Hitopadesha
by Narayana

The Hitopadesha or 'Amicable Instruction' is a collection of stories, written thousands of years ago. The aim of the stories is to train the young mind in the affairs of life by acquainting them with the accumulated experiences of past ages. This manual of wisdom is also the genesis of the first moral fables that appeared in Europe. After making allowances for the progress made by civillization, every fable, evere maxim quoted in this book can still be applied to human character today.