RBSE SS Sanskrit Literature cheat sheet

Subandhu's Vasavadatta is a courtly prose romance (gadya-kavya) known for its long compounds and elaborate descriptions; the heroine Vasavadatta is a princess.

Dandin's Dasakumaracarita narrates the adventures of ten princes; it is a prose work in three parts (purvapithika, madhyapithika, uttarapithika).

Banabhatta wrote Harshacarita (biography of King Harsha) and Kadambari (romance); Kadambari was completed by his son Bhushanabhatta.

The Panchatantra, attributed to Vishnusharman, uses prose frame stories with embedded verses to teach niti (political wisdom) to princes.

Hitopadesha, attributed to Narayana, is a prose collection of fables drawn largely from the Panchatantra, divided into four sections: Mitralabha, Suhridbheda, Vigraha, Sandhi.

Bhoja's Sringaramanjari is a prose work; Bhoja is also known for his commentary on the Yoga Sutras and works on poetics.

In prose passages, identify the author, the source text, the main character, and the central theme (e.g., friendship, deception, kingship) before answering questions.

Key prose authors and works: Subandhu–Vasavadatta; Dandin–Dasakumaracarita; Banabhatta–Harshacarita, Kadambari; Vishnusharman–Panchatantra; Narayana–Hitopadesha.

Kalidasa's Meghaduta is a mandakranta-meter poem in two parts (purvamegha, uttaramegha); a yaksha sends a cloud messenger to his wife.

Raghuvamsha by Kalidasa traces the solar dynasty from Dilipa to Agnivarna; the first canto describes the lineage.

Kumarasambhava by Kalidasa narrates the birth of Kartikeya and the marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

Bhavabhuti wrote Mahaviracharita, Malatimadhava, and Uttararamacharita; his style is noted for karuna rasa and long compounds.

Jayadeva's Gita Govinda is a lyrical poem in twelve cantos describing Radha and Krishna; the first song is 'Jayati jayati devo devaki-nandano'.

Alamkara (poetic devices): upama (simile), rupaka (metaphor), utpreksha (poetic fancy), atishayokti (hyperbole), shlesha (pun), anuprasa (alliteration), yamaka (repetition of syllables).

Rasa theory: the eight rasas are shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, vira, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta; shanta is sometimes added as the ninth.

Identify meter (chandas) by syllable count per quarter: anushtubh = 8, indravajra = 11, upajati = 11/12, mandakranta = 17, shardulavikridita = 19.

Kalidasa's Abhijnanashakuntala has seven acts; the title means 'Shakuntala recognized by the token'; the hero is King Dushyanta.

Shakuntala is a nataka; its rasa is primarily shringara, with karuna in the separation scenes.

Bhavabhuti's Uttararamacharita continues the Ramayana story after Rama's return to Ayodhya; it is known for karuna rasa.

Vishakhadatta's Mudrarakshasa is a political drama (natyadhara) about Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya; it has no female lead and no shringara rasa.

Shudraka's Mrichchhakatika ('The Little Clay Cart') is a prakarana (social drama) with a courtesan heroine, Vasantasena, and a poor brahmin hero, Charudatta.

Bharata's Natyashastra is the foundational treatise on dramaturgy; it describes the purvaranga, the rasas, and the ten types of drama (dasharupaka).

The dasharupaka include nataka, prakarana, bhana, vyayoga, samavakara, dima, ihamriga, anka, vithi, and prahasana.

Sanskrit drama conventions: nandi (benedictory verse), prastavana (prologue), sutradhara (stage manager), vidushaka (jester), and bharatavakya (concluding verse).

Eight cases (vibhakti): prathama (nominative), dvitiya (accusative), tritiya (instrumental), chaturthi (dative), panchami (ablative), shashthi (genitive), saptami (locative), sambodhana (vocative).

Three numbers: eka-vachana (singular), dvi-vachana (dual), bahu-vachana (plural).

Three genders: pullinga (masculine), strilinga (feminine), napumsakalinga (neuter).

Ten classes of verbs (gana); class 1 (bhvadi) adds -a- before endings; class 6 (tudadi) adds -a- with different accent; class 10 (churadi) adds -aya-.

