UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025 for Mains Optional Paper

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025 for IAS Mains Exam is provided here. Get detailed UPSC Mains Syllabus along with PDF and Exam Pattern of UPSC Sanskrit Literature .

Table of Contents

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025: The UPSC Civil Services Exam is a prestigious examination conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. Aspirants are required to choose one optional subject for the Mains exam, which significantly impacts their ranking in the IAS Exam. Recent trends indicate a soaring success rate for candidates opting for Literature subjects. You can check the detailed UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus in this article and download UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus PDF.

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025

The UPSC Sanskrit Literature optional syllabus for the civil services examination is designed for candidates with a strong foundation in the language. As it is not widely used, only those who have studied Sanskrit as part of their curriculum should consider choosing it as their optional subject. Unlike other optional literature subjects, UPSC specifies which questions to answer in Sanskrit and which to answer in the medium selected by the candidate for Mains. All answers in Sanskrit must be written in the Devanagari script.

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025 for Optional Paper 1

The Sanskrit Literature optional subject in UPSC Mains comprises two papers, each offering an in-depth understanding of various aspects of the Sanskrit language, literature, and Indian culture. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the syllabus:

Section-A	Section-B
Significant features of grammar	Essentials of Indian Culture
Main characteristics of Vedic Sanskrit	Purusarthas, Samskaras, Varnasramavyavastha, Arts, Fine Arts, Technical Sciences
Prominent features of classical Sanskrit	Trends of Indian Philosophy
Contribution of Sanskrit to linguistic studies	Mimansa, Vedanta, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Bauddha, Jaina, Carvaka
General knowledge of literary history	Short Essay (in Sanskrit)
Principal directions of literary criticism	Unseen passage with questions (to be answered in Sanskrit)
Ramayana
Mahabharata
Origin and development of literary genres
(Mahakavya, Rupaka, Katha, Akhyayika, Campu, Khandakavya, Muktaka Kavya)

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025 for Optional Paper 2

UPSC Sanskrit Literature Syllabus 2025 for Paper 2 is divided into two sections. You can check the syllabus below.

Section-A: General Study of Literary Works

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Raghuvamsam – Kalidasa	Isavasyopanisad	Svapnavasavadattam – Bhasa	Meghadutam – Kalidasa
Kumarasambhavam – Kalidasa	Bhagavadgita	Abhijnanasakuntalam – Kalidasa	Nitisatakam – Bhartrhari
Kiratarjuniyam – Bharavi	Sundarakanda of Valmiki’s Ramayana	Mrcchakatikam – Sudraka	Panchtantra
Sisupalavadham – Magha	Arthasastra of Kautilya	Mudraraksasam – Visakhadatta	Rajatarangini – Kalhana
Naisadhiyacaritam – Sriharsa		Uttararamacaritam – Bhavabhuti	Harsacaritam – Banabhatta
Kadambari – Banabhatta		Ratnavali – Sriharshavardhana	Amarukasatakam – Amaruka
Dasakumaracaritam – Dandin		Venisamharam – Bhattanarayana	Gitagovindam – Jayadeva
Sivarajyodayam – S.B. Varnekar		Venisamharam – Bhattanarayana	Gitagovindam – Jayadeva

Section-B: Selected Texts for First-hand Reading

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Raghuvansam – Canto I, Verses 1 to 10	Isavasyopanisad – Verses 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 15, and 18	Meghadutam – Verses 1 to 10	Svapnavasavadattam – Act VI
Kumarasambhavam – Canto I, Verses 1 to 10	Bhagavadgita – II chapter, Verses 13 to 25	Nitisatakam – Verses 1 to 10	Abhijnansakuntalam – Act IV, Verses 15 to 30
Kiratarjuniyam – Canto I, Verses 1 to 10	Sundarakandam of Valmiki – Canto 15, Verses 15 to 30	Kadambari – Sukanasopadesa (only)	Uttararamacaritam – Act 1, Verses 31 to 47

Sanskrit- The Oldest Language of India

Sanskrit holds the distinction of being the oldest language used in India, boasting a rich literature and illustrious history of scientific works, epics, fiction, and philosophy. While its usage is limited to a few villages in modern-day India, it continues to be included in the UPSC Mains optional subjects list due to its status as a classical language.

Advantages of Choosing Sanskrit Literature

Opting for Sanskrit Literature as an optional subject can be advantageous due to its relatively low competition, with only a few candidates choosing it. To excel in this subject, candidates should practice solving questions from previous years’ UPSC question papers and take mock tests to understand the question pattern. Mastering Sanskrit grammar and delving into various epics of India are essential for scoring well in the Sanskrit Literature paper.

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FAQs

Will UPSC syllabus change in 2025?

The exam pattern, UPSC 2025 syllabus, and selection process are expected to be the same as in previous years. UPSC 2025 notification will be released on 14th February 2025 by the Commission on its official website, and the last date to apply online will be 05 March.

What is the syllabus of UPSC Sanskrit literature optional?

Sanskrit Optional Paper II
General study of the following groups:- Group 1. a) Raghuvamsam-Kalidasa. b) Kumarasambhavam-Kalidasa. c) Kiratarjuniyam-Bharavi. d) Sisupalavadham-Magha. Short notes in Sanskrit on the following:- a) Meghadutam-Kalidasa. b) Nitisatakam-Bhartrhari. c) Panchtantra- d) Rajatarangini-Kalhana.

Is Sanskrit easy for UPSC?

The UPSC offers literature of Sanskrit language as an optional subject for the civil services mains examination. Generally considered a tough language (partly because it is not a commonly heard language), many candidates, even those who had studied Sanskrit at school, shy away from opting for the Sanskrit optional.

How many years current affairs required for UPSC 2025?

Focus on Current Affairs: Spend 45 minutes on Newspaper reading every day till April 2025. Cover the relevant social, economic, political, cultural issues of National and International importance. Adopt at least one standard current affairs monthly magazine spanning 12 months (May 2023 to May 2025).