HitopadesaThe ever-popular Book of Good Counsels from ancient India. One of the best-known Sanskrit classics, Narayana’s Hitopadesa is a fascinating collection of animal and human fables augmented with polished verse epigrams and gnomic stanzas, many of which have become proverbial. This satirical, often irreverent and sometimes ribald text has been popular for centuries as a compendium of worldly advice on matters ranging from statesmanship and detailed battle plans to personal conduct and marital fidelity. It has also served generations of students as a model of grammatical and metaphorical excellence. In this ‘Garden of Pleasing Stories’, as Narayan himself describes it, birds, beasts, men and women scheme, suffer, lust, err, grieve and rejoice, acting as perceptive social critics and astute commentators on the absurd nature of human folly. Combining his own literary genius with skilful selections and modifications of material from the Panchatantra and a host of other traditional sources, Narayan has created a refreshingly original masterpiece. This excellent new translation faithfully renders the wit and wisdom of the original. |
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User Review - Michael.Rimmer - LibraryThingThurs is a book of contraries and complimentary opposites. Divided into four sections (2x2): Gaining Friends-Splitting Partners; War-Peace. It is a story told by the wise to the foolish, it's most ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
advice another’s asked Rusty asked the king birds Bossy Bṛhaspati Ćāṇakya Charles Wilkins Cloudcolour Comrade cowherd crane creature cried crow death deer dharmaśāstra elephant enemy fear fool forest Further Furthermore gifts give goddess Goldegg Golden goose greed guard happen hearing hermit Hitopadeśa Honour husband jackal Karpūra killed king asked King Dapple king’s lake land lapwing lion Listen Lively Look lord Magadha Mahābhārata Majesty master Meanwhile merchant’s merit mind mongoose mouse named Nārāyaṇa never nīti noble Once one’s Panćatantra parrot Pārvatī peace pleasure priest princes procuress proper Quickflight rabbit replied Sandhi Sangata Sanskrit scriptures servants Sire Śiva snake someone sovereignty Spotted Throat spy returned stanzas stay Sternbach stork sure swan king Tawny thought tiger told tortoise translation tree true verses villain Vīravara virtue Viṣṇu Śarma vulture wealth What’s who’s wicked wife wise words
Bibliographic information
| Title | Hitopadesa |
| Author | S Narayana |
| Publisher | Penguin UK, 2005 |
| ISBN | 9351180964, 9789351180968 |
| Length | 264 pages |
| Subjects | › Literary Collections / Ancient & Classical |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |