A Bibliography Essay on Kelile and Dimne

Abstract

B.C. III. The work titled Kelîle ve Dimne, written by a priest assigned to educate the prince of an Indian ruler in the 16th century, consists of the mutual conversations of the philosopher Beydeba and the ruler Debşelim. The book has the characteristics of an advice written in the fable type. The heroes of the work, also known as "Pança Tantra" in the sense of five books, are animals and its theme is related to humans. Consisting of different intertwined stories, each part of the work contains a basic story and sub-stories. Each of these stories is about a different wisdom. The content of the book, which was initially written for the purpose of educating the children of the ruler, was expanded over time by adding the titles of family issues, political issues and individual morality. Kelîle and Dimne, which were introduced to different languages and cultures both through translations and adaptations, have been the subject of academic studies in various fields, but the studies are few compared to the fame of the work. However, it would be expected that a significant number of studies would be conducted on a work that has influenced many works and writers around the world. In this article, the theses, books, articles and declarations on Kelîle and Dimne were identified and the studies on the work were taken into consideration. With this study, it is aimed to complete the deficiency in terms of bibliography regarding such an important work. In this way, it will be easier for researchers to access resources for new studies. It is also anticipated that it will contribute to the creation of new studies worthy of the attention that the work deserves.