We all cherish stories, and there are timeless tales that deserve to be passed down to the next generation. Storytelling is an art that intricately connects the narrator with the audience, engaging their senses of vision and hearing. When done effectively, storytelling has the power to transport both the storyteller and the listener to the enchanting world of the narrative. It allows them to vividly experience the characters and events through their minds, enabling them to see, hear, feel, and internalize the moral directly.
Here is a concise collection of 12 Panchatantra stories for everyone to know. Designed for storytellers to seamlessly share, these tales invite both young and old to immerse themselves in a world where imagination knows no bounds. So, let’s embark on this journey into the realm of stories—hop on!
Story – 1
The Elephants and The Mice
Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, there was a cheerful community of mice who called a big, ancient tree their home. They lived happily, playing and laughing together in their cozy little nests. Life was sweet, until one day, a herd of elephants came marching through.
The gigantic elephants, unaware of the tiny homes beneath their feet, accidentally trampled some of the mouse houses. The little mice were left sad and scared. But amidst the tiny squeaks of distress, the wise mouse king had a plan.
He bravely approached the leader of the elephants and kindly explained the situation. “Oh, mighty elephant king,” said the mouse king, “could you please find a different path, so our homes are safe?” Surprisingly, the elephant king was understanding and agreed. The elephants changed their route, and the little mice were spared from further harm.
As time went by, a new challenge appeared. Some people arrived with nets, aiming to capture the elephants. Remembering the kindness of the mice, the elephant king didn’t forget his little friends. He quickly dispatched one of his elephants to find the mouse king.
The elephant reached the mice in a hurry, explaining the looming danger. Without wasting a moment, the mouse king and his brave friends scurried to the scene. With their sharp little teeth, they skillfully cut the nets, freeing the grateful elephants.
In the end, a remarkable friendship blossomed between the mice and elephants. They lived harmoniously, always ready to lend a helping paw or trunk when the other needed it. And so, with the spirit of friendship and cooperation, the mice and elephants continued to live happily ever after under the shelter of the big, ancient tree.
Story – 2
The Heron and the Crab
Once upon a time, there was a heron who lived by a pond. This heron was very lazy and didn’t like working for its food. So, it came up with a sneaky plan. The heron pretended to be sad and told the fish in the pond that some fishermen were going to catch all the fish soon.
The heron said, “Oh no! The pond will be empty, and I won’t have any fish to eat. But don’t worry, I know a safe pond far away. I can take a few fish there every day to keep them safe.”
The fish were worried, so they agreed to the heron’s plan. Every day, some fish would go with the heron, trusting it to take them to a safer place. However, the heron was dishonest. Instead of taking the fish to a new pond, it went to a big rock, ate the fish, and left only the bones.
One day, a wise crab decided to check things out. It volunteered to go with the fish. When they reached the rock, the crab saw the truth. The heron had been tricking the fish all along. The crab got angry and grabbed the heron’s neck, snapping its head off. The heron selfishly paid the price for its lies.
The crab went back to the pond and told all the fish about the heron’s deceitful ways. From that day on, the fish were more careful and didn’t believe everything they heard. And they all lived happily, knowing the importance of being wise and not falling for tricks.
Story 3
The Gold Giving Serpent
Once, in a small village, there was a poor farmer who worked hard in his fields, but the crops didn’t grow much. One day, he found a snake living in an anthill on his field. Thinking it was the guardian spirit of his land, he decided to be kind and feed the anthill with milk every day.
To his surprise, one day, he found a shiny gold coin in the plate where he left the milk. From that day on, every time he gave milk to the snake, he got a gold coin in return. Happy with his good fortune, the farmer kept doing this.
One day, the farmer had to go to town, so he asked his son to take care of the snake by giving it milk. However, the son was greedy and thought, “Maybe there are more gold coins inside the anthill.” He hit the snake, but instead of finding gold, the snake attacked him, and sadly, he lost his life.
Story 4
The Crows and the Cobra
Once upon a time, in a big tree, lived two crows—a husband and a wife. Every time the wife laid eggs to have baby crows, a snake in the tree would eat her eggs. The crow couple felt sad and asked a smart jackal for help.
The clever jackal had an idea. He told the crows to take something valuable from a rich house, drop it near the snake’s home, and make sure the servants saw them. That way, the guards would follow them to get the valuable thing back.
