PT5-06-MantraMeisters
Panchatantra Stories  
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: N.Natchiyappan 
 Four schoolmates were close friends in a town. Three of the four were accomplished Mantra-meisters. The fourth one did not study well. The talented three decided to go to the king to demonstrate their skills and get something valuable in return. Though the fourth one was not outstanding in studies, the three took him along to the king. They talked about sharing the royal gifts equally.

On the way to the palace, they came across a dead lion. The learned three said they wanted to put their skills to work and make the dead lion come alive. The less literate one said perceptively, "If you enliven and reanimate the dead lion, it may kill us all." The learned ones rejected him outright, pushed him away, and said, "Get out of here." He climbed up a nearby tree and stayed there.

The three raised the lion from the dead, revived, and animated it. As soon as the new life reanimated the lion, it charged on all three and killed them.   

An intellectual endowment is better than scholastic education: This is the lesson from this story.