Panchatantra-Mitra Samprapti

The fabulous four…

Read the previous part here… The hunter arrived at the scene as Mantharaka was speaking. He strung an arrow on his bow, pulled the bowstring all the way to his ear, and…. He strung an arrow on his bow, pulled the bowstring all the way to his ear, and got ready to kill the deer. …

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Chitraanga trapped

Read the previous part here… After waiting for more than two hours, Mantharaka told LaghuPatanaka “My dear friend, Hiranyaka and me are too slow and will take forever to comb the forest looking for him. So can you please fly around and see if you can find Chitraanga?” LaghuPatanaka immediately agreed and rushed off to …

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Chitraanga

Read the previous part here… As they were deeply engrossed in conversation, a deer named Chitraanga (the one with a beautiful spotted body) came running towards the lake, and jumped into the water with a huge splash. Alarmed, LaghuPatanaka flapped his wings and flew to the nearest branch, Hiranyaka ran into a clump of reeds …

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The fourth friend…

Read the previous part here… “There is no greater wealth than happiness”, explained Mantharaka. What follows are some points of wisdom on satisfaction and happiness, and a lot of yogic thought as well. Since they are in verse form, one may tend to want to skip them. I would encourage you to read these as …

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On hoarding and spending money…

Read the previous part here… Just like a small steam gets filled up easily, and a rats hand gets filled up with a little grain, an unenthusiastic man gets satisfied with very little. A man would always strive for more, and with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. It is said… यत्रोत्साह-समारम्भो यत्रालस्य-विनिग्रहः ।नय-विक्रम-संयोगस् तत्र …

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The unlucky Somilaka

Read the previous part here… What can be burdensome for an able man? What task is far-fetched for one who is hard-working? What place is alien for the wise? Who can be distant from a man who speaks well? Mantharaka continued “My dear Hiranyaka, you are intelligent, and will understand this easily. उत्साह-सम्पन्नम् अदीर्घ-सूत्रं क्रिया-विधिज्ञं …

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The three friends discuss…

Read the previous part here… “And so, after experiencing all the good and the bad that the world had to offer, I felt disillusioned with that place and decided to come here with LaghuPatanaka. This, in short, was the cause of my loss in interest and dispassion. Mantharaka smiled, and said “My dear, LaghuPatanaka is …

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