Kaikeyi's Resolve

Kaikeyi wanted her son, Bharata, to rule Ayodhya .
She went to King Dasaratha and reminded him of the two boonshttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ges/kaikai.jpg that he had once granted her for saving his lif. Dasaratha asked her what she wanted. She asked the king to grant her wishes that Bharata be crowned king of Ayodhya and that Rama be banished to the forest for fourteen years. The King was shocked when he heard this. He had not imagined that Kaikeyi who loved Rama so dearly, could be so cruel.
A heart broken Dasaratha then pleaded with Kaikeyi and asked her to reduce the hardship of banishment. But Kaikeyi would not listen. She reminded Dasaratha that it was wrong on a king's part to break his promises.
Thus, Kaikeyi became the sole cause for Rama's fourteen year exile to the forests.

Kalyani's Devotion

There was an old lady called Kalyani who worshipped Shukra and fasted on Fridays. She would bathe the idol of Shukra in holy water and offer the best food. Once she wanted to go on a pilgrimage.
She asked her daughter-in-law, Gauri, if she would take care of the idol in her absence. Gauri was not a religious woman, but she agreed, as she wanted to get rid of her mother-in-law for some days.
While Kalyani was gone, Gauri would not fast on Fridays. As a holyhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/kalyani.jpg bath she would put some drops of water on the idol. Instead of offering good food she would place some leftover crumbs in front of the idol. One day Gauri threw the idol in to the garbage. A neighbour found it and took the idol respectfully to her home. She worshipped it and started fasting on Fridays. Soon the neighbour became very rich. But wealth left Gauri's home. When Kalyani returned she asked Gauri about the idol. Gauri told her she had thrown it away. Kalyani went looking for it in the neighbourhood. When she asked the rich lady about the idol, she said , "How could you throw it in garbage, you have no respect for god."
The rich lady returned the idol . kalyani brought it home and started worshipping it. Soon prosperity returned to her home and Gauri realised her mistake .

Kamadeva

The god of love is called Kamdeva. He is shown as a handsome youth, carrying a Sugarcane bow and five flower tipped arrows.http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/kamadev.jpg Spring helps to select these flowers. His vahana or vehicle is the parrot.
Surrounded by beautiful fairies he searches for young maidens, boys, and sages at whom he can shoot his arrows to arouse feelings of love. Unfortunately once this act greatly angered Shiva.
Tired of the demon Taraka's attacks the gods went to Shiva, who alone could create a fighter to tackle the demon. However, Shiva was in deep meditation and nobody had the courage to wake him. So the gods decided to approach Kamadeva.
Kamadeva used a special shaft and awoke Shiva, but in the process also stirred his anger. Shiva cast his fiery gaze on Kama and burnt him to ashes, Hearing the pleas of Rati, Kama's wife, Shiva restored him, but only as an emotion. This bodiless form of Kama is called Ananga.

Kansa and Putana

Kansa knew that the eighth child, according to the prophecy, would be his slayer. When the eighth child was born to Devaki, Kansa immediately arrived at the prison and snatched the baby from Devaki. This was actually the goddess Yogmaya. She laughed at Kansa for his foolishness and told him that his slayer had been born and was living in Gokul.
Kansa was furious and ordered his men to kill all children born on http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ges/putana.jpgthe same day as Krishna, but the men returned empty-handed. Finally, Kansa sent Putana, the queen of the demons, to kill Krishna. She planned to kill him by feeding him poisoned milk.
Krishna was lying in the cot in the courtyard Nanda's house. Putana assumed the form of a beautiful maiden and happened to be passing by. When she saw Krishna, she asked for permission to pick him up. She offered her breast to feed him and Krishna sucked the life out from her.

Kansa Is Killed

Finally, Kansa decided to get Canura and Mustika, the famous wrestlers to kill Krishna and Balarama. Thousands of people gathered to watch the brothers fight the powerful wrestlers. Krishna and Balarama appeared fragile before the stout wrestlers, but they pushed, punched, and twisted their bodies with such force that Canura and Mustika died on the spot within minutes.
As the crowds cheered, Kansa, in a fit of rage, ordered the two http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._is_killed.jpgbrothers to be driven out of the city. Hearing Kansa speak this way, Krishna became very angry. He turned to Kansa and ran towards him. Kansa drew a sword and attacked Krishna. Fighting empty-handed, Krishna grabbed Kansa's long hair and stuck him with his mighty fist. Kansa at once fell and died. The crowds roared and celebrated as they saw the cruel king breathe his last.

Karna Meets His End

After the fall of Drona, Karna assumed command of the Kaurava army during the battle of Kurukshetra. On the fifteenth day, http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ages/karna.jpgArjuna and Karna came face to face. A fast and furious battle took place between the famous rivals. One of Karna's arrows almost hit Arjuna, but Krishna, who was Arjuna's charioteer, lowered the chariot and the arrow missed him. In return, Arjuna shot numerous arrows at him. Suddenly, the wheel of Karna's chariot got stuck in the mud. He got down to push the wheel and asked Arjuna to stop shooting, because it would not be fair to shoot at him while he pushed the wheel out of the mud. Krishna said, "You shot at the unarmed Abhimanyu. was that fair?" Krishna then reminded Arjuna how the Kauravas had broken the code of war when they killed Abhimanyu without mercy. He told Arjuna to do his duty. Hearing this Arjuna was filled with righteous anger and killed Karna.

