The Pañcatantra story of the Monkey and the Crocodile
The Pañcatantra (Sanskrit: पञ्चतन्त्र) means “Five Sections” is an ancient
Indian collection of stories in the form of animal fables, prose, and poetry.
Each message is teaching the moral to everyone. The original Sanskrit literature
was composed of “Pandit Vishnu Sharma” around the third century BCE.
Almost Indian kid is familiar with the original story of “The monkey and the crocodile”,
but this below narration altered to a happy ending.
Illustrate the steps of Transliteration from Sanskrit into Roman script with diacritics (IAST), and Translation into the English language as follows.
Sanskrit I: अस्ति गङ्गायं कुम्भीरः |
Romanization: asti
gaṅgāyaṃ kumbhīraḥ.
Declension: [(asti,
Pres., Sing. = is)/ (gaṅgā, Fem., Loc., Sing. =Ganges)/ (kumbhīraḥ, mas., Sing.
= crocodile.)]
Translation: There
is in the Ganges, a crocodile.
Sanskit II: वानरस्तस्य मित्रं गङ्गायास्तटे वसति |
Romanization: vānarastasya
mitraṃ gaṅgāyāstaṭe vasati.
Declension: [(mitram,
Neu., Sing. = friend)/ (vānaraḥ, Mas., Gen., Sing = monkey) / (taṭaḥ, mas.,
Sing. = bank of the river)/ (vasati, 3rd per., Sing.)]
Translation: His
friend, a monkey, lives on the bank of the Ganges.
Sanskrit III: प्रतिदिनं वानरः पक्वानि फलानि
निक्षिपति |
Romanization: pratidinaṃ
vānaraḥ pakvāni phalāni nikṣipati.
Declension:
[(pratidinam, ind. =everyday)/ (pakva, MF(ā)N, adj. = ripe)/
(nikṣipati, 3rd
per., Sing. = he throws down)]
Translation: Everyday
the monkey throws down ripe fruits.
Sanskrit IV: कुम्भीरः फलानि खादति |
Romanization: kumbhīraḥ
phalāni khādati.
Declension:
[khādati, 3rd per., Sing. = he eats)]
Translation: The
Crocodile eats the fruits.
Sanskrit V: वानरस्य हृदयं मिष्ट्मास्तीति कुम्भीरस्य भार्या वदति |
Romanization: vānarasya
hṛdayaṃ miṣṭmāstīti kumbhīrasya bhāryā vadati
Declension: [(hṛdayam,
Neu., Acc. Sing. = heart)/ (miṣṭa, MF(ā)N, adj. = sweet)/ (bhāryā, Fem., ā
declension = wife)]
Translation: “The
heart of the monkey is sweet!” says the wife of the Crocodile.
Sanskrit VI: भार्या हृदयं खादितुमिच्छति |
Romanization: bhāryā
hṛdayaṃ khāditumicchati.
Declension:
[(khāditum, infinitive, treated like an accusative = to eat)/ (icchati, 3rd
per. Sing. = he wants)/ (khāditum icchati = he wants to eat)]
Translation: The
wife wants to eat the heart.
Sanskrit VII: अहो
वानर मम गृहमागच्छेति कुम्भीरो वानरं वदति |
Romanization: aho vānara mama gṛhamāgaccheti kumbhīro
vānaraṃ vadati.
Declension: [(āgaccha, second per. Sing., Imperative)]
Translation: "Hey, Monkey! Welcome to my
house!" the Crocodile says to the Monkey.
Sanskrit
VIII: एवमस्तिवति
वानरो वदति |
Romanization: evamastivati vānaro vadati
Declension: [(evam astu, ind. = OK, so let it be)]
Translation: "OK" the Monkey says.
Sanskrit IX: तस्य
पृष्ठे कुम्भीरो वानरं वहति |
Romanization: tasya pṛṣṭhe kumbhīro vānaraṃ vahati.
Declension: [(pṛṣṭham, Neu. = back)/ (vahati, 3rd
per. Sing. = he carries)]
Translation: The Crocodile carries the Monkey on his
back.
Sanskrit X: गङ्गाया
मध्ये कुम्भीरः सत्यं वदति |
Romanization: gaṅgāyā madhye kumbhīraḥ satyaṃ vadati.
Declension: [(madhyam, Neu. = middle)]
Translation: In the middle of the Ganges, the
Crocodile tells the truth.