Six tenses/moods: lat (present), lit (perfect), lut (periphrastic future), lrit (simple future), lot (imperative), vidhiling (optative).

Sandhi types: svara (vowel) sandhi, vyanjana (consonant) sandhi, visarga sandhi; e.g., a + i = e (guna), a + u = o (guna), a + e = ai (vriddhi).

Samasa (compound) types: tatpurusha, karmadharaya, dvigu, bahuvrihi, dvandva, avyayibhava; tatpurusha has the first member as qualifier, the second as head.

Bahuvrihi compound denotes a possessor of the compound's meaning (e.g., 'bahuvrihi' = 'having much rice'); it functions as an adjective.

Translate Sanskrit to English by first identifying the finite verb (usually at the end of the sentence), then the subject (nominative), then the object (accusative).

Sanskrit word order is typically subject–object–verb (SOV); English is SVO, so reorder when translating.

Case endings carry meaning: tritiya = 'by/with', chaturthi = 'for/to', panchami = 'from', shashthi = 'of', saptami = 'in/on'.

When translating English to Sanskrit, choose the appropriate case ending based on the preposition: 'with' → tritiya, 'for' → chaturthi, 'from' → panchami, 'of' → shashthi, 'in' → saptami.

Common translation pitfalls: passive constructions (karmani prayoga) use the past participle with the object in nominative; causative verbs (nich) add -aya- to the root.

Comprehension strategy: read the whole passage first, identify the theme, then answer questions using evidence from the text; do not import outside knowledge.

For Sanskrit-to-Hindi translation, preserve the Sanskrit word order where possible but adjust for Hindi SOV; use standard Hindi equivalents for technical terms (e.g., 'dharma' → 'धर्म').

For Hindi-to-Sanskrit translation, identify the subject and verb, then add case endings to nouns and conjugate the verb according to tense, person, and number.

Vedic period (c. 1500–500 BCE): Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda; Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads.

Epic period (c. 500 BCE–200 CE): Ramayana (Valmiki) and Mahabharata (Vyasa); the Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata.

Classical period (c. 200–1200 CE): Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Banabhatta, Dandin, Subandhu, Bhasa, Shudraka.

Kalidasa is dated to the Gupta period (c. 4th–5th century CE); his works include Abhijnanashakuntala, Meghaduta, Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava, Vikramorvashiya, Malavikagnimitra, and the lost Pushpavanavilasa.

Bhasa's plays were discovered in 1912 in Kerala; they include Charudatta, Svapnavasavadatta, and Pratijnayaugandharayana.

The Natyashastra of Bharata is dated roughly to 200 BCE–200 CE; it is the earliest extant treatise on Indian dramaturgy.

Medieval period: Jayadeva's Gita Govinda (12th c.), Bilhana's Vikramankadevacharita (11th c.), Kalhana's Rajatarangini (12th c.).

Modern period: Sanskrit continues as a scholarly and liturgical language; notable modern works include those by Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar (Sanskrit scholarship) and contemporary Sanskrit writers.

Essay structure in Sanskrit: prastavana (introduction), mulavad (main body), upasamhara (conclusion).

Use sandhi and samasa appropriately to achieve the compact, flowing style characteristic of Sanskrit prose.

Common essay topics: 'Ramrajya', 'Sanskritasya mahattvam', 'Vidyaya amritam ashnute', 'Parishramah phalapradah'.

Letter writing in Sanskrit: use the vocative case (sambodhana) for the addressee, and the first person for the sender; common opening: 'priya mitra' or 'mananiya'.

Application writing: state the purpose (prayojana) clearly, use the passive or causative as appropriate, and close with a respectful formula (e.g., 'bhavadya' or 'sahridayam').

Use standard Sanskrit connectives: atha (now), tatah (then), yatha (as), tatha (so), kim tu (but), yadi (if), tarhi (then).

For essay writing, avoid English loanwords; use Sanskrit equivalents (e.g., 'vidyalaya' for school, 'pathyapustaka' for textbook).

Quote a relevant subhashita or verse in the essay to strengthen the argument; attribute it to the source if known.