Panchatantra

Panchatantra

From “The Tale of Numskull and the Rabbit”

Panchatantra is a collection of tales and fables that teach lessons about life. In the tale of “Numskull and the Rabbit”, the lion, Numskull, is a strong and cruel king who murders by hunger and pleasure. The animals are concerned and make a pact to sacrifice one animal daily for Numskull to eat. One day, a rabbit is chosen as the sacrifice and he plans to outsmart the lion. The rabbit arrives late and takes advantage of the lion’s anger to fool him. So the rabbit takes him to a well, where Numskull sees his reflection and believes it’s another lion, attacks the water and drowns.

The teachings of this fable include how to be a good, wise, and kind leader. Numskull is shown as a cruel and careless leader, whose pride is his weakness. The animals mention some proverbs about how must a leader behave and rule with justice. The story also shows how intelligence can beat strength. The rabbit is a clever animal that shows the lion who he really is. When Numskull sees his reflection in the water, he realizes who he is, but is so full of pride that it blinds him, leading him to kill himself. Many leaders have had this problem, like Adolf Hitler, who was so proud of his strength that was blinded by power and greed, and in the end, he committed suicide. Respecting others is something important that must be a base for strong and wise leaders.