A long time ago, the great scholar Vishnu Sharma wrote the Panchatantra stories for children. It was written to teach four princes the ways of life. You can share some of these same stories with your kids to teach them modern moral lessons. Read on for the Panchatantra stories in English.
Panchatantra Stories in English
Your children stand to gain a lot in life through these simple Panchatantra stories in English:
1. The Foolish Sage
Everyone respected the eminent sage, Dev Sharma, in their village temple. His devotees gave him all kinds of gifts, which he sold for money. He trusted no one and always kept his money in a pouch near him. A thief was after this pouch but couldn’t do anything as the sage never left the pouch alone. He decided to disguise himself as a student. The sage agreed to teach him, and the thief started to live in the temple. The thief did all the chores and became closer to the sage. One day he and his disciple were invited to perform a ritual in a nearby village. On the way there, he saw a river. He wished to bathe in the river. He wrapped the pouch in a blanket and laid it on the banks of the river. He asked his disciple to guard it while he bathed. This was the opportunity the thief was waiting for. As the sage stepped into the river, he took the pouch and ran away.
Moral: Don’t trust any strangers easily.
2. The Foolish Pandit
The pandit Someshwar was a devotee of Goddess Durga. His guru asked him to go and pray to Maa Durga. He went to the jungle, where he spent years meditating and praying. No matter the weather, he did not waver. One day Goddess Durga appeared in front of him. She was pleased by his devotion and granted him a wish. He told her if she wanted to give him something, she could give him Sanjeevni booti. She gave it to him and told him a few drops from this could bring the dead back to life. He thought this was a great way to help the village and gain followers. Maybe he would even become the sarpanch. He got anxious about whether it was real booti, so he decided to test it on a dead lion. The lion came back to life with more strength and energy. When the lion roared, he realised his mistake. He could not outrun the lion and was soon eaten by the lion.
Moral: Think about the consequences of your actions.
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3. The Rats Who Ate the Iron Balance
A boy named Dilip wanted to go to a foreign land to earn money. He gave his heavy iron scale as mortgage to a shopkeeper named Mahajan to fund his travels. After he returned, he went back to get his scale. Mahajan claimed that rats ate his scale. Dilip knew Mahajan did not want to give the scale back. However, all he said was, ‘The mice ate it, so it is not your fault.’ Later, he asked Mahajan to send his son to bathe with him at the river. Dilip locked his son in a cave and told Mahajan that an eagle carried his son away. Mahajan was furious and said an eagle could not pick up such a large person. Dilip replied, just as rats can eat heavy iron scales. Mahajan knew he was at fault and returned the iron scale. Dilip then freed Mahajan’s son and returned him.
Moral: You cannot get away with doing bad things.
4. Four Brahmins
Three brahmins in a village were trained in unique magical arts. Since the fourth one was not, they would make fun of him. One day, they went into the city to earn money. They rudely didn’t let the fourth one join them. But they agree to let him come if he does their chores. On their way, they come across a skeleton. Curiosity getting the better of them, the first one reassembled the bones. The second one uses his powers to give the skeleton muscles and skin. The third one also wanted to show off, so he brought it back to life. The fourth one had warned them not to do this. However, they did not heed his warning. He decided to climb a tree alone. The lion killed and ate them as soon as it came back to life. When the lion goes away, the fourth brahmin comes down and goes back to the village.
Moral: Treat everyone with equal respect.
5. Turtle And Swan
A pair of swans were friends with a turtle who used to love the sound of his voice. During a hot summer, the turtle’s lake started drying up. The swans decided to save the turtle by moving him to a lake that was 50 km away. The turtle would take too long to walk there, so they both held up the ends of a stick and told the turtle to hold it with his mouth tightly. They warned him not to speak. While they were flying over a town, many people watched this unique view in awe. He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “look at all the people.” He then fell to his death.
Moral: Speak only after you assess the situation.
6. The Jackal and The Dhol
After a long war, a king called some performers to his kingdom to celebrate. During the celebrations, one Dhol fell and rolled into the forest. It got stuck in a free in the position where the branches would hit the Dhol and make sounds. A jackal passed the Dhol and observed it from a distance. He decided it was not a harmful animal. He concluded it must be very tasty because of the loud, deep sound coming from it. He went back to his friend and told him that there was a tasty animal stuck between the dried leather of the Dhol. At night they went to catch the animal inside the Dhol. They started by tearing the leather on both sides but found nothing.
Moral: Do not act without the full information.
7. Two Cats and the Monkey
One day, a person filled one bowl of milk for both their cats and went to work. The cats started fighting over who would drink the milk. A monkey sitting close by said that he could help them out if they opened the window. They let the monkey in. He asks them to get another bowl. They get another bowl, in which he pours 3/4th of the milk from the first bowl. He claimed he divided it equally, but they said one bowl had more. He then drank from that bowl until the other one had more. Since they had the same complaint, he drank from the other bowl. He kept doing this till the milk was over, and they were left with nothing.
Moral: Fighting amongst yourselves allows others to take advantage of you.
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8. The Bird and The Monkey
On a cold winter day, three monkeys were feeling cold. They decided to make a fire to warm themselves up. They found some dry leaves and piled them together. They were trying to find out how to light it up when they saw fireflies and thought they were fire sparks. They tried to catch the fireflies and put them under the leaves. A sparrow nearby told them that they were catching fireflies and not sparks. They told the sparrow to be quiet. The sparrow yet again told them to use two stones to create a spark. They were already annoyed about their fire and got angry at the bird. They hit the tree, causing the sparrow to fall and die.
Moral: Do not meddle with stupid people.
