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The Hitopadesa
Widely read and beloved for more than a thousand years, the Hitopadesa (Book of Good Counsels) is an anthology of folk wisdom that offers humorous and profound reflections on human lives and loves, philosophies and follies. Drawing on traditional sources, Narayana presents classic tales as narrated by animals, resulting in a work that is a fascinating blend of fable and satire.
239 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1373
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January 19, 2022"Dar kafalı 'bu bendendir, bu yabancıdır' diye düşünür. Geniş düşünen kişi için ise tüm dünya onun ailesi gibidir." (s.24)
Hindistan'da 14. yüzyılda yazılmış bilgelik öğütleriyle dolu olan kitap; bir masallar kitabı. Verilmek istenen mesajlar; çeşitli hayvanlar üzerinden anlatılmış. Kitabın içinde bugün bile hala geçerli olan bilgece öğütler var. Bu öğütler yer yer vahşet, kan ve şiddet içerdiği için Hitopadeşa bir "çocuklar için masal" kitabı niteliği taşımaktan çok; yetişkinlere hitap ediyor.
Kitabın içindeki masallarda bazen; anlatımın ortasında ikinci bir masala (bazen de üçüncü masala) geçilmesinden ötürü okumak ve masalı akılda tutmak zorlaşsa da genel olarak okuması keyifli bir kitap olduğunu söyleyebilirim. Pek çok bölüm altı çizilip duvara asılacak kadar öz ve bilgece.
Hindistan'da 14. yüzyılda yazılmış bilgelik öğütleriyle dolu olan kitap; bir masallar kitabı. Verilmek istenen mesajlar; çeşitli hayvanlar üzerinden anlatılmış. Kitabın içinde bugün bile hala geçerli olan bilgece öğütler var. Bu öğütler yer yer vahşet, kan ve şiddet içerdiği için Hitopadeşa bir "çocuklar için masal" kitabı niteliği taşımaktan çok; yetişkinlere hitap ediyor.
Kitabın içindeki masallarda bazen; anlatımın ortasında ikinci bir masala (bazen de üçüncü masala) geçilmesinden ötürü okumak ve masalı akılda tutmak zorlaşsa da genel olarak okuması keyifli bir kitap olduğunu söyleyebilirim. Pek çok bölüm altı çizilip duvara asılacak kadar öz ve bilgece.
September 4, 2020
ENGLISH: I've read this book in its English translation performed by Edwin Arnold in 1861. In the preface, Arnold says that this book is very old, over two millennia, but he's probably referring to the Panchatantra, an antecedent of the Hitopadesha, which is a later version, dated around the ninth or tenth centuries and attributed to Narayana Pandit.
The intertwining of fables is very interesting: one of the animals in the first fable starts to tell another fable; the second can also be interrupted when another animal starts telling a third fable; when this fable ends, the second fable proceeds; when the second fable ends, the first fable proceeds. The procedure can be repeated, if the first fable is interrupted again by a new intertwined fable.
ESPAÑOL: He leído este libro en la traducción al inglés realizada por Edwin Arnold en 1861. En el prefacio, Arnold dice que este libro es muy antiguo, de hace más de dos milenios, pero probablemente se esté refiriendo al Panchatantra, un antecedente del Hitopadesha, que es una versión posterior, fechada hacia los siglos IX o X y atribuida a Narayana Pandit.
El entrelazamiento de fábulas es muy interesante: uno de los animales de la primera fábula empieza a contar otra fábula, que también puede interrumpirse cuando otro animal comienza a contar una tercera fábula; cuando termina esta, prosigue la segunda; cuando termina la segunda, prosigue la primera. El procedimiento puede repetirse, si la primera fábula es interrumpida de nuevo por una nueva fábula entrelazada.
The intertwining of fables is very interesting: one of the animals in the first fable starts to tell another fable; the second can also be interrupted when another animal starts telling a third fable; when this fable ends, the second fable proceeds; when the second fable ends, the first fable proceeds. The procedure can be repeated, if the first fable is interrupted again by a new intertwined fable.
ESPAÑOL: He leído este libro en la traducción al inglés realizada por Edwin Arnold en 1861. En el prefacio, Arnold dice que este libro es muy antiguo, de hace más de dos milenios, pero probablemente se esté refiriendo al Panchatantra, un antecedente del Hitopadesha, que es una versión posterior, fechada hacia los siglos IX o X y atribuida a Narayana Pandit.
