|
The ''Panchatantra'' (IAST: Pañcatantra, (サンスクリット:पञ्चतन्त्र), 'Five Principles') is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose, arranged within a frame story. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars believe was composed around the 3rd century BCE,〔, Introduction, page xv; , Translator's introduction, quoting Hertel: "the original work was composed in Kashmir, about 200 B.C. At this date, however, many of the individual stories were already ancient."〕 is attributed to Vishnu Sharma. It is based on older oral traditions, including "animal fables that are as old as we are able to imagine".〔( Doris Lessing, ''Problems, Myths and Stories ),'' London: Institute for Cultural Research Monograph Series No. 36, 1999, p 13〕 It is "certainly the most frequently translated literary product of India",〔(Introduction ), , quoting .〕 and these stories are among the most widely known in the world.〔, Translator's introduction: "The Panchatantra contains the most widely known stories in the world. If it were further declared that the Panchatantra is the best collection of stories in the world, the assertion could hardly be disproved, and would probably command the assent of those possessing the knowledge for a judgment."〕 To quote :〔. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.〕 Thus it goes by many names in many cultures. In India, it had at least 25 recensions, including the Sanskrit ''Tantrākhyāyikā'' ((サンスクリット:तन्त्राख्यायिका)) and inspired the ''Hitopadesha''. It was translated into Middle Persian in 570 CE by Borzūya. This became the basis for a Syriac translation as ''Kalilag and Damnag'' and a translation into Arabic in 750 CE by Persian scholar Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ((アラビア語:كليلة ودمنة)). A New Persian version from the 12th century became known as ''Kalīleh o Demneh'' ((ペルシア語:کلیله و دمنه)) and this was the basis of Kashefi's 15th century ''Anvār-e Soheylī''〔, , ,〕 ((ペルシア語:انوار سهیلی), 'The Lights of Canopus'). The book in different form is also known as ''The Fables of Bidpai''〔''The Fables of Pilpay'', facsimile reprint of the 1775 edition, Darf Publishers, London 1987〕 (or Pilpai, in various European languages) or ''The Morall Philosophie of Doni'' (English, 1570). ==Content== The ''Panchatantra'' is a series of inter-woven fables, many of which involve animals exhibiting animal stereotypes.〔, Translator's introduction: "Thus, the lion is strong but dull of wit, the jackal crafty, the heron stupid, the cat a hypocrite. The animal actors present, far more vividly and more urbanely than men could do, the view of life here recommended—a view shrewd, undeceived, and free of all sentimentality; a view that, piercing the humbug of every false ideal, reveals with incomparable wit the sources of lasting joy." See also 〕 According to its own narrative, it illustrates, for the benefit of three ignorant princes, the central Hindu principles of ''nīti''.〔For this reason, Ramsay Wood considers it an early precursor of the mirrors for princes genre.〕 While ''nīti'' is hard to translate, it roughly means prudent worldly conduct, or "the wise conduct of life".〔, Translator's introduction: "The ''Panchatantra'' is a ''niti-shastra'', or textbook of ''niti''. The word ''niti'' means roughly “the wise conduct of life." Western civilization must endure a certain shame in realizing that no precise equivalent of the term is found in English, French, Latin, or Greek. Many words are therefore necessary to explain what ''niti'' is, though the idea, once grasped, is clear, important, and satisfying."〕 Apart from a short introduction — in which the author, Vishnu Sharma, is introduced as narrating the rest of the work to the princes — it consists of five parts. Each part contains a main story, called the frame story, which in turn contains several stories "emboxed" in it, as one character narrates a story to another. Often these stories contain further emboxed stories. The stories thus operate like a succession of Russian dolls, one narrative opening within another, sometimes three or four deep. Besides the stories, the characters also quote various epigrammatic verses to make their point.〔, Translator's introduction: "These verses are for the most part quoted from sacred writings or other sources of dignity and authority. It is as if the animals in some English beast-fable were to justify their actions by quotations from Shakespeare and the Bible. These wise verses it is which make the real character of the ''Panchatantra''. The stories, indeed, are charming when regarded as pure narrative; but it is the beauty, wisdom, and wit of the verses which lift the ''Panchatantra'' far above the level of the best story-books."〕 The five books are called: * ''Mitra-bheda'': The Separation of Friends (The Lion and the Bull) * ''Mitra-lābha'' or ''Mitra-samprāpti'': The Gaining of Friends (The Dove, Crow, Mouse, Tortoise and Deer) * ''Kākolūkīyam'': Of Crows and Owls (War and Peace) * ''Labdhapraṇāśam'': Loss Of Gains (The Monkey and the Crocodile) * ''Aparīkṣitakārakaṃ'': Ill-Considered Action / Rash deeds (The Brahman and the Mongoose) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Panchatantra」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|