Vishnu Sharma facts for kids

A page from Kelileh o Demneh (1429), a Persian version of the Panchatantra. It shows the jackal Dimna talking to the lion king.

Vishnu Sharma was an ancient Indian scholar and writer. Many people believe he wrote the famous book called the Panchatantra. This book is a collection of short stories, often called fables. Fables are stories that usually feature animals acting like humans and teach a moral lesson.

We don't know exactly when Vishnu Sharma lived or when the Panchatantra was written. Some experts think it could be as old as 1200 BCE, while others believe it was around 300 CE. Some scholars even suggest he lived in the 3rd century BCE.

A Book That Traveled the World

The Panchatantra is one of the most translated non-religious books in history. This means it has been read and enjoyed by people all over the world.

Around 570 CE, the book was translated into a language called Middle Persian. Later, in 750 CE, a Persian scholar named Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa translated it into Arabic. This Arabic version was called Kalīlah wa Dimnah. It became incredibly popular in Baghdad, almost as famous as the Quran.

By the 11th century, the Panchatantra stories had reached Europe. Before the 1600s, you could find them in Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, and English. The stories traveled from places like Java to Iceland! Even famous writers, like Jean de La Fontaine in France, included many Panchatantra tales in their own works.

The Story Behind the Book

The beginning of the Panchatantra itself tells us that Vishnu Sharma wrote it. However, we don't have other old records about him. So, it's hard to know if he was a real person or a character made up for the story. Some experts think he might have been from Kashmir, based on the animals and places described in the tales.

The book's introduction tells a fascinating story about how the Panchatantra came to be. There was a king named Sudarshan. He ruled a kingdom with a capital city called Mahilaropya. We don't know where this city is on today's map of India.

King Sudarshan was very smart and a strong ruler. But his three sons, Bahushakti, Ugrashakti, and Shakti, were not interested in learning. The king was worried because his sons couldn't learn anything. He asked his advisors for help.

One advisor, named Sumati, gave the best advice. He said that learning about science, politics, and diplomacy takes a lifetime. Instead of trying to teach the princes everything formally, they should learn the wisdom hidden in these subjects. Sumati suggested that the wise old scholar Vishnu Sharma was the perfect person to do this.

So, Vishnu Sharma was invited to the king's court. The king offered him a lot of land if he could teach the princes. But Vishnu Sharma refused the reward. He said he didn't sell knowledge for money. However, he agreed to teach the princes about politics and leadership in just six months.

Vishnu Sharma knew that teaching these princes in a normal way wouldn't work. He decided to use a different method. He told them a series of animal fables, one story leading into another. These stories taught the princes the wisdom they needed to become good leaders.

He adapted old Indian stories that had been told for thousands of years. He put them together into an entertaining five-part book. This book taught the princes about diplomacy (how to handle relationships between people or countries), relationships, politics, and how to manage a kingdom.

These five parts are:

• "The Loss of Friends"
• "The Winning of Friends"
• "Of Crows and Owls"
• "Loss of Gains"
• "Imprudence"

Together, these five parts became the Panchatantra. Pancha means "five," and tantra means "treatises" or "books."

Images for kids

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  A page from Kelileh o Demneh (1429), a Persian version of the Panchatantra. It shows the jackal Dimna talking to the lion king.

See also

In Spanish: Visnú Sharma para niños