Stories of The Panchatantra

The Lion, The Jackal, And The Cave

Once upon a time, there lived a big lion in a dense forest. All the animals of the woods trembled
with him. He used to hunt the animals of the jungle every day and fill his stomach.
One day he wandered in the forest here and there for the whole day, but he did not find a single
victim. It became evening wandering here and there. His condition had worsened due to hunger.
At last, the lion saw a cave.
The lion thought of a plan. He decided to sit in the cave and wait for its owner. As soon as the
possessor of the cave comes, he will kill him and satisfy his hunger.
Thinking of this plan, the lion ran and sat inside the cave.
The cave belonged to a jackal. The jackal had gone out in the afternoon.
When he was returning to his cave at night, he witnessed the footprints of a lion outside the
cave. Seeing these footprints, he became alert. He looked at the marks of the feet carefully. He
saw that the claw marks were going inside the cave, but not coming out.
He understood that there was some kind of danger. He was convinced that the lion might be
sitting inside the cave.
Still, he wanted to confirm it. To confirm the presence of the lion, the jackal came up with a trick.
He called out from outside the cave, “Oh cave! What has happened to you? What’s the matter?
You didn’t call me today.
”Every day you welcome me by calling, but today you did not invite me.” “You are so silent.“
“What has happened?” “Is everything nice?”
The lion that was sitting inside the cave thought, “Maybe this cave welcomes this jackal with a
voice every day, but today it is not speaking a single word because of me.”
”He is scared of me.” “Never mind, today, I shall call him.” “He will come inside and I shall enjoy
a feast.”
Thinking all of it, the lion cried out loudly, “Welcome my dear friend jackal. come on inside the
cave. You are welcomed.”
On hearing this voice, the jackal understood all of the matter. He came to know that the lion was
sitting inside the cave. It was a great danger for his life. He dashed away from that place at
once.
 The Foolish Bodyguard
Once there was a king, who had a pet monkey.
This monkey was a fool, but was treated royally and moved freely in the king's palace.
He was also allowed to enter the king's personal rooms that were forbidden even for the
confidential servants.
One afternoon, the king was asleep, while the monkey kept a watch.
All of a sudden, a fly came into the room and sat on the king's nose.
The monkey swayed her away, but the fly would only go away for some time and return to the
king's nose again.
The monkey got very enraged. The foolish monkey started chasing the fly with a sword.
As the fly sat on the king's nose again, the monkey hit the fly with all his might. The fly flew
away unharmed, but the king was severely wounded.
 The Trick Of The Bull
Once a bull was wandering in the forest searching for a home. Inside the forest, near a big pond
the bull found a cave surrounded with lush green grass. The bull was very happy to find a place
like that. “This is the best home for me”, said the bull. He lived in that cave for many days,
grazing the meadows and growing healthy.
One day, the bull was resting near the entrance of its cave. A lion happened to come to that
pond to drink water and saw this fleshy bull. He thought, “wow a healthy bull ! If I can hunt him, I
will have a good meal”. The bull too saw the lion and realized the danger. Immediately a brilliant
idea came up in his mind.

When the lion came near, the bull looked into the cave and shouted, “Darling, don’t cook
anything for today. I have just spotted a lion. I am waiting for it to come near. I will kill him for our
food today”. When the lion heard this, he was terrified and ran away to save his life.

A jackal saw the lion running breathlessly. He stopped the lion and asked why he was running
like that. The lion told him about the bull and what had happened. The jackal said, “that bull has
made food out of you !. Come with me, let's hunt him together and feast on him.”
The lion was too scared to go back. So the jackal said, “Alright then let's tie our tails together
and let me lead you. Even if that bull attacks then I will be the one to get caught first”. The lion
agreed. They both tied their tails together and walked towards the bull’s cave.

The bull saw the jackal and the lion coming towards him. The bull already knew about the
cunningness of the jackal, so he knew he should be more careful this time. When the two
animals came near the cave, the bull shouted, “Hey jackal, you are a wonderful friend. Just as
you promised, you have brought back the lion to my cave.”

Hearing this the lion was terrified again. He ran as fast as he could, dragging the jackal with him
over stones and thorns. Thus the clever bull escaped from his enemies using his cleverness.

