Monday, May 10, 2021
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Three Questions class 7th
Three Questions
story
Tulip Series Book VII
Three Questions
The thought came to a certain king that he would never fail
if he knew three things. These three things were: What is the right time to
begin something? Which people should he listen to? What is the most important
thing for him to do?
The king, therefore, sent messengers throughout his kingdom,
promising a large sum of money to anyone who would answer these three
questions.
Many wise men came to the king, but they all answered his
questions differently.
In reply to the first question, some said the king must prepare a timetable, and then follow it strictly. Only in this way, they said, he could do everything at its proper time. Others said that it was impossible to decide in advance the right time for doing something. The king should notice all that was going on, avoid foolish pleasure, and always do whatever seemed necessary at that time. Yet others said that the king needed a council of wise men who would help him act at the proper time.
This was because one man would find it impossible to decide correctly, without help from others, the right time for every action. But then others said that there were some things which could be urgent. These things could not wait for the decision of the council. In order to decide the right time for doing something, it is necessary to look into the future. And only magicians could do that. The king, therefore, would have to go to magicians. In their answers to the second question, some said that the people most necessary to the king were his councillors; others said, the priests. A few others chose the doctors. And yet others said that his soldiers were the most necessary. To the third question, some said science. Others chose fighting, and yet others religious worship. As the answers to his questions were so different, the king was not satisfied and gave no reward. Instead, he decided to seek the advice of a certain hermit, who was widely known for his wisdom.
The hermit lived in a wood which he never left. He saw no one but simple people, and so the king put on ordinary clothes. Before he reached the hermit's hut, the king left his horse with his bodyguard and went on alone.
As the king came near the hermit's hut, he saw the hermit digging the ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king and continued digging. The hermit was old and weak, and as he worked, he breathed heavily.
The king went up to the hermit and said, “I have come to you, wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions: How can I learn to do the right things at the right time? Who are the people I need most? And what affairs are the most important?”
The hermit listened to the king, but did not speak. He went on “digging, “You are tired,” said the king. “Let me take the spade and work in your place.”
“Thanks,” said the hermit, giving the king his spade. Then
he sat down on the ground.
One hour passed, then another. The sun went down behind the trees, and at last the king stuck the spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If you can give me no answer, tell me so and I will return home.”
“Here comes someone running,” said the hermit.
The king turned round and saw a bearded man running towards
them. His hands were pressed against his stomach, from which blood was flowing.
When he reached the king, he fainted and fell to the ground. The king and the
hermit removed the man's clothing and found a large wound in his stomach. The
king washed and covered it with his handkerchief, but the blood would not stop flowing. The king re-dressed the wound until at last the
bleeding stopped.
The man felt better and asked for something to drink. The king brought fresh water and gave it to him. By this time the sun had set and the air was cool. The king with the hermit's help carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed, The man closed his eyes and lay quiet. The king, tired by his walk and the work he had done, lay down on the floor and slept through the night. When he awoke, it was several minutes before he could remember where he was or who the strange bearded man lying on the bed was.
“Forgive me!” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the king was awake.
“I do not know you and have nothing to forgive you for,” said the king.
“You do not know me, but I know you. I am that enemy of yours who swore revenge on you, because you put my brother to death and seized my property. I knew you had gone alone to see that hermit, and I made up my mind to kill you on your way home, But the day passed and you did not return. So I left my hiding-place, and I came upon your bodyguard, who recognized me and wounded me. I escaped from him but I should have died if you had not dressed my wounds. I wished to kill you, and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, I will serve you as your most faithful servant and will - order my sons to do the same, Forgive me!”
The king was very happy to have made peace with his enemy so easily, and to have won him over as a friend. He not only forgave him but said he would send his servants and his own doctor to look after him, and he promised to give back the man his property.
Leaving the wounded man, the king went out of the hut and looked round for the hermit. Before going away he wished once more to get answers to his questions. The hermit was on his knees sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before. The king went up to the hermit and said, “For the last time I beg you to answer my questions, wise man."
“You have already been answered!" said the hermit : till bending down to the ground and looking up at the king as he stood before him.
“How have I been answered? What do you mean?”
“Do you not see?” replied the hermit. “If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday and had not dug these beds for me, you would have gone away. Then that man would have attacked you and you would have wished you had stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were - digging the beds. And I was the most important man, and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards, when the man ran to us, the most important time was when you were caring for him, because if you had not dressed his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important man, and what you did for him was your most important business. “Remember then, there is only one time that is important and that time is ‘Now’. It is the most important time because it is the only time we have any power to act.
The most necessary person is the person you are with at a particular moment, for no one knows what will happen in the future and whether we will meet anyone else. The most important business is to do that person good, because we were sent into this world for that purpose alone.”
-Leo Tolstoy (retold)
The Unthankful Man-story class 8th
The Unthankful Man-story
Tulip series book VIII
The Unthankful Man
Raman was a poor Brahmin who lived with his wife on the outskirts of a smal] town. He was so poor that he and his wife had to remain hungry for days together. His wife was fed up with their poverty. One day, she said to her husband. “Why don’t you go to the nearby town and seek some job?” Raman liked the idea and decided to go to a nearby town to look for a job.
On his way, he had to pass through a forest. He was tired and hungry. He gathered some wild fruit and sat down by a well to eat it. Just then he heard some voices, The voices were coming from the well. He was surprised to hear the voices coming from the well. He peeped into the well. To his surprise. he saw a tiger, a monkey, a snake and a man in the well.
