பஞ்சதந்திரம் pañca-tantiram , n. pañcan +. The Tamil version of Pañca-tantra consisting of five books, viz., mittira-pētam, cukirl- lāpam, canti-vikkirakam, artta-nācam, acampirēṭciya-kārittuvam; மித்திரபேதம், சுகிர்ல்லாபம், சந்திவிக்கிரகம், அர்த்தநாசம், அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்து வம் என ஐம்பகுதியுடையதாய்த் தமிழில் மொழிபெயர்க் கப்பட்ட நூல்.
1. மித்திரபேதம் = mittira-pētam = Sowing discord among friends.
2. சுகிர்ல்லாபம் = cukir-l-lāpam = the acquisition of friends.
3. சந்திவிக்கிரகம் canti-vikkirakam = Associating with a foe with a view to ruin him.
4. அர்த்தநாசம் artta-nācam = Loss of wealth.
5. அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்துவம் a-campirēṭciya-kārittuvam , n. a-sam-prēkṣya-kāri-tva. Action without forethought.
Inspiration: Inspiration: N.Natchiyappan
In the center of a forest,
a vast Banyan tree was the home for a family of ducks.
At the base of the Banyan
tree, a small new plant sprouted and wound around the main trunk.
An old duck cautioned the other ducks that the creeper posed a
danger when it climbs up and around the tree trunk. Someone can climb up
the creeper, kill and eat them. They should remove the creeper for their
safety.
But the other ducks
ignored the old duck’s wise words.
They spoke in disdain; it
was a useless thing to do. The ducks continued their daily lives without
worrying over the old duck’s caution. The creeper grew day by day and
grew climbing up and around the trunk of the tree.
One day, all ducks went
away searching for food. A hunter passing by the tree saw the creeper,
climbed up the tree holding the creeper for support, placed the traps on
the tree branches, climbed down, and left.
The ducks ate and played
well that day and came back to the tree and got caught in the traps.
The old duck said the
ducks fell into the traps since they did not listen to its advice and
were destined to die.
The trapped ducks
addressed the old duck and said, “Ayya, Mr. senior duck! We are in
danger; you are our refuge. Please tell us what we should do. If we
escape with our lives, that will be enough.”
Endowed with intelligence,
good intentions, and compassion, the old duck felt that its kind should
not die. The old duck asked the trapped ducks to play possum upon the
arrival of the hunter. When the hunter exercised no caution, thinking
they were dead, they can escape.
Early in the morning, the
hunter came. When they saw the head of the hunter, they played dead. The
hunter climbed up the tree and thought they were dead. If they were
alive, he would have tied up their legs. Since he felt they were dead,
he released them from the traps and threw them on the ground without
tying their legs.
The ducks fell one by one
on the forest floor, tolerated the pain, and played dead. The hunter
released the ducks from the traps,
threw them on the ground, and came down from the tree.
When he was halfway down
the tree, the old duck gave a hint. All the ducks woke up suddenly,
flapped their wings, flew up, and landed on the tree branches.
The hunter, disappointed,
went back home with no ducks on hand.