The Flying Machine

Once Betal joked, "Vikram, I think you need a flying machine to catch me." Saying this he began narrating a story about a flying machine.

A girl called Chandraprabha had decided to marry a great scholar, a warrior, or an inventor. Her family began searching for grooms to fit her choice. Her father met warrior who had won many medals for his show of courage. Impresed, he promised to marry his daughter to the warrior. At the same time, her brother met a brilliant scholar and herhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ng_machine.jpg mother an inventor, and both offered Chandraprabha's hand.

One day, all the three suitors decided to meet Chandraprabha. While the warrior and the scholar came walking, the inventor flew down in his newly made flying machine. An argument started among the father, the brother, and the mother as to which man among the three was the best. Suddenly, they heard loud screams and rushed to see what had happened. They found a huge demon speeding away with Chandraprabha on the flying machine.

While Chandraprabha's parents panicked, the scholar and inventor stood watching helplessly. The warrior attacked the demon with his sword and saved her. Now Chandraprabha wondered which suitor to choose.

So Betal asked Vikram, "Which man did chandraprabha finally marry?" Vikram said, "The warrior, because he risked his life to save her while the other two did nothing ." Hearing the answer, Betal flew away like the flying machine.

The fall of Drona

The fourteenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra was drawing to a close. Drona was unhappy because neither could he capture Yudhisthira nor could he save Jaidrath. So he attacked the Pandava soldiers with more force than ever. Krishna told the Pandavas that http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...l_of_drona.jpgDrona could be killed by a trick. Krishna asked the Pandavas to spread the false news that Drona's son, Ashwatthama, had been killed. Bhima killed an elephant named Ashvattama and shouted, "I have killed Ashvatthama." When Drona heard this, he was full of sorrow. He asked Yudhisthira whether it was true; he knew that Yudhsthira would never lie. Yudhisthira replied, "Yes, Ashvatthama is dead, but the elephant not your son." But Krishna asked the drummers to beat the drums when Yudhisthira spoke the last part of the sentences, so Drone couldn't hear it. He sat mourning his son's death and Dhrishtadyumna who had been born to kill Drona, cut his head off .

The End of Jaidratha

Arjuna came to know that his son, Abhimanyu, had been killed against the code of war. He was told that Jaidratha was resposible for it. Arjuna was grief-stricken and furious. He took a vow- either he would end Jaidratha's life before the sun set on the fourteenth day or kill himself. On the fourteenth day the Kaurava army was so arranged as to protect Jaidratha. But Arjuna cut through the array of soldiers and reached Jaidratha. But just as he was going to kill him. there was darkness. The Kauravas were happy that the sun had set and Arjuna would now have to kill himself. Arjuna was sorrowful, but Krishna told Arjuna to be ready. The sun reappeared for a few minutes and Arjuna killed Jaidratha.

The Dreamer

Once again, Vikram picked up Betal and put him on his shoulder. Betal began a story. There was a rich man called Dhanilal. his http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...the_deamer.jpgrelative, Chandu, lived with him. Chandu was young but lazy. One afternoon when he was sleeping, he dreamt that he was a rich man and Dhanilal his servant. In his sleep he spoke, "Dhanilal, you are my servant, come here." Dhanilal, who was nearby, heard this. He got very angry and threw Chandu out of the house. Chandu then went to a sage and asked him to make him rich. The sage gave him a mantra and said, "Whenever you dream of something, if you want it to become true, chant this mantra." Chandu was happy ; he went to sleep. He dreamt that Dhanilal was saying sorry and wanted Chandu to marry his daughter. Chandu woke and chanted the mantra.

At once, his dream came true. Chandu became Dhanilal's son-in-law and started living in his house. Dhanilal gave Chandu some money with which he started a business. One night he dreamt that he had become a rich businessman. He woke up and chanted the mantra. His business flourished and he earned a lot of wealth. But the other businessman did not respect him. One day Chandu dreamt that he had become king. When he woke he didn't chant the mantra. He went to the saint and gave back his boon. Betal asked , "Why did he do that?" Vikram replied, "Chandu had realised that without hard work he could earn money but not the respect of others." Betal said, "You are right, but you spoke , so here I go."