Karna's Plan

When Arjuna won Draupadi at the swaymwara, Duryodhana who had thought that he had killed the Pandavas in the lake palace, came to know that they were alive. He feared that http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...karna_plan.jpg Yudhisthira would come and claim the throne of Hastinapur. Karna who was the best friend of Duryodhana, told him about a plan to get rid of the Pandavas. The Pandavas were staying in the palace of Drupada, king of fort Panchala, So Karna suggested Duryodhana to take the army of Hastinapur and attack Panchala, and capture the Pandavas. Duryodhana was delighted and went to the elders of Hastinapur to seek their approval. Bhishma, Drona and Vidura condemned the plan and warned Duryodhana against his evil designs. Although Dhritarastra in his heart wanted Duryodhana to be king, he had to go along with the decision.

Karna's Promise

The war between the Kauravas and Pandavas had become necessary. Kunti was very disturbed by this. She went to Karna http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...na_promise.jpgand said, "Karna, you are actually my son. If you don't fight against the Pandavas in the war." Karna replied , "I knew that you are my real mother but you had given me up when I was only a baby; I was brought up by a charioteer. It was Duryodhana who made me the king of Anga. I am grateful to him and can't betray him. I will fight against the Pandavas."
Hearing this Kunti was upset and started weeping. Karna was moved and could not see his mother like that and said, "But I can promise you one thing, That I will not harm any of the Pandavas except Arjuna who is my rival."

Kartikeya

Once upon a time a demon called Taraka performed a long and difficult tapasya. Pleased with him, Brahma gave him the boon that only a son of Shiva could kill him.
After getting this powerful boon, Taraka became very proud and selfish and started destroying heaven and earth. Seeing the chaos,http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../kartikeya.jpg the gods were in afix and requested Shiva to stop Taraka. At that time, Shiva did not have any sons. To create a son, Shiva took a form with six faces. Each face had a third eye. Six sparks came out of these eyes and formed into six babies. Parvati, wife of Shiva, was very happy and took all the babies in her arms to hug them. But she hugged them so tightly that the six babies turned into one baby with six heads.
This baby was called Kartikeya was a strong boy and went with an army of goods to fight Taraka and killed him.
Since then, Kartikeya is known as the god of war.

Kedarnath

After winning the war, the Pandavas went on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. They wanted Shiva to cleanse them of the sin of killing so many people. When Shiva saw them he hid. When they couldn't find him, Yudhisthira said, "I know you have hidden because we have sinned, but we will not leave without seeing you." As they moved ahead, a bull attacked them. Bhima started fighting it.http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../kedarnath.jpg The bull hid his head within a crack in a rock. Bhima tried to pull him out by his tail, but the body of the bull got separated from his head. The body turned into a Shivalinga from which Shiva appeared and forgave them their sins.
The linga is still present in the Himalayas and is called Kedarnath.

Kaveri

King kavera performed tapasya because he wished to help people. Pleased with him, Shiva appeared and blessed him with a daughter who would fulfil his wish. He named her Kaveri and married her to Sage Agastya. A demon, named Shoorapadma, wanted to trouble people so he prevented rain from reaching the earth. Kaveri prayed to the gods to help the people. One day, Sage Agastya went to a lake for a bath. Since he could not leave Kaveri alone in the ashram, he turned her into water and put her in his kamandala, the http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ges/kaveri.jpgutensil for carrying holy water. As he entered the lake, he left the kamandala on the bank. Meanwhile, Ganesha took the form of a crow and overturned the kamadala. The water was released and Kaveri became a river. She helped the suffering people by providing them with water.

King Satyapal's Wisdom

Betal narrated the story of King Satyapal to Vikram. When Satyapal ascended the throne of Chandadesh, the Bhil tribes were fighting for independence from Chandadesh. The country was poor and was under threat from Prachand Verma, a neighbouring King. Satyapal went to his ministers, who suggested that he should marry Prachand's daughter. Satyapal refused because Prachand's daughter considered him a weak king .
One day, he met Kirtisena, the princes of the Bhils. Following her http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...als_wisdom.jpgadvice, Satyapal banished his corrupt ministers and became prosperous again. Then, he met the Bhil king and asked for Kritisena's hand in marriage. Having gained the faith of the Bhils, he now attacked Prachand and vanquished him.
Betal asked Vikram "Was Satyapal's strategy right ? " Vikram replied "It was perfect because Satyapal put his house in order first before facing his enemies ."

The Real Husband

As Vikram carried Betal, Betal began another story. Inder and his wife Indu were very religious. Once Indu's brother Sunder visited them. All three went to goddess Durga's temple. First Sunder entered the temple. On seeing the idol of Durga he was so overcome by devotion that he decided to sacrifice himself. He cut his head off in front of the idol. Then Inder entered the temple and saw his brother-in-law's dead body. He was also gripped by a sense of self-sacrificehttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...al_husband.jpg and cut his head off. Finally, Indu entered the temple and saw the two dead bodies. She became vary sad . She wept aloud and prayed to Durga to give her the same husband and brother in her next life.
As Indu prepared to give up her life, Durga appeared and said that she was pleased with their devotion and would bring the two men back to life. Then she asked Indu to join the two heads with the respective bodies . When Durga put life into the bodies, Indu realised that she had mixed up the heads. Now , Inder's body had Sunder's head, and Sunder's body had Inder's head. Betal asked Vikram, "Who was Indu's real husband?" Vikram replied, "The head is the most important part of the body. A person has all his thoughts and memories in his head. The man with Inder's head had all the memories of Indu as a wife. So he was her real husband."
Betal was very happy to hear Vikram's answer but he flew away saying that Vikram had broken his promise by speaking.

