One day, a jackal called Gomaya was very hungry, and was wandering about in search of food. The Jackal And The Drum - Panchatantra Story PictureAfter some time, he wandered out of the jungle he lived in, and reached a deserted battlefield. In this deserted battlefield, a battle was fought recently. The fighting armies had left behind a drum, which was lying near a tree. As strong winds blew, the branches of the tree got rubbed against the drum. This made a strange noise. When the jackal heard this sound, he got very frightened and thought of running away, "If I cannot flee ... 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

THE BRAHMIN AND THE THREE THUGS Long, long ago, there lived a Brahmin in a small village. His name was Mitra Sharma. Once his father told him to sacrifice a goat according to some ancient Hindu rites. He asked him to visit the cattle fair in a nearby village and purchase a healthy goat for that purpose. The Brahmin visited the cattle fair and bought a healthy and fat goat. He slung the goat over his shoulder and headed back for his home. There were three thugs also roaming in the fair, with the sole intention of cheating the shopkeepers and other customers there. When they saw the Brahm ... 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

THE OLD WISE CROW There stood a huge banyan tree on the outskirts of a small town. Thousands of crows lived in this tree. Not far from the banyan tree, there was a mountain cave. Thousands of owls lived in it. The king of the owls accompanied by his soldiers used to hunt crows during the night. Soon thousands of crows were killed and eaten up by the owls. One of the main reasons for the killing of the crows at such a large scale was, that they were unable to see clearly during the night. And the owls, being nocturnal, could easily locate the crows sitting in the tree during night hours. ... read more