THE LITTLE MICE AND THE BIG ELEPHANTS Once upon a time a village was devastated by a strong earthquake. Damaged houses and roads could be seen everywhere. The village was, as a matter of fact, in a total ruin. The villagers had abandoned their houses and had settled in a nearby village. Finding the place totally devoid of residents, the mice began to live in the ruined houses. Soon their number grew into thousands and millions. There was also a big lake situated near the ruined village. A herd of elephants used to visit the lake for drinking water. The herd had no other way but to pass t ... 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

THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE Long, long ago, there lived a huge crocodile in the river Ganges. The river flowed through a dense jungle. On both sides of the river there stood tall jamun and other fruit trees. In one such tree there lived a big monkey by the name of Raktamukha. He ate fruits from the tree and passed his days happily jumping from one tree to another. Sometimes, he climbed down the tree; took a bath in the river and rested for a while on its bank. One day, the crocodile came out of the river and sat under the big jamun tree in which the monkey lived. The monkey who was sitt ... 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

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