In a city called Vardhamana, lived a very efficient and prosperous merchant. The Fall And Rise of A Merchant - Panchatantra Story PictureThe king was aware of his abilities, and therefore made him the administrator of the kingdom. With his efficient and intelligent ways, he kept common man very happy, and at the same time he impressed the king on the other side. Such a person, who can keep everybody happy, is rarely found. Later, there came a time that the merchant's daughter was getting married. He arranged for a lavish reception. The merchant not only invited the king and ... read more

THE SAGE AND THE MOUSE There lived a famous sage in a dense forest. Everyday, the animals of the forest came to him to listen to his spiritual preachings. They would gather around the meditating sage and the sage would tell them the good things of life. There was also a little mouse living in the same forest. He too used to go to the sage daily to listen to his preachings. One day, while he was roaming in the forest to collect berries for the sage, he was attacked by a big cat, who was watching him from behind the thick bushes. The mouse was scared. He ran straight to the ashram of the s ... read more

BEWARE OF MEAN FRIENDS There in a deep jungle, lived a lion by the name of Madotkata. He had three selfish friends-a jackal, a crow and a wolf. They had become friendly with the lion, because he was the king of the forest. They were always at the service of the lion and obeyed him to meet their selfish ends. Once, a camel got disorientated in the jungle while grazing and went astray. He tried hard to find his way out, but could not succeed. In the meantime, these three friends of the lion saw the camel, wandering in a confused manner. "He doesn't seem to come from our forest", said the j ... read more

There was once a merchant who employed many carpenters and masons to build a temple in his garden. Regularly, they would start work in the morning; The Monkey And The Wedge - Panchatantra Story Pictureand take a break for the mid-day meals, and return to resume work till evening. One day, a group of monkey arrived at the site of the building and watched the workers leaving for their mid-day meals. One of the carpenters was sawing a huge log of wood. Since, it was only half-done; he placed a wedge in between to prevent the log from closing up. He then went off along with the other wor ... read more

THE BIRD WITH TWO HEADS Long, long ago, there lived a strange bird in a huge banyan tree. The tree stood beside a river. The strange bird had two heads, but only one stomach. Once, while the bird was flying high in the sky, he saw an apple shaped fruit lying on the bank of the river. The bird swooped down, picked up the fruit and began to eat it. This was the most delicious fruit the bird had ever eaten. As the bird had two heads, the other head protested, "I'm your brother head. Why don't you let me also eat this tasty fruit?" The first head of the bird replied, "Shut up.You know th ... read more