India is the birthplace of many fables and tales about animals. Ancient India - a land of fairy tales and amazing wonders -
Panchatantra (Sanskrit - “five books”, or according to another interpretation “five tricks”, more precisely - “the science of management called Panchatantra”) is a famous collection of fables and parables that arose in India around the 3rd century. n. e. and through the mediation of the Persians (Pahlavi translation of the 6th century) and Arabs (translation from the Pahlavi Ibn Moqaffa of the 8th century) became the property of world literature.
Like almost all the epic works of ancient India, the Panchatantra is built on the principle of framing in the form of five prose stories (“Separation of Friends”, “Gain of Friends”, “War of Crows and Owls”, “Loss of Gain” and “Reckless Deeds”, the heroes of the first story are jackal-ministers Karataka and Damanaka, after whom the collection in Arabic translation was named); These stories, in turn, are united by an introductory story about the sage Vishnusharman, who wrote the Panchatantra as an instruction for the royal sons, and are the frame for many inserted parables, fables and poetic sayings. In addition to independent versions of the Panchatantra, both in its entirety and in fragments, it is included in a number of other epic works of ancient India: in large poetic collections of tales of Somadeva and Kshemendra, in prose framed collections “Hitopadesha”, “Seventy Tales of a Parrot”, etc.
The content of the Panchatantra is a discussion in narrative form of difficult incidents presented to the ruler; its goal is to teach diplomacy and good Sanskrit to young men of noble families. Thus, Panchatantra is a kind of educational book, a didactic work. But Panchatantra didactics has very little to do with morality. It arose among sectarian city dwellers, equally opposed to both Brahmanism and Buddhism, expressing the interests of this environment and the demands it made on state power. Its goal is to show that moral laws are not absolute, that they recede into the background before the idea of the welfare of the state.
It is clear that this worldview, this artistic method easily found an echo wherever the prerequisites for the isolation of the “urban class” already existed, where representatives of merchant capital began to feel constrained under the conditions of the feudal system. It is not for nothing that most of the Panchatantra plots were so easily adopted by the urban class of the medieval West and used by them to ridicule monks, priests and knights.
Read a book
The ancestors of the Indian population came to this land from different parts of the world. Therefore, today Indian fairy tales are told by hundreds of nationalities inhabiting the country.
How to distinguish an Indian fairy tale?
Despite all the diversity of cultures, religions and even languages, the best Indian fairy tales for children have some peculiarities. The main focus of most stories are:
desire to gain knowledge;
religiosity;
preference for a righteous lifestyle;
placing family values at the forefront;
inclusion of poetic forms.
Religious quotes and teachings are directly put into the mouths of some characters.
Brief history of creation
Old Indian legends date back to before our era. Then they were created as teachings for the sons of the ruler of the country. But they already had a fairy-tale form, they were written on behalf of animals. The oldest collection of fairy tales itself is “Kathasaritsagaru”, based on the most ancient beliefs in traditional Indian gods.
Gradually all the folklore stories took shape. Magical, everyday, love, and heroic tales arose. In the country's folk art, many stories were written about ordinary people who defeated all the adversities of fate. Fairy tales about animals possessing all human qualities were spread. They interacted with each other, denounced vices, and praised virtuous behavior. Often the narrative included short advice given by the wisest hero. This is how fairy tales remain today.
What attracts you to the amazing legends of India?
The fairy-tale fantasies of India attract with their amazingly colorful oriental flavor, storytelling style and, of course, the abundance of magical plots. At the same time, the child unobtrusively receives wise advice and forms a correct vision of the surrounding world of people and animals.
INDIA - THE HOMELAND OF TALES ABOUT ANIMALS
India is the birthplace of many fables and tales about animals. Get to know them. Which ones did you like best? How? What beliefs are associated with the fact that in ancient Indian literature the characters are often animals?
India is the birthplace of many fables and tales about animals. This is largely due to the mythological and religious beliefs of the ancient Hindus. In Hindu beliefs, all living things in the world contain a divine spark, and in this respect, man differs from animals only in form. At the same time, a person, an animal, and even a plant is only one of the transitional forms into which the immortal soul is reincarnated on its path to perfection. Therefore, according to Hindu beliefs, every living creature contains a soul, perhaps even that of their ancestor.
