Panchatantra. A collection of fables and parables of ancient India. Ancient India - a land of fairy tales and amazing wonders - India - the birthplace of tales about animals

INDIA - THE HOMELAND OF TALES ABOUT ANIMALS

India is the birthplace of many fables and tales about animals. Get to know them. Which ones did you like best? How? What beliefs are associated with what is in ancient literature Indians actors often are animals?

India is the birthplace of many fables and tales about animals. This is largely due to the mythological and religious beliefs of the ancient Hindus. In Hindu beliefs, all living things in the world contain a divine spark, and in this respect, man differs from animals only in form. At the same time, a person, an animal, and even a plant is only one of the transitional forms into which the immortal soul is reincarnated on its path to perfection. Therefore, according to Hindu beliefs, every living creature contains a soul, perhaps even that of their ancestor.

The fauna of India is large and diverse. Since ancient times, Hindus have lived among numerous animals, which have become part of the life and beliefs of Hindus. Hindus worship some deities in the form of animals. Vishnu, for example, incarnated on earth as a fish, as a turtle, as a boar, in one of his incarnations he was half lion, half man. In addition, animals are in Hinduism and Vedic mythology vehicles and indispensable attributes of many Gods. Animals represent the energy of their gods and, like their owners themselves, are objects of worship.

For example, a cow represents abundance, purity, and holiness. Just like Mother Earth, the cow gives selfless sacrifice. It produces milk and other dairy products, which serve as the basis of a vegetarian diet. According to Hindu mythology, in order for a Hindu to reach heaven after death, he must swim across a river. This can only be done with the help of a cow, holding on to its tail. Today in India, pedestrians and motorists give way to these sacred animals without unnecessary words. And if, God forbid, you run over a cow, you can get a serious fine or even life imprisonment. Once on one of the busy roads there was a traffic jam for almost a day, because one such sacred animal decided to lie down, right in the middle of the street.

Monkeys are considered sacred animals in India. According to an ancient legend, the monkey king Hanuman stole delicious mangoes from the garden of the mythical giant and gave them to people. Also in ancient Indian legends, the monkey Hanuman helps the hero Rama save the beautiful princess Sita.

The Indians were afraid of snakes and tried to appease them. They placed lumps of boiled rice around the house as a treat for the snakes in the hope that the snakes would not bite people. Snakes crawl into Indian homes completely without permission. This happens especially often during the rainy season, when water floods their burrows. The spectacled cobra is considered sacred in Hinduism. On it rests the god Vishnu, the patron of goodness and law, in the waves of the world ocean. Cobras also wrap around the neck of the omnipotent Shiva. They wrap their rings around their hands and head. Buddha sat under the swollen hoods of a multi-headed cobra during his sermons, having previously turned her to the path of good, by the power of his teaching. In some provinces of India, the cult of cobra is widespread. One Indian woman even married a snake. For several years, the woman brought milk to her hole, which she accepted with gratitude. And she never even attempted to attack. At that time, the woman fascinated by the cobra was seriously ill, but she did not have the means to pay for treatment. The newlywed was sure that daily communication with the snake cured her illness. After the wedding, the new bride moved into a hut built next to the snake's hole.

Elephants enjoy special attention and respect among Indians. According to Hindu traditions, any person who harms an elephant incurs a curse. After all, the Earth rests on four elephants. So, one of the main gods was the wise god Ganesha with the head of an elephant. The Indians managed to tame the elephants, and they helped the Indians by dragging heavy logs or participating in battles.

We all remember famous story about the brave mongoose Riki-Tiki-Tavi, a story about a cat who walked by itself, and the tale of Mowgli from The Jungle Book, which became famous thanks to animated film adaptations. These stories were written English writer Rudyard Kipling, who was born in India and conveyed the Indian tradition of animal tales in his works. Indeed, India is home to numerous animal tales. In them, animals talk, feel, make friends, quarrel and make peace, show wisdom and ingenuity, betray each other and receive a well-deserved punishment for betrayal. Everything is like people. The same vices and worthy qualities. Using animals as an example, Indian fairy tales provide moral education children, showing what is good and what is bad.