El entrelazamiento de fábulas es muy interesante: uno de los animales de la primera fábula empieza a contar otra fábula, que también puede interrumpirse cuando otro animal comienza a contar una tercera fábula; cuando termina esta, prosigue la segunda; cuando termina la segunda, prosigue la primera. El procedimiento puede repetirse, si la primera fábula es interrumpida de nuevo por una nueva fábula entrelazada.
March 17, 2014
This collection of fables is one of the most widely read Sanskrit texts, and frankly is wonderful. Told to children, they are timeless for all and provide a wonderful glimpse into the heritage of India. The wonderful verses that start the Prologue provide poetic and timeless wisdom:
“The wise will strive for wealth and learning,
As if to time and age immune;
But not delay good works, discerning
That death may strike one very soon.
Of all things, learning, seers declare
It best by far, beyond compare:
Always prized, it can’t decay,
Nor be seized or forced away.
Learning even gives the lowly
Access to high company,
And thence to fortune: flowing slowly,
Streamlets too may join the sea.
Learning teaches manners gentle,
And they bring gainful patronage;
The latter leads to wealth, essential
For bliss and virtue in this age.” (3)
Great advice is also provided a bit later. In the Mitralabha (Gaining Friends), the fable of the traveller who is killed by the tiger teaches to judge things by their basic nature:
‘I did not do well to trust this murderer. It is well said,
Of clawed and horned creatures,
Of rivers and mean who bear arms,
One should not trust their natures,
Nor of kings, or feminine charms.
‘Further,
Judge each thing by its basic nature,
Less do other qualities matter.
Surpassing them without exception
Is innate predisposition.
‘Besides,
Though sporting with the stars in heaven,
And piercing night with myriad rays,
The Moon himself, by fate’s decree
Is swallowed by the Eclipse demon.
From your brow who can erase
What’s writ there by your destiny?’
Thus lamenting, the traveller was killed and devoured by the tiger. (20)
Later in the same section, when Dirghakarna approaches young birds and is made aware of a large vulture, he thinks to himself:
Danger one should always dread
As long as it is far away.
But once it is upon your head,
Then face it in the proper way. (31)
The cat ends up living in peace with the vulture, but the young birds grew up and ate the vulture!
It is interesting how life turns out sometimes.
On the fable of the jackal and the deer, there is a great lesson about “frenemies”:
To you he speaks the loving word,
But stabs you when your back is turned:
Such a friend one must give up—
He’s cream atop a poisoned cup.’ (37)
Not all of the fables resonate with me. For instance, there are cultural elements as well that seem strange to a modern age that praises social mobility, such as in the Suhrdbheda (Splitting Partners):
Servants, as with jewellery,
Should be kept in proper place.
Diadems can’t on ankles be,
Nor anklets will the forehead grace. (96)
However, many of the fables translate directly into modern life. Many also are quite inspiring or quote-worthy. Among these, my favorite is the king in the praise of the great man, summarizing him in Vigraha (War):
“How praiseworthy is this great personage! For,
Rich, he always sweetly speaks;
Brave, he does not ever boast;
Strong but tender, and he seeks
To give where it is needed most.
“These are the signs of a great man, and he has them all.” (172)
I really enjoyed this work of sublime wisdom and art. It is not for children alone, but for all.
“The wise will strive for wealth and learning,
As if to time and age immune;
But not delay good works, discerning
That death may strike one very soon.
Of all things, learning, seers declare
It best by far, beyond compare:
Always prized, it can’t decay,
Nor be seized or forced away.
Learning even gives the lowly
Access to high company,
And thence to fortune: flowing slowly,
Streamlets too may join the sea.
Learning teaches manners gentle,
And they bring gainful patronage;
The latter leads to wealth, essential
For bliss and virtue in this age.” (3)
Great advice is also provided a bit later. In the Mitralabha (Gaining Friends), the fable of the traveller who is killed by the tiger teaches to judge things by their basic nature:
‘I did not do well to trust this murderer. It is well said,
Of clawed and horned creatures,
Of rivers and mean who bear arms,
One should not trust their natures,
Nor of kings, or feminine charms.
‘Further,
Judge each thing by its basic nature,
Less do other qualities matter.
