151 Panchatantra Tales

Once, a poor man exchanged his only hen with a farmer for a sack of rice. When the farmer’s wife got to know that her husband gave away a whole sack of rice for a hen, she became very upset. But, the next morning, the farmer’s wife was astonished to find that the hen had […]

Once in a forest, it rained very heavily for several days. Two monkeys had climbed up to the treetops to save themselves. When the rain stopped, they looked down at the fish swimming in the water below. One monkey said, ‘The fish are going to be drowned.’ Soon the other monkey had lifted the fish

There was a hare in a forest. He made friends with a wild dog. The dog would meet the hare every day and they would play until dusk. One day, while they were playing, the wild dog bit the hare very hard on his leg. The hare screamed out in pain. He thought he would

A hawk family lived on a tall tree. Father Hawk and Mother Hawk would search for food and bring to the nest. Then they would share it with the baby hawk. While Mother Hawk would search for food in forests and farms, Father Hawk had a habit of stealing food that was offered to gods

A prince went hunting in the forest with his men. While riding in the forest, they spotted a stag. The prince said to his huntsmen, “I want that stag’s head to adorn the walls of my palace!” The huntsmen and the prince chased the stag on their horses. The stag was too fast for them.

It was a beautiful afternoon in autumn. The trees were turning orange and the forest floor was covered with leaves. A fox was out on a stroll. He was humming a tune to himself. Suddenly, his foot slipped and he landed in a well. “Oh no! I was unable to see the well because of

Once there was a rich man. He had a horse. He loved his horse a lot and appointed a stableman to take care of him. The stableman washed and scrubbed the horse clean every day. Then he groomed him so that he might look shiny and handsome. The rich man stocked the stable with lots

Once there was a wolf. He had not eaten for days and had grown thin. His search for food led him out of the forest and into the outskirts of a city. There, he saw a big house. ‘I might get some food here,’ he thought. He saw a dog sitting in the lawn. The

A miller and his son lived in a village. The miller had a donkey. All three lived happily. Once, there was a country fair in the neighbouring village. The miller and his son decided to visit the fair. They took their donkey along. On the way, two women passed by them. The miller heard one

Once there was a raven. While flying around the forest one day, he saw a lake. There were swans in it. He was fascinated by the graceful swans. The raven looked at himself and said, “I am black as coal and the swans are white as snow. Maybe I can become like them if I

There was a wild boar. He was old and wise. One day, while looking for food, he stopped near a tree and began sharpening his tusks against its trunk. A monkey was sitting on a branch of the same tree. The monkey thought, ‘What a silly creature! Look at him preparing for battle when there

Sheroo was a faithful dog. He had a powerful voice. His barks were enough to send shivers down the spine of those with bad intentions. Sheroo loved his master and his family, who had cared for him since he was a pup. When everyone would go to sleep at night, Sheroo would be awake, guarding

A frog who lived in a swamp had a dream that he had received miraculous powers to heal everyone. He was very happy. He told his wife, “My dear, I have got magical powers. I can heal anybody.” His wife said, “That’s a great piece of news! Soon, the animals in the forest will visit

Once, there was a lion. While wandering outside his den in search of prey, he saw a bull grazing near by. The bull was huge and he had strong muscles. The lion wanted to eat the bull. So he came up with a plan to kill him. He said to the bull, “I am cooking

A woodcutter went to the forest every day to cut wood. Occasionally, he was accompanied by his daughter. Once, a lion saw the woodcutter’s daughter from a distance. He fell in love with her. Next day, he went to the woodcutter’s house and asked for her hand in marriage. The woodcutter was shocked and scared