Vishnu Sharma - Revision history

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	[[File:Kelileh va Demneh.jpg\|thumb\|220px\|right\|A page from ''Kelileh o Demneh'' dated 1429, from [[Herat]], a [[Persian language\|Persian]] translation of the ''Panchatantra'' derived from the [[Arabic]] version – ''Kalila wa Dimna'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his [[Asiatic lion\|lion-king]] into war.]]		[[File:Kelileh va Demneh.jpg\|thumb\|220px\|right\|A page from ''Kelileh o Demneh'' dated 1429, from [[Herat]], a [[Persian language\|Persian]] translation of the ''Panchatantra'' derived from the [[Arabic]] version – ''Kalila wa Dimna'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his [[Asiatic lion\|lion-king]] into war.]]
	'''~~<~~span lang="sa" dir="ltr"~~>~~Vishnu~~<~~/span~~>~~ Sharma''' ([[Sanskrit]]: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who wrote the ''[[Panchatantra]]'', a collection of fables.~~<~~ref name="ref67hafuh"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra \| author=Santhini Govindan \| year=2007 \| publisher=Unicorn Books, 2007 \| isbn=9788178060866 \| url={{GBurl\|id=4evdJNxWatMC}} \| quote=''... credited to Pandit Vishnusharma somewhere between 1200 BC and AD 300. Many stories may have existed long before then, but Vishnusharma put them together as a single unit ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~		'''<span lang="sa" dir="ltr">Vishnu</span> Sharma''' ([[Sanskrit]]: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who wrote the ''[[Panchatantra]]'', a collection of fables.<ref name="ref67hafuh">{{Citation \| title=71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra \| author=Santhini Govindan \| year=2007 \| publisher=Unicorn Books, 2007 \| isbn=9788178060866 \| url={{GBurl\|id=4evdJNxWatMC}} \| quote=''... credited to Pandit Vishnusharma somewhere between 1200 BC and AD 300. Many stories may have existed long before then, but Vishnusharma put them together as a single unit ...''}}</ref>

	==Works==		==Works==
	Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non-religious books in history. The ''Panchatantra'' was translated into Middle Persian/[[Middle Persian\|Pahlavi]] in 570 CE by [[Borzūya]] and into [[Arabic]] in 750 CE by [[Persian people\|Persian]] scholar [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa]] as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ({{langx\|ar\|links=no\|كليلة و دمنة}}).~~<~~ref~~>~~{{Harvnb\|Knatchbull\|1819}}~~<~~/ref~~><~~ref~~>~~{{Harvnb\|Falconer\|1885}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ In Baghdad, the translation commissioned by [[Al-Mansur]], the second Abbasid Caliph, is claimed to have become "''second only to the Qu'ran in popularity.''"~~<~~ref name="ref19majex"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Human Drama: World History: From 500 to 1450 C.E., Volume 2 \| author=Jean Johnson, Donald James Johnson \| date=16 July 2009 \| publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005 \| isbn=978-1-55876-220-6 \| url={{GBurl\|id=jZs1fN7QIMoC}} \| quote=''... reached al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph ... he ordered it translated into Arabic ... Some claim it soon became second only to the Quran in popularity ... at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of La Fontaine ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ "''As early as the eleventh century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it existed in [[Greek language\|Greek]], [[Latin]], Spanish, Italian, German, English, [[Old Slavonic]], [[Czech language\|Czech]], and perhaps other [[Slavonic languages]]. Its range has extended from [[Java]] to [[Iceland]].''"~~<~~ref~~>~~{{Harvnb\|Edgerton\|1924\|p=3}}. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.~~<~~/ref~~>~~ In France, "''at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of [[Jean de La Fontaine]]''."~~<~~ref name="ref19majex"/~~>~~		Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non-religious books in history. The ''Panchatantra'' was translated into Middle Persian/[[Middle Persian\|Pahlavi]] in 570 CE by [[Borzūya]] and into [[Arabic]] in 750 CE by [[Persian people\|Persian]] scholar [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa]] as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ({{langx\|ar\|links=no\|كليلة و دمنة}}).<ref>{{Harvnb\|Knatchbull\|1819}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb\|Falconer\|1885}}</ref> In Baghdad, the translation commissioned by [[Al-Mansur]], the second Abbasid Caliph, is claimed to have become "''second only to the Qu'ran in popularity.''"<ref name="ref19majex">{{Citation \| title=Human Drama: World History: From 500 to 1450 C.E., Volume 2 \| author=Jean Johnson, Donald James Johnson \| date=16 July 2009 \| publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005 \| isbn=978-1-55876-220-6 \| url={{GBurl\|id=jZs1fN7QIMoC}} \| quote=''... reached al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph ... he ordered it translated into Arabic ... Some claim it soon became second only to the Quran in popularity ... at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of La Fontaine ...''}}</ref> "''As early as the eleventh century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it existed in [[Greek language\|Greek]], [[Latin]], Spanish, Italian, German, English, [[Old Slavonic]], [[Czech language\|Czech]], and perhaps other [[Slavonic languages]]. Its range has extended from [[Java]] to [[Iceland]].''"<ref>{{Harvnb\|Edgerton\|1924\|p=3}}. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.</ref> In France, "''at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of [[Jean de La Fontaine]]''."<ref name="ref19majex"/>

