Sāhitya - III

In the Hindu literary tradition, literary compositions inculcate awareness and sensibility of Dharma in the minds of both the commoner and the connoisseur. As with all śāstras in the Indic knowledge traditions, kāvya and kāvya-śāstra, i.e. literary composition and the theory of composition have a well instituted and standardized methodology, structure and system. This is the third course in a sequence of four courses in Sāhitya – Classical Sanskrit literature. In India, Sanskrit drama was a living tradition of performance that connected classical literature to the public. The theories of drama are sensitive to this aspect and provide in detail and depth, in addition to literary theories, guidelines for the infrastructure, stage-plan, attire, and countenance of the actors, etc. The psychological elements that influence the audience and methods to bring the desired sentiment in the performance are also discussed.