Sanskrit Books and Authors in Ancient India

 

Books	Authors
Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Recognition of Shakuntala)	Kalidasa
Aihole Prasasti	Ravikirti
Amarakosha	Amarasimha
Arthashastra	Kautilya
Ashtadhyayi	Panini
Bhattikavya	Bhatti
Brihat Samhita	Varahamihira
Buddhacharita	Asvaghosa
Charaka Samhita (Compendium of Charaka)	Charaka
Devichandraguptam	Vishakhadatta
Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)	Jayadeva
Gatha Saptashati	Hala
Lilavati	Bhaskara II
Hammira Mahakavya	Nayachandra Suri
Janakiharana (Janaki's abduction)	Kumaradasa
Kama Sutra	Vatsyayana
Kathasaritsagara (Ocean of the Streams of Stories)	Somadeva
Kiratarjuniya (Arjuna and the Kirata )	Bharavi
Kumarasambhava (Birth of the War-God)	Kumarasambhava
Mahaviracharita (Deeds of a Great Hero)	Bhavabhuti
Malati Madhava	Bhavabhuti
Malavikagnimitram	Kalidasa
Mattavilasa Prahasana (A Farce of Drunken Sport)	Mahendravarman I
Mṛcchakatika	Sudraka
Mudrarakshasa	Vishakhadatta
Mahabhasya	Patanjali
Meghaduta (Ccloud Messenger)	Kalidasa
Nagananda (Joy of the Serpens)	Harshavardhana
Naishadha Charita	Sriharsha
Natyashastra	Bharata
Nitisara	Kamandaka
Pancha-siddhantika (“Five Treatises”)	Varharmihara
Panchatantra	Vishnu Sharma
Prashnottarmalika.	Amoghavarsha
Pratijnayaugandharayana	Bhasa
Priyadarsika	Harsha
Raghuvamsam	Kalidasa
Rajtarangini	Kalhana
Ramacharitam	Sandhyakar Nandi
Ratnavali	Harshavardhana
Ritusamhara (Garland of the Seasons)	Kalidasa
Shishupala Vadha (Slaying of Shishupala )	Magha
Surya Siddhanta	Aryabhata
Svapnavasavadattam (The Dream of Vasavadatta)	Bhasa
Uttararāmacarita (The Later Deeds of Rama)	Bhavabhuti
Vikramorvashi (   Urvashi Won by Valour)	Kalidasa
Vikramadevacharita	Bilhana

 

Prose Works in Sanskrit

Dashakumaracharita	Dandin
Kadambari	Harshavardhan
Harshacharita  (Deeds of Harsha)	Banabhatta
Hitopadesha (Salutary Instruction)	Narayana

 

Bauls: Mystic minstrels

                                            Baul Minstrel / Image source

The Bauls are mystic minstrels or bards who reside mainly in West Bengal, north-eastern India and in Bangladesh. The sect originated in Bengal in the 17th century and its philosophy of humanism attracts people of all religions, sects, caste and creed for its ethos of inclusion. It was popularised by Lalon Shah whose moving songs of religious tolerance have been inspiring poets, writers and thinkers of every period including Nobel Prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and American poet Allen Ginsberg.

Usually travelling from place to place the Bauls earn their living from singing to the accompaniment of single-stringed ektaras. Shah Abdul Karim , Bhaba Pagla and Purna Das Baul are famous Baul singers. 

Mricchakatika (The Little Clay Cart) of Śūdraka

Mricchakatika (The Little Clay Cart), the most realistic of Indian dramas, is ascribed to Śūdraka,  According to  A. L. Basham  Śūdraka was probably Kalidasa’s approximate contemporary. The Sanskrit drama tells a story of the love of a poor Brahman Charudatta for a wealthy and virtuous courtezan Vasantasena.

The climax of the play is the trial scene after which Charudatta is saved from execution at the last moment. 

Mṛcchakaṭika is one of the most widely Sanskrit dramas performed on the European stage. 

Brahmagupta, 7th century Indian astronomer and mathematician

Brahmagupta is one of the most famous of the ancient Indian astronomers and mathematicians. He wrote his masterpiece Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta (“Correctly Established Doctrine of Brahma”) in 628 AD.

It was translated into Arabic in Baghdad about 771 and it became famous in the Arabic world as Sindhind. 

One of the most popular estimates of the size of the Earth was made by Brahmagupta who calculated that it has a circumference as 5000 yojanas. His yojana is equal to about 4.5 miles (7.2 km.). It was Brahmagupta who used zero as number for the first time. 

Vedanta, school of Philosophy

Vedanta, (“the end of the Vedas”) is also called Uttara Mimamsa (Later  Mimamsa). It is the most important of the six systems of Salvations in Hinduism.  

The doctrine of Vedanta are based the Upanishads, mystical texts in Hinduism. . 

Brahma Sutras of Badarayana is the basic text of the system. Written early in the Christian era, Brahma Sutras has been commented on by many scholars in periods from ancient to modern. Modern mystical teachers including Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo Ghose are Vedantists.   

Harihara, syncretism of Vishnu and Shiva

 

A popular syncretism in Hinduism is the god Harihara (Hari being a title of Vishnu and Hara of Shiva). Harihara is worshipped in the form of an icon which combines characteristics of both gods. 

The cult of Harihara became popular in South India where the deity is still worshipped. The Harihara temples were built by Vijayanagara ruler.