Post Vedic Literature of India: Know In Art & Culture With Devdutt Pattanaik EP18 | UPSC Essentials

Summary

The video script offers an insightful exploration into the realms of Indian literature and culture, highlighting the significance of various literary forms such as Tamil's Sangam literature, Jain and Buddhist literature, and Persian influences. It emphasizes the importance of travelogues in understanding India's social and economic conditions, and how literature, including the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, has shaped and transmitted cultural values across the country.

Takeaways

• 📚 The distinction between biography and hagiography is highlighted, with the former being realistic and rational, and the latter being exaggerated and dramatic, often portraying historical figures or events with religious motivations.
• 🏛 The significance of Sangam literature in understanding the social and economic conditions of ancient Tamil Nadu, including its three phases: early phase with no strong religious connotation, the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, and the shift towards Hinduism with the emergence of the Alvars and Nayanars.
• 🌏 The importance of geography in cultural transmission is emphasized, with the spread of Jain and Buddhist literature from the Magadha region to other parts of India, influencing regional languages and literature.
• 📖 The introduction of Persian literature to India through Central Asian Turks, and its impact on local languages, leading to the emergence of new literary forms such as Urdu and the influence on regional languages like Gujarati and Marathi.
• 📜 The role of travelogues as important sources for understanding Indian culture, as they provide insights into the observations and experiences of foreign travelers, despite potential biases in their accounts.
• 🎭 The discussion of various forms of literature in India, including religious, secular, romantic, and legal and political literature, and how they reflect the cultural landscape of the time.
• 🌐 The impact of foreign invasions and trade on the cultural and literary development of India, with the example of the Greeks, Chinese, Arabs, Persians, and Europeans contributing to the diversity of Indian literature.
• 📝 The mention of the scarcity of Indian-authored historical accounts, with significant insights often coming from foreign travelogues and local literature like Sangam poetry.
• 📑 The importance of having a systematic approach to studying literature and culture, including understanding timelines, key figures, and the impact of different literary forms on society.
• 🌳 The portrayal of landscape in Sangam literature, where different landscapes are associated with different gods and goddesses, reflecting the emotional connection between people and their environment.
• 🏰 The role of literature in reflecting social conditions, such as the depiction of various roles of women, the importance of music and dance, and the prevalence of agriculture and hunting in ancient Tamil society.

Q & A

What is the main difference between biography and hagiography as described in the script?

Biography tends to be more realistic and rational, focusing on factual accounts of a person's life. Hagiography, on the other hand, is exaggerated and dramatic, often portraying figures with a strong religious motivation or as heroes fighting for a cause.

Why is studying literature across different cultures and time periods important for understanding our own culture?

Studying literature from various cultures and time periods provides better insights into our own culture by showing how societies have evolved, how ideas have been transmitted, and how different cultures have influenced each other.

What is 'Suum' literature and what does it reveal about the social and economic conditions of its time?

Suum literature is old Tamil poetry written between 100 CE and 1000 CE. It portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness, including aspects of love, war, religious beliefs, and the daily life of people in Tamil Nadu.

How did the rise of Buddhism and Jainism influence the second phase of Suum literature?

In the second phase of Suum literature, Buddhist and Jain stories started to manifest as epics, with women playing a central role. This shows a shift in the cultural and religious landscape of the time, reflecting the growing influence of these religions.

What is the significance of the three phases of Suum poetry and how do they reflect the cultural shifts in South India?

The three phases of Suum poetry reflect the cultural shifts in South India. The early phase had no particular religious connotation, the second phase saw the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, and the third phase marked a shift towards Hinduism and the devotion towards Shiva and Vishnu.

Why is it said that Suum literature is not of much political significance in terms of connected political history of South India?

Suum literature is not considered politically significant because it does not refer to any great empires or detailed political structures. Instead, it focuses on the lives of common people, their social conditions, and local chieftains.

How did the Persian literature that came into India with the Central Asian Turks influence local languages and cultures?