The Devoted Student

Sage Dhoumya lived in his ashram or hermitage in the forest. He had three students- Aruni, Upmanyu, and Ved. Aruni lived in the ashram.
One day Aruni was returning to the ashram after collecting firewood http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ed_student.jpgfrom the forest. It was a cold and windy day. It was raining heavily and the fields were full of water. While he was crossing the field, Aruni saw that at the far end, a barrier of earth had been built to stop water from entering the fields and destroying the crops. But to his dismay, there was a gap in the barrier and water was leaking through it.
Aruni realised that if the leakage was not stopped immediately, the water would enter the fields and destroy the crops. He decided to rush to the ashram, leave the firewood there, and then come back and tried to put some mud and straw in the gap. But the pressure of the water was very strong and washed away the mud.
Meanwhile, in the ashram, sage Dhoumya was worried that it was getting dark and Aruni had not returned. At night, along with the other students he set out to look for Aruni . As sage Dhoumya called Aruni's name, he heard a faint reply. They reached the spot and found Aruni lying on the mound of earth to stop the water from leaking . He was shivering with cold. His teacher was very happy to see his act of devotion. Sage Dhoumya took Aruni back to the ashram and made him warm and comfortable. He declared that he would be famous for his act of devotion.

The Magic Bowl

While the Pandavas were in exile, one day, the sun god gave Yudhisthira the bowl of plenty (akshaypatra) and said , "Give this to Draupadi. Once a day, she can take out as much food as she http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...magic_bowl.jpgwants until she herself has eaten. Till then, this bowl will not run empty."

One day, Sage Durvasa and his disciples were passing through the forest. They came to the hut and asked Draupadi for some food. Draupadi had already eaten and she knew that the bowl wouldn't yield any more food.

Draupadi did not want to turn away the holy sages without food and prayed to Krishna, who came and said, "Give me some food." Draupadi said, "This is no time for jokes, please help me feed the guests." Krishna said, "That is why I ask for food." One grain of rice was left in the bowl, Which she gave to Krishna. Krishna was satisfied, and surprisingly the guests too were satisfied. They left without asking for food.

The Great Sacrifice

Shibi Rana was a great king. He was famous for his truthfulness, justice and keeping his word.

One day the gods decided to test him. Once, the king saw an eagle http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._sacrifice.jpgchasing a dove. The dove was frantically looking for a place to hide and came and settled in the king's lap. The dove said "Oh king, please save my life." The king had take a vow to protect anyone who took his shelter. Shibi Rana hid the dove in his lap. When the eagle saw this, he said, "Oh king, you have hidden my prey. Please leave the dove and let me satisfy my hunger."

The king wanted to protect the dove but at the same time, he did not want to deprive the eagle of his prey. He offered to give the eagle the same amount of meat in return. The eagle demanded flesh from the king's right thigh on the condition that not a tear should fall from his eye while his thigh is cut. The king thought that cutting away a little flesh from his body would not kill him and the dove would also be saved at the same time, so he agreed. The dove was placed on one side of a balance and the king's flesh was added, the dove was always heavier. A small tear appeared in the king's left eye. When the eagle confronted him, the king explained that the left thigh. At this, the eagle and the dove vanished.

Shibi Rana had passed the test and the gods blessed him.

The Great Teacher

One day the princess' of Hastinapur were playing together and their ball fell into a well. Then a ring, too, fell into the well The princess peered into the well but didn't know how to get them out.

Acharya Drona, who was standing nearby saw all this and said , " It is a shame that princess like you are not able to do such a small thing ." He picked up a blade of grass and shot it at the ball in the well. The blade got stuck to the ball. Then he shot another blade, which stuck to the end of the first blade. In this way, he made a chain of grass blades, which reached the top of the well.

He then pulled out the ball with it. Then he shot an arrow at the ring in the well. The arrow sprung back, and brought the ring with it. The princess' were very happy .

Bhishma felt that Acharya Drona was skilled enough to teach the princes archery and warfare and later made him the princes' teacher.

The Greatest Sacrifice

As Vikram carried Betal, Betal started telling him another story.

Once Virsen the king's guard, saw a woman crying. He asked her the reason, and she replied, "I am the goddess who protects the king. A http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._sacrifice.jpgdemon has defeated me, so I will not be able to protect the king anymore. His life can be saved if you sacrifice your son to Kali ." Virsen told this to his son who was ready to be sacrificed, so Virsen cut his head in front of Goddess Kali's idol. Virsen's wife was so heartbroken that she killed herself. Virsen was left all alone so he killed himself too. When the king heard about this, he felt guilty and killed himself .

Betal asked Vikram, "Whose sacrifice was the greatest?" Vikram replied, "The king's. The son died because it was his duty, Virsen and his wife died because they lost their son, the king however had no reason to die." Betal heard this and flew away.

