Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t11: Pancatantra
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t11
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Pancatantra
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*Panchatantra* is an ancient Indian collection of fables written in Sanskrit. The earliest version was compiled in the 12ᵗʰ century, while some of the oldest stories may have existed since 6ᵗʰ century BCE, and the earliest text may date back to the 2ⁿᵈ or 3ʳᵈ century CE.
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Contents
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It begins with a short introduction, saying that a king asks a Brahman to instruct his three ignorant princes who does not like reading, and for their benefit, this Brahman tell stories that constitutes the rest of the *Panchatantra*. It consists of five books. In the first book, titled “The Separation of Friends”, a main story narrates that a lion and a bull were good friends, yet were separated by jackal, which is also interwoven with 30 stories. In the second book, titled “The Gaining of Friends”, the main story relates that a crow, turtle, rabbit and deer become friends and work together to escape from the hunter, and is interwoven with nine stories. In the third book, titled “War and Peace”, the main story narrates that crows and owls are traditional enemies and the crows play tricks and defeat the
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'Pañcatantra', front cover of the Chinese edition
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owls, and interwoven with 17 stories. In the fourth book, titled “Loss of Gains”, there is one main story as well as another 11 stories. The fifth book, titled “Rash Deeds”, also include a main story and another 11 stories. Together, it includes a total of 83 stories, with five main stories and 78 inter-woven stories. However, the actual number of stories is more than this.
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Features
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Besides general characteristics of fables, the *Panchatantra* has its unique points: 1. Structurally, it includes several main stories, each of which in return contains several stories. 2. It is composed in prose and verse, and narrates the story with prose and from time-to-time insert rhythmic verses and epigrams. 3. Most of its stories are animal fables.
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Influence in China
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In addition to a worldwide influence, the *Panchatantra* also has a considerable influence in China. Many of its stories are similar to those in the *Jataka*, which were already translated into Chinese in the 2ⁿᵈ or 3ʳᵈ century CE or even earlier, and so, are not foreign to ancient Chinese. Moreover, some of its stories are told in Tibet, Xinjiang Yunnan and Guangxi. Being translated into Mongolian long ago, it is also well-known in Inner Mongolia. In 1930, Xu Dishan gave a brief introduction of the Panchatantra and stories in it in his book “Indian Literature”. In 1959, Ji Xianlin translated the complete Panchatantra, and in the preface and the postscript of the 1979 reprint, he introduced in details its compilation and influence in China. A quite detailed account was also provided by Jin Kemu in *A History of Sanskrit Literature* (1964) and by Huang Baosheng in *Ancient Indian Literature* (1988). In modern times, Chinese scholars on comparative literature and folk literature often use the stories of the *Panchatantra* for comparative study.
Linked texts (2)
- Jātaka — Pāli
- Pañcatantra — Viṣṇuśarman, Sanskrit