Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha (हितोपदेशः) is a collection of Sanskrit fables in prose and verse written in the 12 century
The author of the tales is said to be Narayan Pandit who worked in the court of King Dhavalachandra.
The work has been translated into most of the major languages of the world.
Hitopadesha has been derived from two words, hita and upadeśa . It basically means to counsel or advice with benevolence.
After Bhagavad Gita, Hitopadesha is considered to be the most sold religious text in India. The tales from Hitopadesha are written in a very logical and clear way and one does not have to make much effort to figure out what moral a particular story is implying.
The stories feature animals and birds as main characters.
