The Story of Shankunni’s Courtyard

In the olden days, the land of Silbaripuram was ruled by a chieftain named Veeru. The famous Silbari River used to flow through this region before joining the sea.

However, the neighbouring lands of Kosalapuram, Kushanapuram, and Chithirapuram did not have a single river. Because of this, river sand was unavailable there. People used to collect sand from the Silbari River for constructing houses and surfacing their courtyards. After many years of this, the river sand began to deplete.

Consequently, the chieftain imposed a total ban on sand mining. Many years passed, and once again, the riverbanks became beautiful as the sand began to settle naturally.

Shankunni, a resident of that land, had a courtyard full of sharp, protruding stones. One day, when his youngest child tripped on a stone and fell, he made a firm resolve: "One day, I will fill this entire courtyard with smooth river pebbles and make it beautiful!"

From that day on, Shankunni started going to the Silbari River to bathe. Every time he returned, he would tuck a handful of small river pebbles—as many as would fit in one hand—into the fold of his waistcloth (madishila). Upon reaching home, he would scatter them across his yard.

As months passed, the pebbles began to fill up various spots. After several years, Shankunni’s courtyard was transformed into a magnificent space paved with smooth stones. Since the change happened so gradually, it went unnoticed by others and even the chieftain remained unaware.

The Moral

When it comes to various academic, eligibility, or competitive exams, success may not come in a single day, week, or month. Just as Shankunni paved his beautiful courtyard through years of steady effort, one can build a beautiful career through long-term persistence.

For example: If you learn the meaning and spelling of just five English words from a dictionary every day, over several years, you will be able to score highly in the English sections of various competitive exams!