25 Amazing Mythological (Morals) Stories For Kids

Our Indian mythology is rich in stories. If you’re looking for moral stories for kids, then these 25 mythological stories for kids are prefect as they will also leave them with knowledge about their Indian heritage.

Being a bookworm myself, I used to love sitting in the library and reading up mythological stories from different cultures – be it Roman mythology or Greek mythology. However, I have always found our Indian mythological stories to be the most rich and diverse – with amazing morals in the end.

25 Amazing Mythological Stories For Kids (With Morals)

#1. The Devotion Of Bhakt Prahlad

Prahlad was the son of the king of demons Hiranyakashyap and Kayadu. Hiranyakashyap was blessed with a boon that made him powerful and arrogant. He ordered everyone in his kingdom to not worship Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and any other God. But Prahlad and his mother were true devotees of Lord Vishnu.

When his father came to know about Prahlad’s devotion towards Lord Vishnu, he got angry and tried to kill Prahlad. He failed every time as Lord Vishnu was there to save Prahlad.
Hiranyakashyap’s sister Holika had a shawl by which she couldn’t be burnt. So, she taking Prahlad on her lap sat in the fire. But due to God’s grace, Prahlad remained to save and Holika got burnt in the fire. Since then, the festival of Holi is celebrated.

Lord Vishnu in the form of Narasimha (half man & half lion) appeared to save Prahlad. Narasimha killed demon Hiranyakashyap and announced Bhakt Prahlad, as the new king of the demons. Prahlad lived to be one of the best kings on the Earth. Since then, the festival of Holi has been celebrated.

Moral: What a mother does has a magnifying effect on the child. Prahlad’s mother in spite of being a demon worshipped truth and heard stories of Lord Vishnu that results in the positive mind of her son.

#2. The Story of Shukadev and King Janak

Sage Vyasa once told his son Shukadev, “My son, you should go meet King Janaka, he is an ocean of wisdom, it will help you.”

Though Shukadev was keen to learn from him, he was doubtful of the knowledge of King Janak. He reached the Palace where he was welcomed by the King and Shukadev said: “My father sent me to you, to learn higher spiritual knowledge, Please take me as your student. I must ask you, I don’t understand. How can a palace dwelling king who indulges in the wealth, in the company of women can be such a highly recommended Yogi?'”

To this, Janak answered, “We will talk about that later, if you want to be my student, you have to pass a test. Take this cup of oil and keep it on your head. Go around the palace and keenly observe every room. I will need every detail from you, but remember you shouldn’t spill even a drop of this oil if you want to be my student.”

Shukadev did as asked. King Janaka asked many questions to confirm if he had indeed completed his task without fail. King Janka got impressed by Shukadev and asked him how he managed to do that? “I observed every room, but my focus was always on the cup,” said Shuka. To this King Janak answered the query of Shuka, “Same way, though I live in this world performing my duties as a king, husband, father, I always keep my focus on God and Karma.”

Moral: Live a worldly life but never forget your spiritual path.

#3. Dhritarashtra’s blind love for his son

Hastinapur’s King Dhritarashtra, was blind from birth. Though he was the eldest son, he was not able to become the king initially due to his blindness. His younger brother Pandu was appointed king, but Pandu died and left behind the kingdom – Dhritarashtra got a chance to be king.

Dhritarashtra, enjoyed the taste of “Rajsukh” (that is the love of ruling) and wanted his son Duryodhana to be the King of Hastinapur after him. In this blind lust for the throne, he forgets the difference between right and wrong. He wanted to make his son the king, and so started doing wrong to Pandu’s sons. Duryodhana had also had hatred for the Pandavas in his heart. He conspired to send the Pandavas into exile and keep the throne for his own sons the Kauravas.

In the end, the war began between Pandavs and Kauravas. And in that war, the 100 sons of greedy Dhritarashtra received death. Dhritarashtra ended up alone with no heir and had to accept defeat.

Moral: Greed can make good people also do bad things.

