Simple english stories for your english practice
नीचे सरल अंग्रेजी में कुछ कहानियां दी गई हैं, जो बेसिक और एडवांस्ड कोर्स पूरा करने के बाद आपकी अंग्रेजी अभ्यास में सहायक होंगी। आप इन कहानियों को पढ़कर अपनी अंग्रेजी सीखने की क्षमता का आकलन कर सकते हैं और अभ्यास के लिए कोई भी अंग्रेजी अखबार भी पढ़ सकते हैं।
यदि आपने अभी तक बेसिक या एडवांस्ड इंग्लिश कोर्स नहीं किया है और अंग्रेजी सीखना चाहते हैं तो नीचे क्लिक करें।
BASIC ENGLISH COURSE
King And Monkey (Panchatantra Story)
There was a king, whose sons kept a group of monkeys as pets. These monkeys were treated as royal pets, and were provided with the choicest of foods and the best of care. As they did not have much to do, they had become fat. The chief of these monkeys was very wise. They followed great philosophers and was learned in many sciences. He always tried to teach the other monkeys, but they had become too absorbed in their lavish lives to follow much of his teachings. On the other hand, the princes also had two strong rams (billy goats), which used to draw the carriage used by the young princess. One of the rams was a glutton, and would creep into the kitchen whenever he could and eat whatever he could get there. This made the cooks very angry, and they would keep a watch. The cooks would throw anything they could lay their hand on, to hit the ram, when he would be near the kitchen. Noticing the cooks trying to hit him with sticks, earthen pots, copper pans and anything they found handy, the chief of the monkeys thought, “This behaviour could lead to accidents, and this entire city may perish. What if they threw something with fire?” The chief of monkeys summoned the other monkey and said, “The behaviour of the cooks towards the ram can lead to some mishap any day, and we may well be on the losing side, if that is to happen. Let us get away from here, before some accident is to happen.” But, the other monkeys were enjoying their lavish treatment, and did not go back to the jungle. They refused to heed the chief’s warnings, and decided to stay. They assumed that the chief was getting old, and having all types of weird thoughts. Thus, the chief of monkeys decided to leave alone. He said, “You are more fools than crazy not to foresee the danger. I shall leave here, as i value life more than the abundant foods served here!” After the chief of monkey had departed to the jungle alone, one day, the ram entered the kitchen and ate some food that was being organized to be served to the king. One of the cooks got very angry, and unable to get anything else handy, threw a half-burnt log from the oven. The log hit the ram. As the ram’s body was covered with wool, it instantly caught fire. In the pain of fire on him, the ram ran to the stable. The dry grass for the horses caught fire, and in a moment the whole stable was engulfed in fire. There was a pandemonium, and by the time, the fire was extinguished by the palace workers, the horses suffered grave burnings. When the news reached the king, he was very depressed that such a thing had happened to his favourite horses, and summoned veterinary surgeons to prescribe him remedy. After referring many scriptures, the veterinary surgeons advised, “O King, the wounds caused by fire will recover fast, if they are applied with monkey’s fat.” Thus, the king ordered all the pet monkeys be caught, and killed immediately. The fat from their bodies were then used to treat the horse’s wounds. When this news reached the chief of the monkeys, he was very sad. He thought, “The monkeys were foolish not to heed the warnings, but the king is wicked for doing this to his pets. I will make him pay for his actions!” He had not eaten food or drink water for several days as he was heart- broken. Absent-mindedly, he came to a lake full of beautiful lotus. He was thirsty, and decided to drink some water. As he came near the lake, he noticed that there were many footprints of both men and animals, that led to the lake, but not a single footprint led away from the lake. He became aware, and concluded there must be something wrong in this beautifully decorated lake. He fetched some hollow stems of lotus plant nearby, and using them as a pipe, drank water from a distance. As he was doing so, a monster emerged from the lake. He had a necklace of jewels around his neck. He said, “i am a monster who lives in this lake. Whoever enters this lake to bath or drink water, ends up in my tummy. For so many years, i have not seen anybody as wise as you! You drink water from the lake, but maintain a distance where i cannot touch you. I am so pleased with you, that i shall grant any wish you may want!” The chief of monkey immediately remembered that he had a revenge to take, and said, “Tell me, how many can you eat? I have a certain king as my enemy. If you give me your necklace, i shall use it to persuade the king and his men to