The Honest Girl

Vikram put Betal on his shoulders and Betal started a new story. A king wanted his son to marry the princess of the neighbouringhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...onest_girl.jpg kingdom. He asked him to disguise himself as a merchant and find out if she loved someone else. The prince went to the kingdom and stayed at an inn, but he fell ill. The innkeeper's beautiful daughter looked after him. The prince fell in love with her. But he wanted to fulfil his task. He told her, "The prince of the neighbouring kingdom is my friend. He wants to marry the princess. Ask her if she loves someone else." When the innkeeper's daughter asked the princess, she said that she didn't love anyone else. The girl came to know that the merchant was really the prince, she could have told him that the princess was in love with someone else, but she told him the truth. Betal said , "Vikram did the prince marry the girl?" Vikram replied, "Yes, because she had been honest." Betal said, "That is the right answer but you spoke, so here I go."

The Hunter's Fast

One day, a hunter named Suswara went hunting to the forest. At http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ges/hunter.jpgnightfall it became very dark so he could not return home. He had to spend the night in the forest. He climbed a bael tree for safety.

That night happened to be Shivaratri. Due to hunger and thirst, he could not sleep all night. He wept thinking about his wife and children. He spent the entire night plucking leaves from the bael tree and throwing them on the ground. When it was morning he returned home.

Many years passed. At the time of the death, two messengers of Shiva came to take him to heaven. This was because that night of Shivaratri that he had spent in the forest, he had unknowingly worshipped Shiva. There was a Shivalinga under the bael tree that he had climbed up. His tears had washed the Shivalinga and the bael leaves that he had thrown from the tree had fallen on it. He had even fasted all day and all night.

The Imperial Yajna

Once Narada visited Yudhisthira and said, "Your father, Pandu, who is in heaven, wants you to perform the imperial yajna after which you will become samrata (emperor)." Yudhisthira asked Sage http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...rial_yajna.jpgVyasa to guide him. Vyasa sent the rest of the Pandavas in different direction to conquer the kingdoms that were ruled by the Pandavas' enemies. They came back after bravely defeating their enemies and brought a lot of wealth that could be used for the yajna. Yudhisthira invited many guests including sages and kings. Krishna also graced the occasion with his presence. Sage Dhaumya was made the royal priest for the Yajna. Yudhisthira performed all the rituals. Offerings were made to the gods. Brahmins were given gifts and the yajna was completed successfully. All the elders blessed Yudhisthira and he became the samrata.

The Intelligent Beggar

Two sages lived in an ashram. One day, after their prayers, when they were about to eat their food, a beggar came to them. He begged for food but the sages refused saying they had no food for him.

The beggar asked, "O respected saints , may I ask you , whom do you worship?" They replied, "We worship pawan, the wind god, who is also prana (the breath of life)." He then asked, "Whom did you offer this food to before eating it yourself ?" They said "We offered it to pawan or prana."

At this, the beggar said, "I hope you know that prana is present in all living creatures."

The sages replied , "Yes, we know that." The beggar then said, "By denying food to prana who is present in me and for whom you have prepared it, you are also denying your offerings to Him" The sages listened carefully to what the beggar was saying.

The sages were very ashamed at their ignorance and offered to share their food with the beggar.

The Journey to Heaven

After ruling over Hastinapur for many years, Yudhisthira wanted to leave the kingdom. Parikshit, Abhimanyu's son, was crowned the new king and the Pandavas and Draupadi set out for the http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._to_heaven.jpgHimalayas. They dressed like hermits and set out to visit many holy places across the country. Finally, they reached the foothills of the Himalayas and started climbing the mountains. Somewhere along the way, a dog started following them.

The Pandavas crossed many mountains and reached Himadri, the highest range of the mountains. The mountains were very steep and were covered with snow. The Pandavas started the difficult climb. Since it was difficult to walk on snow. Draupadi and all the Pandavas, except Yudhisthira, found it very difficult to continue on the journey. Draupadi was the first to fall to the ground and die on the way. She was followed by Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna, and finally Bhima. Only Yudhisthira and the dog adamantly continued marching ahead.

