ਬਾਂਦਰ ਅਤੇ ਫਾਨਾ
The Monkey and the Wedge
Bilingual Punjabi + English Panchatantra Ages 4-8
, । , ਢੋਂਦੇ ।
In a town, some workers were building a grand new house. All day they sawed and hammered and carried wood.
, ਗਏ। ਵਿਚਕਾਰੋਂ । ਸਮੇਂ ਰੱਖਣ , ਦਰਾਰ ਹੋਇਆ । ਹੋਇਆ , ਹੋਇਆ ।
At lunchtime, the workers put down their tools and went off to eat. One of them had been splitting a great log down the middle. To keep the split open while he worked, he had pushed a wooden wedge into the crack. Half the log was split, and half was still joined.
, ਰਹਿੰਦਾ । ਜਿਉਂ ਗਏ, ਗਏ ਖੇਡਣ । ।
Now, a troop of Monkeys lived nearby. As soon as the workers were gone, the Monkeys came swinging down to play among the wood and tools. They jumped and chattered and made a great mess.
। , ਦਰਾਰ । ਹੋਇਆ ।
One young Monkey was very curious. He sat himself right on top of the half-split log, with the deep crack beneath him. He noticed the wooden wedge stuck in the middle and began to tug at it.
" ?" । " ਕੱਢਣ !"
"What is this funny piece of wood?" he wondered. "Let me pull it out!"
ਨਾਲ ਨਾਲ । ਮਾਰੀਆਂ, ।
He gripped the wedge with both hands and pulled with all his might. The other monkeys called out, but he would not listen.
— ਨਾਲ ਗਏ! ਫਸ , ਛੁਡਾਉਣ ਆਏ।
At last the wedge popped free — and the two halves of the log snapped shut with a great SNAP! The poor Monkey was caught fast, and he could not get loose until the workers came back to free him.
।
If only he had left alone the work that was not his to touch.
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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 Monkey and the Wedge" written in Gurmukhi?
- Yes. The full story is written in Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) as “ਬਾਂਦਰ ਅਤੇ ਫਾਨਾ”, 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 Monkey and the Wedge” is a public-domain Panchatantra tale, retold and translated into Punjabi for diaspora families.
