Hitopadesha Choice Of Friends

Hitopadesha (Good Counsel) is an 11-12th century Sanskrit collection of stories in four chapters instead of five in the Panchatantra on which it is based. Each chapter contains a string of stories, one emerging from the other, with each designed to render

Hitopadesha (Good Counsel) is an 11-12th century Sanskrit collection of stories in four chapters instead of five in the Panchatantra on which it is based. Each chapter contains a string of stories, one emerging from the other, with each designed to render counsel on ethical worldly-wise conduct. The characters are living beings including humans and animals in the wild. The latter too are endowed with the reason and emotions of human beings. Thereby they come to represent types of human nature and behavior and one can draw morals from the stories. In this collection, a tiger finds a gold bangle with which he allures a traveler to cross the river; stuck in mire, the greedy man falls easy prey to the tiger. In another story, a jackal feigns friendship with a deer who despite warnings from a wise crow joins the jackal and meets with a tragedy. An old blind vulture is offered shelter by birds in the hollow of a tree. He protects their fledglings. A cat pleads for living with them and the vulture agrees. The cat finishes the fledglings one by one and goes away. The birds suspecting the vulture kill him. Moral: Do not give shelter to the unknown. This collection is treasure house of such stories.

Hitopadesha (Good Counsel) is an 11-12th century Sanskrit collection of stories in four chapters instead of five in the Panchatantra on which it is based. Each chapter contains a string of stories, one emerging from the other, with each designed to render

Includes the following titles: Hitopadesha : Choice of Friends, Hitopadesha : How Friends are parted, A Bag of Gold Coins

Shankaravara could run faster than all his friends and swim across the Brahmaputra when it was in spate. But when his grandmother scolded him for not paying attention to his books, he took her words seriously. Named Shankar Dev by his guru, the young man fulfilled all his duties as a student and a householder before embarking on a voyage of self-discovery. A voyage which led to his starting the Vaishnava movement in Assam.

When Drona went to his childhood friend, Drupada, to remind him of his promise of eternal friendship made long ago, Drupada rebuked him and spurned him. Burning with anger and humiliation, Drona was filled with a desire for revenge. That was the only tragic flaw in a brave and supremely talented archer who taught the use of arms to the Kaurava and the Pandava princes.