The Pancatantra of Visnu Sarma

by Chandra Rajan (Tr.)

Tradition ascribes this fabulous work to Visnu Sarma whose existence has not been conclusively established. Faced with the challenge of educating three unlettered princes, to awaken their intelligence, Visnu Sarma evolved a unique pedagogy--for his aim was to teach the princes how to think not what to think--and it was thus that these entertaining and edifying stories came to be composed.Chandra Rajan, a noted Sanskrit scholar, has based her translation on the Purnabhadra recension (AD 1199). While remaining faithful to the original, she breathes new life into the stories, skilfully combining prose and verse to give us an eminently readable translation.

About the Author:

CHANDRA RAJAN is currently working on a children's version of the pancatantra and a translation and critical study of Bana's famous prose romance, Kadambari, and a series of tales belonging to the Vikramaditya cycle: The Goblin Tales, also known as the Vetalapancavimsati. She is also involved in a long-term project for the Sahitya Akademi--a translation of the complete works of Kalidasa.