- Vishnu Sarma
Vishnu Sarma was the author of the anthropomorphic political treatise called "
Panchatantra ".Vishnu Sarma lived in
Varanasi (a city in the present day state ofUttar Pradesh ) in the3rd century BC . [Joseph Jacobs (1888). "The earliest English version of the Fables of Bidpai", Introduction, p. xv. London.] He was a Sanskrit scholar and the officialGuru of the then prince ofKasi . He wrote the "Panchatantra" to teach political science to his royal young disciples. The "Panchatantra" is one of the oldest collections of Indianfable s surviving today.Legend
According to a legend, Vishnupriya was a royal instructor, who used to live in a city called Mahilaropya in southern India. [ [http://www.tulikabooks.com/whoneeds.htm Children's literature in South Asia: An overview] ] The ruler of Mahilaropaya was Amarashakti, whose minister Sumati suggested appointment of
Acharya Vishnu Sharma as the official instructor for the princes. Vishnusharma was known to be a savant in all theshastra s and the theory of politics and diplomacy. Acting on the suggestion, the king called Acharya Vishnu Sharma and declared that if he is able to make his sons into able administrators, he would gift him a hundred villages and gold without bound. Vishnu Sharma laughed and replied, "Oh King! I do not sell my education. I have no desire of any gift. You have called me with respect and deference, therefore I pledge to make your sons into able administrators within 6 months. If I fail to fulfill my pledge, I would change my name."The king happily gave the responsibility of the three princes to him and continued with his work. Vishnu Sharma, however, realized that it was more difficult than he had thought to teach his new students through conventional means, and there was a need of a creative way of teaching. Therefore he made many short stories, each with a lesson, and tied them in 5 parts, called
tantra s. This collection, that has attained fame over centuries, is called Panchatantra. [ [http://panchamindia.org/child-theatre.htm Child Theatre: Panchatantra] ]The five tantras in the book are Mitrabhed, Mitrasamprapti, sandhi, vigraham and Apareekshitkarakam. After listening and working on these stories, all the three princes became completely educated in politics and became able administrators.
References
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