Greed & Consequences
Stories in which the desire for wealth, status or more than a fair share changes what characters do. Follow the moment when a wish becomes harmful, and examine the consequences for bystanders as well as the person seeking the reward. A spectacular punishment can itself raise questions about fairness.
Indian Folk Tales
Good Luck to the Lucky One
A desperate beggar moves into a haunted mansion and answers the voice crying “Shall I fall down?”—but the owner sees the result very differently.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
How the Wicked Sons Were Duped
An old father whose greedy sons treat him badly gets help from a wise friend, whose clever trick with four heavy bags soon changes how the sons behave.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalu’s Friends Forsook Him
The carpenter's son defeats a snake during the first watch, but Rasalu faces a far greater horror. His companions ask to return home, and he lets them go.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Diamond Cut Diamond
When a crafty shopkeeper refuses to give back a merchant’s box of jewels, a cheerful young trickster thinks up an even craftier plan to get them back.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Herons and the Mongoose
Herons trick a mongoose into getting rid of the snake that eats their babies, but they forget to ask what the mongoose might do next.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
A Long-Bow Story
A greedy banker bets a farmer a hundred rupees on a tall-tale contest, but the farmer’s story of wheat growing on a mare’s back springs a neat trap.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Measure of Rice
A greedy king hires a foolish Valuer who prices five hundred horses at a measure of rice, until a bribe makes him value the rice at the whole city.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Washerman’s Donkey
When a thief creeps into the washerman’s house, the guard dog refuses to bark, so the donkey decides to raise the alarm himself, with painful results.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Happy Monk
A hermit who was once a king lies at ease before a visiting king, crying “Oh, happiness!”, and his teacher explains why the holy life brings such joy.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Brahmin’s Wife and the Sesame Seeds
A poor Brahmin warns his wife against hoarding with the tale of a greedy jackal, but when she sets out her sesame seeds to dry, a stray dog spoils the lot.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Iron Balance and the Merchant’s Son
When a merchant swears that mice have eaten a heavy iron balance left in his care, its owner answers with an even taller tale about a kite.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Brahmin, the Thief and the Demon
A thief who wants a Brahmin's cattle and a demon who wants to eat the Brahmin creep into his house on the same night, and then they start to argue.