Full House

One of Nasaruddin Hodja's neighbors asked the Hodja for some advice on how to manage his large family in his tiny little house.

`Hodja Effendi,' he lamented, `our quarters are so small, we can't all fit in. Me and my wife, my mother-in-law, 3 kids... We are cramped up in our puny cottage. You are a wise man, you would know of a solution, please tell me what to do!'

`How many chickens do you have in the barn?' Hodja asked.

`Why, Hodja Effendi, I have 5 chickens and a rooster.'

`Take them all into the house!'

`Mercy!' the poor peasant protested, `Hodja Effendi, the house is small without the chickens.'

`Try it!' Nasaruddin Hodja insisted, `You will be grateful to me.'

The neighbor was not convinced but he didn't dare question the wisdom of the Hodja. He took the chickens and the rooster inside the house. The next morning he ran to Hodja's house.

`Hodja Effendi, it is worse now. Me, my wife, my mother-in-law, 3 kids, 5 chickens and a rooster! We can't fit in at all!' he bemoaned. However, Nasaruddin Hodja was not moved.

`You have a donkey, don't you?'

`Yes, Hodja Effendi, I have one old donkey.' answered the man.

`Take the donkey in!' said the Hodja. No matter how much the neighbor objected, Nasaruddin Hodja maintained that it was for his best and the hopeless man did as he was told. The next morning, he ran back to Hodja's house, this time more despairingly than ever.

`Hodja Effendi! It is not possible. The wife, the mother-in-law, the kids, the chickens, the rooster and the donkey! We had a terrible night. There is no room to breathe.'

`If I remember correctly, you had two lambs, did you not?'

`Oh, no! Hodja Effendi, don't tell me to take the lambs in. There is no room!'

`Don't worry, my friend,' the Hodja assured the desperate man, `You will thank me in the end.' The neighbor, hoping the Hodja knows something that he doesn't, took the two lambs in that night. The next morning he was at Hodja doorstep, wretched.

`Hodja Effendi, what are you doing to us? The house is packed full. My mother-in-law is threatening to kill me, my wife is threatening to leave me. This is not working at all.'

Nasaruddin Hodja considered for a moment, then he said:

`Now, take all the live stock out of the house. Chickens, rooster, donkey and lambs; all back to the garden, back to the barn, back to the shed. Take them all out!'

Next morning, the neighbor was once again at Hodja's house.

`Ahh, Hodja Effendi, you are indeed a wise man. You solved my problem. Now, our house is so large, so roomy, so much space for everyone, kids can play, we can sleep, everyone is happy.' he said, `Thank you'