Surpassing them without exception
Is innate predisposition.
‘Besides,
Though sporting with the stars in heaven,
And piercing night with myriad rays,
The Moon himself, by fate’s decree
Is swallowed by the Eclipse demon.
From your brow who can erase
What’s writ there by your destiny?’
Thus lamenting, the traveller was killed and devoured by the tiger. (20)
Later in the same section, when Dirghakarna approaches young birds and is made aware of a large vulture, he thinks to himself:
Danger one should always dread
As long as it is far away.
But once it is upon your head,
Then face it in the proper way. (31)
The cat ends up living in peace with the vulture, but the young birds grew up and ate the vulture!
It is interesting how life turns out sometimes.
On the fable of the jackal and the deer, there is a great lesson about “frenemies”:
To you he speaks the loving word,
But stabs you when your back is turned:
Such a friend one must give up—
He’s cream atop a poisoned cup.’ (37)
Not all of the fables resonate with me. For instance, there are cultural elements as well that seem strange to a modern age that praises social mobility, such as in the Suhrdbheda (Splitting Partners):
Servants, as with jewellery,
Should be kept in proper place.
Diadems can’t on ankles be,
Nor anklets will the forehead grace. (96)
However, many of the fables translate directly into modern life. Many also are quite inspiring or quote-worthy. Among these, my favorite is the king in the praise of the great man, summarizing him in Vigraha (War):
“How praiseworthy is this great personage! For,
Rich, he always sweetly speaks;
Brave, he does not ever boast;
Strong but tender, and he seeks
To give where it is needed most.
“These are the signs of a great man, and he has them all.” (172)
I really enjoyed this work of sublime wisdom and art. It is not for children alone, but for all.
November 23, 2020
Puanım 4/5 (%80/100)
Sonlara doğru bazı yerler ilgimi çekmediği için 5 puan vermekten vazgeçtim. Yine de 4 puan verdiğim kitaplara göre bir tık daha iyi diyebilirim. İki oturuşta bitirdim bu da kitap aşırı akıcı demek oluyor. Gerçekten okuması çok zevkliydi ve masalları okudukça kendimi çocukluğuma dönmüş olarak buldum. Kelile ve Dimne gibi birçok masaldan oluşuyor kitap. Bu masallar çocuklar, yetişkinler hatta krallar için bile öğüt niteliği taşıyor.
Kitap 4 ana bölüme ayrılmış:
1)Dost Kazanma (Mitralabha)
2)Dostların Ayrılması (Suhridbheda)
3)Savaş (Vigraha)
4)Barış (Samdhi)
Benim en beğendiğim bölüm kesinlikle 1. bölüm oldu. Altını çizdiğim birçok yer oldu ve yer alan öğütler gerçekten bazı şeyleri fark etmeme sebep oldu. Bunun biraz da şu anki ruh halimden ve yaşadıklarımdan da kaynaklandığını düşünüyorum fakat günümüzde değeri olmayan kişisel gelişim kitaplarından çok daha yararlı ve mantıklı buldum. Arkadaş edinme, günlük hayatta yapmanız ve yapmamanız gerekenler, kadın ve erkek ilişkiler, bir kralın özelliklerinden tutun da birçok şeyin cevabı bulunuyor kitapta. Kısacası, çok beğendim ve kesinlikle şu ana kadar okuduğum en güzel Hint metni diyebilirim (Felsefi açıdan düşünürsek).
Sonlara doğru bazı yerler ilgimi çekmediği için 5 puan vermekten vazgeçtim. Yine de 4 puan verdiğim kitaplara göre bir tık daha iyi diyebilirim. İki oturuşta bitirdim bu da kitap aşırı akıcı demek oluyor. Gerçekten okuması çok zevkliydi ve masalları okudukça kendimi çocukluğuma dönmüş olarak buldum. Kelile ve Dimne gibi birçok masaldan oluşuyor kitap. Bu masallar çocuklar, yetişkinler hatta krallar için bile öğüt niteliği taşıyor.
