PanchatantraStories01-10

1. There lived a wise elephant in the forest near the Ganges River. He narrated a story about bravery, deception, and an unexpected hero. Once, near our beloved Ganges, there stood a mighty tree, home to many birds. In that tree, an old, blind Eagle found refuge in a hollow. The birds, compassionate as they were, welcomed him warmly, offering him food since he could no longer hunt. In return, the Eagle promised to protect their chicks. For a time, harmony reigned among them. One sunny day, a sly feral cat prowled by the tree and heard the joyous chirping of the baby birds. Their songs of happiness turned to cries of fear when they saw the cat. Alerted by the commotion, the blind Eagle demanded, "Who is there?" Sensing an opportunity, the cat, cunning as he was, decided to trick the Eagle. "Greetings, Your Highness Mr. Eagle," he purred. "I have heard tales of your wisdom from the birds along the Ganges and felt compelled to meet you." Flattered by the cat's words, the Eagle asked, "Who are you?" "I am but a humble cat," replied the feral feline. "Leave now, or I’ll eat you!" the Eagle threatened. But the cat was wily. "I reside on the far side of the Ganges, feasting only on fallen fruits like Sadhus. I bathe in the sacred waters daily. Surely, a wise protector like you wouldn’t harm a guest." The Eagle, intrigued, questioned, "How can I trust you; you eat birds!" "Not anymore, Your Highness," the cat assured. "I have renounced meat. Those who kill are punished by the gods. I thrive on the forest’s bounty of fruits, roots, and herbs." The Eagle, trusting the cat’s words, allowed him to stay. Days passed, and the cat, ever deceitful, seized a moment when the Eagle was unaware and snatched a baby bird. The chick’s cries reached the blind Eagle’s keen ears. Silent and swift, the Eagle lunged at the source of distress, caught the cat, and ended his treachery. When the birds returned, they found the remains of the cat in the Eagle’s hollow. Panic set in, but a closer inspection revealed the bones were too large to be a bird’s, with the cat’s head still attached and covered in fur. All the chicks were safe. The Eagle recounted the tale of the deceitful cat, whose attempt to feast on a chick led to his demise. The birds, grateful for the Eagle’s bravery and loyalty, honored him. Generations of birds thrived under his vigilant protection, and the tale of the blind Eagle’s courage spread through the forest, reminding all creatures of the wisdom and valor found in even the most unexpected guardians. So, my young ones, remember this story well, for it teaches us that true strength and bravery come from within, no matter one’s age or condition. 2. The king elephant and the hare Here is a story told by an Eagle who owned the skies and the canopy of the forest. The king of elephants with the herd was living happily in a dense forest adjoining a freshwater lake. The forest was full of carnivores and other animals like hares. The elephants lived in peace with all animals. When the elephants went to the lake to drink water, they unknowingly stepped on the leverets (babies), burrows, and warren. Though the hares did not live in groups, the elders noticed the elephants on their way to the lake to drink water and by mere walking killed the leverets (baby hares). They decided to drive the elephants out of their habitat for good. The elder hare took it upon himself to run the elephants out of their habitat. One day, he took the king to the lake and pointed out the angry Moon Goddess and said, ‘’Look, dear king! The Moon Goddess is shimmering in anger with you and your herd because you and your herd are drinking too much water from the lake. Can you see the Moon Goddess in the lake?’’ The king looked at the moon reflection and said, ‘’Yes, I see the Moon Goddess is shaking with anger.’’ The elderly hare advised the king, ‘’It is time to pack up and go. If not, Moon Goddess will inflict great harm to you and your herd.’’ The king decided to leave the place in search of another lake. The king elephant led the other elephants to another huge lake some thirty miles away from this smaller lake. There they faced tigers, lions, foxes, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes and other animals. The animals welcomed them and lived in peace with them. Elephants enjoyed their unique status because they did not compete with carnivores for food. The buffaloes were always complaining about lions and tigers poaching their calves and the frail ones. The strongest of the buffalos were in the forefront when they came across a pride of lions or an ambush of tigers. The calves were always in the center of the herd of the buffalos. One day the king of the elephant visiting the lake on a full-moon day saw a round white shining disc in the lake and asked the buffalo what it was. The buffalo identified it as the benevolent moon Goddess. The