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)

Click here for Hitopadesha Stories

30. Hitopadesh - The Old Husband And The Young Wife

Once upon a time in the place called Gauda there lived an old wealthy merchant named Chandanadasa.

The merchant was a widower and had no family. Though he was in decline of age, he decided to remarry.

In the town, there lived a poor man who had a daughter named Lilavati. She was young and beautiful. The merchant offered to marry the man's daughter. The poor man married away his daughter to the old merchant against her will.

The young wife was unhappy with her marriage. She was very disrespectful and kept away from the old man. Quite often she snubbed him. The old merchant was sad by her behavior, but kept with her.

One night, the wife saw a thief broke inside their house. She was sacred and rushed to her husband. The old man was surprised and embraced her, when suddenly the thief appeared before him.

The merchant saw the thief and said, “O stranger! I am thankful to you. It is because of you, my wife has embraced me since we got married. I allow you to take whatever you want”.

The thief said, “I shall not take anything because it is indeed a happy day for you. But if in future, your wife troubles you, I shall come.”

The wife heard the thief and sat quietly. The thief left without taking anything.

From that day onwards, the old merchant's wife became obedient and respectful towards him.

Moral: Sometimes you can benefit from your enemy’s actions.

31. Hitopadesh - The Heron And The Wicked Crow

There was a giant fig tree near the town of Ujjain. The tree was home to many birds and animals. On the tree there lived a wily crow and an altruistic heron. Over a period of time, the crow and the heron became good friends, despite of differences in their nature.

One summer afternoon, when all birds were resting to hide from bitter summer heat, a traveler came to rest under the shade of the tree. He was a hunter who had been roaming the forest since morning in search of prey.  He was hungry and tried, and soon fell asleep.

As the noon receded, the shadow of the tree moved and sun came on the hunter’s face. The hunter was distracted and vexed. Seeing this, the heron spread its wings to provide shade to the hunter. The wily crow was watching the heron. He could not tolerate the act of goodness by the heron, nor could he see the hunter resting peacefully. So, he decided to trouble the resting hunter.

The crow kept waiting and when the hunter opened his mouth for yawning; the crow immediately flew over and relieved himself in his mouth.

The hunter stood up angrily. He looked around and saw the heron resting above with its wings spread. The hunter thought that the heron was the perpetrator. He took his bow and arrow and immediately shot the bird.

Moral: Always keep company of good and wise. 

29. Hitopadesh - The Cunning Crow And The Stupid Quail

Garuda is the Hindi name for Eagle. It is a vehicle of Lord Vishnu and is considered as the king of all birds.

Once there was a grand feast held in honor of Lord Garuda. All birds came to event and went for pilgrimage on the seashore.

On their way to the seashore, a crow and a quail kept close to each other. They had been friends who had been for quite some time.

Suddenly they saw a cowboy carrying a pot on his head. The pot was full if curd.

The crow was greedy. He went and beaked for the curd again and again. The cowboy noticed this and stopped. He placed the pot on ground and saw a quail and crow nearby. Seeing this, the crow got sacred and flew away. The cowboy caught the innocent quail and killed it.

One should never keep bad company. It is wisely said, “A man is known by the company he keeps”.

Moral: Always keep good company.

28. Hitopadesh -The Weaver-Birds and The Shivering Monkeys

One upon a time in a far forest there lived a troop of monkeys. One winter night was terribly cold and then it began to rain heavily. The monkeys were drenched and grew miserable due to chilling cold. They began looking out for a way to protect themselves.

It was then some younger members of their troop saw brightly colored fruits. The monkeys thought that they were embers of fire and began blowing at them to make fire.

A bird who nested on a nearby tree had been watching the monkeys. She thought of helping the monkeys understand their muff and said, 'It is not firewood. You are mistaking these fruits for ember. They cannot be burned for making fire'.

But the monkeys continued working around the ganja fruits to make fire.