Persian literature influenced local languages by introducing new ways of presenting ideas, forms of literature, and the Persian language itself. It led to the emergence of new languages like Urdu and Hindi, which were influenced by the mingling of Persian with local Indian languages.

What role did travel literature play in documenting and understanding Indian culture and society?

Travel literature played a crucial role in documenting Indian culture and society, especially since Indians did not extensively write their own histories. Travelogues by Greeks, Chinese, Persians, Arabs, and Europeans provided valuable insights into the social, economic, and cultural conditions of the time.

Why is it important for students to understand the various forms of literature such as religious, secular, romantic, and legal and political literature when studying Persian literature?

Understanding the various forms of literature helps students to classify and organize their knowledge, showing an organized thought process. It also provides a comprehensive view of how literature reflects different aspects of culture and society.

How did the travels of Chinese writers to India, particularly to Nalanda, contribute to the understanding of Indian culture?

Chinese writers who traveled to India, especially to the educational center of Nalanda, provided detailed accounts of the conditions in India. Their writings offer insights into the educational systems, religious practices, and cultural aspects of the time.

What is the significance of the two great Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, in understanding Indian culture?

The Ramayana and Mahabharata are significant in understanding Indian culture as they have been widely transmitted across India and have deeply influenced the moral, ethical, and social values of the society. They are also important in studying how literature has been preserved and passed down through generations.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Literature's Role in Understanding Culture

This paragraph discusses the distinction between biography and hagiography, highlighting how literature, particularly the former, can provide a realistic portrayal of historical figures and events. It uses the example of the Afan and Turkish King's invasions of India, which were motivated by material wealth but were depicted in hagiographies as religiously motivated. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of studying literature across different cultures and times to gain insights into social and economic conditions, as illustrated by the Tamil poetry of the Sangam literature, which vividly portrays the life of people in ancient Tamil Nadu. It also introduces the episode's theme of discussing art and culture with DD Patnayak, focusing on literature's significance in examinations and broader life understanding.

05:01

🏛️ The Social and Economic Insights from Sangam Literature

This paragraph delves into the Sangam literature of South India, which is a collection of old Tamil poems dating from around 100 CE to 1000 CE. It outlines the three phases of this poetry: early phase with love and war themes, the middle phase with Buddhist and Jain stories, and the later phase showing a shift towards Hinduism and devotion to Shiva and Vishnu. The paragraph explains that Sangam literature is not politically significant due to its lack of reference to great empires, but it provides a rich understanding of the social and economic conditions of the time, including agriculture, hunting, gathering, music, and dance. It also touches on the cultural references to various landscapes and gods, indicating a relatively secular society with a deep connection to nature.

10:02

🌏 The Geographical Impact on Indian Literature

This paragraph explores the influence of geography on Indian literature, particularly the emergence of Jain and Buddhist literature in the Magadha region around 2,500 years ago. It discusses the oral transmission of these teachings and their eventual written form in the Prakrit language, which later influenced regional languages and Sanskrit. The paragraph also addresses the significance of Persian literature in India, brought by Central Asian Turks, and how it led to the development of new languages and literature forms, such as Urdu and the emergence of romantic poetry and legal documentation. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding the movement of ideas and cultural elements across regions and their impact on local literature and culture.

15:03

📜 The Influence of Persian Literature on Indian Culture

This paragraph examines the contributions of Persian literature to Indian culture, which began with the arrival of Central Asian Turks about a thousand years ago. It describes how Persian culture and language influenced local languages, leading to the creation of new literary forms and the emergence of Urdu as a mixture of Indian and Persian languages. The paragraph also discusses the rise of legal documentation and the importance of history writing, chronicles, and the translation of Indian epics into Persian. It emphasizes the variety of literature that emerged, including religious, secular, romantic, and legal and political literature, showcasing the rich cultural landscape shaped by Persian influences.

