Heir to the throne

"I need one of my sons to be the heir to my throne. But the four sons are ignorant of worldly matters. So how can I die peacefully...," murmured King Sudharshana to himself, while walking in his royal grove.

The royal courtiers inclusive of the wise old men of the palace knew that the king is worried. But they did not want to show that mood to the king. So they discussed among themselves for a solution.

"We must try out best to tutor the royal sons."

They all tried to find a royal tutor to teach them to get rid of ignorance. As the king was pacing slowly in the grove he suddenly heard a voice coming out.

"Learning is the eye which clears up the doubts and reveals hidden entities. He who has no learning is blind."

The king stopped for a while and inquired.

"Who is speaking there?"

There was no response. The king enquired more. He did not see anyone. It must be my own hallucinations. The king thought. Once again the king heard the same voice. The king went back to the palace and told what he heard to the wise men. Then the wise men said that it may have been the voice of a prophet who wants to teach the king's sons in order to fulfill the required needs of an heir to the throne.

"Go in search of a great teacher for my sons," ordered the king to his wise men. The wise men who obeyed the king went in all directions in search of a great master of knowledge. The wisest of the wise returned to the palace with a good news.

"Great majesty, there is a great master named Vishnu Sharman who will be the most suited teacher for you sons."

The king came to know more about this wise teacher to get his sons tutored by him. So in the first instance the king wanted to see the wise teaching. The king who met the wise teacher Visnu Sharman knew that he is the most suited person. His method of teaching as the king perceived was the knowledge imparted via parables. The teacher Vishnu Sharman agreed to teach the sons of the king.

"But let them come to see me daily, for I cannot come all the way to the palace," Visnu Sharman said. As time passed, the king found that there is a gradual change in the attitudes and behaviour patterns of his sons. They were not spendthrifts. They were not in the usual manner giving way to luxuries. Hiding, the king observed what they were doing. The eldest of them was virtuous to the point that he wanted to impose a law to prevent the animals being killed by the humans. The king was pleased. The second was talking in terms of parables, legends and other forms which creatively imparted knowledge around them. They were also asking hitherto unasked questions, regarding their own lives. The king was feeling a sense of inner happiness.

"My sons have been tutored by a great teacher who looks like a saint. The sons were seen engaged in the search for more and more knowledge. The eldest son requested his father to build schools for children.

The second son wanted to build monasteries to practice religious doctrines. The third was interested in bringing in peace and harmony. The fourth was interested in forest sanctuaries. The king happier than he used to be, wanted to select an heir to the throne now. They all agreed in consultation with the wise men to appoint the eldest son as the successor.

But they got down their teacher Vishnu Sharman by sending a palanquin. A great ceremony was held to receive the royal teacher. People from all directions in the kingdom flocked together in the royal palace to take a glimpse at Vishnu Sharman, the teacher. The great teacher was ushered into the palace first by the four sons followed by a royal retinue.

The teacher Vishnu Sharman held a palm leaf manuscript in his hands, which he wanted to hand over to the king.

"I'm pleased and honoured to see you great teacher," said the king receiving him warmly.

"I'm pleased to teach your sons," said Vishnu Sharman.

"All what I have taught them lay written in these palm leaves," he added handing it over to the king.

"What do you want me to do about this?" The king asked Vishnusharman.

"I want the teachers and students of the kingdom to read it and pass it on to the next generation."

The wish of the teacher Vishnu Sharman was fulfilled. As time passed a collection of parables of knowledge came to be known as Panchatantra. To this day panchatantra is regarded as the greatest source of knowledge imparted from a teacher to his students.