The Just King

Vikram pulled Betal down from the tamarind tree and started walking. Betal began a story. Once there was a prince who had http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._just_king.jpgtwo friends, Bansi and Gopi. Bansi was a soldier so he was appointed as the prince's guard. The three once happened to pass a forest. Suddenly a tiger attacked the prince, and Bansi saved his life. After some time, a leopard attacked the prince. This time, Gopi saved him because Bansi was walking ahead. When they returned, the prince told his father what happened. The king rewarded Gopi but not Bansi. Betal asked Vikram "Did the king act justly?" Vikram replied , "The king was just in his actions. He did not reward Bansi because saving the prince was his duty. In fact, he neglected his duty the second time. But Gopi deserve the reward for he did something that was not his duty to perform." Betal said, "You are right . But you spoke, so here I go."

The Kauravas

The Kauravas were princes of Hastinapur and the sons of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra and Pandu were brothers. Pandu, even though he was younger, was made king http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...e_kauravas.jpgbecause Dhritarashtra was blind. But after his death, Dhritarashtra become the king of Hastinapur.

Gandhari wanted a hundred sons, and pleased with her Sage Vyasa granted her a boon that her wish would be fulfilled. But she gave birth to a lump of flesh. Sage vyasa cut this lump into a hundred and one pieces, and they developed into a hundred boys and one girl. They were called the Kauravas. The eldest was Duryodhana and the second brother was Dusshasan. The kauravas were jealous of the Pandavas, the sons of Pandu, and were always fighting with them .

The King's Guilt

Vikram placed Betal on his shoulder and started waking. And Betal began a story.

Once, a learned man, Shridutt, visited King Chadersen's court. The king was impressed by Shridutt's wisdom and intelligence. When http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...%27s_guilt.jpgShridutt took his leave, the pleased king gave him a precious necklace. On his way home, a robber killed Shridutt and took the necklace. On his way home, a robber killed Shridutt and took the necklace away from him. The king's soldiers came to know about this and arrested the robber. The robber was hanged on the king's orders. But the king was very unhappy and blamed himself for shridutt's death, had he not given Shridutt the necklace, he wouldn't have been killed. The king felt guilty and cursed himself all day. He could not eat or sleep properly and became ill. All the royal doctors failed to cure him .

One day, the queen called for a doctor who was also a scholar. The doctor said that he had the power to bring Shridutt back to life. The king was happy to hear that but asked the doctor if he could bring the robber also back to life. The doctor said that through his powers he could bring only one person to life.

At this, the king said, "If you can't bring the robber to life then don't bring Shridutt to life either." Betal asked Vikram , "Why did the king say that?" Vikram replied , "the king thought that if shridutt can be alive, why should the robber he punished for his murder." Betal said, "You are right , but you broke your silence , so here I go." saying so, Betal flew away.

The King's Judgement

Once again, Vikram got Betal down from the tree. As he was carrying him, Betal narrated another story. King Chandradeva was a just king. One day, a neighbouring king threatened to attack http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._judgement.jpghim. Chandradeva did not want a war because it would lead to the death of many of his soldiers. Chandradeva asked the neighbouring king to fight with him. Whoever won, could take over the other's kingdom. The neighbouring king agreed. Chandradeva won but he did not take over the neighbouring kingdom and spared the king's life .

After a few days. Chandradeva went to a forest, where a lion attacked him. A thief who was hiding in the forest saved his life. The thief hoped that Chandradeva would reward him. Instead Chandradeva had him hanged.

Betal asked Vikram , "Chandradeva spared the neighbouring king who was his enemy and hanged the thief who saved his life. Was the king's judgement right?"

Vikram replied , "Chandradeva was right in judgement. A king's first duty is to think about the welfare of his kingdom. By forgiving the neighbouring king, he made sure that there would be no thefts in his kingdom."

Betal said , "You are right." But you broke your silence and here I go." Betal flew back back to his tree.

The Lac Palace

Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, was made the yuvaraja (crown prince) of Hastinapur as he was the eldest prince. This made Duryodhana jealous. With the help of his uncle, Shakuni, he made a http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...lac_palace.jpgplan to kill the Pandavas. They persuaded the Pandavas to attened a grand fair in the town of Varnavat. Duryodhana had a lac palace built for them. Lac burns very easily. He had planned that when the Pandavas were sleeping in the palace, one of his men would set it on fire and they would be burnt to death. Vidura, the prime minister, came to know of this plot and warned the Pandavas to escape. The Pandavas and their mother Kunti, stayed in the palace on fire. The Pandavas safely escaped through the tunnel and Duryodhana thought that they had died in the fire

The Legend of Brahma's Four Heads

Brahma, the creator of the universe, is depicted as having four heads, though originally he had five.

