Lessons from Hitopadesha
Sansar Chandra

INDIA is known for the variety and richness of her literature that propounds moral values. The reason is that character-building has been the chief aim of the education policy that prevailed in ancient India. Stalwarts like Shukracharya, the preceptor of demons, Vidura of Mahabharata fame, and Chanakya, the celebrated author of Arthashastra and Kamandiki, a great authority in field of ethics, had played a pivotal role in the promotion of this kind of literature.

The works produced by these celebrities were not everybody’s cup of tea. Being very deep and subtle, this great treasure of wisdom remained the monopoly of the few, especially the elite of the society. It was, in fact, a Herculean task for an average student or a raw learner to derive any substantial benefit out of it.

It was a blessed day for the lovers of wisdom and knowledge that Hitopadesha — a virtual gateway to the science of morality adorned the literary firmament. It was one of the most memorable gifts of Narayana Pandit, a court poet of the king named Dhawal Chandra of Bengal, who compiled it during the year 1373 A.D.

Hitopadesha is an exceedingly famous and a most widely read Sanskrit book in our country. The latest survey conducted by the Sanskrit Pracharak Mandal, Delhi, revealed that it was a bestseller after Shrimad Bhagavadgita and second to none among the Sanskrit text-books taught in high and higher secondary schools of India. Its simple and short stories, written in a lucid style, catch the fancy of the readers and fill them with joy and ecstasy. Although the stories compiled in Hitopadesha are that of animals and birds but these are extremely relevant to human life and behaviour.

The main purpose of producing this great work, as proclaimed by the author in the preface, was to educate the young with the help of interesting stories in the science of ethics and political philosophy and to make them capable of facing challenges which are most common especially at the adolescent stage. The two words Hita and Upadesha contained in the name mean ‘wise counsel or advice’.

Although Narayana Pandit, the author of Hitopadesha, drew inspiration from various ethical works but a big chunk of its material was adapted from Panchatantra, the oldest anthology containing the stories of birds and animals. Panchatantra occupies a most enviable place not only in India but at the global level also and is believed to be the most widely read children’s literature the world over. The most surprising aspect of its popularity, especially beyond India, was the fact that it was translated into as many as 50 languages and continues to be read in most of the civilised countries of the world.

With regard to the norms of form and content, Hitopadesha has, more or less, followed the same pattern that prevailed in Panchatantra. The salient feature of Hitopadesha lies in the fact that it was more simple and comprehensible. This was the reason that it became more popular with the student community. It is also less extensive and is confined to four cantos only. The selection of stories, their artistic tying up and the skilled editing of the text have made it a little more cohesive and thought-provoking. However, the start of the main story in both the cases is identical.

The story of Hitopadesha revolves around the king, named Sudarshana of Pataliputra, now known as Patna, and his unintelligent and inconvenient sons. The king was very much fed up with his idiot sons who had no inclination to learn and gain wisdom. He felt sorry and was ashamed of his sons who had no knowledge of the scriptures and were quite directionless. He pondered over their sad plight said to himself:

"The parents who fail to educate their son are his worst enemies as he does not figure anywhere in the gathering of learned men like a crane among swans".

Now the challenge before the king was to make his sons knowledgeable. He was feeling guilty of having failed to educate them properly. So he summoned a conference of intellectuals and posed this intricate problem before them. He appealed to their good sense and made an anxious enquiry:

"Is there any doyen among this gathering of intellectual wizards, who could come forward and reform my stupid sons by teaching ethics and giving them a fresh lease of a purposeful life. The wisemen tell us that just as a piece of glass studded with gold attains the glow of an emerald, likewise an idiot becomes intelligent by associating himself with the wise".

The entreaty of the king caught the attention of a stalwart, named Vishnu Sharma, who dazzled like the morning star in the assembly of literary giants invited on this momentous occasion. An authority on the science of ethics and a seasoned teacher of his times, he volunteered himself for this vital task and said:

"I am happy to observe that my would-be disciples come from a very noble ancestry and as such it is no problem to teach them". I, therefore, assure you that I will make your sons wellversed in ethical science within a period of six months.

On hearing this loud declaration of Vishnu Sharma in the assembly of heavy weights of the field of learning, the king heaved a sigh of relief and blessed his stars. He at once got up to convey his gratefulness as humbly as he could and entrusted his sons to the care of Vishnu Sharma after paying him rich tributes, worthy of his honour and dignity. With a view to achieve this object, Vishnu Sharma wrote Hitopadesha, a gateway to the science of morality, to be taught to his privileged pupils so that he could make them the worthy sons of their worthy father. It was one of the biggest challenges of his life and he was obliged to see it through, come what may!

As luck would have it, everything went on smoothly. The challenge was met vigorously. It was the vision of and as a consequence of the historic experiment performed by this charismatic mentor that gave birth to the treasure of knowledge that is Hitopadesha.

Then onwards, this great work of unrivalled merit has been serving as a light-house for the young at a highly sensitive stage of their lives.

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