You might have thought of reading fables or tales in Hindi but may not have any idea of which fables or tales to start with or which of them is a good pack of them all.

In Hindi, there are some wonderful collections of fables and tales that you can start with. In this post, I will show you some of the most famous collection of fables and tales.

1. Panchatantra (पञ्चतन्त्र ; Panch = Five, Tantra = Principle, Rule)
It is a famous collection of ancient Indian collection of inter woven series of colorful animal fables which is set in a frame story format both in verse and prose. The original work is in Sanskrit language which some believe to be composed in 3rd century BCE. The Sanskrit work is translated to Hindi by a famous Hindi writer Vishnu Sharma. It is possible that this fables collection do exist in your own mother tongue with an another name because this ancient Indian work has been translated over centuries in over two hundred different version in fifty languages from its original Sanskrit work.
This collection is divided into five part and used as a narrative style of the series of fables which are contained in main fables or sometime a fable in another fable, each of which carry a moral lesson to a princes.

The five parts of the collection of Panchtantra are called:
1. Mitra-bheda: The Separation of Friends (The Lion and the Bull)
2. Mitra-lābha or Mitra-samprāpti: The Gaining of Friends (The Dove, Crow, Mouse, Tortoise and Deer)
3. Kākolūkīyam: Of Crows and Owls (War and Peace)
4. Labdhapraṇāśam: Loss Of Gains (The Monkey and the Crocodile)
5. Aparīkṣitakārakaṃ: Ill-Considered Action / Rash deeds (The Brahman and the Mongoose)

2. Baital Pachisi or Vetala Panchavimshati (वेतालपञ्चविंशति; Twenty five tales of Baital)
Baital Pachisi or Vetala Panchavimshati (tales of Baital) is a Indian collection of tales and legends within a frame story. It was originally composed in Sanskrit. This collection consists of 25 tales in total of which 24 tales are contained in 25th tale.
The main tale consist of interesting inner tales, riddles and moral lessons revolving around a legendary ancient Indian king Vikramāditya(c. 1st century BC) which is named as Vikram in the tales who promises a Vamachari/Tantric (a sorcerer) that he will capture a Vetala (or Baital), a vampire spirit who hangs from a tree and inhabits and animates dead bodies. In each tale, whenever he try to catch and bring the Baital to the sorcerer, he is asked a riddle by Baital. If he can’t answer the riddle, he can take him to the sorcerer but if is able to answer the question, he will free the Baital and the Baital can return again to his tree. However, in all 24 tales, the King Vikram could not stop him but to answer the riddle and the answers being correct each time, he fail to take Baital in his captivity. In the last tale, when King Vikram could not answer the riddle and the Baital agree to be taken to sorcerer. On the way to sorcerer, he tells King Vikram that the sorcerer wish is evil and the sorcerer wish to kill Vikram and gain control over Baital. He then advice King Vikram to kill the sorcerer which he agree. Doing so, not only Vikram could save his life, being blessed by Lord Indra but also gains Baitals offer that whenever King would need his help, he would come.

3. Kathasaritsagara (Katha = Story, Sarit = Stream, Sagara = Ocean meaning Ocean of the streams of stories)
It is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Brahmin named Somadeva.
This vast collection consists of 18 books of 124 chapters and more than 21,000 verses in addition to prose sections. The principal tale is the narrative of the adventures of Naravahanadatta, son of the legendary king Udayana. A large number of tales are built around this central story, making it the largest existing collection of Indian tales. Some part older work Panchtantra & Baital Pachisi find mention in this collection.

4. Hitopadesha (हितोपदेश; Hit = Welfare/benefit, Upadesha = Advice/Consel)
Hitopadesh is translated work of original ancient Sanskrit work. It is wonderful compilation of short tales in the pattern of prose and verse and it was translated by a famous Hindi writer, Narayana Pandit In many aspect it share the similarity with Panchtantra. Hitopadesh tales are written in in very easy readable way which has made it famous. Hitopadesa has been translated into many languages all over the world to spread the wise advice to benefit all.
Each tale imparts morals & knowledge like Panchtantra and because of which tales from them are famous among children books so as to help them to become wise and mature adults later.

All above mentioned works of fables & tales are highly advised from my side if you happen to decide to dive more into Hindi language. 🙂