Panchatantra

The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story. The surviving work is dated to about 300 CE, but the fables are likely much more ancient

Via: I am reading Vishnu Shastri’s Panchatantra for weeks now. It’s a life manual. Story by story, with context and commentary you won’t find in motivational quotes or TED Talks. These weren’t bedtime tales. They were survival tools for rulers, packed with strategy, psychology, and human nature. https://x.com/SandeepMall/status/1955578514394022077

One story hit differently this time. The tortoise and the two swans. When their pond dried up, the swans flew the tortoise to a new one, carrying him on a stick. He just had to bite down and stay silent. Mid-flight, villagers laughed at the sight. The tortoise opened his mouth to shout back. He fell to his death.
As a kid, I laughed when I read this in a comic book. As an adult, I paused. I have been that tortoise - needing to correct someone, to defend myself, to prove I was right… even when it cost me peace.
How often have I wasted energy 'setting the record straight' just because my pride couldn’t keep quiet? That tortoise died of ego. A very human problem. My problem. Our problem. These tales are mirrors. We live in a world full of answers but short on questions.
Reading Panchatantra now I see myself. my mistakes, defences, fears, and hopes.This time I am reading it as a student of life, trying to see clearly, live thoughtfully… and maybe avoid falling out of the sky because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut

https://www.talesofpanchatantra.com/short-stories-for-kids