The tiger saw him and said, “Sir, kindly help me out of the well. I will be ever . grateful to you for that kind action.”
Raman was frightened. He said. “If I take you out. you will eat me up. Therefore, Icannot help you out of the well. You remain where you are.”
The tiger said. “Have faith in me: I promise that I will do no harm to you. On the other hand, I will try to help you. Please help me out.” Raman was a kind man. He took _ pity on the tiger and pulled him out of the well . “Thank you, kind man,” the tiger said to him. “If you ever need my help, please come to my cave. But mind you, do not take that man out of the well. He is the most ungrateful creature on this earth.”
So saying the tiger went away from there. As soon as he was gone, the monkey called out to Raman and said. “Kind man, this well is too steep . I can’t climb out of it. Please help me out ." Raman readily pulled out the monkey. The monkey also thanked Raman and said, “If you ever need my help, please come to the mango tree by the river outside this jungle.” He, then, advised him not to pull the man out of the well. “He is a very ungrateful creature. Do not listen him.” Then the monkey went away.
Raman had hardly sat down to eat the wild fruit when the
snake called out to him, please, kind sir, help me out of this well and save my
life.” Raman was scared of the snake. He said. “If I pull, you may bite me and
I will die.”
The snake said, “Please have no fear. I shall cause you no
harm," Raman took pity on the snake and pulled him out of the well. The
snake also thanked him and said, “If you need my help, just call out to me and
I shall be there to help you, But don’t listen to that ungrateful man. Don’t
pull him out of the well.” So saying; the snake slithered away.
When the snake, had disappeared, the man called out to Raman and said, “Please help me out of the well and save my life.” Raman thought, “What harm can this man do to me?” Then, he pulled him out of the well.
The man thanked him and said, “If you need my help, come to me, I live in Varanasi and I am a goldsmith by profession.” So saying, the man also went away. Raman reached the nearby town. For several days, he tried to get a job. But he could not find one. He was hungry and tired. He felt depressed. He decided to go back home.
As he neared the forest, he came to the river. He remembered the monkey who had told him that he lived on a mango tree by the riverside. He decided to go to the monkey. The monkey saw him and came running to him. Raman told the monkey that he had not eaten for several days. At once, the monkey climbed up the tree and picked up sweet, juicy mangoes for Raman. Raman ate the mangoes and satisfied his hunger. He thanked the monkey and continued his journey On his way, be came upon a cave. He remembered the tiger and decided to visit him as well. He went to the cave and called out for the tiger. The tiger recognised his voice and came rushing to him. He took Raman inside and gave him a necklace. “Once, I saved a prince's life. In return, he gave me this necklace It is of no use to me. Perhaps, it might help you,” the tiger said to Raman.
Raman was very happy to receive the necklace. “I will sell this necklace and start a business of my own," he thought. He thanked the tiger and continued his journey.
Just as he was nearing his village, he remembered the goldsmith whom he had taken out of the well. He decided to go to Varanasi and sell the necklace to the goldsmith. So, instead of going home, he went to Varanasi.
When he reached the shop of the goldsmith, he showed, him the necklace. Now, it so happened that the goldsmith had made the necklace for the prince who had gone missing some months back. He recognized the necklace and decided to report the matter to the king. He asked Raman to wait for him in the shop and went to the king. He said to the king, “Your Majesty, a man has come to my shop to sell this necklace. I had made this for the prince. I am sure, he must have killed the prince and stolen the necklace.”
The king also recognised the necklace. He sent his soldiers to the goldsmith’s shop and ordered them to arrest Raman.
The soldiers arrested him and locked him in a dark cell. Raman could not understand why he was arrested. He asked one of the guards why he had been locked up. The guard told him his crime. “You have killed our prince and stolen his necklace Therefore, you have been locked up.”
Raman was horrified to hear this. He had been deceived by the goldsmith. The animals had been right when they had advised him not to trust the man. He was the most ungrateful creature. He felt sad. The animals had been better than this man.
Just as he sat thinking, he remembered the snake. He called out to the snake and the next moment, the snake slithered into the cell.
“What can I do for you?” asked the snake.
Raman told him how he had come to be in that dark cell. The snake was sad to hear about Raman's plight. He said, “Don't worry. I have a plan. I will slip into the queen's chamber and bite her. My poison will spread in her body and she will become unconscious. The king will be very sad. Nothing will be able to cure her. However, if you touch her forehead, she will wake up. The king will be pleased and he will set you free.” The snake, then, slithered away into the queen’s chamber and bit her.
The queen fell unconscious. Her maids informed the king. The king called the doctors to cure her of the snakebite. But they could not cure her. The poison was fast spreading. The king grew sad. He made an announcement that if anybody was able to cure the queen, the person would get a handsome reward. The announcement was made even in the prison. Raman offered to go and try to cure the queen. He was taken to the queen's chamber. He touched the queen's forehead. Immediately, the queen opened her eyes. She was cured of the snake bite. The king was pleased with Raman. He asked him, “How did you land up in the prison?’ Raman narrated to the king all that had happened to him, including the goldsmith’s ungratefulness.
Hearing his story, the king got angry with the goldsmith. He sent his guards to arrest the goldsmith. “You are a cruel and ungrateful person. You framed wrong charges against an innocent man. This man had once saved your life. Instead of helping him, you told a lie against him and got him arrested. Now you will spend the rest of your life in jail,” the king said to the goldsmith.
Then, the king turned to Raman and gave him a bagful of gold coins. “Go home and live happily,” he said to him. Raman thanked the king and went home. He and his wife lived happily ever after.