The Story of Brains Over Beauty

As Vikram lifted Betal, Betal started narrating another story. A merchant had two sons, Sudhakar and Dayakar. While Sudhakar was handsome, Dayakar was intelligent. After their father's death the business went to Dayakar. One day , a rich man came with the proposal of getting his daughters married. Sudhakar married one daughter, but the other refused to marry Dayakar. Dayakar vowed to marry a more beautiful girl.

Sudhakar wrongfully acquired the property and Dayakar promised to return only after becoming richer. One day, he saved a rich merchant, and he offered him employment. The merchant had an ugly daughter who used to be ill-treated while everybody liked his helper's beautiful daughter. Both wanted to marry Dayakar.

Betal asked Vikram, "Which girl did Dayakar choose?" Vikram replied, "The merchant's daughter, because she needed better treatment."

The War Ends

The Pandavas wanted to kill Ashvattama for the merciless manner in which he had killed their dear ones in the middle of the night. Draupadi was devastated since all her sons had been killed by http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...s/war_ends.jpgAshvattama. The Pandavas wanted revenge and searched for him and finally found him in Sage Vyasa's hermitage. Bhima fought a duel with Ashvattama and the latter finally accepted defeat.

The war finally ended after eighteen days. Dhrithrashtra was devastated when he heard that Duryodhana had died. He was also furious when he heard how Ashvattama had killed Draupadi's sons. Vidura and Sage Vyasa consoled Dhrithrashtra by saying that the war had to happen. Gandhari too was very sad but blessed the Pandavas, who had emerged victorious.

Finally, the Pandavas went to the banks of the Ganga to perform the last rites of those who had lost their lives in the war.

Tilottama

Sunda and Upasunda were two demon brothers. They were cursed to die at each other's hands but they loved each other too much that they can't inflict any pain on the other. Tired of the destruction they had caused on earth, Brahma approached Vishwakarma, the heavenly architect, to find a solution. They decided to create a http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...s/tilotoma.jpgwoman so beautiful that nobody could take their eyes off her. Accordingly, Vishwakarma created the exquistly beautiful Tilottama, seeing whom even Shiva could not remove his gaze. Brahma then instructed her to meet the demons. Tilottama appeared before the demons and seeing her, both brothers fell for her charms. They both wanted to marry her and thus, a fierce enmity followed. They took up arms against each other and died fighting. Unfortunately, Tilottama's charms kept captivating one and all. So Brahma gave curse that nobody would be able to cast his eyes on her for too long.

Trayambakeshwar Jyotirling

Sage Gautama and his beautiful wife, Ahilya, lived in an ashram. The other sages' wives hated Ahilya. They asked their husbands to get Gautama and Ahilya to leave the ashram. The saints performed http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...jyotirling.jpga tapasya to please Ganesha. When he appeared they asked him to help them get Gautama out. Ganesha became a cow and started grazing in Gautama's fields. Gautama hit the cow with a small stick. But with a light blow, it dies. All the sages called Gautama a sinner; they asked him to leave the ashram. Sadly, he left with his wife. He prayed to Shiva for forgiveness. Shiva appeared before him and told him the truth. At first, Gautama wanted to punish the sages for their misdeed, but he forgave them as it was because of them that he could see Shiva. He asked Shiva to stay there forever. Shiva consented, and became the Trayambakeshwar Jyotirling.

Trishanku's Heaven

King Trishanku went to his guru Vashistha and said, "please help me perform a ritual by which I can go to heaven while I am still alive." Vashistha replied, "It is a law that no living person can go to http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...kus_heaven.jpgheaven. Go and do good deeds and you will go to heaven when you die." Disappointed, Trishanku requested Vashistha's sons to help him. They got angry, "How can you ask us something that our father has already denied? We curse you to become old." Trishanku immediately turned old." He went to the great sage, Vishwamitra, for help. Vishwamitra promised to fulfil his wish. Vishwamitra performed a big Yajna; he chanted mantras and made offerings to gods. But the gods did not want anyone to break a law and enter heaven alive; they did not accept the offerings. Vishwamitra was furious and said , "I will send you to heaven by my own powers. Rise Trishanku. " As he said this, Trishanku began to rise and reached the gates of heaven. The gods stopped him and said, "You can't come to heaven alive. Fall back to earth." Trishanku started falling back. Vishwamitra said, "Don't fall! Stay!" And Trishanjku hung between heaven and earth. Then Vishwamitra said, " I will create another heaven for Trishanku ." He created the stars and as he was going to create another Indra, the gods stopped him saying , "Don't do this unnatural thing. " By this time, Vishwamitra had cooled down. He agreed to stop but said, "I have to keep my promise. Trishanku will live with these stars." The gods agreed but declared that Trishanku would live in his heaven upside down.