	==Legend==		==Legend==
	The prelude to the ''Panchatantra'' identifies Vishnu Sharma as the author of the work. Since there is no other independent external evidence about him, "it is impossible to say whether he was the historical author . . .or is himself a literary invention".~~<~~ref~~>~~{{Harvnb\|Olivelle\|1997}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ Based on analysis of various Indian [[recension]]s and the geographical features and animals described in the stories, [[Kashmir]]~~<~~ref name="ref65joyeh"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Orissa review, Volume 22 \| year=1965 \| publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa, 1965 \| url={{GBurl\|id=jZFiYtIcYycC}} \| quote=''... He has concluded Kashmir as the birthplace of Vishnusharma taking into account the geographical features and the animals ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ is suggested to be his birthplace by various scholars.		The prelude to the ''Panchatantra'' identifies Vishnu Sharma as the author of the work. Since there is no other independent external evidence about him, "it is impossible to say whether he was the historical author . . .or is himself a literary invention".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Olivelle\|1997}}</ref> Based on analysis of various Indian [[recension]]s and the geographical features and animals described in the stories, [[Kashmir]]<ref name="ref65joyeh">{{Citation \| title=Orissa review, Volume 22 \| year=1965 \| publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa, 1965 \| url={{GBurl\|id=jZFiYtIcYycC}} \| quote=''... He has concluded Kashmir as the birthplace of Vishnusharma taking into account the geographical features and the animals ...''}}</ref> is suggested to be his birthplace by various scholars.

	He has also been associated with the [[University of Taxila]].~~<~~ref~~>~~{{cite encyclopedia \|year=2018\|author=Eleanor Nesbitt \|title=Punjab\|encyclopedia=Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online \|editor-surname=Jacobsen \|editor-given=Knut A. \|editor-link=Knut A. Jacobsen \|display-editors=etal \|volume=1–6 \|location=Leiden \|publisher=Brill \|doi=10.1163/2212-5019_BEH_COM_1010020060 \|url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/ENHI/COM-1010020060.xml?rskey=3oDqiv&result=1 \|isbn=978-9004271289 \|url-access=registration \|quote=... university is regarded as the setting for the composition and compiling of significant Sanskrit works, which include the [[Arthaśāstra]] (a treatise on economic, political and military strategy; see artha) by [[Kauṭilya]], the [[Aṣṭādhyāyī]] (the first known grammar of Sanskrit) by [[Pāṇini]] (see language and linguistics), and the [[Pāñcatantra]] (collected animal fables) by Viṣṇuśarman.}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~		He has also been associated with the [[University of Taxila]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia \|year=2018\|author=Eleanor Nesbitt \|title=Punjab\|encyclopedia=Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online \|editor-surname=Jacobsen \|editor-given=Knut A. \|editor-link=Knut A. Jacobsen \|display-editors=etal \|volume=1–6 \|location=Leiden \|publisher=Brill \|doi=10.1163/2212-5019_BEH_COM_1010020060 \|url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/ENHI/COM-1010020060.xml?rskey=3oDqiv&result=1 \|isbn=978-9004271289 \|url-access=registration \|quote=... university is regarded as the setting for the composition and compiling of significant Sanskrit works, which include the [[Arthaśāstra]] (a treatise on economic, political and military strategy; see artha) by [[Kauṭilya]], the [[Aṣṭādhyāyī]] (the first known grammar of Sanskrit) by [[Pāṇini]] (see language and linguistics), and the [[Pāñcatantra]] (collected animal fables) by Viṣṇuśarman.}}</ref>

