INDIAN LITERATURE Flashcards
Difference between Didactic and Narrative Text?
- Type of text:–
- D– This is also known as Directive texts as it tries to influence the reasoning, thinking and conduct of the reader.
‐ N– This text gives all the essential information about the topic so that whatever is discussed in the narration is explained or makes sense to the reader. - Objectives:–
- D– The writer intends to persuade, coax and compel the reader into thinking a particular way.
- N– The writer intends to enhance and sustain the interest of the readers about the topic. - Commonly used for:–
- D– It is usually used for writing about political or moral issues; specifically in sermons, and religious treatises.
- N– It is the most common type of prose and is used mostly in story writing and novels.
Rig Veda is organised in 10 books known as?
Mandalas, each mandala comprises of Several Suktas or hymns.
Enumerate deities of Rig Veda?
- The entire Rig vedic hymns are dedicated to several deities, in particular to their chief deity, Indra.
- The other prominent Gods mentioned in the Rig Veda are Agni (God of fire), Varuna (God of water), Rudra (God of wind/storm), Aditya (a form of Sun God), Vayu (God of air) and the Ashwini twins.
- There are several hymns dedicated to female Goddesses too; like Usha (Goddess of dawn), Prithvi (Goddess of earth) and Vak (the Goddess of speech).
Which Veda is also known as Brahma Veda?
Atharva Veda is also known as Brahma Veda and has been attributed to two rishis called Atharvah and Angira respectively.
Because of its association with the two rishis, in the olden times it was called Atharvangirasa.
Identify this Veda?
1. It is mostly concerned with peace and prosperity of the human society and covers all aspects of a man’s daily life.
2. It specifically focuses on the treatment of several ailments.
3. This book is known to prescribe treatment for almost 99 diseases.
Atharva Veda.
What are the two major recensions (sakhas) of Atharva Veda?
- Paippalada
- Saunakiya
Most of the text deals with healing and black and white magic.
What are the major recensions (samhita) of Yajur Veda and what are they called?
- Shukla (white/pure)
- Krishna (black/dark)
These samhita’s are also called Vajasaneyi Samhita and Taittiriya Samhita.
To fully understand the Vedas, it is necessary to read the Vedangas or the branches/limbs of the Veda. They are like a supplement to the original Veda and concrete on topics like:–
1. Shiksha–
2. Nirukta–
3. Chhanda–
4. Jyotisha–
5. Vyakarana–
- Shiksha– Education
- Nirukta– Etymology or the origin of words
- Chhanda– metrics in Sanskrit grammer
- Jyotisha– astronomy
- Vyakarana– grammar.
In the later period, several authors picked these subjects and wrote treatises on them, called Sutra.
Each Veda has its accompanying Brahmana.
Brahmana of Rig Veda are?
- Aitareya Brahmana
- Kaushitaki Brahmana
- Samkhyana Brahmana
Each Veda has its accompanying Brahmana.
Brahmana of Sama Veda?
- Tandya Brahmana
- Sadvimsha Brahmana
Each Veda has its accompanying Brahmana.
Brahmana of Yajur Veda?
- Taittiriya Brahmana
- Shatpatha Brahmana
Each Veda has its accompanying Brahmana.
Brahmana of Atharva Veda?
- Gopatha Brahmana
- Jaimaniya Brahmana
- Panchvish Brahmana.
Out of 200 Upanishads a set of 108 Upanishads has been called the ______ Canon. This is supposed to be an important canon as the number 108 is equivalent to the number of beads on a Hindu rosary or mala.
Muktika Canon.
There is a minor difference between Upanishads and Aranyakas, which is classified as?
- Upanishad– Jnana-Kanda, Knowledge/spirituality section.
- Aranyaka– Karma-Kanda, ritualistic actions/sacrifice section.
Why is Ramayana called Adikavya?
Because Valmiki also called Adikavi or the first among the poets so Ramayana is called Adikavya or the first among the poetry.
Four fold objective of mankind as per Ramayana?
- Dharma– Religion or righteousness
- Artha– (monetary) Achievements in the worldly sphere
- Kama– Fulfilling worldly desires
- Moksha– Liberation from these desires.
The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses and is divided into seven books, called?
Khandas.
Mahabharata and Ramayana together are called?
Mahakavya.
- Mahabharata by Ved Vyas was written in Sanskrit and initially had 8,800 verses. This version was called______.
- Number of verses increased to 24,000 and it was renamed as _______.
- ‘Jaya’ or the story of ‘victory’.
- Bharata.
The current form of Mahabharata consists of 1,00,000 verses and is divided into 10 _______ with insets in the texts which are called ________.
Parvas (chapters), Itihas Purana (mythical history).
In Mahabharata Lord Krishna makes distinction between various kinds of Dharma and prefers that Arjuna and mankind should follow _______ karma.
Nishkama Karma, i.e. to perform one’s duty to the family and the world in a selfless way.
Puranas focuses on the divine Hindu trimurti or trinity/three Gods that are?
Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.
There are 18 major Puranas called?
Mahapuranas.
Puranas use parables and fables to spread their message?
-
Parable– Short stories that in prose or verse, illustrates a spiritual, moral or religious lesson.
It usually features a human character. -
Fable– Short stories that in prose or verse, illustrates a ‘moral’ through a pithy maxim or clever story.
It features animals, inanimate objects, mythical creatures, plants who are given human like qualities.
Hitopadesha Purana was written by?