Seeing this, the bird further advised the monkeys, 'It is getting colder. I would advise you not to waste your time and effort, rather look to find shelter in a cave where you can protect yourself from this cold weather and heavy rain'

But the monkeys were arrogant. They ignored the bird. An old member of the troop, fumed and shrieked, 'You meek fellow, rest in your nest and do not tell us what to do”.

But the bird was worried for monkeys as it was getting colder. So she flew to the monkeys and reiterated that they should find a cave for sheltering. The bird tried again and when the monkey gave no ear to her advise, she humbly approached them closely.

The monkeys were not only agitated by what the bird has been insisting on, rather they were frustrated by their vague attempts to kindle fire in the miserable cold. Suddenly, one of the monkeys near whom the bird sat, caught hold of her and smashed her mercilessly on a stone. The petty little bird cried in agony and died.

Moral: Do not advise fools.

27. Hitopadesh -Three Fishes

Once upon a time there lived three fishes named Anagatavidhata, Pratyutpannamati and Yadbhavishya lived in a pond. The three fishes were good friends and lived together. There were many fishes in the pond.

One day a group of fishermen passed by the pond. They saw the pond had many fishes and said, “The pond has good number of fishes. Tomorrow morning we should come here to fish. We will get good harvest here”.

The three fishes were swimming near the surface and heard the fishermen. One of fish hurriedly said, “The fishermen will come tomorrow morning. I do not want to get trapped and die. I am leaving the pond.” She swam through the canal into another pond to rescue herself from the impending danger.

The second fish said, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. If the fishermen come, we all will face the danger.”

The third fish was lying sleepy. She said, “Do not bother. What has to happen, will happen! It's destiny that decides.”

Next day, the fishermen arrived with their nets. The second was caught in the net. But it pretended to be dead. When the fisherman tried to pull it out, it gathered all its strength and jumped into the water. It quickly swam deep inside and saved her life.

The third fish was also caught. She thought what has to happen will happen and did nothing to escape. She was caught and killed by the fishermen.

The second fish felt sorry for her friend. She was happy to be alive and took the lesson that we should not ignore matters and leave them to chance.

Moral: Do not leave things to chance. We humans have capability to think and act; and we should do it when needed.

26. Hitopadesh -The Tortoise And The Geese

Once upon a time, there lived two swans and a tortoise named Kambugriva in a forest. They lived together in the lake and were good friends. The three of them played with each other everyday.

One afternoon, few fishermen passed by the lake and said, “The lake has fish and tortoise. We will come and caught them tomorrow.

When the tortoise heard this, she became sad and started weeping. The swans saw the tortoise crying and came to ask her the matter.

The tortoise said, “I heard the fishermen say that they will come here tomorrow for fishing. I am afraid that I might be caught and killed.”

The swans replied, “Do not worry friend. We will think together and find out some way.”

The tortoise said, “If I leave this pond and go to another; I will be safe. There is another pond in the forest. But it will take days for me to reach there. Can you help me in reaching there before tomorrow morning ?”

The swans agreed but said, “We need to find a way to so do.”

The tortoise was intelligent and witty. She saw a thick wooden stick near bank of the pond and suggested, “You see that wooden stick? I will hold it in middle and you two on either side. This way we can fly to other pond quickly.”

The swans were pleased the tortoise's idea. But one of them suddenly said,” Dear friends, your idea is too good. But it can be dangerous for you to fly this way. If you open your mouth, you will fall down.”

The tortoise said, “I am not so ignorant and foolish. I will keep my mouth close all the way.”

After sometime, the three of them  flew up with the stick.

A group of cowherds roaming the forest saw them. They were surprised and enjoyed the scene. One of the cowboy said, “If the tortoise fells I will make a forest fire here and roast it.” Another cowboy said, “Let it fall, we can kill and feast on it.”

Hearing the unkind words, the tortoise was angry. She shouted, “You evil, you eat ashes...” and before she could complete she came hurling down.

The tortoise fell on the ground. She wanted to creep away and hide for safety but was hurt. The cowboys came running to caught hold of her. They killed and ate her.