20:04

🛤️ Travelogues as Cultural Mirrors

This paragraph discusses the importance of travelogues in understanding Indian culture, as they provide accounts of foreign travelers who visited India and documented their experiences. It notes the lack of indigenous historical writings by Indians, with the exception of a few works like the Rajatarangini and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The paragraph outlines the contributions of Greek, Chinese, Arab, Persian, and European travelers, whose writings offer insights into India's social conditions, trade, and cultural practices. It emphasizes the systematic study of travelogues to understand their relevance and the biases present in them, as well as the need to organize knowledge about these topics for better comprehension and application in exams or interviews.

25:05

🌐 The Significance of Indian Epics in Literature and Culture

In this concluding paragraph, the speaker invites the audience to ponder the importance of the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, to Indian culture. The paragraph suggests that these epics have played a significant role in the transmission of literature across India and have deeply influenced the cultural fabric of the country. The speaker promises to discuss this topic further in future episodes, encouraging viewers to stay tuned for more insights into literature and culture, and to join live sessions on Instagram and YouTube for interactive Q&A. The paragraph ends with a reminder to subscribe to the Indian Express YouTube channel for updates on such important content.

Keywords

💡Biography

Biography refers to a written account of someone's life that is typically based on historical evidence and presented in a factual manner. In the context of the video, it contrasts with hagiography, which is more exaggerated and dramatic. The script mentions that while biographies are realistic and rational, hagiographies are used to dramatize the actions of figures like the Afan and Turkish kings, portraying them as religiously motivated rather than materialistic.

💡Hagiography

Hagiography is a form of literature that presents an idealized or idolized account of a person's life, often exaggerating their virtues and achievements. The video discusses how hagiographies differ from biographies, using the example of how Persian and Turkish kings were depicted in historical texts, with hagiographies emphasizing their religious motivations for coming to India rather than their materialistic goals.

💡Suum Literature

Suum literature, also known as Sangam literature, is a collection of ancient Tamil poems that provide a vivid portrayal of the social and economic conditions of the time. The script explains that these works, dating from around 100 CE to 1000 years ago, are significant for their depiction of everyday life in Tamil Nadu, including aspects of love, war, and the changing religious landscape from Buddhism and Jainism to Hinduism.

💡Akam and Puram

Akam and Puram are terms from the Suum literature that refer to two distinct types of poetry. Akam refers to the internal, feminine poetry of love, while Puram refers to the external, violent poetry of heroes in battle. The script uses these terms to illustrate the early phase of Suum poetry, which did not have a strong religious connotation and focused on themes of love and war.

💡Nambar and Alvars

Nambar and Alvars are terms associated with the Bhakti movement in South India, referring to the poet-saints who expressed devotion towards Shiva and Vishnu. The script mentions the rise of these figures in the later phase of Suum literature, indicating a shift towards Hinduism and the emergence of devotional poetry.

💡Travelogues

Travelogues are written accounts of travelers' experiences and observations, often providing insights into the cultures, societies, and landscapes they visit. The video discusses the importance of travelogues in understanding Indian culture, as they offer perspectives from outsiders like the Greeks, Chinese, Persians, Arabs, and Europeans who visited and wrote about India.

💡Cultural Transmission

Cultural transmission refers to the spread of cultural elements, such as ideas, practices, and literature, from one society to another. The video emphasizes the role of cultural transmission in the context of Indian literature, particularly how Persian literature influenced local languages and literary forms, leading to the emergence of new literary traditions and the blending of cultural elements.

💡Persian Literature

Persian literature, as discussed in the video, refers to the literary works that originated from or were influenced by Persian culture, particularly during the period when Central Asian Turks brought Persian culture and literature to India. This literature introduced new themes, styles, and languages, significantly impacting the development of Indian literature and culture.

💡Urdu Literature

Urdu literature emerged as a result of the mingling of Persian and local Indian languages, particularly in the Delhi region. The script explains how Urdu developed as a language of the soldiers and the street, giving rise to a new form of literature that included romance, poetry, and storytelling, and later became associated with different religious identities during the partition of India.

💡Sufi Poetry

Sufi poetry is a form of Islamic mystical poetry that often expresses themes of love, devotion, and spiritual longing. The video mentions the rise of Sufi poetry alongside Persian literature in India, indicating its contribution to the diversity of literary expressions and the enrichment of Indian culture.

