Ancient Wisdom

To celebrate his birthday, ' Tamerlane ' presented each of his courtiers with a large box. As the advisers and nobility opened their presents, they found robes stitched with golden thread and set with precious gems. But when ' Nasrudin' , who had recently fallen from royal favor, unwrapped his gift he found an old donkey blanket inside. ‘Merciful Allah,’ he cried, ‘witness the generosity of Tamerlane', who has honored his servant with the coat off his own back.’

'Nasrudin' was out walking when a bee stung him on the nose. The wound began to swell alarmingly and he hurried off to see the doctor. As he crossed the bazaar, a wag pointed and laughed: "Where did you get that nose-from a donkey?" 'Yes' replied the ' Mulla' . 'When God divided the ass, he gave you the brain and me the nose."   [Source: The World Of Nasrudin by Idrees Shah]

  I have just had an extraordinary dream,’ Nasrudin told his wife one morning. ‘I dreamt that I met a merchant with four separate loads.’ ‘What did he have in his saddle-bags?’ ‘In the first he had persecution and in the second, fear. In the third, intolerance, and in the fourth, blindness.’ ‘And who were his clients?’ asked his wife, intrigued. ‘Oppressors, tyrants, Imams, and magistrates.’ [Source: The World Of Mulla Nasrudin, Idrees Shah]

Although he was supposed to be a wise and holy man, Nasrudin was accused of being almost illiterate. One day the ruler of his country decided to put this to the test. 'Write something for me, Nasrudin , 'said he. 'I would willingly do so, but I have taken an oath never to write so much as a single letter again,' said Nasrudin . 'Well, write something in the way in which you used to write before you decided not to write, so that I can see what it was like.' 'I cannot do that, because every time you write something your writing changes slightly through practices. If I wrote now, it would be something written for now.' 'Then bring me an example of his writing, anyone who has one,' ordered the ruler. Someone brought a terrible scrawl that the Mulla had once written to him. 'Is this your writings?'asked the Monarch. 'No,' said Nasrudin. 'Not only does writing change with time, but you are now showing a piece of writing done by me

'Nasurdin' was trotting his donkey in all directions one day. Someone asked him, "Where are you going, Nasrudin?" He said, "I am looking for my donkey!" 

  How are you getting on with that memory-training course you got by correspondence, 'Mulla'? 'I'm improving. Now I can sometimes remember that I have forgotten something.'

 A wizened sage, from beyond ' Ashsharg' , a far-off Eastern land, had arrived in the village. His philosophical expositions were so abstruse and yet so tantalising that the usual company in the tea house soon became convinced that he could perhaps unveil from the the mysteries of life. ' Nasrudin ' listened to him for a while. 'You know,' he said, 'I have had experiences something like yours on your travel. I, too, have been wandering teacher.' 'Tell me something about it, if you must,' said the elder, somewhat ruffled at the interruption. 'Oh, yes, I must, 'said the ' Mulla' . He continued: 'For instance, there was the trip which I took through Kurdistan. I was welcomed everywhere I went. I stayed at one monastery after another, where the dervishes listened eagerly to me. I was given free lodging at carvanserais , free food at tea houses. Everywhere the people were impressed by me.' The ancient monk was becoming impatien

Nasrudin walked into the city of ' Konia ' for the first time. He was at once struck by the number of patisseries. His appetite sharpened, he went into one of these shops and started to devour a pie. Certain that he would get nothing out of this ragged apparition, the owner rushed at him and cuffed him. 'What kind of a town is this?' asked the 'Mulla'; ' a place where they hit a man as soon as he started eating.

' Nasrudin's donkey was stolen. He immediately went to the police. ' Mulla ' said the Chief of Police, 'this is serious. We will spare no effort to get your donkey back. After all, you are rather famous. Now begin at the beginning and tell me how it happened.' 'As I was not there when it happened, I can hardly tell you, can I?' said Nasrudin . 'Besides, it is not my business to know.'

'Mulla Nasrudin' supervised the building of his own tomb. At last, after one shortcoming after another had been righted, the mason came for his money. 'It is not right yet, builder,' said Mulla to builder. 'Whatever more can be done with it?' inquired the builder.  'We still have to supply the body' replied the Mulla .

