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HISTORY OF
INDIAN
LITERATURE
Indian Literature
• One of the world’s oldest and richest
• Oral traditions – storytellers present
traditional Indian text
• Literature is influenced by:
– A religious doctrine karma – the chain of
good and bad action and their inevitable
consequences, which result to the
repeated birth and death of the soul.
– Mythology of the dominant Hindu deities
Sanskrit Literature
Classical Literature
Medieval Literature:
The Rise Of The Regional
Languages
Colonial Period To
Independence
Independence Onwards
SANSKRIT
LITERATURE
• Literature is written in Sanskrit
language
• Text were produced about 16th
century BC by people known as
Aryans (were cattle herders
who were originally nomadic)
who established kingdoms in
north India
I.
Religious Text
Composed in Old Sanskrit VEDAS
by Aryan poets
“Book of Knowledge”
Constitute the fundamental
scripture of the Hindu
religion and used as
sacramental rites of
Hinduism
Compilation of two major
literary forms:
– Hymns of praise to
nature deities
– Ritual chants to
accompany Aryan
religious rituals
The Four VEDAS
•Rig-Veda – anthology of 1080 hymns to
various gods
•ex. “Creation Hymn”
* Sama-Veda – “Book of Chants” consists of
liturgies.
* Yajur-Veda – “Prayer Book” which consists of
liturgies and repetition of Rig-Veda but
contains many original prose formulas
*Atharva-Veda – “Book of Spells” which
contains some hymns, spells, incantations, and
notions about demonology and witchcraft.
BRAHMANAS
prose text that discuss the solemn
sacrificial rituals as well as the
commitment on their meaning, composed
by Hindu priest
ARANYAKAS
“wilderness texts” or “forest treaties”,
composed by people who meditated in
the woods
Discussion and interpretation of the
dangerous rituals
UPANISHADS
Composed by a group of sages who
questioned the usefulness of ritual religion
Consists of 108 dialogues between
teachers and their students about the
individual soul’s unity
India’s oldest philosophical treaties and
form the foundation of major schools of
Hindu philosophy
TIPITAKA
“The Three Baskets”
Major religious text of Buddhism
Written in the Pali language
Includes the teachings of Buddha
JATAKAS
“Stories of the Births of the
Buddha”
Tells 547 stories of Buddha’s former births
2.
Heroic Text
Mahabharata
“The Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty)
Written by the poet Vyasal
A tale of dispute between two branches of
the Bharata clans over the right to rule the
kingdom.
Ramayana
“The Way of Rama”
Written by the poet Valkimi
Tells the story of the hero Rama, prince of
Ayodhya and incarnation of the god
Vishnu
CLASSICAL
LITERATURE
Started with the flowering of the
Gupta dynasty
Great achievements in philosophy,
sciences and arts
Reflected values of Hinduism
Literature was nurtured by the caste system:
Brahman – scholars and priest
Kshatriya – the warriors
Vaisya – merchants
Sudra – laborers
SHAKUNTALA
(Shakuntala and the Ring of Recollection)
- poetic drama, tells the story of a love affair
between a king and a woodland maiden Shakuntala
- a universal drama of the passion, separation,
suffering and reunion of lovers.
Sanskrit Drama
A rich pageant of mime, dance, music,
and lyrical texts set in the court of
kings and aristocrats
Mrichchhakatika
(The Little Clay Cart)
by Shudraka
Malati-Madhava
(Malati and Madhava) a
romance by Bhavabhuti
Panchatantra
(The Five Strategies) b y
Vishnusharman
A collection of stories in prose and
verse, which feature animals as the
characters, teach lessons about human
conduct