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Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Panchathanthra Stories For Children| Fables

Panchathanthra is a collection of Sanskrit fables written by the Indian scholar , teacher and writer Vishnu Sharma

The stories published below have been selected and adapted to suit the young reader. 

You can watch the Videos on SK Videos channel .

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                                    Vishnu Sharma

Story 1


        The Educated Fools

πŸ‘΄ Moral: [Pride goes before a fall: If you are too confident about your abilities something bad could happen. It shows that you are not as good as you think. ]

Once upon a time there lived four Brahmin friends. Three among them were well educated in Vedic scriptures  and other fields. However, they lacked intelligence.  The fourth friend was uneducated but he excelled in intelligence. 

One day, the four friends were engaged in a serious conversation with regard to their future.  They said they couldn't make proper use of their educatedness by staying in their home country.  So, they decided to serve some other king in the East and make their future better. 

Thus, as discussed, the four friends left home early in the morning the very next day. They walked in the direction of the east. 

On the way, the first Brahmin friend stopped and expressed his concern over the  fourth Brahmin friend who was uneducated. 

The second Brahmin friend added, " Yes,  we cannot share our hard earned wealth  with someone who is uneducated." 

The third Brahmin who felt sympathetic for their good old friend said, "We've been friends since our childhood. We've always been together.  Therefore, it's my opinion that  a part of our wealth should go to him as well." 

The four friends resumed the journey. On the way, they had to walk through a dense jungle infested with most ferocious wild animals. The four friends being tired after walking a long distance, decided to rest a  while under a huge shady tree. 

The friends who observed the surrounding noted some skeletal remains. Upon closer examination, they realized that they were those of a lion died a few years ago. 

The educated friends thought that it was an opportunity to show how educated they were by putting together the bones and bringing the dead beast back to life. 

Thus they set about working.  The first Brahmin friend fixed the bones. The second Brahmin friend fed the skeleton with flesh and blood. Finally, when the third Brahmin friend got ready to blow life into the lion the fourth friend, the uneducated one , who was watching all this drama with horror and surprise , intervened  and said , " Stop! Stop! What do you think you are going to do? You are going to bring a ferocious  beast back to life.  The moment it is alive, it'll definitely kill the four of us. If you  love your life, don't do this." 

The third friend who was furious to hear this said , "Go away uneducated fool and let me show everyone the power of my knowledge." 

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πŸ‘‰Read in English while listening to the story in Sinhala. Watch the Video below . Please Subscribe the Channel for more.

The fourth friend said, "Well, then ,  wait just one minute until I climb up this tree. " 

 The fourth friend climbed up the tree in a flash.  The third friend blew life into the dead lion.  The lion sprang up with a loud roar, killed the three friends and disappeared into the jungle." 

The fourth friend watched all this in agony. He was shocked to see the three good friends lying dead under the tree  torn into pieces.  He walked back home mourning the death of his  three friends. 

                                        πŸ‘§πŸ‘¨πŸ‘©

Story 2
 : Panchathanthra story for children.

            The Mouse Maid

πŸ‘΄Moral: Blood is thicker than water : Family bonds are \ stronger than all other relationships

The beautiful story of a baby mouse which is changed into a human girl by a kind Brahmin.


    Once upon a time, there was a monastery closer to the Ganges. One day while the chief of the holy men there was getting ready for morning ablutions, a female baby mouse being carried by an eagle, accidentally fell into his hands.
    The holy man felt sympathetic for the helpless baby mouse which had from near death.  He changed the baby mouse into a human baby girl with the magical powers he possessed. Then he told his wife who was childless to look after the baby girl as if she were her own. 
    Thus the baby girl grew up to be a pretty maid. the holy man's wife who realized that their adopted daughter had come of age  told her husband to find her a suitable husband. 
     The holy man decided to give her in marriage to someone most powerful and can look after well. 
      The holy man first proposed his daughter to Divakara, the maker of the day and night. As soon as Divakara got the invitation, he visited the holy man's cottage. 
     Divakara asked the holy man, "What made you invite me to your home, sir?" 
     The holy man said, " I wish to propose my pretty daughter you." The holy man looked at his daughter and asked if she would like to marry this powerful handsome young man. 
     The girl replied, " Father! He's nothing but fire. The heat that emanates from him is unbearable. I don't like to marry him. Please! find me someone else." 
      Then the holy man turned to Divakara and asked if he knew of someone who was more powerful than him.
     Divakara said, "Cloud is more powerful than me, sir.  Sometimes, I cannot penetrate him, and I become helpless, then." 
   The holy man invited Cloud to his home. The holy man said, "Cloud! I would like to propose my daughter to you." 
   Then he turned to his daughter and said, "Daughter! This is Cloud. He brings rain and makes the world prosperous. Would you like to marry this young man." 
   The daughter replied, " No, father! He is timid and weak. How can I marry such a person?" 
   The holy man then said, "Cloud, Can you tell me of any other person greater than you?" 
    Cloud said, "I think, Wind is more powerful than me. His presence causes my destruction." 
    The holy man then invited Wind. He proposed his daughter to Wind. He asked his daughter if she would like to marry Wind.
    The daughter told to see Wind, " Father! Wind is unpredictable and destructive. I cannot marry such a person." 
    The holy man turned to Wind and requested him to tell if he knew of any other person stronger than him. Wind replied, "Well! Mountain is stronger than me.  However hard I strike him, he does not move. He is stable.  I think Mountain can protect your daughter well."   
    The holy man got down Mountain immediately. He said, "Mountain! I'd like to prose my daughter to you." 
    Then the holy man turned to his daughter and asked if she  would like Mountain. The daughter said, "No father! He's rough and obstinate. I don't like to marry such a person." 
     The holy man asked the Mountain to tell him of any other person whom he thought was more powerful than him. 
     Mountain said, " Sir! Mouse is stranger me. He climbs to the top of me and makes holes." 
     The holy man immediately invited  Mouse to his home and proposed him his daughter. Then he turned to the daughter once again and asked her if she would like to marry Mouse
    The daughter said to his surprise, "Father! I really like to marry Mouse. I feel a sense of belonging and a deep attachment to see Mouse. Please! Use your magical powers and  turn me into a mouse.  Then it would be easy for me to do my duties for him as his wife." 
   The holy man and his wife were shocked to hear these words. They wished only of their daughter's happiness. Thus, finally the holy man  changed their daughter back to a mouse and gave her in marriage to Mouse
                                πŸ‘±πŸ‘²πŸ‘²πŸ‘²πŸ‘³
Story 3 Panchathanthra Story for children. 
             Carpenter and His Pretty Wife
A story from Vishnu Sharma's Panchathanthra, a collection of fables. The story was adapted by Sajendra Kumara. 
πŸ‘΄Moral: Having sympathy on those who engage in apparent acts of treachery upon you shows your stupidity
πŸ‘‰A story of a promiscuous  wife of an aged carpenter and her paramour. 

