Book review
The original text of the Panchatantra in Sanskrit was probably written about 200 B.C. by a great Hindi scholar, Pandit Vishnu Sharma. Some of the tales themselves must be much older, their origin going back to the period of the Vedas and the Upanishads (1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.). In the course of time, travellers took these stories with them to Persia and Arabia and finally, through Greece, they reached Europe. So far the Panchatantra has been translated into more than 50 languages of the world. The Panchatantra is essentially connected with one of the branches of science known to us as the Nitishastra or ‘A book of wise conduct in life’. It attempts to teach us how to understand people, how to choose reliable and trustworthy friends, how to meet difficulties and solve problems through tact and wisdom, how to live in peace and harmony in the face of hypocrisy, deceit and the many pitfalls in life. The Panchatantra is woven around the frame of a tale of a king who entrusts his three dull sons to a learned man, a Brahman called Pandit Vishnu Sharma, to enlighten their minds within six months. The Brahman promises to educate them and takes them to his ashrama (hermirtage). There he recites to them his specially composed tales, divided into five tantras (literally, five systems) on how to deal with people in life.The Panchatantra is a rare book, for in no other book can one find philosophy, psychology, politics, music, astronomy, human relations, etc. all discussed together in a simple yet elegant style. This is exactly what Pandit Vishnu Sharma had in mind – to give as much knowledge to the princes in as uncomplicated a manner as possible. And no doubt, not only the princes but also millions of readers and listeners for the past 2,200 years have benefited from his most unique books.