Classical Indian Literature
Delhi Police Exams - GK Section
Classical Indian Literature
Indian literature is among the world’s oldest and richest, capturing the country’s spiritual, philosophical, and cultural journey from ancient to modern times.
Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and masterpieces by Kalidasa, Tagore, and Premchand have influenced generations and shape Delhi Police, SSC, and State-Level Exam questions regularly.
Memory Trick: R–M–G–A–A–G–A → Ramayana, Mahabharata, Geetanjali, Arthashastra, Abhigyan Shakuntalam, Godan, Anandmath
Classical Works – Highlight Table
| Work | Author | Language | Theme / Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramayana | Valmiki | Sanskrit | Life of Lord Rama, moral ideals |
| Mahabharata | Ved Vyas | Sanskrit | War, Dharma & life philosophy |
| Geetanjali | Rabindranath Tagore | Bengali / English | Spiritual poetry, Nobel Prize 1913 |
| Arthashastra | Kautilya (Chanakya) | Sanskrit | Economics, politics, statecraft |
| Abhigyan Shakuntalam | Kalidasa | Sanskrit | Romantic drama, poetic beauty |
| Godan | Munshi Premchand | Hindi | Rural life, farmer struggle |
| Anandmath | Bankim Chandra Chatterjee | Bengali | Nationalism; 'Vande Mataram' |
Mnemonic: Rama’s Maha Gyaan Artfully Awakens Goodness Always.
Ramayana by Maharshi Valmiki
- Language: Sanskrit
- Author: Maharshi Valmiki
- Period: ~500 BCE
- Structure: 7 Kandas, 24,000 verses
- Main Theme: Life of Rama, victory of Dharma
- Characters: Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Ravana
- Known As: “Adi Kavya” – First Epic
Mahabharata by Ved Vyas
- Language: Sanskrit
- Author: Ved Vyas
- Period: ~400 BCE
- Length: 1,00,000+ shlokas (world’s longest epic)
- Theme: Kurukshetra War, Dharma and Karma
- Includes: Bhagavad Gita
- Significance: “Fifth Veda”
Geetanjali by Rabindranath Tagore
- Language: Bengali (Tagore’s English translation)
- Published: 1910/1912
- Theme: Spiritual poems, love of God
- Award: Nobel Prize, 1913
- Significance: “Song Offerings”
Arthashastra by Kautilya (Chanakya)
- Language: Sanskrit
- Period: Mauryan (4th century BCE)
- Divisions: 15 books, 180 chapters
- Subjects: Economics, politics, statecraft
- Author Aliases: Chanakya / Vishnugupta
- Subject: Policies under Chandragupta Maurya
Abhigyan Shakuntalam by Kalidasa
- Language: Sanskrit
- Genre: Drama (7 acts)
- Period: Gupta Age (4th–5th century CE)
- Theme: Love story (Dushyanta & Shakuntala)
- Kalidasa: “Shakespeare of India”
Godan by Munshi Premchand
- Language: Hindi
- Genre: Novel
- Published: 1936
- Theme: Poverty, social realism
- Main Character: Hori the farmer
- Message: Struggle of rural India
Anandmath by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
- Language: Bengali
- Published: 1882
- Theme: Patriotism, Sannyasi Rebellion
- Song: “Vande Mataram” – National Song
- Significance: Inspired the freedom movement
PYQs (Delhi Police, SSC & State Exams)
Who wrote the Ramayana?
A) Tulsidas B) Valmiki C) Kalidasa D) Ved Vyas
Show Answer
B) Maharshi Valmiki
Who authored the Mahabharata?
A) Kalidasa B) Ved Vyas C) Chanakya D) Valmiki
Show Answer
B) Ved Vyas
Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature for —
A) Gora B) Geetanjali C) Kabuliwala D) Ghare-Baire
Show Answer
B) Geetanjali (1913)
Arthashastra was written by —
A) Chanakya B) Kalidasa C) Banabhatta D) Patanjali
Show Answer
A) Kautilya / Chanakya
Abhigyan Shakuntalam is a —
A) Poem B) Drama C) Novel D) Essay
Show Answer
B) Drama
Who wrote Godan?
A) Harivansh Rai Bachchan B) Mahadevi Verma C) Munshi Premchand D) Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
Show Answer
C) Munshi Premchand
“Vande Mataram” was taken from which novel?
A) Anandmath B) Godan C) Geetanjali D) Gora
Show Answer
A) Anandmath
Who is known as the “Shakespeare of India”?
A) Ved Vyas B) Kalidasa C) Rabindranath Tagore D) Premchand
Show Answer
B) Kalidasa
Kautilya, who wrote Arthashastra, was also known as —
A) Vishnugupta B) Chanakya C) Both A and B D) None of these
Show Answer
C) Both A and B
The novel Godan is written in which language?
A) Bengali B) Hindi C) Urdu D) Sanskrit
Show Answer
B) Hindi
Quick Revision Table – Author & Work
| Author | Famous Work | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Valmiki | Ramayana | Sanskrit |
| Ved Vyas | Mahabharata | Sanskrit |
| Rabindranath Tagore | Geetanjali | Bengali |
| Kautilya (Chanakya) | Arthashastra | Sanskrit |
| Kalidasa | Abhigyan Shakuntalam | Sanskrit |
| Munshi Premchand | Godan | Hindi |
| Bankim Chandra Chatterjee | Anandmath | Bengali |
Final Concept Recap
- Ramayana (Valmiki) – First Epic of India
- Mahabharata (Ved Vyas) – Longest Epic; includes Bhagavad Gita
- Geetanjali (Tagore) – Nobel Prize 1913
- Arthashastra (Kautilya) – Ancient treatise on politics & economics
- Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Kalidasa) – Classical Sanskrit drama
- Godan (Premchand) – Realism in Rural India
- Anandmath (Bankim Chandra) – National Song ‘Vande Mataram’
From Ramayana’s virtue to Godan’s realism — India’s literature inspires generations.
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