Hinduism - What Is The Panchatantra?

 


("Five Treatises") is a collection of five treatises, a collection of moralistic stories with the goal of imparting practical and worldly knowledge.

The tales themselves are framed by the narrative of a king who is troubled by his sons' lack of study and moral character, which makes him fearful of their capacity to govern wisely after his death.

He overcomes the issue by paying a per son to educate the boys via tales, which generally include multiple shorter stories that convey moral lessons along the way.

These fables are meant to provide practical guidance on how to succeed in the real world, especially when it comes to statecraft.

Because the book advocates prudence and self-interest as keys to success, this pragmatic approach may lead one to consider the text's recommendations as opportunistic.

The Panchatantra is available in numerous variants, the most renowned of which being the Hitopadesha.

The book has been translated several times, and a version made its way to Europe, where it inspired La Fontaine's fables.

~Kiran Atma


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