Essay name: Panchatantra: A reflex of Arthashastra
Author:
M. N. Indrani
Affiliation: Karnatak University / Department of Sanskrit
The essay studies the Panchatantra in relation to the Arthashastra by proposing that that Indian fable literature divides into educative and entertaining narratives, both traced back to the sacred Vedic texts. It highlights the 'Pancatantra' and its kin as representative of educative stories.
Chapter 1 - A survey of the Niti-Katha-Sahitya
17 (of 28)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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17
Apart from all these works on fable literature, some other
texts are also there. Among those, Cāṇakyanīti a collection of
moral precepts is prevalent in the name of Cāṇakya. It consists
of five hundred and seventy-six verses dealing with many social
aspects of daily life.
So also Chandragomi, the author of Chandravyākaraṇa, has
composed the Sisyalekha-dharma-kāvya. It consists of one
hundred and fourteen verses describing the nature of life. It
prohibits a person from treading the wrong path but impels to
make efforts to lead meaningful life.
Moreover the Nīti-Dvisaṣṭikā of Sundarapāṇḍya is said to
be written in the fifth century A.D. In an inscription of 750
A.D., Sundarapāṇḍya, is mentioned as a successor of Arikesari.
In Classical Sanskrit literature, the 1) Bṛhatkathā of
Guṇādhya is the earliest regular collection of fables. Guṇādhya
is considered on par with Vālmīki and Vyāsa. It is a rich
collection of hundreds of interesting stories. Basing on this,
Kṣemendra of Kashmir and Somadeva wrote the
Bṛhatkathāmañjari and the Kathāsaritsāgara respectively. Next
to Kathāsaritsāgara, the Pañcatantra stands out in the fable
literature. The contents of the Pañcatantra are elucidated
further.
2) The Tantrākhyāna or Tantrākhyāyikā is a form of the
Pañcatantra, manuscripts of which, belonging to Kashmir and
is itself in two subrecenssions, in one of which there are more
