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| Home > Indian Literature > Ancient Indian Literature > Puranic Literature
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| | Puranic Indian Literature
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Ramayan
 This great epic was also handed down orally and evolved through several centuries before being written down. Traditionally, the authorship is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki who is referred to as aadikavi or the first poet. He introduced the Anustubh meter for the first time which later went on to become the most popular meter in Sanskrit. The first and the last chapters (Balkhand and Uttarkhand) of the epic are added at a later stage. However it forms the basis of Hindu faith and includes tales that form the basis for modern Hindu festivals and some of its practices survive till date as for example the ritual of Hindu marriage.The story of Ramayan is one that deals with Prince Ram, his exile and the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon Ravana and the arising Lanan War. There are a number of stories appearing as sub plots intricately assimilated into the main plot. It is twice as big as the Iliad and Odyssey put together.
Mahabharat
 It is one of the largest poetic works in the world. It contains large trats of Hindu mythology, philosophy and religious tracts. At 100,000 stanzas it is eight times bigger than the Iliad and Odyssey put together. Traditionally the authorship of Mahabharata is attributed to vyasa. It is also clear that it is not written by one person at a single time. The first stanza mentions the book`s name as Jaya even though weknow it as mahabharata. It must have been orally transmitted for a few centuries thus leading to modifications before being written down. Thus, the Mahabharata simply evolved alongside Indian culture and is a veritable storehouse of cultural mores, mythology, religion, and philosophical sophistication in the seminal work of Hindu religion The Bhagwad Gita, which appears in the tenth chapter of mahabharata.
Broadly speaking, it is the story of two rival royal families fighying for the control of Hastinapur. It contains a number of sub-plots which are independent stories in their own rights. This epic has left a major impact and imprint on later works. Its effect can be seen in Indian literature, religion, folklore and philosophy.
At once eloquent and grand the importance of Mahabharata cam be summed up in what is written in it " what can be found here can be found elsewhere, what cannot be found here cannot be found elsewhere".
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