The tales of Panchatantra, perhaps, are the oldest stories known in the literature of India. The dates of the Panchatantra are not known and these tales are usually attributed to Vishnu Sharma.
The popular story about the origin of Panchatantra goes like this: Once there was a king who has three son who are dull and without any wit or wisdom. Worried about the wellbeing of his sons the king approaches a wise brahmin called Vishnu Sharma and prays him to impart wisdom into his sons. Since the songs of the king are dimwits, he chooses to pass the wisdom in the form of interesting fables. The stories narrated by Vishnu Sarma contains animals and birds and he makes them speak and behave like humans.
Panchatantra tells about five ways that help the human being succeed in life. Pancha means five and tantra means ways (or strategies or principles). Addressed to the king’s children, the stories are primarily about statecraft and are popular throughout the world. The five
strategies are:
•Quarrel among friends (mitra-beda)
•Gaining friends (mitra labha)
•Of crows and owls
•Loss of gains
•Imprudence (mindless action)
| Panchatantra Tales | |
|---|---|
| First Strategy: The Loss of Friends | |
| 1 | The Loss of Friends |
| 2 | The Monkey and The Wedge |
| 3 | The Jackal and The Drum |
| 4 | The Fall and Rise of A Merchant |
| 5 | The Foolish Sage and The Jackal |
| 6 | The Crafty Crane and The Craftier Crab |
| 7 | The Cunning Hare and The Witless Lion |
| 8 | The Bug and The Poor Flea |
| 9 | The Story of The Blue Jackal |
| 10 | The Camel, The Jackal and The Crow |
| 11 | The Bird Pair and The Sea |
| 12 | Tale of The Three Fish |
| 13 | The Elephant and The Sparrow |
| 14 | The Lion and The Jackal |
| 15 | Suchimukha and The Monkey |
| 16 | How a Sparrow Came to Grief |
| 17 | The Foolish Crane and The Mongoose |
| 18 | The King and The Foolish Monkey |
| Second Strategy: Gaining Friends | |
| 1 | Gaining Friends |
| 2 | The Crow-Rat Discourse |
| 3 | Meeting a New Friend |
| 4 | The Hermit and The Mouse |
| 5 | Shandili and Sesame Seeds |
| 6 | Story of The Merchants Son |
| 7 | The Unlucky Weaver |
| 8 | The Rescue of a Deer |
| Third Strategy: Of Crows and Owls | |
| 1 | Of Crows and Owls |
| 2 | Elephants and Hares |
| 3 | The Cunning Mediator |
| 4 | The Brahmin and The Crooks |
| 5 | The Brahmin and The Cobra |
| 6 | The Old Man, His Young Wife and The Thief |
| 7 | The Tale of Two Snakes |
| 8 | The Wedding of The Mouse |
| 9 | Tale of The Golden Droppings |
| 10 | Frogs That Rode a Snake |
| Fourth Strategy: Loss of Gains | |
| 1 | The Croc and The Monkey |
| 2 | The Greedy Cobra and The King of Frogs |
| 3 | The Lion and The Foolish Donkey |
| 4 | The Story of The Potter |
| 5 | A Three-in-One Story |
| 6 | The Carpenters Wife |
| 7 | The Price of Indiscretion |
| 8 | The Jackals Strategy |
| Fifth Strategy: Imprudence | |
| 1 | Imprudence |
| 2 | The Brahmani and The Mongoose |
| 3 | The Lion That Sprang to Life |
| 4 | The Tale of Two Fish and a Frog |
| 5 | The Story of The Weaver |
| 6 | The Miserly Father |
| 7 | Tale of The Bird With Two Heads |
No comments yet.