List of Panchatantra stories
The "Panchatantra" is an ancient Sanskrit collection of stories, probably first composed around 300 CE (give or take a century or two), though some of its component stories may be much older. The original text is not extant, but the work has been widely revised and translated such that there exist "over 200 versions in more than 50 languages." The actual content of these versions sometimes differs greatly. The lists of stories in a few notable versions are compared below. Table. In addition to the stories listed below, many versions begin with a prelude in which  a king bewails the stupidity of his sons, and the wise Vishnu Sharma (the "Panchatantra's" reputed author) bets that he can teach them statecraft in a mere 6 months; the tales constitute his lesson. (Of the versions tabulated below, only Somadeva's "Kathasaritsagara" lacks this "master frame" — an unsurprising omission, since the "Panchatantra" section is placed within the "master frame" of the "Kathasaritsagara" itself.)