Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: February 2015

The Owl's Warning

There was an owl who understood the ways of bird-catchers, and she tried to warn the other birds. "Don't build your nests here," she said. "The bird-catcher is going to lay snares in this place, and you will get caught, and so will your young ones."
But the birds did not like the owl, and they did not listen to her.
Then, just as she had predicted, the hunter laid his snares, and the birds were caught.
Ever since then, the birds have been in awe of the owl, following her and hoping she will share her wisdom with them.

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 379.
Notes: This is Perry 437.

Here is an illustration by Arthur Rackham:

Ganesha and Krauncha

The musician-god Krauncha once stepped on a sage's foot by accident. He apologized, but the angry sage cursed him to become a gigantic mouse!
Krauncha begged for mercy, but the sage could not take back his curse. As compensation, he promised that someday even the gods would bow to Krauncha.
The giant mouse stepped on the sages' ashrams, crushing their homes with his feet.
Finally, Ganesha used his lasso to catch Krauncha, who begged for mercy.
Ganesha agreed and made Krauncha his vahana.
This fulfilled the sage's promise: when the gods bow to Ganesha, they are also bowing to Krauncha.

Inspired by: various Internet sources
Notes: The sage who cursed Krauncha is Vamadeva.

(Ganesha on his vahana)

Ganesha's Race around the World

Shiva and Parvati had two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. The gods brought a divine fruit for the wisest son. Who would it be? Shiva told the boys to race around the world three times. "Who wins the race gets the fruit!"
Kartikeya was confident; the peacock was his vehicle, and he himself was strong and fast. Ganesha was slow and fat, and his vehicle was a little mouse.
Kartikeya zoomed away at top speed.
Ganesha, however, walked three times around his parents. "You are my world," he said.
Ganesha won the prize, and even Kartikeya had to admire his wisdom.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: This is how Ganesha won his divine title of vighnaharta, obstacle-remover. There is currently a television show in India called Vighnaharta Ganesh.

(Parvati, Shiva, and their sons)

Ganesha the Bachelor

Because of his strange appearance, Ganesha could not find a bride. No goddess wanted to marry him.
This made Ganesha jealous! In his anger, he ordered the rats to dig holes in the road wherever a god was on his way to get married. The rats dug so many holes and the holes were so deep that none of the gods could reach their brides.
To appease Ganesha, Brahma created two beautiful brides for him: Riddi (wealth) and Siddhi (perfection).
Ganesha was married at last, and he no longer troubled the other gods as they journeyed to their own weddings.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: You can read about Ganesha's consorts at Wikipedia.

(Ganesha with Riddhi and Siddhi)

The Grieving Woman and Death

There was a woman grieving because her husband was going to die. She wept and wailed. "Death, O Death," she prayed, "spare his life, please! You can take me instead of him!"
Imagine her surprise when Death appeared.
"Let's go, my good lady," he said.
The woman grew pale and then curtsied politely. "You must have misunderstood," she explained. "The person you're looking for is my husband, over there. He's the one stretched out in the bed. You don't want me; you want him!"
It's one thing to talk of Death; it's another thing to see him face to face.

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 310.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; find out more here.

Here is an illustration from an edition of Desbillons:

The Skittish Horse

There was a horse who was skittish, scared of any shadow.
The horse's owner sought advice from horse trainers about how to cure his horse's fears, but none of their methods succeeded.
Finally, he decided to try reasoning with the horse. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he told the horse. "The shadow is just a blockage of the light. They can't hurt you; shadows are just phantoms of your imagination."
"Hypocrite!" replied the horse. "I hear men talk of ghosts and goblins and demons. They're just phantoms of your imagination, but you fear them as if they were real!"

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 479.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; I haven't found it in other sources.

Plain Horse, Plain Rider

The king had organized a royal horse-race, inviting all the best knights to enter their best horses in the competition.
Eager for the prize, the knights arrived, dressed in their finest regalia, and their horses were finely caparisoned as well, adorned with silver and gold, silk and velvet.
There was also an ordinary fellow who had entered his horse in the race; this horse wore no finery of any kind. The knights all mocked this plain horse and his rider, but in the end the plain horse won the race.
Outward opulence is no substitute for actual skills.

