Wisdom Story Hub

 Once, King Badusha and Hoja (a quick-witted courtier, often referred to as Nasreddin Hoja) were sitting on the palace veranda, amusing themselves with conversation. During their chat, King Badusha asked, "Hoja, in your opinion, when I die, will my soul go to Heaven or to Hell?" Immediately, the truth came to Hoja's mind. Without hiding it, Hoja said, "Your Majesty, after your death, you will go to Hell." The King had never expected such an answer. The King grew furious. "How dare you say that? Give me a clear explanation!" It was then that Hoja grasped the gravity of his words. If he portrayed the King as guilty, punishment was certain! Suddenly, another clever idea struck Hoja. Hoja replied, "Your Majesty, the poor souls whom you sentenced to death have filled Heaven to the brim. Therefore, since there is no space left in Heaven, you will temporarily have to go to Hell!" The King thought that, because of his greatness, numerous people had r...

 Once, in a place where many people had gathered, a man named Hoja made a public statement: "My donkey is smarter than the Finance Minister!" As soon as people heard this, they quickly relayed the matter to the Minister. The Minister, in turn, informed the King and demanded that Hoja be given a fitting punishment. The King summoned Hoja and angrily inquired about the matter. Hoja then said, "What I said is true, Your Majesty. And I have proof." Immediately, the King stated, "If you have made such a malicious statement without a clear reason, then prepare to accept a fitting punishment." Hoja continued, "There is a wooden bridge on the way to the market that I regularly take with my donkey. Once, my donkey's front legs got stuck in a gap in that bridge and it fell. That was many years ago. But since then, the donkey has never fallen on that bridge again. That is, the donkey walks across the bridge with great care. However, the Minister's case i...

 Shiromani literally means "the best/foremost one." Once, there lived a servant in a wealthy family who shared this name. However, Shiromani was a man who was utterly mismatched with his name. Yet, the master of the house felt compassion for him because he was the son of Ammini, who had worked diligently in the family household for her entire lifetime before retiring. Despite his compassion, scolding Shiromani for his lack of intelligence became a habit for the master. One time, Shiromani returned from the market carrying a bundle of firewood. He asked the master, "Master, could you hold the firewood while I lower it?" The master burst out laughing and said, "You idiot, just drop it!" The next day, Shiromani came from the market carrying a basket full of clay pots and pans on his head. The master rushed out to help him place it down gently. "Thud!" In the exact manner he had dropped the firewood, the earthen pots were dropped, shattering into pie...

 There was a large ancestral house where only the master, his son, and a steward (manager) lived. When the son was 16 years old, the master fell seriously ill. He decided to divide his property and land equally, giving half to his son and half to the steward. He wrote the will so that his son would receive his half of the property upon turning 18. The will read: "The steward can give the half of the land that he likes to my son. The remaining half he can keep for himself." The father died. The son turned 18. However, the half of the land he received was stony, full of pits, and unsuitable for farming. Seeing the son's distress, a stranger inquired about the matter and was shown the will. The stranger then took the son and the will to court. The court immediately ruled that the steward must hand over the good land he had taken to the son. Question: How was this possible? Answer: The will stated that the steward must give his son the half of the land that he likes! Since th...

 This is a humorous anecdote, likely from the stories of Mullah Once, the Hoja and a doctor (physician) were walking along a road, talking. Just then, a man from a large, respectable manor in the area ran up to them, looking for the doctor. "Doctor, please come quickly to the lord's house. He has a severe stomach ache!" The Hoja went with the doctor to the house. When they entered the room, the doctor said, "The fruit you ate is what caused this stomach ache. I will give you medicine." The sick man agreed, "That's right. I ate a few too many bananas." Everyone was astonished by the doctor's insightful diagnosis. As they were walking back, the Hoja asked the doctor, "How did you know he had eaten fruit?" The doctor immediately chuckled, "Oh, that was simple! There were several banana peels lying under his bed!" The Hoja Tries His Hand at Medicine Sometime later, the Hoja was called to a house to cure an illness. When he arriv...

 The King of Turkey often invited the Hoja (Mullah Nasreddin) to the palace. The King liked the Hoja’s unique perspective. However, whenever he got a chance, the King would also mock the Hoja in places where people had gathered. Sometimes the Hoja would give a fitting retort. Other times, the palace courtiers would defeat the Hoja. One day, when the Hoja arrived at the palace courtyard to see the King as usual, the King and his ministers were standing there. When the Hoja asked for the reason, the King said, "We are going to raise the boundary wall of the palace even higher." The Hoja asked, "What is that for, my Lord?" Immediately, all the ministers burst out laughing. The King seized the opportunity and taunted the Hoja, saying, "Couldn't the Hoja figure out that this is to prevent thieves from climbing in from the outside? Any fool would understand that, wouldn't they?" The Hoja immediately looked at the ministers and replied, "My Lord, I u...

 Hodja Mullah had the experience of visiting several homes alongside some physicians. Furthermore, he used to administer various herbal remedies that he concocted on his own. Some treatments would succeed. Others might fail. Nevertheless, people believed that the Hodja possessed some special abilities. One day, a friend came to visit the Hodja at his house. He had come seeking a remedy for his stomach ache. The Hodja asked, 'What did you eat this morning?' 'I ate two eggs. I suspect they might have been slightly rotten.' Immediately, the Hodja made him lie back in a chair. Then, he brought drops from the cabinet in his treatment room and put them into the man's eyes. The friend asked, bewildered, 'My stomach hurts, not my eyes!' The Hodja replied, 'You ate two rotten eggs this morning because you couldn't see them. The first thing that needs treatment is your eyes!'"