Moral Stories- Part 3

Too Many Bananas

Sringeri Shrinivas was having a very bad day. No one desired the sweet, ripe bananas he grew on his farm. Not his family. Not his neighbour. Not his friends.  Not the traders who could sell the bananas in faraway markets and not even his cows. “No thank you”, they all said. “The bananas are very sweet but we have had too many, we cannot eat anymore. Poor Sringeri Sreenivas!”  

What was he going to do with his rich harvest of bananas? He decided to look for help from the farmer’s centre in a big town near his village. He went off carrying the best crop of bananas. Someone would certainly have a good idea for him.

A few days later Sringeri Shrinivas returned home looking very happy. He went back to grow bananas on his farm. But he did not offer the bananas to anyone anymore. Not to his family. Not to his neighbour. Not to his friends. Not to the traders who could sell the bananas in faraway markets and not even to his cows.  Everyone became very curious. “Where were all the bananas going?”

One day neighbour Shivanna arranged a very big puja. The priest asked him to get hundred and eight ripe bananas as an offering to the gods. Shivanna ran to Sringeri Shrinivas.  “I apologize for saying no to you before but now I need 108 ripe bananas. Can you help me, please?”

Shrinivas tapped his chin. “Well, my crop has just been harvested but let me see what I can do. You may start your puja, I will surely come.”

The puja started. The whole village came to watch.  The priest began chanting.  Soon it was time to offer bananas to the gods. Just then in came Sringeri Shrinivas carrying a big bag. From the bag he carefully took out 27 packets and laid them out before the holy fire. Each packet was carefully wrapped in a banana leaf. On each packet was written- “High-quality Banana Halwa, SS Farms”.  Sringeri Shrinivas offered one to the priest. “Each one has a pulp of four bananas. There are 27 packets. So, here are your 108 ripe bananas!” The priest forgot to chant in the silence as he was so surprised. One child began to laugh. Soon the whole village was laughing and clapping.

Now it is known what Sringeri Srinivas does with all the bananas that are grown by him.

The Whispering Palms

Mori was a small girl with big brown eyes.  She lived with her parents in a beautiful piece of land covered with coconut trees next to a small blue lake.  Every morning she put a big empty basket on her head as she walked down to the lake.  Her mother followed with the laundry and her father brought a big fishing net. Her mother washed the clothes on a stone next to the lake while her father went fishing. He dragged the net ashore and they gathered the fish in a big basket. Sometimes a turtle became entangled in the net but Mori always hurried to the rescue.

One sunny morning while fishing with her father Mori said, “If we catch so many fish one day there won't be any left.”  Her mother laughed and sent her to school. She fell into an uneasy sleep in the shade of the trees  She had a dream of  a lake with no fish while the wind in the palm leaves whispered, “Nature  has always looked after your family and you have to take care of water and land in return.” she awoke with tears in her eyes for she didn't know how to rear Mori  without selling enough fish. All afternoon she sat, wove coconut mats and thought about her dream. That night Mori overheard her parents whispering and the oil lamp burned deep into the night.

The next morning Mori’s father gave her a smaller basket. “How can we collect all the fish in this little basket?”, she asked.  “We will only collect as many fish as can fit into this basket.”, he replied. Mori was puzzled.

After coming back from school, she was surprised to find her mother making soap and oil from the coconuts. Mori quickly climbed up a tree to get more coconuts but her mother warned, “Don't pluck them, we must only use what the tree gives us.”  Her father added, “We have used only fallen coconuts for these things. Look, we've even made this soap with a jasmine flower inside!”

From that day the family made brooms from the palm leaf and wove mats from the coconut fiber. They took soaps, oil and only a small amount of fish to the market.  

When Mori grew older, she cherished to carve tiny turtles out of coconut shells and always wore one around her neck.