  ' Nasrudin ' my son, get up early in the morning.' 'Why, Father?' 'It is a good habit. Once I rose at dawn and went for a walk. I found on the road a sack of gold.' 'How did you know it was not lost the previous night?' 'That is not the point. In any case, it had not been thee the night before. I noticed that.' 'Then it is not lucky for everyone to get u early. The man who lost the gold must have been earlier than you.'

 ' Mulla Nasrudin' saw a man sitting disconsolately at the way side, and asked what ailed him. 'There is nothing of interest in life, brother,' said the man; 'I have sufficient capital not to have to work, and I am on this trip only in order to seek something more interesting than the life I have at home. So far I haven't found it.' Without another word, Nasrudin seized the traveller's knapsack and made off down the road with it, running like a hare. Since he knew the area, he was able to out-distance him. The road curved, and Nasrudin cut across several loops, with the result that he was soon back on the road ahead of the man whom he had robbed. He put the bag by the side of the road and waited in concealment for the other to catch up. Presently the miserable traveller appeared, following the tortuous road, more unhappy than ever because of his loss. As soon as he saw his property lying there, he ran towards it, shouting with joy. 'That's one

One the ' Mulla' went with a friend to the den of a wolf in order to see the cubs. The ' Mulla' persuaded his friend to go into the den and bring out the young wolves. The friend descended into the cave while the ' Mulla' kept watching. The mother wolf was abroad, but returned in haste at the first cry of her cubs. Just as the furious animal was disappearing into the hole, the ' Mulla' seized its desperate struggles. His friend angrily called out to him asking why he was throwing in so much dust and dirt on top of him, whereupon, in a chocked voice, he ' Mulla' replied: "If the wolf's tail breaks you will soon see what the dust and dirt mean!"

Once ' Mulla Nasrudin Effendi' had a difference with his wife, who told him in great anger to go away, pointing the direction in which he was to go. The Mulla immediately obeyed her, and set off in the direction she had ordered him to take. After a few days hard travelling he met a man coming in the opposite direction, whom he begged to go and ask his wife if he had travelled far enough, or must he continue to go on.

A guest passing the night at the 'Mulla's house called out to him to give him the taper which was at his right side, as the night-light had gone out. Unto whom the 'Mulla' promptly answered, in a voice slightly roughened by irritation and sleep: "How can I know which is my right side in the dark?"

Sitting near some stepping-stones across a river, the Mulla saw that ten blind men wanted to cross the stream. He offered to help them over for a penny each. They accepted and he started to take them across. Nine were safely delivered to the further bank. But, as he was making his way with the tenth, the unfortunate man tripped and was carried away by the flood. Sensing something amiss the nine survivors began calling out: 'What happened, Nasrudin ?" 'Don't worry you have to pay a penny less,' said the Mulla.

A shop, on which the Mulla was the only passenger, was caught in a typhoon. The captain and crew, having done all they could to save the ship, fell on their knees and started to pray for deliverance. The Mulla stood calmly by. The captain opened his eyes, saw the Mulla standing there, jumped up and cried:' Get down on your knees!" You, a devout man, you should be praying with us.' Nasrudin did not move. 'I am only a passenger. Everything pertaining to the safety of this ship is your concerns, none mine.'

Once Nasrudin tried to get a calf into a hole of a pen, but it would not go. So he went to its mother and began to reproach her.  'Why are you shouting at that cow?" someone asked Mulla. 'It is all her fault,' said Nasrudin , 'for she should have taught him better.'

Mulla Nasrudin Effendi claimed a knowledge of the stars. 'What Sign were you born under, Mulla?" "Private Property-Keep Out!" "Oh, I see. Well, the Sign of the Donkey.' 'Sign of the Donkey?  I don't remember that one.' 'Well, you are older than me. They have had some new ones since your time, you know."

  Nasrudin told a group of people who were considered Seekers of Truth who had come to hear his teaching that if you want to learn truth you have to pay for it.' 'But why should you have to pay for something like truth?' asked one of the person sitting in his company. ' Nasrudid ' said: 'Have you noticed that it is the scarcity of a thing which determines it value?"