Indian art and culture / Literature, languages and sources
Vedic, epic, Puranic and Dharmashastra literature
Practise 2 PYQsConcepts to cover
- Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva Samhitas; Atharvaveda on charms, medicine, agriculture (kshetra-patni) and household life
- Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads (Brihadaranyaka, Chhandogya); Upanishads use parables and dialogue; earlier than the Puranas
- Six Vedangas; Shrauta, Grihya and Dharma sutras in aphoristic sutra style; Manusmriti and later smritis
- Mahabharata and Ramayana: composition layers, Bhagavad Gita, critical editions, regional retellings
- Eighteen Mahapuranas, panchalakshana, Bhagavata and Vishnu Puranas, dynastic lists, dating after the Upanishads