Mahakavya

Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as sargabandha,

is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is
characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love,
battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet’s skill at
description. Typical examples of mahākāvya are the Kumarasambhava and
the Kiratarjuniya.

It is considered the most prestigious form in the Sanskrit literature.

[weasel words] The genre evolved from the earlier epics, the Mahabharata
and the Ramayana. Despite the length of mahākāvyas (15-30 cantos, a
total of about 1500-3000 verses), they are still much shorter than the
Ramayana (500 cantos, 24000 verses) and the Mahabharata (about
100000 verses)

In the mahākāvya genre, more emphasis was laid on description than

on narration. Daṇḍin’s Kāvyādarśa lists the traditional characteristics of a
mahākāvya as:

It must take its subject matter from the epics (Ramayana or

Mahabharata), or from history,
It must help further the four goals of man (Purusharthas),
It must contain descriptions of cities, seas, mountains, moonrise and
sunrise, and “accounts of merrymaking in gardens, of bathing parties,
drinking bouts, and love-making. It should tell the sorrow of separated
lovers and should describe a wedding and the birth of a son. It should
describe a king’s council, an embassy, the marching forth of an army, a
battle, and the victory of a hero”.

It Is composed of a varying number of short poems or cantos, that

tells the story of a classical epic. Each poem is composed in a metre that
is fitting to the subject matter, such as a description of the seasons, a
geographical form of nature such as a mountain, and cities.

 Kumārasambhava

Kumārasaṃbhavam (Sanskrit: कुमारसम्भवम् “The Birth of Kumāra”)

is an epic poem by Kālidāsa. It is widely regarded as the finest work of
Kālidāsa as well as the greatest kāvya poem in Classical Sanskrit.[1][2]
The style of description of spring set the standard for nature metaphors
pervading many centuries of Indian literary tradition.[3]
Kumārasaṃbhavam basically talks about the birth of Kumara (Kārtikeya),
the son of Shiva and Parvati.[4] The period of composition is uncertain,
although Kālidāsa is thought to have lived in the 5 th century.

Legend say that Kālidāsa could not complete his epic

Kumārasambhava because he was cursed by the goddess Pārvatī, for
obscene descriptions of her conjugal life with Śiva in the eighth canto. But
later it has inspired the famed sculpture of Khajuraho temples. The English
renderings of these Sanskrit plays tend to avoid erotic and explicit aspects
due to moral tastes of modern audience.[5] The play depicts Kālidāsa as a
court poet of Chandragupta who faces a trial on the insistence of a priest
and some other moralists of his time.

Kumārasambhava literally means “The Birth of Kumāra”. This epic of

seventeen cantos entails Sringara rasa, the rasa of love, romance, and
eroticism, more than Vira rasa (the rasa of heroism). Tārakāsura, an asura
(demon) was blessed that he could be killed by none other than Shiva’s
son. However, Shiva had won over Kama, the god of love. Parvati
performed great tapas (spiritual penance) to win the love of Shiva.
Consequently, Shiva and Parvati’s son Kartikeya was born to restore the
glory of Indra, king of the devas.

 Raghuvaṃśa
 Raghuvaṃśa (Devanagari: रघुवंशम्, lit. ‘lineage of Raghu’) is a
Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) by the celebrated Sanskrit poet
Kalidasa. Though an exact date of composition is unknown, the poet
is presumed to have flourished in the 5th century CE. It narrates, in 19
sargas (cantos), the stories related to the Raghu dynasty, namely the
family of Dilipa and his descendants up to Agnivarna, who include
Raghu, Dasharatha and Rama.

The earliest surviving commentary written on the work is that of

the 10th-century Kashmiri scholar Vallabhadeva. The most popular
and widely available commentary, however, is the Sanjivani, written
by Mallinatha

The Raghuvaṃśa is a mahākāvya (roughly, epic poem)

containing 1564 stanzas. It describes the line of kings of the Raghu
dynasty (also known as the sūryavaṃśa or the solar dynasty) that
includes Raghu. It is written in 19 sargas (cantos), that can be
regarded as being divided into three parts:

Ancestors of Rāma: Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja, and Daśaratha (Cantos 1

to 9)

The story of the Ramayana (Cantos 10 to 15)

Descendants of Rāma (Cantos 16 to 19)

 Dilīpa (Cantos 1, 2)
Canto 1 – King Dilīpa’s journey to Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage

Canto 2 – King Dilipa and the calf Nandini

 Raghu (Cantos 3, 4, 5)

Canto 3 – Raghu is born, grows up, and becomes king

Canto 4 – Raghu as king, and his conquest

 Canto 5 – Raghu’s gift to Kautsa, and the birth and youth of Aja

 Aja and Indumati (Cantos 6, 7, 8)

Canto 6 – Indumati’s svayamvara

Canto 7 – Aja’s wedding and ambush
Canto 8 – Indumati’s death and Aja’s lament
Canto 9 – Dasharatha, and the accidental death of Shravana Kumara
The reign of King Dasharatha and his three queens is described.
Once he goes hunting in the forest, during which a fatal hunting
accident takes place: Dasharatha kills a boy, and is cursed by the
boy’s parents that he too will in old age die of grief for his son.

