Hitopadesa Haksar Aditya Narayan Dhairyasheel-Trans.

Composedbetween800and950AD,Narayana'sHitopadesaisoneofthebest-knownofallworksinSanskritliterature.Afascinatingcollectionoffables,maximsandsayingsinverse,itcombinesawidevarietyofwritingsfromearlierauthorsinonevolume-a'gardenofpleasingstories'createdtoprovideguidance,wisdomandpoliticaladvicetothereader.Witheleganceandgreathumour,Narayanaweavesaframeworkfortheclassictales,herenarratedbyanimalswhoquotefromandreflectonstoriesfromthePancatantraandothertraditionalsources.Atonceananthologyoffolkwisdomandanoriginalandsatiricalworkinitsownright,theHitopadesahasbeendeeplyadmiredandwidelyreadformorethanathousandyearsforitshumorousandprofoundreflectionsonhumanlives,loves,folliesandphilosophies.