Taatayya Kathalu in English

          There was a very powerful king named Midas. He was greedier than he was powerful. He plundered all countries around his kingdom.              Once, while he was worshipping, a deity appeared and said, "Hey king, I am pleased with your prayers. Ask for any wish and I shall grant that." The greedy king humbly replied, "Thank you Deity. Grant me a boon that whatever I touch shall turn into gold." With a smile, the deity said, "So shall it be. From now on whatever you touch shall turn into gold". Midas returned to his palace filled with joy. He wanted to test his new power. He touched a pillar. The entire palace turned into gold. From then on, whatever he touched turned into gold. Although Midas was happy at first, his happiness did not last long.           In hunger, if touched his food, that too turned into gold. Water turned into gold in his touch. Fruits turned into gold. He could not touch an...

              There was a wise king who ruled the ancient kingdom of Banaras. He was getting old and weak. Time had come for his son to take the throne, but the king was worried at the cruel and unworthy acts of the youngster.               The king pleaded with the Rajguru, "Hey learned Acharya, please teach my son good values and kindness. Reform him. He needs to be shaped to be able to take the throne." The Rajguru accepted and started teaching the prince good things. A few weeks later, Rajguru and the prince were strolling in the palace garden. The Rajguru picked up a tender leaf from a small plant and asked the prince to taste it. The prince had just put the leaf in his mouth, and spat it out and started growling with sourness in his mouth. "Rajguru, what is that leaf? Why is it so sour?"              The Rajguru patiently replied, "See my son, if such a tender leaf itself ...

         There was a king who loved hunting as many kings would. He used to ride deep into the forests surrounding his kingdom in search of rare animals and hunted them down. Once he had the chance of hunting a baby white elephant.            The king ordered his men, "Dig a big pit and cover it up with some dried leaves and branches. The baby elephant will definitely fall into the pit. It will be our way to capture it." There was a woodcutter who was also a brave warrior. He was left in charge of the task. As he was almost finished with the task he found the baby elephant playing with its mother and drinking milk from her.          He was very emotionally moved. So, he went to the king and pleaded, "Milord, the baby elephant is so young that it still needs its mother's milk. Please spare the baby and let it live with its mother for some more years." Now, the king felt his error and said, "Let it be so," and...

             Once there lived a king who was very selfish and proud. Every day, the king sacrificed an animal to earn penance.             One day, a hermit came begging at the palace and he asked the cruel king for something to give him. The King said that he had nothing to give to those people who just come for begging. At this, the hermit said, "My Lord, you're killing animals every day to earn penance. When you can't give life to others, you have no right to take away life," and he left. The proudy king realised the truth of life and became the hermit's disciple, giving away all the luxuries of life. Now, he understood the true meaning of life. Moral: NONVIOLENCE IS REAL POWER. *** *** ***

            There was a cruel lion in the forest. He was very greedy too. He tortured other animals because he was mighty. The animals could no longer bear his torture that they came to the lion and pleaded, "Oh lord of the jungle, we humbly request you consider our request.                We are willing to offer one animal a day for you. Please accept and leave us in peace." The lion also accepted this agreement. From then on, one animal was sent to the lion. Once it was the turn of a rabbit. That was a wise rabbit. He started to cook a plan on his way to the lion's den. The rabbit was late to reach the lion. The lion roared in anger, "You tiny fool, how long should I wait for your arrival? I am terribly hungry. Tell me, what made you late?"           The rabbit said in a feeble voice, "Your majesty, I was coming to your palace. On the way, I was pulled by another lion. I had to plead with hi...

         In the kingdom of Patlipura was a royal elephant. The king and the kingdom looked upon the elephant as a national symbol. The elephant was well taken care of. Each day, the servants brought delicious food for the elephant. He was taken to the river for a nice bath. People worshipped him as a deity. They believed that their day would be happy if they happened to see the elephant.           Once, a stray puppy happened to sneak into the elephant shed. The royal elephant treated the puppy with affection. He gave a share of the royal meal. He played with the puppy. Both the royal elephant and the puppy dog had a nice time together. From then on, daily the puppy developed a habit of sneaking into the royal elephant's shed. The royal elephant and the puppy soon became bosom friends. A village boy saw the puppy dog and was attracted by his activity. So, he took the dog to his home and started to rear him. The royal elephant eagerly awa...

         High in the Himalayas was a sacred pond. Many divine creatures lived in the pond. A pair of white swans called Maya and Chaya also lived there. They were very pure and beautiful. They were always together. They never left one another. There was even envy among other swans on the true friendship among these two. There was a kingdom at the foothills of the Himalayas.  The king had once come to the pond on a divine pilgrimage. He saw Maya and Chaya and was attracted by their divine beauty. "It would be fitting for me to have these two swans in my garden," thought the king. When the king returned to his kingdom, he called for his ministers and declared his wish, "Ministers, I saw a pair of swans in a divine pond in the Himalayas. I am so desirous of having them in my royal garden. Make arrangements to bring them to our royal garden at the earliest." The ministers had a conference to execute the wish of their king. They called for the best fowl hunter i...