Following the jackal’s advice, the crows did just that. They took something valuable, dropped it near the snake’s home, and made sure the servants saw them. True to the plan, the guards followed the crows, found the snake, and accidentally killed it while trying to get back the precious item.
The crow family was overjoyed because the snake wouldn’t eat their eggs anymore. And so, they lived happily in their big tree. The end.
Story 5
The Musical Donkey.
Once, there was a donkey named Uddhata. He helped a washerman by carrying bags during the day and ate in the fields at night. But instead of eating in his own field, Uddhata sneaked into a farm and munched on veggies.
While enjoying his sneaky snacks, Uddhata made friends with a jackal who also liked the farm’s food. One night, with a big full moon, the donkey felt like singing. The jackal warned him it might make the farmers angry, but Uddhata didn’t listen and started singing.
The farmers heard the loud song, got really mad, and beat up Uddhata. They tied a heavy mortar around his neck and chased him away from the farm. Poor Uddhata learned that singing at the wrong time could get him into big trouble. With the heavy mortar, he walked away, leaving the farm behind. The end.
Story 6
The four friends
Once upon a time, there were four special friends who lived deep in the forest – a deer, a crow, a mole, and a tortoise. Every afternoon, they gathered under a big banyan tree to chat.
One day, the deer didn’t show up on time. The mole, tortoise, and crow got worried. The mole told the crow, “You should fly around and find out where our deer friend is.” The crow agreed and quickly flew off.
Not far away, the crow discovered the deer trapped in a hunter’s net. Worried, she asked, “Friend deer, what happened?”
The deer explained, “I usually watch where I step, but this net was tricky. Now I’m stuck, and the hunter might come soon.”
“I’ll get help,” the crow promised, flying back to the banyan tree. She told the mole and tortoise everything.
The mole decided to go with the crow to cut the net with his sharp teeth. The crow carried the mole in her beak and flew back to the deer.
Working together, they freed the deer just in time. As they celebrated, the hunter arrived. The deer and crow escaped quickly, and the mole hid in a hole. But the tortoise, being slow, was caught.
The hunter planned to make soup from the tortoise. The crow and mole, worried about their friend, hatched a plan.
As the hunter carried the tortoise, they passed a lake where they saw a deer’s body. A crow sat on the antlers. The hunter was thrilled, thinking he had found another deer without having to hunt.
The crow’s caw signalled the plan. The deer ran, and the mole cut the tortoise free. The hunter lost both his prey, and the friends escaped to their banyan tree.
The tortoise thanked his friends, and the deer said, “As long as we help each other, we’ll always be safe!” The four friends continued meeting under the banyan tree, grateful for their friendship.
Story 7
Donkey in the Tigers skin
Once, there was a man named Raj who worked hard to take care of his big family. He had a donkey, but the donkey was always hungry, and Raj couldn’t afford enough food for him. The donkey became thin and weak.
One day, Raj found a tiger-skin in the fields. He had an idea to make his donkey happy. “I’ll put this tiger-skin on my donkey and let him roam in the fields. This way, he can eat lots and be healthy.”
So, every night, Raj dressed his donkey in the tiger-skin and let him go into the fields. The villagers got scared, thinking there was a real tiger, and they ran away. The donkey enjoyed a big meal in the fields and came back to Raj in the morning. Both Raj and the donkey were happy, and this went on for many months. The donkey grew strong and fat.
One night, while the donkey was eating in the fields, he heard another donkey braying nearby. The donkey couldn’t resist joining in. The villagers realized it was just a donkey, not a real tiger, and got very angry. They came with big sticks and hurt the donkey.
The next morning, when Raj went to check on his donkey, he found him lying on the ground, not moving. The clever plan didn’t end well, and Raj was very sad about losing his dear donkey.
Story 8
Monkey and the Crocodile
Once, there was a monkey who lived happily in a Jamun tree by the river. One day, a friendly crocodile stopped by under the tree, and the monkey shared some delicious Jamun fruits with him. They became good pals, and the crocodile visited often for more tasty treats.
One day, the crocodile said he wanted to take some fruit home for his wife. But when she tasted the fruit, she told him to bring her the monkey’s heart because it would be even sweeter. The crocodile didn’t want to do this because the monkey was his friend, but his wife insisted.