enter the lake.” The monster replied, “If they enter the lake, i can eat thousands of them. Go ahead and bring as many as you can!” The chief of monkey wore the necklace in his neck and jumped from tree to tree to reach the palace as early as possible. He went straight into the king’s court. When the king and everybody else saw the chief of monkeys wearing a beautiful necklace of jewels, they became curious. They asked the chief of monkeys all sort of questions. The chief of monkey said to the king, “O king, while wandering in the jungle, i have come across a large treasure that Kuber (God of treasures) has hidden. It is secretly hidden inside a lake. Anyone, who takes a bath in the lake ona Sunday, can have as much treasure as he can carry. This necklace is nothing compared to the other treasures there! The diamonds in the lake would even put the sun to shame!” When the king heard this, he said, “Hey Monkey Chief, if this lake really exists, please take us to it. I will come to see it myself, and even bring everybody in the palace along with me.” It was decided, and in the early morning of the very next Sunday, the king and the chief of the monkeys set to travel inside the jungle. They were followed by the princes, queens, ministers, household workers and everybody else in the palace. When they reached the place, everybody was awe-struck to see the lake full of lotus. The chief of monkeys said, “Everybody should enter the lake at the same time, or only the first few will receive the blessings. As for you, my king, you should wait. I will show you a special place to enter the lake after they have gone into the lake.” The greedy king and everybody else followed his instructions and got into the lake. One by one, they started to disappear. The king kept anxiously waiting for them to return with treasures. When his people and relatives did not come out of the lake after a long time, the king asked, “O Monkey Chief, why do they not come out? Why is it that they take so long time? The chief of the monkeys jumped to the top of a tree and replied, “O wicked king, a monster lives in this very lake that has eaten all your court members and relatives. I have now killed all your family, as you have killed mine. It is not asin to return evil for evil deeds.” He continued, “i have saved you, for you were once my master! You may return to your palace, empty-handed and alone.” Thus, the king returned to his palace after losing all his relatives and household members.
Moral of story : Greed surely brings disaster and destruction in the end.
Washerman And Donkey
There lived a washer man’s donkey. During the day, the donkey would carry the washer man’s bags, but during the night, he was set free to eat the green grass in a nearby field. However, instead of grazing in the nearby fields, he crept into nearby farms and ate vegetables of his choice. Before day-break it would come back to the washerman’s house. One night, the donkey met a jackal while wandering in a nearby farm. They became good friends, and started meeting every night. The donkey, being fat, was able to break the fences of the farms. While he ate on the vegetable, the jackal would enter through the broken fence and ate the poultry on the farm. Before day-break, they would return to their respective home to meet again next night. This continued for many days. One night, the donkey said to the jackal, “Nephew, i feel like singing on nights like tonight, when the moon is full and beautiful. What Raaga (note combination) shall i sing?” The jackal cautioned, “Uncle, we are here to steal. Thieves should keep as quiet as possible. I may add, your voice is not as pleasant as you think, and sounds like conch being blown! Your voice can be heard over a long distance. It will awaken the farmers who are sleeping, and you will have us caught.” The jackal assured, “Please uncle, eat as much as you like, and forget about singing!” This annoyed the donkey and he said, “Dear nephew, it is because you are a wild animal that you don’t appreciate music. I shall sing a melodious Raaga. Wait till you hear it!” Observing that the donkey was determined to sing; the jackal did not risk staying there anymore. He said, “Uncle, if you must sing, please wait till i go outside the fence and keep a watch on the farmers.” He ran outside the fence, and hid himself. Then, the donkey started to bray at the top of his voice. When the farmers heard the donkey braying, they could see easily in the full moon-lit farm that the donkey was in their farm. The angry farmers chased the donkey with sticks, and beat him so hard that he fell on the ground. Then, they tied a wooden mortar around his neck and let him go. When the donkey was returning through the broken fence, the jackal laughed, “Musical uncle! That was a great Raaga! I see the farmers have rewarded you with this necklace!”