The Deceit Of Mandvishya

There lived a snake by the name of Mandvishya near a pond. The pond was full of frogs—big
and small. They all were leading a happy life under the good rule of their king frog. The big
snake had become old and weak, and could no longer catch his prey easily for his meals. So he
decided to play a ruse upon the frogs. One day, he went to the pond and lay there as if he was
suffering from illness. After some time, the king frog happened to come out of the water. He saw
the snake lying by the side of the pond in a pitiable condition. When he asked for the reason in a
frightened tone, the snake said, “A week before, I bit the son of a pundit by mistake, because he
had tried to kill me with a stick. He died immediately. Now the pundit has cursed me. According
to his curse, I’ll have to serve the frogs and have to eat whatever they offer me for food. So, I’m
here to serve you.”

The king frog and his ministers were delighted to hear this. Other frogs also gathered around
the snake. Many of the minister frogs and the king frog too jumped onto the back of the brown
snake to have a joy ride. The snake swam round the pond with all the frogs riding on his back.

The next day also, the frogs rode over the entire length of the snake’s back. The snake swam in
the pond. Soon the king frog realised that the snake’s movement had slowed down. When he
asked for the reason, the snake said, “Your Majesty, due to constant swimming and non-
availability of food, I’ve gone weak. I can’t move any more now.”
The king frog, thinking that in view of the snake’s physical weakness, he might not be able to
have joy rides in future, allowed the snake to eat a few frogs.
Thesnake, thus, started eating the frogs easily, one by one. One day, there were no frogs left in
the pond, except the king frog. So the snake spoke to the king frog. “I can’t remain hungry any
more. There are no frogs left in the pond except you. So, please excuse me for eating you.” And
the snake attacked the king frog with the speed of lightning and ate him as well.
 The Indigo Colored Jackal

In a jungle, there lived a jackal by the name of Chandarava. One day he was very hungry, so he
risked going into the city to find food.There he found himself surrounded by barking dogs.They
set upon him and chased him.To save his skin, he ran into a nearby house.A big vat of indigo
dye was lying there.He jumped in to hide but discovered that his whole body was dyed indigo as
a result and he no longer looked like a jackal. Terrified he rushed out of the vat and out of the
house where the dogs were waiting for him. But when he came out, the dogs were unable to
recognize him and ran off terrified.
The jackal went back to the jungle. The indigo dye would not come off. Back in the jungle, when
the animals, the lions, tigers, elephants, wolves and the rest of them, saw the indigo-colored
jackal, they ran away in terror and said to one another, ‘Let’s run away for we don’t know the
strength of this animal or what to expect of him.’When the jackal saw the frightened animal he
had an idea. He called them back and said, ‘Oh! Animals! Why are you running off? Don’t be
afraid the Lord of Creation has made me himself with his hands. He has told me, “the animals
have no king, so I have crowned you as a king. Go to the earth and protect them well.”’

‘That’s why,’ he continued, ‘ I’ve come here. From now on you all shall live in my kingdom,
under my protection.’ When the animals heard this, they surrounded him and said, ‘Master, we
await your command.’ The jackal immediately assigned specific duties to all animals, but he
said he would have nothing to do with jackals as he was afraid that they would recognize him.
The jackals were all chased away. The lion and the tiger used to go out hunting and bring food
before the jackal. He would have his fill and then distribute the remaining to other animals he
chose.

He was quite happy and in this way, quite some time passed. One day, the jackal heard in the
distance the howl of a pack of jackals. He was spellbound, his eyes filled with tears of joy, he
stood up and began to howl. When the lion and the other animals heard the howl, they realized
who he really was. They said angrily to each other, ‘the despicable jackal has fooled us! We will
kill him!’When the jackal heard this he tried to escape but was chased and killed by the angry
mob of animals.
 The Demon Of The Water
Once upon a time, far away in a deep forest, there was a nation of 80,000 monkeys. They had a king who
was unusually large, as big as a fawn. He was not only big in body, he was also 'large in mind'.

One day, he advised his monkey nation by saying, "My subjects, there are poisonous fruits in this deep
forest, and ponds possessed by demons. So if you see any unusual fruit or unknown pond, do not eat or
drink until you ask me first." Paying close attention to their wise king, all the monkeys agreed to follow his
advice.

