Editing Fable (section)

===India===
India has a rich tradition of fables, many derived from traditional stories and related to local natural elements. Indian fables often teach a particular moral.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ohale|first=Nagnath|date=2020-05-25|title=Indian Fables Stories – In Indian Culture Indian fables with morals|url=https://inindianculture.com/indian-fables-stories/|access-date=2020-07-16|website=In Indian Culture|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731105845/https://inindianculture.com/indian-fables-stories/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In some stories the gods have animal aspects, while in others the characters are archetypal talking animals similar to those found in other cultures. Hundreds of fables were composed in [[History of India|ancient India]] during the [[1st millennium BC|first millennium BCE]], often as [[Story within a story|stories within]] [[frame story|frame stories]]. Indian fables have a mixed cast of humans and animals. The dialogues are often longer than in fables of Aesop and often comical as the animals try to outwit one another by trickery and deceit. In Indian fables, humanity is not presented as superior to the animals. Prime examples of the fable in India are the Panchatantra and the [[Jataka tales]]. These included [[Vishnu Sarma]]'s ''[[Panchatantra]]'', the ''[[Hitopadesha]]'', ''[[Baital Pachisi|Vikram and The Vampire]]'', and [[Syntipas]]' ''[[Seven Wise Masters]]'', which were collections of fables that were later influential throughout the [[Old World]]. Ben E. Perry (compiler of the "[[Perry Index]]" of Aesop's fables) has argued controversially that some of the Buddhist ''Jataka tales'' and some of the fables in the ''Panchatantra'' may have been influenced by similar [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Near East]]ern ones.<ref>Ben E. Perry, "Introduction", p. xix, in ''Babrius and Phaedrus'' (1965)</ref> Earlier [[Indian epic poetry|Indian epics]] such as [[Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa|Vyasa's]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and [[Valmiki]]'s ''[[Ramayana]]'' also contained fables within the main story, often as [[side story|side stories]] or [[back-story]]. The most famous folk stories from the Near East were the ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]'', also known as the ''Arabian Nights''.

The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian assortment of fables. The earliest recorded work, ascribed to Vishnu Sharma, dates to around 300 BCE. The tales are likely much older than the compilation, having been passed down orally prior to the book's compilation. The word "Panchatantra" is a blend of the words "pancha" (which means "five" in Sanskrit) and "tantra" (which means "weave"). It implies weaving together multiple threads of narrative and moral lessons together to form a book.