Kitap 4 ana bölüme ayrılmış:
1)Dost Kazanma (Mitralabha)
2)Dostların Ayrılması (Suhridbheda)
3)Savaş (Vigraha)
4)Barış (Samdhi)
Benim en beğendiğim bölüm kesinlikle 1. bölüm oldu. Altını çizdiğim birçok yer oldu ve yer alan öğütler gerçekten bazı şeyleri fark etmeme sebep oldu. Bunun biraz da şu anki ruh halimden ve yaşadıklarımdan da kaynaklandığını düşünüyorum fakat günümüzde değeri olmayan kişisel gelişim kitaplarından çok daha yararlı ve mantıklı buldum. Arkadaş edinme, günlük hayatta yapmanız ve yapmamanız gerekenler, kadın ve erkek ilişkiler, bir kralın özelliklerinden tutun da birçok şeyin cevabı bulunuyor kitapta. Kısacası, çok beğendim ve kesinlikle şu ana kadar okuduğum en güzel Hint metni diyebilirim (Felsefi açıdan düşünürsek).
February 20, 2011
"Hitopadesha" basically means to counsel or advice with benevolence.
One of the most widely read Sanskrit books in India, Hitopadesha tales are short stories that have the priceless treasure of morality and knowledge. After Bhagavad Gita, Hitopadesha is considered to be the most sold religious text in India. The tales from Hitopadesha are written in a very logical and clear way and one does not have to make much effort to figure out what moral a particular story is implying. The stories feature animals and birds as main characters.
The only clue to the identity of the author of Hitopadesha is found in the concluding verses of the work, which gives us the name Narayan, and which mention the patronage of a king called Dhavalachandra. As no other work by this author is known, and since the ruler mentioned has not been traced in other sources, we know almost nothing of either of them. It seems likely that Narayana was a pandit and preceptor employed in Dhavalachandra’s court. Since the invocatory and final verses evoke the god Shiva, he was most probably a Shaivite. Originally written in Sanskrit, the stories of his book have traveled to several parts of the world.Narayana, says that the main purpose of creating the Hitopadesha is to instruct young minds in a way that they learn the philosophy of life and are able to grow into responsible adults.
Hitopadesha has been translated into most of the major languages and has been circulated all around the world. The Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) commended the work of translating it to his own minister Abdul Fazel. He accordingly put the book into a familiar style, and published it with explanations, under the title of the Criterion of Wisdom. He followed the Emperor's suggestion that the incantions which often interrupt the narrative be abridged. After Sir William Jones, who had encountered it in 1786, announced his "discovery", it was translated into English by Charles Wilkins, who had made the earliest English translation of the Bhagavad Gita. An English translation by Sir Edwin Arnold, then Principal of Puna College, Pune, India, was published in London in 1861.
One of the most widely read Sanskrit books in India, Hitopadesha tales are short stories that have the priceless treasure of morality and knowledge. After Bhagavad Gita, Hitopadesha is considered to be the most sold religious text in India. The tales from Hitopadesha are written in a very logical and clear way and one does not have to make much effort to figure out what moral a particular story is implying. The stories feature animals and birds as main characters.
The only clue to the identity of the author of Hitopadesha is found in the concluding verses of the work, which gives us the name Narayan, and which mention the patronage of a king called Dhavalachandra. As no other work by this author is known, and since the ruler mentioned has not been traced in other sources, we know almost nothing of either of them. It seems likely that Narayana was a pandit and preceptor employed in Dhavalachandra’s court. Since the invocatory and final verses evoke the god Shiva, he was most probably a Shaivite. Originally written in Sanskrit, the stories of his book have traveled to several parts of the world.Narayana, says that the main purpose of creating the Hitopadesha is to instruct young minds in a way that they learn the philosophy of life and are able to grow into responsible adults.
Hitopadesha has been translated into most of the major languages and has been circulated all around the world. The Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) commended the work of translating it to his own minister Abdul Fazel. He accordingly put the book into a familiar style, and published it with explanations, under the title of the Criterion of Wisdom. He followed the Emperor's suggestion that the incantions which often interrupt the narrative be abridged. After Sir William Jones, who had encountered it in 1786, announced his "discovery", it was translated into English by Charles Wilkins, who had made the earliest English translation of the Bhagavad Gita. An English translation by Sir Edwin Arnold, then Principal of Puna College, Pune, India, was published in London in 1861.
October 11, 2021
"All existence is not equal, and all living is not life;
Sick men live; and he who, banished, pines for children, home, and wife;
And the craven-hearted eater of another's leavings lives,
And the wretched captive waiting for the word of doom survives;
But they bear an anguished body, and they draw a deadly breath,
And life cometh to them only on the happy day of death."
