Topic summary
Sanskrit epic
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Indian epic poetry.
Sanskrit epics
The ancient Sanskrit epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata comprise together the Itihāsa (lit. 'writer has himself witnessed the story') or Mahākāvya ("Great Compositions"), a canon of Hindu scripture. The epic form prevailed and verse remained, until very recently, the preferred form of Hindu literary works. Indian culture readily lent itself to a literary tradition that abounded in epic poetry and literature. The Puranas, a massive collection of verse-form histories of India's many Hindu gods and goddesses, followed in this tradition. Itihāsa and Puranas are mentioned in the Atharva Veda and referred to as the fifth Veda.