(1) The Axe Story
This is a very famous story of a greedy woodcutter, perhaps, told to most children.
Once there was a woodcutter living in a village. He was very poor and used to manage his family after selling the wood in the market. One day he was cutting a tree near a river that his axe got slipped from his hands and fell into the river. The tree was half cut. He had to finish it, and he had only one axe. He did not know swimming, so he prayed to God sitting on the bank of the river to get his axe back. The God heard his prayer and He suddenly appeared before him holding a Golden axe and asked him whether that was his axe? He said "No, this is not my axe." God took a dip in the river and got another axe. It was made of silver. God asked him again whether that was his axe, he still said "No".

Now God again took a dip in the river and appeared with an old iron axe. He again asked the man whether it was his axe. The man quickly replied God - "Yes, it is my axe." Seeing the truthfulness of the woodcutter, God gave him with all the three axes. The woodcutter first accomplished the task with his iron axe, and then sold his both gold and silver axes. Now he became very rich, but still he continued to cut wood and mange his family.

Now there lived another woodcutter in his neighborhood. He was greedy and jealous. As he saw that his neighbor had become very rich he got jealous. His wife was more jealous than him, so she asked him to go to the neighbor and asked him what did he do to become rich. He went to the neighbor and asked him - "Friend, What did you do to become so rich?" The neighbor was very simple so he told him the truth whatever happened with him. The neighbor went back to his home and reported it to his wife. His wife was very wise, she compelled him to go and cut the tree near the river and behave in the same way as his neighbor did. The envious woodcutter reached near the river and found a tree for cutting. He started cutting it, but the axe would not slip, so he wontedly threw the axe into the river and started praying the God to bring it to him.

God truly heard his prayer and came out of the river with his own iron axe and asked him whether it was his axe. But the envious woodcutter wanted not his iron axe but the golden axe to satisfy his wife, so he said that it was not his own axe. God again took a dip in the river and reappeared with a silver axe and asked him if it was his axe, but the envious woodcutter wanted not the silver axe but the golden axe to satisfy his wife, so he said that "No, it is not my axe." God again took a dip in the river and reappeared with the golden axe and asked him whether it was his axe. Seeing that axe, that person got very happy and quickly said that - "Yes, Yes, It is my axe." And he was going to almost snatch that axe from God’s hands, but God was very clever. He moved His hand back and the neighbor could not take that axe from God's hand.

Now God asked a question – "Do you cut the tree with this axe?" He never expected such a question from God, so he could not reply Him immediately. The God was so annoyed by his lies that He threw all axes back into the river and disappeared. Thus not only he lost the gold and silver axes due to his greed but his own good iron axe also which was his only means to earn livelihood.