Meeting a New Friend Hiranyaka, the mouse, and Laghupatanaka, the crow, became great friends. One day, the crow came calling on the mouse with eyes full of tears. Worried, the mouse asked, “What’s the matter? Why are you so sad?” “I am thoroughly fed up with this country. I want to go elsewhere,” replied the … Read more
The Hermit and The Mouse “In the southern city of Mahilaropya,” said Hiranyaka, “lived a hermit named Tamrachud in a Shiva temple on the outskirts of the city. Every day, he would go out into the city, collect alms and cook his food. After the meal, he would store whatever is left in his begging … Read more
Shandili and Sesame Seeds “Brihat began telling the story. “I sought the hospitality of a Brahmin one day for sacred ceremonies connected with the monsoon season. He was kind enough to offer me space in his house and in return I used to render services he found useful in his rituals. As this arrangement continued, … Read more
Story of The Merchant’s Son “Sagargupta was a merchant living in one of the country’s big cities. He had a son, who, one day purchased a book whose only content was a single verse. The verse read: “Man gets what is in his destinyEven God cannot prevent itTo me it makes no differenceWhat’s mine can … Read more
The Unlucky Weaver Somilaka was a weaver living on the edge of the city. He was an expert at making fine garments worthy of kings and princes. He enjoyed the patronage of the nobility. Despite all this, he was poorer than those weavers who were making coarse cloth for the common people. Worried at his … Read more
The Rescue of a Deer Mandharaka ended the story of Somilaka telling Hiranyaka and Laghupatanaka that a rich person who does not spend money is as poor as any poor person can be. Not being able to enjoy is common to both the poor and the miserly rich. Nothing on this earth is greater than … Read more
Of Crows And Owls This third part of the Panchatantra begins with a verse: Trust not even a close friendWho earlier was your enemy. This is the story of how the crows burnt the home of a trusting pack of owls. Once upon a time all the crows in a town called Mahilaropya made a … Read more
Elephants and Hares Once upon a time a great elephant called Chaturdanta ruled over a vast stretch of forest as the king of his subjects. They were not happy because for several years there had been no rains and all the lakes, tanks, ponds and water holes in the forest became arid. The subjects went … Read more
The Cunning Mediator A sparrow was living in the hollow of a big tree that I had made my home. His name was Kapinjala. We became good friends and used to spend our time discussing characters in our literature and the unusual things we saw in our travels. One day, my friend left the tree … Read more
The Brahmin and The Crooks Mitra Sarma was a Brahmin living in a small village. He used to daily worship Fire. It was the month of Magha (February). The sky was full of clouds and it had already started raining. Sarma left for a neighboring village at that time to seek the gift of a … Read more