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after Vedas known as Brahmanas and Aryankas Another type of work that emerged in early
followed by philosophical doctrines of Upanishads. period was Vedangas and it contains astronomy,
These form the part of Shruti literature. grammar and phonetics. For example,
g Yajur Veda : It deals with directions for Ashtadhyayi written by Panini is work on
performance of the Yajnas. Sanskrit grammar.
g Sama Veda : It deals with prescribed tunes GREAT EPICS
for recitation of the hymns. There are two epics from Ancient Indian
g Atharva Veda : It deals with prescribing Literature— Ramayana and Mahabharata. These
rites and rituals. have developed to their present form over
centuries. Hence, they represent the ethnic
g Brahmanas : These contain detailed
memory of the Indian people. They were trans-
explanation about Vedic literature and
mitted orally over the time by singers and story-
instructions.
tellers and were probably put to their written
g Aryankas : These are a treatise of forest
form around 2nd century BC.
which explain the rituals while dwelling into
Ramayana is composed of 24000 verses which
the philosophical discussions of the
are spread across seven books referred to as
Brahmanas. They record the transitions
Khandas. It is written in form of poetry which
between ritualistic symbolism of Brahmanas
entertains while it instructs. It is the story of
and philosophical aspects of Upanishads.
Rama and tells how to achieve the fourfold
g Upanishads : These deal with concepts
objectives of human life (Purushartha), namely,
about origin of universe, death and birth,
Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.
material and spiritual world, which are
1. Dharma— righteous behaviour or religion
written in poetry and prose, as expressions
2. Artha— achievement of worldly wealth and
of philosophical concepts. Earliest
prosperity
Upanishads are Brihad-Aryanaka and
Chanddogya. They explain the highest 3. Kama— fulfillment of desires
thoughts described that can be realised by a 4. Moksha— ultimate liberation
man, according to ancient sages, in simple Mahabharata consists of one lakh verses which
and beautiful imagery. are spread across ten books. Hence, it is the
longest poem in the world. It is considered to be
Ithihasa Purana, meaning Mythical history
Vedas Ancient Indian Literature
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