Rudraksha

A demon named Tripura performed a long and difficult tapasya and was granted a boon by Brahma. This boon made him very powerful and he conquered heaven. When the gods were driven out of heaven, They were helpless and went to Brahma for help. Brahma did know how to solve the problem and sent them to Shiva. Shiva http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../rudraksha.jpgdecided to help the gods and went to fight with Tripura. He killed him with an arrow. But while he was fighting a few drops of perspiration from his body fell on earth. Rudraksha plants grew in the places whrere the drops fell.
The seed of the Rudraksha plant has a lot of religious significance . It is believed that counting the rudraksha beads while chanting Shiva's mantra cleanses a person of sin.

Sage Agastya and the Demons

IIvala and Vatapi were two demon brothers who hated all Brahmins. They thought of a devious plan by which they killed many Brahmins. The first one could take any form, and the second knew the secret of bringing the dead to life.
One day, they decided to kill the great sage, Agastya. They planned that IIvala would turn into a goat and Vatapi would kill it and offer ithttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...the_demons.jpg to Agastya to eat. Then using his powers he would bring him back to life. IIvala would tear Agastya's stomach to come out, killing Agastya. Sage Agastya came to know of the wicked plan and decided to teach the two brothers a lesson. When Vatapi invited him to eat the meat, he decided to teach them a lesson. Agastya ate the goat meat, but before the demon could bring his brother back to life, he digested the meat , killing IIvala.

Sakhubai's Devotion

Sakhubai was born into a very poor family of Pandharpur. She was a great devotee of Panduranga Vittala, which is another name of Krishna.
She was married into a rich family but her in-laws were very cruel. http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...s/sakhubai.jpgThey beat her up, gave her leftover food to eat, and took away all her jewellery.
Sakhubai bore all the pain and asked Vittala to give her strength. She dearly wished to see him. Vittala gave her a vision that would help her to see him.
One day, Vittala in the guise of a woman told Sakhubai to go to Panharpur to see the Lord. He took the place of Sakhubai in her house and worked tirelessly. Meanwhile, Sakhubai forgot everything in her devotion to God. She breathed her last while praying. Seeing her devotion Krishna brought her back to life. When Sakhubai came back and narrated the truth to her in-laws they repented misbehaving with her.

Samudra Manthan

The great sage, Durvasa Muni, once offered a garland to Indra, who ignored it and put it on the tusk of his elephant, Airawat, which trampled it. Seeing Indra's disregard, the revered sage became furious. He cursed Indra saying that he and the other gods would lose all their powers. In due course, Indra and the other gods began losing all battles against the demons, and the demons led by Bali took control of the universe.
Seeing no other means, the helpless Indra rushed to Vishnu for help.
Vishnu had a plan. He said that to get back their powers the gods http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ra_manthan.jpgwould have to churn the oceans and bring out the magical nectar-amrita. Only after consuming it could they regain their powers. This great churning is known as samudra manthan. But as the gods were powerless now, they sought the help of the demons to accomplish this huge task.
The gods and demons got together for the the herculean task. The huge mountain, Mandara, was used as the pole to stir the waters. But as the pole entered the water it kept sliding into depths of the ocean. To stop this, Vishnu quickly transformed himself into a tortoise and placed the mountain on his back. This image of Vishnu as the tortoise was his second avatar called 'Kurma.'
Once the pole was balanced, it was tied to the gigantic snake, Vasuki, and the gods and demons started pulling it from either side. As the churning began and the massive waves whirled, an extremely poisonous drink called halahal came out. The gods became scared because this blue drink could destroy creation.
They all got together and prayed to the powerful Shiva to help him them. Shiva appeared before all and gulped the entire poison. But, he did not swallow it. He kept the poison in his throat. Since then, Shiva's throat became blue, and he became known as Neelkantha or the blue-throated one.
The churning continued and poured forth a number of gifts and treasures. They included Kamdhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow; the goddess of wealth, Laxmi; the wish-fulfilling tree, Kalpavriksha; and finally, came Dhanvantari carrying the pot of amrita and a book of medicine called Ayurveda. Once the amrita was out, the demons forcefully took it away. Two demons, Rahu and Ketu, disguised themselves as gods and drank the amrita. The sun and moon gods recognised it to be a trick and complained to Vishnu, who in turn, severed their heads with his Sudarshan Chakra. As the divine nectar did not get time to reach below the throat, the heads remained immortal, but the body below died. This helps Rahu and Ketu take revenge on the Sun and Moon by devouring them every year during solar and lunar eclipse.
A great war between the gods and demons followed. Finally, Vishnu disguised as the enchanting Mohini tricked the demons and recovered the nectar.
While fleeing the clutches of the demons, Vishnu gave the amrita to his winged charioteer, Garuda. But the demons caught up and a tussle followed. During this tussle few drops of the drink fell at Ujjain, Nasik, Allahabad, and Haridwar.
The drops are said to have purified the land and it is here that every year devotees come to wash away theit sins in the famous assembly called Kumbh Mela.
Once Garuda got back and the Gods drank the nectar, they became immortal. But as some demons had managed to taste a few drops of the drink, they too became immortal and to this day the fight between good and evil continues.