💡Legal Documentation

Legal documentation refers to the formal written records of legal matters, such as contracts, decrees, and chronicles. The script highlights the importance of legal documentation in the context of Persian literature's influence on India, where it led to the emergence of written legal documents and inscriptions, reflecting a more organized and formal approach to legal matters.

Highlights

Biography and hagiography are distinguished by their realism and rationality versus exaggeration and dramatic storytelling, respectively.

Suum literature, an ancient Tamil poetry, vividly portrays the social and economic conditions of South India around 1500 years ago.

Suum literature is divided into three phases: early love and war poems, Buddhist and Jain stories, and the rise of Hindu devotion towards Shiva and Vishnu.

The political significance of Suum literature is limited as it focuses more on social and economic aspects rather than on great empires.

Suum literature provides insights into the daily life, culture, and religious practices of ancient Tamil Nadu.

Jain and Buddhist literature introduced new monastic ideals and a different perspective on life, significantly impacting Indian culture.

The geographic spread of Jain and Buddhist literature from Bihar to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka highlights the cultural diffusion across regions.

Persian literature, introduced by Central Asian Turks, brought new narrative styles and contributed to the development of regional languages in India.

The emergence of Urdu literature is attributed to the fusion of Persian and local Indian languages, influencing various aspects of Indian culture.

Travelogues by foreigners visiting India offer valuable outsider perspectives on Indian culture and society, despite potential biases.

The lack of indigenous Indian historical writings makes travelogues a crucial source for understanding the country's past.

Travelogues from Greeks, Chinese, Persians, Arabs, and Europeans provide diverse accounts of Indian life and trade over centuries.

The importance of systematic study of travelogues for a comprehensive understanding of Indian culture and history.

The influence of Persian language on Indian languages, particularly the emergence of the 'G' suffix in many Indian words.

The role of geography in shaping cultural and literary expressions, as seen in the spread of religious ideas and literature.

The significance of organizing knowledge about literature and culture for effective learning and application in exams and interviews.

The upcoming discussion on the importance of the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata in understanding Indian culture.

Transcripts

biography tends to be more realistic and

rational while hagiography is

exaggerated um and they will write

things very dramatically so for example

we know that the afan and the Turkish

King came to India for material reasons

they came to raid the wealth of India

but in the hagiographies they will keep

telling how these kings came to India to

spread Islam it was a religious

motivation these were holy gazi fighting

for the cause so this is the PR

department at work studying literature

across time and space provide us better

insights about our culture in this light

let us understand today's suum

literature J and bu text and personal

literature in our today's episode of art

and culture with DD patnayak

[Applause]

[Music]