	The prelude narrates the story of how Vishnu Sharma supposedly created the 'Panchatantra'. There was a king called Amarshakti{{citation needed\|date=October 2013}} who ruled a kingdom, whose capital was a city called Mahilaropya (महिलारोप्य), whose location on the current map of India is unknown.~~<~~ref name="comppanch3242"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=सम्पूर्ण पञ्चतन्त्र (The Complete Panchatantra) \| author=Acharya Vishnusharma \| publisher=Parampara Books \| url=http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| quote=''... भारत की दक्षिण दिशा में स्थित महिलारोप्य नामक नगर किसी राज्य की राजधानी था (located in the south of India was a city named Mahilaropya, the capital of some kingdom)...'' \| access-date=1 November 2010 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064226/http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| archive-date=6 October 2011 \| url-status=dead \| df=dmy-all }}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ The king had three sons named Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti.~~<~~ref name="ref03rofud"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url={{GBurl\|id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC}} \| quote=''... a king called Amarshakti. He had three sons – Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti – all dullards ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ Though the king himself was both a scholar and a powerful ruler, his sons were "''all dullards''."~~<~~ref name="ref03rofud" /~~>~~ The king despaired of his three princes' inability to learn, and approached his ministers for counsel. They presented him with conflicting advice, but the words of one, called Sumati, rang true to the king.~~<~~ref name="ref53pibam"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Story of Panchtantra \| author=Pustak Mahal – Editorial Group / Bloomsbury \| date=14 August 1999 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 1999 \| isbn=978-81-223-0454-1 \| url={{GBurl\|id=9tPuMbMZQTcC}} \| quote=''... One of them named Sumati advised the ruler to hand over the princes to the care of the renowned teacher Acharya Vishnusharma ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ He said that the sciences, politics and diplomacy were limitless disciplines that took a lifetime to master formally. Instead of teaching the princes scriptures and texts, they should somehow be taught the wisdom inherent in them, and the aged scholar Vishnu Sharma was the man to do it.~~<~~ref name="ref75qipuv"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url={{GBurl\|id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC}} \| quote=''... a wise man named Sumati. He came up with the idea that the princes should not be taught the scriptures but only the wisdom in them. There is a man called Vishnusharma ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~		The prelude narrates the story of how Vishnu Sharma supposedly created the 'Panchatantra'. There was a king called Amarshakti{{citation needed\|date=October 2013}} who ruled a kingdom, whose capital was a city called Mahilaropya (महिलारोप्य), whose location on the current map of India is unknown.<ref name="comppanch3242">{{Citation \| title=सम्पूर्ण पञ्चतन्त्र (The Complete Panchatantra) \| author=Acharya Vishnusharma \| publisher=Parampara Books \| url=http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| quote=''... भारत की दक्षिण दिशा में स्थित महिलारोप्य नामक नगर किसी राज्य की राजधानी था (located in the south of India was a city named Mahilaropya, the capital of some kingdom)...'' \| access-date=1 November 2010 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064226/http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| archive-date=6 October 2011 \| url-status=dead \| df=dmy-all }}</ref> The king had three sons named Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti.<ref name="ref03rofud">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url={{GBurl\|id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC}} \| quote=''... a king called Amarshakti. He had three sons – Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti – all dullards ...''}}</ref> Though the king himself was both a scholar and a powerful ruler, his sons were "''all dullards''."<ref name="ref03rofud" /> The king despaired of his three princes' inability to learn, and approached his ministers for counsel. They presented him with conflicting advice, but the words of one, called Sumati, rang true to the king.<ref name="ref53pibam">{{Citation \| title=Story of Panchtantra \| author=Pustak Mahal – Editorial Group / Bloomsbury \| date=14 August 1999 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 1999 \| isbn=978-81-223-0454-1 \| url={{GBurl\|id=9tPuMbMZQTcC}} \| quote=''... One of them named Sumati advised the ruler to hand over the princes to the care of the renowned teacher Acharya Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref> He said that the sciences, politics and diplomacy were limitless disciplines that took a lifetime to master formally. Instead of teaching the princes scriptures and texts, they should somehow be taught the wisdom inherent in them, and the aged scholar Vishnu Sharma was the man to do it.<ref name="ref75qipuv">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url={{GBurl\|id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC}} \| quote=''... a wise man named Sumati. He came up with the idea that the princes should not be taught the scriptures but only the wisdom in them. There is a man called Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref>