Interesting Facts about Ancient India. A magical and fabulous country, one of the most ancient. India is full of secrets and mysteries; many facts about this state seem incredible. It is from India that many human achievements originate. Let's learn more about some of them.
  1. The favorite game of many, chess, has come to modern world from India.
  2. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of India made crystalline sugar from cane.. Many people who lived at that time were amazed at how honey could be made without bees; it was artificial honey made from sugar.
  3. India is the birthplace of the world famous hookah. They taught the Persians to smoke, the Persians taught the Egyptians, and so gradually the whole world learned about it.
  4. There are as many religions as in India, no other civilization has. In religion, Indian culture has no equal. Since ancient times, Hindus have worshiped many gods and composed a lot of legends and stories about the origin of humanity. The religion of India has left its mark on many modern creeds.
  5. The people of Ancient India did a lot for the development of science. Indian sages achieved enormous success in mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and also in linguistics. They knew the meaning of the number “pi”, and came up with the decimal counting system, the numbers we use are also their merit. Many mathematical terms were also invented by the people of India. In astronomy, they guessed about the rotation of the earth around its axis. Even in those distant times, doctors performed operations using special instruments. Doctors treated serious diseases with herbal remedies. While in other civilizations they had no idea about this.

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  6. Hindus are not inferior in literature. The Vedas are the most ancient literary heritage. They were created 2 thousand years ago BC. Later came Ramayana and Mahabharata. Next came the Panchatantra. It was a collection of fables, fairy tales, parables and legends, its contents were instructive.
  7. Surely everyone associates India with songs and dances; without this it is impossible to imagine this culture. Its origins Indian dances, theater is taken from the ancient rites of Indian tribes. Hindus consider Shiva to be the king of dance, and they also give preference to Krishna.
  8. There are quite a few achievements in chemistry. Ancient Hindus were knowledgeable about various metals and alloys. They knew how to create dyes, glass, jewelry, aromatic substances, and even poisons.
  9. Human anatomy was well known in ancient India. Doctors knew all the organs of the human body. They were able to correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
  10. Hindus were able to tame a huge animal - the elephant. These animals served to transport heavy loads and carry logs. They also took part in battles, warriors sat on them and shot arrows at enemies. Elephants trampled enemies. Hindus believed that elephants were of divine origin; one of their gods had the head of an elephant. Buffaloes served them to dig up the fields, and the cow was considered a sacred animal, she was called the mother and nurse. Killing a cow was considered a sin.

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  11. People built their homes along rivers or on the edge of the jungle. Ordinary Indians were engaged in growing wheat, vegetables and barley. They knew how to grow cotton, from which they made yarn, and made comfortable clothes. Over time, these clothes have colorfully transformed.

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  12. The cities of ancient India had sewerage systems. The sewage system was simply exemplary in those days. It was collected from a network of channels. Everything was done very thoughtfully and carefully. The channels were cleaned from time to time. Outside the city they made drains from bricks.
  13. There is information in history that the Indians led unusual wars . They used some kind of “weapon of the gods.” What is most interesting is that the effect of this weapon is similar to nuclear weapons; at that moment, humanity was still very far from such achievements.
  14. In the last century, a unique archaeological discovery was made. Near the Indus River, a huge city was excavated. Its length was 5 km, the city itself was divided into 12 parts. The streets were level and straight. The houses are built of clay and brick.
  15. In ancient India there were schools of sculpture. The largest of them are Gandhara, Mathura, and Amaravata. The sculptures of India are religious and cultural in nature. The Hindus have come up with a special manual for making sculptures.

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M, " Children's literature", 1988