Moral of story: There is always a proper place and time for doing anything.
Lioness And Jackal
A lion and a lioness couple lived in the jungle. They were very happy, as they had given birth to two male cubs, and had newly become parents. The lion was responsible for hunting and providing food for the lioness and the two cubs. So, every day, he would go out in the morning and would come back within evening with food, and provide it to the lioness, who fed the cubs and herself. One day, it was nearing sunset but the lion had not found any prey after wandering throughout the jungle. He thought of returning empty-handed. On his way, he found a baby jackal. He would finally be able to provide food for his family. But he took pity on the jackal, because it was just a baby. So, instead of killing him, the lion carried the baby jackal home and presented him to the lioness. The lioness said, “My dear, He is only a baby. How can i kill and eat the jackal that you have not killed yourself. Let us then raise the jackal with our own cubs. They will soon like each other and play together as brothers.” And so, the lion and the lioness started caring and raising him as their own, without making any differentiation or partiality towards any of them. However, as they grew up, they behaved differently and often fought among themselves. This was because the jackal had different traits of his species. But the lion and the lioness overlooked their childhood actions. One day, as they were playing near their den, a wild elephant approached them. While the young jackal prepared to flee, the young lions rushed forward to attack. The young jackal said, “He is a natural enemy. Come with me, let us go home.” The young lions followed him back, but they were amazed by their brother’s cowardice. They laughed at their brother, and made fun of him. They even mocked and told the story to their parents. This made the jackal very angry. When the mother lioness talked to the young jackal later, the jackal said, “i am not inferior to them in any action. May it be bravery, or looks or education or intelligence. Look at how they ridicule me! I have promised myself that i will kill them as my revenge!” When the lioness heard these words, she knew immediately what to do. She said, “My son, what you say is true. You are not inferior, but you are a jackal and behave like your species. Many years ago, i took pity on you and raised you among my cubs as my own son. But, now that you talk of revenge, i must ask you to leave.” The lioness roared, “Go away, and do not return again, or i shall kill you myself. Return to your clan where you belong.” When the jackal heard this, he fled immediately to find his own clan and live among them.
Moral of story: Know the truth about yourself and act accordingly.
Greedy Cobra And King Of Frogs
There was a king of frogs. He ruled over a group of frogs that lived in a well. His relatives were always nagging to him over small things, and he was fed-up with them. One day, he climbed up the water-wheel and left his kingdom. He sought revenge on his relatives, due to whose constant torment; he had to leave his kingdom. Just then, he saw a cobra entering his hole. He thought of a plan of having his relatives eaten up by the cobra. He went to the entrance of the hole, and said, “My friend, i have come to make friends to you. I am the king of frogs!” On hearing this, the cobra realized that it was not the voice of his kith or kin, but his natural enemy. He decided not to leave his hole and come out, for he suspected some foul reason. He suspected someone might be trying to catch him through mantra (magic spell), or maybe flute, or even herbs. He answered cautiously, “Who are you? Why do you talk this nonsense about friendship? Can timber and fire ever be friends? You are my natural enemy!” The king of frogs replied, “Indeed, your words are true. But i seek revenge on my relatives who have tormented me for years. I ask your help. I can lead you to the well, that is my forsaken kingdom, and you can eat as many frogs as you want” The cobra enquired, “A well is built by layers of stone. I have no legs. How can i possibly get into the well? And even if i manage to do so, where will i be able to sit and eat the frogs? Go away!” The king of frogs assured, “There is a nice comfortable hole at the edge of the water, where you can sit and eat. I will lead you to the inside of the well, and to the comfortable hole. But you will have to promise me that you will eat only my annoying relatives and not my friends.” The cobra thought of his old age, and this offer was not good to be turned down. The greedy cobra agreed to the friendship and followed the frog. He went into the hole as promised. Once there, he would eat one frog whenever he would feel hungry. As days went by, the number of frogs went down and finally all annoying frogs were exhausted. One day, the cobra called out to the king of frogs and said, “There are no more frogs to eat here, only your friends remain. Please give me some more food. You are my friend, and it is you who have led me here, so you are responsible for my food.” The king of frogs realized his mistake for the cobra wanted more, so he could do nothing but watch the cobra eat all the other frogs. Even his close friends and his son were eaten. He was hungry and wanted the king of frogs to send some more frogs. The king of frogs realized, that only he among the frogs remained alive. He assured the cobra that if he let him leave the well, he will bring frogs from other wells, so that the cobra would be able to satisfy his hunger. The cobra got greedy, and let the king of frogs go. But even after his anxious wait for several days, the king of frogs did not return. After a long time of waiting, the cobra requested a female lizard that lived in the walls of the well, to request the king of frogs to return, as he could not bear the separation of his dear friend. The lizard conveyed the message to the king of frogs, who replied, “Madam, please convey to him that i will never return to the well again. He is starved, and a starving person can be cruel, and go to any extent of sin.” Thus, the king of frogs saved himself, and the greedy cobra had to perish inside the well without any food.