	Vishnu Sharma was invited to the court, where the king offered him a hundred land grants if he could teach the princes.~~<~~ref name="ref92yibir"~~>~~{{Citation \| title=Children and Literature \| author=Shubha Tiwari \| year=2006 \| publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2006 \| isbn=978-81-269-0583-6 \| url={{GBurl\|id=9TtfjO6dezAC}} \| quote=''... In return the king promised to pay a hundred land grants but Vishnusharma replied: 'Naham vidyavikrayam shasanshatenapi karomi.' Translated, 'I am not the man to sell good learning for a hundred land grants.' ...''}}~~<~~/ref~~>~~ Vishnu Sharma declined the promised award, saying he did not sell knowledge for money, but accepted the task of making the princes wise to the ways of politics and leadership within six months.~~<~~ref name="ref75qipuv"/~~><~~ref name="ref92yibir"/~~>~~ Vishnu Sharma knew that he could never instruct these three students through conventional means. He had to employ a less orthodox way, and that was to tell a succession of animal fables – one weaving into another – that imparted to them the wisdom they required to succeed their father. Adapting stories that had been told for thousands of years in India, panchatantra was composed into an entertaining five part work to communicate the essence of diplomacy, relationships, politics and administration to the princes.~~<~~ref name="ref75qipuv"/~~>~~ These five discourses — titled "The Loss of Friends", "The Winning of Friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the ''Panchatantra'', meaning the five (''pancha'') treatises (''tantra'').		Vishnu Sharma was invited to the court, where the king offered him a hundred land grants if he could teach the princes.<ref name="ref92yibir">{{Citation \| title=Children and Literature \| author=Shubha Tiwari \| year=2006 \| publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2006 \| isbn=978-81-269-0583-6 \| url={{GBurl\|id=9TtfjO6dezAC}} \| quote=''... In return the king promised to pay a hundred land grants but Vishnusharma replied: 'Naham vidyavikrayam shasanshatenapi karomi.' Translated, 'I am not the man to sell good learning for a hundred land grants.' ...''}}</ref> Vishnu Sharma declined the promised award, saying he did not sell knowledge for money, but accepted the task of making the princes wise to the ways of politics and leadership within six months.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/><ref name="ref92yibir"/> Vishnu Sharma knew that he could never instruct these three students through conventional means. He had to employ a less orthodox way, and that was to tell a succession of animal fables – one weaving into another – that imparted to them the wisdom they required to succeed their father. Adapting stories that had been told for thousands of years in India, panchatantra was composed into an entertaining five part work to communicate the essence of diplomacy, relationships, politics and administration to the princes.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/> These five discourses — titled "The Loss of Friends", "The Winning of Friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the ''Panchatantra'', meaning the five (''pancha'') treatises (''tantra'').

	==References==		==References==

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← Older revision		Revision as of 23:55, 8 May 2022
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	[[File:Kelileh va Demneh.jpg\|thumb\|220px\|right\|A page from ''Kelileh o Demneh'' dated 1429, from [[Herat]], a [[Persian language\|Persian]] translation of the ''Panchatantra'' derived from the [[Arabic]] version – ''Kalila wa Dimna'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his [[Asiatic lion\|lion-king]] into war.]]		[[File:Kelileh va Demneh.jpg\|thumb\|220px\|right\|A page from ''Kelileh o Demneh'' dated 1429, from [[Herat]], a [[Persian language\|Persian]] translation of the ''Panchatantra'' derived from the [[Arabic]] version – ''Kalila wa Dimna'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his [[Asiatic lion\|lion-king]] into war.]]
	'''<span lang="sa" dir="ltr">Vishnu</span> Sharma''' ([[Sanskrit]]: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who ~~is believed to~~ have written the ''[[Panchatantra]]'', a collection of fables.<ref name="ref67hafuh">{{Citation \| title=71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra \| author=Santhini Govindan \| publisher=Unicorn Books, 2007 \| isbn=9788178060866 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4evdJNxWatMC \| quote=''... credited to Pandit Vishnusharma somewhere between 1200 BC and AD 300. Many stories may have existed long before then, but Vishnusharma put them together as a single unit ...''}}</ref> The exact period of the composition of the ''Panchatantra'' is uncertain, and estimates vary from 1200 BCE to 300 CE.<ref name="ref67hafuh"/>{{Failed verification\|date=October 2019}}{{Page needed\|date=October 2019}}Some{{Who\|date=October 2019}} scholars place him in the 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{Harvnb\|Jacobs\|1888}}, Introduction, page xv; {{Harvnb\|Ryder\|1925}}, Translator's introduction, quoting Hertel: "that the original work was composed in Kashmir, about 200 B.C. At this date, however, many of the individual stories were already ancient."</ref>		'''<span lang="sa" dir="ltr">Vishnu</span> Sharma''' ([[Sanskrit]]: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who have written the ''[[Panchatantra]]'', a collection of fables.<ref name="ref67hafuh">{{Citation \| title=71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra \| author=Santhini Govindan \| year=2007 \| publisher=Unicorn Books, 2007 \| isbn=9788178060866 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4evdJNxWatMC \| quote=''... credited to Pandit Vishnusharma somewhere between 1200 BC and AD 300. Many stories may have existed long before then, but Vishnusharma put them together as a single unit ...''}}</ref>