king of elephants remembered how the hare misinformed him about the moon being the angry and punishing Goddess of the lake. Since then, the king of elephants chased the hares whenever they came close to him. Then an elderly hare got wind of the news that the king of elephants did not trust the hares. One day, he and others rolled a watermelon close to the king of the elephants and led the king to a field where wild watermelons were growing in the forest. From then on, the king decided that not all hares are deceitful. The king informed the herd that hares are good-natured, and they could be trusted. The elephants and the hares made peace. The gracious moon Goddess remained benevolent and did not stop any animal from drinking the lake water. 3. The King Cobra and the Ants The king cobra lived in the forest and hunted during the day and slept in the night. Whenever it entered a hole, it spread the hood to make sure the hole is wide enough to admit the width of the hood and then it entered the hole. It ate its own kind, other small snakes, rats, mice, and birds, and could go without eating for months. One day, the wood cutters cleared a portion of the forest to build a zoo for the nearby town. One cobra had to leave its habitat and go deeper into the forest and find a home. On its way, it faced a mongoose which came right in front to snap at its hood. It had no time to fight and so climbed a tree and stayed there until the mongoose left the premises. Then it saw an anthill swarming with ants. The cobra tried to occupy the anthill, but the ants were very angry. They swarmed all over the body and could not bite it because of the thick scales. Some of them crept through the nostrils and bit the cobra hard. The cobra could not tolerate the pain and left the anthill. The ants lived happily ever after. 4.  The Lucky Kid A goat and her naughty Kid lived on the edge of the forest adjoining a meadow. They were part of the herd, and a young boy was the shepherd. He used to play his flute creating delightful music and danced to his music. He trained the Kid to dance to the music. Many goats and other kids liked the music and the dance. One day the Kid walked stylishly like a prancing horse deep into the jungle. His mother warned him about carnivores in the jungle. He ignored it and kept on going. A wild monkey followed him at a safe distance so Kid would not know he was being followed. The sun was setting. The Kid wanted to go back to his mother. The Kid did not remember his way back. He bleated and cried for his mother. He saw a clearing in the forest and moved in there. A hungry wolf spotted him and came towards the Kid with a lolling tongue. The Kid ran to escape, but the wolf chased him around in the open space. The monkey sprang into action, ran behind the fox and bit the wolf’s tail several times during its chase. The wolf started bleeding profusely and suffered pain. The monkey was too fast for the wolf to attack him. The wolf realized it could not catch the Kid for a meal and disappeared into the forest. The Kid realized the monkey saved him from the wolf. The monkey guided the Kid back to his mother. Being grateful, the Kid let the monkey ride on his back. The mother and the shepherd boy were shocked to see a monkey riding on the back of the Kid. The Kid narrated the story of the monkey rescuing him from the hungry wolf. Not only the Kid’s mother was happy and so was the flutist-shepherd. 5.  The Escaped Lion An escaped lion from a traveling circus ran into a nearby forest and hid in a large cave, finding no one in the cave. The circus took a tracking dog into the forest looking for the escaped lion. The dog with a long leash was helping to scour the forest for the lion. The dog followed the scent and in about six hours the circus lion trainers and animal handlers gravitated to the cave. The dog sat silentlt at the entrance to the cave indicating to the dog handlers that the lion was in the cave. Capturing the lion without causing injury was their main objective. The lion handler suggested by backing up a lion cage flush with the entrance, there is no way for the animal to escape. Besides, they decided to draw the hungry lion to the cage by spreading meat at the very end of the cage far away from the back of the cage. The circus officials with permission from the forest department cut a few trees to accommodate the cage at the entrance. It took them a day to arrange all this to rescue the escaped lion from the cave. The cage was pulled to the entrance of the cave a day later with meat in place. The escaped lion, being hungry, walked straight into the cage and greedily ate the meat. At that right time the cage’s gate dropped shut. The lion was back in the circus grounds. 