India’s Classical Age (Volume B)

Background

Vedic Canon

• Brahman• ātman• moksa• karma• dharma

Maurya Dynasty (321–180 B.C.E.)• central administration• diplomatic and trade

links with Europe and Central Asia

• Emperor Aśoka (269–232 B.C.E.)

• “wheel of dharma”• Brahmi script, rock

inscriptions• multilingual pluralism• Buddhism and

ahimsa

Kusana Empire (100–300 C.E.)

• Kaniska• Buddhism• kāvya

Gupta Empire (320–550 C.E.)

• Candragupta Vikramaditya (375–415 C.E.)

• improved agriculture• improved economics• shift in trade with

China and Southeast Asia

• changes in Hinduism• rājakavi

Gupta (continued)

• shift in literacy among castes

• Jainism and their monasteries

• Tamil lyric

• katha, tale

• akhyayika, nonfiction histories and biographies

• Bana, Kadambari and Harsacarita

• Ramayana and Mahabharata as kavyas

• additional function of poetic works

Classical Genres

• kavi

• pratibha, conception

• aucitya, urbane decorum

• sahitya, literature

• “mutual benefit”

• audience as “true companion at heart” (sahrdaya)

Poets

• Bharata, Discipline of the Performing Arts (2nd century C.E.)

• rasa, essence of human emotion

• Dandin, The Ideal of Poetry

• alamkara, embellishment of language

• Anandavardhana, The Radiance of Suggestion (9th century C.E.)

• three levels of language: denotation, connotation, and suggestion

Aesthetics

India100–1000

Classical Indian culture was marked by which of the following?

a. religious persecutionb. social equalityc. religious toleranced. a growing middle class

Test Your Knowledge

During which imperial reign did India’s classical period come to maturity?

a. Guptab. Aśokac. Delhi Sultanated. Ottoman

Test Your Knowledge

Which of the following characterized the ideal writer during India’s classical period? He was a:

a. connoisseurb. religious asceticc. moralistd. mystic

Test Your Knowledge

According to classical India aesthetics, which of the following levels of meaning is the most important for producing poetic effect?

a. suggestionb. connotationc. allusiond. denotation

Test Your Knowledge

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