PREPARED BY.
SAHU HITESHKUMAR RAMSAGAR 3
SALUNKE TUSHAR YOGESH
312
SAXENA AMITKUMAR AJAYKUMAR 31
SETHI VAISHNAVI MITTU
HAVARI SHAHIDALI MAJIDALI 3
TOPIC NO.
23
FAMOUS
LITERATURE OF
FINE ARTS
INTRODUCTION TO FAMOUS
LITERATURE OF FINE ARTS
• Literature and the fine arts exist as processes and are not the
same as culture or cultural processes. The arts are by definition
• creative
Literatureacts
andofthe
human beings
fine arts are processes, not cultural
processes, and are defined by creative human acts.
• Literature is not an art form that exists in a vacuum.
• Is intrinsically connected to the time period and culture in which
it is written.
• Literature is also, in many cases, connected to other forms of
art from the same time period.
• The beginnings of fine art can be traced back to the Italian
Renaissance of the 16th Century.
FOLLOWING ARE SOME FAMOUS WORKS AT LITERATURE
FROM ANCIENT INDIA
• VEDAS
• EPICS
1. RAMAYAN
2. MAHABHARAT
• PURANAS
• ARTHASHASTRA
• PANCHATANTRA
• SANSKRIT DRAMAS
VEDAS
• A Veda is a collection of poems or hymns composed in archaic Sanskrit by Indo-
European-speaking peoples who lived in northwest India during the 2 nd millennium
• BCE.
No definite date can be ascribed to the composition of the Vedas, but the period of
about 1500–1200 bce is acceptable to most scholars.
• The hymns formed a liturgical body that in part grew up around the soma ritual
and sacrifice and were recited or chanted during rituals.
• The Vedas are the religious texts which inform the religion of Hinduism (also
known as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”).
• The term veda means “knowledge” in that they are thought to contain the
fundamental knowledge relating to the underlying cause of, function of, and personal
• response
The Vedasto existence.
existed in oral form and were passed down from master to student
for generations until they were committed to writing between c. 1500 – c. 500
BCE (the so-called Vedic Period) in India.
VEDAS
• The Vedas are therefore regarded as Shruti in Hinduism meaning “what is heard” as
contrasted with other texts designated Smritis (“what is remembered”), accounts of
great heroes and their struggles in works such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and
Bhagavad Gita (although some sects of Hinduism regard the Bhagavad Gita as Shruti).
• The texts which make up the Four Vedas are:
1. Rig Veda
2. Sama Veda
3. Yajur Veda
4. Atharva Veda
EPICS
1. RAMAYAN
• The title Ramayana is Sanskrit for Ramas Journey.
• The word ‘Ramayana’ is composed of 2 words Rama+ Aayana which means the
journey of Rama.
• Ramayana the epic tells the lifes journey of Rama, the seventh avatar (incarnation)
of the god Vishnu, from his birth in the kingdom Ayodhya through his years in exile
and eventual restoration.
• The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic, composed some time in the 5 th century BCE,
about the exile and then return of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. It was composed in
Sanskrit by the sage Valmiki, who taught it to Rama’s sons, the twins Lava and Kush
• Ramayana is the oldest epic in world literature.
• It is a treasure house of knowledge and an inexhaustible mine for later poets and
has a special place in Indian culture as well as Sanskrit literature.
• It consists of nearly 24,000 verses.
• The story is set in the ancient city of Ayodhya, which is located in present-day Uttar
Pradesh, India.
• The Ramayana is a celebrated epic in Hindu mythology and has been retold in
various languages and forms across the world.
2. MAHABHARAT
• The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around
two branches of a family – the Pandavas and Kauravas – who, in the Kurukshetra
War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura.
• Interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or
living, and philosophical discourses.
• Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic, composed it; as,
according to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote them down.
• At 100,000 verses, it is the longest epic poem ever written, generally thought to
have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier.
• The events in the epic play out in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas.
• It was first narrated by a student of Vyasa at a snake-sacrifice of the great-
grandson of one of the major characters of the story.
• Including within it the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata is one of the most
important texts of ancient Indian, indeed world, literature.
PURANA
S
• Puranas are influential texts of the Hindu faith. Translating literally as “ancient” or
“old”, they were written thousands of years ago by unknown authors. Containing the
knowledge, myths, and genealogical information of important figures, there are total
of 18 Puranas.