hello everyone I am mana sastav and you

are watching upsc Essentials of the

Indian Express where we are in

conversation with d that

who talks on art and culture and talks

on those relevant topics which are very

important for your examination and life

in general so in the last episode we've

talked about literature we have covered

you know the time up to uh Gupta period

today let's uh shift our Focus to other

areas let's talk about South India the

suum literature and they that I would

like to start with a question the last

year upsc question which was on suum

literature and it goes like this though

not very useful from the point of view

of a connected political history of

South India the suum literature portrays

the social and economic condition of its

time with remarkable

vividness so I think this question

covers a lot of issues related to suum

literature which students should know so

they that if you can Enlighten our

students with answer on this question so

suum literature is Tamil poetry old

Tamil poetry that was written about

2,000 years ago and it goes from till

about thousand years ago so from um

around 100 CE some people say even 200

BC we are not very sure but roughly

2,000 years ago to up to 1,000 years ago

so for a, year period we have this

poetry um written in Old Tamil um which

speaks

of uh local conditions that existed in

Tamil Nadu about 1500 years ago so

that's a rough way to remember it and we

find three phases of this poetry we find

the early phase where there is no

reference to any particular religion

there are gods and there's Landscapes

but there's no it's there is no strong

religious connotation that you find and

these are poems of Love and War the

internal feminine poetry of love love

known as akam poetries and the external

violent poetry of Heroes in battle

called puram poetries for the first 300

years the next 300 years you have got uh

Buddhist and Jin uh stories manifesting

as epics again women play a very Central

role in this and the following 300 years

youve see the rise the shift from

Buddhism and Jainism towards what we

call Hinduism and the rise of the

devotion towards Shiva and Vishnu so the

Namar and the alvars this is all

happening before the rise of the great

chora Empire maybe even roughly ending

at the time when the palavas take over

now why are we saying that we it is not

of much political significance because

they really do not refer to any great

Empires they're referring to Chieftain

small people who live in small

territories uh remember when Asoka when

we talk about Ashoka referring to the

South India he speaks of cheras pandas

and cholas who exist beyond the

tungabhadra nothing else we know that

there is a culture that exists there

2,300 years ago there's reference to

them for the first time but we don't

know much about them the first

information that we get is this suam

poetry now of course in kaladi in Tamil

Nadu uh we have some excavations but we

have Pottery we have instruments we have

bricks but really not much information

still again about political conditions

but we do get a sense of the people who

lived at that time and we get to know

that they loved music they love to sing

they love to dance they were involved in

basic agriculture because they talk of

rice they talk of maze they were Hunters

gatherers um they talk of flowers fruits

different kinds of meat that they

consumed so social conditions we know

that they were familiar with brahmins

they were familiar with the Raman

there's reference to the ramayan um

especially the episode of monkeys

finding saa's uh jewelry there reference

to the Mahabharat of a king from South

India feeding the pandavas and the kavas

during the battle so there's some

references to North Indians they you

refer to them as Aras there's references

to uh brahans Buddhists Janes um but

they seem to be a relatively secular

society there's description of landscape

and gods are linked to landscape so on

top of the mountain there is um SEO in

the forest there is perumal in the

pasture in the pasture land there is

perumal in the uh forests um there is

Mayo um there in the fields there is

Indra in the ocean there is varuna in

the wilderness there is cravi or the

wild goddess so five Landscapes are

described

mountains uh forests and pasture lands

Fields Ocean or seash Shores and dry

Barren land each associated with

different gods and goddesses um it's the

first time that landscape is evoking

emotions and you find this emotionality

in this poetry that's why we we are

talking about it talks about social

conditions we know they're talking about

war they are talking about drummers and

musicians who praise their he uh

chieftain in exchange they get rewards

they're talking about traveling through

South Indian lands so we have a social

sense we know that women we have

different kinds of women in the Tamil

epics women who are faithful to a

husband so the patini we have the nuns

Buddhist nuns the Jin nuns who choose

not to marry there's reference to

corisan women who were entertainers

dancers singers and had many lovers like

madavi and her daughter mani magal and

the grandmother who wants the

granddaughter to follow the family

profession the granddaughter Mani megala

who wants to be a nun we are we have

conflicts between Jin nuns and Buddhist

nuns um so we have these poetries uh

there's love eroticism monast mysticism

uh violent confrontations and battles

and uh demands for generosity so we get

a sense of the economic and social

conditions we do not get much

information about political conditions