While creating the universe Brahma made a beautiful woman andhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._four_head.jpg named her Satarupa. But Brahma was changed by his own creation. He had never before seen such a fine beauty. To enable himself to see her from all angles he gave himself a second, third, and fourth head. Wherever Satarupa went she found Brahma's eyes staring at her. Disgusted, she rose skywards and in order to see her, Brahma created a fifth head for himself.

Lord Shiva, the destroyer, was watching all this and Brahma's actions greatly angered him. He felt that as Brahma had created Satarupa, she was like his daughter and it was his duty to protect her.

He felt that it was wrong on Brahma's part to be in love with her and to teach him a lesson Shiva struck off Brahma's fifth head.

The Marriage of Kartikeya

King Nambirajan prayed to Shiva for a daughter. One day, while he was in the forest, he found a baby girl. He brought her up as http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._kartikeya.jpghis daughter and called her Valli. When she grew up, Kartikeya disguised himself as a bangle seller and went to her palace. He started talking to Valli. Valli's brothers who were very brave and strong saw this. They did not like their sister talking to a man. When Kartikeya saw Valli's angry brothers, he escaped by becoming a tree stump. Kartikeya went to Valli again, this time disguised as a tribal king, but when he saw her brothers he became a saint and escaped. Kartikeya wanted desperately to ask for Valli's hand in marriage. He asked his brother Ganesha to help him. One day when Valli was outdoors, Ganesha disguised himself as a wild elephant and attacked her. Kartikeya saved her life and then asked her to marry him. Valli gladly consented and then got married .

The Marriage of Shiva and Parvati

The king of the Himalayas, Himavantha and his wife, Menadevi were devotees of Shiva. They wanted a daughter who would grow up to be the wife of Shiva. So Menadevi performed tapasya to please Gauridevi, wife of Shiva. She sat and prayed for days on end, without any food and water. Pleased, Gauridevi promised to be born as Menadevi's daughter.

Gauridevi jumped into fire and died. She was then reborn as http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...va_parvati.jpgMenadevi's daughter and was named Parvati. The first word that she uttered was 'Shiva.' She grew up to be a beautiful woman. Meanwhile, Shiva who was very sad at the death of his wife had started a long meditation. Himavantha was worried that Shiva would not accept Parvati as his wife as he was in deep meditation and requested Narada to solve his problem. Narada told him that Parvati could win Shiva over through prayers. So Himavantha sent Parvati to the place where Shiva was meditating. Day and night Parvati worshipped and served Shiva.

Though pleased with her devotion, Shiva decided to test her. He designed himself as a young Brahmin and told Parvati that would it be good for her to marry Shiva who lived like a beggar and had nothing. Parvati got very angry when she heard these words about Shiva. She told him that she would marry no one but Shiva. Pleased with her answer Shiva came back to his real form and agreed to marry Parvati. Himavantha performed the wedding with great splendour.

The Merchant's Son

There was a rich merchant who longed for a son. He prayed to Shiva who blessed him with a son but said that he Would live http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...d_merchant.jpgonly for twelve years. The merchant started praying and fasting with more devotion .

When his son was eleven years old, he sent him to Kashii for spiritual education. On the way, the boy stopped at the capital where the princess was getting married. The groom's father wanted to hide the fact that his son was one-eyed and asked the merchant's son to pose as the groom. After the wedding, the merchant's son wrote the truth on a scarf. He gave it to the princess and went to Kashi. When the princess read the scarf, she refused to accept the one-eyed groom and waited for the merchant's son.

When the merchant's son completed twelve years, he died. But Shiva was pleased with the merchant's devotion and brought his son back to life. His son returned bringing the princes as his wife.

The Miracle

When Duryodhana won Draupadi in the dice game, he asked his brother Dushasana to bring Draupadi. Dushasana grabbed Draupadi by her hair and dragged her to court. Draupadi appealed to everyone, "I am the honour of this family. Why is everybody sitting http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...he_miracle.jpgand watching me being disgraced? When Yudhisthira had lost himself in the game, did he have any right to stake me?"

The Pandavas could not do anything, as they were now servants of Duryodhana. Karna asked Dushasana to strip Draupadi of her clothes. Dushasana caught hold of one end of her sari and started pulling it. Helpless, Draupadi prayed to Krishna. To everyone's amazement, Dushasana kept pulling the sari but it would not end. In this way Krishna saved the honour of his devotee.

