Animal Stories Used for Teaching

Surprisingly one of India’s most influential contributions to world literature, is the Panchatantra which is contains five animal fables that were written between the third and fifth centuries. Although the original compiler or author is unknown, an Arabic translation from about 750 AD gives the credit to a Hindu man named Bidpai. The three stories that will be looked at are “The Foolish Friend”, “the Gold-Giving Snake,” and “The Brahman’s Wife and the Mongoose.”

The first story, “The Foolish Friend” is about a king and a monkey. Finding a monkey, the king keeps him for a pet, feeds him, and always keeps him by his side. Pleasantly strolling through his garden, the king tells the monkey to let nothing disturb him, and then the king takes a nap. While he is sleeping, a bee tries to sting him and the monkey strikes it with a sword, but accidently kills the king! The moral of the story is to not choose a fool for a friend, for it is better to have a clever enemy than a foolish friend.

“The Gold-Giving Snake” is about a farmer who feeds a snake every day and every day the snake gives him a gold coin. Telling his son to feed the snake while he travels into town, the farmer leaves, and his son tries to kill the snake, so he can steal the gold, but the snake bites him and he dies. Quickly burying his son, the farmer exclaims that justice has been done and goes out to feed the snake, but the snake says that she will no longer give him gold because he is greedy. In this fable the main moral is greed leads to loss because the farmer was so greedy he didn’t even grieve for his son, and his son was greedy because he struck the snake and lost his life, trying to find more gold.

The last story is “The Brahman’s Wife and the Mongoose.” Giving birth to a son, the wife also gave birth to a mongoose. One morning the wife told her husband that she was going fetch water, and that she needed him to watch their sons because she did not trust the mongoose. After she left, the husband ignored her and left to collect alms leaving the house empty. Inside the house a snake crawled out of a hole and was sneaking up on the baby when the mongoose killed it. Quickly running to find his mother and tell her how he saved his brother, the mongoose went outside. The mother, seeing the blood splattered mongoose, feared he had killed her child, and she hit him with her bucket, killing him. Rushing into the house the wife realized their baby was safe and the mongoose had saved him. While the wife was crying over the mongoose, the husband returned and the wife said, “See here you greedy one, because you let greed rule you instead of doing what I told you to, you now must taste the fruit of your own son’s death.” The themes in this fable include greed and trust.

Interestingly these fables were used to educate sons of royalty. Some of the main points stressed in these stories are do not be greedy, along with do not be foolish, which are very good instructions for princes learning to be wise rulers. In all the fables animals are characters, which is an entertaining way to present morals and stories used for teaching.

Linked to Its Religion

When reading Indian literature, it’s found that Indian religious beliefs and morals are constantly knitted into the stories. Written between the third and fifth centuries A.D., the Panchatra is a book containing five fables. The Panchatantra is like an ancient Indian version of Aesop’s fables. Mostly, the fables are beast tales ending with a moral. These three in particular follow that idea: “The Foolish Friend”, “The Gold-Giving Snake”, and “The Brahman’s Wife and the Mongoose.”

In “The Foolish Friend” there was a king, whose constant and favorite companion was his pet monkey, which he fed the finest food, honored above all, and even unwisely gave a sword to carry around. Snoozing peacefully in his garden one day, the king trusted that his monkey would not let harm come to him, while he was asleep. Seeing a bee, the faithful, but foolish monkey vowed that no creature should bother his master. Drawing his sword, the monkey struck the bee, but not without also splitting the king’s head with the same blow. And so it is said, “Do not choose a fool for a friend, for the king was killed by a monkey.”

Another tale called “The Gold-Giving Snake” explains how a Brahman, struggling to make ends meet, discovered a great snake in his field, living in a huge ant hill. Knowing she was the goddess of the field, he quickly brought her an offering of milk, and in return, he was surprised to find the gift of one gold dinar. Every day the Brahman offered the milk and received a precious coin. One day he asked his son to go for him, but his son plotted to destroy the snake, and pillage the small anthill, where the snake lived, as he supposed there must be a fortune hidden inside the anthill. He tried to crush the snake’s head with his club, but the snake was too crafty, and it bit him. The bite was fatal. When the Brahman discovered what had happened, the snake presented him with one pearl and commanded him never to return. This is a story to teach that greed brings destruction.

“The Brahman’s Wife and the Mongoose” is about a Brahman and his wife who had two children, a young human child, adored by his parents, and a mongoose, whom the mother secretly distrusted. Telling her husband to watch over the boy and protect him from the mongoose, the mother went to fetch some water from the pond. Ignoring his wife’s command, the Brahman went off to collect alms. While the parents were busy, a horrible malicious snake crept into the boy and the mongoose’s bedroom, but the mongoose woke up and quickly tore the snake to shreds before the fiend could hurt his brother. When the mother returned, she saw the mongoose covered in blood. She assumed the worst. She struck the hero. She killed him. When she saw her son sleeping peacefully in his own bed, with the snake’s mangled remains on the floor, the mother realized the truth. The Brahman was blamed for the misfortune and the moral of the tale is do not let greed rule you, but do what you are told, although it might also be—Do not act rashly before the facts are known.

In each of these three stories: “The Foolish Friend,” “The Gold-Giving Snake,” and “The Brahman’s Wife and the Mongoose,” the end holds a moral for the reader. Reappearing themes of the stories are don’t be greedy and don’t be foolish. In eastern countries like India, culture, namely literature, is distinctly linked to religious and moral beliefs.