Eminent Sanskrit Authors · Kalidasa Kalidasa has been the national poet of India and the brightest star in the firmament of Indian Poetry for the last two thousand years. He has been unanimously acclaimed as the greatest Sanskrit poet. His genius has been acknowledged, appreciated and admired by poets, critics and the literary public alike. Kalidasa enjoys a high rank among global poets like Dante, Goethe, Shakespeare etc. Scholars are of different opinions regarding his date. Different theories place him anywhere between 200 BC to 600 AD. Tradition mentions Kalidasa as a contemporary and court poet of King Vikramaditya who founded an era known after his name, commencing with 57 B.C. Hence, most of the scholars opine that Kalidasa flourished in First Century B.C. Works There are about 41 works which are attributed to Kalidasa but the following seven world famous works are undoubtedly composed by him: two Lyric Poems: Ritusamhara and Meghaduta; two Mahakavyas : Kumarasambhavam and Raghuvamsham;. Three Plays: Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvashiyam and abhijnanashakuntalam. Ritusamhara, a lyrical poem appears to be the first work of the young poet. Here, the natural, scenic and floral beauty of six seasons, viz., the grishma (summer), varsha (rainy), sharad (autumn), hemanta (dewy), shishira (winter) and vasanta (spring) is picturesquely described. Kalidasa has introduced a new genre of lyrical poetry by composing Meghaduta in Mandakranta meter, wherein an exiled love - lorn yaksha at mountain Ramagiri delivers his sandesha-message to his beloved darling residing in Alakapuri (in mountain Kailasa) through a cloud – messenger. On the pattern and imitation of Meghaduta more than one hundred Sandesha-Kavyas have been composed mostly in Mandakranta metre but none equals Meghaduta. In Kumarasambhava, the poet has described the penance of Parvati to win Shiva’s love, their wedlock finally resulting in the birth of Kumara Karttikeya, the warrior god who killed demon Taraka. In Raghuvamsha, the poet has dealt with the heroic deeds of the solar dynasty of the ancient Indian barons in 19 cantos. It begins with the description of King Dilipa and ends with the narrative of Agnivarna. It abounds in beautiful descriptions and narratives, to name a few, go-seva by Dilipa, Raghu’s digvijaya, Indumati-svayamvara, Aja-vilapa, etc. Malavikagnimitram is an intrigue drama which is based on the love-story of Malavika and King Agnimitra. Vikramorvashiyam is based on the love story of the celestial nymph Urvashi and King Pururavas. Abhijnana-shakuntalam is the best amongst all the plays written in Sanskrit till today. Its plot has been taken from Mahabharata and Padmapurana. Kalidasa through his fancy and adeptness in introducing new elements in the main plot, adds the episode of the curse on Shakuntala by sage Durvasas which lends additional charm to the love-story of Shakuntala and King Dushyanta. This also elevates the character of the hero. Kalidasa, a peerless poet par excellence, was acquainted with and affluent in various systems of Philosophy, several schools of religious beliefs Law and Polity, Economics, Dramaturgy, Erotics, sixty-four arts including music and fine arts, Zoology and Plant-science too. Numerous references to all the aforementioned vidyas are so efficiently included in his works that they bring forth the high expertise of the poet. Kalidasa’s poetic genius has brought Sanskrit poetry to the highest elegance and refinement. His style is pure and chaste. It is unartificial and marked by brevity, simplicity of expression and easy flowing language characterise his works. His writings are adorned with similies unparalleled for their charm and appropriateness. He is a poet of Nature. He has delineated everything related to culture and society prevalent in his times. According to one eulogy while once the poets were being counted, Kalidasa (as being the first) occupied the last finger. But the ring-finger remained true to its name (anamika = nameless), since his equal has not yet been found (by whom it could be occupied). This truly testifies his popularity and sovereignty. Numerous honours and titles have been conferred upon him, viz. Kavikulaguru, Kavikulashiromani, Dipashikha Kalidasa, the Shakespeare of India, etc. Kalidasa is capable of winning the heart of any connoisseur of literary taste on earth. He, through his writings is a true representative of India and Indian culture.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:00:16 +0000
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