   Once upon a time there lived a poor carpenter in a remote village. His wife was much younger than him. She was a pretty lady.  However, she had earned a bad name among the villagers. There were rumours that she carried on with some men in the village. 
  The carpenter thought, "It seems the villagers know of my wife better than me. There's nothing that can be kept away from the public eye. There could be some truth in these rumours." Having deeply thought about this, he thoroughly determined to find out the truth about all  these rumours by himself. 
   One day, he told his wife, "I've got to attend some important work in another village. So, I have to be away from home for a few days. I'm leaving home with the cock in hand tomorrow. Please, arrange me a packet of lunch and other necessary things."   
     The carpenter's wife was delighted to hear these words. She got up early the following morning and made everything ready for her husband's journey. The carpenter left home early that morning. 
    The carpenter's wife had a bath and got dressed in the finest clothes she had. Then she sent a message to her most favourite paramour to visit her in the evening. 
    Meanwhile, the carpenter who left home on the pretext of attending some important work stayed in hiding during the day in a woodland. He had the packet of lunch and waited there till evening. Then he went back home secretly and found that the backdoor was open. The carpenter stole into the bedroom and hid under the bed.
    The carpenter's wife's paramour arrived at the time she had mentioned. By then, she had arranged dinner for him. While he was having dinner, the woman went to the bedroom. As she sat down on the bed her legs accidently touched the carpenter's body who was hiding under the bed. 
     She quickly lay on the bed and wondered as to who was under the bed. Suddenly, it occurred to her that it must be her husband himself. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had got caught in a trap laid by her husband. The woman was furious and thoroughly determined to teach him a good lesson and show how tactful women folk are. 
    After a little while, the paramour entered the room not knowing what was going on there. When he tried to touch the woman, she at once started wailing, "Oh! Good man! please do not touch me. Listen to me before you touch me, please." 
    The paramour was bewildered to see this sudden change of events. He said in surprise, "Why on earth then did you invite me to your house?"
    "Well, then let me explain. I visited the 'Kali Temple' this morning to invoke blessing on my dear husband who will be away from home for some time. While I was praying there, I heard some strange voice. The voice said 'You've been a dedicated devotee. Hence, I warn you child! You're destined to be a widow within the next couple of months. If you ever wish to change his destiny, you have to sleep with another married man under your own roof. Thus you can let your husband's destiny fall on him. Then you can save his life and live happily.' " , the woman said with a sly smile on her lips. Then she continued, "So, I have invited you to my husband's bed in order to save his life and let him live long with me. If you agree, you can sleep with me now."
    Meanwhile the carpenter was listening to this most unexpected explanation. He was horrified to hear of his destiny. Therefore, he remained under the bed having allowed his wife to make the sacrifice on the bed for his own sake. While lying under the bed, he thought of the faithfulness and the sincerity of his wife. A deep respect and a feeling of boundless love for her grew in him.  
     After some time, the carpenter crept out from under the bed and stood in front of the couple still lying on the bed. The carpenter who was overjoyed to know how faithful his wife was said, "My deer! I'm really indebted to you for sacrificing your fidelity for saving my life. You're my life and my true love. I may be the luckiest husband in the world. My beautiful princess! Please forgive me for mistrusting you! Please! Come and hug me my love!" The carpenter embraced his wife and lifted her up and made her sit on his right shoulder. 
     Then he turned to the woman's paramour who was watching all this drama perplexed. The carpenter told the man, "It's because of some merit I have accrued in the journey of my life that you have come to sacrifice your young life for me. Come here brother! Sit on my left shoulder. I want to carry you both around the village and tell everyone of the great sacrifice you both have made to save my life." 
                                            The End 
 
(To be contd. )                           

 

  

   

  





 

 

 


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Panchathanthra Stories For Children| Fables

Panchathanthra is a collection of Sanskrit fables written by the Indian scholar , teacher and writer  Vishnu Sharma .  The stories published...