The swans sorrowfully watched their friends being killed and thought that if the tortoise would have remembered their advice she would have been alive.

Moral: Anger is our worst enemy.

25. Hitopadesh -The Blue Jackal

Once upon a time there lived a jackal in a forest. His name was Chandarava.

One day, Chandarava roamed since morning in search of food but he found no food. He was worn and hungry.

So the hungry jackal trespassed the forest and entered the nearby village. The village was guarded by dogs. The dogs started gathered around the jackal to attack him. Fearing merciless attack, the jackal ran with all his strength. He suddenly jumped the small boundary of a house where a vat of blue dye was kept. The house belonged to the village washer man.

Running in haste and fear, the jackal jumped into the dye vat. He struggled for quite sometime and managed to escape. When the dogs saw the jackal they ran away.

The jackal saw his fur blue. He was very disappointed and returned hungry to his home in forest. It was already night and the jackal spelt hungry that night.

Next morning, when the jackal came out in search of food, he noticed that other animals appeared terrorized and ran away on seeing him.

The jackal understood that the animals were unable to recognize him. So he politely called them and said, 'Dear animals, do not be sacred of me. I was created by Lord Brahma himself. He has bestowed me with powers and intelligence to rule and protect the animals of this jungle as your King'.

The animals appeared assured. They discussed among themselves and said, 'O King! We are obligated to have you as our leader. We will be happy to serve you. You can ask us whatever you need'.

The jackal gave the animals different roles and responsibilities, but kept away other jackals in fear being recognized. The animals served him royally with food, water and took care of him.

The jackal continued ruling the animals for quite sometime. One evening, the jackal heard a hound of jackals. He was carried away by sense of belonging and began howling.

When the council of animals around the jackal saw him standing and howling, they realized that the animal they have been serving as their King was nothing but a jackal in guise.

The animals felt deceived and became very angry. He decided to out rule the jackal and punish him for deceiving them for so long.

Soon they surrounded the jackal and mercilessly tore him to pieces. The jackal died.

Moral: Be truthful. People who lie and deceive others see a bad ending.

24. Hitopadesh - The Brahmin's Wife And The Mongoose

Once upon a time, in a small village there lived a Brahman with his wife. One fortunate day, the Brahman's wife gave birth their son.

Everyday Brahmin went to temple leaving his wife and son alone. So the Brahmin thought to keep a pet which would guard his family and also play with his son.

The Brahmin told his wife about plan and they decided to keep a pet. The Brahmin went around the village in search of pet and returned home with a mongoose. His wife did not like the pet, but she accepted it. She never left her son alone with mongoose as she did not trusted it and thought it might harm him.

One afternoon, the Brahmin and his wife went out for feast leaving their son at home with mongoose. After they left, a black snake came in their house. The mongoose attacked the snake and killed it.

When the Brahmin and his wife arrived, they saw blood around mongoose' mouth. They thought the mongoose had killed their son.

The enraged wife hit the mongoose hard with thick bamboo and the mongoose died. Then she hurried inside the room and found her son sleeping in the cradle. Near the cradle she saw the dead snake and realized that the mongoose saved her child from snake.

She repented her action and cried in grief for killing mongoose.

Moral: Never act in haste. Think before you act.

23. Hitopadesh - The King of Frogs And The Old Serpent

Once there lived a snake named Mandavisha. He was old and weak. So he was unable to prey for food.

One day, Mandavisha laid resting on banks of a river. A small frog saw the snake. The snake saw the frog and knew it could be an easy prey but did not move. Seeing this frog became curious.

The frog asked the snake, “O mighty snake, why are not hunting down your prey?”

Mandavisha was a sly snake. He said, “Frog!  I am weak and helpless. I did wrong deed some years back and now I am reaping fruits of the sin I committed”.

The snake continued, “Some years back I crept into house of a holy Brahmin and bit his son. The son died due to my poisonous bite. The Brahmin was wrecked to his dead son and cursed me, ‘O wicked snake! I curse you – you will be suppressed and the frogs will use you as their vehicle’. I am thus waiting for frogs to ride on me and rid me of the curse”.

