Sanskrit Literature in Ancient India

India is a very diverse country and hence, home to several cultures. Indian culture is enriched with numerous languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, Telegu, etc., and hence, literature in these languages evolved with time. The word Literature is derived from the Latin word ‘litteratura’ which refers to any form of writing that has some literary merit. The literature is broadly classified into fiction and non-fiction.

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Sanskrit literature in Ancient India

During Ancient India, literature was written in various languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, etc. The Sanskrit literature is enriched with important texts. In this list, the name of Vedas came foremost. Vedas signifies knowledge and the texts are actually about providing humans with knowledge to conduct their entire life on earth and beyond. There are four major Vedas; Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda.

Rig Veda is the oldest existing Veda which focused on worldly prosperity and natural beauty. The text is organized into 10 books, known as Mandalas and each Mandala comprises several Suktas or hymns. Atharva Veda (Brahma Veda) is more concerned about the prosperity and peace of human society and covering all aspects of human life. This book is known to prescribe treatment for almost 99 diseases.

Yajur Veda (Yajur signifies sacrifice) concentrated on the rites and mantras of different types of sacrifices that were prevalent in Vedic times. This Veda acts like a guidebook for the priests who conduct sacrifices. Sama Veda has been named after ‘Saman’ which means ‘melody’ and hence this Veda concentrated on melody or songs. This is also known as the ‘book of chants’ and this Veda also indicates that Indian music has developed in the Vedic age.

Brahmanas are part of the Hindu Shruti (revealed knowledge) and each Veda has a Brahmanas associated with it. These texts are essentially a collection of texts with commentaries on the particular Veda and they are usually a mixture of legends, facts, philosophy, etc. This contains proper instructions to perform rituals properly and also explains the symbolic significance of sacred words used in rituals. Aryankas also have texts attached to Vedas that describe rituals and sacrifices involved in Vedas from various perspectives. 

Upanishads are important Sanskrit texts written during the ancient age. The word Upanishad means ‘to sit down near’ which is an indication of the Guru-Shishya tradition of India. Upanishads are the last part of Vedas and hence, also known as Vedanta (end of Vedas). These texts are about the abstract and philosophical problems faced by mankind. Ramayana written by Maharishi Valmiki and Mahabharat written by Maharishi Ved Vyas is other important examples of Sanskrit literature written during the Ancient Indian period.

Puranas texts of Sanskrit talk about ‘that which renews the old’. Puranas consist of narrative stories about the creation of the universe and illustrate its history till the destruction of the universe. These Puranas were written in the form of stories, which combine myths, legends, and sermons about the deities and this easy form of story-writing made it very popular amongst the masses because Vedas are complex to understand.

There are several other Sanskrit literatures written during the ancient age like Natyashastra (associated with drama, music, and dance) by Bharata. Sanskrit poetries like Raghuvamsa, Meghaduta, etc. are written by Kalidasa. Dharmashastra (books on law), Manusmriti (laws of Manu), Arthashastra of Kautilya, Buddhacharita of Ashvaghosa, Charak Samhita (book on medicine), Sushruta (book on surgery), etc. all are major Sanskrit works wrote during ancient age. 

Thus, the ancient age was a golden age for Sanskrit literature.