Moral of story: Fight your own battles; else you will surely be destroyed.
War Of Crows And Owls
There was a huge Banyan tree near a city. Its unnumerable branches were home to a large number of crows. There was a king of these crows. There was a cave nearby, which was home of a large number of owls. There was a king of these owls. The owls, as they regarded the crows as enemies, would fly around the Banyan tree every night. And if they caught hold of any crows, they would attack them and kill them. The crows could not see as clearly as the owls during the night, and could not save themselves. As time went by, many crows were killed. The king of crows had a council of five ministers: Ujjeevi, Sanjeevi, Anujjevi, Prajeevi and Chiranjeevi. He addressed them, “O Ministers, our enemy takes advantage by attacking at night and succeeds in killing many of us as we cannot fight them in dark. We cannot attck them at daytime since we don’t know their stronghold. The enemy is dangerous and we need to decide what to do. Please advise me with your views.” Ujjeevi suggested, “O Majesty, i advise you to make peace with the enemy as the enemy is strong and untiring” Sanjeevi said, “O King, the enemy is not only strong but also cruel and follows no ethics of war. Peace with such party cannot last. Let us fight in a way that we can gain advantage.” Anujeevi advised, “The enemy is stronger than us, so it will not be wise to fight them. They are cruel and have not ethics, so we cannot make peace with them. I suggest we retreat to a safer place.” Prajeevi said, “i advise entrenchment. We will be safe only in our own home. If we desert our post, we will never be able to return.” Chiranjeevi said, “Let us seek the advice of allies and defeat the enemy with their assistance.” The king of crows was not satisfied with the suggestions and sought the advice of Sthirajeevi, an old minister of the king’s father, “You have heard the suggestions by my ministers. Please suggest me the right course of action that we should adopt.” Sthirajeevi replied, “Your Majesty, all ministers have suggested in accordance to nitishashtra, and their recommendations are indeed good. But they do not serve the situation that we are in. For an enemy who is much stronger than us, we should seek a path of intrigue. You will need to send spies to find their weak-points to outwit the enemy” The king of crows agreed as Sthirajeevi explained the plan, “Like i advise you to employ spies, the enemies also must have spies. Let us pretend that i am a traitor, and start cursing me with cruel words. Beat me till i bleed and throw me down. This will mislead the spies to believe i am their enemy’s enemy. After this, fly with everybody to the safe Rshyamukam Mountain and keep deeply entrenched till i join you” Sthirajeevi continued, “Meanwhile, i will gain confidence with our enemies to learn about their weaknesses and return to join you then we can strike them to gain victory. Please do not worry about me, i can take care of myself.” The king did as the wise crow had planned and immediately started a fake quarrel. Sthirajeevi used abusive language which angered the other crows. Meghavarana pounced upon Sthirajeevi, smeared him with blood and threw him down the Banyan tree. After this, he asked all crows to follow him, and flew straight to Rshyamukam Mountain, whereupon he waited for Sthirajeevi to return – as was planned. The owl-spies immediately informed the king of the owls of the fight and king of owls decided to attack the terrified crows with all might after dark. But when they reached the Banyan tree, the crows had already left. They started investigating which direction the crows had flown to catch them. At this moment, Sthirajeevi began to caw feebly to attract the attention of the king of owls. King of owls heard the sound and was surprised to see Sthirajeevi. Sthirajeevi started praising king of owls as much as he cursed king of crows. He further said, “i know where they will entrench themselves. As soon as i regain some strength to fly again, i shall take you there!” King of owls had five ministers: Raktaksha, Kriuraksha, Deeptaksha, Vakranasa, and Prakarakarna. While Raktaksha, Kriuraksha did not trust Sthirajeevi