All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it.

another episode from Panchatantram of Vishnusharma

In a town there lived a carpenter by name Ujjwalaka. He was very indigent.. He was feeling sad that everyone in the city did some productive work and earned money and respect. But his labour with timber earned him neither. So he left his town and went away to another city.

En route, he saw a female camel in labour pain. With his help she delivered a calf and the carpenter came back to his house leading the lady camel and her newborn camel boy. He fed the camels with great care. The camel-calf in time ate a lot of fodder and grew into a fully grown strong camel. The carpenter was in turn doing well financially selling the milk of the female camel. The carpenter thought that the camel boy was the harbinger of good luck for him and so he was very proud of him. He tied a bell around the neck of this camel boy, and the calf was ecstatic when he heard the ringing sound whenever he moved his neck.

In course of time the carpenter purchased some more camels and they begat many a foal, and now the carpenter was a successful dealer in camels, and their products. He groomed and sold many camels in the process and was immensely prosperous. But he never could think of selling off his first find, the camel with a bell tied around his neck.

One day all the camels of the household went to a nearby forest for grazing and having water. They had tummy-full of grass and tender plants and bellyfuls of clean cool water. In the evening they returned home very jubilant. Our camel with the bell was, as usual, in the lead. Being the pet of the group he was arrogant, and he was shaking his neck and the bell attached to it with flourish giving out loud noise, attracting all around including predators. Other camels were very disturbed.

" This foolish fellow is showing off with his bell. And he is coming far behind separated from the group.. We pray that he may not fall into the mouth of some wild predator."

While the procession was on, one lion happened to hear the chime of bells and came out to see what the mess was . Seeing the lion all the camels who were walking ahead of the young camel with the bell bolted and escaped to the town. The camel with the bell was far behind and he could not divine the approach of the lion till it was too late to escape.

Finally,…….

All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it. And maybe a few pieces of bones left-over.

The laws of the jungle are different from those of the village or are they?

The laws of the jungle are different from those of the village

Are they?

A Story from Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharma

In a forest there lived a lion called Madotkata. His constant companions and stooges were one tiger, one crow and as always, a fox

Once when the daada lion was having his rounds with his chamchas, the saw a Camel names Kadhanaka who had strayed into the forest having run away from the caravan of a trader and was loitering around aimlessly in the forest.

It was perhaps for the first time that the lion was seeing a camel.. He was taken aback by the size and carriage of the animal.

"Oh God, this is not an ordinary beast. Do you know whether he is of the forest or of the village?" .

"My lord, he is a domesticated fellow. He has packed his body fat with flesh eating all sorts of grass and vegetables. His flesh is so delicious. He is eminently suitable for you dinner" chimed in the crow.

In his apparent grace and magnanimity, the lion said.

" This animal has come to my house with full trust. That too without any fear of danger. It is improper to kill him. Mind you, if one kills somebody who has come as a guest to his house, then the host incurs the ultimate sin of killing a Brahmin. Hence I am going to grant him refuge. Please escort him to my presence with all honour."

Accordingly the three chamchas approached the camel, delivered to him the message of their master and brought him to the lion's presence.

" You Kadhanaka ! you need not go back to the village and toil there carrying the heavy loads of merchandise for your master. You can wander in this forest without fear, eating all the grass and other shrubs which grow here aplenty. We can have your nice company also."

Ordered the lion.

The camel believed it and without any fear he continued to live on in the forest under the tutelage of the lion.

Meanwhile it so happened that the lion had to engage himself in a huge battle with a ferocious wild elephant. The elephant was more than a match to the elderly lion and the latter sustained heavy injuries in the encounter and was rendered practically immobile. Suffice to say that only a streak of fortune had just spared his life.

With the leader not fighting fit and weather also not very friends, it was hunger time not only for the lion but also for the three lieutenants. The lion ordered his followers to go and search for some food which was easily available.

The three fellows , however, could not take off their eyes from huge bundle of food in the shape of the poor camel, always present in their company.

The camel and the three others were wandering in the forest in the futile search of food for the master.

The fox told the crow beyond the earshot of the camel.

" You crow, this fat camel is strutting around.. why don't we arrange him as the food for our master and ..er..ourselves?"

The crow remonstrated.

" Our master is very old fashioned. He has promised protection for the camel. He will not hear of any idea of killing the camel"

"Do not worry, you silly crow. I will contrive things in such a way that the master will have no reservations against killing the camel without any prick of conscience. You just remain here and watch."

The fox approached the lion. "Master, we have wandered all around the forest for days together and could not find any animal of prey. We are about to lose our lives for hunger. Your case is also not far different.. Sir,. why don’t we finish off the camel and have some relief from hunger?"

