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Pravesha: Samskrita > Parichaya > Flashcards

Parichaya Flashcards

1
Q

How many Vedas are there? List them.

A

There are four Vedas:

  1. Ṛgveda
  2. Yajurveda
  3. Sāmaveda
  4. Atharvaṇaveda
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2
Q

How many parts are there in each Veda? List them.

A

Each Veda primarily has four parts:

  1. Samhita
  2. Brāhmaṇa
  3. āraṇyaka
  4. Upaniṣad
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3
Q

Which Veda is the oldest literary treatise in the world?

A

Ṛgveda

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4
Q

What are the two classifications of the Vedas?

A
  1. Karmakāṇḍa

2. Jnanakāṇḍa

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5
Q

How is the Ṛgveda divided across groups and books?

A

Ṛgveda is divided into:

8 Aṣṭakas (groups of eight chapters), and

10 Maṇḍalas (Books)

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6
Q

What does the Ṛgveda contain?

A

The Ṛgveda mainly consists of prayers and sayings of didactic nature.

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7
Q

How many branches does the Yajurveda have? List them.

A

The Yajurveda has two branches:

  1. Śukla Yajurveda
  2. Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda
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8
Q

What does the Yajurveda contain?

A

The Yajurveda contains mantras that are used in sacrificial rites.

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9
Q

What does the Sāmaveda contain?

A

The Sāmaveda essentially contains songs. Ṛgvedic mantras as well as some mantras original to it are also found.

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10
Q

What does the Taittirīya Upaniṣad contain? Which Veda contains it?

A

The Upaniṣad contains well known teachings.

The Upaniṣad is found in the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda.

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11
Q

What are Vedāṅgas? List the count and names.

A

Vedāṅgas are auxiliary sciences that aid in understanding the correct purport of the Vedas.

There are 6 Vedāṅgas:

  1. Śikṣā (Phonetics): There are 9 treatises of these
  2. Vyākaraṇa (Grammar): There are 8 treatises of these
  3. Chandas (Prosody)
  4. Nirukta (Etymology)
  5. Jyotiṣa (Astronomy)
  6. Kalpa (Sacrificial lore)
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12
Q

Which literature is considered as the 5th Veda (भारतं पञ्चमो वेद:) ?

A

Mahābhārata

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13
Q

How many verses does the Mahābhārata have?

A

1 lakh (100,000)

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14
Q

Explain what is Vyāsarahasya in the Mahābhārata.

A

The Vyāsarahasya is the secret message of Vyasa. It had been agreed upon that Vyāsa would dictate without a pause, else Gaṇapati (the scribe) would stop writing the Mahābhārata. The verses recited by Vyāsa to gain time to compose the next verses came to be known as Vyāsarahasya.

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15
Q

How many verses of the Mahābhārata are considered to be Vyāsarahasya?

A

800 verses are considered to be Vyāsarahasya and are said to be difficult to understand.

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16
Q

Who is the scribe of the Mahābhārata?

A

Gaṇapati

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17
Q

Which aspects of human nature are portrayed in the Mahābhārata?

A

Stubbornness (Duryodhana)

Slandermongering (Shakuni)

Gluttony (Bakasura)

Paternal Over-indulgence (Dhritarashtra)

Generosity (Karna)

Devotion towards the teacher (Ekalavya)

Honesty (Dharmaraja Yuddhisthira)

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18
Q

Identify the most important sections of the Mahābhārata

A

Bhagavada Gītā

Bhīṣma’s Advice

Vidura’s Teachings

19
Q

What is known about the length of the Mahābhārata?

A

No other literary work in the world is said to be equal to its length.

It is more than the length of the Greek classics, Illiad and Odyssey put together.

20
Q

What does the Mahābhārata contain?

A

It describes the story of Kauravās and Pāṇḍavās, along with many anecdotes and moral stories.

21
Q

What is the significance of the name Mahābhārata to its literature?

A

The literary work is aptly named befitting the great depth of its content and volume.

महत्त्वात् भारवत्वात् च महाभारतमुच्यते

महत् (adj) - large / great
भारवत् (adj) - weighty
उचथ्य (adj) - praiseworthy

22
Q

What is the meaning of the following praise lauded upon the Mahābhārata?

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्

A

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्

Whatever is found in it is found elsewhere, what is not found in it doesn’t exist anywhere.

अन्यत्र (indecl) - somewhere else / elsewhere
क्वचित् (indecl) - anywhere

23
Q

Which literary work is known as the ādikāvya?

A

Rāmāyaṇa

ādikāvya - the first poem (ever written). Hence, it follows that the Rāmāyaṇa is the source for many poetical works written in Samskrit.

24
Q

Which two literary works are said to reflect the ‘Soul of our Nation’?

A

Rāmāyaṇa

Mahābhārata

25
Q

Who is known as the ādikavi?

A

Vālmīki

26
Q

What is the significance of the Vedas and Upanisads?

A

They introduce us to your ancient social values.

27
Q

How many Kāṇḍās (sections) are there in the Rāmāyaṇa ?

A

7

28
Q

List the main characters of the Rāmāyaṇa and the noble ideals they personify.

A

Sri Rāma: carrying out father’s words

Bharata: brotherly devotion

ānjaneya (Lord Hanuman): devotion towards mother

Sita: devotion towards husband

29
Q

The following verse is said to be the quintessence of the Rāmāyaṇa. What does it mean?

यान्ति न्यायप्रवृत्तस्य तिर्यञ्चोऽपि सहायताम् ।
अपन्थानं तु गच्छन्तं सोदरोऽपि विमुञ्चति ॥

A

यान्ति न्यायप्रवृत्तस्य तिर्यञ्चोऽपि सहायताम् ।
अपन्थानं तु गच्छन्तं सोदरोऽपि विमुञ्चति ॥

To him who proceeds along the righteous path, even the animals give a helping hand. Even a brother deserts a person who takes to an unworthy path.

तिर्यञ्च् (m) - animal / beast
पन्था (m) - path
सोदर: (m) - own brother / kin
विमुञ्चति (P) - deserts / abandons

30
Q

How many plays has Bhāsa composed?

A

13

31
Q

Which is the most well known play of Bhāsa?

A

Svapnavāsavadatta

32
Q

What is the play ‘Svapnavāsavadatta’ about?

A

It depicts the life of King Udayana, queens Vāsavdattā, and Padmāvati.

33
Q

Why was Udayana’s marriage with Padmāvati needed?

A

Padmāvati’s elder brother’s help/support was needed to regain the hold on the regions that had fallen into the (King Udayana’s) enemy hands.

34
Q

What was the name of King Udayana’s minister?

A

Yaugandharāyaṇa

35
Q

What plan was hatched to get King Udayana to marry Padmāvati ?

A

A rumour was spread that the queen Vāsavdattā and the minister Yaugandharāyaṇa had been burnt/died in a fire at Lāvāṇaka.

36
Q

Which human qualities are personified by the key characters of the play?

A

Nobility (Vāsavdattā)

Devotion to one’s country (Yaugandharāyaṇa)

37
Q

Which are the most important parts of the Vedas?

A

Upaniṣads

38
Q

How many Upaniṣads are there? How many are deemed to be important? List them.

A

Out of the 108 Upaniṣads, 10 are deemed important:

  1. ईशावास्योपनिषत् (īśāvāsyopaniṣat)
  2. केनोपनिषत् (kenopaniṣat)
  3. कठोपनिषत् (kaṭhopaniṣat)
  4. प्रश्नोपनिषत् (praśnopaniṣat)
  5. मुण्डकोपनिषत् (muṇḍakopaniṣat)
  6. माण्डूक्योपनिषत् (māṇḍūkyopaniṣat)
  7. तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् (taittirīyopaniṣat)
  8. बृहदारण्यकोपनिषत् (br̥hadāraṇyakopaniṣat)
  9. छान्दोग्योपनिषत् (chāndogyopaniṣat)
  10. ऐतरेयोपनिषत् (aitareyopaniṣat)
39
Q

What do the Upaniṣads contain?

A

The Upaniṣads mainly contain thoughts about Brahman and some intricate philosophical truths via dialogues.

40
Q

What is philosophy or Darśana?

A

In this world, some objects are perceptible and some are imperceptible. Among them, each object is unique and its inherent properties distinct. An investigation into the nature of these objects is philosophy or Darśana.

41
Q

How is Darśana classified and what is the definition of each?

A

āstika: that which accepts the authority of the Vedas

Nāstika: that which does not accept the authority of the Vedas

42
Q

How many āstika systems are there? List them.

A

There are 6 āstika systems:

  1. sāṅkhya
  2. Yoga
  3. Nyāya
  4. Vaiśeṣika
  5. Pūrva Mīmāmsā
  6. Uttara Mīmāmsā (Vedānta)
43
Q

How many Nāstika systems are there? List them.

A

There are 3 essentially Nāstika systems:

  1. Cārvāka
  2. Jaina
  3. Bauddha

Note: Since Bauddha Darśana also has four schools, Nāstika systems could also be regarded as 6 in total.

44
Q

How many schools does Bauddha Darśana have? List them.

A

Bauddha Darśana has 4 schools:

  1. Sautrāntika
  2. Vaibhāṣika
  3. Mādhyamika (śūnyavāda)
  4. Yogācāra (Vijnāna-vāda)

Pravesha: Samskrita (31 decks)

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