#4. The story of Ravan’s knowledge

Ravan was the demon king of Lanka. Though  he was knowledgeable and a hug bhakt of Lord Shiva, he did many misdeeds like kidnapping Sita – Ram’s wife. After the final battle between Shri Ram and Ravana, Ravana was lying on the battlefield and was about to die. Shri Ram asked Laxman, his brother to get knowledge of politics and power from the Knower of all the Vedas, Mahapandit Ravana.

Ravan gave Laxman the following snippets of knowledge:

  • One should never delay in doing any good work.
  • One should not become arrogant if he gets power and strength, and never consider the enemy less powerful.
  • The third and final thing, Ravana said that the mysterious secret of life should not be told even to the closest person. Because relationships continue to change.

Moral: You can gain knowledge even from your enemies.

#5. The story of Karna’s generosity

Karna was so generous, he was ready to sacrifice his own life for his commitment. Once Karna challenged Arjuna to prove that if he is the best archer in the world, but Arjun declined the challenge.

Then, before the final decisive battle of Mahabharata between Pandavas and Kauravas, Lord Krishna hatched a plan to ensure that Pandavas win and asked help from Lord Indra. Karna with his divine armour was invincible and Pandavs could never defeat him in the war of Mahabharata.

Therefore, Indra Dev came in the form of a Brahmin and asked for the golden armour in  donation. Inspite of knowing that this is a trick and Indra Dev has come in a disguise,  generous Karan agreed to give him the armour. Indra Dev was so impressed that he gives Karna a powerful weapon in exchange.

Moral: Your kindness should not cause self harm.

#6. The story of Shiva’s Nandi

A few evil men entered Shivaji’s place of residence. Shiva called Nandi to his side to give him instructions to fight, but the engraged  Nandi didn’t listen and ran behind the evil men.

Lord Shiva got angry with Nandi’s disobedience and told him- “From now on, your place will remain outside my place of residence.” This is why even in today’s time, the place of Lord Shiva’s beloved Nandi is established only outside the temple.

Moral: Always listen to the instructions before acting.

#7. The arrogance of Mahabali Bheem

Once Pandu’s son Bhima became very arrogant because he thought he is the most powerful man on Earth. During the exile, one day when he was travelling through the forest, he met an old ape. The tail of the monkey was laid on the path of Bhima.

Bhima arrogantly asked him to remove his tail from the path. But the old monkey said, “Now in this age, I can’t move again and again. You are quite strong, you move my tail from your way and go ahead.”

Bhima put in great effort to lift the tail of the old monkey, but he could not move the tail even an inch. In the end, Bhima realized that this is not any old monkey, but someone special. He joined hands and requested humbly to know who the old monkey actually was.

Then the old monkey came in his real form of Lord Hanuman and Bhima learned some humility.

Moral: Never become arrogant because of your strength, intelligence or skill.

#8. The awakening of Raja Bhoj

One day virtuous Raja Bhoj had a dream about an old man. Raja asked him- “Who are you?” The man said: “I am Satya and I have come to show you the true nature of your actions. Follow me and see the reality of your actions! “

King Bhoj was surprised but followed the old man. The King used to make many donations, do yagyas and fasting and go on pilgrimages. He also constructed many ponds, temples, wells, and gardens.

King Bhoj had become proud of his good deeds. As soon as Satya touches the trees, all become dried one by one. The King was surprised to see this. Then Satya took the king to the temple and as soon as Satya touched the temple, it turned into debris.

Satya said – “Rajan! The work is done for the wish of fame doesn’t give spirituality.” With this, Raja Bhoj awoke from the sleep and started doing things with true heart.

Moral: Do things with true heart.

#9. Lord Krishna and Arishthasura

Once, a huge bull enters Vrindavan where Lord Krishna lived and started to attack the people. Villagers pleaded Krishna to help and stop the bull from destroying everything. Krishna reached the place where the bull was attacking villagers and concluded that the bull is actually a demon.

