All worldly wisdom's inner meaning,
In these five books the charm compresses
Of all such books the world possesses.
Inside Story weaves itself around animal fables from the ancient Middle Eastern stories of Kalila and Dimna, also called The Fables of Bidpai, but let's take it back even further.
A very good place to start is 22 centuries ago in ancient India--probably in what is now Kashmir, a tiny province that has been a source of heated debate between India and Pakistan for over half a century now. Around 200 B.C.E., Panchatantra emerged, a collection of stories and short poetic verses that each carried a message of right-living (You'll find some of these verses scattered throughout this blog, translated into English from Sanskrit by Arthur W. Ryder). The fables were constructed in a curious frame-within-a-frame fashion, and surrounding them was another tale explaining the origins of the Panchatantra.
The story goes that Once Upon A Time there was great king who had three sons who were decidedly averse to education. The King, very concerned about leaving his kingdom to such unfit stewards, summoned his most trusted counselors to consider the issue. One of his counselors introduced the King to Vishnusharman—a Brahman with a reputation for skill in many sciences. Vishnusharman told the King that within six months, he would educate the boys in the art of intelligent living. The sage also refused to take any form of compensation for the King, declaring instead that if he failed in his task, Vishnusharman would give up his own name and the King could moon him. That’s right--the King could show Vishnusharman his bare bottom. The King, of course, accepted this offer, Vishnusharman took the boys to his home and had them memorize five books (The words Pancha and Tantra translate to “five principles”) that he composed. The books were called:
- Mitra Bhedha (The Loss of Friends)
- Mitra Laabha (Gaining Friends)
- Kakolookiyam (Crows and Owls)
- Labdhaprnasha (Loss of Gains)
- Aprikshitakaraka (Ill-Considered Action)
In six months, the Princes returned home ready to serve the kingdom and Vishnusharman retained his good name and was spared the sight of the King’s privates. It should be noted that Vishnusharman claims not to have created these stories, but merely assembled them for the education of the princes. They have been passed down since time immemorial to educate and inspire every generation of princes and princesses.
Eventually, the Panchatantra traveled West to the Sassanid Empire--what is now Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan--to be reincarnated as the Fables of Bidpai, but that's another story...
No comments:
Post a Comment