The fauna of India is large and diverse. Since ancient times, Hindus have lived among numerous animals, which have become part of the life and beliefs of Hindus. Hindus worship some deities in the form of animals. Vishnu, for example, incarnated on earth as a fish, as a turtle, as a boar, in one of his incarnations he was half lion, half man. In addition, animals are vehicles and indispensable attributes of many Gods in Hinduism and Vedic mythology. Animals represent the energy of their gods and, like their owners themselves, are objects of worship.
For example, a cow represents abundance, purity, and holiness. Just like Mother Earth, the cow gives selfless sacrifice. It produces milk and other dairy products, which serve as the basis of a vegetarian diet. According to Hindu mythology, in order for a Hindu to reach heaven after death, he must swim across a river. This can only be done with the help of a cow, holding on to its tail. Today in India, pedestrians and motorists give way to these sacred animals without further ado. And if, God forbid, you run over a cow, you can get a serious fine or even life imprisonment. Once on one of the busy roads there was a traffic jam for almost a day, because one such sacred animal decided to lie down, right in the middle of the street.
Monkeys are considered sacred animals in India. According to an ancient legend, the monkey king Hanuman stole delicious mangoes from the garden of the mythical giant and gave them to people. Also in ancient Indian legends, the monkey Hanuman helps the hero Rama save the beautiful princess Sita.
The Indians were afraid of snakes and tried to appease them. They placed lumps of boiled rice around the house as a treat for the snakes in the hope that the snakes would not bite people. Snakes crawl into Indian homes completely without permission. This happens especially often during the rainy season, when water floods their burrows. The spectacled cobra is considered sacred in Hinduism. On it rests the god Vishnu, the patron of goodness and law, in the waves of the world ocean. Cobras also wrap around the neck of the omnipotent Shiva. They wrap their rings around their hands and head. Buddha sat under the swollen hoods of a multi-headed cobra during his sermons, having previously turned her to the path of good, by the power of his teaching. In some provinces of India, the cult of cobra is widespread. One Indian woman even married a snake. For several years, the woman brought milk to her hole, which she accepted with gratitude. And she never even attempted to attack. At that time, the woman fascinated by the cobra was seriously ill, but she did not have the means to pay for treatment. The newlywed was sure that daily communication with the snake cured her illness. After the wedding, the new bride moved into a hut built next to the snake's hole.
Elephants enjoy special attention and respect among Indians. According to Hindu traditions, any person who harms an elephant incurs a curse. After all, the Earth rests on four elephants. So, one of the main gods was the wise god Ganesha with the head of an elephant. The Indians managed to tame the elephants, and they helped the Indians by dragging heavy logs or participating in battles.
We all remember the famous story about the brave mongoose Riki-Tiki-Tavi, the story about the cat who walked by itself, and the fairy tale about Mowgli from The Jungle Book, which became famous thanks to animated film adaptations. These stories were written by the English writer Rudyard Kipling, who was born in India and introduced Indian traditions of animal tales into his works. Indeed, India is home to numerous animal tales. In them, animals talk, feel, make friends, quarrel and make peace, show wisdom and ingenuity, betray each other and receive a well-deserved punishment for betrayal. Everything is like people. The same vices and worthy qualities. Using animals as an example, Indian fairy tales provide moral education for children, showing what is good and what is bad.
Municipal state educational institution
"Baranovskaya secondary school"
History Project
“India is the birthplace of fairy tales
about animals"
Completed by a 5th grade student
Ivanova Kristina
Head: Grigorova L. M.,
history and social studies teacher
With. Baranovo.
Introduction
1. Sacred animals of India
2. Tales about animals, their features and varieties
Conclusion
Information sources
Applications
Introduction
India is one of the most amazing countries in the world. Perhaps no country can compare with its rich culture, its customs, traditions, and religions. My acquaintance with India began in childhood, when I read R. Kipling’s fairy tale “Mowgli”. And then we studied India in history lessons.
India is located on the Hindustan Peninsula. It has a rich flora and fauna. India is a “land of wonders”. She gave the world many amazing discoveries: cotton fabrics, cane sugar, seasonings, chess, numbers. India is a multinational country. Each nation has its own culture, language, traditions. India is a country with rich religious traditions.
