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 3 - Contents of the Panchatantra
41 (of 60)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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melodious voice of a song, sung by a lame man. Immediately she
falls in love with him and asks to accept her as a life mate. That
lame person accepts her. At that time, brāhmin comes there
with food and feeds them two. When all these three were
proceeding, the husband is pushed down into the well by his
wife and remains with that lame person. Then, when she is
moving with lame one, keeping him in a box, on her head, king's
servants take her to the king. Observing the pitiable condition
of these two, the king grants the alms in the form of two
villages for their livelihood. At the same time, her husband
being saved by an ascetic comes there. Seeing him, the wife
says to the king that this person is their enemy. So too, when
the king punishes him with death sentence, that brāhmin
speaks that he is to take back one thing from that woman. He
then takes back from her half of his own life which he had
given. Consequently, she dies there itself. Thus, it is illustrated
here inspite of brāhmin's utter love and affection for his wife, she
liked the company of other person, and kills his husband.
Therefore ladies are unbelievable. Further, monkey says that
though an husband is prepared to do anything else to pacify his
angry wife, the latter takes the disadvantage of the submissiveness
of her husband. In this regard the monkey quotes the story of a
king called 'Nanda' and the minister Vararuci.6
6.
a fai zenar fài guldenfurukiaì 17: 1
अनश्वा यत्र हे षन्त� शिरः पर्वणि मुण्डितम� �
[anaśvā yatra he ṣante śira� parvaṇi muṇḍitam ||
] Pañcatantra, Labdhapraṇāśa, Kathā - 6, verse - 45, p.33.
atak
sity
