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    The Lion Makers: Vishnu Sharma Was An Indian Scholar and Author Who Is Believed

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    JeR Son
    The document summarizes a fable from the Panchatantra collection about four Brahman youths - three who were scholars but lacked sense, and one who had sense but not scholarship. While traveling, they come across bones of a lion. The scholars decide to use their knowledge to bring the lion back to life, but the sensible one advises against it. They revive the lion anyway and it kills all three scholars, while the sensible one survives by climbing a tree. The moral is that sense is more important than mere scholarship.

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    The Lion Makers: Vishnu Sharma Was An Indian Scholar and Author Who Is Believed

    Uploaded by

    JeR Son
    229 views2 pages
    The document summarizes a fable from the Panchatantra collection about four Brahman youths - three who were scholars but lacked sense, and one who had sense but not scholarship. While traveling, they come across bones of a lion. The scholars decide to use their knowledge to bring the lion back to life, but the sensible one advises against it. They revive the lion anyway and it kills all three scholars, while the sensible one survives by climbing a tree. The moral is that sense is more important than mere scholarship.

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    The Lion Makers

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    The document summarizes a fable from the Panchatantra collection about four Brahman youths - three who were scholars but lacked sense, and one who had sense but not scholarship. While traveling, they come across bones of a lion. The scholars decide to use their knowledge to bring the lion back to life, but the sensible one advises against it. They revive the lion anyway and it kills all three scholars, while the sensible one survives by climbing a tree. The moral is that sense is more important than mere scholarship.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    229 views2 pages

    The Lion Makers: Vishnu Sharma Was An Indian Scholar and Author Who Is Believed

    Uploaded by

    JeR Son
    The document summarizes a fable from the Panchatantra collection about four Brahman youths - three who were scholars but lacked sense, and one who had sense but not scholarship. While traveling, they come across bones of a lion. The scholars decide to use their knowledge to bring the lion back to life, but the sensible one advises against it. They revive the lion anyway and it kills all three scholars, while the sensible one survives by climbing a tree. The moral is that sense is more important than mere scholarship.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    The Lion Makers

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Vishnu Sharma was an Indian scholar and author who is believed


    to have written the Panchatantra collection of fables. The exact period
    of the composition of the Panchatantra is uncertain, and estimates vary
    from 1200 BCE to 300 CE. Some scholars place him in the 3rd
    century BCE. Vishnu Sharma is one of the most widely translated secular
    authors in history. The Panchatantra was translated into Middle Persia in
    570 CE by Borzuya and into Arabic Language in 750 CE by Persian
    people scholar Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa as Kalīlah wa Dimnah.

    The Lion Makers

    In a certain town there dwelt four Brahmans youths who lived in


    friendship. Three of them had reached the far shore of all scholarship,
    but lacked sense. The other found scholarship distasteful; he had nothing
    but sense. One day they met for consultation. “What is the use of
    attainments,” said they, “if one does not travel, win the favor of kings,
    and acquire money? Whatever we do, let us all travel.”

    But when they had gone a little way, the eldest of them said: “One
    of us, Gumption, is a dullard, having nothing but sense. Now nobody
    gains the favorable at-tention of kings by simple sense without
    scholarship. Therefore we will not share our earnings with him. Let him
    turn back and go home.”

    Q. Do you think that the third Brahman would say/do the same to
    the fourth Brahman?

    "Then the second said: “My intelligent friend, you lack scholarship.
    Please go home!”

    But the third said: “No, no. This is no way to behave. For we have played
    together since we were little boys. Come along, my noble friend. You
    shall have a share of the money we earn.”
    With this agreement they continued their journey, and in a forest
    they found the bones of a dead lion.

    Q. What do you think the four Brahman would do to the bones of


    the dead lion?

    Thereupon one of them said: “A good opportunity to test the


    ripeness of our scholarship. Here lies some kind of creature, dead. Let us
    bring it to life by means of the scholarship we have honestly won. "Then
    the first said: “I know how to assemble the skeleton.” The second said: “I
    can supply skin, flesh, and blood.” The third said: “I can give it life.”

    Q. Is bringing a lion back to life a good idea? Why?

    So the first assembled the skeleton, the second provided skin,


    flesh, and blood. But while the third was intent on giving the breath of
    life, the man of sense advised against it, remarking: “This is a lion. If you
    bring him to life, he will kill every one of us.” “You simpleton!” said the
    other, “it is not I who will reduce scholarship to a nullity.” “In that case,
    "came the reply, “wait a moment, while I climb this convenient tree.”

    Q. What do you think will happen to the other three Brahman? And
    What do you think will happen to the fourth Brahman?

    When this had been done, the lion was brought to life, sprang up,
    and killed all three. But the man of sense, after the lion had gone
    elsewhere, climbed down and went home. "

    And that is why I say:

    Scholarship is less than sense;


    Therefore seek intelligence:
    Senseless scholars in their pride
    Made a lion; then they died.”

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