Problem:
Why did animal stories appear in India?
Target my project: to find out the connection between religious beliefs and Indian folklore.
find information on the topic;
establish a connection between religious beliefs and the plots of Indian fairy tales;
4) select and systematize the necessary material;
5) compose a literary booklet of Indian fairy tales and recommend it to classmates for reading.
I did not choose the topic of this project by chance. I and all the kids in our class love fairy tales, especially fairy tales about animals. In history class we learned that India is considered the birthplace of fairy tales. “Why her?” I thought and decided to find out about this in more detail and introduce my research to the guys.
Sacred Animals of India
Hinduism is one of the ancient and main religions of India. Hinduism is a belief in myths and legends, the worship of gods, of which there are several thousand, but the main three are Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Hinduism is a way of life that emphasizes respect for animals. All animals were considered the brothers and sisters of man, whose common father was God. Hinduism emphasizes the kinship of man with all animals, and this makes it impossible to have a hostile or even indifferent attitude towards animals. Indians believe in the transmigration of souls - this is called reincarnation. If a person treats animals cruelly, then after death his soul will move into the soul of this animal and will also be subjected to violence. For the same reason, most Indians are vegetarians - they do not eat meat.
A special place in the religious beliefs of Hindus is the worship of sacred animals. The most revered animal in India is the cow. This animal is shown the greatest respect everywhere. She can move freely around streets , creating traffic jams. A normal sight for the streets of Delhi and Bombay is a situation where a cow blocked traffic and lay down to rest across roads. And the cars, in turn, wait patiently when animal will give way. Killing a cow is considered the most terrible crime in India. Ate beef in the next world there are so many difficult years of suffering, How many the cow has hairs on its body. Many temples in India hold festivals dedicated to cow . On this day, the cow is decorated with expensive, beautiful fabrics and garlands, and various dishes are presented to them. The cow represents abundance, purity, holiness. Just like Mother Earth, the cow is the principle of selfless sacrifice. It produces milk and other dairy products, which serve as the basis of a vegetarian diet.
Elephants enjoy special attention and respect among Indians. According to Hindu traditions, any person who harms an elephant incurs a curse. One of the most revered and widespread deities in Hinduism is the elephant-headed god Ganesh. It brings wealth and prosperity. Helps in business and removes any obstacles.
Today, the elephant is a hardworking helper for peasants. Recently, regular censuses of these giants have begun to be carried out in India. The elephant's passport indicates the gender, age and special features. Along with the passport, it is planned to introduce work books, where all actions in the field of serving people will be recorded. Elephant festivals are held in India in the spring. Dressed up giant elephants proudly parade through the streets, participate in various competitions and even dance. And in the fall, Ganesh's birthday is celebrated. Fruits, milk, and flowers are brought to the statues of the elephant god.
Another sacred animal is the rat. In the town of Deshnok, in Rajasthan, there is a unique temple created specifically for these animals. It bears the name of Karni Mata, a Hindu saint. She lived in the XIV-XVI centuries, and showed the world many miracles. Her mission is victory over obstacles, pain and suffering, protection, as well as destruction of everything that interferes with development.
According to local residents, there are more than twenty thousand rats here. These are the happiest rats in the world. People do not disdain them, do not scream in horror when they approach. On the contrary, pilgrims from all over the country flock here to bring tribute to the rats, feed them, and express their respect. This is the only place in the world where people worship rats. Indians treat these animals with love and respect and firmly believe that they will bring happiness. Candy bitten by a rat is considered a sacred food.
The monkeys that live everywhere in India are also surrounded by an aura of holiness in India. According to legend, the kingdom of Hampi in Goya state was once ruled by monkeys, two brothers Bali and Sugriva. The evil Bali expelled his brother, and Sugriva and his devoted companions joined the army of King Rama. Rama helped him take the throne. Sugriva's friend Hanuman became Rama's faithful assistant. It was he who tied a torch to his tail to consecrate the battlefield and help Rama defeat the evil demon. Despite their holiness, monkeys often irritate Indians with their importunity, curiosity and thievery. A few years ago, near Jaipur, a monkey appeared and robbed houses after knocking on the door.
