Story 10

Once upon a time, Amarasakti ruled the city-state of Mahilaropyam in the south of India. He had three witless(stupid,मूर्ख) sons who became a matter of endless perturbation(worry,चिंता) for him. Realizing that his sons had no interest in learning, the king summoned(call, बुलाना) his ministers and said:

“You know I am not exhilarated(happy,खुश) with my sons. According to men of learning an unborn son and a stillborn son are better than a son who is a dimwit(stupid, मूर्ख). What good is a barren cow? A son who is stupid will bring opprobrium(dishonour,अपमान) to his father. How can I make them fit to be my successors? I turn to you for advice.“

One of the ministers suggested the name of Vishnu Sharman, a eminent(great,महान) savant(scholar,विद्ववान) enjoying the veneration(respect,आदर) of hundreds of his disciples. “He is the most adroit(competent,सक्षम) person to tutor your children. Entrust them to his care and very soon you will see the change.“

The king summoned Vishnu Sharman and pleaded with him “Oh, venerable scholar, take pity on me and please train my sons into great scholars and I will make you the lord of hundred villages.“

Vishnu Sharman said “Oh, king, listen to my pledge. Hundred villages do not tempt me to vend learning. Count six months from today. If I do not make your children great scholars, you can ask me to change my name.“

The king promptly(immediately,तुरंत)called his sons and handed them to the care of the learned man. Sharman took them to his monastery where he started teaching them the five strategies (Panchatantra). Keeping his word, he finished the task the king entrusted him in six months. Since then, Panchatantra became popular all over the world as children‘s guide in solving problems of life.

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Nebulous meaning

The Pot of the Wit story 9

Once Emperor Akbar became very angry(indignant,गुस्सा) at his favorite minister Birbal. He asked Birbal to abandon(leave,छोड़ना) the kingdom and go away. Accepting the command of the Emperor, Birbal left the kingdom and started working in a farmer’s farm in an unacquainted(unknown,अनजान) village far away under a different identity.

As months passed, Akbar started to miss Birbal. He was struggling to solve many issues in the empire without Birbal’s advice. He regretted a decision, asking Birbal to leave the empire in anger. So Akbar sent his soldiers to find Birbal, but they failed to find him. No one knew where Birbal was. Akbar finally found a maneuver(trick,युक्ति). He sent a message to the head of every village to send a pot full of the wit to the Emperor. If the pot full of wit can not be sent, fill the pot with diamonds and jewels.

This message also reached Birbal, who lived in one of the villages. The people of the village got together. All started talking about what to do now? The wit is not a thing, which can be filled in the pot. How will we arrange for diamonds and jewels to fill the pot and send to the Emperor? Birbal who was sitting among the villagers said, “Give me the pot, I will fill the wit in one month’s end”. Everyone trusted Birbal and agreed to give him a chance. They still didn’t know his identity.

Birbal took the pot with him and went back to the farm. He had planted watermelons on his farm. He selected a minuscule(small,छोटा) watermelon and without cutting it from the plant, he put that in the pot. He started looking after it by providing water and fertilizer perpetually(regularly,नित्य). Within a few days, the watermelon grew into a pot so much that it was infeasible(impossible,असंभव) to get it out of the pot.

Soon, the watermelon reached to the same size as the pot from inside. Birbal then cut the watermelon from the vine and separated it with the pot. Later, he sent a pot to Emperor Akbar with a message that “Please remove the wit without cutting it from the pot and without breaking the pot”.

Akbar watched the watermelon in the pot and realized that this can only be Birbal’s Work. Akbar himself came to the village, took Birbal back with him.

Moral: Don’t hasten(fast,जल्दी) the decision. Think tenacious(hard,दृढ) to find a solution for the strangest situations.

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robust

Prefix with words

Abolish

Ubiquitous