The response was as expected,

" You wretch, you sinner, damn you, if you utter such word any more I will kill you first. I have given him refuge. How can I kill him? The gift of refuge is more noble than gift of land, gift of cows, gift of food and even gift of a daughter."

The fox was persistent. " My lord, you can call it a sin if you kill a person to whom you have offered refuge. But if the person offers himself as food out of devotion to you, can you refuse it?. The camel offers his flesh for you, If you do not want to kill him, you can kill one of the three of us. If you do not eat one of us, you will die of hunger and bereft of our dear master, we will be left with no choice but to commit suicide by entering fire. The great lore says that the important leader of the clan should be protected at any cost. If he is gone, the clan will be a chariot whose axle is shattered. "

The lion said. " If you feel so, you people decide what to do."

The fox returned to the other three and announced to them. " Our master is dangerously ill because of starvation. There will be no one left to protect us if he is gone. So to protect his life, it is our bounden duty to offer our own bodies as his food."

After this all the four of them went near the master and sat around him, in tears. The lion asked, "Could you find some food?"

The crow came forward. " My lord and master, we have searched every inch of this forest but we could not catch hold of any animal suitable for your food. So I am offering my own body as your food. Please eat me and be relived of your hunger."

The fox said. " You tiny crow. Your body is very small. It is not going to make any difference for the lord. Anyway it befits you eminently that you have exhibited your faithfulness to the master.

Now the fox offered his body as the food of the lion.

But the tiger chimed in. " Your words are appropriate. But you are also tiny. And the scriptures say one should not eat animals which have their nails as weapons. So a fox should not be eaten by a lion even if it is a question of life and death. So, I shall offer my body as the food for the master...

But the lion was not interested in killing the tiger either.

So the fat but fatheaded camel thought. " The lion is so noble. He did not accept the idea of killing his faithful servants. And now they have added themselves to his good books by uttering sweet words. I will also say some nice words, and endear the master to me. Sure, he will not kill me" .

And the follish the camel said, " it is rightly said by the tiger.. the animals using nails as its weapons should not be killed. But the tiger also uses his sharp nails in his paw to catch his prey. So he is also does not deserve death. Master, I am here, I have no such disqualifications. May you be pleased to eat this my body and be happy."

The other three were just waiting for these words, They jumped on the body of the camel and within seconds, a sumptuous dinner was ready for the lion and his three stooges.

The laws of the jungle are different from those of the village. If this is not properly understood, one will meet the fate of this camel.

You should understand your limitations

You should understand your limitations before others find them and use them to your detriment

Another revelation from Vishnu Sharma's Panchatantram. 

As usual in a forest, there lived a lion and his missus. The lady lion had just delivered two cubs and was recovering to her normal wont gradually. The doting husband rummaged the forest to catch the choicest prey for the nursing mother of his children. 

One day, in spite of his best efforts , he could not find any animal suitable to satisfy his stomach or the hunger of his nursing wife. 

Ultimately while returning home he saw a newborn baby fox, which had unfortunately lost his mother. Even the hungry lion did not have the heart to eat such a small child. But he knew that his nursing wife was starving and so took the tiny fox softly between his jaws and presented it to his lady love. " Darling, I could not find anything for food today except this miserable creature. I could not bring myself to the thought of eating this tiny fellow . However I have brought it for you.. 

The lioness said, " You say you could not eat this child. Look, my love, I am the mother of two sons. How can I eat such a little fellow. I am overcome with pity and even a little love for this tiny thing. Let him grow with my own two boys.. I will nurse him too treating him as my eldest son." 

Thus the fox grew up along with the young lion cubs. The two younger ones were always told that the fox was their elder brother and in the innocence of their adolescence, they had no reason to disbelieve their mother. 

Even otherwise, all living beings have implicit faith in their mothers-- perhaps human beings are an exception. 

One day a rowdy elephant in rut crossed the path of the three brothers while they were just wandering in the forest. For the lions the elephant was a natural adversary and their instinct was always to match strength with him. But by the same instinct, the fox was always afraid of the elephant. When the lion cubs were readying themselves to jump at the forehead of the elephant, the fox warned them, " My beloved brothers, the elephant is a very dangerous animal. Please do not try to fight with him." 

Seeing the reluctance and timidity of the elder brother the youngsters lost interest in the fight and withdrew. 

But the elder brother's view carried a discordant note for them. When they came back to their mother, they were laughing at the timidity of the elder brother fox. 

" Mom, see how timid our elder brother is? We wanted a nice fight with the elephant but our brother developed cold feet. It was disappointing." 