“The children huddled around a gray-bearded storyteller in a snow-white turban. It’s stuffy in the house, but here, in the courtyard, fenced with a blank wall, under the tropical Indian night sky with large stars and bright moon, breathe easier. Grandfather's speech flows smoothly and smoothly. Grandfather tells a fairy tale. At the same time, attention, delight, enthusiasm, and an incomparable feeling of joy from meeting the wonderful were imprinted on the children’s faces,” with these fabulous words begins Volume 3 of the series “Tales of the Peoples of the World” - “Tales of the Peoples of Asia.” The compiler of the volume and the author of the introductory article and notes - Nikulin Nikolay Ivanovich. Indian folk tales included in our audio book are taken from this volume: “Brother Ambe and Brother Rambe”, “The Stupid Crocodile”, “Once Upon a Time There Was a Sparrow”, “The Nightingale and the Cotton Bush”, “About That , as the Sun, Moon and Wind went to dinner", "This is for that", "Good Dhir Singh", " golden fish", "Pepper Seed", "Poor Weaver", "Three Princes", "Who is Afraid of Whom?", "Sant and Basant", "Test of the Mind", "Stupid Brahmin", "Tenali Ramakrishna's Cat", "Pull", “Son of Pandit”, “What did the bear whisper in your ear?”, “Hard of hearing”, “Light from the temple”, “The man who went to seek his destiny”, “Sweets from heaven”, “The rooster and the cat”, “You listen to a fairy tale I don’t mind, but I can’t stand hunger,” “The Hunter and the Crow,” “Ugly Name,” “The Pea and the Bean.” Mostly fairy tales are magical, about animals, and everyday.
Animals in fairy tales talk and understand human speech, they help positive hero. In many Indian tales you will sense a mocking attitude towards monkeys; they apparently reminded the storytellers of fussy and unlucky people. It is not for nothing that in Ancient India they were said to be “changeable, like the thoughts of monkeys.”
We love fairy tales no less. These are fairy tales in which supernatural forces are necessarily at work. All the interest in a fairy tale is focused on the fate of the positive hero.
Later, everyday tales appeared. They do not have supernatural powers, magical objects or animals possessing magical power. IN everyday tales the hero is helped by his own dexterity, ingenuity, as well as the stupidity and slow-wittedness of his opponent. The hero of an Indian fairy tale, the intelligent and resourceful Tenali Ramakrishna, skillfully deceives the tyrant king. In everyday fairy tales there is a hero whom A. M. Gorky aptly called “ironic success”, classic example which may be Ivanushka - the fool from Russian fairy tales. He is stupid, narrow-minded, but luck accompanies him everywhere. In Indian folklore, such a hero is a stupid brahmana - a priest. He pretends that he is learned and smart, that he understands fortune-telling books, but in fact he shakes with fear every time he needs to show his art. But invariably, chance comes to his rescue every time, and the glory of a wise soothsayer is more and more firmly assigned to him. These are certainly funny tales.
The literature of every nation is rooted in oral folk art. The Indian epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana are closely associated with Indian folklore. The authors of the ancient Indian collections of stories “Panchatantra” (five books of fables and stories) and “Jataka” drew motifs, plots and images of their works from folk tales. IN literary monument The 11th century Indian poet Somadeva's "Ocean of Tales" contains over three hundred inserted stories: a fairy tale is intertwined with a myth, an anecdote, or a short story. Funny motives Indian fairy tales included in the huge collection “Ancient Tales”, which appeared in the 11th century in Japan.
Centuries pass, generations change, but interest in the fairy tale does not dry up. Let the most modern format - audio fairy tales - sound tempting in your home. Listen online, download and enjoy Indian folk tales!

“Brother Ambe and Brother Rambe” is an Indian folk audio tale about animals about resourceful mice who managed to outwit the cat, adapted by S. F. Oldenburg. "In one big house There lived a cat, and there were a lot of mice in the house. The cat caught mice, ate them and lived freely. A lot of time passed, the cat grew old, and it became difficult for him to catch mice. Thought, he thought how...

Indian folk audio tale "The Stupid Crocodile", translation by N. Tolstoy. A tale about animals: a predatory, stupid crocodile and a cunning jackal, who every time manages to outwit the crocodile and thereby save his life. “Once upon a time there lived a jackal in his hole near the river... And in the river there lived a crocodile. Every day he hid near the shore under the bushes in the hope that...

“Once upon a time there was a sparrow” is an Indian folk audio tale from the series “Tales of the Peoples of the World, Volume 3 - Tales of the Peoples of Asia, translation by G. Zograf. “Once upon a time there was a sparrow with a heifer, and there lived a king. The sparrow and the hen built a nest in the royal palace. The king lived in his chambers, and the sparrow and sparrow lived in their nest. Once the king dressed up in a new dress -...

“The Nightingale and the Cotton Bush” is an Indian folk audio tale about animals, arranged by S. F. Oldenburg, and tells about the habits of the nightingale in our tale. A fabulous explanation is given why nightingales never land on cotton bushes. The fairy tale ends in the following words: "...The nightingale got angry and, when the birds flew away, he said to the cotton...

“How the Sun, the Moon and the Wind Went to Dinner” is an Indian folk legendary audio tale from the cycle “Tales of the Peoples of the World”, arranged by S. F. Oldenburg. The etymological Indian folk tale reflects the natural world of India. In a fabulous way explains why the scorching sun in India (“...from now on your rays will be burning, and...

Indian folk audio tale about animals “This is for that”, arranged by S. F. Oldenburg. “Once upon a time there lived two friends - a camel and a jackal, and then the jackal said to the camel: “On the other side of the river there is a sugar cane field. Let’s cross the river, you eat sweet cane, and I will catch some fish for myself, and we will have a good dinner.” The camel took the jackal on the back,...