	==Works==		==Works==
	Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non-religious books in history. The ''Panchatantra'' was translated into Middle Persian/[[Middle Persian\|Pahlavi]] in 570 CE by [[Borzūya]] and into [[Arabic language\|Arabic]] in 750 CE by [[Persian people\|Persian]] scholar [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa]] as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ({{lang-ar\|كليلة و دمنة}}).<ref>{{Harvnb\|Knatchbull\|1819}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb\|Falconer\|1885}}</ref> In Baghdad, the translation commissioned by [[Al-Mansur]], the second Abbasid Caliph, is claimed to have become "''second only to the Qu'ran in popularity.''"<ref name="ref19majex">{{Citation \| title=Human Drama: World History: From 500 to 1450 C.E., Volume 2 \| author=Jean Johnson, Donald James Johnson \| publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005 \| isbn=978-1-55876-220-6 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZs1fN7QIMoC \| quote=''... reached al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph ... he ordered it translated into Arabic ... Some claim it soon became second only to the Quran in popularity ... at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of La Fontaine ...''}}</ref> "''As early as the eleventh century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it existed in [[Greek language\|Greek]], [[Latin]], Spanish, Italian, German, English, [[Old Church Slavonic\|Old Slavonic]], [[Czech language\|Czech]], and perhaps other [[Slavic languages\|Slavonic languages]]. Its range has extended from [[Java]] to [[Iceland]].''"<ref>{{Harvnb\|Edgerton\|1924\|p=3}}. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.</ref> In France, "''at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of [[Jean de La Fontaine]]''."<ref name="ref19majex"/>		Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non-religious books in history. The ''Panchatantra'' was translated into Middle Persian/[[Middle Persian\|Pahlavi]] in 570 CE by [[Borzūya]] and into [[Arabic language\|Arabic]] in 750 CE by [[Persian people\|Persian]] scholar [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa]] as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ({{lang-ar\|كليلة و دمنة}}).<ref>{{Harvnb\|Knatchbull\|1819}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb\|Falconer\|1885}}</ref> In Baghdad, the translation commissioned by [[Al-Mansur]], the second Abbasid Caliph, is claimed to have become "''second only to the Qu'ran in popularity.''"<ref name="ref19majex">{{Citation \| title=Human Drama: World History: From 500 to 1450 C.E., Volume 2 \| author=Jean Johnson, Donald James Johnson \| date=16 July 2009 \| publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005 \| isbn=978-1-55876-220-6 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZs1fN7QIMoC \| quote=''... reached al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph ... he ordered it translated into Arabic ... Some claim it soon became second only to the Quran in popularity ... at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of La Fontaine ...''}}</ref> "''As early as the eleventh century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it existed in [[Greek language\|Greek]], [[Latin]], Spanish, Italian, German, English, [[Old Church Slavonic\|Old Slavonic]], [[Czech language\|Czech]], and perhaps other [[Slavic languages\|Slavonic languages]]. Its range has extended from [[Java]] to [[Iceland]].''"<ref>{{Harvnb\|Edgerton\|1924\|p=3}}. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.</ref> In France, "''at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of [[Jean de La Fontaine]]''."<ref name="ref19majex"/>

	==Legend==		==Legend==
	The prelude to the ''Panchatantra'' identifies Vishnu Sharma as the author of the work. Since there is no other independent external evidence about him, "it is impossible to say whether he was the historical author . . .or is himself a literary invention".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Olivelle\|1997}}</ref> Based on analysis of various Indian [[recension]]s and the geographical features and animals described in the stories, [[Kashmir]] is suggested to be his birthplace by various scholars.<ref name="ref65joyeh">{{Citation \| title=Orissa review, Volume 22 \| publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa, 1965 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZFiYtIcYycC \| quote=''... He has concluded Kashmir as the birthplace of Vishnusharma taking into account the geographical features and the animals ...''}}</ref>		The prelude to the ''Panchatantra'' identifies Vishnu Sharma as the author of the work. Since there is no other independent external evidence about him, "it is impossible to say whether he was the historical author . . .or is himself a literary invention".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Olivelle\|1997}}</ref> Based on analysis of various Indian [[recension]]s and the geographical features and animals described in the stories, [[Kashmir]] is suggested to be his birthplace by various scholars.<ref name="ref65joyeh">{{Citation \| title=Orissa review, Volume 22 \| year=1965 \| publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa, 1965 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZFiYtIcYycC \| quote=''... He has concluded Kashmir as the birthplace of Vishnusharma taking into account the geographical features and the animals ...''}}</ref>

