ਚਾਰ ਦੋਸਤ
The Four Friends
Bilingual Punjabi + English Panchatantra Ages 4-8
ਜੰਗਲੀ ਤਾਲਾਬ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ : , , । ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ ।
Beside a quiet forest pool lived four good friends: a Deer, a Crow, a Mouse, and a Tortoise. Every evening they met together to share news and keep each other company.
, । ਤਿੰਨੋਂ ਚਿੰਤਤ ਗਏ। ਦੇਖਣ , ਜਾਲ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੋਣ ।
One day, the Deer did not come. The three friends grew worried. The Crow flew up high to look and soon spotted the Deer far away, caught fast in a hunter's net, struggling to get free.
ਖ਼ਬਰ । " ਕਰੋ!" । " ਬਚਾ ।" ਕੋਲ ਤੇਜ਼ੀ ਨਾਲ , ।
The Crow rushed back with the news. "Quick!" he said to the Mouse. "Only your sharp teeth can save him." The Crow carried the little Mouse to the Deer as fast as he could fly.
' ਲੱਗ , ਕੁਤਰਨ ਲੱਗਾ — , , । ਚੱਲ , ਖ਼ਤਰੇ ।
The Mouse set to work at once, gnawing at the ropes — nibble, nibble, nibble. Meanwhile the slow Tortoise had set off too, for he could not bear to be left behind while his friend was in danger.
, । ਦਰੱਖਤਾਂ , । ਸਮੇਂ ।
Just as the Mouse chewed through the last rope and the Deer sprang free, the hunter came striding back. The Deer bounded into the trees, the Crow flew up, and the Mouse darted into a hole. But the poor slow Tortoise could not escape in time, and the hunter scooped him up in a sack.
ਤਿੰਨੋਂ । ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਬਣਾਈ। । ਹੋਵੇ। "" , ।
The three friends would not abandon him. They made a clever plan. The Deer lay down in the open and pretended to be dead. The Crow perched on him as if pecking. When the hunter saw the "dead" deer, he dropped his sack and ran over to claim it.
ਹੋਇਆ, ਨਾਲ ਖੋਲ੍ਹ । ਹੋਇਆ, - ਚਾਰੋਂ ਜੰਗਲ ਗਏ।
The moment the hunter's back was turned, the Mouse quickly gnawed open the sack and freed the Tortoise. Then the Deer leaped up, the Crow cawed, and all four friends slipped away into the forest together.
ਕੋਲ ਜਾਲ ।
The hunter was left with nothing but an empty net and an empty sack.
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A public-domain Panchatantra tale, retold and translated into Punjabi (Gurmukhi) for diaspora families by Maastarji. Read together to build Punjabi reading confidence.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is "The Four Friends" written in Gurmukhi?
- Yes. The full story is written in Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) as “ਚਾਰ ਦੋਸਤ”, with the English shown alongside so you can read both together. You can hide the English to read in Gurmukhi only.
- Can my child read this if they are still learning Punjabi?
- Yes. Keep the English on so a new reader can follow the meaning while they sound out the Gurmukhi. As they grow more confident, switch to “Gurmukhi only” for reading practice.
- Is this story free to read?
- Yes — every story on Maastarji is free to read online, with no sign-up. “The Four Friends” is a public-domain Panchatantra tale, retold and translated into Punjabi for diaspora families.