The small frog ran to his king, Jalapada and narrated the snake's plea. The king was carried away and went to the old snake to ride on him.

Mandavisha welcomed the king if frogs and let him climb on his back.

Next day, the snake pretended to be weak and did not move. Seeing this, the frog said, “O mighty snake what happen to you? Why are not moving at all?”

The sly snake replied, “I am weak and starved. I had nothing to eat since yesterday evening. I cannot take you for ride today”.

But the king wanted to go for ride with his wife. So he told the frog to eat one frog from his kingdom everyday.

Thus the wily snake started preying upon the frogs. Soon all the frogs were eaten and the king frog alone survived. So the snake came to prey upon the king frog and killed it for his food.

The king of frogs repented for trusting the snake. His kingdom was destroyed and soon he was killed by the snake.

Moral: Never trust your natural enemies.

22. Hitopadesh - The Lion And The Camel

Long time ago, there lived a Lion named Madotkata in a forest. The lion had three friends - jackal, crow and wolf.

The jackal, crow and wolf knew that the lion was powerful and ruled the forest. So their friendship was lion was beneficial to all of them.

They stopped searching for food on their own and feed on the leftovers the lion gave them. They became powerful as they were king's friends and always obeyed the lion's orders to keep good terms with him.

One afternoon, a camel who had lost his way came in the forest. While searching his way, the camel came across the three friends who were passing the same way.

The three animals realized that the camel was new in the forest and had lost his way.

The jackal became greedy and said, “we should kill and eat him.”

The wolf then replied, “It is a tall animal and cannot be reached easily. We should tell lion about it”.

The three of them agreed and went to the lion. The jackal said, “Your majesty! A camel has entered your territory without your knowledge and consent. It is bears good fresh. We should kill it for our meal”.

But the lion got angry and said, “The camel has lost its way and come here for refuge. How can you think of killing it? We should provide him shelter and food. Go get him now”.

The three animals got disappointed and went to the camel. They told the camel that the lion wants to see him and provide him with shelter and food as the camel had lost his way.

But the camel felt sacred and suspected the lion's intentions. He saw no way to escape. So he decided to meet the lion and left things on destiny to decide his fate.

The lion was happy to see the camel and warmly welcomed him. He assured the camel of safety in the forest.

The camel was relieved to hear lion. He started living with them.

One day, while hunting the lion had a fight with a mighty elephant. The lion was badly injured and could not hunts for several days. Due to this, the lion and his friends went hungry for days and were starved.

But the camel gazed happily in the forest. Seeing this, the three friends went to the lion and said,  “Your Majesty! It’s been days since you have eaten. You are badly injured and becoming weak day by day. But it would be easy to kill and eat camel. Why do not you do so ?”

Hearing this, the lion got annoyed and said, “No! We cannot kill the camel. He has trusted me. You are mean to think so. Do not give me such evil suggestion again”.

But the jackal, crow and wolf were greedy. They planned to kill the Camel. They went to the Camel and said, “Our king is injured and weak. He is unable to hunt and has not eaten for days. Therefore we consider it as our duty to sacrifice ourselves to save his life.

The innocent camel didn’t understand their plan and went with them to lion's.

The crow came forward first and asked the lion to eat it. He said, “Your majesty we were unable to find food for you. Kindly take me as your food and make me obliged”. The lion refused. He said, “I would rather die than commit such sin.”

The jackal followed the crow. He said, “Your Majesty, the crow is too small to satisfy your hunger. It is my duty to serve you. Kindly take me as your food.” The humble lion refused to do so.

Then the Wolf came to offer himself to the lion saying, “Your Majesty, the jackal is quite small. Kindly take me as your food.” The lion once again said no to the wolf.

Seeing this camel felt reassured that the lion was kind and wouldn't kill him even if he offers himself.

He told the lion,” Your Majesty! A friend in need is a friend indeed. You are in trouble so as a friend I offer you myself for your food.”

