The Hitopadesha is a remarkable compilation of short
stories. Composed by Narayana Pandit, Hitopadesha had its origin around
a thousand years ago. In Indian Literature, the Hitopadesha is regarded
more or less similar to the Panchatantra. In the vein of Panchatantra,
the Hitopadesa was also written in Sanskrit and following the pattern of
prose and verse. Hitopadesh tales are written in reader-friendly way,
which also contributed to the success of this best seller after ‘Bhagwad
Gita’ in India. Since its origin, Hitopadesa has been translated
into numerous languages to benefit the readers all over the world.
The term ‘Hitopadesha’ is a joint effort of two terms, ‘Hita’
(welfare/ benefit) and ‘Upadesha’ (advice/ counsel). As the
term suggests, the Hitopadesha is a collection of tales that counsel and
advice for the welfare and benefit of everyone. Imparting morals and
knowledge, Hitopadesha is one amongst the most widely read Sanskrit book
in India. The Hitopadesh is still very much popular children story book
that actually help them to develop into responsible and mature adults.
Here are provided some popular stories from Hitopadesha.
Old Tiger and Greedy
Traveller
This is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha
collection. Once upon a time, there lived a Tiger in a forest. With the
passing years, he became too old to hunt. One day, the Tiger was walking
by the side of a lake and suddenly, a gold bangle came across his sight.
Quickly he picked up the bangle and thought that he could use it as an
allure to catch someone. As he was under the thought process, a traveler
happened to pass through the opposite side of the lake.
Blind Vulture
The Blind Vulture is one of the most interesting stories/ tales from
the collection of Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there was a hill
that sloped down to the banks of a river. At the bottom of the hill,
there was a tree which made the shelter for many birds. One day, a blind
old Vulture came to live in the hollow of the tree. The birds welcomed
the blind vulture and decided to give him a share of their food since he
was old.
Elephant and Jackal
This is a nice tale / story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales.
Once upon a time, there lived an Elephant by the name of Karpuratilaka
in a forest. He was brutal and haughty by nature. He used to roam in the
forest without restraint. All the animals of the forest were afraid of
this wild Elephant. Without any purpose, he used to pull down the trees
and ripped the branches. In this way, he destroyed innumerable nests
with eggs and crushed the nestlings under his massive feet.
Birds and Shivering
Monkeys
This is another interesting tale/ story from the collection of
Hitopadesha Tales. Once upon a time, there was a huge tree on the banks
of a river. The tree made a comfortable home for the family of birds who
had built their nests on its branch. The birds were living there happily
as the tree with its widespread branches sheltered them from scorching
sun and heavy rains.
Rabbits and the Elephants
This is another nice story from the Hitopadesha collection. Once upon a
time, there lived a herd of Elephants in a forest. A mighty Elephant by
the name of Chaturdanta was their king. There was a big lake in the
middle of the forest where all the animals used to go to drink water and
to take a bath. Once it so happened, that there was no rain for the
whole year and the lake dried up. Many of the birds and the animals died
of thirst. The Elephants got worried that if they didn’t get water
soon many of them would die of thirst.
Sages Daughter
It is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha album. Once
upon a time, there lived a Sage on the banks of a river. The sage and
his wife didn’t bear any children. They were unhappy about this
fact of their life. One day, when the sage was engaged in penance, a
kite dropped a she-mouse and it happened to fall in the lap of the Sage.
The Sage thought that the God might have sent this mouse to him. He
thought that if he would take the mouse to his home, people would laugh
at him. So he decided to change the mouse into a girl.
Beware of Mean Friends
This is one more interesting story from the Hitopadesha Tales. Once
upon a time, there lived a Lion by the name of Madotkata in a forest.
Among his followers, a Jackal, a Crow and a Wolf had developed
friendship with him. However, all the three had a selfish motive behind
this so-called friendship. They knew that the Lion was the King of the
forest and friendship with such fierce creature would always help them.
To meet their selfish ends, they started obeying and were always
available at the service of the Lion.
Jackal and Arrow
This is another nice story/ tale from the collection of Hitopadesha
Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a hunter in a village. He was
living there happily with his family. One fine morning, he set out from
his home with the intention of hunting a deer in the nearby forest. It
was a fortunate day as he saw a deer and killed him instantly. He hung
the carcass of the deer over his shoulder and happily started for his
home.
Washerman Donkey and Dog
This is another interesting story / tale from the Hitopadesha
Collection. Once upon a time, there lived a Washerman in a village. He
had kept a donkey and a dog to serve as his pets. The Dog used to guard
his master’s house and escort him wherever he went. The Donkey used
to carry stack of clothes on his back to and fro the river. Both of them
slept in the washerman’s courtyard. Like this, they were leading
their life under the kind shelter of the Washerman.
Monkey and Bell
This is another nice story from the collection of Hitopadesha Tales/
Stories. Once upon a time, there lived a robber in a village. One day,
he stole a temple bell and ran towards the forest. A Tiger heard the
jingle of the bell and became curious to locate the sound. As soon as,
he saw the robber, he jumped upon him and killed him at once. The bell
fell on the ground. After a few days, a group of monkeys passed through
that way. They spotted the bell and carried it to their home.