• The Puranas are a group of sacred Hindu literature, supposedly written by the Hindu
sage Vyasa from about the fourth century BCE to the eleventh century CE.
• Purana literally mean old. The Puranas contain stories about gods and goddesses,
such as Vishnu, Shiva, Durga or Parvati. They also contain details on how they were to
be worshipped. Besides, there are accounts about the creation of the world, and
about kings.
• The Puranas were written in simple Sanskrit verse, and were meant to be heard by
everybody, including women and shudras, who were not allowed to study the Vedas.
They were probably recited in temples by priests, and people came to listen to them
• There are 18 total Mahapuranas, with topics ranging from mythology to geographic
descriptions. The 18 texts include Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Shiva, Bhagavata,
Narada, Markandeya, Agni, Bhavisya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha, Skanda,
Vamana, Kurma, Matsya, Garuda, and Brahmanda.
ARTHASHASTR
• The Arthashastra is an Indian treatise on politics, economics, military strategy, the
A
function of the state, and social organization attributed to the philosopher and Prime
Minister Kautilya (also known as Chanakya, Vishnugupta, l. c. 350-275 BCE) who was
instrumental in establishing the reign of the great king Chandragupta Maurya (r. c.
321-c.297 BCE), founder of the Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE).
• The Arthashastra is thought to have been written by Kautilya as a kind of handbook
for Chandragupta instructing him in how to reign over a kingdom and encouraging
direct action in addressing political concerns without regard for ethical
considerations.
• The name of the work comes from the Sanskrit words Artha (“aim” or “goal”) and
Shastra (“treatise” or “book”) and the goal of the work is a comprehensive
understanding of statecraft which will enable a monarch to rule effectively.
• The title has therefore been translated as The Science of Politics, The Science of
Political Economy, and The Science of Material Gain; this last because Artha is
understood in Hinduism as one of the fundamental aims of human beings in pursuing
wealth and social status.
• The most direct influence on the composition of the Arthashastra is the philosophical
school of Charvaka which developed c. 600 BCE and is attributed to a religious
PAnchtantra
• The Panchatantra was composed more than 2000 years ago, yet because of the moral
principles and wisdom it contains, it is still well-known and relevant among today’s
kids.
• It was originally composed in Sanskrit, but it is now available in many different
languages worldwide.
• There are 87 stories in the Panchatantra, and each one contains a moral lesson. It is a
fantastic tool for comprehending the moral ideals of human existence.
• Through these tales, one can learn about psychology and moral values.
• Thus, the Panchatantra occupies a significant position in Sanskrit literature.
• The Panchatantra is a collection of Indian animal stories widely read in its native land
and beyond.
• One version of the text was made to the West as early as the 11 th century and was
known in Europe as The Fables of Bidpai (after narrator, an Indian sage named Bidpai,
called Vidyapati in SanBult
• Five Sections of Panchatantra
• • “Mitra-bheda: The Separation of Friends (The Lion and the Bull)”
• • “Mitra-labha or Mitra-samprapti: Gaining Friends (The Dove, Crow, Mouse, Tortoise,
and Deer)”
• • War and Peace’s “Kakolookiyam: Of Crows and Owls”
SANSKRIT
• The Sanskrit drama has three main constituents namely; Vastu(plot),Neta(hero) and
DRAMAS
Rasa(sentiment) The plot could be either main(adhikarika) or
accessory(prasangika). The main plot or adhikarika contains the primary characters
of the play and pervades in the entire plot.
• The Sanskrit drama has three main constituents namely; Vastu(plot),Neta(hero) and
Rasa(sentiment) The plot could be either main(adhikarika) or
accessory(prasangika).
• The main plot or adhikarika contains the primary characters of the play and
pervades in the entire plot.
• Dramas in Sanskrit are called Rupakas since the events and sentiments dealt with
in the play are visibly represented in the person of the actors.
• Ten types of Rupakas are mentioned by Bharata They are Nataka, Prakarana,
Bhana,Prahasana, Dima, Vyayoga, Samavakara, Veethi, Anka and Ihamrga.
• The principal variety is nataka that consists of five to ten acts and deals with a well
known story (prakyaata) depicting the sentiment sringara, vira or karuna
• The golden age for Sanskrit drama comes a little bit later, around the 4 th and 5th
centuries during the Gupta dynasty
