The Pancatantra

I had purchased Chandra Ranjan's translation of Panchatantra, which I had always wanted to read. I was pleasantly surprised by what I got. I thought I would be reading something like The Arabian Nights, which is essentially a loose collection of stories, that exist solely for the purpose of entertainment. Or perhaps something like the Aesop's fables, which are short collections of fables that tries to teach you some morals or give insight into human nature or society. But I was wrong. Panchatantra is neither of these. Yes, it has animal and human stories that serve to illustrate a point; but the stories do not exist in isolation. The stories are woven together to make a bigger point. So, if you read the stories in isolation, hoping to get some moral out of it, then you will be sorely disappointed, since some of the lessons are purely immoral. Also, this approach to reading this book, where you might read a story in isolation and then jump to another story in a haphazard manner, is not helpful. There are five books that make up Panchatantra. Each book is written with a view to impart certain main idea. What ideas are those? Those are ideas of "niti", which translates to policy or political expediency, such as how to make alliances, break alliance, wage war, etc. As such, this book is really about political philosophy disguised in a form of fables. Think Machiavelli meets Aesop. It is also colored by what ancient Indians took a good life to mean. As such it talks a lot about the three approaches to a good life. Chandra Ranjan's translation in modern English vernacular feels like a breeze. Overall, I highly recommend this book, which can be enjoyed by both the young and the old.

Excellently reproduced from the Sanskrit version. Similar kind is now available in Penguin Classics written by Chandra Rajan. It would be great if pdf book available so that it could be read by older people with enlarged font.

It has it the man run around do things have it been! Do it with its part having to do it with! Lots of fun and things of that nature.

No one knows when or how the Panchatantra was composed. However, according to the legend, a Brahmin scholar named Vishnu Sharma designed it to teach the sons of a king something about life, neeti (policy) and real-politik. The result was a mosaic of interlocking stories that emerge from one another, and leave you with a lot of understanding about dealing with life. Incidentally, though some people compare Panchatantra with Arabian Nights, the comparison is not apt. Arabian Nights do not really offer any learning, they are purely for entertainment. Panchatantra has the power to deepen your understanding of the world in immeasurable ways. The book reached Arabia sometimes in the fifth century AD, and then later it reached Europe, where it is believed to have led to development of Aesop's fables. It is difficult to judge how it has affected these societies, but in India it has had tremendous impact, which continues to this day. Its lessons are alive and well even today, and almost every child will know at least one story from Panchatantra. The present translation from the original Sanskrit is good one, though it appears to have been condensed at many places, with many critcal comments left out. If you want a more faithful translation, you may look in Penguin Classics where it has been published as 'Pancatantra', translated by Chandra Rajan, and offers an excellent introduction to boot. However, Sanskrit and English are two very different languages in their orientation (though they belong to the same family). As a result, the translation of many ideas suffers. Also, some of the particularly interesting comments have been left out altogether. So if you know Hindi or Sanskrit, then you should try and buy the Panchatantram in Sanskrit/ Hindi (published by Motilal Banarasi Das of Delhi). Even so, going through this book may open up another world for you, particularly if you were not brought up in India. It will change your perspective on many ordinary things and challenges that you face in everyday life. There are stories which teach you how to recognise deceit, fraud, cheating, make friends, cooperate with people, and generally get on with life. And there are arguments over particular positions that the protagonist takes, so that you get to see both points of view. You would also find this book particularly useful if you are dealing with Indians in business or in diplomacy, just as Western audiences have found the Art of War (Sun Tzu) to be a fascinating insight into the Chinese mind. As the stories are built around animals, many people mistake these for nursery stories or for fables. This is not correct. Panchatantra is as relevant for adults as it is for teenagers. In fact some of the stories involving adults are not appropriate for young children ( All in all, an excellent book for your own enjoyment or as a gift to a young or old friend.

this book is the best teaching book i ever read, who read this book must keep it and read it time on time.

I read this book a long time back and I still treasure that same copy. It is fun to read and full of 'animal' wisdom and wit. I read this book aloud to kids and they too enjoy listening. I would recommend this book as one of the best translations of the Panchatantra. The book accurately captures the very spirit and essense of the original Sanskrit text without the tedious victorian overtones so much evident older oriental translations.Buy this book - Keep it - Read from it from time to time.