Sanskrit XI: मम
हृदयं वृक्षे भवतीति वानरो भषते |
Romanization: mama hṛdayaṃ vṛkṣe bhavatīti vānaro bhaṣate.
Declension: [(vṛkṣaḥ, Mas. = tree)]
Translation: "My heart is in the tree!" the
Monkey says.
Sanskrit XII: पुनर्मां
तत्र नयेति वानओ भाषते |
Romanization: punarmāṃ tatra nayeti vānao bhāṣate.
Declension: [(nayati, third per. Sing. = he
takes, he carries)/ (Take off sandhi from naya which combined with iti is
nayeti)
Translation: "Take me there again," the
Monkey says.
Sanskrit XIII: कुम्भीरो वानरं गङ्गायास्तटं नयति |
Romanization: kumbhīro vānaraṃ gaṅgāyāstaṭaṃ nayati.
Translation: The Crocodile takes the Monkey to the
bank of the Ganges.
Sanskrit XIV: वानरो वृक्षमुच्छलति |
Romanization: vānaro vṛkṣamucchalati.
Declension: [(ucchalati, third per. Sing. =
he jumps up)]
Translation: The Monkey jumps up to the tree.
Sanskrit XV: वानरो
वृक्षस्य बिले पश्यति |
Romanization: vānaro vṛkṣasya bile paśyati.
Declension: [(bilam, Neu. = hole)]
Translation: The Monkey looks in the hole of the tree.
Sanskrit XVI: कश्चिन्मम
हृदयं चोरयति स्मेति वानरो वदति |
Romanization: kaścinmama hṛdayaṃ corayati smeti vānaro
vadati.
Declension: [(kaḥ, Mas., Pron.= who)/ (cit, ind. = makes
kaḥ indefinite)/ (kaścit = someone)/ (corayati, third per. Sing. = he
steals)/ (sma, ind. = makes verb before it in past tense)
Translation: "Someone has stolen my heart!"
the Monkey says.
Sanskrit
XVII: एवं
कुम्भीरो वानरश्च मित्रे तिष्ठतः |
Romanization: evaṃ kumbhīro vānaraśca mitre tiṣṭhataḥ.
Declension: [(tiṣthati, 3rd per. Sing. = he
remains)]
Translation: Therefore, the Crocodile and the Monkey
remain friends.
Conclusion;
Sanskrit: अस्ति गङ्गायं कुम्भीरः | वानरस्तस्य मित्रं गङ्गायास्तटे
वसति | प्रतिदिनं वानरः पक्वानि फलानि निक्षिपति | कुम्भीरः फलानि खादति | वानरस्य हृदयं मिष्ट्मस्तीति
कुम्भीरस्य भार्या वदति | भार्या हृदयं
खादितुमिच्छति | अहो वानर मम
गृहमागच्छेति कुम्भीरो वानरं वदति | एवमस्तिवति वानरो वदति | तस्य पृष्ठे कुम्भीरो वानरं वहति | गङ्गाया मध्ये कुम्भीरः सत्यं वदति
| मम हृदयं वृक्षे भवतीति वानरो भषते
| पुनर्मां तत्र नयेति वानओ भाषते | कुम्भीरो वानरं गङ्गायास्तटं नयति | वानरो वृक्षमुच्छलति | वानरो वृक्षस्य बिले पश्यति | कश्चिन्मम हृदयं चोरयति स्मेति
वानरो वदति | एवं कुम्भीरो
वानरश्च मित्रे तिष्ठतः |
Translation: There is in the Ganges, a crocodile. His
friend, a monkey, lives on the bank of the Ganges. Every day the Monkey throws
down ripe fruits. The Crocodile eats the fruits. "The heart of the monkey
is sweet!" says the wife of the Crocodile. The wife wants to eat the
heart. "Hey, Monkey! Welcome to my house!" the Crocodile says to the
Monkey. "OK" the Monkey says. The Crocodile carries the Monkey on his
back. In the middle of the Ganges, the Crocodile tells the truth. "My
heart is in the tree!" the Monkey says. "Take me there again,"
the Monkey says. The Crocodile takes the Monkey to the bank of the Ganges. The
Monkey jumps up to the tree and looks in the hole of the tree. "Someone
stolen my heart!" the Monkey says. Therefore the Crocodile and the Monkey
have to remain friends.
Bibliography
Egenes, Thomas 2003. Introduction to Sanskrit, Part one. Third Published
Edition: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Ltd, Delhi, p. 153-155.
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