Stories From Panchtantra

Purnima Mazumdar

Description

Stories from Panchatantra consists of short stories with morals which teach young kids good conduct and guide them to lead a better life.

Sujets

• Short story

Informations

• Publié par: Diamond Books
• Date de parution: 06 avril 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789352618811
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

STORIES FROM PANCHTANTRA
 

 
eISBN: 978-93-5261-881-1
© Publisher
Publisher: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.
X-30, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II New Delhi-110020
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.diamondbook.in
Edition: 2012
Stories From Panchtantra
By - Ed. Purnima Mazumdar
Preface
As it is often heard, in Southern India, there was a city named Mahilaropya. A king named Amarshakti was there. He was a very generous, dextrous and able administrator. He had three sons - Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti. The king was as generous as his sons were indisciplined. The king was dextrous and his sons were equally stupid.
Seeing this condition of his sons, the king started worrying. He spoke to his ministers. He said that between an unborn child, a dead child and a foolish one, the first two were still better, as the sorrow is short lived. However, a foolish child keeps troubling one, throughout one’s life. There is no use for a cow that neither conceives nor gives milk. Similarly, what is the use of a son, who is neither wise nor powerful. If a foolish son’s mother thinks that she has a son, then, who will be called childless?
Having consideration for the king’s sorrow, all his ministers gave their advice according to their intelligence. Someone said, they should be taught grammar, someone else suggested some other subject. In the end, a minister called Sumati suggested that if arrangements could be made to educate the princes under the wise Vishnu Sharma, who had the knowledge of all the scriptures, then, in a very short time, he will make them adept in all kinds of knowledge.
The king was very happy to hear this. He called Vishnu Sharma and requested him to educate his sons, somehow or the other. If he did so, then, he would be rewarded the rights of a hundred villages. Vishnu Sharma said very proudly, “I do not want your villages. I do not sell education. However, I assure you that within a period of six months, I will educate your sons. I am not greedy for money. I accept this work only for entertainment. If, within six months, I am unable to educate your sons, then, whatever you consider proper, give me that punishment.”
Hearing this difficult promise, of Vishnu Sharma, the entire court, including the king, was astonished. The king called his princes and handed them over to the Pandit. In order to educate them. Vishnu Sharma divided Moral Science into five chapters and started teaching the Princes. These five chapters were - how to differentiate between friends, Acquisition of Friends, and the unexamined factor.
As per the promise, Vishnu Sharma taught the five chapters to the princes within a period of six months. After reading them, they became matchless scholars. Since then, this moral scripture, named - PANCHATANTRA - became famous in order to make the children skilled in their behaviour and dealings. It is believed that anyone who studies and follows this moral scripture, or anyone who listens to it, cannot be defeated even by Indra.
Publisher
CONTENT
FIRST TECHNIQUE How to differentiate between friends Wicked and Greedy The Monkey that pulled out the Nail To Prick the Bubble Dantil and Grambh Greedy Ascetic Vishnu-like Weaver Crow’s Cleverness Struggle between the Heron and the Crab Wise Rabbit Bad result of a bad company Foolish Jackal Clever Crow Small Pewit and the vast Ocean Foolish Tortoise We’ll see whatever happens later Battle between a bird and an elephant Foolish Lion and Clever Jackal Sermon of the Unworthy Evil minded monkey Dharmabuddhi and Papbuddhi Heron’s Incomplete Remedy Tit for Tat The Doings of the Thief
SECOND ACQUISITION Friend Acquisition Discovery of a friend A hermit and a mouse Work and reason The result of greed Fruit of Destiny Ill-fated Somlik
THIRD UNIT Crow and the Owl Crow and the Owl The reason for the enmity between the crow and the owl The importance of a famous name Justice of the Vile Untruth, repeated over and over again, becomes the truth Strength of Unity Greed’s bad result Result of disregarding a refugee Hospitality of a guest Young maiden and the old merchant Benefit from Mutual Argument amongst the Thieves Traitors are the worst enemies Unchaste wife’s Foolish Husband A mouse’s intra-racial love An assembly of fools Caution from coming danger The cleverness of the prudent Waiting for a favourable opportunity
FOURTH UNIT One who has obtained fame Monkey’s cleverness The bad result of mutual hostility Donkey’s foolishness Artificial Kshatriya (warrior) It is impossible to change one’s nature Story of an unchaste woman The king and the minister-both slaves of the wife Donkey’s foolishness Mysterious ways of a woman Belled camel Clever Jackal A dog’s enmity with his own race