and wanted to kill him, the others suggested that he could prove beneficial to locate the enemies. So, king of owls decided to take Sthirajeevi to their cave and offered a suitable place to rest. But Sthirajeevi had other plans. He quickly requested king of owls to allow him to make a nest at entrance of the cave. He did not want the other owls to get offended since he belonged to the enemy clan. King of owls permitted and asked other to take good care of him. Thereby, Sthirajeevi was fed with the choicest of foods and regained strength. However, Raktaksha was learned in nitishastra and warned his king of his suspicions, but they fell into deaf ears and king of owls was impressed on the flattery Sthirajeevi showered all the time. Finally Raktaksha and few of his followers left the cave. All this time, Sthirajeevi had gathered a lot of twigs at the entrance of the cave on the pretending to build a nest. He was happy that Raktaksha had departed, and waited till noon to silently fly away to Rshyamukam Mountain. He reported to king of crows, “Your Majesty, my task is finished, but i do not have the time to explain everything to you. I have collected twigs and branches at the entrance of the cave that serves as the owl’s stronghold. They will easily catch fire killing all the owls inside. Please follow me with your followers with burning wood in your beak” So, they immediately followed Sthirajeevi to the owl’s cave and dropped the pieces of burning wood they were carrying on the entrance of the cave. The twigs gathered outside caught fire and the owls perished inside due to fire and smoke. Sthirajeevi had indeed been constructing a funeral pyre for the owls. Now, the crows fearlessly returned to their Banyan tree, and with the help of Sthirajeevi,king of crows ruled justly thereafter.
Moral of story: Never trust your enemy, and don’t allow a foe into your home.
Tale Of Golden Droppings
There was a special bird, who lived in a huge tree on the top of a mountain. When her droppings fell on the earth, they turned into gold. One day, a hunter wandered to the top of the mountain. Not able to catch any bird, he decided to take some rest under the huge tree. From the top of the tree, the bird discharged its droppings, which fell near the hunter, and turned into gold. He was wonder- struck. The hunter thought, “All these years i have been catching birds, but i have never heard of a bird’s droppings turn into gold. This is a special bird, which i will have to catch!” He set up a trap on the tree, which the bird did not notice and he was caught. The hunter, who was waiting nearby, immediately put him in a cage and started homewards. On the other hand, the bird repented that he was careless, not to notice the trap. On his way, he thought, “If i keep this bird, i will become rich, and everyone will be suspicious. Someday, someone will come to know the truth of the riches, and the bird, and report it to the king. I rather present the bird to the king, and be content with whatever he offers me in return.” SO, he went straight to the palace and told the king everything. He gifted the bird to the king. The king was delighted to have a bird whose droppings turned into gold, and asked his attendants to treat the bird as the royal bird, “Take proper care of this bird. Put him in a lavish cage, and give him plenty of food and water.” Suddenly, one of the king’s ministers requested, “O King, How can a bird’s droppings turn into gold? How can you trust this mere hunter who is not knowledgeable? I advise you to release the cage and let the bird go. As for the hunter, please punish him for forgery.” The king pondered over the words of his trusted and knowledgeable minister, and asked his guards to arrest the hunter and release the bird. No sooner had the bird freed, it flew up and perched himself at the top of a nearby gate. He discharged his droppings, which to the amazement of the king and his ministers, turned into gold. Realizing he had made a mistake, the king ordered his guards to catch the bird. But the bird was already free, he promised himself not to be careless again, and flew off where nobody could catch her again.
Moral of story: Check thoroughly even what seems to be impossible.
