A fable is a timeless piece of wisdom presented in the form of a story. The Panchatantra contains three fables that teach morals, but also contain insights into human nature. We will identify these insights contained in the Panchatantra and analyze them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the story "The Foolish Friend" a king befriends a monkey and treats him as if he were the most precious human companion. He even gives the monkey a sword. In the Hindu religion, animals play a very important role in divinity. The Monkey in the Hindu religion represents the god known as Hanuman, the god of power and strength. This may have influenced the king's decision to befriend the monkey. Unfortunately, the monkey accidentally kills the king while trying to cut a bee off his head with his sword. The king was too trusting and forgot what his friend, a monkey, really was. He was very foolish and blind because he could not see the danger in trusting a monkey. Humans are blind when they are stupid, they cannot see what is right in front of them. The king in this tale is a great example of this human trait. In the fable, "The Serpent Who Gives Gold", a farmer befriends a snake who gives him gold in exchange for milk. When the farmer's son tries to kill the snake and steal the gold, he is killed by the snake. The farmer goes back and tries to redeem himself with the snake but the snake rejects him because he is there out of greed and selfishness. Hindus believe that the serpent is the symbol of one of their gods, in this case the god of wisdom. In Hindu society, the serpent is a creature of wisdom. Of course, the farmer was wise to offer him tribute in exchange for the gold. The father cared about the serpent's gold more than his son. The farmer was greedy, which led to his ultimate destruction. In the fable "The Wife of Brahman and the Mongoose", the mother distrusts her son simply because he is a mongoose. In Hindu society, a mongoose is a vile creature that cannot be trusted. Brahman was not greedy in this story, but simply thought that it was more important to get money to support the family than to protect one child from another child. The mother was suspicious and this led to her ruin. This story teaches a moral: "Don't judge a book by its cover." Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Where would we be without stories with morals? How would wisdom be passed down? Humans valued courage, altruism, and other similar classical values. Epics were a way to pass on these values. Fairy tales are another. Fairytale stories are moral compasses.