Exploring the value of kindness through the story of Krishna and the Fruit-Seller.
The video
Hello, I'm Krissi and this is the amazing story of Krishna and the Fruit-Seller. Come on boys.
When the Lord Krishna was a little boy, he loved playing with his brother Balarama. One day, they were playing and laughing when they heard someone calling. 'Lovely fruit. Who'll buy my bananas? Peaches and plums, mangos and mandarins!'
It was a fruit seller. Krishna loved fruit and his mouth watered at the thought. Yum! So, he went off to find her.
'Delicious mangos, ripe and juicy, lovely and sweet.' Oh, the mangos, yummy scrummy! But, when he went to buy some, Krishna didn't have any money.
'Come and get your mangos, fresh today.' Krishna walked away thinking, 'What can I give her instead?' Then, Krishna saw a heap of rice grains on the ground. He gathered as much rice as he could carry in his little hands.
GASPS 'Thank you, that's so helpful. But don't worry about that bit, I don't need it. You can have it if you'd like.'
'Maybe, I could buy some fruit with that rice,' he thought, and he went all the way back to the fruit stall.
When he reached the fruit-seller, Krishna said, 'Please may I buy some fruit? I don’t have any money but will this rice be enough?' But the rice he had collected had slipped through his little fingers. The fruit-seller looked at Krishna and could see how disappointed he was.
'You, dear little boy, your hands were too small to carry the grain, you haven't enough to buy anything now. But I tell you what, you can have some fruit anyway.'
Krishna was so grateful for the fruit seller's kindness. He still wanted to give her his last few grains of rice. But when Krishna had left, the fruit seller looked into her hands. The grains of rice were not grains of rice but precious jewels!
The Lord Krishna had done it to reward the fruit-seller's kindness, which was very kind of him too. And it was very kind of you to help me tell this treasure story. Some of you may have heard it before, because it's a well-known Hindu tale. We'll see you again soon. Bye!
The story of Krishna and the Fruit-Seller is a traditional story from India that is important to Hindus. It is an inspirational story that encourages people to show kindness. It shows Krishna’s skilfulness and demonstrates God’s grace.
In the story Krishna rewards the fruit-seller’s kindness. Many Hindus believe this story shows how Lord Krishna loves everyone. This can help us to reflect on the value of kindness, what can happen when we show kindness to others, how we feel when we show kindness and how kindness can spread.
Duration: 2' 52"
Final words: 'See you soon! Bye!'
Video questions
- What did Krishna want to do when he saw the fruit? (To eat it)
- Why could Krishna not buy any of the fruit? (He had no money)
- What did Krishna think he could do with the rice? (Use it instead of money to pay for some fruit)
- Why did the fruit-seller let Krishna have the fruit, even though he had no money? (She felt sorry for him)
- Why were the fruit-seller’s hands filled with jewels? (Lord Krishna had rewarded her kindness)
Teacher Notes
Give children some pictures of the story of 'Krishna and the Fruit-Seller' and invite them to sequence the pictures in order.
Ask the children which part of the story they think is most important and why?
Invite the children to design their own fruits or jewels as gifts with an act of kindness written on them - eg ask someone how they are feeling today, hold the door open for an adult in school, let a friend go in front in the lunch line.
You could have a basket for children to add their fruits or jewels to when they have carried out their act of kindness.
At the end of the week read through all the acts of kindness the children have carried out. How does it make them feel knowing all they have done? How do they think they made others feel? Did they notice anything happening as more children completed their acts of kindness?
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
