BIDPAI, bid' ph or PILPAI. The reputed author of a collection of fables N•hich have be come famous all over Europe and Asia under his MUM.. The earliest version of this collection which we now possess is [lie Arabic. (See be low.) But [his was not the original form of the fables. The researches of Colebrooke, Wilson, de Sacy, Loiseleur Desiongehamps, and Benfey have shown the origin of the tiles, their growth, and subsequent modifications. The ultimate source was the unwritten collection of Sanskrit fables, which has, unfortunately, not come down to us. From this Sanskrit was made the oldest recension which we possess, the PaTicatantra (q.v.). An abridgment of this work was later made in Sanskrit, called the Ilitopadega (q.v.). This work has always been very popular through out India. It was the first Sanskrit book ever printed in the Devanagari script (ed. Carey, Serampore. 1803). Two translations into Eng lish had previously appeared, one by Wilkins (Bath. 1787). and the other by Sir W. Jones {London, 1799).
In early times the fame of the Sanskrit original from which both the Paricatantra and the Hito pada(' are descended reached Persia, and so in terested the reigning King, Khosrfi Anushirvan (A.1). 531-579), known as 'The Just.' that lie sent his court physician. Barzoi, to India to learn more about the matter. Barzoi translated the collection into Pahlavi, the literary language of Persia at that time, with the title of Kalilah and Dimnah, from the two jackals, Karataka and Damanaka. who appear prominently in the Sanskrit. From the Pahlavi two important trans lations were made. The first was the old Syriac (c.570) of Bod, and the Arabic of Abdullah ibn-al-Uokaffa, who lived in the reign of the Caliph Ahnansur (754-775). In the introduc tion to this Arabic translation, the author of the original is called Bidpai. the chief of Indian philosophers. Bidpai is the Sanskrit word rid yapati (*master of knowledge:), so it was prob ably used as a title of honor rather than as a proper name. Great interest centres in the translation of Mokaffa, for its influence upon lit erature has been very great. There are three elements which can be distinctly traced in its chapters—the Persian in three chapters, the Arabic in six, and the Indian in twelve. Of these twelve, three may be traced to the Maha bharata ; five to the Paneatantra ; two to the first book of the Pancatantra. and of two the originals seem to be irrecoverably lost. Bud dhism was the inspiration for most of the stories, and comparisons with the Jatakas or 'Birth Stories' of the Buddha reveal the origin of nearly, if not quite all of the parables. These Jatakas
have been widely scattered in the course of Bud dhist propaganda, and they can be found in more or less changed forms in Greek, Persian, Arabic, Syriac, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Finnish, and Samoyed literature, as well 'is throughout Europe. In the fables of Bidpai, ani mals appear and act as if endowed with human powers. The stories themselves are usually rather simple, but are interspersed with maxims and sayings of shrewd practical wisdom.
On the Arabic version of Alokafia five differ ent translations were based, which, in turn, were the bases of many others. These five were: the later Syriac (Tenth or Eleventh Century) ; Greek, by Symeon Seth (e.10S0) ; Hebrew (Thir teenth Century) ; Persian of Nasrullah (e.1120) ; and Old Spanish (1251), from the text of which Raimund made his Latin version (1313). A more important lIebrew translation was that of Rabbi Joel, from which was made the Latin Directorium Humana' Vita' (e.1270) of John of Capna, who was a converted Jew. This is the most important translation of the fables, for from it flowed most of the translations into the modern European tongues. Some of these were: German of Graf Eberhard (e.14S0), from which came the Danish (1618) and Dutch (1623) ; the Spanish Est-1111)1(1Mo (1493), on which was based the first Italian version, Firenznola's Discorsi degli animali (1548) ; and another Italian trans lation by Doni, the Moral Philosophy (1552), from which was made the English version of North (157u). From the Persian translation of Nasrullah was made the later Persian collection, the Anrari Suhaili (end of Fifteenth Century), which was in turn the parent of the Turkish umayunmaniali (Sixteenth Century). and the versions in the modern vernaculars of India. Through the Turkish came the Spanish, and the French of Galland (1724-781, the basis of the Greek (1783), Hungarian (1783), and Dutch translations.
The text of the Arabic collection was edited by de Sacy (Paris, 1316). It was translated' into German by Wolff (Stuttgart. 18:39). and into English by Knatchbull (Oxford, 1819). For the best account of the literary history of the fables, consult: I. G. N. Keith-Falconer, Translation of Wright's Edition of the Later Syriac Version of Bidpai's Fables, with an admir able introduction (Cambridge. 1855). For fur ther information on the fables: Rhys Davids, Buddhist Birth Stories (London, 1880) ; Max "On the Migration of Fables": Chips from a German Vol. 111. (London, 1SSO) ; North, Moran Philosophic" of Doni, ed. Jacob ( London, 18SS ) ; and Deslongchamps, L'ssai scar les fables indicnncs (Paris. 183S).