"True Religion ! — 'tis not blindly prating what the priest may prate,
But to love, as God hath loved them, all things, be they small of great;
And true bliss is when a sane mind doth a healthy body fill ;
And true knowledge is the knowing what is good and what is ill."
"Poisonous though the tree of life be, two fair blossoms grow thereon :
One, the company of good men ; and sweet songs of Poets, one."
“Seeing how the soorma wasteth, seeing how the ant-hill
grows,
Little adding unto little — live, give, learn, as life-time goes."
Drops of water falling, falling, falling, brim the chatty o'er ;
Wisdom comes in little lessons— little gains make largest store."
"Good dame," said the Cock, "am I so pitiful a
fellow that the Sea will venture to wash the eggs out of
my nest?"
"You are my very good Lord," replied the Hen, with
a laugh ; "but still there is a great difference between you
and the Sea."
"Fellow be with kindly foemen, rather than with friends unkind ;
Friend and foeman are distinguished not by title but by mind.”
"Hunger hears not, cares not, spares not ; no boon of the starving beg;
When the snake is pinched with craving, verily she eats her egg."
“Like as a plank of drift-wood
Tossed on the watery main,
Another plank encountered,
Meets, — touches, — parts again ;
So tossed, and drifting ever,
On life's unresting sea,
Men meet, and greet, and sever,
Parting eternally."
“Meeting makes a parting sure,
Life's is nothing but death's door."
"From the day, the hour, the minute,
Each life quickens in the womb ;
Thence its march, no falter in it,
Goes straight forward to the tomb."
Sick men live; and he who, banished, pines for children, home, and wife;
And the craven-hearted eater of another's leavings lives,
And the wretched captive waiting for the word of doom survives;
But they bear an anguished body, and they draw a deadly breath,
And life cometh to them only on the happy day of death."
"True Religion ! — 'tis not blindly prating what the priest may prate,
But to love, as God hath loved them, all things, be they small of great;
And true bliss is when a sane mind doth a healthy body fill ;
And true knowledge is the knowing what is good and what is ill."
"Poisonous though the tree of life be, two fair blossoms grow thereon :
One, the company of good men ; and sweet songs of Poets, one."
“Seeing how the soorma wasteth, seeing how the ant-hill
grows,
Little adding unto little — live, give, learn, as life-time goes."
Drops of water falling, falling, falling, brim the chatty o'er ;
Wisdom comes in little lessons— little gains make largest store."
"Good dame," said the Cock, "am I so pitiful a
fellow that the Sea will venture to wash the eggs out of
my nest?"
"You are my very good Lord," replied the Hen, with
a laugh ; "but still there is a great difference between you
and the Sea."
"Fellow be with kindly foemen, rather than with friends unkind ;
Friend and foeman are distinguished not by title but by mind.”
"Hunger hears not, cares not, spares not ; no boon of the starving beg;
When the snake is pinched with craving, verily she eats her egg."
“Like as a plank of drift-wood
Tossed on the watery main,
Another plank encountered,
Meets, — touches, — parts again ;
So tossed, and drifting ever,
On life's unresting sea,
Men meet, and greet, and sever,
Parting eternally."
“Meeting makes a parting sure,
Life's is nothing but death's door."
"From the day, the hour, the minute,
Each life quickens in the womb ;
Thence its march, no falter in it,
Goes straight forward to the tomb."
December 27, 2025
हितोपदेशः [Hitopdesha] is collection of Sanskrit fables by Narayana Pandit. Hitopdesha means beneficial advice. This collection of tales focusing on animals characters mirroring human nature & delivering wisdom. These tales are divided into 4 sections.
मित्रलाभ [Mitralabh] focuses on the power of friendship. how true friends. The deer, crow, tortoise and mouse overcome all their odds by standing together and protecting each other; teaching an invaluable lesson in loyalty, trust and co-operation.
सुह्रद्भेद [Suhrudbhed] focuses on how manipulation and envy destroy bonds and relationships. Through the cunning schemes of jackals, the friendship between a lion and a bull is shattered, highlighting the dangers of miscommunication, conspiracies & acting rashly without a second thought.
विग्रह [Vigraha] explores conflict and warfare, depicting how a group of crows betray the swans by allying with peacocks, eventually leading to an all-out war. It conveys that war is often a result of jealously, greed and wicked leaders.