Later on, they came to an unknown pond. Even though they were all tired out and thirsty from searching
for food, no one would drink without first asking the monkey king. So they sat in the trees and on the
ground around the pond.

When he arrived, the monkey king asked them, "Did anyone drink the water?" They replied, "No, your
majesty, we followed your instructions." He said, "Well done."

Then he walked along the bank, around the pond. He examined the footprints of the animals that had
gone into the water, and saw that none came out again! So he realized this pond must be possessed by a
water demon. He said to the 80,000 monkeys, "This pond is possessed by a water demon. Don't anybody
go into it."

After a little while, the water demon saw that none of the monkeys went into the water to drink. So he rose
out of the middle of the pond, taking the shape of a frightening monster. He had a big blue belly, a white
face with bulging green eyes, and red claws and feet. He said, "Why are you just sitting around? Come
into the pond and drink at once!"
The monkey king said to the horrible monster, "Are you the water demon who owns this pond?" "Yes, I
am," he said. "Do you eat whoever goes into the water?" asked the king. "Yes, I do," he answered,
"including even birds. I eat them all. And when you are forced by your thirst to come into the pond and
drink, I will enjoy eating you, the biggest monkey, most of all!" He grinned, and saliva dripped down his
hairy chin.

But the monkey king with the well-trained mind remained calm. He said, "I will not let you eat me or a
single one of my followers. And yet, we will drink all the water we want!" The water demon grunted,
"Impossible! How will you do that?" The monkey king replied, "Each one of the 80,000 of us will drink
using bamboo shoots as straws. And you will not be able to touch us!"

Of course, anyone who has seen bamboo knows there is a difficulty. Bamboo grows in sections, one after
another, with a knot between each one. Any one section is too small, so the demon could grab the
monkey, pull him under and gobble him up. But the knots make it impossible to sip through more than one
section.

The monkey king was very special, and that is why so many followed him. In the past, he had practiced
goodness and trained his mind with such effort and attention, that he had developed very fine qualities of
mind. This is why he was said to be 'large in mind', not because he simply had a 'big brain'.

The monkey king was able to keep these fine qualities in his mind, and produce a very unlikely event - a
miracle. First, he took a young bamboo shoot, blew through it to make the knots disappear, and used it to
sip water from the pond. Then, amazing as it may sound, he waved his hand and all the bamboo growing
around that one pond lost their knots. They became a new kind of bamboo.

Then, all his 80,000 followers took bamboo shoots and easily drank their fill from the pond. The water
demon could not believe his green eyes. Grumbling to himself, he slid back under the surface, leaving
only gurgling bubbles behind.
 The Iron Beam Devoured By The Mice
Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant called Naduk. But times were bad and his
business was suffering. He decided to leave the city and find his fortune in a new place. He sold
off all his possessions and paid off his debts. All that he had left was a heavy iron beam. Naduk
went to say goodbye to his friend Lakshman, and requested him to keep the beam for him till he
returned. Lakshman promised to look after it for him.

For many years, Naduk traveled far and wide, building his fortune. Luck was with him, for he
became rich once again. He returned home and bought a new house and started his business
again. He went to visit his friend Lakshman who greeted him warmly. After a while, Naduk
asked him to return his beam. Lakshman knew that the beam would fetch him good money so
he was loath to return it. So he told Naduk that he had kept his beam in the store-room and the
mice ate it.

Naduk did not seem to mind. He asked Lakshman to send his son home with him so that he
could hand over a gift that he had bought for him. So Lakshman sent his son Ramu with Naduk.
Naduk locked up Ramu in a cellar in his house. By nightfall, Lakshamn was worried and came
to ask about the whereabouts of his son. Naduk replied that on the way to his house, a hawk
swooped down and carried the boy off. Lakshman accused Naduk of lying. He insisted that a
hawk could not carry off a fifteen-year-old boy.

A big fight ensued and the matter was taken to court. When the magistrate heard Lakshman's
side of the story, he ordered Naduk to return the boy to his father. But Naduk insisted that a
hawk carried off the boy. The magistrate asked him how it was possible. He replied,that if a
huge iron beam can be eaten by mice, then a boy could definitely be carried off by a hawk.