about who are the kings how did they do

the territory we know that there were

Wars and one very interesting features

during the war Kings would claim the

totems of the Rival Kings the TOs are

usually plants so plants like the

kadamba tree uh was for the kadamba

dynasty so there is some kind of

reference with plants uh we have

reference to the early kinds of

settlements small settlements uh

agrarian economy emerging hering economy

emerging uh so the these are the social

and economic conditions that we come up

in the sanum literature so I think

students will understand as D also

mentioned that it's not about always

about political history which you would

uh get to know from these literary text

like sanum literature but how Society

the economical aspects how these things

are also relevant not forgetting the

cultural elements uh which this these

literature tell us about the other point

is that please note such kind of

questions uh demand examples okay so you

have to support your arguments with

relevant evidences and examples from

history and from culture so that is a

point which should be noted now let's

move on to the second question and D if

you allow me to ask you about Jen and

Buddhist literatures so what are they or

how are they relevant uh from the

perspective of culture so why is Jane

and Buddhist literature important uh to

understand Indian culture now the oldest

Indian literature that we have is The

Vic literature piure and here you have

people worshiping ancestors and gods who

located in Celestial regions offering

them praise offering them uh the S Jews

in exchange expecting um Good Luck

Fortune children success in battle wives

all material things and then suddenly

you have about 2,500 years ago new wave

of thinking which is more monastic and

it appears in the Bihar region and this

manifests in ideal that are first

transmitted orally and then finally

written down this is the Jane and the

Buddhist literature coming from the

magad regions the language is not

Sanskrit now it is magadii Aram magadii

together called uh prit magadii is more

popularly known as piali it's a very

formal Buddhist language that is later

put down in writing in Sri Lanka uh by

budag goosha in 500 CE so much later but

the the transmission takes place and

it's orally transmitted the Jin stories

are transmitted they're transmitted to

different parts of India um so we have

in New so why is it significant one it's

a new idea it's about monastic ideals um

it's talking a lot about Karma

Liberation uh moving away from the

householders life so the content is

different the language is different so

it's magadii Aram magadii the geography

is also different while the Vic

landscape is more gtic the Jan and the

Buddhist landscape moves to from Bihar

and moves southwards towards Tamil Nadu

and Karnataka so South starts getting

important so there is this is another

reason it's important um it manifests

later into Tamil literature so you have

Tamil literature Canada literature and

even Sanskrit literature so later Jin

and Buddhist literature shows Regional

languages emerging um there is Tamil

there is Canada and Sanskrit uh becomes

important so these are the reasons why

jism and Buddhism are important

contributors to Indian culture to

understand Indian culture so D I'm also

reminded of uh your last episode where

you have mentioned a little bit about

Buddhist and Jan literature so students

should also go and watch that episode if

you haven't watched yet uh also remember

that how geography is playing such an

important role as the religion is moving

from one state to another the impact is

seen on literature also so that is

another important thing because sometime

the questions are asked and how

geography impacts culture and so on now

let's move on to the next question and

my next question is related to the

Persian literature so D if you can tell

us that how Persian literature

contributed to Indian

culture so so Persian literature comes

into India from a thousand years ago

when when the uh Central Asian Turks

start entering India and they carry with

them the Persian culture and a religion

that started in Arabia so you must look

at the map and be clear where is you

know if you go westwards from India you

will first come to the Hindu Kush

mountains you cross it you see the

Afghanistan then you see Iran which is

Persia and to the south of Persia as you

travel you see the Arab lands now India

was connected with the Arab lands

through trade especially Southern IND

India uh Northern India through Persia

you have this culture coming into India

through the Warlords from Central Asia

so that's how you should understand that

a little bit and they bring the Farsi

culture or the Persian literature Now

courot language is very important origin

oldest quote language that we have is

prakrit Ashoka uses a form of magadii

language later this prakrit language

shifts towards sanscrit so you have

rudra Daman the Shaka King from Gujarat

Rajasthan side near gar writing in

Sanskrit prases his declarations are in

Sanskrit so prakrit becomes Sanskrit and

Sanskrit Cosmopolis emerges all the

kings start using uh Sanskrit from 300

CE to 1300 CE from Afghanistan to

Vietnam this becomes a very important

language then you have the slow rise of

regional Literature Like Tamil Canada uh

Telugu and that's when the Persian

literature comes to North India in Delhi

it parks itself in Delhi and that's when

Persian literature emerges and these

people are writing stories tars or

histories of their kings of course their

