Question

Bengali literature is divided into two parts ______________.

• A. Indebted to Sanskrit
• B. Independent of Sanskrit
• C. Both (a) and (b)
• D. None of these

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Both (a) and (b)

Bengali literature indebted to Sanskrit- It includes the translations of the Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas and bhakti literature such as the biographies of Chaitanyadeva (the leader of the Vaishnava bhakti movement). These are easier to date because many manuscripts have been found indicating that they were composed between the late 15th and the middle of the 18th centuries. Bengali literature independent of Sanskrit- It includes Nath literature such as the songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra, stories concerning the worship of Dharma Thakur, and fairy tales, folk tales and ballads. These were circulated orally and cannot be precisely dated and were particularly popular in eastern Bengal where the Brahmanical influence was relatively weak.