Naduk related the whole story. Everyone in the courtroom burst out laughing. The magistrate
then ordered Lakshman to return the iron beam to Naduk and that Naduk return Lakshman's
son to him.
 The Shapeshifting Goat
One day a Brahman received a goat as a gift. He picked up the goat and set out for home,
carrying it on his shoulders.

Three rogues saw the Brahman carrying the goat. They were hungry. They wished they could
get the goat for a meal.

“That’s a nice plump goat,” said one of them.

“Yes,” said another,” It would make a good meal for the three of us. But how can we get the
goat? The Brahman will not give it to us.”

“Listen,” said the third rogue, “I have a plan.” The third rogue then whispered into the ears of the
other two.

The other two rogues laughed. Then all three jumped up and hurried away.

The Brahman walked on.

Now one of the rogues suddenly came along and stood in front of the Brahman.

“Oh, holy sir,” said the rogue very politely, “Why are you carrying that dog on your shoulders?
Isn’t a dog too unholy and unclean for a Brahman? I am very surprised to see you carrying a
dog.”

“Dog?” exclaimed the Brahman. “What are you talking about? Are you blind? This is a goat. I
just received it as a gift.”

“Now, don’t be angry, sir,” the rogue said in a calm voice. “I am only telling you what I see. But
I’ll say nothing more. I’m sorry, sir.”
The rogue quickly went away.

The Brahman walked on, muttering angrily to himself. A little further along the road, the
Brahman met the second rogue.

The second rogue looked at the goat and then looked at the Brahman.

“Oh, holy sir,” said the second rogue in a sad voice, “You should not carry a dead calf on your
shoulders. You know, it is disgraceful for a Brahman to carry a dead animal.”

“Dead animal? Dead calf?” shouted the Brahman.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Are you blind? Don’t you know a live goat when you see
one? This is a goat I have just received as a gift.”

“Please don’t get angry with me, sir,” replied the second rogue in a very humble voice. “Carry a
calf, if you want to, a dead one or a living one. It does not matter to me. I’ll say no more. Please
yourself.”

On walked the Brahman. He felt a little worried. From time to time he glanced at the goat. It was
a goat all right.

But very soon he met the third rogue.

“Pardon me, sir,” said the third rogue, “but I must tell you that what you are doing is most
improper.”

“Improper?” asked the Brahman. “What is improper?”

“It is not proper for a holy man to carry a donkey. A Brahman should not even touch such an
unclean animal. You must know yourself. Put it down, sir, before anyone sees what you are
doing.”

The Brahman was very puzzled. However, he was just too worried to be angry. This was the
third man he had met. First a dog, then a dead calf, and now a donkey!

Was this a goat, then, a goblin or was it some sort of demon? Could itself into something
different every few minutes? Perhaps these men were right, after all.

Greatly frightened, the Brahman flung down the goat and ran home as fast as he could.

The rogue picked up the goat and hurried back to his friends. They were happy at the success
of their plan. They had a great meal that evening.

The Stork Wanted Crab Meat

A heron lived near a big lake, which was full of fishes and other water creatures.

The heron had grown so old that he could not catch fishes from the lake anymore.

He became lean and weak with every passing day due to lack of food. Unable to bear the
hunger anymore, he hit upon a plan.

As planned, he sat at the edge of the lake for everybody to see, and began crying.

On seeing this, a crab took pity on him and went near, “Uncle, What is the matter? Why are you
crying instead of catching fish?”

Continuing to pretend, the heron replied, “My child, I would not touch any fish anymore. I have
decided to renounce all worldly matters, and vowed to undertake a fast unto death.”

The crab asked, “If you have indeed renounced worldly matters, why is it that you cry?”
The heron explained, “My child, I have been in this lake from my birth. I have grown here. And it
now that I have grown so old that I hear that this lake will dry up as there will be no rains for the
next twelve years.”

The crab was surprised to hear this, “Uncle, please tell me if it is true. Please tell me where you
have heard such a thing.”

The heron replied, “I have heard the news from a wise astrologer that there will be no rains for
the next twelve years. You see, there is already not much water in the lake. And very soon, due
to lack of rains, the lake will dry up completely very soon.”

