Some Famous Stories Of Nasreddin Hodja:

The Criticism Of Men

Hodja and his son went on a journey once. Hodja preferred that his son ride the donkey and that he himself go on foot. On the way they met some people who said:

-Look at that healthy young boy! That is today's youth for you. They have no respect for elders. He rides on the donkey and makes his poor father walk!

When they had passed by these people the boy felt very ashamed and insisted that he walk and his father ride the donkey. So Hodja mounted the donkey and the boy walked at his side. A little later they met some other people who said:

-Well, look at that! That poor little boy has to walk while his father rides the donkey.

After they had passed by these people, Hodja told his son:

-The best thing to do is for both of us to walk. Then no one can complain.

So they continued on their journey, both of them walking. A little ways down the road they met some others who said:

-Just take a look at those fools. Both of them are walking under this hot sun and neither of them are riding the donkey!

Hodja turned to his son and said:

-That just goes to show how hard it is to escape the opinions of men.

Everyone Who Sees The Light

Hodja's wife was pregnant. One night, her labor pains started and Hodja called the neighbours and the midwife. Soon they called out from his wife's room and said, "Hodja! You have a son!"

He was very happy. A few minutes later the midwife called out again,

"Hodja! You also have a girl."

After a little while, she called out again,

"Hodja! You have another girl!"

Hodja, who had been waiting in front of his wife's room, rushed into the room and bleww off the candle.

"What are you doing?" asked the surprised women.

"Well! Everyone who sees the light wants to come out. What else can I do?" he answered.

Forty Year Old Vinegar

His neighbour asked Hodja,

"Do you have some forty-year old vinegar?"

"I have," answered Hodja.

"Would you give me some? I need it to prepare a medication", said the man.

"No, I won't," replied Hodja. "If I had given some to everybody who asked for it, would I have it for forty years!".

Mortal's Way

One day four boys approached Hodja and gave him a bagful of walnuts.

"Hodja, we can't divide these walnuts among us evenly. So would you help us, please?"

Hodja asked, "Do you want God's way of distribution or mortal's way?"

"God's way" the children answered.

Hodja opened the bag and gave two handfuls of walnuts to one child, one handful to the other, only two walnuts to the third child and none to the fourth.

"What kind of distribution is this?" the children asked baffled.

"Well, this is God's way," he answered. "He gives some people a lot, some people a little and nothing to others. If you had asked for mortal's way I would have given the same amount to everybody."

How A Donkey Reads

During a conversation with Tamerlane, Hodja started bragging about his donkey.

"It is so smart that I can teach it even how to read, "he said.

"Then go ahead and teach it reading. I give you 3 months.," Tamerlane ordered.

Hodja went home and began to train his donkey. He put its feed between the pages of a big book and taught it to turn the pages by its tongue to find its feed. Three days before the three month period was over, he stopped feeding it.

When he took his donkey to Tamerlane, he asked for a big book and put it in front of the donkey. The hungry animal turned the pages of the book one by one with its tongue and when it couldn't find any feed between the pages it started braying.

Tamerlane watched the donkey closely and then said,

"This is sure a strange way of reading!"

Hodja remarked,

"But this is how a donkey reads."