Chitralekha
 The story starts with a dialogue between the great hermit Ratnambar and his disciples, Shwetank and Vishaldev about the sin that humans usually do in life; is nothing, though he or she (human) becomes the victims and slave of circumstances. So, according to Ratnambar - "there is no such sin and virtue". Since everyone does according to the circumstances and fell in different parts of the life span. The luxurious life by a great feudal and young soldier, Bijgupta (Pradeep Kumar in the film), who serves under the Maurya Empire and the king Chandragupta Maurya ( 340 BCE – 298 BCE) and a beautiful dancer and young widow, Chitralekha (Meena Kumari in the film) - actually they are the main characters of this novel. However, another secondary character is Kumargiri (Ashok Kumar in the film), who too was a hermit and fell in love with Chitralekha and becomes the victim of life and time. Shwetank and Vishaldev have to find the truth of life and sin as suggested by their guru, Ratnambar. They become the slaves of the surroundings too, as well as Bijgupta, who too fell in the serious circumstances created by the 'time'. The other characters are Yashodhara, the princess, and his father, the aged Mritunjay. The character, Chanakya, has been brought to make the novel interesting. The novel, Chitralekha is about the debates over the life and love. It has twenty two sections.