Borzuya

Borzuya was a famous doctor from the Sasanian era. He lived in Persia a long time ago. He worked during the time of King Khosrow I. Borzuya was a man who searched for truth. He also practiced medicine to help other people. He was even a skeptic of some religious ideas. This means he questioned what people told him was true. He later became an ascetic, which is a person who lives a simple life.

King Khosrow I sent Borzuya on a big trip to India. The king wanted a special plant. He thought this plant could bring the dead back to life. In India, Borzuya met a wise philosopher. The thinker told him the plant was not a real plant. The plant was actually a book called the Panchatantra. This book was kept inside a royal treasury. The rajah, or king, of India let Borzuya read it.

The rajah gave Borzuya a very strict rule. Borzuya could read the book but could not copy it. Borzuya chose to disobey this order. He would read the text each day. He used his memory to learn the words. Then he secretly wrote the book in Pahlavi. This is a type of Middle Persian. He sent his new translation back to his king.

King Khosrow I was very happy with the work. He said the book gave his soul new life. The king offered Borzuya many rewards from the royal treasury. Borzuya did not want gold or jewels. He chose a fine suit of clothes instead. He also asked to have his name written in the book. He wanted learned men to remember his hard work.

We do not have the original books today. Both the Sanskrit and Pahlavi versions are lost. However, another scholar named Ibn al-Muqaffa translated it into Arabic. He called it Kalila wa-Dimna. This version is also known as The Fables of Bidpai. Some scholars say Borzuya might be the same as Bozorgmehr. But most sources say they were different people.