Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is a collection of Indian short stories written by the legendary Vishnu Sharma.
Tales from Panchatantra
Tales from Panchatantra
Origin of Panchatantra
They were written on request by a king to instruct the different aspects of kinghood to his three foolish sons who were not capable of ruling his kingdom. Vishnu Sharma agreed to teach the princes about kingly conduct through a series of stories in a span of six months. He felt that these stories would be more effective than the scriptures.
The stories are simple and interesting to read. They also impart knowledge and wisdom to the young minds. Although these stories were originally written in Sanskrit, they are now available in most Indian languages. As the name implies, the stories in the Panchatantra fall under five volumes namely:
- The Loss of Friends
- Gaining Friends
- Crows and Owls
- Loss of Gains
- Imprudence
The stories in these tales include both animals and human beings. These stories usually start off in prose and end with a verse that stresses on the moral of the story. The end of one tale usually leads to the beginning of the next tale. The Panchatantra attempts to teach the readers how to do the following:
- Understand people
- Choose people
- Face difficulties and solve problems with tact and wisdom
- Lead a peaceful life when surrounded by hypocrisy, deceit and many other pitfalls
The Panchatantra is an important contribution by India to world literature. The stories are now widely read in many European nations also. The stories in the Panchatantra form interesting bedtime stories for your children even today.
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