Maxim on learning
Learning to a man is a name superior to beauty;
learning is better than hidden treasure.
Learning is a companion on a journey to a strange country,
learning is strength inexhaustible.
Learning is the source of renown
and the fountain of victory in the senate.
Learning is a superior sight,
learning is a livelihood;
a man without learning is as a beast of the field.
learning is better than hidden treasure.
Learning is a companion on a journey to a strange country,
learning is strength inexhaustible.
Learning is the source of renown
and the fountain of victory in the senate.
Learning is a superior sight,
learning is a livelihood;
a man without learning is as a beast of the field.
—Hitopadesa
Compassion
As your life to you is dear,
So is his to every creature.
The good have compassion for all,
By comparison and analogy with their own nature.
So is his to every creature.
The good have compassion for all,
By comparison and analogy with their own nature.
—Hitopadesa Book 1
The work is to encourage proficiency in Sanskrit expression (samskrita-uktishu) and knowledge of wise behaviour (niti-vidyam). This is done through the telling of moral stories in which birds, beasts and humans interact. Interest is maintained through the device of enclosed narratives in which a story is interrupted by an illustrative tale before resuming. The style is elaborate and there are frequent pithy verse interludes to illustrate the points made by the various speakers. On account of these, which provide by far the greater part of the text, the work has been described as an anthology of (sometimes contradictory) verses from widespread sources relating to statecraft.
The Hitopadesha is organized into four books, with a preface section called Prastavika. The opening verse expresses reverence to the Hindu god Ganesha and goddess Saraswati. There are several versions of the text available, though the versions are quite similar unlike other ancient and medieval era Hindu texts wherein the versions vary significantly. The shortest version has 655 verses, while the longest has 749 verses. In the version translated by Wilkins, the first book of Hitopadesha has nine fables, the second and third each have ten, while the fourth has thirteen fables.
The work is to encourage proficiency in Sanskrit expression (samskrita-uktishu) and knowledge of wise behaviour (niti-vidyam). This is done through the telling of moral stories in which birds, beasts and humans interact. Interest is maintained through the device of enclosed narratives in which a story is interrupted by an illustrative tale before resuming. The style is elaborate and there are frequent pithy verse interludes to illustrate the points made by the various speakers. On account of these, which provide by far the greater part of the text, the work has been described as an anthology of (sometimes contradictory) verses from widespread sources relating to statecraft.
The Hitopadesha is organized into four books, with a preface section called Prastavika. The opening verse expresses reverence to the Hindu god Ganesha and goddess Saraswati. There are several versions of the text available, though the versions are quite similar unlike other ancient and medieval era Hindu texts wherein the versions vary significantly. The shortest version has 655 verses, while the longest has 749 verses. In the version translated by Wilkins, the first book of Hitopadesha has nine fables, the second and third each have ten, while the fourth has thirteen fables.
Book 1 Mitralabha: How to gain a friend
The Book 1 is introduced with the statement that wise and sincere friends may be poor or destitute, but it is they who may help one achieve successes in life. The book recommends that the good find good friends, they are like a vessel in which one deposits both joys and sorrows of life, and it is not words that define a friend but their behavior and actions.
The deer, the jackal and the crow.
The blind jackal, the cat and the birds.
The history of Hiranyaka the mouse.
The old man and his young wife.
The huntsman, the deer, the boar, the serpent, and the Jackal
The rajah's son and the merchants wife.
The jackal and the elephant.
Book 2 Suhrdbheda: How to lose a friend
The Book 2 is introduced with the statement that great friendships can be destroyed by the cruel and envious beings who envy such friendship. The book states that misinformation creates wedge between friends, as does a focus on disagreements, rash action without due investigation and a lack of communication.
The bull the two jackals and the lion.
The ape and the wedge.
The thief the ass and the dog.
The lion the mouse and the cat.
The poor women and the bell.
The adventures of Kanadarpaketu.
The farmers wife and her two gallants.
The crow the golden chain and the black serpent.
The lion and the rabbit.
The partridges and the sea.
Book 3 Vigraha: War
The third book presents a series of fables wherein war is described as a consequence of greed, criticism of others, wicked people and their ideologies, cruel and ungrateful leader, lack of restraint, lack of preparation, poor fortifications, weak military, weak diplomacy, and poor counsel.
The geese and the peacock.
The birds and the monkey.
The ass dressed in tigers skin.
The elephants and the rabbits.
The goose and the crow.
The Varttaka and the crow.
The wheelwright and his wife.
The blue jackal.
The man who sacrificed his own son.
The barber who killed a beggar.
Book 4 Sandhi: Peace
The fables in Book 4 state that it is always better to seek peace with seven types of people: the truthful, the virtuous, the just, the strong, the victorious, those with many brothers, and the self-destructing worthless. Peace can be achieved, states Hitopadesha, if one examines one's own behavior and one's own seeking as much as that of the opponent, pays attention to the counsel of one's good friends, treats the opponent with respect and understanding that is in tune with the opponent's character, forms one or more of sixteen types of treaties, reciprocal assistance and cooperative ventures between the two sides thereby enabling the pursuit of truth.
The geese and the peacocks/ 2.
The tortoise and the two geese.
The three fishes.
The merchant and his artful wife.
The boobies and the weasel.
The mouse and the hermit.
The booby and the crab.
The Brahmin who broke the pots and pans.
The two giants.
The Brahmin and his goat.
The camel the crow the tiger and the jackal.
The old serpent and the frog.
The brahmin and the weasel.
The text ends with the following
May peace forever yield happiness to all the victorious possessors of the earth,
May just men forever be free from adversity, and the fame of those who do good long flourish,
May prudence, like a glorious sun shine continually on your breasts,
May the earth, with all her vast possessions, long remain for your enjoyment.
May just men forever be free from adversity, and the fame of those who do good long flourish,
May prudence, like a glorious sun shine continually on your breasts,
May the earth, with all her vast possessions, long remain for your enjoyment.
— Hitopadesa,
Translator: Charles Wilkins
No comments:
Post a Comment