The Hitopadesha tales are a set of stories written in Sanskrit. It has been difficult to estimate when this book was first written. Historians estimate the writing to be between 8th-12th centuries. However, Prof.M.Williams who first translated this book mentions it being written in 350 BC, which would make it the oldest book of fables.
The usual confusion on dates by British historians who first attempted to set a time frame for all works of knowledge in India leaves us in great doubt about the actual time of its writing. It should suffice to say that these fables are of great antiquity and will help us connect to the wisdom of our ancestors.
Why I chose this book? The book is unusual in its weaving together storytelling, poetry, wisdom, and skillful use of language in every story that unfolds. Style of writing is both verse and prose, so parts of it are written like a regular paragraph based conversation & description, and parts of it contain poetry based expressions.
These stories were essentially written and used for educating the Princes of that time. This form of storytelling had two objectives – to improve proficiency of students in Sanskrit (Sanskrit was considered the language of the highly educated and refined) and understanding the wisdom for governance (niti-vidyam). Hence, every story has an associated moral attached to it.
For me, these stories are not just about niti-vidyam but impart wisdom for everyday living. It helps me reflect on the many issues we face as we go about our lives and the wisdom these stories hold out that we can apply to ourselves. It is remarkable to note how this wisdom is ageless and applicable across centuries and remains most relevant even in our current times.
Why you should read it? This is a wonderful book looking at aspects of life relevant to all of us in a range of situations. It will be of interest for all who wish to enrich their knowledge about self and how they engage with the world external to themselves:
- how to effectively engage with the different people around us
- how to manage constantly changing situations of life
- how to arrive at the right life decisions while being within our world of doubts, conflicting thoughts, multiple choices, views of friends and family, etc
- what does it mean to make a positive contribution to those around us
- understand how our decisions affect others and how can one take informed decisions
Whether you are a parent, a child, a student, a working professional or a leader of teams, our challenges on effectively engaging with those around us and making a positive impact within our circle of friends, family, colleagues and even sometimes in lives of strangers is something we grapple with everyday. One finds interesting perspectives in the book to help you along the way.
A little more about the book – Some of the stories in Hitopadesa are similar to ones in the Panchatantra.
I am sure you still remember those lazy holidays in which we all read an Amar Chitra Katha. The author of the book is Narayan Pandit, who wrote it under the patronage of King Dhavalachandra. While some western scholars believe that there was no such ruler or writer, some Indian authorities on the History of India have mentioned that Dhavalachandra was the king of Bengal and Narayan Pandit was his royal Poet. I prefer to go by the latter viewpoint.
The Hitopadesha was translated several times in different languages. Some of the translations I am aware of are:
- Nushirvan of Persia had it translated into Persian in 6th century AD
- It was then translated from Persian to Arabic in 850 AD
- After this some translations were found in Hebrew and Greek
- Emperor Akbar had it translated into Urdu by Vazir Abdul Fazl
- The book has also been translated into several Indian languages
- It was translated into Hindi and printed in 1803 by William Carey in Serampore
- Max Muller translated it in 1884
Over the centuries and after many translations, we find that it has been known by many names like Anvari Suhaili, Khairad Afroz, The Book of Good Counsels, etc.
It is also a well known fact that this is the first book in the world to use dialogues amongst animals and showcase their many conundrums as they go about their lives for the purpose of fables.
For my blog, I am using the following translations:
English translation titled ’The Book of Good Counsels’ by Sir Edwin Arnold, 1861 who was the Principal of Poona College. My version of the Book has been edited by Fran Pritchett in 2004.
Hindi translation Titled ‘Hitopadesa’ – unknown writer who has hosted a free copy on the web a Thank God for such generosity!!
English translation titled Hitopadesa. A New Literal Translation from the Sanskrit Text of Prof.F.Johnson. The author is Frederic Pincott.
I have used multiple translations from dated texts, as I found many of the existing translations were a little too simplistic and lost important details and descriptions, emphasized in the original text.