 Rama (Cantos 10 to 15)

These cantos 10 to 15 tell the story of the Ramayana, but the parts
from Valmiki well known to Indian readers are abridged.

Canto 10 – The gods pray to Vishnu, who is incarnated as Rama

The gods, tormented by Ravana, pray to Vishnu. Dasharatha
performs a yajña and is blessed with four children: Rama,
Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna.

Canto 11 – Sita’s svayamvara, and the defeat of Parashurama

Rama and Lakshmana accompany the sage Vishvamitra and kill the
demon Tataka. They arrive at Mithila, where at the svayamvara of
princess Sita, Rama strings and breaks the bow, and is married to
her. On their way back to Ayodhya they encounter Parashurama, and
Rama emerges victorious in this challenge.

Canto 12 – Rama exiled, Shurpanakha humiliated, Sita kidnapped,

and Ravana killed
This canto narrates the story of most of the Ramayana (its kāṇdas 2
to 6) in short, ending with the death of Ravana in Lanka at the hands
of Rama.

Canto 13 – The return by aerial route

 From Lanka, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya in the Pushpaka
Vimana, and as they fly through the air, Rama points out to Sita
many points of interest on the ground.

Canto 14 – Sita’s exile

On their return to Ayodhya, Rama is crowned king, and their joy
increases when Sita becomes pregnant. She expresses a wish to see
the forest again. But on hearing that the people of the kingdom
murmur about the queen’s character, Rama after some internal
struggle decides to exile his beloved wife. He asks Lakshmana to
leave Sita in the forest. She is devastated, but taken care of by the
sage Valmiki.

Canto 15 – The birth of Rama’s sons, and the passing of Rama

In the sage’s hermitage, Sita gives birth to two sons Lava and
Kusha, who grow up and are taught the Ramayana by Valmiki. As
they grow into youths, they come into the presence of Rama, who
learns they are his children, and then Sita chooses to be swallowed
up by the earth, her mother. Rama divides the kingdom among his
brothers and children, and himself ascends to heaven.

Descendants of Rama (Cantos 16 to 19)

Edit
Canto 16 – Kusha’s return to Ayodhya and marriage
One night, Kusha is visited by the deity of the now-abandoned city
Ayodhya, who begs him to return to it. He does so, and there he marries
Kumudvati.

Canto 17 – King Atithi

Kusha’s son is Atithi, and his reign is described.

Canto 18 – Later kings

The dynasty continues, with a line of twenty one kings who
succeeded Atithi.
 Canto 19 – Agnivarna
The last described king, Agnivarna, gives in to a hedonistic life of
pleasure, leaving the kingdom to his ministers to run. Even when he is
required to make a presence before his subjects, he merely hangs his left
foot out of a window. This canto serves as contrast to the earlier cantos
describing glorious kings. He is consumed by disease and dies. His
pregnant queen mounts the throne, and the people hope for a better
future.

(unacademy) The source of Raghuvansham

Raghuvamsha (Sanskrit: रघुवंश, Raghuvaṃśa) is a Sanskrit
mahakavya (epic poem) by the most known Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Even if
the precise period of composition is unknown, it is generally agreed that
the poet was active during the 5th century after Christ.

This work, which is based on the Ramayana, recounts the ups and
downs of the Solar dynasty of the ancient Indian nobles, all the way up to
the point where it tells the story of Rama and Sita from the Ramayana.
The Raghuvamsha is renowned for its exquisite descriptions and accounts
of incidental events, which lend the poem a slightly episodic quality.

During the time of Gupta King Chandragupta II, Kalidasa was active
in the world ( Chandragupta Vikramaditya). In the court of Chandragupta
II, he was considered to be one of the Nine Jewels, also known as the
Navaratnas. The three Sanskrit Plays of Kalidasa are: Vikramorvasiyam,
Malavikagnimitram and Abhijnanashakuntalam. Raghuvamsa and
Kumarasambhava are the names of Kalidasa’s two epic compositions,
respectively.

Conclusion
The renowned poet Kalidasa wrote the Raghuvamsa drama as his
magnum effort. In 19 sargas, it chronicles the tale of the Raghu dynasty,
namely the family of Dilipa and his descendants up to Agnivarna, including
Raghu, Dasharatha, and Rama (cantos). It tells the story of some of the
greatest warrior kings to be born on Indian territory.

 Kiratarjuniya by Bharavi in 6th century CE: Arjuna’s encounter with a

Kirata (Shiva)

Kirātārjunīya (Sanskrit: किरातार्जुनीय, Of Arjuna and the kirata) is

an epic poem by Bhāravi, written in Sanskrit.Believed to have been
composed in the 6th century or earlier, it consists of eighteen cantos
describing the combat between Arjuna and Shiva (in the guise of a
Kirati, or “mountain-dwelling hunter”). Along with the
Naiṣadhacharita and the Shishupala Vadha, it is one of the larger
three of the six Sanskrit mahakavyas, or great epics. It is noted
among Sanskrit critics both for its gravity or depth of meaning, and
for its forceful and sometimes playful expression. This includes a
canto set aside for demonstrating linguistic feats, similar to
constrained writing. Later works of epic poetry followed the model of
the Kirātārjunīya.

