Prose Literature (Gadya)
What the exam tests
Prose Literature (Gadya) tests knowledge of Sanskrit prose narratives, their authors, genres and style. Expect matching questions, identification of kathā versus ākhyāyikā, and short explanations of frame narration, description and characterisation.
Core rules
- Kathā is a prose romance with an invented or adapted plot; ākhyāyikā is a biography-like narrative, often of a king or religious figure.
- Bāṇa's Kādambarī is a kathā; his Harṣacarita is an ākhyāyikā.
- Daṇḍin's Daśakumāracarita is a framed adventure narrative; Subandhu's Vāsavadattā is a prose romance known for elaborate description.
- Pañcatantra and Hitopadeśa use animal fables inside a frame story to teach nīti.
Worked example
A question asks whether Harṣacarita is kathā or ākhyāyikā. Reason: it narrates the life of King Harṣa, with historical-biographical orientation, so it is ākhyāyikā. Kādambarī, by contrast, develops a romance plot and is classified as kathā. The author is the same, but genre differs.
Traps
Do not attribute Kādambarī to Daṇḍin. Do not treat Pañcatantra as a single continuous novel: its tales are nested. Avoid describing every prose work as a novel; use kathā, ākhyāyikā and framed fable where they fit.