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Kāvya
Kāvya (Devanagari: काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá'') refers to the Sanskrit literary style used by Indian court poets flourishing between c.200 BCE and 1200 CE. This literary style, which includes both poetry and prose, is characterised by abundant usage of figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole to create its characteristic emotional effects. The result is a short lyrical work, court epic, narrative or dramatic work. Kāvya can refer to the style or the completed body of literature. Aśvaghoṣa (c. 80–150 AD), a philosopher and poet considered the father of Sanskrit drama, is attributed with first using the term. Early kāvya Although very little literature in the kāvya style written before the time of Kālidāsa (5th century CE) survives, it can be assumed from quotations in Patañjali's grammatical treatise the Mahābhāṣya (2nd century BCE), as well as from poems written on various inscriptions of the 4th to 6th centuries CE, that it dates back to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhaṭṭikāvya
' (; "Bhatti's Poem") is a Sanskrit-language poem dating from the 7th century CE, in the formal genre of "great poem" (mahākāvya). It focuses on two deeply rooted Sanskrit traditions, the ''Ramayana'' and Panini's grammar, while incorporating numerous other traditions, in a rich mix of science and art, poetically retelling the adventures of Rama and a compendium of examples of grammar and rhetoric. As literature, it is often considered to stand comparison with the best of Sanskrit poetry. The ' also has ' ("The Death of ") as an alternative title. It is improbable that this was the original title as Ravana's death is only one short episode in the whole poem. It may have acquired this title to distinguish it from other works concerning themselves with the deeds of . The poem is the earliest example of an "instructional poem" or '. That is not a treatise written in verse but an imaginative piece of literature which is also intended to be instructive in specific subjects. To modern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahākāvya
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. The genre evolved from the earlier epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Despite the length of ''mahākāvya''s (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). Classical examples The Buddhist poet and philosopher Aśvaghoṣa (c. 80 – c. 150 CE) is one of the earliest Sanskrit poets with surviving Kāvya literature. His ''Buddhacarita'' (''Acts of the Buddha'') calls itself a ''mahākāvya'' and wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shishupala Vadha
The Shishupala Vadha ( sa, 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 ''sarga''s (cantos) of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas, and is considered one of the five Sanskrit ''mahakavya''s, or "great epics". It is also known as the ''Māgha-kāvya'' after its author. Like other ''kavya''s, it is admired more for its exquisite descriptions and lyrical quality than for any dramatic development of plot. Its 19th canto is noted for verbal gymnastics and wordplay; see the section on linguistic ingenuity below. 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 Lord Krishna several times in an assembly, finally enrages him and has his head struck off. The 10th-centur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aśvaghoṣa
, also transliterated Ashvaghosha, (, अश्वघोष; lit. "Having a Horse-Voice"; ; Chinese 馬鳴菩薩 pinyin: Mǎmíng púsà, litt.: 'Bodhisattva with a Horse-Voice') CE) was a Sarvāstivāda or Mahasanghika Buddhist philosopher, dramatist, poet and orator from India. He was born in Saketa, today known as Ayodhya. He is believed to have been the first Sanskrit dramatist, and is considered the greatest Indian poet prior to Kālidāsa. It seems probable that he was the contemporary and spiritual adviser of Kanishka in the first century of our era. He was the most famous in a group of Buddhist court writers, whose epics rivalled the contemporary Ramayana. Whereas much of Buddhist literature prior to the time of Aśvaghoṣa had been composed in Pāli and Prakrit, Aśvaghoṣa wrote in Classical Sanskrit. Life He is said to have been born in Ayodhya. His original (lay) name is unknown, Aśvaghosa being a later nickname only. According to the traditional biography of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magha (poet)
Magha (c. 7th century) ( sa, माघ, ) was a Sanskrit poet at King Varmalata's court at Shrimala, the then-capital of Gujarat (presently in Rajasthan state). Magha was born in a Shrimali Brahmin family. He was the son of Dattaka Sarvacharya and the grandson of Suprabhadeva. His epic poem (''mahākāvya'') Shishupala Vadha, in 20 ''sarga''s (cantos), is based on the Mahabharata episode in which Krishna uses his ''chakra'' (disc) to behead the defiant king Shishupala. He is thought to have been inspired by, and is often compared with, Bharavi. Life and work Māgha's fame rests entirely on the Shishupala Vadha. Vallabhadeva and Kshemendra quote some verses that are not found in the Shishupala Vadha as that of Māgha, so it is believed that Māgha wrote some other works that are now lost. Unlike most Indian poets who give no autobiographical details or allude to any contemporary events, Māgha gives some autobiographical details in the concluding five verses of the work (known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kālidāsa
Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems. Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE. Early life Scholars have speculated that Kālidāsa may have lived near the Himalayas, in the vicinity of Ujjain, and in Kalinga. This hypothesis is based on Kālidāsa's detailed description of the Himalayas in his ''Kumārasambhava'', the display of his love for Ujjain in ''Meghadūta'', and his highly eulogistic descriptions of Kalingan emperor Hemāngada in '' Raghuvaṃśa'' (sixth ''sarga''). Lakshmi Dhar Kalla (1891–1953), a Sanskrit scholar an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raghuvaṃśa
(Devanagari: , 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 ''sarga''s (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 (ca.1350-1450). Contents 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 ''sarga''s (cantos), that can be regarded as being divided into three parts:Ryder * A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shriharsha
Shri-harsha (IAST: Śrīharṣa) was a 7th century Indian philosopher and poet. Shri Harsha's works concern Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya and other themes in Hindu Philosophy. Early life Śrīharṣa was the son of Śrīhira and Mamalladevī. His father, Śrīhira, was a poet in the court of the Gahadavala king Vijayachandra. His father was also a guide of common people towards god with vedas, Bhagavad Gita's thoughts etc. His father asked Harsha at the time of his death to study well and become a pandit. He told him to use his shiksha (education) towards making life of common people divinity oriented and better. Also, he told Śrīharṣa to take thoughts of Bhagavad Gita to every one. Śrīharṣa went to gurukul for education and studied under Guru's guidance. He mastered all scriptures and all schools of thoughts prevailing at that time. He wrote the unparalleled book (granth), खण्डन-खण्ड-खाद्य, on Advaia Vedanta. In this book, he has refuted Nyayadarsh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumārasambhava
''Kumārasaṃbhavam'' ( sa, 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. The style of description of spring set the standard for nature metaphors pervading many centuries of Indian literary tradition. ''Kumārasaṃbhavam'' basically talks about the birth of Kumara ( Kārtikeya), the son of Shiva and Parvati. The period of composition is uncertain, although Kālidāsa is thought to have lived in the 5th 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. The play depicts Kālid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vasavadatta
:''Vasavadatta is also a character in the Svapnavasavadatta and the Vina-Vasavadatta'' ''Vasavadatta'' ( sa, वासवदत्ता, ) is a classical Sanskrit romantic tale (''akhyayika'') written in an ornate style by Subandhu, whose time period isn't precisely known. He is generally taken to have written the work in the second quarter of the seventh century.Keith, Arthur Berriedale (1993). ''A History of Sanskrit Literature'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, , p.308 However, scholar Maan Singh has stated that he was a courtier of the Gupta emperors Kumaragupta I (414-455) and Skandagupta (455-467), dating him between 385 and 465 AD.Singh, Maan (1993). ''Subandhu'', New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, , pp. 9-11. The work's style has been described as "developed, elaborate, ornate and pedantic" and has influenced later prose writers. The ''Kanchanadarpana'' of Sivarama Tripathin (18th century) and the ''Tattvadipini'' of Jagaddhara are two significant works of criticism and co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bāṇabhaṭṭa
Bāṇabhaṭṭa ( sa, बाणभट्ट) was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'' in the court of the emperor Harsha, who reigned c. 606–647 CE in north India, first from Sthanvishvara (Thanesar), and later Kannauj. Bāna's principal works include a biography of Harsha, the ''Harshacharita'' (Deeds of Harsha), and one of the world's earliest novels, '' Kadambari''. Bāṇa died before finishing the novel and it was completed by his son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. Both these works are noted texts of Sanskrit literature. The other works attributed to him are the ''Caṇḍikāśataka'' and a drama, the ''Pārvatīpariṇaya''. Banabhatta gets an applause as "banochhistam jagatsarvam" meaning Bana has described everything in this world and nothing is left. Life A detailed account regarding his ancestry and early life can be reconstructed from the introductory verses attached to the ''Kadambari'' and the first two ''ucchāvasas'' of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naishadha Charita
''Naishadha Charita'', also known as Naishadhiya 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 Gahaḍavāla King Jayachandra. Contents ''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 ''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. Shishupala Vadha of Magha and ''Naishadha Charita'' of Sriharsh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
