What Happened to the Hitopadesha Posts on WrittenByBabu

Table of Contents

• 1. What Happened to the Hitopadesha Posts?
  • 1.1 It Began with a Technical Problem
  • 1.2 Why I Originally Chose the Hitopadesha
• 2. Why the Panchatantra Comes First
• 3. The Hitopadesha Will Return

 

What Happened to the Hitopadesha Posts?

Those who followed my earlier blog, Written By Babu, asked me the same question.

"What happened to the Hitopadesha series?"

After publishing several posts, I stopped without any explanation.

I thought it was time to explain why.

There were two reasons.

It Began with a Technical Problem

The immediate reason was a problem with Blogger.

Although it interrupted my publishing schedule, the issue itself was temporary. I had backups of everything I had written and could have restored the posts without much difficulty.

The technical issue caused the pause.

It did not determine what happened afterwards.

Why I Originally Chose the Hitopadesha

When I began that series, the decision was a deliberate one.

The Hitopadesha is generally accepted to have been compiled in Bengal. Since much of my work has centred on texts associated with Bengal, it seemed like the natural place to begin.

As I worked through the text, however, I kept returning to the Panchatantra.

Many stories had appeared there first.

Many characters had already been introduced there.

In several places, understanding the Hitopadesha became much easier if the reader already knew the corresponding Panchatantra story.

Gradually, I realised that although beginning with the Hitopadesha made sense from one point of view, it was making the reading experience more complicated than it needed to be.

Why the Panchatantra Comes First

That realisation changed the direction of the project.

Instead of continuing with the Hitopadesha, I decided to restart with the Panchatantra and cover it from beginning to end.

Only after completing it will I return to the Hitopadesha.

When I do, it will not be an isolated work.

We will compare it with the corresponding Panchatantra stories wherever they overlap, examining how the later compiler retained, adapted or rearranged the earlier material.

I believe that this sequence will make both texts much easier to follow.

The Hitopadesha Will Return

If you were following the earlier series, please do not worry.

The Hitopadesha has not been discontinued.

It is simply waiting until the Panchatantra has been completed.

That pause has also given me the opportunity to rethink how both texts should be presented.

My hope is that, by studying them in this order, we will gain a much clearer understanding of how they relate to one another.

Thank you for continuing this journey with me.

I look forward to returning to the Hitopadesha once we have completed the Panchatantra.