ISWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR

           Iswar Chandra Bandyopadhyay was born at a village in Midnapore in the year 1820. He had to live in utmost poverty in his childhood. When he was quite young he came to Calcutta with his father. They walked all the way and Iswar Chandra learnt the English numerals from the milestones. As a student he was simply brilliant. He had a powerful retentive memory. He read in the Sanskrit College and later became its Principal. He was a great social reformer. He introduced widow marriage and fought all his life to uphold the dignity of man. He had a very kind heart, but he could be stem, if the situation so demanded of him. He did a great service to the Bengali literature by writing some text books in Bengali. He also translated many Sanskrit books into Bengali. He was a vastly learned man, but was a picture of simplicity and kindness.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

          Swami Vivekananda, the great patriot-monk of India, was born in Calcutta in the year 1863. In his early life he was known as Narendra Nath Dutta. He graduated from Scottish Church College in 1883. While he was a student, he felt a great urge to realise God. He met many saints and religious people but none could satisfy him. Then he came in contact with Sri Ramkrishna who answered all his questions. Sri Ramktshna was God incarnate. Naren was deeply impressed and later he became his disciple. Sri Ramkrishna passed away in 1886. Naren became a monk now. He toured the whole of India and saw for himself the distress of the Indian people and devoted himself to their service. In 1893 he attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, America and upheld the Vedantic philosophy of ancient India. He came back to India and founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur on the western bank. of the Hooghly. It preaches the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was great as a saint, but as a patriot, he was greater still.

MY BEST FRIEND

          Asit Das is my best friend. We read in the same class, and live in the same village. In fact, he is my next-door neighbour. Asit is tall and thin, but he is quite strong. He  loves to wear simple clothes and never shows off. What I like in him most is that he has a large heart. He is always ready to help me; he is always by my side. We read together, walk together and play together; we love to be in each other’s company. Whenever I feel unhappy or lonely, Asit is there to offer me solace and cheer me up. How happy I feel when I see his smiling face. Asit is bright and cheerful and I have never seen him look grim. Together we have laid out a flower garden. There we have grown some lovely flowers. I am really proud of Asit, my best friend.

THE FISHERMAN AND THE JINEE

          A poor fisherman lived in a village near the sea. Everyday, he used to g to the sea to catch fishes. One day, as usual, he threw his net in sea water. After a while, when he pulled out his net, he found nothing except a small strange looking jar.

          The fisherman picked up the jar and saw something moving inside the jar. Out of sheer curiosity, the fisherman removed the lid of the jar. As soon as the lid was opened, a dark cloud of smoke rose up from the bottle. Amidst the dark cloud, a huge fearful Jinee appeared before the fisherman.

          The fisherman began to tremble in fear. He had never seen such a large monster in his life. He humbly asked the Jinee in a trembling voice, are you?”

          The Jinee laughed aloud and replied, “Many years ago, I happened to be a terror. People were greatly afraid of me. But a very powerful and intelligent king captivated me inside this small bottle by casting his spiritual power.” The Jinee stopped for sometime. “The king then threw the jar in the deep sea”, continued the Jinee, “and now you have freed me.”

“But I am now very hungry”, said the Jinee, “and I’ll have to kill you to meet my hunger.”

          The fisherman was a man with cool brain. He began to think how to save himself from the Jinee. He politely said, “I know that you’ve really very hungry and I am ready to offer my life. But I’ve a last wish.”

          “What is it?” Jinee wanted to know eagerly. He could not wait anymore for he was very hungry. The fisherman said, I want to know how a huge Jinee like you enter into this tiny jar.”

          The foolish Jinee boastfully replied, ‘That’s all you want! All right, wait and see.” Saying so, the Jinee quickly reduced his size and entered into the jar. The clever fisherman at once closed the jar with the lid tightly. He then threw the jar back into the deep sea.

Moral: Never lose your cool at the time of danger.

THE WOODCUTTER’S FOOLISH SON

          In a small village near a deep forest a woodcutter lived with his family. Every morning, the woodcutter used to go to the forest to chop wood. He ‘was a very hard working man. But his son was slow-witted for his age and could not pick up any other trade.

          One day, the woodcutter’s wife asked his son to take his father’s meal to the wood. “Take this to your father”, she asked to her son, “and eats with your father at meal time.” So the boy took the basket and started to go towards the site where his father was chapping wood.

          The woodcutter was pleased to see his son. He asked the boy to work with him by taking a spare axe. The boy obeyed his father and began to work. They were progressing quite nicely when a wasp came buzzing round the woodcutter’s head. The woodcutter tried to brush it away with his hand, but it refused to leave. He then told his son to do something that he might work in peace.

          The boy tried with a leafy twig but the wasp managed to slip through. It made the boy angry. Next time, when the wasp was about to sit on his father’s shoulder, the boy took a hunk of wood and gave it a very strong blow. The wasp was at once killed but his father was seriously injured at the shoulder. He became senseless after much bleeding. It took him days to well properly.

Moral: Never entrust a fool.

GOD JUPITER AND THE TORTOISE

          Once God Jupiter invited all the animals of the forest for dinner. The animals were very happy and they all visited God’s palace in time, God Jupiter himself welcomed them. All the animals were present there except tortoise.

          Jupiter loved the animals very much. So Jupiter became anxious to know b reason for the tortoise’s absence. He went to the tortoise’s palace and “My dear tortoise, why didn’t you come to attend my dinner yesterday?

          The tortoise answered arrogantly, “It is because I love my beautiful small house very much. And I don’t like going away from house.”

          The arrogance of the tortoise made Jupiter angry. He at once cursed the tortoise, “From now, you’ll never be able to separate yourself from your beautiful house.. Wherever you go, you’ll have to carry your house on back.” Jupiter then left the place.

          Since then, the poor tortoise is carrying his house on his back.


Moral: Always respond to the love affection of the elders.

THE LOYAL MONGOOSE

Once there lived, a wise Brahmin in a certain town. He had a little son and a mongoose. His wife loved them both and looked after them carefully. But she did not trust the mongoose as it was nothing but an animal.

One day, the lady was going to the river for water. “My Lord”, she said to the Brahmin before leaving, “look after the boy sleeping in his cradle and protect him from the mongoose.”
When she was gone, the Brahmin also went off for an-urgent call from his landlord. He had to leave the house unguarded.

In the meantime a black cobra issued from its hole and started to crawl towards the child’s cradle. The mongoose at once realized the ill will of the poisonous snake, his natural enemy. He knew that the child’s life was in great danger. So he attacked the snake and killed him in no time.

The wife of the Brahmin was then returning from the river. The mongoose came near her, When the lady noticed his bleeding mouth, she quickly thought that the ugly creature must have killed anti eaten her son. So without delay, she angrily dropped the’ heavy water jar upon the little, mongoose. The mongoose died at once. Then she hurried home.

After entering house, she found her son was sleeping safe and sound. There was a black cobra, torn to bites lay near his cradle. The lady at once realized her mistake and overwhelmed with grief, for the loss of .the innocent loyal mongoose.

Moral: Thoughtless deed always brings misfortune.