The Panchatantra is as old as the need of human beings to know themselves. Legend has it that the scholar Vishnu Sharma related these tales to the three foolish sons of King Sudarshana of Pataliputra, and made wise men out of them. Dating back to about 300 BC, these witty stories have been told and retold for over a thousand years. Many of the tales involve animals, making them particularly appealing to children.