The spectacled cobra is considered sacred in Hinduism. According to legend, the god Vishnu, the patron of goodness and law, rests on it in the waves of the world ocean. Cobras also wrap around the neck of the omnipotent Shiva. They cover both the arms and the head with their rings. Buddha sat under the swollen hoods of a multi-headed cobra during his sermons, having previously turned her to the path of good by the power of his teachings.
Snake charmers are a special caste in India. They can be seen at all fairs and market streets in India, as well as in places visited by tourists. They squat in front of their round baskets, from which swaying cobras stick out, and play the pipes. Sometimes cobras begin to crawl out of their baskets and attempt to escape. But they are immediately caught and returned back.
Tales about animals, their characteristics and varieties
Fairy tales are one of the main genres of Indian folklore. Folklore is poetic creativity that grows on the basis of the labor activity of mankind, reflecting the experience of thousands of years.
Fairy tales are epic, mostly prosaic works of a magical, adventurous or everyday nature with a fictional attitude. Their beginning was lost in the darkness of primitive times. Not every invention became a fairy tale. According to tradition, only what was important for people was passed down from generation to generation. Storytellers expressed the wisdom of their people, their aspirations and dreams. This is where the originality and uniqueness of fairy tales comes from.
The diverse and rich nature of India has greatly influenced the folk culture of its regions. The general name for wild, impenetrable nature in India is jungle. Indian nature has been the subject of numerous tales and fables such as the Panchatantra and the Jatakas.
The genres of fairy tales are different: everyday, magical, fairy tales, legends, fairy tales about animals. Fairy tales can be original or folk. There are fairy tales that are instructive, kind, sad, and funny. But they are all magical. People believe in magic, and that goodness, truth and purity of thoughts will definitely prevail over evil, lies and pretense, and peace, love and justice will reign in the world.
The tales are based on religious beliefs and the diversity of Indian wildlife. The characters in Indian folk tales about animals are usually represented by images of wild and domestic animals. Images of wild animals prevail over images of domestic animals: fox, panther, etc. Domestic animals are much less common. They do not appear as independent characters, but only in conjunction with wild ones: a cat and a ram, a bull and a pig. There are no tales only about domestic animals in Indian folklore.
The authors of fairy tales endowed animals with human character. They speak human language and act like humans. In fairy tales, animals suffer and rejoice, love and hate, laugh and swear. Each character is an image of a certain animal, behind which stands one or another human character. For example, a jackal is cunning, cowardly; tiger - greedy and always hungry; Leo – strong, domineering; The mouse is weak and harmless. Labor triumphs over wealth, truth over lies, good over evil.
Fairy tales glorify the best human qualities: courage and resourcefulness, hard work and honesty, kindness and justice. Everything negative: selfishness, arrogance, stinginess, laziness, greed, cruelty - inevitably fails. Fairy tales are full of humor and everyday life situations, and are distinguished by their rich plots.
Each line is imbued with the people’s love for their own culture; they describe in detail the life of the inhabitants of ancient times.
Over the long history of its existence, India many times found itself under the yoke of Muslim rulers, which left a considerable mark on folk art.
After the liberation of India from colonial oppression and the formation of a republic, new collections of fairy tales began to appear in different parts of the country - in Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Braj. In the new collections, folklore is presented for the most part, not in translations, but in those dialects in which the tales were recorded by collectors. Ethnographers and linguists - researchers of small peoples and their languages - do a lot of work in collecting folklore.
Conclusion
Thus, during the work we managed to learn a lot of new and interesting things.
In the folklore of the peoples of the world, fairy tales are the most amazing creation.
Fairy tales are a centuries-old encyclopedia of folk life, but the encyclopedia is lively and entertaining. A magical and truthful, funny and instructive fairy tale is passed on from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation.
Indian nature has been the subject of numerous tales such as the Panchatantra and the Jatakas. In India, the heroes of fairy tales are animals that the inhabitants feared and therefore revered.
Indian fairy tales are distinguished by their rich, fascinating plots. Just like India itself, which attracts with its mysteries, so its fairy tales leave a long, good, unforgettable impression. Fairy tales of ancient India have been translated into many languages of the world, interesting films and cartoons have been made based on their plots.