The lion was convinced. He attacked the camel and killed it. The lion and his friends feed on it for several days.

Moral: Beware of Mean Friends.

21. Hitopadesh - The Brahmin And The Goat

Long ago, in a small village there lived a Brahmin. The Brahmin used to offer prayers and perform various rituals.

One day the Brahmin went to the home of a wealthy merchant to perform holy rituals. The rich man gave the Brahmin clothes, sweets, some gold coins and a goat. The Brahmin was very happy. He slung the goat across his shoulder and began his journey back to home.

On the way, three sly men saw the Brahmin. They wanted to take away the boat from the Brahmin by fooling him. So they made a plan. The three men got separated and hide at different places on the way which the Brahmin would take for returning back home.

When the Brahmin came to a lonely place, one of the men came out and asked him “Sir why are you carrying this ugly dog on your shoulder? You are a holy person and should not do.” The Brahmin got angry and replied, “Don’t you see it is goat and not a dog. You are stupid.” The man said, “Apology sir. But I told you what I saw. I am sorry if you are unwilling to believe me.” The Brahmin was annoyed, but he ignored and started his journey again.

A mile ahead, the second man came out and asked the Brahmin, “Sir, why us a holy man like you carrying a dead calf on your shoulder?” The Brahmin was extremely angry and yelled, “How can a living goat appear to be a dead calf? But the second man slyly replied, “Sir, it’s a calf that you are carrying as I told you. You probably do not know how a goat looks like.” The man went away and the Brahmin continued on his way.

After some distance, the third man appeared and laughingly asked the Brahmin, “Sir, you are carrying a donkey on your shoulder? People will laugh on you”. Hearing this, the Brahmin became anxious. He started wondering if the he was carrying a goat or ghost that changed its appearances.

The Brahmin got extremely sacred. He threw the goat on the road believing that it was a ghost and ran away. The sly men caught hold of the goat for their feast and laughed back at the Brahmin.

Moral: Never get carried away by what others say.

20. Hitopadesh - The Greedy Crane And The Crafty Crab

Once there lived an old crane by the side of a lake in a forest.

The crane was old and weak. Hence, it was unable to prey fish for its food.

One day the crane was severely starved, having no eaten for few days together. So it cried pitiably due to hunger.

A crab who lived nearby, saw the crab crying and asked, “Friend, you are an apt predator. Why are you not hunting for food?”

The old crane replied sadly, “I am now old and feel guilty for killing fishes. So I have taken a vow to starve to death and not to harm fishes any more”.

The crab was surprised to hear the crane and asked her why she was so thoughtful at this age.

The crane continued, “I have heard that the astrologers have predicted that the rain Gods are angry and there will be no rains for twelve years. It would create havoc and creatures will die. I am worried that I'll be left alone”.

The crab was worried when he heard the crane. He went back to the lake and told all other fishes and animals about the ill fate set to fall on the. The fishes were alarmed to know this and went to the old crane. The fishes said, “O old crane, show us a way to escape from this ill fate”.

The cunning crane smiled at the pleading innocent fishes. She said, “I will surely help you all. There is a large lake nearby. It has water throughout the year and never dries up. I can take you one by one to that lake”.

The fishes and other animals who came to crane were happy to hear the crane's suggestion. They all trusted her and decided to go with her to the other lake.

So the crane started carrying one fish everyday to take them to the other lake. But she would fly to a lonely place and peck the fish for its food.

One day the crab came to the crane and said, “You have been taking the fishes to other lake everyday. This time take me. I want to reach there soon as possible since this lake has started drying up”.

The crane was happy to hear the crab. She thought she would enjoy new food today.

The crab mounted the crane's back and they few to reach the large lake. The crane flew close to the place where she ate all the fish. Seeing the scattered fish bones, the crab grew suspicious and alarmed. He asked the crane, “We have came a long distance. Where is the lake!”

The crane revealed her lies and said, “There is no large lake around. Fish is my food and so are you now. I killed them and now I will kill you for my food”.