Krishna tackled the bull to the ground and pierces its horn. As soon as Krishna pierced his horn, the bull turned into a demon and bowed before Lord Krishna. Then, he confessed to Lord Krishna that he was actually the disciple of Lord Brihaspati (Jupiter) and he had disrespected him, because of which he was cursed to become a demon bull. Due to Krishna, now he was free from the curse.

Moral: Never disrespect your teachers

#10. Lord Krishna and Kaliya 

Since childhood Lord Krishna always like to help the people around him. Once a huge black serpent started living in the river Yamuna which flowed through Vrindavan. The serpent had been releasing poison into the river and due to this, the water of the river turned poisonous.

This made the life of people living in Vrindavan miserable. Seeing this Lord Krishna decided to fight the snake. Krishna fought with Kalia and defeated it. He then asked the snake to leave Vrindavan and never come back.

Moral: Good wins over Evil.

#11. Lord Ganesha and the Moon

Lord Ganesh was so fond of food that he could spend his whole day eating. He loved ladoos very much. One day, after filling himself with his favourite sweet laddoo on one moonlight night, he went for a ride on his Mushak. (Rat Vechicle)

Mushak could not bear his weight and slipped that made even Ganesh fall on the ground. The Moon seeing this incident, laughed at Ganesha. Seeing the Moon laughing at him, Ganesh became angry and he cursed the Moon. “O Chandra, I curse you that from now on you will disappear from the sky and no one will see you again”.

After getting cursed, the Moon realized his mistake and requested Ganesh to get back his curse. Finally, after much pleading Ganesh could see that the Moon was sorry and reduced the punishment.

As Gods cannot take back their curse, Ganesha said  “I will reduce your curse. You will  reduce in your appearance and there will be one day when there is no moon in the sky called Amasvaya. And after Amasvaya, your size will then increase in size and on the fifteenth day you will glow in your full size…”

Moral: Never make fun of anyone, instead help them.

#12. Round the world with Ganesha and Kartikeya

Narada was good at heart but he was also a mischief maker. One day he reached Kailash where Lord Shiva lived with Goddess Parvati and his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Narada presented a mango to Parvati. Parvati wanted to give the mango to her sons. Narada told her that this fruit can be given only to one son and cannot be cut into two.

To decide who will be given the mango, a competition was held between Ganesha and Kartikeya. The competition was that whoever goes around the world three times first will win the mango. Listening to Narada, brothers went to complete the task.

Kartikeya got on to his peacock and flew to travel around the world. On the other hand, Ganesha remained there. When Katikeya had finished his 2nd round, Ganesha got up and went around Shiva and Parvati three times.

After completion of this 3 rounds, when Kartikeya came back he said he won the competition and the mango should be given to him, but Ganesha differed. When Narad asked Ganesha, “How can you say that you the competition?” He said, “My Parents are the world for me and circling them was equivalent to circling the world three times.” Kartikeya too appreciated the intelligence of Ganesha and accepted his defeat.

Moral: For every child, their parents should come first.

#13. Hanuman and the Sanjeevini Buti

In the war against Ravana, Lakshman got wounded. According to the Vaidya (healer)  Sushena, Sanjeevani Buti was the only herb that could save his life. So, Hanuman was sent to fetch the Sanjeevani from Dronagiri mountain. Hanuman didn’t know the exact location of Dronagiri mountain, so he on the way asked an old lady to show him up the way. The old lady took him to the mountain but Hanuman was unable to recognize the Sanjeevani Buti on the mountain.

As time was short, he decided to lift up the whole mountain and took it to Sushena. Sushena identified the herb and saved Lakshman. Lord Rama embraced Hanuman and declared him like a brother to him.

Moral: Understand the value of a true friend.

#14. Sita’s strength

After defeating Ravana, Lord Rama along with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita returned to his kingdom Ayodhya. There started the rumours about Sita that she lived with another man as she had been abducted by Ravana.

Lord Rama saw no other way to keep the people of Ayodhya quiet and for him to ensure the faith of his subjects – except banishment. So he decided to banish his wife and sent her to the forest, while she was pregnant with twins. Sita sought shelter in the asharam of guru Valmiki where she gave birth to her twins Luv and Kush and raised them well despite being a single mother.