When the fox heard this, he was angry and the anger was visible in his arched eyebrows and the series of bad words he started uttering against the lion cubs. 

The mother lioness called the fox aside and told him, "Darling. You should not rave in rage like this. Are these two your younger brothers?" 

The fox retorted." In what way am I inferior to them? Have I not the beauty? Have I not the knowledge? Have I not the courage? Have I not the beautiful tail?" 

The lioness laughed within herself. She knew that if the poor fox took cudgels against the young lions, the encounter would be fatal for the fox. In her motherly love she wanted to prevent such a tragedy. 

She told the young fox candidly. " Son, you are attractive. You have knowledge. But you are the son of a fox. I had just adopted you. People of your clan can never muster enough courage to kill an elephant. My own children are too young. So they have not yet understood that you are only a fox. Once they realize that even God cannot stand guarantee for your life. So take the advice of this mother and run away from here and join animals of your own clan. I am telling you because I have lots and lots of love for you because you have also grown up consuming my own milk. “ 

The realization dawned quickly on the fox. He simply sneaked away from the scene and joined his own clan.

It is not our own intelligence but the foolishness of others that save us quite often.

It is not our own intelligence but the foolishness of others that save us quite often.

A story from Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharma

In a forest there lived a lion who was more than middle-aged and would prefer to sit at ease somewhere and catch hold of any prey who came nearby by applying whatever physical prowess and ingenuity that was left in him. Of course he had, as usual with people of this age, an inflated estimate of his own talents and wisdom.. What else is left there for old guys than to ruminate and brag about their glorious 

( and often imaginary) past? 

One day, our hero could not find any food in his usual way. When the midday also slipped away as a memory, the acute pangs of hunger started gnawing at his stomach and the digestive juices started eating the fine linings of his innards, he could wait no more, and with reluctance, started walking along in search of food. He really covered a distance which would have fetched him a medal in any solo marathon race, but still no living beings except trees, shrub and grass were in sight. Finally as the sun was withdrawing to his celestial abode after a strenuous day’s duty, the lion saw an isolated cave at the foot of a hill.

The wise lion thought. " The cave may not be occupied now, but surely some animal who owns the cave will return here for its nocturnal repose. I will now enter and take rest in the cave, and the owner can come at his leisure and can have his final rest inside my stomach.. Heavenly it would be, great food and good rest."

Accordingly he occupied the cave and waited for his prey to show up. Indeed the prey came that way. It was a wily jackal named Dadipuchcha.. The jackal was always circumspect and safety of self invariably was his first priority.

How could a jackal like him stay alive if he is not circumspect? He never opened his mouth except to tell a lie(or of course to eat something) . So every time he talked, he has to rewind all his memory of a lifetime, unwind all the yarn he had woven, if he had to survive. This happens to all who thrive on deceit.

Now he saw some unusual disturbances in the flora and fauna of the area surrounding his abode. He could also find some faint pug-marks of a lion. He was sharp enough to see through the plans of the old idiotic lion.

He talked to himself in a loud voice. 

" What is happening today? Why is my beloved cave not happy about my return for the night? Every evening when I come back, she would welcome me in her endearing voice.. Is she sick or angry? Anyway I shall ask her." 

Then he addressed the cave, " My darling cave, why are you so silent? If you do not like my presence, I would immediately leave your lovely company and take rest for the night somewhere else. I always put your happiness ahead of my own.. So, I am just leaving." 

Leave he did not. But the genius of a lion was listening to the jackal’s soliloquy and was really taken in by the latter’s endearing address to the cave. 

He thought.." This treacherous cave is not answering since she knows that her lover is in danger. Let it be so. She cannot beat me, nor this jackal." 

The lion did not lose even a split second. He tried in vain to bring softness to his gruff voice and said.."Do not ever leave my company, my love, I was just engaged in some domestic chores. I did not notice your arrival. You please come in.. I am waiting here eager to embrace you.”

The jackal could now know fully well who was inside the cave and what would have awaited him had he entered the cave without taking precautions . He simply walked off a few feet, then hastened his gait and bolted , deciding not to return that way at least for a few days to come..

The old lion waited, waited and waited

It is not our own intelligence but the foolishness of others that save us quite often

What a nice study in effective management of knowledge !

What a nice study in effective management of knowledge !

(A case study adapted from Panchatantram.)

Those were not the days of strict family planning. So a learned but poor Brahmin had four sons. The siblings were usually much devoted to one another. The first three of them were enterprising and managed to master all the lore, crafts and science of the day and has reasonably established themselves as scholars. The youngest of the lot, called Subuddhi, though quite adequate in practical wisdom, did not engage himself much in study of books.