	The prelude narrates the story of how Vishnu Sharma supposedly created the ''Panchatantra''. There was a king called Sudarshan{{citation needed\|date=October 2013}} who ruled a kingdom, whose capital was a city called Mahilaropya (महिलारोप्य), whose location on the current map of India is unknown.<ref name="comppanch3242">{{Citation \| title=सम्पूर्ण पञ्चतन्त्र (The Complete Panchatantra) \| author=Acharya Vishnusharma \| publisher=Parampara Books \| url=http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| quote=''... भारत की दक्षिण दिशा में स्थित महिलारोप्य नामक नगर किसी राज्य की राजधानी था (located in the south of India was a city named Mahilaropya, the capital of some kingdom)...'' \| access-date=1 November 2010 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064226/http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| archive-date=6 October 2011 \| url-status=dead \| df=dmy-all }}</ref> The king had three sons named Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and shakti.<ref name="ref03rofud">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC \| quote=''... a king called Amarshakti. He had three sons – Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti – all dullards ...''}}</ref> Though the king himself was both a scholar and a powerful ruler, his sons were "''all dullards''."<ref name="ref03rofud"/> The king despaired of his three princes' inability to learn, and approached his ministers for counsel. They presented him with conflicting advice, but the words of one, called Sumati, rang true to the king.<ref name="ref53pibam">{{Citation \| title=Story of Panchtantra \| author=Pustak Mahal – Editorial Group / Bloomsbury \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 1999 \| isbn=978-81-223-0454-1 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9tPuMbMZQTcC \| quote=''... One of them named Sumati advised the ruler to hand over the princes to the care of the renowned teacher Acharya Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref> He said that the sciences, politics and diplomacy were limitless disciplines that took a lifetime to master formally. Instead of teaching the princes scriptures and texts, they should somehow be taught the wisdom inherent in them, and the aged scholar Vishnu Sharma was the man to do it.<ref name="ref75qipuv">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC \| quote=''... a wise man named Sumati. He came up with the idea that the princes should not be taught the scriptures but only the wisdom in them. There is a man called Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref>		The prelude narrates the story of how Vishnu Sharma supposedly created the ''Panchatantra''. There was a king called Sudarshan{{citation needed\|date=October 2013}} who ruled a kingdom, whose capital was a city called Mahilaropya (महिलारोप्य), whose location on the current map of India is unknown.<ref name="comppanch3242">{{Citation \| title=सम्पूर्ण पञ्चतन्त्र (The Complete Panchatantra) \| author=Acharya Vishnusharma \| publisher=Parampara Books \| url=http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| quote=''... भारत की दक्षिण दिशा में स्थित महिलारोप्य नामक नगर किसी राज्य की राजधानी था (located in the south of India was a city named Mahilaropya, the capital of some kingdom)...'' \| access-date=1 November 2010 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064226/http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 \| archive-date=6 October 2011 \| url-status=dead \| df=dmy-all }}</ref> The king had three sons named Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and shakti.<ref name="ref03rofud">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC \| quote=''... a king called Amarshakti. He had three sons – Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti – all dullards ...''}}</ref> Though the king himself was both a scholar and a powerful ruler, his sons were "''all dullards''."<ref name="ref03rofud"/> The king despaired of his three princes' inability to learn, and approached his ministers for counsel. They presented him with conflicting advice, but the words of one, called Sumati, rang true to the king.<ref name="ref53pibam">{{Citation \| title=Story of Panchtantra \| author=Pustak Mahal – Editorial Group / Bloomsbury \| date=14 August 1999 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 1999 \| isbn=978-81-223-0454-1 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9tPuMbMZQTcC \| quote=''... One of them named Sumati advised the ruler to hand over the princes to the care of the renowned teacher Acharya Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref> He said that the sciences, politics and diplomacy were limitless disciplines that took a lifetime to master formally. Instead of teaching the princes scriptures and texts, they should somehow be taught the wisdom inherent in them, and the aged scholar Vishnu Sharma was the man to do it.<ref name="ref75qipuv">{{Citation \| title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra \| author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas \| date=10 September 2002 \| publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 \| isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC \| quote=''... a wise man named Sumati. He came up with the idea that the princes should not be taught the scriptures but only the wisdom in them. There is a man called Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref>

