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Panchatantra: The Brahmin and the Goat and other Stories
Panchatantra (Five Chapters) in Sanskrit is perhaps the oldest collection of stories in the world and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Each of its 'Chapters' contains a string of stories one emerging from the other, with each designed to lead to a precept for proper practical conduct for a thinking person in the real world. The characters are taken from the whole gamut of living beings including humans and animals in the wild. In a way the unity of life is stressed by assigning the sentiments, emotions and thoughts of human beings to animals as well.
In this collection, three cunning fellows vex a Brahmin into throwing away a goat carried by him, by calling the animal as a calf, a dog and a donkey. An elephant heeds the request of mice not to trample them; and is gratefully freed by them when trapped later. A sage turns a mouse into a girl. When she is grown up and asked to choose a groom, she rejects the sun, cloud, wind and mountain one by one and settles upon the mouse as the mightiest. This Panchatantra collection is a treasure house of a variety of such stories.
In this collection, three cunning fellows vex a Brahmin into throwing away a goat carried by him, by calling the animal as a calf, a dog and a donkey. An elephant heeds the request of mice not to trample them; and is gratefully freed by them when trapped later. A sage turns a mouse into a girl. When she is grown up and asked to choose a groom, she rejects the sun, cloud, wind and mountain one by one and settles upon the mouse as the mightiest. This Panchatantra collection is a treasure house of a variety of such stories.
- GenresComics
32 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2000
6 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Anant Pai
1,064 books226 followersAnant Pai popularly known as Uncle Pai, was an Indian educationalist and creator of Indian comics, in particular the Amar Chitra Katha series in 1967, along with the India Book House publishers, and which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters. In 1980, he launched Tinkle, a children's anthology, which was started under Rang Rekha Features, India's first comic and cartoon syndicate, that lasted till 1998, with him as the Managing Director.
Today, Amar Chitra Katha sells about three million comic books a year, in English and more than 20 Indian languages, and has sold about 100 million copies since it inception in 1967 by Anant Pai, and in 2007 was taken over by ACK Media.
Today, Amar Chitra Katha sells about three million comic books a year, in English and more than 20 Indian languages, and has sold about 100 million copies since it inception in 1967 by Anant Pai, and in 2007 was taken over by ACK Media.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 3, 2024
Six folktales that PROBABLY sound familiar, because the same handful of stories keep passing down through the ages, I guess.
1. The Brahman and the Goat
A Brahman had a goat and was returning home with it when three crooks decided to con him out of it by gaslighting him and calling it not a goat, to where he believed the goat was actually a shapeshifter.
Moral: Don't doubt yourself.
2. The King Elephant and the Mice
A variant on Aesop's fable of the Lion and the Mouse, but with elephants and mice.
Moral: Don't underestimate anyone.
3. The Brahman, the Thief and the Rakshasa
A thief and a demon want to team up against a Brahman with fat calves, but then they start in-fighting to decide who gets to steal what first. This gets the attention of the Brahman, who calls upon "his deity" to banish the demon, then drives the thief away himself. (Strangely enough, he says, "Thank god!" despite my assumption that a Brahman would follow Brahma... hmm.)
Moral: When you can take advantage of your enemies fighting each other, sucks to be them!
4. The Lion, the Jackal and the Cave
I *know* this one's an Aesop's fable, but I can't place which one. Essentially, a lion finds a cave and thinks he will outsmart whatever lives in it, but he leaves GIANT PRINTS easily seen by the jackal who lives in the cave (but does NOT leave prints?). The jackal forms a plan to determine whether there is in fact a lion in the cave by starting a conversation with the cave. The lion does not realise the trick and answers for the cave, which alerts the jackal to the danger.
Moral: Talking cave is a trap!
5. The Mouse and the Sage
I've definitely heard this one before, but not with the "rescued a mouse by turning her into a human baby and raising her" bit. Also, marrying her off at (human) age 12? Yikes.
First suitor: The Sun
Pros: Hot
Cons: Hot
Beaten by: Cloud
Second suitor: Cloud
Pros: Blocks the Sun
Cons: Dark and cold
Beaten by: Wind
Third suitor: Wind
Pros: Pushes around Cloud
Cons: Always restless
Beaten by: Mountain
Fourth suitor: Mountain
Pros: Mighty, accepts Daughter
Cons: Coarse and lifeless
Suggests: King of the Mice
Fifth suitor: King of the Mice
Pros: Lively, frisky
Cons: ...?
WINNER
So in the end, the mouse wanted to be a mouse again.
Moral: Let her be a dang mouse!
6. The Bird Who Shed Golden Droppings
Budget goose that laid the golden eggs.