The Snake Sacrifice

After the death of Parikshit, his son Janmejaya became the king of Hastinapur. Janmejaya wanted to avenge his father's death and wanted to kill Takshaka. He decided to organise a snake sacrifice. Accordingly, a http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._sacrifice.jpgsacrificial fire was burnt where the holy priests chanted the names of different snakes.

As a result, the snakes became powerless and fell into the sacrificial fire one by one and perished. The great snake sacrifice continued for many days and hundreds and thousands of snakes emerged from everywhere and surrendered to the sacrificial fire. Everyone waited for Takshaka but he was missing. Everyone, including the priests and Janmejay were puzzled, as they did not know that Takshaka had gone to Indra for protection.

The Sensitive Queens

Vikram went back to the tree and put Betal on his shoulders again. Betal started telling him another story.

King Jaipal had three queens. Each of them was very beautiful, http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../sensetive.jpgsensitive, and fragile. One day, the first queen was wounded when a flower from her hair fell on her thigh. Another night when the king took the second queen to the terrace, the moon light burned her skin. Another day when the third queen heard someone weeping in the next room, she became pale and fainted.

Betal asked Vikram, among the three queens who is most sensetive. Vikram replied, "The third queen was the most sensitive to the suffering of others are truly sensitive." Betal was very happy with the answer. He said , "You are great, but you always make the mistake of breaking your silence. So I can't go with you." Saying this, Betal flew back to the tree.

The Sacrifice

As Vikram carried Betal, he narrated another story. One day, a king went hunting in the forest and lost his way. A man named http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../sacrifice.jpgRajdeep helped. The king made him his guard. One day, Rajdeep met a beautiful girl Deepti and asked her to marry him. Deepti agreed and Rajdeep took her to the king. On meeting the king, Deepti asked him to marry her. On hearing this, Rajdeep was hurt, but he agreed. The king asked her, "Why do you want to marry me instead of Rajdeep?" Deepti replied , "Because I want to live in a palace." The king gave Rajdeep a palace and asked Deepti to marry him. Betal asked Vikram , "Whose sacrifice was greater , the king's or Rajdeep's?"

Vikram replied, "The king's because Rajdep was only being loyal to his master and even if he wanted he couldn't stop Deepti from marrying the king." Betal heard this and flew away.

The Royal Competition

One day, Drona decided to hold a competition in which the Kauravas and the Pandavas could display their skills. The princes' demonstrated their expertise in using weapons like bow and http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ompetition.jpgarrow, sword, spear, and mace. There was a fierce mace fight between Bhima and Duryodhana. Arjuna impressed everyone by shooting blindfolded, creating fire and rain with arrows. Pleased, Drona declared that no one could match Arjuna. At this, a young man named Karna came forward and repeated everything that Arjuna had done. He challanged Arjuna. Drona said that an ordinary man could not compete with a prince. Duryodhana who was jealous of Arjuna immediately declared Karna the king of Angadesha. But the fight could not take place as the sun had set. Karna was actually a son of Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas .

The Right Suitor

Betal narrated another story to Vikram. Three men Mohan, Sohan, and Rohan loved a girl named Manju. But before she could choose anyone of them, she died. The man decided to devote http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ght_suitor.jpgtheir lives to her memory. Mohan started living near Ganga. Sohan always kept Manju's ashes with him. Rohan started staying with a Brahmin. One day, the Brahmin's wife died. The Brahmin put some water from the Ganga on his wife's ashes and chanted a mantra. His wife became alive.

Rohan watched the whole incident. He learnt the mantra and decided to bring Manju back to life. Sohan brought Manju's ashes, Mohan put water from the Ganga on her and Rohan chanted the mantra. Thus, Manju came back to life. Betal asked Vikram, "Whom should Manju marry?" Vikram replied , "Manju should marry Sohan because if he had not kept the ashes, the mantra could not bring her back to life." Hearing this, Betal flew away.

The Rich Man's Servant

As Vikram carried Betal on his shoulders. Betal started telling him a story.

There was once a very rich man called Dhaniram who was a miser http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/servant.jpgand never donated money for charity. When his servant Rameshwar asked him to do some charity. Dhaniram said that he did not want to be known as a charitable person. So Rameshwar asked for some money from Dhaniram and used it to set up a water tank for travellers. Everyone praised Rameshwar. He took more money from Dhaniram and built a small inn where travellers could rest. He again asked for money and this time made free food available at the inn.