	Vishnu Sharma was invited to the court, where the king offered him a hundred land grants if he could teach the princes.<ref name="ref92yibir">{{Citation \| title=Children and Literature \| author=Shubha Tiwari \| publisher=Atlantic Publishers &~~amp;~~ Distributors, 2006 \| isbn=978-81-269-0583-6 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TtfjO6dezAC \| quote=''... In return the king promised to pay a hundred land grants but Vishnusharma replied: 'Naham vidyavikrayam shasanshatenapi karomi.' Translated, 'I am not the man to sell good learning for a hundred land grants.' ...''}}</ref> Vishnu Sharma declined the promised award, saying he did not sell knowledge for money, but accepted the task of making the princes wise to the ways of politics and leadership within six months.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/><ref name="ref92yibir"/> Vishnu Sharma knew that he could never instruct these three students through conventional means. He had to employ a less orthodox way, and that was to tell a succession of animal fables – one weaving into another – that imparted to them the wisdom they required to succeed their father. Adapting stories that had been told for thousands of years in India, panchatantra was composed into an entertaining five part work to communicate the essence of diplomacy, relationships, politics and administration to the princes.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/> These five discourses — titled "The Loss of Friends", "The Winning of Friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the ''Panchatantra'', meaning the five (''pancha'') treatises (''tantra'').		Vishnu Sharma was invited to the court, where the king offered him a hundred land grants if he could teach the princes.<ref name="ref92yibir">{{Citation \| title=Children and Literature \| author=Shubha Tiwari \| year=2006 \| publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2006 \| isbn=978-81-269-0583-6 \| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TtfjO6dezAC \| quote=''... In return the king promised to pay a hundred land grants but Vishnusharma replied: 'Naham vidyavikrayam shasanshatenapi karomi.' Translated, 'I am not the man to sell good learning for a hundred land grants.' ...''}}</ref> Vishnu Sharma declined the promised award, saying he did not sell knowledge for money, but accepted the task of making the princes wise to the ways of politics and leadership within six months.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/><ref name="ref92yibir"/> Vishnu Sharma knew that he could never instruct these three students through conventional means. He had to employ a less orthodox way, and that was to tell a succession of animal fables – one weaving into another – that imparted to them the wisdom they required to succeed their father. Adapting stories that had been told for thousands of years in India, panchatantra was composed into an entertaining five part work to communicate the essence of diplomacy, relationships, politics and administration to the princes.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/> These five discourses — titled "The Loss of Friends", "The Winning of Friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the ''Panchatantra'', meaning the five (''pancha'') treatises (''tantra'').

	==References==		==References==

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{{Infobox writer 
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[[File:Kelileh va Demneh.jpg|thumb|220px|right|A page from ''Kelileh o Demneh'' dated 1429, from [[Herat]], a [[Persian language|Persian]] translation of the ''Panchatantra'' derived from the [[Arabic]] version – ''Kalila wa Dimna'' – depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his [[Asiatic lion|lion-king]] into war.]]
'''<span lang="sa" dir="ltr">Vishnu</span> Sharma''' ([[Sanskrit]]: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who is believed to have written the ''[[Panchatantra]]'', a collection of fables.<ref name="ref67hafuh">{{Citation | title=71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra | author=Santhini Govindan | publisher=Unicorn Books, 2007 | isbn=9788178060866 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4evdJNxWatMC | quote=''... credited to Pandit Vishnusharma somewhere between 1200 BC and AD 300. Many stories may have existed long before then, but Vishnusharma put them together as a single unit ...''}}</ref> The exact period of the composition of the ''Panchatantra'' is uncertain, and estimates vary from 1200 BCE to 300 CE.<ref name="ref67hafuh"/>{{Failed verification|date=October 2019}}{{Page needed|date=October 2019}}Some{{Who|date=October 2019}} scholars place him in the 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jacobs|1888}}, Introduction, page xv; {{Harvnb|Ryder|1925}}, Translator's introduction, quoting Hertel: "that the original work was composed in Kashmir, about 200 B.C. At this date, however, many of the individual stories were already ancient."</ref>

==Works==
Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non-religious books in history. The ''Panchatantra'' was translated into Middle Persian/[[Middle Persian|Pahlavi]] in 570 CE by [[Borzūya]] and into [[Arabic language|Arabic]] in 750 CE by [[Persian people|Persian]] scholar [[Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa]] as ''Kalīlah wa Dimnah'' ({{lang-ar|كليلة و دمنة}}).<ref>{{Harvnb|Knatchbull|1819}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Falconer|1885}}</ref> In Baghdad, the translation commissioned by [[Al-Mansur]], the second Abbasid Caliph, is claimed to have become "''second only to the Qu'ran in popularity.''"<ref name="ref19majex">{{Citation | title=Human Drama: World History: From 500 to 1450 C.E., Volume 2 | author=Jean Johnson, Donald James Johnson | publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers, 2005 | isbn=978-1-55876-220-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZs1fN7QIMoC | quote=''... reached al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph ... he ordered it translated into Arabic ... Some claim it soon became second only to the Quran in popularity ... at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of La Fontaine ...''}}</ref> "''As early as the eleventh century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it existed in [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Latin]], Spanish, Italian, German, English, [[Old Church Slavonic|Old Slavonic]], [[Czech language|Czech]], and perhaps other [[Slavic languages|Slavonic languages]]. Its range has extended from [[Java]] to [[Iceland]].''"<ref>{{Harvnb|Edgerton|1924|p=3}}. "reacht" and "workt" have been changed to conventional spelling.</ref> In France, "''at least eleven Panchatantra tales are included in the work of [[Jean de La Fontaine]]''."<ref name="ref19majex"/>

