Videos of Panchatantra stories in Sanskrit with English translation

This YouTube channel features the Panchatantra stories recited in Sanskrit:

https://www.youtube.com/c/panchatantra-stories

Panchatantra has stories divided into 5 tantras or chapters. These chapters are Mitrabheda, Mitrasamprapti, Kakolukiyam, Labdhapranasham and Aparikshitakarakam. Each of these tantras has a main thread story which expands on the main theme of the tantra by including many sub-stories. It is very typical to find these sub-stories presented as independent or standalone stories. While that itself has value, the main intent of the Panchatantra can be seen or understood by listening to these sub-stories in the context of the main thread story. All these sub-stories have been used to support a particular argument by the characters of the main story. So in order to get a holistic understanding of Panchatantra, it is useful to first start from the main thread story and then jump into the thread story like how it has been presented in the original Panchatantra.

Panchatantra is a combination of prose and poetry. Innumerable Subhashitas have been included from various other Sanskrit works in Panchatantra. Most of the time, in the commonly found Panchatantra translations, this wealth of learning from Subhashitas is mostly lost.

This YouTube channel is an attempt to present the stories in the same way they appear in the original Panchatantra. The stories have been slightly shortened but care has been taken to ensure that the essence of the stories isn’t lost. The story narration here retains many of the Subhashitas as well. The videos include Devanagari script along with simple English translation. Intention is to get the audience interested in the Original Sanskrit Panchatantra.

Here is the list of stories with their YouTube links:

Where to start?

1. I recommend that you watch the above 4min video first which gives an idea of how Panchatantra is structured and details about its contents.
2. Next watch the kathāmukham कथामुखम् which explains why Vishnu Sharma wrote Panchatantra.
3. Next you can listen to one tantra at a time and the 5 tantras are independent of each other. Here it is recommended that you take up the thread story from each tantra which gives the complete picture of that tantra. Thread story will cover all the sub-stories in the order they should be covered.
4. If you don’t have enough time, you can jump to any sub-story of any tantra as any sub-story can be watched independently too.

kathāmukham कथामुखम्

Why was Panchatantra written?

1. mitrabhedaḥ मित्रभेदः

Thread story

• mitrabhedaḥ thread story मित्रभेदः सूत्रकथा part1
• mitrabhedaḥ thread story मित्रभेदः सूत्रकथा part2
• mitrabhedaḥ thread story मित्रभेदः सूत्रकथा part3
• mitrabhedaḥ thread story मित्रभेदः सूत्रकथा part4

Sub-stories

• 1.1. kīlotpāṭi-vānara-kathā कीलोत्पाटि-वानर-कथा
• 1.2. gomāyu-dundubhi-kathā गोमायु-दुन्दुभि-कथा
• 1.3. dantila-gorambha-kathā दन्तिल-गोरम्भ-कथा
• 1.4. āṣāḍhabhūti-jambuka-dūtī-kathā आषाढभूति-जम्बुक-दूती-कथा
• 1.5. mithyāviṣṇu-kaulika-kathā मिथ्याविष्णु-कौलिक-कथा
• 1.6. kākī-kanakasūtra-kṛṣṇasarpa-kathā काकी-कनकसूत्र-कृष्णसर्प-कथा
  • 1.6.1. baka-karkaṭaka-kathā बक-कर्कटक-कथा
• 1.7. siṃha-śaśaka-kathā सिंह-शशक-कथा
• 1.8. mandavisarpiṇī-matkuṇa-kathā मन्दविसर्पिणी-मत्कुण-कथा
• 1.9. caṇḍarava-śṛgāla-kathā चण्डरव-शृगाल-कथा
• 1.10. uṣṭra-kākādi-kathā उष्ट्र-काकादि-कथा
• 1.11. ṭiṭṭibha-samudra-kathā टिट्टिभ-समुद्र-कथा
  • 1.11.1. kāṣṭhabhraṣṭa-kacchapa-kathā काष्ठभ्रष्ट-कच्छप-कथा
  • 1.11.2. trayāṇāṃ-matsyānāṃ-kathā त्रयाणां-मत्स्यानां-कथा
  • 1.11.3. caṭakadampati-kuñjara-kathā चटकदम्पति-कुञ्जर-कथा
• 1.12. siṃha-śṛgāla-kathā सिंह-शृगाल-कथा
• 1.13 sūcīmukha-vānara-kathā सूचीमुख-वानर-कथा
• 1.14. vānara-caṭakadampati-kathā वानर-चटकदम्पति-कथा
• 1.15. dharmabuddhi-pāpabuddhi-kathā धर्मबुद्धि-पापबुद्धि-कथा
  • 1.15.1. mūrkhabaka-nakula-kathā मूर्खबक-नकुल-कथा
• 1.16. lauhatulā-vaṇikputra-kathā लौहतुला-वणिक्पुत्र-कथा
• 1.17.1. nṛpasevaka-vānara-kathā नृपसेवक-वानर-कथा
• 1.17.2 caurabrāhmaṇa-kathā चौरब्राह्मण-कथा