The crab was very angry to hear this. He said, “We were wrong to trust you. Now you see...”,  and the crab caught the crane's neck with his claws and killed her.

The crab took the crane's neck to the lake and showed it to all his friends. He told them how the crane breached their trust and killed their fellow fishes. There was ample rain after few days and the lake was full of water. The creatures lived happily after.

Moral : Do not trust anyone blindly.

19. Hitopadesh - The Hermit And The Mouse

Once upon a time, in a far off village there lived a saint. He lived by begging for food from door to door.

Everyday the saint used to save some food and keep it a bowl. The bowl was hanged up on a peg to keep it out of reach of mouse.

One day a mouse saw this. After the saint slept, he jumped up and stole the food. 

Next day the saint found the food missing and came to know the mouse ate it. The mouse continued to steal the food for several days. But the saint could not find a way to get rid of it.

One afternoon, a friend came to the saint's house. The saint welcomed him and offered him food and water.

They sat together to have close talk. While they were talking, the saint kept tapping a bamboo on ground to scare away the mouse.

Seeing this, the visitor was surprised and asked, “What are doing with this bamboo my friend?

You do not seem to be interested in my talk. I should leave”.

The saint suddenly stopped tapping the bamboo and said, “Forgive me! I am trapping bamboo to keep away the mouse which steals my food”.

The visitor saw the peg where the saint hanged the food bowl and asked, “How can mouse jump so high and take away the food?” He told the saint that the mouse accumulates a lot of food for eating and so has great muscle energy to jump so high.

Thus they starting searching the food stored by the mouse. Soon they found the stored food they threw it.

When the mouse returned to his hole, he found the food missing. From then on the mouse never had enough food to eat. It became weak and could not jump to steal food from the peg.

Moral: You can defeat your enemy by weakening them.

18. Hitopadesh - The Cranes And Their Enemies - Snakes & the Mongoose

In a far forest, there lived a group of cranes. The cranes built their nests near on a tree near bank of a river.

Under the tree, there was a hole where a large snake lived. Very often the snake stole the bird's eggs and preyed upon on their young ones.

The cranes were sad and angry over the snake's act. So they went to their king. The king crane said,” There is mongoose who lives with its family near the next tree. Mongoose and snakes are bitter enemies. You all must catch fishes and keep then on path between the snakes’s whole and mongoose's burrow. This will lead the mongoose to snake's hole. They will fight and snake will be killed.”

Next day, the cranes fished all day and laid a trail between burrow and hole. The mongoose sneaked out to eat fish and reached the snake's hole.

When the snake saw the mongoose, it fanged it tongue and hissed loudly. They fought badly and the snake was killed.

Seeing this, the cranes rejoiced.

Soon the cranes saw that the mongoose and its family climbed the tree and attacked their offspring. The craned were sad and realized the mistake in their plan.

Moral: Never trust your enemies.

17. Hitopadesh - The Witty Hare And The Mighty Elephant

Long ago in a far forest, there lived a herd of Elephants. Their king was Chaturdanta, whose mean means the intelligent one. In the forest there was a big lake. The forest animals drank water and took bath in the lake.

Once year there was no rain and the lake dried up. Due to which many animals and bird died. Seeing this, the elephants got worried that they too may soon die of thirst. They went to King Chaturdanta and said, “O King! The summers are getting hot. There has been no rain and the lake has dried up. There is no water to drink. Many animals and birds have died due to thirst. We should move to some other place to find water, else we all may soon die due to thirst.”

The King Elephant asked the elephants to go in different directions to find water. One of the elephants luckily found a water pond in a far forest.

The King Elephant was happy and asked all elephants to move towards the lake.

On the way, the herd of elephants passed over the burrows of rabbits. The heavy elephants injured and killed many rabbits. Many of the rabbits fled. The King of rabbits called his council and said, “The herd of elephants passing through had killed many of our fellows and several injured others. We must prevent this if we want to save our race.”