Indian folk magic audio tale "Good Dhir Singh", translation by A. and L. Barkhudarov, volume 3 "Tales of the Peoples of Asia". The fairy tale teaches kindness, through small actions of the heroes it highlights, separates good and evil. Once upon a time there lived a king. He was famous not for military victories, but for the construction of beautiful houses and temples. Good king!? He built the most beautiful palace. Same...

"The Golden Fish" is an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", translated by N. Gurov. A fairy tale about a greedy old woman and a weak-willed old man - a fisherman. Thanks to A.S. Pushkin - known to everyone Russian amateurs fairy tale plot. The audio fairy tale “Golden Fish” ends with these words: “... An old woman sits and weeps bitterly: I looked at her...

Indian folk magic audio tale "Pepper Seed", translation by N. Gurov, "Tales of the Peoples of Asia" - volume 3 of "Tales of the Peoples of the World". The mother had two hunter sons. One day they did not return home in the evening. The old woman was frightened - how could she live alone now: scared and hungry. A passing sorcerer gave her 6 peppercorns, ordered her to put them in a jug,...

"The Poor Weaver" is an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", volume 3 - "Tales of the Peoples of Asia", translated by G. Zograf. A magical fairy tale about magical assistant objects, about a gullible weaver and a deceiver and thief, an old woman who at the end of the fairy tale was taught a lesson by the poor weaver. He himself “...since then he was no longer in poverty.” To listen...

“Three Princes” is an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle “Tales of the Peoples of the World” - volume 3 “Tales of the Peoples of Asia”, translation by V. Balin. “In ancient times, there lived a king. He had three sons, one better than the other: brave, smart, and prudent. When the king grew old, he decided to leave his kingdom and live the rest of his days as a hermit in a holy monastery....

"Who's Afraid of Whom" is an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", translated by N. Gurov. A fairy tale about an evil spirit. “Not far from one village there grew a tall tree. On this tree for a long time lived a rakshasa - an evil spirit - a cannibal... One day, two women, two sisters, came there from the village and stood under the very tree for themselves...

Indian folk audio tale "Sant and Basant", translation by A. Barkhudarov, "Tales of the Peoples of Asia" - volume 3 of "Tales of the Peoples of the World". Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen, they had two sons. The eldest was called Sant and the youngest was Basant. Happy, loving family it was. In the queen's bedchamber, a bird built a nest, and two chicks hatched there. Caring birds fed...

"Test of the Mind" is an Indian folk audio tale - a parable from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", translated by G. Zograf. The young king had an old adviser - experienced and wise. "...The young king highly respected the adviser and did everything as he said. The other courtiers saw how the adviser was held in high esteem, and they were deprived of peace - envy tormented them. Everyone was vying with each other...

Indian folk audio tale "The Foolish Brahman" is about a lazy and cowardly Brahman. Brahman is a person from the upper priestly class in Ancient India. God Brahma is the highest deity of the Hindus. Goddess Bhavani (who was prayed to by the unlucky but lucky brahman) is a Hindu goddess, the guardian mother of the earth. Pandit is a scientist...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "Tenali Ramakrishna's Cat", translation by N. Gurov, "Tales of the Peoples of Asia" - volume 3 of "Tales of the Peoples of the World". About a resourceful poet and the need for wise decisions of rulers. “Many years ago, the smart and cheerful poet Tenali Ramakrishna lived at the court of the great king Krishnadevaraya. They say that he once called for...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "Pull" about a clumsy boy and a savvy rogue servant, translated by G. Zograf. “Once upon a time there was a boy. He was so simple-minded, slow-witted, he couldn’t stand up or turn around. They invited him once to a wedding. So his father sent a servant with him. And the servant was very smart. All the way he instructed the boy to be a guest. ..

Indian folk audio tale "The Son of a Pandit" (a pandit is a learned Brahman), translation by B. Kuznetsov. "At the court of King Pradip, poets and pandits were held in high esteem. Among them there was one pandit named Vidyadhar - the source of knowledge. Vidyadhar's father, grandfather and great-grandfather were court poets. After the death of his father, Vidyadhar took his place. But from his...

Indian folk audio tale "What did the bear whisper in your ear?" has a similar plot to Russian folk tale"Two comrades." "Two friends were walking through the forest. Suddenly they saw a bear. One, in fear, climbed a tree and hid in the foliage. The other remained in front of the bear without any protection. He fell to the ground and lay as if dead. He once heard that...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "Deaf of Hearing" - Indian interpretation of what funny situation It happens when people talking can’t hear each other. “There lived in a village a shepherd with his wife and his parents. And all four of them were hard of hearing. Once a shepherd was plowing a field, and two passers-by walked past. They asked him: “We need to go to Ramnagar. Which one is there...