Unlucky Weaver
Once, there lived a cloth-weaver, who wove very exquisite clothes that served only kings and princes. However, he earned very less and could hardly afford to live. Other weavers in the locality were rich, despite the fact that they weaved much inferior clothes. One day, he said to his wife, “My dear, this place does not deserve me! I weave superior clothes, and yet i earn so little. On the other hand, the other weavers grow richer by the day with their inferior clothes. I shall seek my success somewhere else.” His wife, however, did not want to leave, for there was no assurance of betterment somewhere else. But the weaver had made up his mind, and left the place in search of better prospects. He went to another city, where he indeed was successful. His clothes became popular for the high quality, and in three years he had saved three hundred coins of gold. Now that he was rich, he decided to return home to his hometown and his wife. During his journey, in the middle of the jungle, he heard two voices, Destiny was saying to Action that Action, you should not have let the weaver earn three hundred coins of gold. He does not require that much for his living!” Action spoke, “Destiny, i had to reward him according to his efforts, but you may decide how much he should retain!” He checked into his bag to find that the gold coins were lost. He became very sad. He thought, “I will not be able to face my wife! All my efforts for the last three years have been lost.” So, he discontinued his journey, and returned to the city. He worked very hard, and within a year, earned five hundred gold coins. Now that he was rich again, he decided to return home to his wife. During his journey, in the middle of the jungle, he heard the two voices again, Destiny says to action, “Action, you should not have let the weaver earn five hundred coins of gold. He does not require that much for his living!” Action spoke, “Destiny, i had to reward him according to his efforts, but you may decide how much he should retain!” When he heard this, remembering the last time, he quickly checked into the bag and found that the gold coins were missing. He became very sad, and wished he died. He sat down and thought, “There is no point in living. I have lost my money again, and cannot face my wife in this state of poverty! I shall hang myself on a tree!” He wove a rope from the nearby grass, and tied it in a Banyan tree. He made a noose around his neck. Just as he was about to hang himself, he heard a voice from heaven, “I am Destiny! I have taken the gold coins from you as you did not need the money for your living. But i am pleased with your industrious deeds. I permit you to ask for a boon that i shall grant.” Weaver replied, “Please give a lot of gold coins, which is the only boon that i ask you to grant” Destiny asked, “You are not destined to earn more than you need for a living. Why do you ask for the money that you cannot enjoy?” But the weaver was adamant. So, the wish was granted, “I shall grant you your wish, but you must return back to the city and visit any two merchant’s house. Study their behaviour and let me know how you would like your money to be” So, he discontinued his journey once again, and returned to the city. He went into a merchant’s house, and was greeted as a guest according to local traditions. This merchant was very rich, but did not like this unwanted guest. They gave him food in the most insulting manner, and offered a dirty bed for the night. At night, he heard the two voices again, Destiny saying, “Action, you should not have let the merchant provide food to the weaver. He has forced himself as an unwanted guest!” Action replied, “Destiny, the weaver needed to be provided for the night, and the merchant did so in his miserly ways, but you may decide the outcome!” Next morning, he went into another merchant’s house, where he was warmly welcomed. He was provided with new clothes and water to bathe. He was then served a lavish dinner, and a comfortable bed to sleep in. During his stay, he realized that the second merchant was not rich. At night, he heard the two voices again, Destiny says “Action, you should not have let the merchant serve the weaver so extravagantly. He has forced himself as an unwanted guest!” Action said “Destiny, the weaver needed to be provided for the night, and the merchant did so in his generous ways, but you may decide the outcome!” Next morning, the weaver watched the king’s servants bring money for the second merchant. Destiny had rewarded him for his good deeds. The weaver thought, “The second merchant is not rich, but he leads a life which is better than the first merchant, who is very rich” On his way homewards, the voice from heaven asked, “How do you want your money to be?” The weaver at once said, “Please give me only the money that i will be able to enjoy to the fullest like the second merchant.” His wish was granted, and weaver returned home with some money that made his wife happy. They lived happily, and were content with whatever they earned.
Moral of story: Action and destiny are two sides of a coin. Work with all your might but leave it to destiny. And stay happy and content.