Saraswati saves the world

Once Shiva saw the world filled with evil. He decided to clean it and opened his third eye from which came a great fire.http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._the_world.jpg Saraswati took the form of a river and absorbed the fire. She took it into the sea where it formed a fire-spitting creature called Badavagni. Saraswati declared, "As long as man is wise, the animal will remain here, but if man becomes corrupt, this beast will destroy the world."

Sati

Daksha. Brahmas's son, had a beautiful daughter named Sati who loved Shiva and wanted to marry him. Daksha considered himself to be greater than Shiva and forbade her. But Shiva and Satihttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ges/tandav.jpg married without his consent .
One day, at a ceremony, Shiva did not stand up to pay his respect to Daksha. Insulted, Daksha vowed to take revenge.
Daksha arranged for a yajna and invited all the gods expect Shiva. Sati was very hurt and went to meet her father at the ceremony. Daksha insulted Shiva in front of everyone. Unable to bear this, Sati threw herself into the sacrificial fire and died.
The enraged Shiva began performing the tandav or the dance of destruction, to destroy the entire universe. Brahma appeared and begged Shiva for forgiveness. Shiva relented but cursed Daksha that he would bear a goat's head forever.
Sati was later reborn as Parvati.

Saturn

A brahmin named Haridas once heard a voice that said, "I will trouble your king for seven and half hours." Haridas washttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/haridas.jpg frightened and told his wife what he had heard. She knew that it was the voice of Saturn, so she said, "You must protect the king and take the trouble on yourself." When Haridas heard the voice again, he offered to take the trouble on yourself." Saturn agreed and said, "Your period of trouble starts now."
One day, Haridas went to the river to pray. He found two watermelons, Which he took home. Meanwhile, the two princes were found to be missing. When the soldiers came looking for them, Saturn made Haridas's watermelons look like the heads of the princes. The king ordered Haridas to be hanged. But just before he could be hanged, his period of trouble was over. The princes returned safely and Haridas was saved .

Satyavadi Harishchandra

Once there was a great king named Harishchandra who never lied and alwasy kept his promise. He was the ruler of Ayodhya. He ruled his Kingdom wisely. His subjects were happy and prosporous. He was well-known for his truthfulness. The gods decided to test him. They asked Sage Viswamitra to help them.
One day, Harishchandra went hunting in the forest. Suddenly, he heard the cries of a woman. As he went to help her, he entered the ashram of Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra was disturbed in his meditation http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ishchandra.jpgand became angry. To cool his anger Harishchandra promised to donate his kingdom to Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra accepted his donation but also demanded dakshina (fees) to make the act of donation successful. Harishchandra, who had donated his whole kingdom, had nothing to give as dakshina. He asked Vishwamitra to wait for one month before he paid it.
A man true to his word, Harishchandra left his kingdom and went to Kashi along with his wife, Shaivya, and son, Rohitashwa. In Kashi, he could not earn anything. The period of one month was about to end. His wife requested him to sell her as a slave to get the money. Harishchandra sold Shaivya to a Brahmin. As she was about to leave with the Brahmin her son began to cry. Harishchandra requested the Brahmin to buy Rohitashwa also. The Brahmin agreed. But the money was not enough to pay the dakshina and so Harishchandra sold himself as a slave to a chandala (a person who works in a cremation ground). He paid Vishwamitra, and started working in the cremation ground.
Shaivya worked as a servant in the Brahmin's house. One day, when Rohitshwa was plucking flowers for the Brahmin, a snake bit him and he died. Shaivya took her son's body to the cremation ground. There she met Harishchandra. He was filled with grief to see his only son dead. To perform the cremation, he asked Shaivya didn't have any money. Haishchandra, who was duty bound, could not cremate the body without tax. Shaivya was a devoted wife and she did not want her husband to give up his duty. She said, "The only possession I have is this old sari that I am wearing. Please accept half of it as the tax." Harishchandra agreed to take the sari. They also decided to give up their lives on their son's cremation fire.
As Shaivya tore her sari, Vishnu himself appeared with all the other gods. The chandala, who was actually Yama, showed his real form and brought Rohitashwa back to life. Harishchandra and his family passed the test; they had demonstrated great virtue and righteousness. All the gods blessed them. Indra asked Harischandra to go to heaven with him. But he refused saying that he could not go to heaven when his subjects were suffering without him. He asked Indra to take all his subjects to heaven. Indra said that it was not possible because people go to heaven or hell depending on their deeds. Harishchandra said that he would donate all his virtues to his subjects so that they could go to heaven and he would bear the consequences of their sins. Seeing Harischandra's love for his subjects, the gods were very pleased. They took all the people of Ayodhya to heaven. Mean while, Vishwamitra brought new people to Ayodhya and made Rohitshwa the king.