Suddenly a small rabbit stood up and said; “You Majesty, we must talk to the King of Elephants and find a solution. If you send me as your messenger I can find a way out.” The king agreed with the small rabbit.

The little rabbit ran and reached the lake where the elephants were resting. He feared getting crushed under their feet, so climbed on the tree to talk with the elephant king.

The little rabbit said loudly and boldly, “O, King of the Elephants, I am messenger of Moon God.” The King was surprised and asked, “Why have come here?”

The Rabbit replied, “The Moon God is angry with you and has sent a message for you. Your herd has killed and hurt many innocent rabbits. Your herd has destroyed the peace of this forest. The Moon God wants you to abandon this place and move elsewhere. Else he will punish you and the herd severely.”

The King Elephant was scared. He replied, “O messenger! It is true that many rabbits were killed and hurt under our feet, but it was not intended. I pray for forgiveness. I will make sure that no one is hurt now on.”

The little rabbit said,” You should ask Moon God to forgive you. Please follow me.”

The rabbit took the king elephant with him to the lake where they saw the moon's reflection. A mild breeze moved the reflection. The king elephant thought that the Moon God was angry with him. He vowed to Him, while the little rabbit said, “O Moon God! The King of elephants is here to ask forgiveness. His herd has done a great sin in ignorance. He is taking his herd back and promises never to come here again.”

The king elephant was frightened and left the place with his herd. The rabbits lived happily thereafter.

Moral: Wit can win over might.

16. Hitopadesh -The Lapwings Who Lived Near The Sea

Long time ago, there lived a pair of Lapwing birds near a sea shore.

Once, the female Lapwing was set to hatch eggs. So she asked the male Lapwing to search for a quite and safe place where she could lay eggs and incubate them safely.

But the male Lapwing liked the place where they lived very much. He didn't want to relocate to another place and asked his wife, “Dear, we have been living here for quite sometime now. what is wrong with this place?”

The female Lapwing said, “Indeed, we have been living here for months now. So you should remember that every month during the phase of high tide the place gets flooded.”

But the male Lapwing was enraged by what his wife said. He shrugged his neck angrily and said, “I am not so weak that a tide will sweep me away”.

The female Lapwing was humble and wise. She tried to calm her husband and make him understand the danger of facing the force of ocean waves. But the male Lapwing was adamant was refused to move to another place. The female Lapwing was sad and told her husband, “You will pay for being so high headed”.

The might ocean heard what the two birds spoke between themselves.

After some day, the female Lapwing hatched eggs on the shore. The new parents were very happy and started protecting their eggs.

When the ocean saw the birds with their eggs, he decided to teach the male Lapwing a lesson.

Soon giant waves came and washed the far shore. The eggs were swept away.

When the female Lapwing saw this, she wept and cried to her husband, “Our eggs have been swept away by waves”.

The male Lapwing replied, “Do not worry. I shall get them back.” Then he called an assembly of birds and told them about their eggs.

The assembly went to Garuda, the king of birds. The male Lapwing said, “O King!  I have come to you for justice. My eggs have been swept by the ocean. We have lived on the shore peacefully for months and never did any harm to the ocean. But last night while we were sleeping, he swept away our eggs. We are helpless and wrecked by loss of our eggs. Kindly, grant us justice.”

Hearing the plea, Garuda went to Lord Vishnu and told him about the incident. The Lord approached the ocean and asked him to return eggs of the Lapwing birds.

Seeing Lord Vishnu, the ocean was petrified. He apologized to Him for wrongdoing and returned the eggs of Lapwing birds.

Thus, the male Lapwing bird lost his eggs due to arrogance and got them back with his self confidence.

Moral: Arrogance leads to destruction whereas self confidence is the key to success.

15. Hitopadesh -The Lion And The Cunning Hare

Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a forest. He was the King of forest. The lion was arrogant, unkind and killed the animals mercilessly.

One afternoon, all animals of the forest gathered. They went to the lion and said, “O Mighty King! We bow before you. We come here to request you to stop unwanted killing. Should you agree with us and we will offer you one animal everyday for your food”.