Story Of The Merchant’s Son
There was a merchant who had a handsome young son. One day, he observed that his young son had bought a costly book. But the book contained only one verse: “You get what is destined for you!” When the merchant realized that his son was a fool to buy a book with so much cost, but only one verse, he grew very angry. He said, “How can you do well in business, when you can buy a book which contains only one verse! Get out of my house, and never show me your face again!” The young man was utterly dejected for being driven out by his father; he started travelling with only his book along with him. He learnt the verse well, and kept repeating it, all the way. On his way, he arrived in a village. The villagers asked him his name and he replied from the book, “You get what is destined for you” Thus, the young man became known as ‘You-get-what-is-destined-for-you’. One day, the princess of the country visited a festival and saw a handsome prince, who was also attending the festival. She fell in love immediately and asked her attendant to find a way to send a message to the handsome prince. She wrote a note, and gave it to her attendant. The attendant gave the note to the young merchant’s son by mistake. He read that she wrote, “i have fallen in love with you, the very moment i have set my eyes on you. Please meet me in the castle. You will find a rope hanging from one of the windows, which will lead you to my room.” He thought, “I will honour the wishes of the princess to meet me in person.” When he climbed up the rope, and entered the princess’s room, it was very dark. The princess thought he was the prince at the festival, and received him warmly. She served him food and drink, and entertained him in every manner. She said, “i have deeply fallen in love with you. I shall have no other man as my husband, except for you. Please tell me what you have in your mind.” The merchant’s son replied, “You get what is destined for you” She was surprised to hear the prince speak so, and immediately enlightened her room. She got furious when she realized he was not the handsome prince, she thought him to be, and ordered him out of her room. The young man was sad on being treated in such manner without being at fault, and walked to a nearby temple. He decided to spend the night there, and fell asleep. The temple remained un-inhabitated and the night watchman carried out tasks of ill-repute during the night. He wanted the young man to leave and said, “This temple is old and broken. You may sleep in my home.” Thus, the young man went to his house. But he made a mistake and got into the wrong room, where the watchman’s daughter was waiting for her lover to arrive during her father’s absence. In the darkness of the night, the watchman’s daughter mistook him for her lover and exchanged garlands in front of the picture of God. Thus, according to traditions they got married. The young man said, “You get what is destined for you”. When she heard this, she realized she had done a mistake, and thought, “Such mistake is bound to happen, when you rush into doing something without thinking sufficiently about it!” She cursed him and threw him out of the house. Saddened for being treated in such manner without being at fault, he was walking slowly, when he saw a marriage procession approaching. They had magnificent clothes, and wore precious jewels. He followed the groom’s procession, which was going to the bride’s home, where a lavish ceremony was arranged. All of a sudden, a mad elephant rushed towards the procession, and everybody ran helter-skelter. The bride stood there in the middle of the turmoil, too afraid to run. When he saw this, the young man got hold of a huge nail, and jabbed it into the elephant. The elephant got frightened and ran away. After a while, when the bride’s friends and relatives returned, she said, “At the moment when my life was in danger, there was none to help me except for this courageous stranger. I will marry none other than him. This is my firm resolution.” The groom’s friends and relatives were offended by these words, and there was a heated argument. When the words reached around, the king had to come himself to pacify everybody and stop the argument. Everyone including the princess and the watchman’s daughter came to the place. The king asked the young man, “You were present in the ceremony. You saved the would-be bride and everybody from the elephant, it is said. I ask you to explain the whole thing to me!” All the young man said was, “You get what is destined for you”. The princess and the watchman’s daughter were embarrassed to hear the words. When the king heard this and saw the princess and the watchman’s daughter blushing, he demanded to know the truth. The night watchman’s daughter confessed of marrying him by mistake, and said, “It was my destiny, and | do not repent it!” The princess explained to the king that she had spent time with him by mistake, and said, “It was my destiny, and | do not regret it!” On hearing them, the bride confronted the king and said, “O King, what destiny has given to me, none can take away from me!” After hearing everybody and consulting his ministers, the king arranged for a ceremony. He gifted the young merchant’s son with a thousand villages, apart from ornaments and golds. He married the young man with his young princess, and made him his heir to the throne.The bride-in-waiting, and the watchman’s daughter were also married to him, by their respective parents, in the same ceremony. When he built his own castle, he arranged for his parents and relatives to be brought to his place, and they all lived happily ever after.
Moral of story: Do your best but leave it to destiny.