Moral: A strong woman can accomplish anything.

#15. The birth of river Kaveri

King Kavera was blessed with a daughter and named her Kaveri. When Kaveri grew up, she married sage Agastya and started living her life by serving people with him. The couple heard about a cruel demon Shoorapadma who was troubling people by stopping rain from reaching the earth. They kept praying God to help the help, also they tried all their ways to help the villagers.

One day, Kaveri was not well, but Agastya had to go to the river for his bath. Due to fear that the demon may attack Kaveri in his absence, he turned Kaveri into water and put her in his pot or Kamandala. When he went to the lake to take bath, he placed the Kamandala on the bank of the river.

Lord Ganesha took the form of a crow and overturned the Kamandala. The water from Kamandala flowed out and Kaveri turned into a river. This made the river Kaveri, we know today. This is how Kaveri helped her people, by converting herself into the much needed water.

Moral: God can come in a different form to help you or the needy.

#16. Lord Krishna and the fruit lady

One day, a lady was selling fruits in Vrindavan and when crossed Shri Krishna’s house. Krishna stopped her to buy some fruit. In exchange for the fruits, Krishna brought a handful of grains. The fruit lady agreed to give him fruits in exchange for grains. But, all the grains fell on the ground from Krishna’s hand.

Instead of getting angry, the cuteness of Krishna completely melted her heart and she gave him all the fruits, anyway. As soon as, she gave the fruits, her fruit basket was full of jewels and gold.

Moral: Good nature will always be rewarded by God.

#17. How Vibhishan became immortal

Once Ravana and his brothers Vibhishan and Kumbhakaran decided to please God Brahma to get a boon. All three of them sat down to meditate. Unaffected by all the hindrances created by God Indra, they meditated and seeing their penance Brahma appeared and asked their desires.

Ravana asked Brahma to give such a boon by which no Dev, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Rakshas can kill him. Kumbhakaran asked Brahma to give such a boon by which he can sleep and eat as much as he wants. Finally, Vibhishan asked Brahma to give such a boon by which he remains righteous and never gives up on Dharma.

Brahma became so happy with Vibhishan’s desire and he blessed him with immortality as well.

Moral: Always walk on the path of Dharma.

#18. The Bond of brothers

Lord Ram, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughan were the prince of Ayodhya and there was so much love in between them as they could sacrifice their lives for each other. When Ram and his wife Sita were ordered exile, his brother Lakshman too joined them to the exile. Also, the other two brothers denied becoming king of the Ayodhya saying that only Lord Ram deserves to be the king of Ayodhya.

Ram faced many adversities in life. From going to exile to fight Ravana for wife Sita and in all these adversities, his brothers showed an immense sense of integrity. Lakshman stayed with him in exile and fought against Ravana. While, in absence of Ram, Bharat and Shatrughan took care of Ayodhya.

Moral: When siblings stand together, they can overcome all hardships.

#19. The story of Mahatma Buddha

Mahatma Buddha was passing through a village, when some people surrounded him on the road and began to humiliate him. Buddha kept listening, and when he was tired of hearing, he said, “If you have satisfied by saying all these things, then can I go?”

The people there were very surprised, they said, “We have abused you so much, why don’t you get angry?” Buddha said – “You can abuse me, but I am unable to take abuses. When I first went to another village, the people there brought sweet sweets for me but I did not take it because I wasn’t hungry. They took them back.”

Buddha stopped a little and then asked – “What would have happened to those sweets?” One person said, “It will be distributed among their children, family and loved ones.” Buddha then smiled and said, “I did not take the abuse you brought. Will you divide them into your family and loved ones?”

All the opponents of Buddha became embarrassed and from then they became disciples of Buddha.

Moral: With patience and tolerance you can win the heart of a bad person too.

#20. The dedication of Eklavya

Since childhood, Ekalavya always wanted to be the finest archer in the world. So, he went to become Drona’s student but Drona refused because of Ekalavya’s low birth. Drona had also promised to make his favorite disciple Arjun the best archer in the world. Eklavya’s aim was set and he created a statue of Drona and practiced archery before it every day.

