Panchatantra

"Pancantra", an outstanding monument of not only Indian, but also world literature, compiled in the earliest edition in the III-IV centuries. N.E. An unknown author, initially served as pedagogical goals - it was a "science of everyday wisdom", which were studied by young men. Each of the five books of the monument is an independent narrative, the heroes of which in the course of action are told by fables, usually illustrating one or another teaching. The text is one of the best samples of classic Sanskrit prose. A number of versions of Panchatantra are known - one of the most complete is the version of the Jain monk Purnabhadra dating from 1199, from which a real translation was made.
"Panchantantra" has long become one of the most popular and beloved books in India, where it formed the basis of a number of later collections ("chitopadesh", etc) In numerous processing and retelling, this monument is widely used outside of India. Of the European collections, ancient Indian fairy -tale plots become known to Ivan Krylov, and then Lev Tolstoy, who processes individual fables and includes them in his "alphabet". The first translation of the book from Sanskrit into Russian, made by A.Ya. Syrkin, was published in 1958. The preface, notes and applications were included in this publication, including translations from Hitopadeshi.
4th edition, corrected and supplemented