संन्धि [Sandhi] concludes with reconciliation, where a vulture and a duck broker peace between the swans and peacocks, emphasizing diplomacy and wisdom over prolonged conflict.
All sections contains several other interwoven sub-tales narrated by the characters with the final chapter culminating the section. It offers deep insights into human nature, ethics, politics, statecraft, and military strategy, encouraging self-reflection as a means to overcome life’s challenges. This timeless work by Narayana Pandit is still popular today & stands alongside its genre contemporary - Vishnu Sharma's पंचतंत्र [Panchatantra].
मित्रलाभ [Mitralabh] focuses on the power of friendship. how true friends. The deer, crow, tortoise and mouse overcome all their odds by standing together and protecting each other; teaching an invaluable lesson in loyalty, trust and co-operation.
सुह्रद्भेद [Suhrudbhed] focuses on how manipulation and envy destroy bonds and relationships. Through the cunning schemes of jackals, the friendship between a lion and a bull is shattered, highlighting the dangers of miscommunication, conspiracies & acting rashly without a second thought.
विग्रह [Vigraha] explores conflict and warfare, depicting how a group of crows betray the swans by allying with peacocks, eventually leading to an all-out war. It conveys that war is often a result of jealously, greed and wicked leaders.
संन्धि [Sandhi] concludes with reconciliation, where a vulture and a duck broker peace between the swans and peacocks, emphasizing diplomacy and wisdom over prolonged conflict.
All sections contains several other interwoven sub-tales narrated by the characters with the final chapter culminating the section. It offers deep insights into human nature, ethics, politics, statecraft, and military strategy, encouraging self-reflection as a means to overcome life’s challenges. This timeless work by Narayana Pandit is still popular today & stands alongside its genre contemporary - Vishnu Sharma's पंचतंत्र [Panchatantra].
August 28, 2018
This book has a large collection of stories from ancient India. A lot of these stories are taken from Panchtantra and Kathasaritasagara. The book is divided into three parts, namely: Gaining of friends, Separation between friends, War and then finally, peace or reconciliation. The book is a translation of stories originally written in Sanskrit and uses framed narrative tool i.e. stories within stories. It is created for the education of naive princes of a king and imparts knowledge by telling stories with animals as characters. The translators have tried their best to keep the beauty of the original Sanskrit Shlokas in that all the characters speak in sonnets. Most of these sonnets impart knowledge of various fields like personal and royal conduct, overcoming sorrow and loss, financial prudence, dispensing duties, conduct in war and administration, duties and conduct for king/master and servant, qualities of human beings etc and about life in general. In short, the book is about imparting the knowledge for being prudent.
It is written in the introduction that the book can be read sequentially from start to end and also, by opening a random section and reading that section only and I agree with that.
I end this review with a little sonnet of mine own, attempting to fashion it as per the book's language:
Enjoyed this work of wisdom tall,
Written it is for kids and adults all.
:)
It is written in the introduction that the book can be read sequentially from start to end and also, by opening a random section and reading that section only and I agree with that.
I end this review with a little sonnet of mine own, attempting to fashion it as per the book's language:
Enjoyed this work of wisdom tall,
Written it is for kids and adults all.
:)
January 22, 2024
A collection of animal stories written in 1675, intended to impart wisdom. The collection of brief stories framed within a larger narrative make its form a cross between Aesop and Arabian Nights. The stories show cleverness, though readers of folklore will recognize many of them. Two things in particular detracted from my enjoyment, though. First, the stories are punctuated by verses, usually four lines, expounding a moral point. An example picked at random:
As it is said:
In the house of the virtuous,
The following are never denied:
A grass mat, place, water,
And fourth, courteous talk.
This would be okay, except such verses are multiplied ad nauseam. The verse above, for example is followed by, "Moreover: [verse.] Also: [verse.] [8 lines of story.] For: [verse.] Moreover: [verse.] Also: [verse.] Moreover: [verse.] Listen again: [verse.]"
The second problem is the extreme sexism displayed throughout. A product of the times and culture, no doubt, but disturbing all the same.
As it is said:
In the house of the virtuous,
The following are never denied:
A grass mat, place, water,
And fourth, courteous talk.