2. mitrasamprāptiḥ मित्रसम्प्राप्तिः

Thread story

• Mitrasamprāptiḥ thread story मित्रसम्प्राप्तिः सूत्रकथा part1
• Mitrasamprāptiḥ thread story मित्रसम्प्राप्तिः सूत्रकथा part2

Sub-stories

• 2.1. hiraṇyaka-tāmracūḍa-kathā हिरण्यक-ताम्रचूड-कथा
  • 2.1.1. tilavikraya-śāṇḍilī-kathā तिलविक्रय-शाण्डिली-कथा
    • 2.1.1.1 pulinda-śūkara-śṛgāla-kathā पुलिन्द-शूकर-शृगाल-कथा
• 2.2. prāptavyamartha-vaṇikputra-kathā प्राप्तव्यमर्थ-वणिक्पुत्र-कथा
• 2.3. mandabhāgya-somilaka-kathā मन्दभाग्य-सोमिलक-कथा
  • 2.3.1. vṛṣabhānusāri-śṛgāla-kathā वृषभानुसारि-शृगाल-कथा

3. kākolūkīyam काकोलूकीयम्

Thread story

• kākolūkīyam thread story काकोलूकीयम् सूत्रकथा part1
• kākolūkīyam thread story काकोलूकीयम् सूत्रकथा part2
• kākolūkīyam thread story काकोलूकीयम् सूत्रकथा part3

Sub-stories

• 3.1. kākolūkānāṃ-vairotpatti-kathā काकोलूकानां-वैरोत्पत्ति-कथा
  • 3.1.1. śaśa-gajayūtha-kathā शश-गजयूथ-कथा
  • 3.1.2. śaśaka-kapiñjala-kathā शशक-कपिञ्जल-कथा
• 3.2. dhūrtatraya-brāhmaṇacchāga-kathā धूर्तत्रय-ब्राह्मणच्छाग-कथा
• 3.3. pipīlikā-ca-sarpasya-kathā पिपीलिका-च-सर्पस्य-कथा
• 3.4. brāhmaṇa-sarpa-kathā ब्राह्मण-सर्प-कथा
  • 3.4.1. svarṇahaṃsa-svarṇapakṣi-rāja-kathā स्वर्णहंस-स्वर्णपक्षि-राज-कथा
• 3.5. kapota-lubdhaka-kathā कपोत-लुब्धक-कथा
• 3.6. caura-vṛddha-vaṇigvadhū-kathā चौर-वृद्ध-वणिग्वधू-कथा
• 3.7. brāhmaṇa-caura-brahmarākṣasa-kathā ब्राह्मण-चौर-ब्रह्मराक्षस-कथा
• 3.8. valmīkodara-sarpa-kathā वल्मीकोदर-सर्प-कथा
• 3.9. rathakāravadhū-jārakathā रथकारवधू-जारकथा
• 3.10. mūṣakakanya-vivāha-kathā मूषककन्य-विवाह-कथा
• 3.11. svarṇapurīṣa-pakṣī-kathā स्वर्णपुरीष-पक्षी-कथा
• 3.12. siṃha-jambuka-guhākathā सिंह-जम्बुक-गुहाकथा
• 3.13. maṇḍūka-mandaviṣa-kathā मण्डूक-मन्दविष-कथा
  • 3.13.1. ghṛtāndha-brāhmaṇa-kathā घृतान्ध-ब्राह्मण-कथा

4. labdhapraṇāśam लब्धप्रणाशम्

Thread story

• labdhapraṇāśam thread story लब्धप्रणाशम् सूत्रकथा part1
• labdhapraṇāśam thread story लब्धप्रणाशम् सूत्रकथा part12