The three brothers, after a review meeting, came to the conclusion that the place they were living in was not good enough to showcase their talents and erudition, and to earn money out of it. They were of the considered opinion that they should migrate eastwards. The two elder brothers had another point to make. " Our youngest sibling Subuddhi, though intelligent has not acquired any academic degrees. So if he clings on to us, it would be a serious liability. We would have to share our earnings with that fellow for nothing. So it would be better that we leave without his company".

The third brother was more kind. " All these years, we have lived together, played together and shared our joys and woes together. It would be heartless to ditch him." Though this opinion was that of the minority, it was accepted with much reluctance and the four brothers set out eastwards together. 

They had to negotiate a thick forest in the way. They saw the skeleton of a beast in their jungle path. The three brothers who were learned and prided themselves as experts in their subjects of study and training, huddled together and had a formal meeting , well-documented. "We pride ourselves as learned, We are in front of a skeleton in the open. The normal place for skeletons are in the cupboards or in laboratories. Anyway the lifestyle authors have opined that when you get a lemon, you should make a lemonade out of it. Now we have a skeleton. Why don't we make an animal out of it?" 

The discussion was recorded, minutes circulated and approved. So the first expert, after due survey decided that the bones belonged to a lion.. and meticulously he arranged the various parts as if solving a jigsaw puzzle, put rods and wires in the proper places and the frame of the lion was ready as a masterpiece of art and craft. 

The second one improvised upon it by providing flesh, marrow, blood and other vital requirements for the beast to be kept alive. 

The final flourish lay in the hands of the third one....giving the life to the lion. 

The youngest brother was watching the entire proceedings with interest. He though it proper to intervene at this stage and warn his elder brothers that if the lion gained it life all the four of them would become the first dinner for the Royal beast. The brothers were enraged.

" You fool and imbecile. We made a grave mistake in dragging you along with us on our journey to fame and riches. You are an idiot and a roadblock. You are jealous of our knowledge.. Keep quiet or you will be driven away." 

The youngster realized the futility of an argument by a layman with erudite academicians. But his sense of self-preservation worked right. He ran away and perched himself atop a tall tree and watched the proceedings. 

Indeed, through his exacted knowledge in theory and practice, the third brother infused life into the beast. Slowly and with definite sense of purpose the lion woke up, opened its eyes and surveyed the environments with keen interest. 

His three creators were in the seventh heaven of ecstasy on their achievement. 

However, the lion did not wait for long. He saw three sacks of flesh in human form ready for consumption. And he was lying dead and hungry for a long period. Now a nice dinner had manifested itself in the shape of three fat tufted Brahmin youths. He had no reasons to think twice. The dinner went off well. Nothing but a few bones and hair was spared.

The Subuddhi, perched atop the tree had a nice practical lesson in life, and with a heavy heart, retraced his steps to his father's house. 

What a nice study in effective management of knowledge !

Discretion is the best part of valour

Discretion is the best part of valour

A story from Pananchatantram of Vishnusharma.

A fox named Mahaachathuraka lived in a forest. For him food was scarce and he was roaming aimlessly in search of something to fill his tummy. As if by great fortune, he came across the carcass of a dead elephant.. He ran around it jubilantly but knew he could not eat any meat unless the thick hide covering the body of the elephant was cut open by another beast. As he was pondering ways and means to satiate his hunger, a lion also arrived there as if from nowhere. Immediately on seeing the lion, the fox became all humility.

With feigned solicitousness, the fox said, 

" My Lord, Victory to you. I saw this dead elephant a few hours ago, and just from that moment I was standing guard for your Majesty to arrive and have his Royal Dinner.. Please permit me to have the honour of offering this hospitality to your Majesty". With these words the fox prostrated himself before the lion. 

Seeing the silly fox and his sillier gimmicks the lion said. " You fool, do not you know that I never eat the flesh of any animal which I have not killed myself? A highborn like me will not eat the leftovers of others, even at the cost of their lives. So I leave this food for you. You can yourself eat it to your heart's content."..

This was what the fox had anticipated. He thought. " It is befitting of a blue-blooded aristocrat. Noble men do not let go of their purity at any time. The conch will remain shiningly white even if it is put in fire" 

A tiger came that way immediately after the lion left. 

The fox thought. " I could manage to send off the lion by playing upon his vanity and sense of superiority. The tiger is a cruel and crude and mean fellow. Flattery will have no impact on him. I can only use mild deceit on him to keep him away from my food. A fellow who cannot be befriended with nice words or by gift can definitely be won over by deceit. 

Having thought like this, the fox addressed the tiger in an well-rehearsed tone of a well-wisher. 