==Legend==
The prelude to the ''Panchatantra'' identifies Vishnu Sharma as the author of the work. Since there is no other independent external evidence about him, "it is impossible to say whether he was the historical author . . .or is himself a literary invention".<ref>{{Harvnb|Olivelle|1997}}</ref> Based on analysis of various Indian [[recension]]s and the geographical features and animals described in the stories, [[Kashmir]] is suggested to be his birthplace by various scholars.<ref name="ref65joyeh">{{Citation | title=Orissa review, Volume 22 | publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa, 1965 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZFiYtIcYycC | quote=''... He has concluded Kashmir as the birthplace of Vishnusharma taking into account the geographical features and the animals ...''}}</ref>

The prelude narrates the story of how Vishnu Sharma supposedly created the ''Panchatantra''. There was a king called Sudarshan{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} who ruled a kingdom, whose capital was a city called Mahilaropya (महिलारोप्य), whose location on the current map of India is unknown.<ref name="comppanch3242">{{Citation | title=सम्पूर्ण पञ्चतन्त्र (The Complete Panchatantra) | author=Acharya Vishnusharma | publisher=Parampara Books | url=http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 | quote=''... भारत की दक्षिण दिशा में स्थित महिलारोप्य नामक नगर किसी राज्य की राजधानी था (located in the south of India was a city named Mahilaropya, the capital of some kingdom)...'' | access-date=1 November 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064226/http://pustak.org/bs/home.php?bookid=5780 | archive-date=6 October 2011 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref> The king had three sons named Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and shakti.<ref name="ref03rofud">{{Citation | title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra | author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas | publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 | isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC | quote=''... a king called Amarshakti. He had three sons – Bahushakti, Ugrashakti and Anantshakti – all dullards ...''}}</ref> Though the king himself was both a scholar and a powerful ruler, his sons were "''all dullards''."<ref name="ref03rofud"/> The king despaired of his three princes' inability to learn, and approached his ministers for counsel. They presented him with conflicting advice, but the words of one, called Sumati, rang true to the king.<ref name="ref53pibam">{{Citation | title=Story of Panchtantra | author=Pustak Mahal – Editorial Group / Bloomsbury | publisher=Pustak Mahal, 1999 | isbn=978-81-223-0454-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9tPuMbMZQTcC | quote=''... One of them named Sumati advised the ruler to hand over the princes to the care of the renowned teacher Acharya Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref> He said that the sciences, politics and diplomacy were limitless disciplines that took a lifetime to master formally. Instead of teaching the princes scriptures and texts, they should somehow be taught the wisdom inherent in them, and the aged scholar Vishnu Sharma was the man to do it.<ref name="ref75qipuv">{{Citation | title=Secrets of Leadership: Insights from the Pancha Tantra | author=Luis S.R.Vas, Anita Vas | publisher=Pustak Mahal, 2004 | isbn=978-81-223-0802-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxU-Gi2bB8AC | quote=''... a wise man named Sumati. He came up with the idea that the princes should not be taught the scriptures but only the wisdom in them. There is a man called Vishnusharma ...''}}</ref>

Vishnu Sharma was invited to the court, where the king offered him a hundred land grants if he could teach the princes.<ref name="ref92yibir">{{Citation | title=Children and Literature | author=Shubha Tiwari | publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2006 | isbn=978-81-269-0583-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TtfjO6dezAC | quote=''... In return the king promised to pay a hundred land grants but Vishnusharma replied: 'Naham vidyavikrayam shasanshatenapi karomi.' Translated, 'I am not the man to sell good learning for a hundred land grants.' ...''}}</ref> Vishnu Sharma declined the promised award, saying he did not sell knowledge for money, but accepted the task of making the princes wise to the ways of politics and leadership within six months.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/><ref name="ref92yibir"/> Vishnu Sharma knew that he could never instruct these three students through conventional means. He had to employ a less orthodox way, and that was to tell a succession of animal fables – one weaving into another – that imparted to them the wisdom they required to succeed their father. Adapting stories that had been told for thousands of years in India, panchatantra was composed into an entertaining five part work to communicate the essence of diplomacy, relationships, politics and administration to the princes.<ref name="ref75qipuv"/> These five discourses — titled "The Loss of Friends", "The Winning of Friends", "Of Crows and Owls", "Loss of Gains" and "Imprudence" — became the ''Panchatantra'', meaning the five (''pancha'') treatises (''tantra'').

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

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{{Panchatantra}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vishnusharma}}
[[Category:Ancient Indian writers]]
[[Category:Fabulists]]
[[Category:Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]
[[Category:People whose existence is disputed]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]