The Kirātārjunīya predominantly features the Vīra rasa, or the mood

of valour. It expands upon a minor episode in the Vana Parva (“Book
of the Forest”) of the Mahabharata: While the Pandavas are exiled in
the forest, Draupadi and Bhima incite Yudhishthira to declare war
with the Kauravas, while he does not relent. Finally, Arjuna, at the
instruction of Indra, appeases Shiva with penance (tapasya) in the
forest. Pleased by his austerities, Shiva decides to reward him.

When a demon named Muka, the form of a wild boar, charges

toward Arjuna, Shiva appears in the form of a kirata, a wild
mountaineer. Arjuna and the kirata simultaneously shoot an arrow at
the boar, and kill it. They argue over who shot first, and a battle
ensues. They fight for a long time, and Arjuna is shocked that he
cannot conquer this kirata. Finally, he recognises the god, and
surrenders to him. Shiva, pleased with his bravery, gives him the
powerful weapon, the Pashupatastra. Apart from Arjuna, no one
possessed Pashupatastra in the Mahabharata.
 Naiśadha-charita by Shriharsha in 1174 AD: on the life of King Nala
and Queen Damayanti

Naishadha Charita, also known as Naishadhiya Charita (Naiṣadhīya-

charita), is a poem in Sanskrit on the life of Nala, the king of
Nishadha. Written by Sriharsha, it is considered one of the five
mahakavyas (great epic poems) in the canon of Sanskrit literature.
It was composed by Śrī Harṣa in the court of the Gahaḍavāla King
Jayachandra.

Naishadha Charita presents the story of Nala’s early life; his falling
in love with Damayanti, their marriage, and honeymoon.

This mahakavya is divided into two parts – Purva and Uttara, each of
them containing eleven cantos or divisions. Its story is that of Nala
and Damayanti, the daughter of Bhima, the king of Vidarbha. This
story is first related in the 3rd part of the Vanaparva of the
Mahabharata, where the treatment is different. The language of the
Naishadha Charita is highly elaborate and polished, with continual
play upon words and variety of metres. The Shishupala Vadha of
Magha and the Naishadha Charita of Sriharsha are considered tests
for scholars; of the Naishadha it is said that it is Naishadham
Vidvad-aushadham, i.e. the “Scholars’ tonic”.

 Śiśupāla-vadha by Māgha in 7th century CE: the slaying of

Shishupala by Krishna

The Shishupala Vadha (Sanskrit: शिशुपालवध, IAST: Śiśupāla-vadha,

lit. “the slaying of Shishupala”) is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry
(kāvya) composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is an epic
poem in 20 sargas (cantos) of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas,[1]
and is considered one of the five Sanskrit mahakavyas, or “great
epics”. It is also known as the Māgha-kāvya after its author. Like
other kavyas, it is admired more for its exquisite descriptions and
lyrical quality than for any dramatic development of plot.

Contents
As with most Sanskrit kāvya, the plot is drawn from one of the epics,
in this case the Mahabharata. In the original story, Shishupala, king
of the Chedis in central India, after insulting Krishna several times in
an assembly, finally enrages him and has his head struck off. The
10th-century literary critic Kuntaka observes that Magha arranges
the story such that the sole purpose of Vishnu’s avatarhood as
Krishna is the slaying of the evil Shishupala. Magha also invents a
conflict in Krishna’s mind, between his duty to destroy Shishupala,
and to attend Yudhishthira’s ceremony to which he has been invited;
this is resolved by attending the ceremony to which Shishupala also
arrives and is killed.

The poet seems to have been Inspired by the Kirātārjunīya of

Bharavi, and intended to emulate and even surpass it. Like the
Kirātārjunīya, the poem displays rhetorical and metrical skill more
than the growth of the plot[4] and is noted for its intricate wordplay,
textual complexity and verbal ingenuity. It has a rich vocabulary, so
much so that the (untrue) claim has been made that it contains
every word in the Sanskrit language.[5] The narrative also wanders
from the main action solely to dwell on elegant descriptions, with
almost half the cantos having little to do with the proper story[6]
e.g. while describing the march of an army, cantos 9 to 11 take a
detour to describe nature, sunrise and sunset, the seasons,
courtesans preparing to receive men, the bathing of nymphs, and so
on.[7] Because of these descriptions, the Śiśupālavadha is an
important source on the history of Indian ornaments and costumes,
including its different terms for dress as paridhāna, aṃśuka, vasana,
vastra and ambara; upper garments as uttarīya; female lower
garments as nīvī, vasana, aṃśuka, kauśeya, adhivāsa and
nitambaravastra; and kabandha, a waist-band.[8] Magha is also
noted for technique of developing the theme, “stirring intense and
conflicting emotions relieved by lighter situations”.[9] The work is
primarily in the vīra (heroic) rasa (mood).