" Uncle, why have you come here to jump straight into the mouth of sure death? A lion has killed this elephant just a few minutes ago. He has appointed me as a sentry to guard his food and has gone to the river to have his Royal bath. His instructions are that if a tiger or some such mean creature comes near his food, he should be informed immediately. He has assured that he will take care of the intruder appropriately . He had a bitter experience of a dirty tiger once desecrating his food by eating a part of it while he was away and thus desecrating his lunch. So he is clear in his mind that the next time any tiger comes anywhere near his food, it is sure death for the ugly intruder". 

The tiger was frightened for his life. 

" Please my nephew, do not even whisper a word to the lion. I want to live. I am off." 

Saying this the tiger bolted.

The next visitor was a hyena. 

The fox thought. " This fellow has very sharp teeth. He can pry open the hide of the elephant. Once the hide is ripped open, the way for me is clear. It is prudent to allow him also to eat some flesh because my purpose will be served." 

Thinking thus, he told the hyena, " Oh my dear nephew, it is a long time since I saw you. You look very thin and hungry. You are my dear guest. Here, you see the body of an elephant killed by a lion. The lion is off for his bath before having his supper. So you please can have the relish of some elephant flesh and go away before the lion comes." 

The hyena was reluctant. " Uncle, I really do not need the flesh of a dead elephant. I can get hold of many living creatures and dead carcasses to eat. I am of the view that one should eat only what is easy to get, easy to eat , easy to digest and nutritious to the body.. So I am off." 

The fox replied. " you coward, do not try to conceal your fear of the lion by speaking generalities and platitudes . Eat slowly. I shall warn you well in time if the lion is on his way back." 

Thus reassured, the hyena sat for his dinner.. And immediately on seeing that the hyena had broken open the hide of the dead elephant, came the warning hiss of the fox, " Sonny, you bolt, the lion is back".. 

The hyena bolted leaving no trace at all. 

The fox started eating with relish the flesh from the body of the elephant pried open by the hyena.

The final visitor was another fox. This time our here, the fox did not wait for any tricks. He jumped straight on the adversary, attacked him with teeth and nails, defeated him and lived on the food provided by the carcass of the elephant for a very long time.

The lesson of the parable is that if the enemy is noble, surrender to him and deal him with tact. If he is stronger than you, defeat him through some deceitful act. If he is lowly rascal, bribe him and get rid of him. And if the enemy is equal in prowess, attack him and defeat him.

Strife has become second nature to all

अत्तुं वाञ्छति शांभवो गणपतेराखुम् क्षुदार्तो फणी
तम् च क्रौञ्चरिपोः शिखी गिरिसुतासिंहोऽपि नागाऽशनं।
इत्थं यत्र परिग्रहस्य घटना शंभोरपि स्यत्गृहे
तत्रान्यत्र कथं न भाविजगतो यस्मात्स्वरूपं हि तत्॥१८०॥
विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रात्
attuṁ vāñchati śāṁbhavo gaṇapaterākhum kṣudārto phaṇī
tam ca krauñcaripoḥ śikhī girisutāsiṁho'pi nāgā'śanaṁ|
itthaṁ yatra parigrahasya ghaṭanā śaṁbhorapi syatgṛhe
tatrānyatra kathaṁ na bhāvijagato yasmātsvarūpaṁ hi tat||180||
viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantrāt

The situation of cold war as perceived in the house of Lord Shiva is described vividly in the Panchatantram of Visnusharma.

The snake tied around the neck of Lord Shiva is very hungry and it is eyeing for the rat the mount of Shivas first son Ganapati for a quick breakfast.  
The snake is under strong reckoning  for the planned dinner of the Peacock which is the chariot of Shivas second son Subramania.  

The lion  available in the abode of Shiva as the  mount of the First Lady Devi Gauri has already reserved in mind the flesh of the peacock for its supper.  

Thus even in the first family of the world there is supreme strife among the servants and this has inevitably led to friction among the masters.  

So what else can we expect in the ordinary households of the earth which are all designed and managed keeping the Kailash as the role model.

When each member of the household employ staff or vehicles which are not compatible to the taste of others it is absolute bedlam in a joint family.  

Usually the cold war never manifests openly but it is only a truce on the surface.  

The snake of Shiva, the rat of Ganesh the peacock of Kumarji and Maataajis lion all survive only because the masters do not want to come out openly an hit out at one another. 


The funny situation is  painfully manifest in all its vividness  in all the walks of life.  

Take the case of secretaries of various executives in a big corporation or a Government office.  
Or take the  case of the followers of political parties who join in opportunistic alliance to share power.
Strife has become second nature to all.

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