Hitopadesa

About 1,500 years ago the king of Iran got a book with the secret of how to raise the dead by means of rasayana, an elixir of life. The book explained how the elixir was extracted from herbs and trees growing on the high mountains of India. Eager to sample the elixir, the King sent his chief minister on a quest for the prescribed herbs and trees.
In India, the minister was well-received and aided by sages; he scoured the mountains for the herbs and trees to make the elixir. No mixture they made, however, could bring the dead back to life. Finally, the disappointed ministers computed that the information was false.
Greatly distressed about returning empty-handed and disappointing his king, the minister asked his hosts what he should do. They led him to a famous philosopher, who once searched in vain for the same elixir, and in the end discovered that the elixir was actually a book. That philosopher explained that the story about the elixir was allegorical. The high mountains in the story represented the wise and learned men of lofty intellect; the trees and herbs, which are products of the mountains, indicated the various writings of those sages; the elixir indicated the wisdom extracted from the sages' writings, which revived the dead intelligence and buried thoughts of ignorant materialistic men.
Relieved and elated, the minister begged a copy of the book from the philosopher, translated it, and returned to his king. That book we know today as the Pancatantra of Vishnu Sharma; it is the basis of the author of Hitopadesa. Studies of old hand-written manuscripts reveal, however, that Narayana Pandit, who lived in Fourteenth century Bengal, wrote the book on the request of King Dhavalacandra, drawing heavily from Pancatantra. Traditionally it was taught to beginning students in guru Kula.
Hitopadesa, or "Good Instructions," is famous for its wisdom and is one of the most popular books on ethics and polity from Niti-sastra. Many verses can be traced to the Puranas and Itihasas. It uses the story-within-a-story-format, with animals as the main characters. The first book, Mitralabha (Acquisition of Friends), defines the characteristics of real friends and shows the importance of having them. It is most relevant in this present age, Kali-yuga, where shams thrive in the guise of love and good will. Hitopadesa is an especially helpful tool in decision-making, as it teaches one the valuable art of discrimination. During moments of decision fate is written. Even after studying vast literature, one may fail to make sound decisions; yet decisions are what change man's fate. In moments of indecision and doubt, Hitopadesa can illuminate one's intelligence, inspire one to face daily problems, as well as help one overcome obstacles on the path of enlightenment.