This would be okay, except such verses are multiplied ad nauseam. The verse above, for example is followed by, "Moreover: [verse.] Also: [verse.] [8 lines of story.] For: [verse.] Moreover: [verse.] Also: [verse.] Moreover: [verse.] Listen again: [verse.]"
The second problem is the extreme sexism displayed throughout. A product of the times and culture, no doubt, but disturbing all the same.
August 6, 2020
it was alright ig; the stories were fine but i don't think i paid attention until the last two parts rip
February 27, 2025
A lot of fun and with an unexpectedly twisted dark sense of humour. These morals turned out to be much more ambivalent and aware of the complexities of life and the mind than I anticipated.
August 1, 2024
A very famous Indian book with stories of wisdom and moral lessons.
These books were a big part of my childhood.
Highly recommend!!
These books were a big part of my childhood.
Highly recommend!!
October 4, 2022
A thousand years old , it’s an extraction from a variety of books , many originals, and funnily some originals pretty close to Shakespeare.
Also , it shows the confounding sexual mores of an India a thousand years back . Some books earlier than these dates revel in feminine chastity ( including self immolation on husband’s death ) and some a thousand years old from now celebrating in the sexual liberation and even aggressiveness of women in polyamory. Dandin is one more example in Dashakumar Charita . Even Kalidas is an enthusiast in that direction! Interesting stuff .
Also , it shows the confounding sexual mores of an India a thousand years back . Some books earlier than these dates revel in feminine chastity ( including self immolation on husband’s death ) and some a thousand years old from now celebrating in the sexual liberation and even aggressiveness of women in polyamory. Dandin is one more example in Dashakumar Charita . Even Kalidas is an enthusiast in that direction! Interesting stuff .
February 15, 2017
A treatise in theories of behaviour
A masterpiece of one story embedded into the other and so on. Each story conveying one or more learnings. I learnt that there is nothing absolutely right or wrong. The learned take a call on right or wrong based on experience and gut feel. This book should be read to youngsters with explanations! Happy reading.
A masterpiece of one story embedded into the other and so on. Each story conveying one or more learnings. I learnt that there is nothing absolutely right or wrong. The learned take a call on right or wrong based on experience and gut feel. This book should be read to youngsters with explanations! Happy reading.
Read
July 10, 2018Entuziazmas ima trykšti, kai atsikratome abejonių. Neryžtingų bandymų nevainikuoja sėkmė, nes abejonių lietus gesina entuziazmo ugnį. Vis dėlto nedera veikti skubotai. Kaip reikiant viską apsvarstę išvengiame nemalonumų, sutaupome laiko ir lėšų. Mūsų likimą formuoja sprendimai. Todėl rengti sprendimą turime atidžiai, o apsisprendę – nebeišleisti iš akių tikslo. Išmintinga būtų tikslo siekti ryžtingai, bet neprarandant lankstumo.
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Vyresniųjų patarimo verta klausti tik išimtiniais atvejais. Jei posėdžiausime dėl kiekvieno nieko, nebus kada net maisto susirasti. (Todėl vaišinkimės ryžiais.)
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Pavojaus verta baimintis tol, kol jis tik gresia, bet jau užgriuvusį reikia pasitikti deramais veiksmais.
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Net ricinmedis bemiškėje plynėje atrodo didelis; taip ir menkos nuovokos žmogus garbinamas ten, kur nėra tikrų žinovų.
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Įžvalgumą ir ištikimybę atskleidžia pašnekesys, o narsą ir rimtumą – tiesioginis potyris.
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Vyresniųjų patarimo verta klausti tik išimtiniais atvejais. Jei posėdžiausime dėl kiekvieno nieko, nebus kada net maisto susirasti. (Todėl vaišinkimės ryžiais.)
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Pavojaus verta baimintis tol, kol jis tik gresia, bet jau užgriuvusį reikia pasitikti deramais veiksmais.
***
Net ricinmedis bemiškėje plynėje atrodo didelis; taip ir menkos nuovokos žmogus garbinamas ten, kur nėra tikrų žinovų.
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Įžvalgumą ir ištikimybę atskleidžia pašnekesys, o narsą ir rimtumą – tiesioginis potyris.
June 6, 2020
TEKSTAS skirtas vaikams komentarai krišnaitams.
December 27, 2024
September 2023: loved reading this book, nichest of 2023 apparently. 6 out of 12 for 2023.
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