TEN LIFE PRINCIPLES FROM THE PANCHATANTRA

               BHASKAR JYOTI BORAH                          Panchatantra is said to be the oldest collection of moral stories in the world w...

              

BHASKAR JYOTI BORAH

        

            Panchatantra is said to be the oldest collection of moral stories in the world which were originally written in the Sanskrit language. ‘Pancha’ means five and ‘Tantra’ means strategies. Hence panchatantra implies five strategies or doctrines of conduct relating to firmness of mind, creation of wealth, earnest endeavour, friendship and knowledge. Each story of panchatantra gives valuable insight into the problems of life and practical wisdom to overcome those problems. The moral of the stories are closely related to our day to day problems.

In this blog I am sharing with You Ten Moral Principles which will be tremendously helpful to us for our personal transformation. I have extracted these principles from the book, The Complete Panchatantra OMNIBUS, Published by  Shree Book Centre, Mumbai.

Ten Principles from the Panchantantra:

1.    Don’t poke your nose in others’ affairs: This principle is from the story ‘The Monkey and the Wedge’. People often have a tendency to interfere in the affairs of other people who are not directly related to them. This action may sometimes invite misfortune and therefore must be avoided. Moreover it takes away our energy and focus to unnecessary matters. We must focus on the achievement of our goals only and not engage ourselves in trivial matters.

2.    Live a Life of Learning, Courage and Wealth: This amazing principle that I cherish is also from the same story ‘The Monkey and the Wedge’. It says, “Food is not the main thing in life. There are hundreds of ways of collecting food. What matters is a life full of learning, courage and wealth. If just staying alive is life’s goal, then even crow lives a long life eating just leftovers.”

3.    Foolish person who offers unasked advice invites insult: This is an universal principle. We should never render our own advice to people unless we are asked for. There are certain people who may not take even good advice for granted and may injure our reputation. It is therefore wise to never degrade your own value at your self will.

4.    One who doesn’t serve devotedly shall remain where he is: How true is this statement! When you do not work devotedly, You can’t make an iota of difference in your life. When work is combined with devotion, it gains power and powerful work not only transforms a person but also positively changes the society.

5.    On Knowing the Working of the Mind: Another very amazing principle to recognize people and their state of mind is: “Any changes in posture, signs, movement, actions, conversation, looks and expressions of a person indicate the working of his mind.” When dealing with people we must observe them carefully. By observing their reactions to the words spoken their mind could be read like a book.

6.    When time and tide are against you, don’t give up: In the story, ‘The Sage and the Thief’ it is so beautifully stated, “Wise man keep trying till they succeed in getting what they want. Pray to God by all means but keep trying. Even if you don’t succeed you will be free of blame.” Therefore, persistence and consistency is the only secret to success in any endeavor.

7.    The wise is stronger than the mightiest: Physical power is not the symbol of the mightiest. A wise person can achieve anything in life whatever he wants. Wisdom and insights are superior to bodily strength. A fool can’t change his own life even if he is physically strong. From the story, ‘The Heron and the Crab’.

8.    One should not go to war without assessing one’s own strength and of the enemy: In the story ‘The Hare and the Lion’, it is depicted how a hare by dint of his intelligence killed a mighty lion. We must not assess other people by their appearance but by their intelligence only.

9.    One should not make friends with unknown people: In the same story, ‘The Hare and the Lion’ as a reference to another story this truth was revealed that one should not make friendship with unknown people. You do not know the attributes of unknown people. What is unknown is unpredictable. Before you make friendship with someone, understand their character and find out whether they are worthy for friendship or not.

10. A person who can foresee danger and escapes, saves himself: The very important message of Panchatantra is that it used to rely on strategies to save oneself from potential dangers. It used to teach us lessons how on the basis of certain principles we can foresee danger and get escaped. If a person can’t develop the ability to foresee danger, he will be unable to save himself. From the story, ‘The Golden Droppings’.