The crab was taken aback by the news of what is to befall on them, and went to tell this to the
other water creatures. On hearing this piece of news, everybody started to panic.

They believed the heron, as he was not trying to catch any fish at all. So, they met the heron to
seek advice, “Please guide us to save us from this disaster.”

The heron said, “There is indeed a lake not far from here. It is full of water, and beautifully
covered with lotus flowers. There is so much water in the lake, that it would not dry even if it did
not rain for twenty four years. I can take you there, if you can ride on my back.”

He had already gained their confidence. So, they gathered around him and requested to carry
them one at a time to the other lake and save them.

The wicked heron had succeeded in his plan. Every day, he would carry one of them on his
back pretending to take them to the other lake.

After flying a little away from the lake, he would smash them against a rock and eat them up.
He would then return after some time to the lake and relate false messages about how they are
happy in the other lake.
This happened for many days, when the crab said to the heron, “Uncle, you take others to the
lake but it is me who is your first friend. Please take me to the other lake to save my life.”

The heron was happy to hear this. He thought to himself, “Having a fish everyday has become
monotonous. It is good that I will get to eat a crab today, for a change.”

Having thus decided, the heron started carrying the crab to the same rock. The crab looked
down from above and saw the heap of bones and skeletons. At once, the crab understood what
the heron was up to.

He remained calm, and said to the heron, “Uncle, the lake seems far and I am quite heavy. You
must be getting tired, let us stop for some rest.”

The heron was confident that there was no way the crab can escape from him in the sky. The
heron replied, “There is no lake for real. This trip is for my own meal. As I do every day, I will
smash you against a rock and make a meal out of you.”

When the heron confessed the truth, the crab got hold of the heron’s neck with its strong claws,
and strangled him to death.
The crab laughed at himself that he had saved himself and the other water creatures from the
trick played by the heron. He dragged the heron back to the lake.
The other water creatures in the lake were surprised to see him back. They became curious,
and asked all sorts of questions.

The crab laughed and replied, “We were being made fools! The heron was an imposter and
what he told about the lake drying up was all false. He was taking one of us every day for his
meal on a rock not far from here.”

He proudly said, “I understood what he was up to, and have killed the trickster. There is no need
to worry, for we are safe in this lake. It is not going to dry up at all.”

The Donkey Who Wanted To Sing

A fat donkey worked for a washerman. He was a good and loyal creature, so the washerman let
him wander freely in the night to graze. The donkey would return on time in the morning.
During his wanderings at night, the donkey made friends with a jackal who used to creep into
the village to steal poultry. The jackal told the donkey that some of the farmers had plots with
juicy cucumbers in them. So, the donkey and the jackal went to the farmer’s house: the donkey
to eat cucumbers and the jackal to steal poultry.
There was no problem for days. Then one night, there was a full moon. The donkey was
musical. He told the jackal that he felt inspired to sing! The jackal was shocked! The donkey
was a fool! His braying could not be called singing even by a loving friend.
“No! You mustn’t sing!” said the jackal, hoping the donkey would obey him. “You are not a
singer. And we are stealing from the farmer. If he hears you singing, he will wake up and thrash
us. So, do keep quiet!”
“What! You think I’m not a musician? I tell you I understand all the details about music! I know
the ragas and raginis, and the rhythms and beats. I also know the times at which certain ragas
have to be sung,” retorted the donkey.

“Look, you wait till I hide. Then you can sing what you like!” said the jackal. He ran out of the
farmer’s field and hid under a bush.
The donkey cleared his throat and began to ‘sing’ at the top of his voice. He thought he was the
greatest singer in the world! As the song got louder and louder, the farmer and his neighbours
began to wake up. They were furious at the donkey braying at night. Each one picked up a stout
stick and ran out to deal with the donkey.

When the donkey saw them coming, he was delighted. He thought he had found a large
audience for his great musical talent! So, he brayed even more loudly! The farmers beat him
soundly and the poor donkey finally realised his mistake. They took a thick log and tied it to his
neck, so he could not run at all. Then they let him out.

