Book V - Ill-Considered Action
Aparikshitakarakam
Stories warning against rash decisions - from the Brahmin who killed his loyal mongoose to the singing donkey who attracted danger.
Frame Story
The opening narrative that sets the stage for the entire book
The Brahmin and the Mongoose
A Brahman wife kills the loyal mongoose who saved her baby from a snake
The Four Treasure-Seekers
Four Brahmans seek treasure and learn that greed leads to suffering
The Four Learned Fools
Four learned Brahmans bring a lion skeleton to life and are killed by it
The Two Fishes and the Frog
Two overconfident fishes and a cautious frog escape fishermen
The Musical Donkey
A donkey's vanity leads to a beating when he insists on singing
The Weaver Who Won a Princess
A weaver asks a fairy for extra arms and a second head, then is killed as a monster
The Daydreaming Barber
A Brahman dreams of wealth and kicks over his jar of barley-meal
The Unforgiving Monkey
A monkey chief takes revenge on King Moon for killing his troop
The Credulous Fiend
A fiend in horse-form is stolen by a horse-thief and mistakes him for a demon
The Three-Breasted Princess
A blind man and a hunchback marry a three-breasted princess and both are cured
The Fiend Who Washed His Feet
A fiend's vow not to touch the ground with unwashen feet saves a Brahman