Kalidasa Biography
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| Kalidasa |
Kalidasa was a classical
poet and dramatist. He demonstrated the expressive and suggestive heights of
which the Sanskrit language is capable and revealed the very essence of an
entire civilization. He is probably the greatest Indian writer of any epoch. The
six works identified as genuine are the dramas Abhijnana Shakuntalam
(The Recognition of Shakuntala), Vikramorvasi (Urvasi won by valor) and Malavikagnimitra
(Malavika and Agnimitra), the epic poems Raghuvamsa (Dynasty of Raghu)
and Kumarsambhava (Birth of the War God) and the lyric Meghaduta
(Cloud messenger).
As with most classical
Indian authors, little is known about Kalidasa, the person or his historical relationships.
Kalidasa was celebrated as a major literacy figure in the first half of the 7th
century. The scholarly consensus outside India is that Kalidasa flourished in
the time of Chandragupta-II (reigned 380-415). A traditional Indian view would
have it that, he adorned Vikramaditya’s court in the 1st century BC.
Although he was especially fond of the Gupta capital city, Ujjain, though there
is no proof that he was born there.
His poems suggest but
nowhere declare that he was a Brahmin (priest), liberal yet committed to the
orthodox Hindu worldview. His name, literally ‘servant of Kali’, presumes that
he was a Saivite (follower of the god Shiva, whose consort was Kali),
though occasionally he eulogized (speech, in praise of person) other
gods, notably Vishnu. It is impossible to establish the order in which his
works were composed or to show the development therein. His six major works are
important. The epic poem Kumarsambhava (Birth of Kumara; Kumara, the
Prince, was the war god son of Shiva) boldly recounts the divine romance that
led to the birth of Shiva’s son. Another epic poem, the Raghuvamsa,
praises the origins and life of Rama. The cantos devoted to Rama show
Kalidasa’s brilliant condensation and modulation of the Valmiki Ramayana. |
| Kalidasa |
The legend goes that early in his life, Kalidasa
was illiterate and a Dullard (slow-witted person). Some Pandits who had been
defeated in discourse by a highly intelligent princess Vidyottma, got her
married to Kalidasa in a deceitful manner, out of jealousy. When the reality
came out, she felt very disturbed and annoyed. It is said that she strongly admonished
(urge, give advice) Kalidasa for his ignorance. On getting admonished by his
wife, Kalidasa was very much shocked. He then took a vow to become a learned
man. To fulfill his dream he left home and returned only after he had become a
man of profound learning.
Kalidasa was one of the Navratnas (nine gems or the
most accomplished men of their times) at the court of Chandragupta
Vikramaditya. His works are judged by the Indian traditions as realization of
literary qualities in the Sanskrit language and its supporting culture. Kalidasa
has become the archetype for Sanskrit literary tradition.
As far as literary merits are concerned, Meghaduta
is an excellent work. The readers are fascinated by the simplicity of its
diction, portrayal of nature and delicate expression of love and the agony of
love. In drama, his Abhijnana Shakuntalam is the most famous and is
usually judged the best Indian literary effort of any period. Both the works
had been translated into various languages of the world. Kalidasa’s efforts in Kavya
(strophic poetry) are of uniform quality and he shows two different subtypes :
epic and lyric and the society reflected in Kalidasa’s work is that of a
courtly aristocracy, sure of its dignity and power.
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| Shakuntala |
A Sinhalese tradition says that Kalidasa died in
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the reign of Kumaradasa. He has done more than any
other writer to wed the older, Brahmanic religious traditions particularly its
ritual concern with Sanskrit. Kalidasa became a memory of perfection that
neither Sanskrit nor the Indian aristocracy would know again.
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