Emperor Akbar was in the habit of putting riddles and puzzles to his courtiers. He often asked questions which were strange and witty. It took much wisdom to answer these questions. Once he asked a very strange question. The courtiers were dumb folded by his question. Akbar glanced at his courtiers. As he looked, one by one the heads began to hang low in search of an answer. It was at this moment that Birbal entered the courtyard. Birbal who knew the nature of the emperor quickly grasped the situation and asked, "May I know the question so that I can try for an answer". Akbar said, ... read more

Once upon a time, there was a sage called Deva Sharma who lived in a temple in the outskirts of a town. The Foolish Sage - Panchatantra Story PictureHe was widely known and respected. People would visit him, and offer him with gifts, food, money and garments to seek his blessings. The gifts that he did not need for himself, he would sell off, and got rich on the proceeds. And by nature, he trusted nobody. He never trusted anybody. So, he kept all his money in a bag which he carried under his arm all the time. He would not part with the bag for a single moment. One day, a sw ... read more

The Wolf and the Lamb Once, a little lamb was grazing on a meadow, along with a flock of sheep. Being very mischievous, the little lamb wandered some distance away from the sheep. It began to enjoy the fresh and delicious grass that it found there. It had come a long way from its group, but was unaware of that. The lamb was also unaware of another fact: a wolf was closely following it! When the lamb realized that it had lost its way and was far away from the flock, it decided to return and join them. However, the lamb was stunned to see a hungry and cunning wolf standing behind it. ... read more

Once upon a time, in a village far away, there lived six blind men. One day the villagers were very excited, and when they asked what was happening they told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today!" They had no idea what an elephant was, and so they decided, "Even though we will not be able to see it, we can feel it. Let's go." So, they all went to where the elephant was, and each of them touched it: "Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man, touching its leg. "Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man, who was touching the tail. "Oh, no! it is ... read more

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