Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 141 of 236 · Books & Authors
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

SSC

Who is the author of the Hindi epic poem 'Kamayani'?

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option A — Jaishankar Prasad

Detailed Solution

"Kamayani" is a Hindi epic poem (mahakavya) by Jaishankar Prasad, published in 1936. It is regarded as the greatest work of the "Chhayavad" (romanticism) movement in Hindi poetry.

About Kamayani:

  • It is based on the ancient story of Manu, the first man, who survived the great flood (pralaya) described in the Shatapatha Brahmana.
  • The main characters are Manu, Shraddha (faith, also called Kamayani, daughter of Kama) and Ida (intellect or reason).

Manu first lives with Shraddha, then turns to Ida and builds a kingdom based on reason, but suffers because of his desire and ego. Finally, Shraddha guides him to peace and harmony.

The poem has 15 cantos (sargas), named after human emotions and qualities, such as Chinta (anxiety), Asha (hope), Shraddha, Kaam, Lajja (modesty), Karma, Irshya (jealousy), Ida, Swapna, Sangharsh, Nirved, Darshan, Rahasya and Anand (bliss).

It presents the idea that a balance between emotion (faith) and reason (intellect) leads to true happiness.

It won the Mangla Prasad Paritoshik, a major Hindi literary award of that time.

About Jaishankar Prasad (1889-1937):

  • He was born in Varanasi.
  • He was a poet, playwright and novelist.
  • His historical plays include "Chandragupta", "Skandagupta", "Dhruvswamini" and "Ajatashatru".
  • His novels include "Kankal" and "Titli", and he wrote short stories such as "Akashdeep" and "Puraskar".

The four pillars of Chhayavad (Hindi romantic poetry):

  • Jaishankar Prasad: "Kamayani", "Aansu", "Lahar".
  • Sumitranandan Pant: "Pallav", "Chidambara" (Jnanpith Award, 1968).
  • Suryakant Tripathi "Nirala": "Saroj Smriti", "Ram Ki Shakti Puja", "Juhi Ki Kali".
  • Mahadevi Verma: "Yama" (Jnanpith Award, 1982), "Deepshikha", "Nihar".

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Sumitranandan Pant wrote "Pallav" and "Chidambara".
  • ✗Suryakant Tripathi "Nirala" wrote "Ram Ki Shakti Puja".
  • ✗Mahadevi Verma wrote "Yama" and "Deepshikha".

Quick tip

Remember: "Kamayani" (1936; Manu, Shraddha and Ida; 15 cantos) = Jaishankar Prasad; Chhayavad pillars = Prasad, Pant, Nirala, Mahadevi Verma.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Books & Authors Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who is the author of 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'?
  2. Q2.'The Race of My Life' is the autobiography of:
  3. Q3.'Waiting for a Visa' is an autobiographical work of:
  4. Q4.'Midnight's Children' was written by:
  5. Q5.Who wrote the Hindi novel 'Raag Darbari'?

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Books & Authors — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Books & Authors questionsBrowse all topics ›