Book excerpt: The Hitopadesha (A Beneficial Advice) was probably written in 1675 A.D. by the great Hindu scholar, Narayana Pandit during the reign of King Dhavalachandra in Bengal. The Hitopadesha like the Panchatantra is written in the form of a chain of simple stories. Each story has a moral and a philosophical theme which has stood the test of time and is relevant to modern times. The Hitopadesha guides us as to how to attain success in life by understanding human nature. The Hitopadesha like Panchatantra has been translated into many languages of the world. It is now being translated into German and Indonesian.