The Prince Who Turned Into a Wishing Tree — A Tale from Kathasaritsagara

When I was young, my father used to tell me bedtime stories, and the ones from Kathasaritsagara were my favourite. I think this was when my love for stories and books truly began. I have always been drawn to tales filled with magic, gods, impossible choices, and the kind of selflessness that makes you stop and think.

This story is one of those. It is from the Kathasaritsagara — the Ocean of Streams of Stories — a magnificent 11th-century Sanskrit collection written by the poet Somadeva. It is the story of Prince Induprabha, who gave up everything to become a wishing tree, and then refused heaven itself to stay and serve those who needed him.

The Story: The Prince Who Turned Into a Wishing Tree

A Kingdom in Crisis

The kingdom of Kurukshetra was once a place of great abundance. Under King Malayaprabha, the fields were fertile, the treasury full, and the people content. But one terrible year, the rains failed. Crops withered. Families went hungry. The kingdom that had known only prosperity now faced famine.

The people came to the palace in desperation. The king, torn between his compassion and his ministers’ warnings that the treasury would not survive feeding so many, was paralysed. He could not find a way through.

Prince Induprabha listened to all of this in growing anguish. He was young, but the sight of his people starving while the court debated was unbearable.

“Father, you are the king — it is your duty to help them,” he said.

“If you think you can find a way,” the king replied, exhausted, “then do it yourself.”

Induprabha took those words seriously. He left the palace that same night.

The Prince’s Penance

Induprabha walked deep into the forest and began to pray. Not a quick prayer, not a halfhearted one — but the kind of sustained, total devotion that the ancient texts describe as tapas. He sat motionless for days, his mind fixed on one single thought: how to help his people.

The forest around him fell silent. Even the birds and animals seemed to sense something sacred was taking place.

Lord Indra, king of the gods, appeared before him in a blaze of light.

“What do you seek, young prince?” Indra asked.

Induprabha did not ask for wealth, or power, or a full treasury. He did not ask for rain, or a good harvest, or an end to the famine — though any of these would have solved the immediate problem.

“I wish to become a wishing tree,” he said simply. “So that I may fulfil the needs of every person who comes to me. I do not want to see anyone suffer from hunger again.”

Indra was moved into silence. In all his years granting boons to kings and sages, he had never heard a wish quite like this. He granted it.

The Transformation

In that moment, Induprabha began to change. His feet pressed down into the earth and took root. His arms stretched upward and outward, becoming branches heavy with golden-yellow flowers and broad green leaves. His hair became a canopy that swayed gently in the breeze.

Where a young prince had stood, a great tree now rose — magnificent, fragrant, and radiant with a quiet inner light.

Word spread quickly. People came from across the kingdom, then from distant lands — the sick, the hungry, the grieving, the lost. The tree gave to each of them what they needed. The kingdom of Kurukshetra found its abundance again. Under the shade of the wishing tree, suffering became rare.

The Moment That Changes Everything

Years passed. Lord Indra returned to see the tree, and what he found filled him with admiration.

“You have done a noble thing, Induprabha,” Indra said. “Your work here is complete. Come with me now to heaven — you have earned your place there.”

The branches of the tree stirred. A voice came from somewhere within the leaves — calm, unhurried, completely certain.

“Even an ordinary tree continues to give flowers and fruit,” the voice said. “I am a wishing tree. How can I leave those who still need me?”

Indra tried again. He offered to take all the people of Kurukshetra to heaven with him — surely then the prince could come too, knowing his people were safe.

The tree swayed gently.

“If you are pleased with me, take them to heaven, my Lord. I will remain here — for those who come after.”

And so, Indra took the people of Kurukshetra to heaven. And the wishing tree remained, rooted in the earth, still flowering, still giving — for whoever came next.

The Moral of the Story

• True service has no finish line — Induprabha did not serve until the crisis was over. He served without end.
• The greatest wish a person can make is not for themselves, but for others.
• What we are willing to give up — comfort, recognition, even heaven — tells us who we truly are.

About the Kathasaritsagara

The Kathasaritsagara — meaning the Ocean of Streams of Stories — was written by the Sanskrit poet Somadeva in the 11th century CE. It is one of the largest collections of stories in world literature, containing over 18,000 verses across 124 chapters. It draws from older story traditions including the now-lost Brihatkatha, weaving together folk tales, mythological stories, and philosophical fables into one vast, flowing river of narrative.

It is a collection that deserves far more attention than it receives. Watch this space — there are more stories from the Kathasaritsagara coming to Fables n Tales.

Do Wishing Trees Exist?

Though no one knows exactly where this tree stands today, many who have heard this story pause under large trees with golden-yellow flowers — surrounded by birds and butterflies — and make a wish.

Have you ever made a wish under a tree? Drop a comment below — I would love to hear about it.

Read More Stories Like This

If this story moved you, here are more from Kathasaritsaraga & Fables n Tales:

• The Friendship of the Leaf and the Lump — A Bihar folk tale about quiet, selfless loyalty
• The Monkey and the Crocodile — A Panchatantra tale about friendship and betrayal
• The Crow and the Dawn — A short, sharp Indian fable about ego and self-deception

Did this story stay with you? Share it with someone who believes in giving without expecting anything in return. And keep exploring the world of Indian storytelling right here on Fables n Tale