The lion agreed with the animal's suggestion.

Thus from that day onwards, one animal went to the lion everyday. One day, it was turn of old hare.

The hare was sad. He came out his burrow and took the way to the lion's den. The hare walked slowly and thought of a way to kill the lion. He reached the den late.

The old hare was witty. He said, “My Lord. On my way, I was stopped by another lion who wanted to kill me for his food. I told him that you have been waiting for me. I escaped from his attack only when I assured him that I would return to him after seeing you”.

The lion grew furious hearing this. He roared and asked the hare to him to the other lion.

The old hare led the lion to a well and said, “My Lord! The other lion lives in this well. Kindly see yourself”.

The lion saw his reflection and thought it was another lion dwelling the well. He leapt to attack him. The well was deep and soon the lion drowned. The hare was happy that the lion died and returned home. Thus the witty hare saved his own life and of other animals who lived in that forest.

Moral: Brain is mightier than brawn.

14. Hitopadesh -The Crows, Black Snake And The Golden Chain

Long ago a crow married a female crow. They built their nest on a tree in the forest.

After few days, the she crow laid eggs. The eggs hatched and they had three offspring. They made a happy family.

The tree on which they lived had a hollow, where a large cobra lived.

One afternoon when the parent crows went out in search of food, the cobra crept out and swallowed their offspring.

When the crows returned, they found their young one's missing. The mother crow was sad and cried a lot.

After few months, she laid eggs again. The mother bird remembered how her offspring went missing earlier, so she kept close watch on her nest. She observed that a cobra came out from the hollow of the tree. It kept to her nest and swallowed their eggs.

In the evening, when the male crow returned, she told him about the cobra who lived in the hollow of the same tree.

The mother crow was worried and she told the male crow that they should leave the nest. She requested the crow to leave the tree and suggested that they should build their nest elsewhere.

The male crow was clever and wise. He told the mother crow, “We should run away from the problem. What if we find more dangerous enemies elsewhere? Although the cobra is more powerful than us, we can get rid of it by planning carefully”.

He then told his wife a plan. He said, “The princess comes to bathe in river every morning. Tomorrow when she comes, and removed her jewels, pick up her gold chain and drop it in the hollow”.

Next morning when the princess arrived and removed her jewels, the she crow flew away with her gold chain. She dropped it the hollow and sat on the tree top to see what happened.

The princess's servants, who came chasing the she crow, saw that she dropped the gold chain in the hollow.

They began searching the hollow and found a cobra resting there. The cobra crept out and fanged its tongue. Sensing danger, the princess's servants killed the snake. They took the gold chain and went back.

The parent crows were happy that the cobra was punished was his wrong doings and was killed.

Moral: Defeat your enemies by thinking and acting wisely.

13. Hitopadesha - The Washerman's Donkey who Brayed

Once upon a time, in a far off village; there lived a Washerman. The washerman had two pets- a donkey and a dog. While the donkey helped the washerman to carry clothes, the dog used guarded his house.

The pets slept in the backyard of house and lead life serving their master.

One night a thief broke into the house. The dog woke up and saw the thief but did not barked to alert the washerman's family. The donkey also saw the thief and asked the dog, "It is your duty to guard the house. You saw the thief entering the house. Why didn’t you bark to alert the master?"

The dog replied, "You better keep to your business. I have been guarding this house for years but the master doesn’t care about me nor does he appreciates me. He had not been feeding me properly. Let the thief take away his valuables, only then he will understand my importance."

The donkey cautioned and advised the dog, "It is not the right time to complain. You should alert the master before thief leaves the house with valuables." However, the dog refused to do so.

The donkey told the dog that he is ignoring his duty and betraying his master. So the donkey decided to wake up the master and brayed loudly as he could. The thief ran away. When the washerman woke up, he found no one around. He got annoyed with the donkey and beat him very badly.

The donkey suffered for months with the pain.

Moral: One should mind own business.