The Panchtantra Of Vishnusharma
Ships in 4-7 Days
Free Shipping in India on orders above Rs. 500
Ships in 4-7 Days
Free Shipping in India on orders above Rs. 500
Authored in about 345-300 BCE by Vishnusharma the Panchatantra has long been considered one of India's invaluable gifts to the world. Its creation is the stuff of legend: in an effort to expedite the education of his three unschooled sons the wise King Amarashakti of Mahilaropya sought out the octogenarian scholar Vishnusharma who was known for his inventive teaching methods. Vishnusharma not only accepted the task of educating the princes but also said that he would accomplish it in six months. The Nitishastra he used to teach the princes was one he composed specifically for the purpose and this was called the Panchatantra--five treatises.
'Mitra Bheda' (breach of friendship) the longest of the sections is framed around the deep friendship between a lion Pingalaka and a bull Sanjivaka and narrates how they are turned against each other raising the question: can two animals who are natural enemies ever be friends? The second tantra 'Mitra Samprapti' (acquisition of friends) relates how a crow mouse tortoise and deer become friends and shows how friendship between the small and powerless is beneficial to all involved. 'Kakolukiyam' (of crows and owls) the third tantra is a narrative that draws from Kautilya's six-fold state policy which is woven into the tantra's frame story that describes a vendetta between crows and owls. The fourth tantra 'Labdha Pranasham' (loss of acquired gains) is centred around the well-known tale of a crocodile's treasured friendship with a monkey and how he loses it when his wife develops a hankering for the monkey's heart. 'Aparikshita Karakam' (impetuous actions) the last tantra is unique for its focus on human characters. The framing tale is about a barber who under a misconception assaults monks rashly assuming that this will bring him gold. It makes the case that reckless actions especially when they are triggered by greed end in failure and grief.
The sixty-nine stories in the Panchatantra cut a wide swathe depicting as large a slice of life as possible. The cast of characters consists of lions tigers wolves cats tortoises monkeys deer hares snakes; crows cranes and various other birds; and water creatures such as fish and crabs. There are also some humans such as weavers and barbers fowlers and hunters as well as wealthy merchants and ministers kings and along with these a smattering of priests. While in recent times it has been largely treated as children's literature the Panchatantra is a timeless book of wisdom for all ages filled with tales laced with insight cogent witticisms and lessons about living. In this retelling of the ancient text Meena Arora Nayak creates a work that is lucid fluent and engaging while keeping the essence of its magnificence intact.
Meena Arora Nayak is a professor of English and Mythology. She is the author of the novels A Dust Storm in Delhi, Endless Rain, About Daddy, and In the Aftermath, as well as The Puffin Book of Legendary Lives, Evil in the Mahabharata, The Blue Lotus: Myths and Folktales of India, and The Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva, and Adbhut: Marvellous Creatures of Indian Myth and Folklore.
• Author(s): Clear | James • Publisher: Penguin • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Random House • Subject: General Books
• Author(s): Jeff Kinney • Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Random House Children's UK • BISAC: Comics & Graphic Novels - Humorous
• Author(s): Ichiro Kishimi • Publisher: GROVE ATLANTIC • Publisher Imprint: Allen & Unwin • BISAC: Personal Growth - SuccessIchiro Kishimi lives in Kyoto. He writes, lectures and teaches in psychiatric clinics as a certified counsellor and c...
View full details• Author(s): Chetan Bhagat • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India • Publisher Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers India • BISAC: GeneralFrom India's top-selling writer Chetan Bhagat comes a powerful new love story that will make you laugh, cry...
View full details• Author(s): Brianna Wiest • Publisher: Manjul Publishing • Publisher Imprint: Amaryllis • BISAC: Body Mind And SpiritThis is a book about self-sabotage. Why we do it, when we do it, and how to stop doing it—for good. Coexisting but conflicting n...
View full details• Author(s): Morgan Housel • Publisher: Pan Macmillan • Publisher Imprint: Pan Macmillan • BISAC: Finance - Wealth ManagementA third book from the International bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same as Ever, lessons on harnessing...
View full details• Author(s): Arundhati Roy• Publisher: PRH INDIA LOCAL PRINT• Publisher Imprint: Penguin Hamish Hamilton• BISAC: Literary FiguresArundhati Roy’s first work of memoir, this is a soaring account, both intimate and inspiring, of how the author became...
View full details• Author(s): Acharya Prashant • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India • Publisher Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers India • BISAC: GeneralIn a world where vagueness is mistaken for depth and obscurity passes for wisdom, Truth without Apology ...
View full details• Author(s): Sudha Murthy • Publisher: India Puffin • Publisher Imprint: India Puffin • BISAC: Short StoriesWho can resist a good story, especially when it's being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mic...
View full details• Author(s): Satoshi Yagisawa • Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd • Publisher Imprint: Bonnier Books Ltd
• Author(s): Newport, Cal • Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group • Publisher Imprint: Piatkus
• Author(s): Shrijeet Shandilya • Publisher: Ebury Press • Publisher Imprint: Ebury Press • BISAC: Romance - GeneralIn the electric haze of college life, three friends are bound by laughter, late-night talks and unspoken promises. But when two of...
View full details• Author(s): Dan Brown • Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd • Publisher Imprint: Transworld Publishers Ltd • BISAC: Thrillers - EspionageDan Brown is the bestselling author of Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci C...
View full details• Author(s): Sudha Murty • Publisher: India Puffin • Publisher Imprint: India Puffin • BISAC: Action & Adventure - General
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
• Publisher: Penguin • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Random House • Subject: General Books • BISAC: Personal Finance - GeneralApril of 2022 marks a 25-year milestone for the personal finance classic Rich Dad Poor Dad that still ranks as the #1 Pers...
View full details• Author(s): Dale Carnegie | Napoleon Hill • Publisher: Fingerprint • Publisher Imprint: Fingerprint • Subject: General Books
• Author(s): Freida Mcfadden • Publisher: Penguin Select Print • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Select Publishing"Multi-Million Copy Bestselling Series •Now Being Made Into a Major Motion Picture Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried #1 New Yor...
View full details• Author(s): Wonder House Books • Publisher: Wonder House Books • Publisher Imprint: Wonder House Books • BISAC: Comics & Graphic Novels - Fairy Tales, Folklore, Legends & MTimeless Wisdom, Talking Animals & Life Lessons for Young Min...
View full details• Author(s): Viktor E. Frankl • Publisher: Random House • Publisher Imprint: Random Hou • Subject: Medical, Nursing and Health Sciences
• Author(s): Madhavi Bharadwaj • Publisher: PRH India • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Ebury Press • BISAC: Parenting - MotherhoodWelcome to the wild, messy, wonderful world of parenting--where the nights are long, the diapers are explosive, and unso...
View full details• Author(s): Vir Das • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India • Publisher Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers India • BISAC: Entertainment & Performing ArtsComedian and actor Vir Das is beloved (by some, tolerated by others, blocked by a few...
View full details• Author(s): Eric Carle • Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited (UK) • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Books, Limited (UK) • BISAC: Animals - Butterflies, Moths & CaterpillarsEric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a perennial favourite with child...
View full details• Author(s): Prajakta Koli • Publisher: Harper Fiction India • Publisher Imprint: Harper Fiction India • BISAC: Romance - ContemporaryWinner of the Amazon India Popular Choice Debut Book 2025 Award. From one of India's most-loved creators comes s...
View full details