys were passing through the same way. They found the bell and took it home.

They all liked the chime and jingle of the bell. They all grew found of it. Every night they sat on hilltop and enjoyed listening to its harmonious sound. But the villagers were afraid of sound.

After few days, villagers found the dead thief. They grew suspicious and thought that an evil spirit which kills humans and then rejoices by ringing bell resides the place.

Soon the terrified villagers started leaving the village.

However, there was a woman in village did not believe this. She decided to find who rings the bell. That night she went to the forest and found the monkeys rang the bell.

Next day, the woman went to the King and said, “Your Majesty! The evil spirit haunting our village can be rescued by worship and rituals. Please grant me money for it, so that I can kill demon and bring happiness in our village.” The king granted the woman her request.

The woman bought various fruits with the money and performed rituals at the temple. Then she took all the fruits and placed them under a tree in the forest where the monkeys lived.

After sometime, when the monkeys came and saw the fruits, they rushed to eat them dropping the bell behind in hurry.

The woman quickly took the bell and ran away. She gave the bell in the King's court.

The King and villagers appreciated the woman for her intelligence and bravery. She was rewarded by the king. The villagers became rid of their fears and lived happily thereafter.


Moral: Intelligence and courage help in succeeding against all odds.

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