Satyavan and Savitri

Savitri, a princess, fell in love with a poor man called Satyavan. Narada Muni warned her not to marry Satyavan as he would die at an early age. He even told her when Satyavan was going to die. But Savitri was unmoved and married Satyavan.
On the day of Satyavan's death, she saw that Yama himself had http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...nd_savitri.jpgcome to take him. She begged Yama not to take Satyavan. But Yama said that no one could stop death. Savitri followed them for miles and miles. Impressed with her determination, Yama said, "I will give you two boons; you can ask for anything except the life of Satyavan."
For the first boon, Savitri asked for the well-being of her father-in- law. For the second she cleverly asked for a hundred sons. Without thinking, Yama granted her two boons. At this Savitri asked Yama to return her husband because without him, she could not have any sons. Defeated, Yama returned Savitri her husband.

Shakti's curse

One day Sage Shakti, Sage Vashishtha's son, was going through a forest.
Suddenly, King Kalmashapada's chariot blocked his path. In those http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ktis_curse.jpgdays, it was customary for everybody to give way to a sage, a blind man, a crippled person or an old woman. But Kalmashapada was vain and did not give way to Shakti. Instead Kalmashapada rudely ordered him, "Move to a side and make way for the chariot. Don't you see that I am the king of this region?" Shakti tried to explain, "I am a sage." But King Kalmashpada was very proud and refused to move. Instead, he lashed at the sage with a whip. At this, Shakti got angry and cursed the king to become the king to become a demon.
Sage Viswamitra, who was passing by, saw this incident. He was a big enemy of Shakti's father, Sage Vashishtha and heard Shakti cursing the king. He asked another demon, Kinkara, to enter Kalmashapada's body. When the demon entered his body, Kalmashapada became evil and lost his sense of rightousnesss. He thought that his behaviour had changed because of the curse of Shakti, so he went to Shakti and said , "Your curse has made me a demon. Since you are responsible for this. I will take revenge on you and will eat you up." Saying this, Kalmashapada roared and killed Shakti and ate him. Later, he even killed Shakti's brothers.

Shakuni Meets His End

Shakuni was Duryodhana's wicked uncle who had helped the Kauravas win the Pandavas' half of the kingdom from them in a game of the dice, and sent them into exile. He was very cunning and devious. On the sixteenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra, a fiercehttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/shakuni.jpg fight was going on between Nakula and Shakuni. Shakuni was a brave warrior and he was overpowering Nakula, when Nakula's brother, Sahadeva, came to his rescue. He shot an arrow at Shakuni saying, "It is your evil mind and numerous sins that have led to this war. Now face your doom." The arrow cut Shakuni's head off.
After Shakuni's death. Duryodhana was left all alone. He did not even have Karna to support him. Duryodhana realised that his end was also near and was sad and broken hearted.

Shakuntala

Shakuntala was a beautiful maiden who was the adopted daughter of Sage Karnva. She lived with him and her pet deer, in his http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...shakuntala.jpgermitage in the forest. One day, Dushyanta, the king of Hastinapur, came hunting in the forest. He saw the beautiful deer and shot an arrow at it. Shakuntalsa found her deer whimpering in pain and tried to comfort it. Shakuntala loved the animals of the forest and her affection for the animal touched Dushyanta's heart and he asked her to forgive him for his cruelty. She forgive him but asked him to stay in the forest for a few days to tend the wounded deer. They fell in love and King Dushyanta married Shakuntala and gave her a wedding ring his name on it. The king then left for his king-dom after promising to return soon and take Shakuntala back with him.
One day , Sage Durwasa came to Shakuntala's door. He repeatedly asked for water, but Shakuntala was lost in thoughts of Dushyanta and paid no attention. The sage was insulted and got very angry. Known for his temper, he cursed Shakuntala saying that the person whom she was thinking about would forget her. When Shakuntala heard the cause, she was frightened and begged the sage to forgive her. The sage said that he could not the back the curse but he could change, if she showed Dushyanta something he had given her then he will remember again about her.
Due to the curse Dushyanta forgot Shakuntala. After days of waiting for him to return, Shakuntala decided to go to the capital to meet him. On the way, as Shakuntala was crossing a river, her wedding ring fell into the water. A fish swallowed the ring. When Shakuntala arrived at the palace, the king did not recognize her. He asked her to prove her identity but Shakuntala didn't have the ring to show him, as it was lost. She wept and told the king about the time he had spent with her in the forest but he couldn't remember anything. Feeling sad she left the palace.
Ashamed to return to her father's home, she started living alone in another part of the forest where she gave birth to a son. She called him Bharata. Bharata was a brave boy. He grew up among the animals of the forest and would play with wild animals.
One day at the king's palace, a fisherman brought him a ring. He told the king that he had found the ring in the stomach of a fish that he had brought it straight to him. As soon as the king saw the ring, the curse was broken and the king remembered Shakuntala. He was very upset and hurried at once to her home in the forest to look for her, but could not find her. In despair, he returned to his palace.
Few years passed. The king again went hunting in the forest. There he was surprised to find a boy playing with a lion cub. The boy fearlessly held open the mouth of the cub and said, " O king of the jungle! Open your mouth wide, so I can count your teeth." The king went up to the boy and asked him about his parents. The little boy replied that he was the son of king Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Dushyanta was very happy to have found Shakuntala and asked the boy to take him to his mother. The family was united and Dushyanta took Shakuntala and Bharata along with him to Hastinapur. Bharata grew up to become a great king.

