1. The Prosperous Kingdom and the King’s Distress
This story starts in India, in a wonderful kingdom. A kingdom whose citizens were known for their respect for learning, elders, and community. A strong culture of mutual support - the wealthy supported public works ensuring that no one in the kingdom lacked basic needs.
At the centre of this prosperity was a king. His appearance reflected his discipline and focus. He was very learned and extremely accomplished in various arts and skills. He had three sons whose conduct showed a fierce dislike for reading, writing and listening to teachers.
The king was sad. Without proper skills and knowledge his sons would be easily manipulated. They needed to learn. But how? They were getting older, but not wiser.
2. The Ministers’ Counsel and the Search for a Teacher
One afternoon, the King spoke to his ministers and disclosed the problem. He spoke.
if a child is never born, or dies young, the parents suffer a terrible grief, but that suffering has a clear ending point. However, a son remains completely uneducated and is unable to take responsibility is a problem that never ends.
It is also like a cow that does not give milk and does not produce a calf. that cow becomes a liability.
One minister said learning was a lifelong process and asked the king not to worry.
Another minister intervened and spoke
Time is short. We need a direct approach to prepare the young princes. I know of an excellent scholar who can do this: his name is Vishnu Sharma. The princes would need to be placed in his care. In a short period, Vishnu Sharma would prepare them. Vishnu Sharma himself was highly educated and had deep understanding all texts. He had unconventional methods of teaching. He would be the best option.
3. Meeting Vishnu Sharma and the Agreement
The King felt hopeful. He went and met Vishnu Sharma. Vishnu Sharma was an aged rishi who had dedicated his life to teaching and study. The king invited him to his kingdom. They travelled back to the palace.
In the palace the king laid out his problem. He explained his sorrow over his sons’ complete lack of understanding and knowledge. the King made his plea: “Please educate my sons in principles of statecraft and ethical living. I shall be so grateful to you.”
Sir - the King continued, - if you accept this task, I shall be so grateful to you that I shall present you with a hundred tax-free villages.
Vishnu Sharma was clear. - I would not like to sell my knowledge out of greed for money.
The King begged the scholar for forgiveness. Vishnu Sharma explained, his goal was the act of teaching and producing learned students, not monetary reward.
Vishnu Sharma said - I am ready to take up the task of teaching your sons. In six months, I will make them completely ready to assume their responsibilities for you. If I fail to accomplish this task, I will give up teaching.
4. The Five Principles of the Panchatantra
The following morning, Vishnu Sharma prepared to depart with the princes. He instructed the boys to take leave of their parents one last time. After saying their goodbyes to the King and Queen, the scholar took the three young princes and led them away from the palace, toward his ashrama to begin their education.
Once the three young princes were settled, Vishnu Sharma said he would not teach the boys anything. Instead, he would tell them stories. Through the stories, they would get the skills and understanding that was needed.
These stories were divided into five principles and where called the Panchatantra.
The first principle was about Conflict Amongst Friends. This focused on how disagreements were created, and the strategies enemies used to cause splits between friends.
The second principle was about how to win friends. This taught about trust, alliance, cooperation, and how to build relationships.
The third was about Crows and Owls. This dealt with political strategy, war, and peace and how to gauge the opponents’ strength, how to stay alert.
The fourth was about Loss of gains. This showed how poor decision-making and the importance of holding onto what you have earned, using sound judgment.
The fifth and final one was Ill considered actions. This warned against acting impulsively.
By weaving the principles of statecraft into these five groups, Vishnu Sharma began his six-month challenge to educate the princes.
It is said that anyone who is able to understand the teachings behind the stories would be ready to face any opponent or face any challenge in life.
5. The Core Lessons for the Reader
Children do not grow through pressure; they grow through methods that match their temperament. Vishnu Sharma’s choice of storytelling shows that teaching works best when it connects with how a person actually learns, not how we expect them to learn.
The story here set the foundation for why the Panchatantra exists, as a training manual for real-world conduct. It explains why the lessons were structured as stories instead of dry instruction — to ensure the students absorb ideas quickly and remember them, when under pressure.
The three princes are not just any princes. They represent any young person with potential but no direction. By adding a number (three) it goes on to show that this is not something limited to a person but is an issue with more.
Right method always beats the rigid method. For the teacher to be successful in his/ her ways, they have to adapt as per the student. They should not expect the student to adapt to their ways. Stories are powerful tools. They leverage how the human brain processes, stores, and connects information. These stories simplify complex ideas and help people recall them when needed.
Parents and leaders carry responsibility.
To build sharper thinking, steady judgment, and stronger relationships, start the way Vishnu Sharma taught the princes — by breaking learning into small, useful ideas and applying them daily. Read, listen, question, and observe.
Begin today.
And next week - the animals stories, and with that a story about a bullock.
Note on Names of characters: The original story has names which I have left out. The king has a name, the princes have names and one of the ministers, who tells the king about Vishnu Sharma has a name. If you want the names added, let me know in the comments. I will surely add them.
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