J.M. Mehta

Contents Alexander and A Poor Woman Cheating Yourself Character is Revealed by Small Acts The Turning Point Consequences of Greed The Seed of Honesty Greed Knows No Limits Honesty Pays in the Long Run God is All Wise The Ultimate Judge Medicine of Compassion The Spirit of Service Gandhiji and Religion Unselfish Charity Hero Unknown

An Imprint of

Follow the Right Advice Voice of Conscience Power Without Wisdom God – The True Saviour The Hidden Diamond The View of the World Misplaced Suspicion The Myth of a Saint Heaven and Hell Just Make Me Free Fear of Death The Magic of Patience Denial of Needed Help Use Your Little Moments Daydreaming

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© Copyright: ISBN 978-93-815885-2-9 Edition : 201

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Publisher’s Note V&S Publishers children book publishing imprint Gopu Books has come out with yet another interesting collection of stories. The author, J.M. Metha, a prolific writer, in ‘Wisdom Tales’ has compiled 30 Inspiring, Enlightening and Entertaining stories that are short, meaningful and true to life. Each story assisted with a ‘Quote’ at the beginning and ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ at the end teaches some human value or the other. Reading such value–based stories will definitely educate your child’s young mind and enlighten his soul to become a responsible human being. We hope you enjoy reading these stories!!

1

ALEXANDER & A Poor Woman A conqueror likes to be known by his victories even if they are useless!

A

fter conquering many countries, Emperor Alexander invaded India where he met a poor woman whose words opened the Conqueror’s eyes!

Alexander on seeing the poor woman told him, “You have nothing.” The woman laughed and said: “The whole universe is mine. I win the whole universe without invading it.” Alexander asked, “How can anyone win the world without conquering it?” The woman replied: “I have won over the Creator of this world. When I own the creator, the whole creation is mine. The way of my conquest is different from yours. I conquer, not by sword, but by surrendering myself!” Alexander was impressed by this reply and felt very pleased. Alexander said, “I too have conquered the Pearls of Wisdom world.” In response the woman said, “Just imagine for a while that you are lost deep in a desert and are extremely thirsty. Then Y Never insist that only you are I appear before you with a Jug of water and offer the same to you right. for a price. In case, you are about to die for water, how much of Y Words of arrogance originate your kingdom can you give me for a Jug of life saving water.” from poor wisdom. Y Practise simple living and high thoughts. 4

Alexander replied: “I shall be prepared to give half of my kingdom.” The poor woman said: “Suppose I do not sell my water at that price.” Alexander told that he would be ready to give his whole kingdom to save his life. The woman laughed and said: “Then, in that case, only one Jug of water is the price of your whole kingdom for which you have wasted your entire life.” These words of the woman had such great impact on the mind of Alexander that he gave up the idea of further conquests.

2

CHEATING YOURSELF Moral decay and dishonesty will backfire on the perpetrator in no time!

A

rich man had a son-in-law who was an architect. The rich man bought a piece of land on a hill top and asked his son-in-law to build a beautiful house.

The architect thought it to be a good opportunity to make some good money from the venture. He used sub-standard construction material and charged big amounts and made lot of money by cheating his father-in-law. When the house was ready, the rich man called his son-in-law and said, “This is my gift for you and my daughter.” The son-in-law was Pearls of Wisdom shocked and said to himself, “I was not aware that I was actually cheating myself by using the poor quality material.” Y No one can escape from the consequences of one’s actions. But the dishonest deed was already done! Y Greed for money destroys the grandeur of life. Y A crooked mind never sustain his skills for success.

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3

CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY SMALL ACTS One drop is sufficient to suggest the taste of any liquid!

A

boy applied for a job in a bank. When he went to the banker’s office, he was told that there was no vacancy at present. Was that an end to his career or a beginning?

Knowing this, he was preparing to leave, but noticed a pin lying on the floor. He paused and picked it up and placed it on the table of the banker. When he was about to leave, the banker called him and said: “We want you to be here even if we have to create a job for you.” This cheered the boy who worked very hard and went on to Pearls of Wisdom become a successful banker and businessman. His simple but Y Never regret about any lost small act showed his character as a boy of careful habits and opportunity. courteous disposition. Y Be ready to strike when the If we take care of small things, big things are sure to follow. opportunity beckons. Y Always be clear on the aim and apply hard work to it.

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4

THE TURNING POINT Money without Hard work is Worthless!

A

retired person used to come to a bank along with his grandson, aged 18, to draw pension every month. The boy would lead his blind grandfather with utmost respect.

Was there a game plan for this boy? ..... But it was discovered that the boy would not hand over the entire amount to his grandfather and would retain Rs. 100/- with him. The manager noticed this and communicated this to the grandfather when the grandson was not around. With tears in his eyes, the grandfather said, “Yes, I know Pearls of Wisdom that he has been stealing money from my pension, but it is better Y Stealing is a sin and invites he steals from me than outside. He is the only one who looks after social stigma. me and cares for me.” Y Align the urge for money with A few years later, the old man died and left all his savings to his a career goal. grandson. This was a turning point in the latter’s life. The grandson Y Wealth accrued without hard gave away half his legacy to a local orphanage and started teaching work is hard to own. in a local school and became very popular and respectable as a teacher. 10

5

CONSEQUENCES OF GREED That which comes easily will lose easily!

O

nce, a poor fisherman caught a fish for his lunch. The fish said: “Please let me go. I will get you whatever you may ask for.”

This o
er later led to unexpected changes in the life of the sherman. The fisherman released the fish back into the sea and asked for a good meal for him as well as his wife. The fisherman came back home and narrated this to his wife. She became very angry and asked him to go back and ask the fish for a small cottage to replace their leaking hut. The fisherman did so and they got a cottage.

Pearls of Wisdom Y Learn to live within your limits. Y Provision extra hard work for realising new goals. Y Prove by action that you are worthy of the gift.

After a few days, his wife became greedy and wished for a bigger house. They were granted that also. But her greed kept growing and wanted for more money, servants and so on. The fisherman became so fed up with his wife’s greed that he expressed his last wish to return to their old hut. His last wish was granted. When he came back home, his wife was sitting outside the old hut crying over her folly. But the fisherman was happy with his simple life sans any greed that ultimately led to all misery and unhappiness. 12

6

THE SEED OF HONESTY Value often takes roots at home!

T

wo teenagers — a brother and sister were waiting to board a bus to go to the city school. A large crowd was also waiting. When the bus came, the crowd rushed forward to get into the bus as the children waited patiently. They boarded the bus at the end. What followed was interesting.... The children who got two adjacent seats in the middle of the bus passed on a Rs 50 note to the conductor to purchase two tickets for a destination in New Delhi. The girl, who was elder to the boy, counted the balance on getting the tickets and found two rupees in excess. She asked her brother to return the money to the conductor, who in turn appreciated their honest gesture. The girl again counted the change and cross-checked with the price of the tickets and found the balance still in excess by one rupee. So she gave the one rupee to his brother again and asked him to return it to the conductor. This honest act of two small children was watched by many passengers who appreciated their conduct. Someone remarked about their noble parentage. The conductor came forward and patted the two kids and praised them for their honest ways.

Such sparks of honesty in children are surely the result of good education given by the parents at home. It is said that parents are the first teachers and kids learn their first lessons at home only, before they go to school. 14

Pearls of Wisdom Y Conduct in a Public Place must be exemplary. Y Strength of character will shine even in a crowd. Y Fundamentals of Good Citizenship starts at an early age.