71 Golden Tales Of Panchatantra (Coll-1)

Book excerpt: The Panchatantra Stories are over 5000 years old. Originally narrated in Sanskrit, they were popularised in their present form by Pandit Vishnu Sharma. Legend has it that King Amar Shakti asked Pandit Sharma to impart worldly wisdom to his three sons. Pandit Sharma agreed to do this within six months. Thereupon, he narrated stories daily with subtle messages that taught various qualities for success and survival, such as unity, friendship, firmness of mind, earnestness, etc. These tales were called Panchatantra. Panch means five, and tantra refers to codes of conduct. The stories were largely based on animal characters, making it very interesting for children. Some stories covered among others: *The Lion and the Clever Rabbit *The Fishes and the Frog *The Hare who outwitted the Elephant King *Suchimukhas and the Monkeys *The Camel and his False friends *The Snake and the Crows