Narayan Pandit.
Upa Puranas or minor Puranas are about 19 minor Puranas and are based on five major subjects as dictated by the Sanskrit lexicographer from the Gupta period:-?
Amarasimha.
Upa Puranas or minor Puranas are about 19 minor Puranas and are based on five major subjects as dictated by the Sanskrit lexicographer from the Gupta period, Amarasimha. What are the 5 subjects?
- Sarga– the creation of the universe.
- Pratisarga– the periodic cycle of destruction and re-creation.
- Manvantra– the periods of Manu’s lifetime.
- Vamsa (Chandra and Surya)– genealogies of solar and lunar dynasties of Gods and sages.
- Vamshanucharita– Dynastic histories of Kings.
Mricchakatika is also known as?
The Little Clay Cart.
Malavikagnimitra is a story of?
The love story of Malavika a maiden of Queen and Agnimitra the son of Pushyamitra Shunga.
Swapnavasavadatta (Vasavadatta in dream) is written by?
Bhasa.
Panchratra is written by?
Bhasa.
Urubhanga (story of Duryodhana during and after his fight with Bhima) is written by?
Bhasa.
Where do we find the mention of celebration of Holi for the first time?
Ratnavali, Sanskrit play by Harshavardhana.
Gita Govinda is written by?
Jayadeva in the 12th century.
Sishupalavadha (the Killing of Shishupal) is written by?
Magha.
Dharmasutras were compiled alongside the smritis that are known as?
Dharmashastras.
Poem Saundarananda was written by?
Ashvaghosa.
Charak Samhita is written by?
It is a book on medicine written by Charak.
Sushruta Samhita is written by?
Book on surgery written by Sushruta.
Madhava Nidana is written by?
Book on pathology written by Madhava.
Pancha Siddhantika is written by?
Book on astrology written by Varahamihira.
Brihat Samhita written by?
Book on wide ranging subjects like planetary movements, geology, architecture, etc. written by Varahamihira.
Aryabhatiya was written by?
Book on astronomy and mathematics written by Aryabhatta.
Lagdhacharya, Pingala and Bhaskara wrote books on which subjects?
- Lagdhacharya– Book on astrology.
- Pingala– Book on mathematics.
- Bhaskara– Siddhanta Shiromani.
Two of the most notable works from medieval Kashmir are?
- Kalhan’s Rajatarangani
- Somadeva’s Katha-sarit-sagar which is a poetic work.
Buddhist literature can be divided into Canonical and Non canonical texts. What does these texts contain?
- Canonical Literature consists of Tripitakas or baskets of Knowledge.
- Non canonical texts contain Jatakas, Milinda-panha, the Nettipakarana and the Petakopadesa.
Jataka contain the stories from only the previous births of Buddha.
True/false?
False, the stories of Bodhisattva or the (future) would-be Buddha are also discussed in these Jatakas.
Jainism, produced texts in Prakrit. They form the basis of the Jain canonical literature. Some of the Jain texts were also written in Sanskrit like__________.
Upamitibhava Prapancha Katha of Siddharasi.
The most important Jain texts written in Prakrit are the?
Angas, the Upangas and the Parikramas. Apart from these the Chhedab Sutra and the Malasutra are also considered to be sacred by the Jains.
The writer of ‘Parishishtaparvan’ (Jain text)?
Parishishtaparvan was written by Acharya Hemachandra Suri which describes the establishing Chandragupta’s connections with Jainism.
The Trishashthilkshana Mahapurana was composed by?
Jinasena, Gunabhadra and Chavundaraya.
Amongst the secular writers attached to the Jains were ________ who wrote a treatise on lexicography and grammar. Mention could also be made of ________ who wrote in the eighth century.
Hemachandra Suri, Haribhadra Suri.
Prakrit poetry has some elements of erotica through texts like the Gathasaptashati (700 verses) by Hala written in 300 A.D. While Hala has only contributed 44 verses in this volume, what sets this apart is a large number of female poetesses who have contributed to this work. The most prominent amongst them are?
Pahai, Roha, Sasippaha, Mahavi and Reva.
Dipavamsa was written during the reign of?
Written in Anuradhapur (Sri Lanka), during the reign of King Dhatusena. It mentions about the visit of Buddha to Sri Lanka and the relics of Buddha.
Milinda Panha is written by?
It contains dialogues between King Meander (or Milinda) and Buddhist monk Nagasena. It means “Questions of Milinda”.
Mahavamsa was written during the reign of?
Written in Pali language during the reign of King Vijaya. It is a historical account of various kingdoms of South Asia.
Text Mahavastu is related to which religion?
It is Buddhist text which contains Jataka and Avadana tales. It is written in mixed Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit.
Lalitavistara Sutra text is related to which religion?
Meaning “The play in full”, is an important Mahayana text. It contains various stories associated with the life of Buddha till his first sermon at Sarnath.
Text Udana is related to which religion?
It is one of the oldest Theravada (Old School) Buddhist text. It contains the famous story of “Blind Men and the Elephant.
Bodhi Vamsa was written by?
Written in Sri Lanka. It was translated from a Sinhalese version. It was written by Upatissa and is written in Pali.
Udanavarga text is related to which religion?
It is a compilation which contains utterances of Buddha and his disciples. It was written in Sanskrit.
Mahavibhasa Shastra is related to which religion?
It contains discussions about other non Buddhist philosophies. It is essentially a Mahayana text.