Sub-stories

• 4.1. gaṅgadatta-priyadarśana-sarpa-kathā गङ्गदत्त-प्रियदर्शन-सर्प-कथा
• 4.2. siṃha-lambakarṇa-kathā सिंह-लम्बकर्ण-कथा
• 4.3. yudhiṣṭhira-kumbhakāra-kathā युधिष्ठिर-कुम्भकार-कथा
  • 4.3.1. siṃha-śṛgālaputra-kathā- सिंह-शृगालपुत्र-कथा
• 4.4. brāhmaṇa-brāhmaṇi-paṅgu-kathā ब्राह्मण-ब्राह्मणि-पङ्गु-कथा
• 4.5. nanda-vararuci-kathā नन्द-वररुचि-कथा
• 4.6. vācāla-rāsabha-kathā वाचाल-रासभ-कथा
• 4.7. hālikavadhū-śṛgālikā-vañcaka-kathā हालिकवधू-शृगालिका-वञ्चक-कथा
• 4.8. ghaṇṭoṣṭra-kathā घण्टोष्ट्र-कथा
• 4.9. caturaka-śṛgāla-kathā चतुरक-शृगाल-कथा
• 4.10. videśagata-sārameya-kathā विदेशगत-सारमेय-कथा

5. aparīkṣitakārakam अपरीक्षितकारकम्

Thread story

• aparīkṣitakārakam thread story अपरीक्षितकारकम् सूत्रकथा part1
• aparīkṣitakārakam thread story अपरीक्षितकारकम् सूत्रकथा part2

Sub-stories

• 5.1. brāhmaṇī-nakula-kathā ब्राह्मणी-नकुल-कथा
  • 5.1.1. lobhāviṣṭa-cakradhara-kathā लोभाविष्ट-चक्रधर-कथा
    • 5.1.1.1. siṃhakāraka-brāhaṇaputrāṇāṃ-kathā सिंहकारक-ब्राहणपुत्राणां-कथा
    • 5.1.1.2. mūrkhapaṇḍita-catuṣṭaya-kathā मूर्खपण्डित-चतुष्टय-कथा
    • 5.1.1.3. matsya-maṇḍūka-kathā मत्स्य-मण्डूक-कथा
    • 5.1.1.4. gītapara-rāsabha-śṛgāla-kathā गीतपर-रासभ-शृगाल-कथा
    • 5.1.1.5. mantharaka-kaulika-kathā मन्थरक-कौलिक-कथा
    • 5.1.1.6. somaśarmapitṛ-kathā सोमशर्मपितृ-कथा
    • 5.1.1.7. vānara-viḍambita-candrabhūpati-kathā वानर-विडम्बित-चन्द्रभूपति-कथा
    • 5.1.1.8. vikālarākṣasa-vānara-kathā विकालराक्षस-वानर-कथा
    • 5.1.1.9. tristanīkanyā-kathā त्रिस्तनीकन्या-कथा
      • 5.1.1.9.1. rākṣasa-gṛhīta-brāhmaṇa-kathā राक्षस-गृहीत-ब्राह्मण-कथा
    • 5.1.1.10. ekodara-pṛthaggrīva-bhāruṇḍa-katha एकोदर-पृथग्ग्रीव-भारुण्ड-कथा
• 5.2. brāhmaṇa-karkaṭa-kathā ब्राह्मण-कर्कट-कथा

Playlists

• mitrabhedaḥ मित्रभेदः thread story playlist
• mitrabhedaḥ मित्रभेदः sub-stories playlist
• mitrasamprāptiḥ मित्रसम्प्राप्तिः thread story playlist
• mitrasamprāptiḥ मित्रसम्प्राप्तिः sub-stories playlist
• kākolūkīyam काकोलूकीयम् thread story playlist
• kākolūkīyam काकोलूकीयम् sub-stories playlist
• labdhapraṇāśam लब्धप्रणाशम् thread story playlist
• labdhapraṇāśam लब्धप्रणाशम् sub-stories playlist
• aparīkṣitakārakam अपरीक्षितकारकम् thread-story playlist
• aparīkṣitakārakam अपरीक्षितकारकम् sub-stories playlist

A few more resources on Panchatantra:

• Panchatantra on Twitter
• Panchatantra on Koo
• Unabridged Kannada translation of Panchatantra in book form
• The twitter thread unroll that has a short description of each of the sub-stories