General Awareness · History

Indian Literature and Texts

2,973 Questions

Indian literature features rich ancient texts, epics like the Mahabharata, and philosophical Upanishads. This topic covers seminal works of Indian mythology and Sanskrit tradition. It is a highly scoring area in UPSC, state PSC, and other competitive examinations.

Ancient Indian epicsSacred Hindu textsSanskrit traditionIndian mythologyJain literary texts

Indian Literature and Texts Questions

Multiple choice

The primary sources of Hindu law are

  1. Sruits

  2. Smritis

  3. Commentaries

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The primary or ancient sources of Hindu law are as follows: (i) Shruti (ii) Smriti (iii) Digests and Commentaries  (iv) Custom

Multiple choice

Which is the oldest Veda?

  1. Rigveda

  2. Yajurveda

  3. Samveda

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Rig Veda is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas.

Multiple choice

Which of the following contains “Dhrupada Raga”?

  1. Rig Veda

  2. Sam Veda

  3. Yajur Veda

  4. Atharva Veda
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Sama Veda is known as the Veda of melodies and chants. It contains the musical foundations for the hymns of the Rig Veda, including forms like the Dhrupada Raga.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not true?

  1. Mahabharata and Ramayana reflect the state of affairs of Later Vedic period

  2. The Mahabharata is considered older than Ramayana

  3. The Ramayana is attributed to Vyasa

  4. The Ramayana is attributed to Valmiki
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Ramayana is traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki, not Vyasa. Vyasa is the traditional author of the Mahabharata.

Multiple choice

What is the literal meaning of Rig Veda?

  1. The canon of chants

  2. The canon of charms

  3. The canon of stanzas

  4. The canon of formulae
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The word Rig Veda is derived from 'ric', meaning praise or verse, and 'veda', meaning knowledge. It is essentially a collection of hymns or chants.

Multiple choice

Which of the following contains the Gayatri Mantra?

  1. Yajurveda

  2. Samaveda

  3. Rigveda

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Rig Veda contains the Gayatri Mantra. This Mantra is a highly revered mantra, based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rigveda, attributed to the Vishvamitra. As, the verse can be interpreted to invoke the Deva Savitr, it is often called Savitri.