CHARACTERISTICS

OF INDIAN
LITERATURE
Ticzon. Arroyo. Sustiguer. Leonor. Diaz A.
Indian literaturerefers to the
literature produced on the
Indian subcontinentuntil 1947 and
in theRepublic of Indiathereafter.
TheRepublichas 22 officially
recognizedlanguages.
SANSKRIT
LITERATURE
- It is an Indian literature that
originated with an oral tradition
VEDIC HOLY
The arayans
Rig veda
- Oldest holy works
brahmanas
- It is codified the rituals and
prayers of Brahmins
UPANISHADS
- are a collection of texts of religious
and philosophical nature, written in
India probably between c. 800 BCE
and c. 500 BCE
PURANAS
-They contain narratives about the history of
the Universe from creation to destruction
and the genealogies of kings, heroes, sages,
and demigods.
mahabharta
- has the honor of being the longest epic in
world literature, 100,000 2-line stanzas
- it eight times as long as
Homer'sIliadandOdysseytogether,
- resembles a long journey with many side
roads and detours. It is said that Whatever

is here is found elsewhere. But whatever is

not here is nowhere else.

ramayana
- is one of the largest ancient epics in
world literature
- is an ancient Indianepic poem
which narrates the struggle of the
divine princeRamato rescue his
wifeSitafrom the demon king
Ravana
- traditionally ascribed to theHindu
sageValmiki, narrates the life of
Rama
 INDIAN POETS
Kalidasa a notable poet known for his
play Sakuntala

Bhartrihari and Mayura- major writers

who emerged when classical poetry
reached its peak in the 7th century A.D.
 MAHATMA GANDHI
- A nationalist leader who influenced the
development of social realism in the
earlier works
In Hindiusm (a religion found in India and
Nepal), Hindu mythology is similar to
Greek mythology, yet Greek mythology is
different from Hindu mythology.
Both belived in polytheism (more than
one god).
Hindu gods are called Devas and humans
are called Manavas.
GODS
Kali
Goddess of time and change
Trimurti
'Three forms', a concept in Hinduism "In which the
cosmic functions of a creation, maintenance, and
destruction are personified by forms of Brahma the
creator, Vishnu the maintaner or preserver and Shiva
(Kali)
Brahma
God of creation
Self-born
Created the Prajapatis (used in
another sense) believed to be the
father of human race
Vishnu
The Maintaner or preserver is
most famously identified with
his avatars or incarnations of
God.

'The past, present and future,

the creatid and destroyer of all
existences, one who supports
and sustains and governs the
Universe and originates and
develops all elements within.'
Shiva
Supreme deity in Shaivism, a denomination of
Hinduism.
The destroyer or transformer.
No exact origin.
 Beliefs
-Superstitions considered good in India:

-While one is going out of the house and see a

married lady with flowers on her head and
kumkum on her forehead it is believed that
the trip will be successful.

-If you see an elephant on your way while

going somewhere, your purpose of going will
be fruitful.
 -It is believed that Lord Ganesh, the
elephant God of Indian mythology, removes
all the obstacles on the way.
Seeing a peacock on a journey is also
considered lucky.

-If you notice a crow cowing near your

house you are likely to get visitors to your
house.
-Eating sweet curd before exams brings
good luck.

-If the girl's horoscope is matching well

with the boy's horoscope, when they get
married, they will have a successful married
life
Caste Systemis a class structure
that is determined by birth. Loosely,
it means that in some societies, if
your parents are poor, you're going
to be poor, too. Same goes for being
rich, if you're a glass-half-full person.
BUDDHISM
- Away of finding peace within oneself
- A religion which helps us to find the
happiness and contentment we seek
- The founder of Buddhism was Budha
Shakyamuni
- Meditation is the heart of a
Buddhists way of life