Sadly, the crocodile went to the monkey and said he wanted to introduce him to his wife. The monkey happily agreed and hopped on the crocodile’s back. But as they went deeper into the water, the monkey got scared. The crocodile felt bad and told the monkey about his wife’s plan.
Quick-thinking, the monkey said, “Sure, I’ll give you my heart, but I left it in the hollow of the tree. Can you take me back?” The crocodile believed him and brought the monkey back to the tree. Once they reached, the clever monkey scampered up the tree and stayed there. The crocodile realized he had been tricked and sadly swam away. The monkey was safe and happy in his tree home.
Story 9
Rabbit and the Lion
Once upon a time, in a jungle, there was a lion who scared all the other animals. They were worried that he would eat everyone, so they decided to give him one animal each day.
One day, it was the old rabbit’s turn. The rabbit, being very smart, took his time getting to the lion. When he finally arrived, the lion was furious and asked, “Why are you so late, old rabbit?”
The rabbit replied, “Oh mighty lion, on my way, I saw another lion. He ate five rabbits, and I barely escaped from him.”
The lion was surprised and curious. “Another lion? Show me!” he demanded. The rabbit led him to a well and said, “He lives inside here.”
Looking into the well, the lion saw his own reflection and believed it to be the other lion. Filled with anger, he jumped in to attack but couldn’t swim and drowned.
The clever rabbit, with a sly grin, remarked, “Looks like we’re safe now, thanks to a little trick.” And so, all the animals in the jungle lived happily ever after.
Story 10
The Jungle lessons: Smart Choices.
Once upon a time, there were four friends. Three were really smart but not very sensible, and one wasn’t that smart but had good sense. They thought of using their smarts to make money.
As they walked through a jungle, they stumbled upon a lion’s bones. The three smart friends were excited about bringing the lion back to life.
The sensible friend said, “Wait, guys, that’s not a good idea. It might be dangerous.”
The others chuckled, thinking he was just jealous. Ignoring his advice, the first friend said, “I’ll put the bones together.” The second friend added, “And I’ll make the skin and flesh.”
Observing them, the sensible friend warned, “I think this is a bad idea. We should be careful.”
But they didn’t listen. The third friend said, “I’ll make the lion come alive!” However, instead of being thankful, the lion attacked and killed the first three friends.
The sensible friend climbed down, sighed, and said, “I tried to warn them.” He shook his head and went back home, leaving the jungle behind.
And so, the story of the four friends teaches us the importance of listening to good advice. The end.
Story 11
The Loyal Mongoose
Once upon a time, there was a family with a pet mongoose they loved a lot. The mongoose was very loyal to them. One day, the mom went to get water and asked the mongoose to watch over the baby.
While she was away, a sneaky snake slithered into the baby’s room. The mongoose sensed the danger and bravely fought the snake, saving the baby from harm.
When the mom returned, she saw blood on the mongoose and thought it hurt the baby. Without checking, she got really mad and scolded the mongoose.
Later on, she found out the truth—that the mongoose had actually saved the baby. The mom felt really sorry for being too quick to get angry.
And so, the story teaches us an important lesson: it’s not good to make fast decisions without knowing the whole story. The end.
Story 12
The blue Jackal
In a land not far away, there lived a clever jackal. This jackal roamed from place to place, searching for food and adventure. One day, his journey led him to a town where he found himself being chased by energetic street dogs.
In his desperate escape, the jackal dashed into the yard of a washerman. To his surprise, there was a tub filled with indigo, a deep blue dye. Without thinking, he jumped right in. Emerging from the tub, the jackal was no longer his usual colour; he was now completely blue!
With his newfound blue coat, the jackal returned to the jungle. The other animals were utterly amazed by the sight of this peculiar blue creature. They believed he must be something extraordinary and began to worship him, treating him like a jungle king.
The clever jackal, enjoying the attention, kept up the act, never revealing the truth about his accidental blue makeover. All went well until one fateful night when the usual jackal chorus began. The blue jackal, unable to resist, joined in the howling, forgetting his disguise.
The other animals soon realized that he was just like them—a regular jackal. Feeling deceived and angry, they banished the blue jackal from the jungle. As he slinked away, the once-clever jackal learned a valuable lesson: honesty is far better than pretending to be something you’re not.
And so, the tale of the blue jackal became a cautionary story in the jungle, reminding everyone of the dangers that come with dishonesty.
