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    The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa: “Today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
    The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa: “Today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
    The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa: “Today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
    Ebook79 pages56 minutes

    The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa: “Today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

    By Epic Indian Writer Kalidasa

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    Kalidasa, which literally translated from the Sanskrit means servant of Kali, the Hindu god and consort to Shiva, lived in the 5th century AD in northern India probably in the vicinity of the Himalayas. He was from a humble background but married a princess called Vidyawati who challenged him to study and be learned. As with many classical Indian authors, scholars have found it difficult to provide any precision to dates or events surrounding his life. However, it is agreed by many that he is the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist that has ever lived and the original master of Sanskrit literary composition. He seamlessly fused the traditional older religious concerns with a new modern secular Hinduism which reflected the cultural values of the sophisticated Gupta aristocracy and is thought of as a short lived brilliant renaissance that was never to be repeated but remained a perfect memory. The best of Kalidasa's authenticated works can be read here in our three volumes, namely his epic poems, The Birth of the War God (Kumārasambhava or Ktjmara Sambhava), The Cloud Messenger (Meghadūta or Meghasāndesa) and The Dynasty of Raghu (Raghuvamsa) about the kings of the Raghu dynasty. The Birth of the War God is based on old mythology about Shiva's seduction by the goddess Parvati, their marriage of the god Shiva, the birth of their son Kumara (Skanda) and the victory of Kumara over a powerful demon. The skilful, lyrical beauty of each metrically and grammatically formed stanza displays Kalidasa's complete mastery of Sanskrit. The Cloud Messenger contains one hundred and fifteen four-line stanzas, in a majestic metre called the "slow-stepper" and is the story of an exiled Yaksha (nature spirit and caretaker of the earth's treasures for the god of wealth Kubera) persuading a passing cloud to send a message to his lover bride. He describes the enchanting journey that the cloud would make to guarantee the delivery of his message and thus as readers we are captivated by deliciously detailed vivid descriptions that make it clear why this is one of the most popular Kalidasa's poems. There is a legend that makes Kalidasa one of the “nine gems” at the court of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain and a Sinhalese tradition that he died on the island of Sri Lanka during the reign of Kumaradasa, who ascended the throne in 517. We do know for certain that the poets work has inspired generations around the world and particularly evoked great interest among European artistic circles during the late 19th and early 20th century, as evidenced by Goethe and Camille Claudel's sculpture Shakuntala. He continues to be the subject of numerous films, plays, documentaries and is still widely quoted. Read on and it will be clear why this is so.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCopyright Group
    Release dateMay 7, 2014
    ISBN9781783943968
    The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa: “Today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

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      Book preview

      The Birth of The War God by Kalidasa - Epic Indian Writer Kalidasa

      The Birth Of The War God by Kalidasa

      Kalidasa, which literally translated from the Sanskrit means servant of Kali, the Hindu god and consort to Shiva, lived in the 5th century AD in northern India probably in the vicinity of the Himalayas.  He was from a humble background but married a princess called Vidyawati who challenged him to study and be learned.

      As with many classical Indian authors, scholars have found it difficult to provide any precision to dates or events surrounding his life.  However, it is agreed by many that he is the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist that has ever lived and the original master of Sanskrit literary composition.  He seamlessly fused the traditional older religious concerns with a new modern secular Hinduism which reflected the cultural values of the sophisticated Gupta aristocracy and is thought of as a short lived brilliant renaissance that was never to be repeated but remained a perfect memory.

      The best of Kalidasa's authenticated works can be read here in our three volumes, namely his epic poems, The Birth of the War God (Kumārasambhava or Ktjmara Sambhava), The Cloud Messenger (Meghadūta or Meghasāndesa) and The Dynasty of Raghu (Raghuvamsa) about the kings of the Raghu dynasty. 

      The Birth of the War God is based on old mythology about Shiva's seduction by the goddess Parvati, their marriage of the god Shiva, the birth of their son Kumara (Skanda) and the victory of Kumara over a powerful demon.  The skilful, lyrical beauty of each metrically and grammatically formed stanza displays Kalidasa's complete mastery of Sanskrit.

      The Cloud Messenger contains one hundred and fifteen four-line stanzas, in a majestic metre called the slow-stepper and is the story of an exiled Yaksha (nature spirit and caretaker of the earth's treasures for the god of wealth Kubera) persuading a passing cloud to send a message to his lover bride.  He describes the enchanting journey that the cloud would make to guarantee the delivery of his message and thus as readers we are captivated by deliciously detailed vivid descriptions that make it clear why this is one of the most popular Kalidasa's poems. 

      There is a legend that makes Kalidasa one of the nine gems at the court of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain and a Sinhalese tradition that he died on the island of Sri Lanka during the reign of Kumaradasa, who ascended the throne in 517. We do know for certain that the poets work has inspired generations around the world and particularly evoked great interest among European artistic circles during the late 19th and early 20th century, as evidenced by Goethe and Camille Claudel's sculpture Shakuntala.  He continues to be the subject of numerous films, plays, documentaries and is still widely quoted.  Read on and it will be clear why this is so.

      Index Of Contents

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto First) - Uma's Nativity

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Second) - The Address To Brahma

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Third) - The Death of Love

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Fourth) - Rati's Lament

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Fifth) - Uma's Reward

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Sixth) - Uma's Espousals

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto Seventh) - Uma''s Bridal

      The Birth of The War-God (Canto First) - Uma's Nativity

      Far in the north Himálaya, lifting high

      His towery summits till they cleave the sky,

      Spans the wide land from east to western sea,

      Lord of the hills, instinct with deity.

      For him, when Prithu ruled in days of old

      The rich earth, teeming with her gems and gold,

      The vassal hills and Meru drained her breast,

      To deck Himálaya, for they loved him best;

      And earth, the mother, gave her store to fill

      With herbs and sparkling ores the royal hill.

      Proud mountain-king! his diadem of snow

      Dims not the beauty of his gems below.

      For who can gaze upon the moon, and dare

      To mark one spot less brightly glorious there?

      Who, 'mid a thousand virtues, dares to blame

      One shade of weakness in a hero's fame?

      Oft, when the gleamings of his mountain brass

      Flash through the clouds and tint them as they pass,

      Those glories mock the hues of closing day,

      And heaven's bright wantons hail their hour of play;

      Try, ere the time, the magic of their glance,

      And deck their beauty for the twilight dance.

      Dear to the sylphs are the cool shadows thrown

      By dark clouds wandering round the mountain's zone,

      Till frightened by the storm and rain they seek

      Eternal sunshine on each loftier peak.

      Far spread the wilds where eager hunters roam,

      Tracking the lion to his dreary home.

      For though the melting snow has washed away

      The crimson blood-drops of the wounded prey,

      Still the fair pearls that graced his forehead tell

      Where the strong elephant, o'ermastered, fell,

      And clinging to the lion's claws, betray,

      Falling at every step, the mighty conqueror's way.

      There birch-trees wave, that lend their friendly aid

      To tell the passion of the love-lorn maid,

      So quick to learn in metal tints to mark

      Her hopes and fears upon the tender bark.

      List! breathing from each cave, Himálaya leads

      The glorious hymn with all his whispering reeds,

      Till heavenly minstrels raise their voice in song,

      And swell his music as it floats along.

      There the fierce elephant wounds the scented bough

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