2022 - Panchatantra: The Crow and The Snake | Mint Souvenir Token

The India Government Mint, Kolkata, issued its second coloured souvenir token in the Panchatantra Series in 2022, featuring the famous tale “The Crow and the Snake.”

The Panchatantra is one of India’s most celebrated collections of ancient animal fables, traditionally attributed to Vishnu Sharma. Originally composed in Sanskrit, the Panchatantra uses engaging stories about animals and human characters to convey practical lessons on wisdom, friendship, strategy, leadership, and human behaviour. Its stories have travelled across cultures and languages and continue to be enjoyed by generations.

The word Panchatantra means “Five Treatises” or “Five Principles.” The work is traditionally divided into five sections, each dealing with different aspects of practical wisdom and social conduct. The stories were originally intended to impart knowledge of life and statecraft through entertaining narratives, making complex lessons easy to understand and remember.

One of the well-known stories associated with the Panchatantra is “The Crow and the Snake.” The tale demonstrates how intelligence, planning, and teamwork can help overcome a powerful adversary. The story tells of a pair of crows who lived in a tree. A snake living nearby would repeatedly eat their eggs whenever the female crow laid them. The crows were distressed and unable to defeat the snake through physical strength. Instead of giving up, they sought the advice of a wise jackal. The jackal suggested a clever plan. He advised the crows to take a valuable ornament from a group of people bathing nearby and drop it close to the snake’s hiding place. The crows followed the plan and carried away a necklace, attracting the attention of the people, who followed them to the tree.

The crows then dropped the ornament near the snake’s dwelling. When the people arrived, they saw the snake and killed it while attempting to retrieve the valuable ornament. In this way, the crows succeeded in eliminating their dangerous enemy without confronting it directly.

The moral of the story is that intelligence and clever planning can overcome physical strength and seemingly greater power. It also highlights the importance of seeking wise counsel and using strategy rather than acting impulsively.

The tale remains relevant because it demonstrates that difficult problems can often be solved through careful planning, cooperation, and presence of mind. Like many Panchatantra stories, it uses a simple animal narrative to convey a practical lesson applicable to everyday life. The Panchatantra continues to hold an important place in India's literary and cultural heritage. Its stories have been adapted into books, illustrations, theatre, animation, educational material, and other forms of popular culture.

The Panchatantra Series of coloured souvenir tokens issued by the India Government Mint, Kolkata, provides an interesting connection between India's ancient storytelling tradition and modern commemorative collecting. The second coloured souvenir token in the series, issued in 2022, features “The Crow and the Snake,” preserving the essence of this timeless fable in a tangible form for collectors and future generations.