FIFTH UNIT Unexamined Factor Barber’s foolishness One who acts without thinking, regrets it later The bad habit of excessive greed Wise Fool Foolish Scholar Each to his own fate Bad result of not listening to good advice Teaching of a fool are torturous What never happened Tit for Tat Demon Vikal and the monkey Fruit of fate Brahmin’s good sense The fruit of discord Even a crab’s company is good
FIRST TECHNIQUE
How To Differentiate Between Friends
Wicked and Greedy Fox
In the Southern part of the country was a town named Mahilaropya. A merchant by the name of Vardhaman to lived there. He had a lot of wealth and property. One night, while lying in bed, he thought that he must do something to increase his property, because wealth is the only thing that can procure anything. Everyone befriends a rich person and if we do not have wealth, even our close friends and relatives leave our company. A person with wealth is considered a good and wise person.
When he realized the value of wealth, he started contemplating on the various ways in which he could earn the money. He thought that there were six ways of earning money - by begging, service, agriculture, education, lending out money on interest and trade. He considered trade to be the best, because begging had become notorious because of a few cheats, in service, one does not get the correct amount for one’s labour, agriculture requires lots of labour, education is difficult, lending out money involves the risk of all the principal amount being lost. Therefore, trade was the best.
The merchant, Vardhaman seriously contemplated on what items he should deal in and decided to go to Mathura. He bought all the things that could easily be sold there, loaded them in the bullock cart and after taking the good wishes of his friends and the blessings of his elders, took his two oxen - Sanjeevak and Nandak - and left for Mathura.
When he reached the alluvial lands of the Yamuna, Sanjeevak’s leg got caught in the marsh. He tried to force his leg out. As a result, he broke his leg. The merchant waited there only for the ox to get well. They spent three days and three nights there. His servants told him that it would not be wise to stay in the jungle with lions and tigers, etc. it is said that for a small thing, a big thing should not be harmed. In case of a crisis, it is always wise to sacrifice the small thing and protect the big thing. And Vardhaman had to accept this suggestion. He left the two servants to take care of Sanjeevak and themselves and went ahead. After the merchant went away, the two caretakers also felt scared. So, they left Sanjeevak in the condition it was in and after two days, they left him and went back to the merchant. They told the merchant that the very next day, Sanjeevak had died and as he was the merchant’s favourite ox, they had collected wood from the forest and cremated him.
The merchant was very unhappy to hear of Sanjeevak’s death, but, what could he do in front of destiny? So, he continued with his journey to Mathura. Sanjeevak, on the other hand, got a lot of green grass to eat there, and his pain also subsided a little. So, he got up. Then, slowly, he walked to the banks of the river Yamuna. In a few days, he became well again. If luck favours you, then, one who remains unprotected, like the ox, also lives.
One day, a lion named Pinglak, came with his friends to the banks of the Yamuna, to drink water. He saw this huge animal roaming on the banks of the river and roaring loudly. The lion felt afraid and so it sat under a tree.
Long ago. Pinglak had a fox as the Prime Minister. After his death, his two sons, named Kartak and Damnak were made ministers by the king. However, they were so wicked, that they were thrown out. Yet, in order to retain their lost position, both used to follow the king. Today also, when they saw their king suddenly stopping under the tree in fear, they also stopped there. Then, Damnak said, “Brother Kartak, although our king is thirsty, he has prepared an impregnable battle array and has sat down. What can be the reason for this?” Kartak said, “How does it matter? A person who wants to do a work, without any aim, is ruined, like the monkey that pulled out the nail.”
Damnak said, “How?”
The Monkey That pulled out the Nail
Some merchant started building a temple in a forest near his town. The workers who were involved in building this temple, used to go to the town for food during the break. This way one day, when all the workers had gone to the town to eat, a group of monkeys came there.
Those days, the work of timber cutting was going on there. A very big ‘Arjun’ tree was being cut. The woodcutter stooped his work at lunch time and put a thick wooden nail between the half cut wood. This was done so that it would be easy to put his saw into the wood.
Monkeys, by nature, are mischievous. One monkey came and sat on the half cut wood. He saw the nail and wanted to pull it out. With a lot of efforts, he did succeed in pulling it out, but the very next second, he screamed out loudly. His testicles had got caught between the woods. There was no way of saving him. He had an instant death. Kartak said, “This is why I say that a pers