6. The camel’s revenge Once upon a time, a camel and a jackal became great friends. One day, they decided to feast in a watermelon field. After eating their fill, the jackal began to howl. “Please don’t howl; your howling will bring the farmer here!” the camel pleaded. “Singing is good for my digestion,” the jackal replied nonchalantly. Soon enough, the farmer arrived and beat the camel, while the jackal managed to escape. A few days later, the camel offered to give the jackal a ride on his back while he swam in the river. The jackal agreed, and they set off. Once they were in the middle of the river, the camel began to dive under the water. “What are you doing? I will drown!” cried the jackal. “I must dive if I am in water. It’s good for my health,” said the camel, as he submerged himself, leaving the jackal struggling. The jackal was carried away by the current to the edge of the riverbank. He climbed up the riverbank and landed back in the watermelon field. Remembering the jackal’s howl from before, the farmer assumed it had come to eat the watermelons again and hit him with a stick. The jackal ran away, limping. 7. The False Friend A deer and a crow were great friends. One day, the crow saw the deer with a jackal. Jackals were known to be cunning animals, so he warned his friend that the jackal could not be trusted. The deer ignored the crow’s warning and went with the jackal to a field where the deer got trapped. The jackal sneered, “I’m going to call the farmer. He will kill you and I will get a share of your meat.” The deer cried. The crow heard his friend’s cries and came to help him. He asked the deer to pretend he was dead. The farmer came as soon as he heard the jackal’s howls. He saw a deer lying dead in his trap. He opened the trap to check, but the deer ran away. The angry farmer hit the jackal on its leg. The jackal ran away on its three legs yelping in pain. 8. The Hen and the Falcon A conversation took place between a hen and a falcon, whose kind in real life were victim and a hired victimizer. The falcon was a reformed and trained raptor, hunting animals and birds for his master. The hen, unlike the domesticated ones, was feral, living in the forest. The hen: ‘’I know your kind. I know you from the past. You swooped down at high speed, caught my cousins with your talons and delivered them to your master who wore an elbow-long protective glove. You caught rabbits, ducks and other peaceful animals so your master can eat them.’’ The raptor: ‘’Hold on for a second. That was my past life. Now I am a reformed falcon. I am no longer in the employ of my master. I quit my job and eat only roadkill and previously dead animals. Can we be friends?’’ The hen: ‘’I know your kind. One day, you will make a meal of me.’’ That time a raptor swooped down at blinding speed and caught the feral hen in its talons. The reformed raptor took off, fought with the raptor and made it drop the hen, which came down unharmed and cackling. As it landed with a thud on the ground, it thanked his friend, the reformed falcon for saving its life. 9. The mouse turned into a lion and later into a dog A cat was chasing a mouse in a house where a sage lived. Both did not belong to him. The mouse chirped and squeaked in distress and the cat meowed during its pursuit. Feeling pity for the mouse, the sage turned it into a lion as the mouse turned corner. The cat came to an abrupt stop at seeing the big cat yawning baring its awesome teeth. The cat stopped abruptly, but the momentum carried the cat and slide right into the mouth of the lion. The cat, realizing it was in danger, turned around in the mouth of the lion and scooted out of there as fast as he could. The sage had a bowl of water in front of him, which he converted into a bowl of milk. The cat thankfully lapped up the milk and relaxed a little bit before the sage. The sage morphed the lion into a dog so that the cat would know what it to be chased and frightened. The original mouse, turned into a lion before and now turned into a dog, chased the cat out of the house. The cat, being agile, climbed up a tree and escaped out of reach of the dog. As it climbed, the sage morphed the dog back into a mouse, which entered its hole and disappeared. 10. The uncouth Tree In a beautiful forest with beautiful tall trees, there was an uncouth tree, as described by the other trees, in their midst. The lonely tree with knots was bent in the middle. The other straight trees called him the hunchback. The middle and the terminal branches were twisted like a corkscrew. The leaves were folded on themselves and looked drab. Sometimes worms crawled on the leaves and branches. When the wind blew, the tall trees swayed beautifully, and the leaves rustled, whispered, spoke and made derogatory remarks about the lonely bent tree. Those remarks made the bent tree sad. It blamed the Maker for its appearance. One day, a woodcutter looked at the bent tree, turned his back to the tree and cut all the straight tall trees around it. The bent tree thanked God for making it bent and sparing its life.