About Hitopadesha

About Hitopadesha 

The Hitopadesha (a Sanskrit word which literally means the benefic advice or good counsel) is was written by Narayana Pandit, who was a renowned Hindu scholar. The book was originally written in Sanskrit in 1675 A.D. during the reign of King Dhavalachandra in Bengal (East India). He has mentioned two reasons for creating Hitopadesha – first to help gain proficiency in Sanskrit as a language, and second to acquire knowledge of wise behavior.

The Hitopadesha like its precursor Panchatantra is collection of tales in form of verses and prose. Each tale has a moral ending and aim at elucidation of statecraft and human nature. These tales were composed to train young princes in a format which could be easily assimilated by them.

Though it resembles Panchatantra in its form and composition, it is believed to be an independent treatment of the later. It was written to educate young princes by Narayana Pandit who was a patronage of King Dhavalachandra.

In the introductory verses, Pandit Narayana has attributed Panchatantra, Kamandaka Nitisara, besides some other anonymous reserves as sources for his work. The Hitopadesha aggregates four books each based on a unique theme. It is a fabulous series of interwoven loped tales, one trailing into another. While book one and two were derived from Panchatantra and has many overlapping stories, the book three and four were created independently by him. Here are the titles of the books aggregated under Hitopadesha originally - 

1. ‘Mitralabha’ (Gaining or acquisition of friends)
2. ‘Suhridbheda’ (Separation of friends)
3. ‘Vigraha’ (War amongst friends)
4. ‘Sandhi’ (Peace)

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