The Fall of the Indigo Jackal: The Discourse of Division and Purnabhadra's Pancatantra

Appendix 2

Appendix 2 Summary of Stories in Pu –r . nabhadra’s Pañcatantra Story 0-00 Katha – mukha The Pañcatantra frame-story: King Amaraśakti engages the bra – hma. na Vi. s . nuśarman to educate his three dull-witted sons. Vi. s . nuśarman composes the Pañcatantra. Story 1-00 “Lion and Bull” To improve his prestige, a jackal used deceit to encourage the friendship between a stray bull and a lion. When, under the influence of the bull, the lion neglected his duties, the jackal rued his actions, and used deceit to set the lion and bull against one another. Story 1-01 “Ape and Wedge” A monkey playing on a construction site pulled a wedge out of a half-split log; his testicles were crushed and he died. 197 Story 1-02 “Jackal and Drum” A jackal supposed an abandoned war-drum to be a carcass full of fat. On tearing the skin and looking inside, he was disappointed to find it was only wood and skin. Story 1-03 “Merchant and King’s Sweep” A lowly sweeper artfully exerted his influence over a king to revenge an insult by bringing about a powerful merchant’s downfall and then causing his subsequent reinstatement. Story 1-04a “Monk and Swindler” A rogue who pretended to be a pious disciple robbed a mendicant of his wealth. Story 1-04b “Rams and Jackal” A jackal saw two rams crashing their heads together. He was so intent on licking up their blood that he was crushed between them and died. Story 1-04c “Cuckold Weaver” A go-between had her nose cut off by accident while trying to encourage one of her clients, a weaver’s wife, to meet her lover. Story 1-05 “Crows and Serpent” To get rid of a cobra that lived in his tree, a crow stole a golden chain and dropped it into the snake’s hole. When men came to retrieve the chain, they saw and killed the snake. 198 APPENDIX 2 Story 1-06 “Heron, Fishes and Crab” A heron tricked a crab and carried him off in its bill. Before the heron was able to eat him, the crab severed the bird’s head with his nippers. Story 1-07 “Lion and Hare” A rabbit tricked a lion into thinking that his reflection in a well was a rival. The lion leaped into the water and drowned. Story 1-08 “Weaver as Vis .n .u” A weaver fell in love with a princess. He disguised himself as the god Vi. s . nu and won her heart. Her father, the king, called on him to defend his kingdom. The real Vi. s. nu was obliged to intervene to protect his reputation. Story 1-09 “Grateful Beasts and Thankless Man” A man rescued a tiger, a monkey, and a snake from a well, and they all repaid his kindness. He also rescued a goldsmith who betrayed him. Story 1-10 “Louse and Flea” A louse admitted a flea to the king’s bed on the understanding that it would not bite the king until he was asleep. The flea bit the king prematurely and escaped, but the louse was discovered and killed. Story 1-11 “Blue Jackal” A jackal, accidentally dyed blue, declared himself king of the forest , and lorded it over the lions, and so on. One day, he heard other jackals howling in the distance and joined in. The other animals discovered his true nature and killed him. Appendix 2 199 Story 1-12 “Goose and Owl” A goose formed a friendship with an owl. An archer shot an arrow at the owl, but hit the goose. Story 1-13 “Lion’s Retainers Outwit Camel” By trickery, a jackal convinced a camel to offer itself as food to a lion. Story 1-14 “Lion and Wheelwright” A wheelwright befriended a lion in the forest, but when the lion’s villainous entourage appeared, the wheelwright grew uneasy. Story 1-15 “Strand-Bird and Sea” A lapwing boasted that the ocean could not harm him, so the ocean stole his eggs to test him. The lapwing enlisted the help of other birds, Garu. da, and even Vi. s. nu, and the ocean was forced to return the eggs. Story 1-16 “Two Geese and Tortoise” A tortoise was rescued from a shrinking lake by two friendly geese. He held on to a...