This bird is about sparrow-sized and only demonstrates the gold poop once before the hunter who finds it decides to catch it. He thinks about keeping the bird forever, but then thinks the king might get mad if he kept it to himself. So he gives the bird to the king, who accepts it without seeing any proof of the gold poop. Some jealous ministers point out that the story is ridiculous and trick the king into setting the poor bird free, which he does. The bird poops in delight at being free again, and the king sees that the poop is indeed gold, but the bird now knows better than to get trapped again.
Moral:Keep that shit to yourself(just kidding)
An okay collection of stories. Art is competent except the interior colours, which are flat (no shading except in the inks) and strangely fluorescent (vibrant pinks and purples in particular). It's fine to read, but it's not on my Top 100 list or anything.
1. The Brahman and the Goat
A Brahman had a goat and was returning home with it when three crooks decided to con him out of it by gaslighting him and calling it not a goat, to where he believed the goat was actually a shapeshifter.
Moral: Don't doubt yourself.
2. The King Elephant and the Mice
A variant on Aesop's fable of the Lion and the Mouse, but with elephants and mice.
Moral: Don't underestimate anyone.
3. The Brahman, the Thief and the Rakshasa
A thief and a demon want to team up against a Brahman with fat calves, but then they start in-fighting to decide who gets to steal what first. This gets the attention of the Brahman, who calls upon "his deity" to banish the demon, then drives the thief away himself. (Strangely enough, he says, "Thank god!" despite my assumption that a Brahman would follow Brahma... hmm.)
Moral: When you can take advantage of your enemies fighting each other, sucks to be them!
4. The Lion, the Jackal and the Cave
I *know* this one's an Aesop's fable, but I can't place which one. Essentially, a lion finds a cave and thinks he will outsmart whatever lives in it, but he leaves GIANT PRINTS easily seen by the jackal who lives in the cave (but does NOT leave prints?). The jackal forms a plan to determine whether there is in fact a lion in the cave by starting a conversation with the cave. The lion does not realise the trick and answers for the cave, which alerts the jackal to the danger.
Moral: Talking cave is a trap!
5. The Mouse and the Sage
I've definitely heard this one before, but not with the "rescued a mouse by turning her into a human baby and raising her" bit. Also, marrying her off at (human) age 12? Yikes.
First suitor: The Sun
Pros: Hot
Cons: Hot
Beaten by: Cloud
Second suitor: Cloud
Pros: Blocks the Sun
Cons: Dark and cold
Beaten by: Wind
Third suitor: Wind
Pros: Pushes around Cloud
Cons: Always restless
Beaten by: Mountain
Fourth suitor: Mountain
Pros: Mighty, accepts Daughter
Cons: Coarse and lifeless
Suggests: King of the Mice
Fifth suitor: King of the Mice
Pros: Lively, frisky
Cons: ...?
WINNER
So in the end, the mouse wanted to be a mouse again.
Moral: Let her be a dang mouse!
6. The Bird Who Shed Golden Droppings
Budget goose that laid the golden eggs.
This bird is about sparrow-sized and only demonstrates the gold poop once before the hunter who finds it decides to catch it. He thinks about keeping the bird forever, but then thinks the king might get mad if he kept it to himself. So he gives the bird to the king, who accepts it without seeing any proof of the gold poop. Some jealous ministers point out that the story is ridiculous and trick the king into setting the poor bird free, which he does. The bird poops in delight at being free again, and the king sees that the poop is indeed gold, but the bird now knows better than to get trapped again.
Moral:
An okay collection of stories. Art is competent except the interior colours, which are flat (no shading except in the inks) and strangely fluorescent (vibrant pinks and purples in particular). It's fine to read, but it's not on my Top 100 list or anything.
August 3, 2024
More tales from the Panchatantra. In the title story a man is tricked into believing that his goat is not a goat by those who want the goat for themselves. A Rakshasa (evil spirit) and a thief join forces to rob and kill a man; but their selfishness prevents them from accomplishing their goals. Thought provoking tales written around 200 BC.
December 31, 2024
Morals
Trust yourself before you trust others.
Never underestimate anybody, however small he may be.
When your enemies quarrel amongst themselves, you stand to gain.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Let a mouse be a mouse.
Ascertain a fact before you accept another’s word for it.
Trust yourself before you trust others.
Never underestimate anybody, however small he may be.
When your enemies quarrel amongst themselves, you stand to gain.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Let a mouse be a mouse.
Ascertain a fact before you accept another’s word for it.
January 24, 2022
Funny shit 😂
June 20, 2024
It was fun to read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews