Panchatantram-The Handbook of Five Strategies: The Complete Book In Simple Sanskrit & English

Book Announcement

Panchatantram is one of the most frequently translated literary work from Sanskrit to other Indian as well as foreign languages. The book is extremely popular as the collection of fables - the stories of crows, serpents, lions and monkeys. Many of us have grown listening to reading these stories in our childhood. And each of those stories supposedly conveys a moral message. As it turns out, that is only half the story.

Such depictions ignore the intended theme of the original book. The book is laid out into five sections - breaking the enemy alliance, securing the alliance, war games, risking the gains and risk of hasty actions. These are the five important strategies for any statesman to be familiar with. To present these strategies, the book takes a bold approach. It is not shy with any of its story lines. It does not restrict itself to just crows and turtles. It is certainly not a book that can be directly consumed by children, as we know today. While narrating each story, the book tries to emphasize on the underlying message through multitude of verses. Many of these are widely in circulation among masses as popular quotes.

In this rendition, all the stories from the original work are presented in simple-to-read and understand Sanskrit words. All the anchor stories of each section are also covered. No part of the original work has been left out. After each story, its English translation is given. Under each story, a one-line message conveyed by that story is given.

The rendition is kept true to its original theme, so the readers can understand the underlying message of each story. These stories are not just for kids - be good, act good kind. If one focuses on the strategical messages conveyed by them, they can really benefit in life’s challenging situations. These strategies are especially useful for statesmen, leaders, managers at all times, serving as a quick handbook for them.

The book is available from the following websites.
Paperback:
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada
Kindle E-book:
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada
Amazon India

मुद्गलकथा - The Sage Who Refused Heaven

मुद्गलकथा

(महाभारते वनपर्वणि)

एकस्मिन् ग्रामप्रदेशे मुद्गलः नाम मुनिः वसति स्म । सः धर्मपरायणः दानशीलः च आसीत् । सः ऊञ्छवृत्या जीवति स्म । इत्युक्ते क्षेत्रेषु धान्यकर्तनान्तरं ये धान्यकणाः अवशिष्टाः तान् सङ्गृह्णाति स्म । एवं प्रतिदिनं धान्यकणान् सङ्गृह्य यजनं कृत्वा अतिथिम् एकं भोजयति स्म । अनन्तरम् यत् अवशिष्टम् अन्नं तत् एव मुद्गलः स्वयं भुङ्क्ते स्म ।

मुद्गलं परीक्षितुम् एकदा दुर्वासोमुनिः वेषान्तरं कृत्वा तत्र आगतवान् । ब्राह्मणरूपी दिगम्बरः सः दुर्वासोमुनिः उन्मत्तः इव आचरन् मध्याह्नभोजनसमये मुद्गलस्य गृहम् आगतः । मुद्गलः ब्राह्मणं सत्कृत्य भोजनं निवेदितवान् । ब्राह्मणः अन्नं भक्षयित्वा अवशिष्टं सर्वम् अन्नं देहे सर्वत्र लेपनं कृत्वा निरगच्छत् । मुद्गलः निराहारः एव स्थितः । एवं षड्वारं दुर्वासोमुनिः ब्राह्मणरूपेण प्रतिदिनं मुद्गलस्य गृहम् आगत्य अन्नं सर्वम् अभक्षयत् । मुद्गलः निराहारः अपि शान्तचित्तः ब्राह्मणाय भोजनं दत्त्वा तस्य सेवां कृतवान् ।

तदा दुर्वासोमुनिः प्रीतः निजरूपम् आगत्य अवदत् - "हे मुद्गल, तव शमदमादिगुणाः मङ्लकराः । अस्मात् कारणात् तव स्थानं स्वर्गे निश्चितम् अस्ति । त्वां स्वर्गं नेतुं देवदूतः इदानीम् आगच्छति" । तदा एकः देवदूतः देवविमाने तत्र अवतीर्णवान् । मुद्गलः देवदूतम् अपृच्छत् - "देवदूत, स्वर्गलोकस्य गुणान् अवगुणान् च कथयतु" । देवदूतः अवदत् - "स्वर्गे बुभुक्षा पिपासा निद्रा इत्यादिपीडाः न भवन्ति । मलमूत्ररोगाः न बाधन्ते । स्वर्गे जनाः सर्वदा सुखेन विहरन्ति । परन्तु तत्र अवगुणाः अपि सन्ति । तत्रत्याः जनाः यदा तेषां सञ्चितपुण्यं क्षीणं भवति तदा ते स्वर्गात् च्युताः मर्त्यलोके पतन्ति । एतत् भयं स्वर्गवासिनां सर्वदा भवति । अन्यच्च स्वर्गे स्वस्य पुण्यसञ्चयानुगुणं कस्यचित् सुखम् अधिकं भवति कस्यचित् सुखम् अल्पं भवति । अतः तत्र जनाः सर्वदा असन्तुष्टाः भवन्ति" । मुद्गलः पुनः अपृच्छत् - "कस्मिन् लोके अवगुणाः न वर्तन्ते? कुत्र शाश्वतं सुखं विद्यते?" देवदूतः अवदत् - "हे मुने, स्वर्गलोकात् अनन्तरं ब्रह्मलोकपर्यन्तं बहवः लोकाः सन्ति । तेषु सर्वेषु अधःपतनस्य भयं विद्यते एव । केवलं विष्णुलोकं प्राप्य जीवः शाश्वतसुखं विन्दति । भगवतः अनुग्रहात् सः जीवः अधोगतिं पुनः न प्राप्नोति" ।

तत् श्रुत्वा मुद्गलः स्वर्गलोकगमनं तिरस्कृतवान् । देवदूतः स्वर्गलोकं प्रत्यागच्छत् । मुद्गलः आजीवनं स्वधर्मं परिपालयन् जीवनान्ते सद्गतिं प्राप्तवान् ।

English translation:

The Sage Who Refused Heaven

in a rural area, a sage by the name Mudgala was living. He was very pious and had a character of donating. He used to live by picking up the grains left behind on the fields when the grains were cut by the farmers. Thus, everyday he used to collect the grains, do the yajna, and feed a guest. After that, he used to eat whatever is left of the food.

To test Mudgala, once the sage Durvasa took a different guise and came there. In the form of a brahmana, the sage Durvasa, acting like a crazy person, came to Mudgala's house at the time of lunch. Mudgala welcomed the brahmana and offered him the food. The brahmana ate the food and smeared the rest of of the food all over his body and went away. Mudgala was left with no food Like this, for six times, the sage Durvasa came to Mudgala's house in the form of a brahmana and ate all the food. Mudgala, though without food, kept calm mind, gave the food to the brahmana and served him.

Then the sage Durvasa was pleased, came into his own form, and said - "Hey Mudgala, your characters like self-restraint are very virtuous. For that reason, your place in heaven is secured. To take you to heaven, a divine messenger is coming now". Then a divine messenger got down there in a divine plane. Mudgala asked the divine messenger - "Divine messenger, tell about the good and bad things of the heaven". The divine messenger sad - "In heaven, there is no hunger, thirst and sleep. Poop, pee and disease do not bother there. In heaven, the people always roam around in happiness. But there are bad things are also there. The people living there, after their accumulated benefit of good deeds is over, lose their place in heaven and fall down to the world of mortals. This fear always exists for the people who live in heaven. And also, in heaven, as per the accumulation of the good deeds, someone's happiness is more, someone's happiness is less. Therefore, there the people are always unhappy". Mudgala asked again - "In what world, there are no bad things? Where does the permanent happiness exists?" The divine messenger said - "Hey sage, after heaven, there are many worlds until the world of Brahma. In al those worlds, there is certainly the fear of falling down. Only after attaining the world of Vishnu, a soul attains permanent happiness. By the grace of god, that should does not again fall down".

Hearing that, Mudgala refused going to heaven. The divine messenger returned to heaven. Mudgala lived virtuously for his entire life and obtained a good place after life.

काकः कनकसूत्रं च - Crow and Golden Necklace

(पञ्चतन्त्रकथा)

उपायेन जयो यादृग् रिपोस्तादृग् न हेतिभिः ।

उपायज्ञोऽल्पकायोऽपि न शूरैः परिभूयते ॥

वने एकः महान् वृक्षः आसीत् । वृक्षे एकः काकः निवसति स्म । वक्षस्य बिले एकः कृष्णसर्पः वसति स्म। सर्पः काकस्य शिशून् सर्वदा खादति स्म । काकः दुःखितः आसीत् । सर्पस्य निवारणं कथं कर्तव्यम् इति काकः चिन्तयति । समीपे एकः शृगालः वसति । काकः शृगालस्य समीपं गच्छति । सर्पस्य विषयं वदति। तस्य निवारणस्य उपायं पृच्छति । शृगालः किञ्चित् चिन्तयित्वा एकम् उपायं कथयति । काकः उपायं शृणोति । महाराजः तस्य परिवारेण सहितः समीपे जलाशयं क्रीडितुम् आगच्छति । तत्र काकः गच्छति । जलाशयस्य तटे राजपरिवारस्य वस्त्राणि आभरणानि भवन्ति । काकः आभरणेषु एकं कनकसूत्रं चञ्च्वा गृह्णाति । कनकसूत्रेण सह डयनं करोति । तत् दृष्ट्वा राजपुरुषाः काकस्य पृष्ठतः धावन्ति । काकः वृक्षस्य समीपं गच्छति । सर्पस्य बिले कनकसूत्रं पातयति । राजपुरुषाः बिले पश्यन्ति । बिले सर्पः भवति । राजपुरुषाः दण्डेन सर्पं मारयन्ति । ते कनकसूत्रं गृहीत्वा गच्छन्ति । एवं काकः सर्पभयात् मुक्तिं प्राप्नोति ।

नीतिः
यः योग्यम् उपायं जानाति सः सुलभतया जयं प्राप्नोति । तस्य अस्त्रशस्त्रस्य आवश्यकता नास्ति ।

English:
Winning using a smart idea is better than winning using weapons. One who knows a smart idea, even if he is weak, does not get defeated by strong people.

There was a big tree in a forest. In the tree, lived a crow. In the hole of the tree, lived a black serpent. The serpent always ate the babies of the crow. The crow becomes sorrowful. He thinks of how to get rid of the serpent. Nearby lives a fox. The crow goes to the fox. He tells the fox about the serpent's deeds. He asks the fox about how to get rid of the serpent. The fox thinks a bit and tells him an idea. The crow listens to the idea. The king with his family friends comes to play to a nearby lake. The crow goes there. On the banks of the lake, there were the clothes and ornaments of the royal family. From the ornaments, the crow picks up a golden necklace with its beak. He flies with the golden necklace. Seeing that, the king’s men also run behind the crow. The crow goes near the tree. He fells the golden necklace in the serpent’s hole. The king’s men look in the hole. In the hole, there is the serpent. The king’s men kill the serpent with a stick. They take the golden necklace and go away. Thus, the crow gets relieved from the fear of the serpent.

Message
One who knows the right solution, gets the success easily. He does not need any weapons.