India
Folk tales from the diverse traditions of India.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Crafty Crane And The Craftier Crab
The Crafty Crane And The Craftier Crab: Once upon a time an old crane lived on the rim of a large lake in the middle of a jungle. Because of age, it was not
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Blue Jackal
The Panchatantra's brilliant tale of Caṇḍarava — the "Fierce Howler" jackal — who tumbles into a vat of indigo dye and walks out a king of the jungle. The story is found in Book I of the Panchatantra (Mitrabheda, "The Separation of Friends"), and it is one of Vishnu Sharma's most quietly devastating lessons: disguise is not transformation, and the test of who you are is not how you look on a calm day, but what comes out of you on the night when you forget you are pretending.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Crane and the Crab
The Crane and the Crab: When things go wrong, use your wit to overcome the situation.” A heron lived near a big lake, which was full of fishes and other water
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Tale of Three Fishes
Three fishes face danger differently: one dies unprepared, one escapes through wisdom, one through swift action.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 3-5
The Crane and the Mongoose
The Crane and the Mongoose: The solution of the problem should not be worse than the problem itself. That is, while trying to solve the problem, you should not
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Thief and the Brahmins
Brahmins trust a reformed thief with their treasure and pay the price when his nature resurfaces.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Cunning Hare and the Witless Lion
The Cunning Hare and the Witless Lion: Deceive the wicked and destroy them without mercy.” There was once a powerful lion called Bhasuraka who ruled the jungle.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 3-5
The Turtle that fell off the Stick
The Turtle that fell off the Stick: Never fail to listen to the advice of your friends.” There lived a turtle called Kambugriva in a lake, who had two swans as
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Elephant and the Sparrow
The Elephant and the Sparrow: Even the low and humble achieve results when they work together.” A couple of sparrows lived happily in their nest on top of a
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
Meeting a New Friend
Meeting a New Friend: Hiranyaka, the mouse, and Laghupatanaka, the crow, became great friends. One day, the crow came calling on the mouse with eyes full of
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Fall and Rise of a Merchant
The Fall and Rise of a Merchant: One should treat one and all, even the lowest, with respect.” In a city called Vardhamana, lived a very efficient and
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
Shandili and Sesame Seeds
Shandili's endless greed for sesame seeds transforms a magical gift into the agent of her doom.