Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t11.3

v2.c10.s3.t11.3

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