Shantanu

nce, king Shantanu of Hastinapur met a woman named Ganga, on the banks of the river Ganga. He wanted to marry her and http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...s/shantanu.jpgshe agreed to do, on the condition that he would never ask her any questions.
Soon, Ganga gave birth to a child but drowned him in the river. Shantunu was shocked. One by one, she drowned six more children. Finally, when she was going to drown her eighth child, Shantanu asked her why she was doing so.
She said that she was the goddess Ganga under a curse to be born as a human. The children were vasus (demi-gods) and she was freeing them of the curse. But since Shantanu had stopped her, the eighth child would have to live the life of a human. Saying so, Ganga left.
The eighth child grew up to be the great warrior, Bhishma.

Tapti

One day, King Panchal attacked the kingdom of king Sarvan. Panchal's army was bigger and stronger and soon defeated Sarvan's army. Sarvan had to leave his kingdom; he started living in the forest. One day, Sage vashishtha came to his home. Sarvan asked the sage to bless him so that he could win his kingdom back. Sarvan collected his army and challenged Panchal to a battle. He fought very bravely and won his kingdom back.
Tapti, the daughter of Surya, the sun god, had seen the courage of Sarvan in the war and fell in love with him. She decided to find out whether Sarvan would be willing to take her as his bride .
After becoming a king again, Sarvan went hunting. He saw a beautiful dear in the forest and chased it. After some time the deerhttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ages/tapti.jpg suddenly disappeared and a beautiful woman appeared before him. She glowed like gold. The moment he set his eyes on her he fell in love with her. He asked her who she was and she told him that she was Tapti, the daughter of Surya. Sarvan expressed his desire to marry her. Trapti said that he would have to seek the permission of her father. Sarvan started performing tapasya to please Surya . After twelve days, Vashishtha came to him and said that he himself would take his proposal to Surya .
Vashishtha met Surya who knew that Sarvan was a noble and worthy king. He immediately agreed to the match. Soon, Tapti and Sarvan were married in the presence of all the gods and sages.

The Enlightened Butcher

Kaushika, a young man, wanted to go off to a hermitage to study the vedas.
His old parents requested him to stay back and look after them. But Kaushika left his parents and went away. In due course he mastered http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ed_butcher.jpg the Vedas and became a saint.
One day, some bird droppings fell on him. Furious, Kaushika shot a fiery gaze and burnt the bird to ashes.
Then he went out asking for alms. A lady busy with her chores asked him to wait. Kaushika felt insulted and cursed her. she replied that a saint should control his anger and not kill animals. She also suggested that he should meet the holy Dharmavyadha in Mathura and learn about virtue.
Kaushika rushed to Mathura, but when he reached there he found Dharmavyadha running a butcher shop. He wondered how a holy man could butcher animals. Dharmavyadha reminded him of the bird he killed and added that he was merely doing his duty of carrying on the family trade. He said that a farmer who tills the land also tramples insects unknowingly.
After the Dharmavyadha introduced his family. He said it gave him great pleasure to serve his parents and fulfill the duties of a father .
Kaushika realised his mistake and felt ashamed that he had ignored his duty. He understood that that the true virtue of man lies in carrying out one's dharma or task .
He thanked Dharmavydha and rushed back to his old parents. His parents were delighted to have him back .

The Banana Tree Goddess

Once there was a little girl who watered a banana tree everyday. One day a voice came from the tree, "Will you play with me?" http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...ee_goddess.jpgThe girl was very scared and ran to her mother. Her mother said, "Don't be afraid, that voice is of the banana tree goddess, Laxmi. She is pleased with you." The next day when the girl went to the tree Laxmi played with her. Later, Laxmi said, "I live in this tree. Will you come to my house for lunch?" Then through the hollow of the tree she took her to a beautiful palace and gave her delicious food in utensils made of gold and silver.
When the little girl returned and told her mother what had happened, the mother was very happy and said, "Invite Laxmi to our home tomorrow for lunch." The girl said , "But mother , we are so poor and our hut is small. All our utensils are broken and our clothes are old. How can I invite her here?" Her mother said "Don't worry , she would be very happy with our love and courtesy." The next day the little girl brought Laxmi with her. As soon as Laxmi entered the small hut, it turned into a beautiful house. The utensils in which the food was served turned into gold utensils. Their old clothes became new. The girl's mother asked Laxmi to stay in the house with them forever.
Laxmi said that her blessings would be on their home as long as they worked hard and watered the banana tree. Saying so, she went back to the tree. The little girl watered the tree everyday and they lived happily ever after.

The Birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas

Bhishma wanted Pandu, the king of Hastinapur, to get married. Kunti, the adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoja, chose Pandu as her husband and was married to him. Princess Madri of Madrahttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...d_kauravas.jpg kingdom also wanted to marry Pandu, so she became his second wife.
Gandhari, the princess of Gandhara kingdom, was chosen as the bride for Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra was blind, and Gandhari did not want to be better than her husband in any respect. So she tied a silk bandage on her eyes and pledged never to remove it. A suitable bride was also chosen for Vidura , the minister of Hastinapur, who was raised as a brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra .
As time passed, Kunti gave birth to three sons Yudhistira, Bhima,and Arjuna. Madri gave birth to twins and name Nakula and Sahadeva . As these five were the sons of Pandu , they are called the Pandavas.
Gandhari wanted a hundred children so she prayed to Saint Vyasa who granted her the boon . But Gandhari gave birth to a lump of flesh. Vyasa cut this lump into hundred and one pieces, which formed hundred boys and one girl. These children of Dhritarashtra were called the Kauravas as they belonged to the Kuru dynasty. The eldest of theKaurava brothers were called Duryodhana

The Boys Who Never Grew Old

Sage Mrikandu prayed to Shiva for a son. Shiva appeared before him and asked, "Do you want an ordinary son or a perfect son who would not live more than sixteen years?"
Mrikandu thought, "If I ask for a perfect son, he would die at http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...r_grew_old.jpgsixteen, but if I ask for an ordinary son, he would not be great." He chose a perfect son.
Soon his wife gave birth to a son whom they called Markendeya. He was a handsome, wise, and kind boy, perfect in every way.
A few days before his six teen birthday, Markandeya's parents told him that he would soon die. Markendeya said, "I will not die. " I will pray to Shiva." He worshipped Shiva every day. On his sixteenth birthday, Yama, the god of death, came to take him. Markandeya said, "Let me finish my prayer ." Yama got angry and threw the noose over him. Shiva appeared and ordered Yama back to his kingdom saying, "Don't return to earth."
Yama went away. Nobody died on earth after that. The earth became overcrowded Goddess Earth went to Shiva and said, "I am not able to carry this huge burden. Please send Yama to earth." When Lord Shiva refused, she went to Parvati for help. When Parvati repeated the request, Shiva said, "Yama has insulted my devotee." Parvati said, "Maybe you meant that Markandeya will always remain sixteen, but that foolish Yama misunderstood." Shiva was happy. He sent Yama to earth again. Markandeya always remained sixteen.

The Brave Man

Vikram put Betal on his shoulders and started walking. Betal began another story.
A woodcutter named Mohan once saw a wolf attacking a girl in the forest. He saved her and killed the wolf. She was actually a princess. Mohan was made a soldier in the king's army. Once, in a battle hehttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa..._brave_man.jpg fought bravely and even saved the king's life. Mohan became famous for his courage. Then he got married and had children. One day, a gang of robbers entered the kingdom and started killing and robbing people. The king asked Mohan to fight the robbers but he refused. Betal said . "Tell me, Vikram , why did he refuse to fight the robbers? Vikram replied , Mohan did not lose his courage, but now that he was a married man, he did not want to risk his life." Betal said, "You are right but you opened your mouth, so here I go." Saying so, Betal flew away.

The Broken Code of War

During the battle, Drona had been ordered to capture Yudhisthira alive, so Arjuna always protected him. Once Arjuna had gone after the Kaurava warriors and Yudhisthira with his soldiers unprotected. Drona approached Yudhisthira with his soldieres arranged in the circular formation known as chakravyuh. Arjun'shttp://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...abhimanyu2.jpg son, Abhimanyu, had learnt from his father how to enter the chakravyuh but did not know how to come out of it. Only Arjuna knew how to break the Chakravyuh. But abhimanyu decided to enter the formation.
Jaidhratha, the king of Sindhudesha, had obtained a boon from Shiva that he would be able to stop the Pandavas for one day. He stopped them from entering the chakravyuh to help Abhimanyu. Six warriors including Drona, Duryodhana, and Karna together attacked Abhimanyu. He lost all his weapons. Finally, the Kaurava warriors broke the code of war; they attacked the unnamed Abhimanyu and killed him.

The Competition

This time Vikram caught Betal before he reached the tree. Betal began yet another story. Bhupati was a rich man who had a son http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../competion.jpgnamed Chander. His servant Bhola had a son named Suraj. Chander was spoilt and did not do well in studies. Suraj worked hard and performed well. Bhola wanted to send Suraj for higher studies. For this he tried to borrow money from his master. But Bhupati refused to help.
One day, Bhupati overheard a conversation between Chander and Suraj. Chander said, "Why do you want to go for higher studies. I will give you some money to start a business." Suraj replied "I don't need money for anything else." Bhupati went home and gave Bhola the money. Betal asked Vikram, What made Bhupati change his mind?" Vikram answered, "Bhupati realised that Chander was getting jealous of Suraj. If he sent Suraj for higher studies, Chander would work hard to compete with him." Betal said , "You are a genius," and flew away.

The buffalo demon, Mahishashur, performed tapasya and for his efforts he received a boon from Brahma that no man or god would be able to kill him. Full of power, he attacked the gods and captured heaven. The gods had to come down and wander about on earth.

They were very angry at their condition and their faces began to glow. http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...dess_durga.jpgThe light took the shape of a goddess, Durga. Each of the gods gave her a weapon. Himalaya gave her a lion . Riding the lion she began to roar. Mahishashur came out of his palace on hearing the roar. Durga killed his army of demons. Mahisha took many forms, but she defeated all of them. Finally, he took the form of a buffalo and attacked her. Durga killed Mahishashur with her trishula, and today she is worshipped as goddess Durga.

The Girl in the Dream

Betal once again narrated a story to Vikram.

Manikdweep was ruled by a king named Mani Verma. His son, Sudhir, was very dutiful. When Sudhir reached twenty, Mani Verma decided to get him married to a beautiful girl. Finally, the king selected the princes of a neighbouring kingdom.

That night Sudhir saw a beautiful dream of a fair, doe-eyed girl with http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...dream_girl.jpgher arms open, waiting to embrace him. Sudhir woke up startled. Completely smitten by this dream he decided to delay his marriage and hunt for the girl. Taking permission from his father he left the palace dressed a commoner.

