("Five
Treatises") is a collection of five treatises, a collection of moralistic stories with the goal of imparting practical and
worldly knowledge.
The tales themselves are framed by the narrative of a king
who is troubled by his sons' lack of study and moral character, which makes him
fearful of their capacity to govern wisely after his death.
He overcomes the issue by paying a per son to educate the
boys via tales, which generally include multiple shorter stories that convey
moral lessons along the way.
These fables are meant to provide practical guidance on how
to succeed in the real world, especially when it comes to statecraft.
Because the book advocates prudence and self-interest as
keys to success, this pragmatic approach may lead one to consider the text's
recommendations as opportunistic.
The Panchatantra is available in numerous variants, the most
renowned of which being the Hitopadesha.
The book has been translated several times, and a version
made its way to Europe, where it inspired La Fontaine's fables.
