Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), I hope all of you enjoyed the excerpt from ‘The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Zander’ presented by Ranjini. ‘Thought Provoking’. Well today I will share yet another tale from this monumental book The Panćatantra, tradition ascribes this fabulous work to Vişņu Śarma (“Preserver of Bliss”), faced with the challenge of educating three unlettered princes, to awaken their intelligence, Vişņu Śarma (“Preserver of Bliss”) evolved a unique pedagogy – for his aim was to teach the princes how to think, not what to think. You can buy your copy from any of the bookstores near you or via any on-line portal selling books or also by clicking the following link: Before we embark on this wonder filled, journey I want to draw your attention to these wise words of a Storyteller which I have extracted from yet another monumental work which has been inspired from “The Panćatantra”: My stories require, at this stage, no extra commentary, imaginings, or guesswork by you, me, or anyone else. The very worst would be that of moralizing. To explain away is to forget. Thus, let the stories which you can remember do their own work by their very diversity. Familiarize yourself with them. Excerpt from Doctor’s orders: Kalila Wa Dimna; Vol.1 – Ramsay Wood The tale of ‘The Dog Who went Abroad’ There was once a dog named Spotty who lived in a certain settlement which at one time suffered a prolonged famine. As food became scarce, all the dogs and other animals were dying and their families were becoming extinct. Afraid of what might happen, Spotty, already drawn and pinched by hunger, decided to go abroad. In a certain city in the foreign land he went to, he discovered a house where the lady of the house was careless and easygoing. So Spotty started going in there regularly and each day he ate to his heart’s content enjoying a variety of fine foods, dainties and the like until he was replete with satisfaction. But, as he came out of the house he was surrounded by a number of powerful dogs, all puffed up with pride, who came from all sides, fell upon him and tore at his limbs with their fangs. After a while when this became too much, Spotty began to do some serious thinking. ‘This is a bit much,’ he told himself. ‘It is better to live in one’s own land; there might be a famine raging there, but at least one lives in peace. Nobody comes and fights you. I had better return to my own city.’ So, Spotty made up his mind to return home. Seeing him come home from abroad, his kinsmen and friends crowded around him plying him with questions. ‘Hi, Spotty, What was it like? What kind of land was it? What were the people like? What was the food like; tell us; tell us everything…..’ and so on. The Panćatantra (Loss of Gains) – The Dog Who went Abroad – Vişņu Śarma Translated from the Sanskrit by Chandra Rajan Let us remember: Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. We feed the hunger blindly. Once the mechanism is brought to our attention and we begin to study it, it is as if a veil has been stripped off ordinary life, and we become freer in our action and choices.