Vikram, Betal, and the king sage

Once more Betal was narrating another story. A king took his son to a sage and said, "take him as your student but make sure that he is treated like a prince." The sage said, "If I am to teach him, http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...kram_betal.jpghe will be treated as any other student." This made the king angry. He resolved to teach the sage a lesson. When the prince completed his education, he asked his teacher. "Sir, what gurudakshina (fees) should I give you?" The sage replied ,"I will ask for my fees when the time comes."

When the prince returned, the king asked his men to burn down the sage's ashram. The prince got very angry when he saw the burnt ashram. He said, " I will kill the person who has done this." Hearing this, the sage asked him for his fees. Betal asked Vikram, "What did he ask for?" Vikram said, "The sage asked the prince to forgive the king." Betal said, "You are right, but you opened your mouth, so here I go."

Vikram and Betal

King Vikramaditya was a great ruler. Each day, a man brought a fruit as a gift for him. One day Vikram dropped the fruit and a http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._and_betal.jpgdiamond fell out. Vikram thanked the man and asked him, what he wanted in return. He asked Vikram to bring Betal, a ghost hanging from a tree in the graveyard.

Brave Vikram went to the graveyard and pulled Betal down on to his shoulder. As he started walking back, Betal said, "I will tell you a story and then ask a question. You must tell me the answer otherwise I will break you head. But if you speak I will fly back to the tree." Vikram agreed.

This was the start of a series of stories Betal told Vikram, but each time Betal asked Vikram a question, Vikram answered and clever Betal flew back to the tree.

Venus

Once, a newly wed young man called Vinod went to his in-laws' house to pick his wife Seema and bring her back to his own house.

His in-laws were very superstitious and said that the planet venus, http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ages/venus.jpgthe planet of love, was not in the sky and therefore, it was not a suitable time for the couple to start their married life. But Vinod was adamant. He thought that he knew best and refused to listen to their advice. Soon he set off for home with his wife.

The journey was very long and tiring. Hardly had the couple left the town, then their bullock cart broke down and their bullocks got injured. They had no other option and continued their journey on foot. Further on, some robbers attacked them and stole all their money and seema's preceious ornaments. They somehow managed to save their lives and escape from the robbers.

Before they reached their destination, Vinod fell very ill and they couldn't continue on their journey at home. When Vinod's parents came to know what had happened they asked him to return to his in-law's house with Seema and come back with her when Venus rises.

Vinod realised his mistake; he did as his parents told him and went back to his in-laws' house and waited there for an oppurtune time to come back to his own house. Thereafter, Vinod and Seema lived a happy married life.

Varaha Avatar

Long ago, there lived a demon called Hiranyaksha. He was Hiranyakashyap's brother and was gifted the boon of immortality http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...aha_avatar.jpgby Brahma. No god, demon, beast or man could ever kill him.

Hiranyaksha's powers grew by the day. One day, Hiranyaksha snatched the earth and took it with him under the ocean. The gods were alarmed and rushed to Vishnu for help. Vishnu remembered that Brahma had forgotten to grant Hiranyaksha immortality against Varaha, the two-tusked wild boar. Vishnu changed himself into a Varaha and dived into the ocean. Seeing Hiranyaksha there he challenged him to a fight. Soon, Vishnu beheaded Hiranyaksha and brought back the earth from the depths of the ocean.

Vamana Avatar

In Vishnu's fifth incarnation, he transforms himself into a vamana or dwarf.

Bali, the grandson of Prahlad , was a famous demon.

By leading an austere life he had acquired the power to rule the http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ana_avatar.jpgearth. Indra and the other gods feared that some day Bali would conquer everything and defeat them. So they asked Vishnu for help.

Vishnu decided to be born in the household of a poor Brahmin. One day he went to Bali and asked for alms. Seeing the young boy, Bali agreed to give anything the dwarf asked for. Vamana asked for the entire land that would come under three steps. Bali agreed. The dwarf then grew in size and covered the earth and heavens with two steps. Due to lack of space he placed his third feet on Bali himself. He crushed Bali and sent him to the nether world.