One day, Dhaniram died and Rameshwar had no source of money. He started charging a fee for the services. The travellers got very angry and killed Rameshwar. Betal asked Vikram, "Tell me, who was resposible for the death of Rameshwar, Dhaniram or the travellers?" Vikram replied, "Rameshwar himself was responsible for his death. He should have made arrangements for the time when there would be no money to run the inn. Either he should have charged a small fee from the beginning or should not have charged anything even later. " Betal said, "You are very wise. This is the right answer. But you answered the question so I will not go with you." Saying this Betal flew back to his tree.

The Reformed Dacoit

Betal narrated another story while Vikram was carrying him.

Once, there lived a gang of robbers in a forest. Their leader was http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...med_robber.jpgUgrasen, who was very cruel. They used to loot the nearby villages. After some years, Ugrasen's wife gave birth to a baby boy. Ugrasen loved him very much and played with him all the time. Slowly his heart began to soften. One night, he dreamt that the King's soldiers had killed him and his son was orphaned. When he woke up he was reformed and decided to surrender. The other dacoits did not like this idea and threatened to kill his wife and son. Ugrasen fled with his wife and son and went to the king. The king forgave him.

Betal asked Vikram, "Was the king right in forgiving Ugrasen?" Vikram replied, "Yes, Ugrasen had surrendered on his own. This shows that he was reformed." Betal heard this and flew away since once again, Vikram had spoken aloud.

The Reformation of Duraasadana

When Shiva and Parvati killed Bhasmasura the demon, his son Duraasadana was very angry. He performed a long tapasya and obtained the boon of immortality from Shiva. Scared by this, all the http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...uraasadana.jpggods left heaven and hid in Kasi. Duraasadana followed them to Kashi and so they went to Kedarnath. There, the gods prayed to Parvati. An avatar of Ganesha, Vakratunda, with five faces and ten hands, came out of Parvati's face. She gave him a lion to ride. Vakratunda went and fought with Duraasadana. He assumed his huge form (viswaroop) and placed his foot on Duraasadana's head to remove all his evil thoughts. Duraasadana was reformed and Vakratunda gave him the duty of removing evil, henceforth.

The Proud Gods

The demons once defeated the gods and started ruling the world. They caused a lot of destruction. The gods went to the all http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...proud_gods.jpgpowerful Brahma, the creator of the universe. Brahma blessed them and asked them to fight the demons again. This time the gods won and got their kingdom back.

The gods started celebrating their victory and forgot their duties. They became very proud forgetting that they had won because of Brahma's blessings. Brahma decided to teach them a lesson and sent a Yaksa (demi-god) to their kingdom .

When Indra, the king of gods, saw the Yaksha, he sent Agni, The god of fire, to him. Agni said, "I am the powerful god who can burn anything, " The Yaksha gave him a blade of grass and asked him, "Can you burn this?" Agni laughed and said, "This is such a small thing, I can burn it in a second ." Agni tried to burn the blade but failed. Ashamed, Agni returned.

Then Indra sent Pawan, the god of wind. Pawn told him that he was a powerful god who could blow away anything. The Yaksha gave him the same blade of grass and asked him, Can you blow this away?" He placed the blade on his palm and blew at it, but couldn't even move it. he also returned in shame.

Indra then went himself. The Yaksha said, "You gods have become so proud that you do not recognise that I am Brahma's messenger. I have come to make you realise that it is the most powerful and who made you win. Now leave your pride and fulfill your duties."

The Prophecy

As Vikram lifted Betal on his shoulders once again. Betal told Vikram another story.

Once, there lived a woodcutter who was very hardworking but poor. http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...woodcutter.jpgHe asked a sage, "Will I ever become rich?" The sage read his palm and said, "No matter how hard you work, you will never become rich. If you become rich, you will die." The woodcutter was disheartened, but he continued to work hard. One day, he found a pot of gold in the forest. He remembered the sage's prophecy but thought , "One day everyone has to die, and it is no use leaving this pot here. "He took the gold with him and used it to help the villagers. He did not die early and lived a long life. Betal asked Vikram, "Was the Sage's prophecy wrong?" Vikram replied ,"No Since the woodcutter did not spend the gold on himself, he was not actually rich and therefore he did not die." Betal said, "Very good, but I have to go."