9. The Three Fishes
Two fishermen found a reservoir rich in fish one day. They decided to fish there the next day. Ani, Moti, and Yardi, three fish from the reservoir, heard their plans. Ani wanted to leave the reservoir and go towards the river to avoid getting caught. Moti said a lot could happen before tomorrow, and their plans might change. Yardi said if they are to come, they will come, and if they are to be trapped, they will be trapped. Ani decided to leave by himself. The next day Moti, Yardi, and all the other fish were caught in the fishing net.
Moral: Luck is for those who work towards it.
10. The Bedbug and The Louse
There was once a louse that lived in the bedroom of a king. She would secretly suck his blood when he went to sleep. One day a bedbug came to his bedroom. The louse asked him to leave, but he asked her how she could treat a guest like this. She told him he could stay for a night without biting the king. The bedbug insisted that he needed to eat and that he would gently bite the king. When the king went to sleep that night, the bedbug was not at all careful. The king felt the sting of the bite and immediately called his servants to kill the bugs. The bedbug hid under the bed and saved himself. The louse, who was on the bedsheet, was killed instantly.
Moral: Do not easily fall for smooth words.
11. The Crane and The Crab
In a forest, a crane lived in the shell of a large tree. At the root of the tree, there lived a snake who would always eat the crane’s children. While the crane was lamenting, a crab noticed her and said he would help her get rid of the snake. He devised a plan to get rid of the snake and his competitor, the crane. He told the crane to leave a trail of meat from the snake’s home to a mongoose’s home. The crane put this plan in action. The mongoose saw the snake and ate it. However, he also ate the crane.
Moral: Think things through before doing them.
12. The Lion and the Jackal
There was a powerful lion in the Himalayas. One day, he came across a very frail jackal that wished to be his servant. The jackal said he would serve the lion and eat the remains of his prey. The jackal soon became healthy and believed himself to be as strong as the lion. He told the lion that he would kill an elephant and bring the leftover meat to the lion. The lion tried to dissuade the jackal. However, it fell on deaf ears. He stood on top of the mountain and tried to jump over the elephants. But instead of reaching the elephant’s head, it fell at their feet. The elephant did not notice and stepped over the jackal’s head. The jackal’s head was fractured, and he died.
Moral: Arrogance motivates stupid actions.
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13. The Elephant and The Sparrow
A sparrow and her husband lived on a tree with their eggs. One day when they were looking for food, a rampaging elephant shook their tree, causing their nest to fall and split their eggs. They decided to get revenge on the elephant. They took the help of a woodpecker and frog. The woodpecker pecked out the elephant’s eyes, and the frog and his friends went to a swamp and began croaking there. The elephant, believing a pond was nearby, ran in that direction. He got stuck in a swamp instead and eventually died.
Moral: You can achieve anything if you work together.
14. The Donkey and The Horse
A washerman owned a donkey and a horse. However, the horse was very arrogant as the washerman used the donkey for all the heavy work. One day, the donkey asked for help because the clothes were too heavy. The horse refused to help the donkey several times. The donkey quietly bore the pain and tried his best to carry the weight. However, it was too hot, and the clothes were too heavy, and the donkey died soon after. The washerman took all the clothes and put them on the horse. Now the horse had to carry all the weight alone. If he had agreed to help the donkey, he would only have to carry some of the weight, and the donkey would still be alive.
Moral: Do not belittle others. Help them when you can.
15. The Washerman’s Donkey
There was a washerman who owned a donkey. The donkey became feeble due to the lack of food. The washerman decided to skin a dead lion and put the skin on his donkey. He then let his donkey go into the fields. The owners of the fields would not approach the donkey, thinking it was a lion. Every night he let the donkey go out in the fields to eat. However, one day the donkey heard another donkey braying and started making the sound itself. The owners of the fields quickly realised he was not a lion and beat him to death.
Moral: Deceit will not get you anywhere.
Summing Up on Panchatantra Stories in English
As you can see, Panchatantra stories in English are one of the easiest ways you can teach your child moral lessons. There are plenty of Panchatantra stories for kids, but we have outlined the 15 best ones for you to share with your children. The Panchatantra stories in English are important for the values they teach us. They help us to live ethical and more meaningful lives. The wisdom it offers helps us to reflect upon ourselves and our own actions and do better.
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FAQs
Who Is the Author of Panchatantra?
It is believed that the Indian author and scholar Vishnu Sharma wrote the Panchatantra stories. This means that he is one of the most widely translated non-religious authors thus far.
How Many Stories Are There in the Panchatantra Book?
The Panchatantra stories for kids were initially written in the Sanskrit language. The 84 stories are spread over 5 books. These books contain many interpolated fables. In the past, these stories provided a way of storytelling to keep the interest going.
- Book 1: Loss of Friends (Mitrabhed) - 34 stories
- Book 2: The Winning of Friends (Mitra Sampraptau) - 10 stories.
- Book 3: Crows and Owls (Kakolikeye) - 18 stories.
- Book 4: Loss of Gains (Labdha Parashe) - 12 stories
- Book 5: Rash Action (Aparikshit Karke) - 10 stories
Altogether there are 84 tales of Panchatantra stories for kids.
Which Is the Best Panchtantra Story?
Every story has its own moral and life story. Therefore, there isn’t one particular best story. We have outlined 15 of the best Panchatantra stories in English. We have deemed these to have the strongest lessons. However, you can opt to look for the rest of the stories.
Which Type of Stories Are the Panchatantra Stories?
The Panchatantra stories for kids were animal fables narrated to kids, intending to educate them within 6 months. These stories as a collection were referred to as Panchatantra. The word Panchatantra comes from the word Pancha (meaning five) and Tantra (meaning strategy). Hence, the collection of Panchatantra stories was meant to teach the five strategies of Politics, Public Administration, and Nitisastra (wisely code of conduct).