hagiographies hagiography is different

from a biography biography tends to be

more realistic and rational while

hagiography is exaggerated um and they

will write things very dramatically so

for example we know that the afan and

the Turkish kin came to India for

material reasons they came to raid the

wealth of India but in the hagiographies

they will keep telling how these kings

came to India to spread Islam it was a

religious motivation these were holy

gazis fighting for the cause so this is

the PR department at work so when the PR

department works you have the

hagiographies so the Persian literature

comes into India it influences the local

languages so while the court language is

persan the local language people start

talking in hindavi which mingles with

Farsi and a new language of the Barack

emerges the soldiers emerges called uru

U or the language of the Barack or

language of the

of the of the street of the of the

soldiers and this gives rise to a new

form of literature called Udu Udu

literature emerges Hindi literature

emerges hind emerges we have these

languages emerging if you look at

languages Gujarat you look at languages

in Maharashtra you see this slight

influence of Persian languages emerging

you know the suffix G starts to appear

at this time uh you have shahaji shivaji

chhatrapati Shiva so this G suffix

starts to appear even today we say jiha

jiha where did this word g come from

because it emerges only after the

Persians came to India it probably has

roots in usbekistan that's one of the

nobody is 100% sure where it comes from

but ask yourself where did this word g

come from it's not there in Sanskrit it

um so suddenly you see this influence

coming in the Parsi uh the not Pari well

Pari word we use for different reasons

we use for The zoroastrians Who migrated

to India and carry the zoroastrian

Traditions but fary language comes Udu

emerges Udu is a mixture of Indian

languages and Persian languages uh

during 1857 when Mah galib is writing

Udu he uses a lot of Persian words so it

almost feels that it's a Persian

language but really the older uh um Udu

language has more Indian words uh during

the partition of India of course Udu

started being associated with Islam and

Hindi started being associated with

Hinduism and there it played a very uh

complicated political role but Persian

literature contributes to India because

it brings new ways of presenting ideas

history writing becomes important quote

chronicals become important legal

documents become important uh so you

have the rise of legal documentation

being written later they written by the

maratas in the Modi script you have

legal documentation rajput quotes being

written so legal documentation becomes

important and of course literature new

forms of literature emerges romance

poetry emerges you have poetries like

padmawat happening romance literature

based like Lea maju and you have in syn

you have the stories of Love uh poetries

emerging uh around this time uh

passionate love poetries of unrequited

love uh emerging guzzles emerging new

forms of poetry so when we're talking

about literature we should talk about

religious literature secular literature

romantic literature legal and political

literature so when you classify it you

will get an understanding of how to

write the answer and that's important it

shows your mind is very organized as I

said with Pary literature you have quote

literature you have legal quot

literature describing the life of the

king you have legal documents that is

starts being put down then you have

these uh monuments where the king's

declarations fans uh start emerging at

this time and of course you have

storytelling translations like Titi Nama

which is a translation of shti Sanskrit

literature is translated Ram Nama the

book of War which is Mahabharat and

ramayan being translated

by the quote Poets of the abbar uh time

we have

um the rise of Sufi poetry emerging

along with bti poetry uh you have uh

epics being written in the language the

local languages so you find these form

of literature

emerging well that's very beautifully

summarized that how Persian language or

Persian literature brought change in the

cultural

landscape U I'm also uh you

know interested in telling students that

when you know D that says that you know

look at the map and keep the map open

it's very important when you studying

such topics where geography is also

involved it's important to have your

Atlas or the world map or India map in

front of you it helps in two ways it

helps you to prepare for the top which

you're doing in current but also help

you in uh consolidating over your

geography part so that is one thing also

when you're talking about Udu as a

language we've covered it in the

previous episode when we talking about

language and culture so do revise to

revisit those episodes if you have any

doubt uh there is another important

thing which I felt that I should mention

that uh there are many things while if

the talk talking about we all know

somewhere in our minds or somewhere

we've read or somewhere we've listened

to but it's very important to get them

organized okay and that's why these kind

of series will help get them organized

at one place okay for not only for your

answer in Mains but also for you know

whenever you're going for an interview

and everything it's important to have

these uh things which you know organized

at one place and that is important now

let's move on to the next question the

next question is about travel LS so D

can you uh tell us or help us that how

travelogs are important Source or