The Pandavas Get Half the Kingdom

After the marriage of the Pandavas, Vidura went to Pancala and told them, Bhisma, Drona, King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari, all went you to return to Hastinapur." But the Pandavas http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...lf_kingdom.jpgwere not sure if they would be safe near Duryodhana. Krishna advised Vidura to divide Hastinapur between the Kauravas and Pandavas to ensure peace. The Pandavas went to Hastinapur and were given a warm welcome. Dhritarashtra told Yudhisthira, "The throne of Hastinapur belongs to you. But when your father Pandu died, you were very young so I was made king. Due to this, Duryodhana wants to be king. So everybody has decided to give you half the kingdom." Yudhisthira agreed and became the ruler of half the kingdom with its capital in Indraprastha.

The Pandavas

The Pandavas were the princes of Hastinapur. The reason they were so called was because they were the sons of Pandu, the king of Hastinapur. The first three Pandavas - Yudhishtira, Bhima, http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...e_pandavas.jpgand Arjuna - were the sons of Pandu's first wife, Kunti, and the youngest Pandavas- Nakula and Sahadeva - were the sons of Madri, Pandu's second wife. King Pandu and Madri had died, so Kunti brought them up. All the five brothers had great qualities. They were brave and intelligent. They had learnt many arts and mastered weaponry. Yudhisthira, the eldest, was known for his truthfulness and fond of eating. Arjuna was a great archer and was a favourite with his elders. There was a lot of love and brotherhood among them.

The Obidient Student

Eklavya was a tribal boy who wanted to learn to be a good archer. Acharya Drona, the royal teacher refused to teach him. Eklavya http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...nt_student.jpgmade a clay statue of Drona. Every day he practiced in front of the statue and soon became a good archer.

One day, when Eklavya was practicing, a dog started barking. He shot many arrows in its mouth. But he did it in such a manner that not a drop of blood came out. Drone, who was nearby, saw this and was impressed. He was sure that only a great archer could do that. He started searching for the archer and found Eklavya practicing nearby.

Drone went up to him and asked him, "Who is your teacher?" Eklavya answered "You are my teacher," and showed him the statue. Drone said , "Give me your right thumb as my fees." Eklavya knew that without his right thumb he could not shoot, but he cut off his right thumb and gave it to his teacher.

The Noble Robber

Betal narrated another story while Vikram was carrying him. Anand was a minister in the king's court. He loved a girl called Anju. But when he came to know that Anju's marriage had already been arranged with someone else, he was disappointed and decided never to marry.

When Anju came to know about Anand's pledge, she wrote him a lhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../noble_man.jpgetter saying that she would come to meet him after her wedding. On her wedding night, she told her husband about Anand and went to his house. On the way, a robber tried to take her jewels away. She told him that she would return after a while and he could take her jewellery then. The robber let her go.

When Anand saw Anju he thought that if he accepted another man's wife, the king would punish him. So he asked her to return to her husband.

Anju decided to go back to her husband. on the way, She met the robber and told him her story. She even offered her jewels. The robber was good at heart. he did not accept the jewels and escorted Anju to her house. When Anju went back to her husband , he refused to accept her. With nowhere to go, Anju killed herself.

Betal asked Vikram, "Who was the only noble man among the three?" Vikram replied, "The robber was the only noble man because he helped a girl in trouble at a time when he could have easily robbed her." Betal heard this and flew away since Vikram had spoken aloud.

The Mountain Bows

There were two mountains, Vindhya and Meru. The sun used to go around Meru but not Vindhya. This made Vindhya jealous. He http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ntain_bows.jpgasked the sun to encircle him but was refused. In anger, Vindhya grew and touched the sky. He blocked the sun. The earth was plunged in darkness. Without sunlight, creatures started to die. The gods went to Sage Agastya for help. Agastya promised to help. Vindhya knew he could not defeat Agastya and so he decided to please him, he bowed his head in respect and invited him to stay. Agastya said, "I have to go for some important work. Stay in this position till I return." Vindhya realised his mistake, but he could not disobey a sage and stayed bowed. Agastya never returned. Now the sun's rays reached the earth and all was well again.

The Mischief of Lord Mars

A couple was once travelling through a forest. When Mars saw the beautiful wife he felt like getting up to some mischief. He took the form of the husband and went to the couple. He asked the wife http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._lord_mars.jpgto go with him. The Husband became angry and they started fighting. Some villagers came to see what was going on, but nobody could tell who the real husband was.

One of the villagers realised that some heavenly spirit had taken the form of the husband. He brought an earthen pot with a spout and said, "Whoever can enter this pot through this spout is the real husband." At this the real husband said that it was an unfair test, he could never enter the pot. But Mars knew how to change the shape of his body small and entered the pot through the spout. The villager closed the pot and Mars was trapped in it and the real husband took his wife with him.