Practice makes a man perfect and the same happened with Ekalavya too – he became incredibly skilled. One day Drona saw him practicing in the forest and was afraid that Arjuna would easily be defeated by Ekalavya.

Ekalavya was very happy to see his “teacher”. As Ekalavya had called Drona his guru and practiced before his statue, Drona asked for Guru Dakshina.  He demanded Ekalavya to sacrifice his own right thumb. Ekalauvya immediately cut off his right thumb and laid it at the feet of his teacher.

Years later despite this handicap – Ekalavya was still a good archer. He would never become the best without his thumb, but he was still a good one.

Moral: Anything is possible with hard work.

#21. The story of Abhimanyu’s courage

Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Uttara and he was a great warrior. When Uttara was pregnant with Abhimanyu, Arjuna narrated her the technique of Chakravyuha formation and the unborn Abhimanyu learned how to break and enter a Chakravyuha . In between the story, Uttara fell asleep, and  Abhimanyu couldn’t know how to escape the Chakravyuha formation.

During the war, when the Kauravas formed Chakravyuha, Abhimanyu was trapped inside the Chakravyuha. He fought bravely and gave up his life to protect his family.

Moral: Parents that teach their children, even in the womb.

#22. Goddess Durga’s strength

Goddess Durga is known to kill many demons. Once, demon Mahishasura became so cruel after defeating God Indra. He captured the throne of Indra also and took his place in the heaven. Seeing the torture of Mahishasura, goddess Durga took the form of Goddess created from the divine energies of all the gods. She defeated Mahishasura and gave the throne back to Indra.

Moral: Women are as courageous as men and can defeat every evil.

#23. Shravan Kumar’s love for parents

Shravana Kumar was a son of poor and blind parents. Though they were very poor, his parents had the wish to visit all the holy places. He loved his parents so much that he took them for pilgrimage to all the Dhams.

Shravan was carrying them in two baskets tied to a pole, slung over his shoulders. One day, when he was through the forests of Ayodhya, there King Dasharatha who was on hunting hit him by a wayward arrow and killed him. Though he was taking his last breathes, he told Dasharatha to carry water for his thirsty parents.

King Dashrath carried them on his shoulders to the place where Shravan Kumar had died. Just then, Shravan Kumar spoke to his parents, �Through my services to you I have attained a place in the heaven. Do not worry about me. I shall wait for you both and provide my service to both of you when you come to me.�

Shravan’s mother and father both took a dip in the Sarayu River. Soon after, they died by their son Shravan’s side because of unbearable shock. But before dying they cursed Dashrath, �Just as we are dying because of our son’s loss, you would also die one day for the same reason, O’ King.� Their curse came true and King Dashrath died when Lord Ram was sent out in exile for fourteen years to the forest.

Moral: Take care of your parents always.

#24. Unconditional love of Surdas

Surdas was a blind poet who was believed to write lakhs of devotional songs for Shri Krishna. He was obsessed for Krishna and once took away Radha’s anklet when she was following him. When Radha asked him to return the anklet, he denied saying he could not confirm her identity as he was blind. Then appeared Lord Krishna and he blessed him with sight. But, Surdas requested him to take his sight away again because according to him, there was nothing else he wanted to see after seeing Krishna.

Moral: Surdas’s love for Krishna teaches to love unconditionally.

#25. Arjuna’s focus

Arjuna was the disciple of Guru Drona and was learning the archery. Once Drona decided to test Arjuna and he stuck a toy bird on a tree’s branch and asked each of his students to aim their bows at bird’s eye. Before aiming the target, he asked everyone what they could see. He got different answers from the students but it was only Arjuna who said he could see nothing more than the eye of the bird. It made Drona very happy.

Moral: Determination and focus are very important.

Mythological stories are the best medium to teach kids morality, philosophy, religion, determination, truth etc. These inspirational mythological stories have lasted for hundreds of years in the society and will teach your kids ethics and virtues and will help in being a better person.

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