important sources to understand culture

travelogs you know travelogs are people

who travel to India they visit India and

they write about it and therefore

through their writings we understand

India now the funny thing about Indians

is that we really didn't write our own

histories a lot we wrote poetry and we

talked of um ramayan and Mahabharat far

more than writing about the lives of

Kings or geography or a history few

books like in there is the rajatarangini

which tells you the history of uh

Kashmir or you have scand puran which

tells you the mythological stories

associated with various geographies in

India or you have shankara written in

the 14th century which tells you about

Shankar aara who lived five centuries

earlier and how he traveled across India

and they are really more fantastic

hagiographies exaggerated stories we do

not get a accurate portrayal of India's

social conditions the only place where

we get it is a Tamil poetry which is the

suum Poetry has some understanding of

what social life was in the Tamil lands

um and there are poetries there is a

travelog there about these professional

drummers traveling in the Chola

countrysides they're traveling to places

and they talking about the food so you

do have some travel writing in Tamil

literature but main uh uh travel writing

comes from those who tra came to India

now who came to India first it was the

Greeks um then it was the Chinese then

it was the Persian Arabs and the

Persians and finally the Europeans and

therefore you have travelogs of the

Greeks so you have meanus is famous Inda

when he visited the court of Chandra

Gupta Maia we don't have the original

but we have rep people writing about it

the Herodotus writes something about

India based on what he hears from people

he doesn't travel to India megas travels

to India and writes about it so we have

that information we have a during Roman

times periplus of the arthan sea he is a

merchant who writes about the um the

trade which is happening uh uh through

the monsoon trade which is happening

along the coasts and of India so we have

that information uh periplus of the

athian sea he talks about sopara and the

coasts and the ports of India so we have

that information on what is being

imported and exported Indian cotton

pearls um we we have with the Chinese we

have uh the roughly the period of haraan

the 7th century when Islam is rising in

the world you have uh when haraan is

King in India and tesar just before him

you have some Chinese writers after

hindra Chinese writers so you get this

period uh between the fifth apos Gupta

period uh you have writings of Chinese

uh Travelers who are entering India

they're going to nalanda which is in

Bihar how are they coming they're coming

some of them are coming by the Eastern

route some of them are coming via

Central Asia some of them are coming via

ship and so you have the Chinese writers

writing about conditions in India and

that's very important and then you have

the Arab writers like alboni IB batuta

who traveled to India in the Islamic

period and write from a very Islamic

perspective of how they see India

alberuni tells about the conditions just

before um the entry of Delhi saltanat uh

IB batuta lives with d Sultans the toak

period and he writes about that um then

you have the Europeans coming to India

they remember horse trade was very big

and therefore trading of horses was very

big and this is what brings a lot and

spice trade was big and cotton trade was

big luxury goods from India travel to

Europe and therefore you have the

Europeans coming by the sea route so you

have Italians writing you have the

French writing you have the British

writing the Dutch writing you have

different writers the details of course

you can get in the books um so please

check the book for all the technical

details but I wanted to think

systematically and how these writings

help us um figure out um the Indian

culture so they come to India and they

write about India in their own languages

and we get to understand India better of

course there is bias in their writings a

lot of bias but you get a sense of what

is happening in India so just like

literature is a vast topic similarly a

topic like travelog the subtopic is also

very vast because it goes across time so

then what is important important

important part here is to understand

such Standalone topics in a more

systematic manner you know go with

timeline uh take up important travel

logs understand their uh relevance know

a few examples here and there and that's

how this topic should be covered of

course for prelims you should know

important factual um uh you know factual

aspects of travel outs as well but I

think students would have got a broader

view about these

subtopics uh which are a part of

literature and culture before going

ahead let's take Dad's important point

to

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ponder so I want you to think about the

two great epics of India ramayan and

Mahabharat why are they so important to

Indian culture why is it so important uh

and you'll find a lot to do with

literature and its transmission across

India so we'll discuss that in the

future episode so that's all for today

but the topic of literature and culture

is a vast topic so there are going to be

more subtopics coming up in the next few

episodes so stay tuned and keep watching

upsc Essentials of the Indian Express

join us for live at 8:00 pm on Instagram

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such important videos bye-bye Mana

Shasta signing

off