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 339.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; find out more here. (Abstemius)

The Lion's Breath

King Lion was testing his subjects' loyalty. "How does my breath smell?" he asked them, one by one.
When they said his breath smelled sweet, the lion attacked them as hypocrites.
When they said it smelled bad, he attacked them for insolence.
The monkey escaped by saying that he had a cold and couldn't smell anything.
Thus thwarted, the lion pretended to be sick. "Oh," he groaned, "my stomach hurts."
"Is there anything that might make you feel better?" asked the royal physician.
"Monkey stew is the only possible cure!"
So even the sly monkey fell victim to the lion.

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 416.
Notes: This is Perry 514.

Here is an illustration by Grandville:

The Grasshopper and the Bees

It was wintertime, and a grasshopper came to the beehive, begging for help. "Please let me share in the warmth of the hive and eat some of your honey," said the grasshopper.
"Why should we do that?" asked the bees.
"Well," said the grasshopper, "I can play music for you, and I can teach your children how to make music too."
"There's no point in that," said the bees, who were hardhearted creatures indeed. "We teach our children to be like ourselves: they will earn their living with their hard work, a lesson that apparently you never learned."

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 345.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; find out more here.

Here is an illustration by Bewick:

The Two Donkeys Crossing a Stream

A man was leading two donkeys home from the market, one donkey laden with bags of salt, and the other with bags of sponges.
As they crossed a stream, the donkey laden with salt lost his footing and fell into the water. To the donkey's surprise and delight, the salt dissolved and he stood up with no burden to bear at all.
The other donkey decided to do the same, falling into the water on purpose. The sponges swelled with water, becoming so heavy that the donkey could not get up, and he drowned.
Imitate others at your peril.

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 408.
Notes: This is Perry 180. This version is unusual by having two donkeys, one trying to imitate the other. Usually the story is told about a donkey who crosses the stream twice: the first time carrying salt, and the second time with the sponges.

Here is an illustration by Billinghurst:

The Man and the Weasel

A man had caught a weasel and was about to kill her when the weasel protested loudly.
"Spare me, good sir!" she squealed. "Just think of all the mice I've killed on your behalf, keeping your house free of vermin and protecting your pantry."
Laughing scornfully, the man replied, "You did not protect my pantry. Just the opposite: you raided the pantry! First you ate the mice, and then you ate all the food you could get your paws on as well — my cheese, my meat, my eggs. You deserve a double death for being both greedy and a hypocrite!"

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 441.
Notes: This is Perry 293.

Here is an illustration from Steinhowel's Aesop:

The Fox, the Dog, and the Rabbit

A dog had chased down a fox and was about to devour her, but the fox shouted, "Wait! Look at that lovely rabbit: her flesh would be tender and sweet, not like my tough old flesh."
The greedy dog went racing away after the rabbit, but the rabbit got away, and so did the sly fox.
When the rabbit ran into the fox the next day, she squealed angrily. "You're no friend of mine!"
The fox was indignant. "I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear rabbit. I said nothing but nice things about you to the dog."

Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 338.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; find out more here (Abstemius).

Ganesha and Vishnu's Conch-Shell

The Valampuri Shankha (conch-shell) belongs to the god Vishnu.
But one day Vishnu could not find the Shankha anywhere. "Who has taken my conch shell?" he shouted.
Shiva suspected that Ganesha might have taken the conch shell. "Pray to Ganesha fervently," said Shiva, "and I am sure he will return the Shankha to you."
Vishnu found Ganesha, and he noticed that his trunk was pointing to the right. And there, to Ganesha's right, he saw his conch-shell.
Vishnu prayed to Ganesha and made offerings.
Vishnu's puja pleased Ganesha, so he returned the Shankha. That is the origin of Valampuri-Shankha Ganesha.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: This story explains the "conch-shell" form of Ganesha, where the god is shown with his trunk pointing to the right; the shape resembles that of a conch shell like the one which Vishnu carries: Shankha.

