Hitopadesa : Sanskrit Text with English Translation Notes and Index of Verses

The Hitopadesa belongs to that class of compositions which aim at teaching the principles of polity guided by morality as far as possible, presenting them in the more agreeable form of stories. The Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma referred to above is its immediate parent, though the work of Kamandaka has been largely drawn upon, and there are occasional quotations from the Mahabharata and other works. The object of the compendium is, as the author himself tells us, to train the young minds in the chief affairs of life by acquainting them with the accumulated experiences of past ages.