The donkey dragged himself homewards, ashamed and limping. On the way, he saw the jackal.
“I should have listened to you, friend,” he said, “No more cucumber for me. I think I’ll stick to
eating grass and leaves only. Goodbye.” He never again boasted about his musical talents.
 The Tortoise On A Stick
Two geese and a tortoise lived near a river. They were good friends. Once, due to drought in
the region, all the rivers, lakes and ponds went dry. There was not a drop of water to drink for
the birds and animals. They began to die of thirst.
The three friends talked among themselves to find a solution to this problem and go out in
search of water. But despite their best efforts they could not find water anywhere around.
Having no alternative, the three friends decided to go to some distant lake, full of water, to settle
down there forever. But there was a problem in shifting to such a distant place. While it was
easy for the geese to fly, it was difficult for the tortoise to cover that distance on foot.
So the tortoise put up a bright idea. He said, “Why not bring a strong stick? I will hold the stick in
the middle with my teeth and you two hold both the ends of the stick in your beaks. In this
manner, I can also travel with you.”
Hearing the suggestion of the tortoise, the geese cautioned him, “It’s a very good idea. We will
do as you say. But you will have to be very careful. The problem with you is that you are very
talkative. And if you open your mouth to say something, while we are flying, it will definitely
prove to be detrimental to you. So, don’t talk while you are dangling by the stick, otherwise you
will lose your hold and go crashing down to the ground and die.”
The tortoise understood the logic and promised not to open his mouth during the entire journey.
So the geese held the stick ends in their beaks and the tortoise held the stick in the middle with
his teeth and thus, they began their long journey.
They flew over hills, valleys, villages, forests and finally came over a town. While they were
flying over the town, men, women and children came out of their houses to see this strange
sight. The children began shouting and clapping. The foolish tortoise forgot that he was hanging
precariously. He became so curious to know the reason behind these clappings that he opened
his mouth to ask his friends—“Friends, what is this all about?” But as soon as he opened his
mouth to utter these words, he loosened his hold on the stick and fell down on the ground and
died instantaneously.
 The Lion Alive For The Second Time
The sons of four Brahmins were sent to a gurukul to get educated. They became good friends,
studied hard and were soon ready to go out into the world to earn their living. Three of them had
become very knowledgeable about the shastras and scriptures. But the fourth one was different.
He had a lot of common sense but not much knowledge.
They decided that they must impress a wealthy patron, a king or a rich merchant, with their
knowledge and scholarship. Only then they would be able to live a comfortable life. So they
went off eastwards looking for a patron.
As they were walking along, one Brahmin said, “You know, friends, three of us have worked
very hard and acquired knowledge. When we earn money, we three should share it. This
fellow,” he said, pointing to the fourth friend, “has only common sense. Of what use is his
common sense? So, he does not deserve a share in our earnings.”
“I agree,” said the second Brahmin. But the third one disagreed, saying, “Come on, fellows! He’s
our friend. I think he should stay with us and we should share whatever we have.” After some
argument, they agreed to take him along. As they were walking through a forest, they came
upon the scattered bones of a dead lion. The three brilliant scholars were waiting for an
opportunity to test their knowledge. The moment they saw the lion, they knew they had got their
chance.
The first Brahmin student said, “Look, I know the chants that can make this scattered skeleton
whole again. See this.” And then, chanting some verses, he was able to put all the bones in
order.
The second scholar said, “That was good! Now, I will put flesh and blood on this skeleton.” And
he proceeded to do just that. It looked as if a lion was lying there sleeping.
The third scholar was very excited. “I will now put life into this dead lion, friends,” he exclaimed.
“Wait!” said the fourth friend. “Wait? Why?” asked the three scholars. “Please stop! Don’t do
this! If the lion comes to life, he will attack us, friends. So don’t bring him back to life please,” he
begged.
“Silly fellow! Just because you are not a learned man, you do not want us to show our
intelligence. Keep quiet,” scolded the three knowledgeable friends. The fourth one knew it was
no use trying to explain, so he quickly scrambled up a tree, while the scholars began to chant
the verses. The lion stirred and came to life. He saw three victims right in front of him and
sprang at them. In a moment, it was all over. Common sense had saved one when all
scholarship couldn’t save the others!