There are 18 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Sanskrit is one of them, and much – though not all – of India's rich literary heritage is in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is perhaps the oldest language in the world to be recorded. The Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Meghadutam, the Buddhacharita, the Hitopadesha, the Panchatantra are some world-famous Sanskrit masterpieces.

Classical Sanskrit Literature

Classical literature reflects the great changes that came over the conditions in India after the Vedic times, for example, the rise of Buddhism. It ceased to be primarily religious and became primarily entertaining. It addressed itself more to ordinary people interested in amusing themselves by reading some poetry or going to see a play.
 
Prominent Classical authors include Kalidasa, Ashvaghosha, Kumaradasa, Bharavi, Bhatti, Magha, Shriharsha, Bhasa, Shudraka, King Harsha, Vishakhadatta, Bhattanarayana, Bhavabhuti. The most famous of them is Kalidasa, who has left behind at least three plays (Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvashiya, and Shakuntala), two epic poems (Raghuvamsha and Kumarsambhava), and a lyrical poem (Meghaduta).Though he dealt with the stories of kings and queens, gods and demi-gods,  Kalidasa is distinguished not by his plots but by the grace of his compositions. Ashvaghosha wrote a long epic, the Buddhacharita, about the life of the Buddha, and Saundara-nanda, about the city where the Buddha's father had been king. In the same epic tradition, Bharavi wrote the Kiratarjuniya, and Magha the Shishupalavadha.

Early works such as Sudraka's Mrcchakatika (The Little Clay Cart) are surrounded in controversy over the authorship. The purported playwright states in the Preface to the play that the playwright committed suicide at the age of 100 years. It is definitely not possible for Sudraka himself to have stated that. Also, this is the only work credited to Sudraka. Scholars question a brilliant mind creating only one work. His play bears many similarities to Bhasa's incomplete Charudattam. Many feel that either Bhasa and Sudraka were one and the same, or Sudraka borrowed from Bhasa's creation. Of the 13 surviving plays penned by Bhasa, Svapnavasavatta (The Vision of Vasavadatta) ranks among the finest of Sanskrit drama.

Minor But Popular Works

Shankaracharya, the founder of the Vedanta system known as Advaita, composed the lyric Saundarya-lahari.The love-lyric Amaru Shataka is also ascribed to him. Bhartihari put codes of conduct (Niti) and Renunciation (Vairagya) in pithy verses. Kalhana preserved historical accounts of Kashmir in the form of poetry in Rajatarangini. Brihat-Katha  by Gunaddhya is the earliest collection of stories. Although in Pali language, it is considered part of Sanskrit literature. The original work of Gunaddhya has been retold by Kshemendra in Brihat-katha-manjari and by Somadeva in Katha-sarit-sagara. The Vetalapanchavimshati is another collection of tales, in the form of a narration by an evil spirit to a ghost. Two other collections  are Shuka-saptati and Simhasanadvatrimshika. The well-known  Panchatantra is a series of  fables in lucid prose, written as text material for three mischievous princes from the South.There are numerous versions of the Panchatantra. Hitopadesha  is a popular version. Such collections are vibrant with speaking birds, flying dolls, cunning ghosts, clever animals, and endearing human characters.

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