He searched villages, towns, and cities. For three months he travelled thus but the girl was nowhere to be found. Tired he decides to take a break near a river. There he spotted a girl with her back turned to him. Curious, he went up to her.

Just as she turned his heart skipped a bear-before him stood his dream girl. Excited, he proposed marriage to her. On hearing a stranger speak this way the girl complained to her father. When Sudhir came to meet him, he asked , "Who are you and why are you chasing my daughter?"

Sudhir felt ashamed and kept mum. He returned home and married the princess.

Betal asked Vikram, "Why did Sudhir feel ashamed ?" "He realised he was foolishly running after a dream about which he knew nothing," Vikram replied.

"Right again ," cried Betal and flew away.

The Generous King

Betal told another story.

A benevolent king used to give huge amounts of money in charity. His minister Surya Prakash understood the value of money and advised the king to donate wisely.

One day, when Surya Prakash went to the river he saw a beautiful maiden perched on a floating branch of a tree. He swam across to meet her.

She said she was a nag princes and that a wicked demon had http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...erous_king.jpgcaptured her kingdom. He would set it free only if he was given another empire in return. The minister rushed back to inform the king about her.

Pained by her tale, the king gave away his own kingdom and went underwater with her. Surya Prakash blamed himself for the king's disappearence and killed himself.

Now Betal asked , Who was really responsible ?" Vikram replied , "Surya Prakash , because as the king's minister he was aware of his master's overly generous nature, yet he told him of the princess's problem."

The Game of Dice

Duryodhana was jealous of the prosperity of the Pandavas and wanted to rob them of their wealth. His uncle, Shakuni, made a plan.

Yudhisthira loved gambling. They would invite Yudhisthira to http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa.../dice_game.jpgHastinapur for a game of dice. Shakuni was a master of the game and would throw the dice on behalf of Duryodhana and defeat Yudhisthira and win over his kingdom. Duryodhana liked this plan and asked his fatrher Dhritarashtra to invite Yudhisthira. When Dhritarashtra hesitated, Duryodhana told him about the way Draupadi had insulted him and called him a blind man's son. Dhritarashtra gave his consent. Yudhisthira gave his consent and came with his brothers to play the game. Shakuni used a charmed dice and defeated Yudhisthira again and again. Yudhisthira lost his palace, army, and the whole kingdom. Duryodhana was not satisfied at that, he encouraged Yudhisthira to stake his brothers. One by one, Yudhisthira lost all four of his brothers and then even himself. Duryodhana's joy knew no bounds.

When Yudhisthira lost everything he had, Duryodhana said, "Why don't you stake something else, maybe this time you will win and get everything back?" Yudhisthira said, "I have nothing left to stake." At this Duryodhana said, "Why, you have Draupadi, stake her. "Yudhisthira was embarrassed by his defeat; he wanted to win everything back. He took his last chance and staked Draupadi. But he even lost her. Everybody was aghast at this turn of events. The Kauravas were jubilant.

The Fussy Brothers

Vikram ran to the tree and pulled Betal down. As he began to carry Betal, Betal began narrating another story.

Once there were two brothers who were very fussy. The first brother http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...y_brothers.jpgGopal was fussy about his food; the second one Deepak was fussy about where he slept. Gopal would eat only very good and selective food and Deepak could sleep only on a very comfortable bed.

Their fussiness was so famous that one day the king called them to find out who was fussier of the two. Gopal was given the best quality rice to eat. But he refused to eat it saying that the rice smelled of a cremation ground. On investigation it was found out that the rice actually was grown on a field next to a cremation ground.

When it was Deepak's turn, he was given a bed with seven soft mattresses on it. But he could not sleep all night. In the morning he had a rash on his back. He said that there was something under the mattresses. On investigation it was found that there was a hair under the seventh mattress.

Betal asked Vikram, "Who was the fussier among the two brothers?"

Vikram replied, "Deepak was fussier because the rash was a physical proof of his discomfort. While there was no such proof in the case of Gopal . Who knows he could have asked someone about the rice?"

Betal was surprised and said, "How do you manage to give the correct answer to every question I ask? But you opened your mouth, so here I go." Saying so, Betal flew back to the tree.

The Foolish Brothers

Vikram was once again carrying Betal on his shoulders while Betal narrated the story of the four foolish brothers.

Once, there were four brothers, who were very foolish. People used to make fun of them, and so one day, they decided to become learned. They went in four different directions with a promise that they would meet at same place after ten years.

Ten years later when they met, they discussed with each other what they had learnt. The first brother said, "I can make a skeleton out of a single bone of an animal." The second said, "I can cover a skeleton http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fa...es/foolish.jpgwith flesh." The third said, "I can cover a flesh-covered skeleton with skin and hair." The fourth said, "I can put life into a dead animal." They decided to demonstrate their skills. They found a bone and first brother turned it into a skeleton, the second one covered it with flesh. The third one covered it with skin and hair. Now it looked like a dead lion. As soon as the lion came to life, it killed all the four brothers and ate them up.

Betal paused and asked Vikram, "Who, according to you was responsible for the death of the four brothers?" Vikram replied, "The fourth brother was responsible for their deaths because he was foolish enough to put life in a dead lion. Without life, the lion could not have hurt them." Betal said , "O king, you are right, but you opened your mouth again, so here I go." Saying so, Betal flew back to the tree.