古典梵语诗歌一段可以分作“大诗”(Mahakavya)和“小诗”(khandakavya)两大类。“大诗”指的是叙事诗，“小诗”指的是抒情诗。古典梵语叙事诗导源于两大史诗，特别是《罗摩衍那》；现存最早的古典梵语叙事诗是一二世纪佛教待人马鸣的《佛所行赞》和《美难陀传》。古典梵语叙孪诗的特点是题材大多取于两大史诗、古代神话和历史传说，声容上一般部少不了关于爱情、战斗和风景的描绘，形式上霍重文彩，讲究修辞。印度传统特边梨陀婆的《罗诂世系》和《鸠摩罗出世》、婆罗维的《野人和阿周那》、摩伽的《童护伏诛记》和室利河奢的《尼套陀王传》视为5部主要的“大诗”。古典梵语抒情诗的按内容分有四种：颂扬神祇的赞颂诗、描写自然风光的风景诗、描写爱情生活的爱情待、表达人生哲理的格言诗。其是爱情诗情浓烈，比喻优美，占据优势地位。古典梵语抒情诗的主要代表作有迎梨陀婆的《云使》、伐致呵利《三百咏》、阿麾罗《百咏》、胜天《牧童歌》等。

Literature in Sanskrit begins with the spoken or sung literature of the Vedas from the mid-2nd millennium BCE, and continues with the oral tradition of the Sanskrit epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Sanskrit literature dates to Late Antiquity (roughly the 3rd to 8th centuries CE). Indian literary production saw a late bloom in the 11th century before declining after 1100 CE, hastened by the Islamic conquest of India, due to the destruction of ancient seats of learning such as the universities at Taxila and Nalanda. There are contemporary efforts towards revival, with events like the All-India Sanskrit Festival (since 2002) holding composition contests.