Indian folk audio tale "The Light from the Temple", translation by G. Zograf. “There lived a rich man in one village, and opposite his house there was a pond. Once a poor man came to the rich man and asked for help. The rich man said: “If you stay in the pond all night, I’ll give you twenty rupees.” “I’ll do it,” said the poor man and made the rich man swear three times, that he will not refuse what he promised..."...

Indian folk magic audio tale "The Man Who Searched for His Destiny", arranged by S. F. Oldenburg. Once upon a time there lived a man. He had a wife and twelve children, but not a single rupee of money. The children were crying from hunger, and the parents did not know what to do. The man got angry with God and went to seek his destiny. In the forest he met a camel with...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "Sweets from Heaven", with a well-known international plot, incl. the plot of the Spanish fairy tale “When donuts fell from the sky”, translation by G. Zograf. One poor woman lived by spinning thread. She had a son. Once she gave him the threads to take to the market to sell. He walks and walks, and lo and behold, a lizard is sitting on the fence. Lizard...

Indian folk audio tale "The Rooster and the Cat". Once upon a time there lived a rooster. And a cat often ran into the house and always stole something from the kitchen. Every time the rooster cried ku-ka-re-ku at the sight of a cat, people came running and chased the cat away. The cat decided that she needed to lure the rooster to become her ally. She promised him that she would share the rooster...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "You wouldn't mind listening to a fairy tale", translation by G. Zograf - about a stingy housewife and a hungry passerby. Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife in the same village. They were very stingy. God forbid a passerby knocks on their door. They won’t feed him, won’t give him anything to drink, they’ll barely find a place for him to spend the night, and they’ll even force him to work. I knocked on them...

Indian folk magic audio tale "The Hunter and the Crow". The hunter had a crow. She fed from him, then flew away early in the morning and returned at night. She spent the whole day in the courtyard of the god Brahma. There she learned all the news and plans of Brahma and told the hunter what to do. No matter how hard Brahma tried to destroy the rice harvest and arrange...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "Ugly Name", translation by G. Zograf, "Fairy Tales of the Peoples of Asia" - volume 3 of "Fairy Tales of the Peoples of the World". There lived a peasant and his wife in the same village. His name was Thunthuniya. Every day, his wife told him: “What an ugly name you have!” Take something else - a beautiful one. One morning Thunthuniya left home to look for...

Indian folk audio fairy tale "The Pea and the Bean" is about two sisters: the older one is angry, lazy and grumpy, and the younger one is kind and hardworking. Once upon a time there lived two sisters. The eldest, Bobok, was grumpy and angry, and the youngest, Pea, was kind and affectionate. One day, Goroshina invited her sister to visit her father together. She replied that she didn’t want to for the sake of...

Ancient India- a country fairy tales And amazing miracles- gave the world priceless art treasures. Monuments of ancient Indian architecture, sculpture and painting are distinguished by such living power of influence and such original beauty that they cannot be confused with monuments of another country. Originating in times as distant as the culture of Western Asia and Egypt, Indian culture in ancient times followed the same path of development as these countries. But it took shape in slightly different ways natural conditions, which left a special imprint on its formation. Belief in the miraculous power of nature became the basis of all Indian mythology and Indian culture. Indian mythology has provided enormous material for visual arts. Inextricably intertwined with each other, architecture, sculpture and painting have conveyed to our time in earthly and beautiful, and sometimes frightening images of people, animals and demons that legendary-mythological sense of the world, which originated in the depths of Indian fantasy back in ancient times.

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India

"Japan China India" - Koran from the Ming Dynasty. Korean women in traditional casual costumes. The population of India is a diversity of races and peoples. China. Industry in Japan first developed along an evolutionary path. "Forbidden City" in Beijing with the Imperial Palace complex - Gukong. The western part of China is located within Central Asia.

“Architecture of Ancient India” - Freely placed rathas seemed to form part of the free world. A majestic bust of a three-faced deity who simultaneously embodies the forces of destruction. The portico with massive pillars also blocked the penetration of sunlight. author Zyryanova E.V. Fighting deer 17th century. Art of medieval India.

“Religion of India” - There is no division of society into varnas (castes). Sikh. Presentation: Religions of India. Jiva is a living, spiritual principle, possessing an eternal soul and consciousness. Samaveda - sacrificial songs. Brahmanism. Atharva Veda - prayer chants and spells. Shudras are servants, dependents. "Untouchables" Rigveda is a collection of ancient hymns.