5 Panchatantra Story In English With Morals For Kids

panchatantra story in english

The Panchatantra story in English gained so much popularity and is also translated into several other languages. These stories are one of the oldest collections of stories from ancient India. Panchatantra stories make great bedtime stories and are loved for their lucid pace. When there was no advancement of electronic or digital media, these stories served the purpose to entertain the kids and gave them moral teachings. Kids love these stories because they have animal characters. 

The stories were originally written in Sanskrit. However, you can get a Panchatantra story in English and several other languages. Here you may find a collection of some of the best stories from Panchatantra in English and tell your little toddlers at bedtime. 

5 Bedtime Panchatantra Story In English With Moral For Kids

Below are some wonderful Panchatantra stories in English that you can tell your kids at bedtime: 

panchatantra story in english
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1: Panchatantra Story In English: The Monkey and the Crocodile

Once, there was a monkey who resided on a Jamun (berry) tree, which was on the banks of a river. The crocodile and his wife lived in the same forest. The crocodile came to the banks of the river one day and slept underneath the oak. He was given some fruits by a kind heart monkey. The next day, the crocodile returned for more fruits as he enjoyed them. The crocodile and the monkey became good friends as days went by.

One day, the monkey gave the crocodile’s wife some fruit. She ate and enjoyed the Jamun, but she was jealous, as her husband did not want to spend time with the monkey. She said to her husband, “If the fruit were so juicy, I wonder how sweet the heart of a monkey would be.” Get me the monkey’s heart. The crocodile was not prepared to kill a friend of his but had no choice.

He invited the monkey to dinner at his house, and his wife wanted to see him. The monkey was pleased, but he was unable to swim, so the crocodile picked him up on his back. The crocodile was pleased he had fooled the monkey, but he blurted out the true reason for bringing the monkey home while speaking. “The clever monkey said, “You were supposed to tell me earlier that I left my heart in the tree. We’ve got to go out and get it.’ The crocodile trusted him and carried him back to the forest. The smart monkey thus saved his life.

Moral of this Panchatantra story in English: Choose your company wisely and always have the presence of mind.

2: Panchatantra Story In English: The Elephants and the Mice

There was a village that was deserted by its inhabitants after being shattered after the earthquake. The mice living in the village, however, wanted to live and make it their home. There was a lake on the outskirts of this village where a herd of elephants frequently visited to bathe and drink water. The elephants trampled the mice while walking there as the village was on the way to this lake. So, the Mice King has planned to visit the elephants. He told them, “O elephants, many mice are trampled as you pass through the village.” If you could please consider changing your direction, we would be very grateful. When you are in need, we will keep you in mind and return the favor.

“We are giant elephants,” chuckled the elephant king. What kind of favor would you mice return? Nonetheless, we consider your request and change our path.

The elephants were trapped after a few days and entangled in nets set up by hunters. They tried hard, but in vain, to escape. The king of the elephants recalled the pledge of the king of mice. So he sent a fellow elephant, who was fortunately not captured, to ask the king of the mice to come in and help them.

Soon, all the mice came and began to nibble on the nets and set the elephants free. The elephant king wasn’t able to thank the mice enough!

Moral of this Panchatantra story in English: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Always be kind to people and grateful for their help.

3: The Loyal Mongoose

There was a farmer couple who had a pet mongoose. One day, the farmer and his wife had to leave the house quickly for work, and so they left the mongoose with their baby, making sure that their baby would be well covered. A snake stealthily entered the house when they were away and advanced towards the cradle to strike the child. In order to protect the boy, the smart mongoose battled and killed the snake.

On returning back, the farmer’s wife was surprised to see bloodstains on the mouth and teeth of the mongoose. “She lost her temper and screamed out, “You’ve killed my boy! She lost her temper and killed the faithful mongoose in her frustration. Next, she saw the baby alive when she entered her home and the dead snake beside him. She realized what had happened and regretted her actions.

Moral of this Panchatantra story in English: Think before you act.

4: The Tortoise and the Geese

Once upon a time, a tortoise and two geese, who were great friends, lived beside a pool. The geese wanted to move to a new location as the lake was drying up. The tortoise wanted to go with them, too, but he was unable to fly, so he begged the geese to take him with them. Finally, after having tried very hard to persuade them, the geese agreed to his request. They put a stick in their beaks and asked the tortoise to keep his mouth on the stick, telling him not to open his mouth and let go of the stick.

“As they were flying high, some of the spectators thought that the tortoise had been abducted and said, “Oh, the poor tortoise! This made the tortoise furious, and he opened his mouth immediately to say something back. He fell to the ground as soon as he did so, and he died.

Moral of this Panchatantra story in English: Think before you speak. Listen to instructions, and follow them.

5: A Tale of Three Fish

Three fish that were great friends lived in a pool. The first fish was really intelligent, the second knew how to work out his way out of trouble, and the third was adamant and despised changes. The first fish overheard the conversation of a fisherman about coming back the next day and fishing in the lake.

Sensing danger, the first fish cautioned his friends to swim out of the lake. “I’ll sit here and find a way out if I’m captured,” the second fish said. However, the third fish was adamant and decided to do nothing about it. The first fish had swum away. The fisherman returned the next day and captured the other two fish. The second fish wisely escaped by showing to be dead. The third fish did diet due to his rigidity and his ability to understand the need of the hour.

Moral of this Panchatantra story in English: One should always be open to change and adapt accordingly. Take immediate action when you sense danger.

Takeaway! 

Panchatantra’s stories played a crucial role in enhancing the moral values in the kids when there was almost no electronic or digital media. However, these stories are very practical these days as well. Also, a Panchatantra story in English can educate and entertain your kids. To get more amusing posts, pay a visit to our blog section.