(Shankha on the Travancore flag)

(Valampuri Ganesha)

Ganesha and the Durva Grass

The fire-demon Analasura could shoot flames from his eyeballs, destroying anything he gazed upon. He attacked humans and gods alike, and even expelled Indra from heaven, proclaiming himself king.
The gods begged Ganesha to save them, so Ganesha disguised himself as a child, small and quick enough to escape Analasura's fireballs.
Analasura then attempted to swallow Ganesha, but Ganesha enlarged himself so that he swallowed Analasura instead.
This gave Ganesha a terrible stomachache; nothing could cool the heat in his belly.
The wise sage Kashyapa then offered Ganesha some durva grass, and when Ganesha ate the grass, he was cured.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: Durva grass, Cynodon dactylon, is also known as Bermuda grass; you can read more at Wikipedia. This grass is still used as an offering to Ganesha, usually in the form of 21 shoots of grass. There are various stories that explain why durva grass is offered to Ganesha; this is just one of them.

jasmine, hibiscus and durva for Ganesha

The Elephant Head of Gajasura

Some say that Ganesha's elephant head once belonged to Gajasura, the Elephant-Demon.
Gajasura worshiped Shiva with such fervor that Shiva granted him any wish.
"I wish to consume you!" said Gajasura, so Shiva thus disappeared into Gajasura's stomach.
No one knew where he was, except Vishnu. To rescue Shiva, Vishnu appeared before Gajasura as a flutist.
"Your music is enchanting!" declared Gajasura. "Name your reward."
"Is there anything beyond your power?" Vishnu asked.
"Nothing is beyond my power!" shouted Gajasura.
"Then release Shiva!" demanded Vishnu.
Shiva emerged, and Gajasura offered his head and his skin to Shiva as a gift.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: In some versions, Shiva's bull Nandi accompanies Vishnu, dancing to Vishnu's music.

(Shiva and the head of Gajasura)

Ganesha and Gajamukha

Gajamukha was a wicked asura. He worshipped Shiva for years until Shiva granted him a boon. "Make me invincible to all weapons!" demanded Gajamukha.
Gajamukha then conquered the people and the gods, commanding them to worship him, and only him.
The gods fought back, attacking Gajamukha with arrows, spears, swords, clubs... nothing worked.
Ganesha then broke off a tusk and stabbed Gajamukha, wounding him badly. Gajamukha turned himself a mouse, but Ganesha sat on him, crushing the asura beneath his weight.
When Gajamukha begged for mercy, Ganesha forgave him, and so Gajamukha became the mouse that Ganesha rides even now.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: There is also a very different story about a musician-god named Krauncha who was cursed to become a mouse and eventually became Ganesha's vehicle.

(illustration by John Batten)

The Demon Lobhasura

Kubera, god of wealth, lusted after the goddess Parvati. She glared at Kubera angrily, which terrified him. His fear gave birth to Lobhasura, a demon who had no fear of anything and who was greedy for everything.
Lobhasura tormented all the inhabitants of the three worlds. He even evicted Shiva from Mount Kailash.
The gods and people prayed to Ganesha to save them, so Ganesha manifested as Gajanana, the invincible elephant, one of Ganesha's eight avatars.
When Lobhasura saw Gajanana, he finally felt fear and ran away, terrified.
That is how Ganesha freed the three worlds from the demon Lobhasura.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: In the traditional version, the gods go to sage Raibhya, who prays to Ganesha to manifest as Gajanana, and then a god (Shiva or Vishnu) goes to tell Lobhasura about Gajanana, and the mere report of Gajanana's existence makes him surrender. For compression, I left Raibhya out.

(Amar Chitra Katha at Twitter)

Ganesha and the River Ponni

India has seven sacred rivers. One is the river Ponni, also called Kaviri. She rises in Karnataka and flows southeast to the Bay of Bengal.
When the sage Agastya traveled from north to south, he encountered this river. "Follow me!" he said, but she refused.
Agastya grew angry at the river and trapped her in a pot.
The gods and people missed the river's waters, so Ganesha disguised himself as a crow and perched on top of the pot. When Agastya waved his arm to chase away the crow, he knocked over the pot and set the river free.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: There are other variations on this story that involve the god Shiva, much as Shiva is part of the story of Ganga's origins. The way that the river refuses to follow Agastya comes from that version of the story; the PDF booklet I am working with here did not say exactly how the river managed to offend Agastya.