The finished product of the work on the topic “India - the birthplace of fairy tales about animals” was the literary booklet “What a delight these fairy tales are.” In it I recommend for reading fairy tales that are in the school and Baranovsk rural libraries. These are not only Indian folk tales, but also tales written by the English writer Rudyard Kipling. He was born and raised in India. All fairy tales are interesting and, most importantly, instructive.
Information sources
Children's encyclopedia "1001 questions and answers", Moscow, "ONICS", 200
A Brief History of Indian Literatures. L., 1974
To prepare this work, materials from the site were used http://www.krugosvet.ru/
http://o-india.ru/2012/10/indijskie-skazki-i-skazki-ob-indii/
http://znanija.com/task/17673603
Appendix No. 1. The sacred animal of India is the cow.
Appendix No. 2. The sacred animal of India is the elephant.
Appendix No. 3. The sacred animal of India is the rat.
Appendix No. 4. The sacred animal of India is the monkey.
Appendix No. 5. The sacred animal of India is the cobra.
Appendix No. 6. Collections of Indian fairy tales Panchatantra and Jataka.
Appendix No. 6. Books of the Baranovsk Rural Library
- The favorite game of many, chess, came to the modern world from India..
- Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of India made crystalline sugar from cane. Many people who lived at that time were amazed at how honey could be made without bees; it was artificial honey made from sugar.
- India is the birthplace of the world famous hookah. They taught the Persians to smoke, the Persians taught the Egyptians, and so gradually the whole world learned about it.
- There are as many religions as in India, no other civilization has. In religion, Indian culture has no equal. Since ancient times, Hindus have worshiped many gods and composed a lot of legends and stories about the origin of humanity. The religion of India has left its mark on many modern creeds.
- The people of Ancient India did a lot for the development of science. Indian sages achieved enormous success in mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and also in linguistics. They knew the meaning of the number “pi”, and came up with the decimal counting system, the numbers we use are also their merit. Many mathematical terms were also invented by the people of India. In astronomy, they guessed about the rotation of the earth around its axis. Even in those distant times, doctors performed operations using special instruments. Doctors treated serious diseases with herbal remedies. While in other civilizations they had no idea about this.
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- Hindus are not inferior in literature. The Vedas are the most ancient literary heritage. They were created 2 thousand years ago BC. Later came the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Next came the Panchatantra. It was a collection of fables, fairy tales, parables and legends, its contents were instructive.
- Surely everyone associates India with songs and dances; without this it is impossible to imagine this culture. Indian dances and theater have their origins in the ancient rituals of Indian tribes. Hindus consider Shiva to be the king of dance, and also give preference to Krishna.
- There are quite a few achievements in chemistry. Ancient Hindus were knowledgeable about various metals and alloys. They knew how to create dyes, glass, jewelry, aromatic substances, and even poisons.
- In ancient India they knew human anatomy well. Doctors knew all the organs of the human body. They were able to correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
- Hindus were able to tame a huge animal - the elephant. These animals served to transport heavy loads and carry logs. They also took part in battles, warriors sat on them and shot arrows at enemies. Elephants trampled enemies. Hindus believed that elephants were of divine origin; one of their gods had the head of an elephant. Buffaloes served them to dig up the fields, and the cow was considered a sacred animal, she was called the mother and nurse. Killing a cow was considered a sin.
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- People built their homes along rivers or on the edge of the jungle. Ordinary Indians were engaged in growing wheat, vegetables and barley. They knew how to grow cotton, from which they made yarn, and made comfortable clothes. Over time, these clothes have colorfully transformed.
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- The cities of ancient India had sewerage systems. The sewage system was simply exemplary in those days. It was collected from a network of channels. Everything was done very thoughtfully and carefully. The channels were cleaned from time to time. Outside the city they made drains from bricks.
- There is information in history that Indians fought unusual wars. They used some kind of “weapon of the gods.” What is most interesting is that the effect of this weapon is similar to nuclear weapons; at that moment, humanity was still very far from such achievements.
- In the last century, a unique archaeological discovery was made. Near the Indus River, a huge city was excavated. Its length was 5 km, the city itself was divided into 12 parts. The streets were level and straight. The houses are built of clay and brick.
- In ancient India there were schools of sculpture. The largest of them are Gandhara, Mathura, and Amaravata. The sculptures of India are religious and cultural in nature. The Hindus have come up with a special manual for making sculptures.
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