Set 5 | Important Languages and Literature of India MCQs

Correct Answer is B.

• Taitteriya belongs to Krishna Yajur Veda.
• Yajur Veda is a collection of mantras. Two texts of yajurveda are Shukla(White) Yajurveda and Krishna(Black) Yajurveda.

Correct Answer is D.

• The name, Aranyaka,  comes from the Sanskrit root word, aranya, meaning “forest”.
• Aranyaka constitute the third stage of development of the Vedic literature. They are placed in between Brahmanas and Upanisads.
• This is because they were intended as texts to be read and studied by ascetics, or rishis, who has retreated to the solitude of the forest to deepen their contemplation and meditative practices.

Correct Answer is A.

• Final parts of Vedas are Upanishads.
• The Upanishads mark the culmination of Indian thought and are the final parts of the Vedas so they are also called Vedantas.
• As the Upanishads contain abstract and difficult discussions of ultimate philosophical problems, they were taught to the pupils at the end. That is why they are called the end of Vedas.
• The Upanishads form an important part of our literary legacy. They deal with questions like the origin of the Universe, life and death, the material and spiritual world etc.
• The earliest Upanishads are the Brihadaranyaka which belongs to the Shukla Yajur Veda and Chandyoggya which belongs to the Sama Veda.

Correct Answer is C.

• Brihadaranyaka is one of the first Upanishads, along with that of Jaiminiya Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishads.
• Yajnavalkya was a sage and teacher who figures prominently in the earliest of the Hindu philosophical and metaphysical texts known as the Upanishads, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
• The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, as its very name suggests, is both an Aranyaka and an Upanishad, and it begins with a philosophical explanation of the horse sacrifice.

Correct Answer is B.

• Text not considered to be shruti are known as smriti, texts of remembered traditions.This indigenous system of categorization was adopted by Max Muller.
• Smriti literally “that which is remembered”, refers to a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author, tradionally written down.
• Smriti is a derivative, secondary work and is considered less authoritative than Shruti in Hinduism.

Correct Answer is A.

• The Ramayana of Valmiki is the original Ramayana.
• It is called AdiKavya. Maharishi Valmiki is known as Adikavi.
• The Ramayana presents a picture of an ideal society.

Correct Answer is C.

• Mahabharata, was written by Ved Vyas. Originally, it was written in Sanskrit and contained  8800 verses and was called “Jaya” or the collection dealing with victory.
• These were raised to 24,000 and came to be known as Bharata, named after one of the earliest Vedic tribes.
• The final compilation brought the verses to 100,000, which came to be known as the Mahabharata or the Satasahasri Samhita.
• The Mahabharata contains the famous Bhagavad Gita which contains the essence of divine wisdom and is truly a universal gospel.

Correct Answer is B.

• There are said to be 18 Puranas. Their origin can be traced as far back as the time when Buddhism was gaining importance and was a major opponent of the Brahmanic culture.
• The Puranas occupy a unique position in the sacred literature of the Hindus.
• The Puranas are mythological works which propagate religious and spiritual messages through parables and fables.
• They have a potent influence in the development of the religious lives of the people.

Correct Answer is A, B & C.

• Padma Purana classifies them in accordance with the three gunas or qualities as:
• Sattva(Truth and Purity).
• Rajas(Dimness and Passion).
• Tamas(Darkness and Ignorance).

Correct Answer is A.

• The law books called the Dharmasutras and Smritis, are together known as Dharmashastras.
• The Dharmasutras were compiled between 500 and 200 BCE. These lay down duties for different varnas aswell as for the kings and their officials.
• They prescribed the rules according to which property had to be held, sold and inherited.
• Manusmriti tells us about the role of a man and woman in the society, their code of conduct and relationship with each other.
• Kautliya’s Arthashastra is an important treatise of the Mauryan times. It reflects the state of society and economy at that  time and provides rich material for the study of ancient Indian Polity and economy.