151 Panchatantra Tales

Two men went hunting in a forest. They saw a fox and began chasing him. The fox ran for his life. Soon, the hunters lost track of him. There was a woodcutter’s house in the forest and the fox went and begged him, “Hunters are chasing me. Find me a place to hide.” The woodcutter […]

There was once a fisherman who lived in a village. He would go fishing in the ponds and rivers near the village. He would then put the fish in a huge basket and sell them at the local market. One day, he went to the river but did not catch even one fish. He cast

There was a shepherd who was bored of living on land. His heart longed for the sea. He wanted to sail around the world. So he sold his flock of sheep and with the money, he bought some crates full of dates and, along with his brother, set sail. They had not sailed far when

There were two little mules. They loved to roam about in the corn fields. Whenever they would be hungry, they would feed on the corn. Then they would play around in the fields. They were happy living a free life. One day, as they were roaming around, they came to a huge meadow. The elder

There was a farmer who had many animals. Among them was a black hen. She would go around the yard, clucking around, searching for insects and grains. One day, she did not come out of her nest under the guava tree. The farmer called out to her, but she said, “Master, I am ill today

One evening, a bull was grazing with his friends near a forest. When the sun set, his friends called out to him to go home. But the bull did not listen. When the bull stopped grazing, the moon and the stars were shining in the sky. He noticed a pair of eyes looking at him

There was an actor who loved cats. The furry creatures always jumped on to his lap whenever he went to bed. He had a black cat and a white cat. The white cat had four kittens. The kittens were very fond of playing and they always ran around the house. One day, they saw a

Long ago, there was a milkmaid who had a habit of daydreaming. She always dreamt of becoming a rich woman. On her way to the market, she would rest under trees and in front of huts — and would daydream. This habit got worse and she started to daydream even while walking, with the milk

Once there was a goatherd. Every day, he would allow his goats to graze on different pastures. The goats loved him a lot. One day, the goatherd fell sick. He called his younger brother and said, “Will you take the goats to the meadows by the hill today?” The brother said, “Yes, I will leave

There was a shepherd who took his sheep to graze in the meadows near a forest. One afternoon, while the shepherd was sleeping under a tree, a wolf crept near a sheep and dragged her into the forest. When the shepherd woke up, he searched for the missing sheep but couldn’t find it anywhere. Meanwhile,

There was a rich farmer. He had many cattle and sheep, and many acres of land. But his land bordered a forest, and many small animals made their way into his land. But one day, a lion entered his farmyard. The farmer slowly crept to the gates and locked them. Then he went and hid

There was a man who lived in a village. He had a donkey. He would put the donkey to work by tying goods on his back and transporting them from one place to another. The man gave very little food to his donkey. The donkey was always sad. One day, the man had to transport

There was a blacksmith who lived in a little house in a town. He had a pet dog. Many people would visit the blacksmith with their orders and he would be busy at work until night. The blacksmith’s dog was lazy. He slept throughout the day in a corner of the room where the blacksmith

The schools of a village were closed for the rainy season as there were puddles and pools all around. There was a group of naughty boys in the village. They always roamed from place to place, and were up to some mischief or the other. One day, they got together and sat near a pool,

There was once a lazy lion. He was not good at hunting. One day, he had an idea. He called the animals of the forest and said, “I’m forming a royal hunting team. Only the experts can join me. Any volunteers?” A jackal and a wolf stepped forward. The lion said, “You will hunt with