Wisdom
Stories passed down generations, with what they taught then and why they matter today.
Panchatantra, Book III
A brahmin was carrying a goat home. Three crooks wanted it. One by one they met him on the road, and each asked, with a straight face, why he was carrying a dog. By the third, he doubted his own eyes, put the goat down and walked away. The crooks took it.
Panchatantra, Book IV
A monkey shared rose-apples from his tree with a crocodile, and they became friends. The crocodile's wife wanted the monkey's heart, so the crocodile offered him a ride across the river. Midstream he confessed the plan. The monkey said calmly, 'You should have told me. I left my heart in the tree.' The crocodile swam back, and the monkey leapt to safety.
Panchatantra, Book V
Four friends set out to make their fortune: three were learned scholars, one had only common sense. In a forest they found a lion's bones. The scholars each used their learning to rebuild it, competing to show off. The fourth warned them, then climbed a tree. The lion came to life and killed the three.
Panchatantra, Book I
When their lake began to dry up, two geese offered to fly their friend the tortoise to a new lake. He would hold a stick in his mouth while they carried its ends, and he must not speak. Villagers below laughed at the sight. The tortoise opened his mouth to answer them, and fell.