(Ponni river by S. Ramaswamy)

Ganesha's Broken Tusk

The sage Vyasa needed a scribe for his poem, the Mahabharata.
"Will you write while I recite?" Vyasa asked Ganesha.
"Only if you do not pause," said Ganesha.
"I agree," said Vyasa, "provided you stop writing if you don't understand something."
Vyasa began reciting, and Ganesha began writing. But then Ganesha's pen broke! To keep going, he tore off a tusk to use as a pen.
When Vyasa was tired, he would recite a complex verse that made Ganesha stop and think. That way Vyasa could rest, and then continue.
It took three years to write down the whole Mahabharata.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: The Mahabharata is indeed very long! You can find out more at Wikipedia: "At about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined."

(Ganesha and Vyasa)

Ganesha and Shiva's Chariot

There were once three asuras who built three fortress-cities called Tripura: one of iron, one of silver, and one of gold. These asuras would attack the gods and then retreat behind their city walls.
The gods turned to Shiva for help. He agreed to ride forth to fight the demons, but he forgot to offer prayers to Ganesha, the God of Beginnings. In his anger, Ganesha broke the axle of Shiva's chariot, bringing him to a halt.
Shiva realized his mistake and offered prayers to Ganesha, who then repaired the axle, allowing Shiva to ride forth and conquer the demons.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: This story is associated with various temples in India, including the Aksheeswaraswamy Temple of Acharapakkam in Tamil Nadu, India. There is much more to the stoyr of Shiva and the Tripura; you can read more at Wikipedia. You can also read about Shiva's chariot and the Tripura in this comic book: Tripura: The Three Impregnable Cities of Maya.

Eleven Days of Ganesha Chaturthi

Parvati and Shiva lived on Mount Kailash, high in the Himalayas. Sometimes, though, Parvati visited the earth below, staying with Bhudevi, the Earth-Goddess.
One time when Parvati was visiting Bhudevi, Shiva grew especially lonely, so he sent Ganesha to go bring her back. "Tell your mother I miss her," he said to Ganesha.
The goddesses gladly welcomed Ganesha, and he spent eleven happy days with them. Then he remembered his mission. "Please come home," he said. "Shiva is lonely."
Parvati agreed and returned to Mount Kailash.
Ganesha's visit to earth is remembered with eleven days of celebration during Ganesha Chaturthi.

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: You can read about the holiday of Ganesha Chaturthi at Wikipedia. Here is a photo of the celebrations by Thejas Panarkandy at Flickr:

~ 16. Ravana Encounters Vedavati ~

Laura Gibbs · 16. Ravana and Vedavati

As Ravana wandered the woods, he saw a beautiful woman practicing austerities at a fire-altar, clothed in a deer-skin, her hair twisted in jatas.

"Lovely lady," he said, "you should be wearing silks and jewels, not this ascetic garb. Be my wife!"

"I am Vedavati," she replied, "and I am dedicated to the god Vishnu; I will marry no other."

Ravana grabbed her hair, but Vedavati magically cut herself free.

"With my dying words I curse you, Ravana!" she said, throwing herself into the flames. "I will be born again for your destruction."

Vedavati would later be reborn as Sita.

Inspired by: The Ramayana (Uttara Kanda: Sarga 17).
Notes: Vedavati tells Ravana the story of how all manner of creatures asked her father to marry her, but he refused them all, vowing that she would marry Vishnu. A daitya named Shambhu was so angry at this refusal that he killed her father, and her mother threw herself onto her father's funeral pyre, leaving Vedavati an orphan. Pattanaik, in his Sita (p. 120) notes that the Skanda Purana says Vedavati became Padmavati and thus married Vishnu as Venkateshwara Balaji. In Jammy, Vedavat is associated with Vaishno Devi, who beheaded Bhairava. Vedavati is also associated with the Maya Sita legend; Vedavati is Sita's double.

(Ramayana illustration)