Śiśupāla-vadha
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The Shishupala Vadha (,
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...
: ''Śiśupāla-vadha'', ''lit.'' "the slaying of Shishupala") is a work of classical
Sanskrit poetry Sanskrit literature is a broad term for all literature composed in Sanskrit. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as some ...
(''
kāvya Kāvya (Devanagari: :wikt:काव्य#Devanagari, काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá'') refers to the Sanskrit literary style used by Kingdoms of Ancient India, Indian court poets flourishing between c. 200 BCE and 1200 CE. This literary styl ...
'') composed by
Māgha Magha (c. 7th century) (, ) was a Sanskrit Language, Sanskrit poet at Vatsraj, King Varmalata's court at Bhinmal, Shrimala, the then-capital of Gujarat (presently in Rajasthan state). Magha was born in a Shrimali Brahmins, Shrimali Brahmin fami ...
in the 7th or 8th century. It is an
epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...
in 20 ''sarga''s (
canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from th ...
s) 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 The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
. In the original story,
Shishupala Shishupala (, ; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the king of the Chedi kingdom, and an antagonist in the Mahabharata. He was the son of King Damaghosha and Srutashrava, the sister of Kunti, as well as the cousin of Nanda (Hinduism), Nanda. He was s ...
, king of the Chedis in central India, after insulting
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
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 Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
's
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
hood 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 following description of the plot of the ''Shishupala Vadha'' is drawn from A. K. Warder. The evil Shishupala has previously clashed with Krishna many times, such as when the latter eloped with
Rukmini Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...
who was betrothed to him, and defeated the combined armies of Shishupala and Rukmini's brother
Rukmi Rukmi () is a prince from Vidarbha kingdom attested in Hindu texts. He was the eldest son of King Bhishmaka and the brother of Rukmini, who married Krishna. Known for his martial skills and conflicts with prominent figures like Krishna and Bal ...
. When the story begins, Sage
Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...
reminds Krishna that while he had previously (in the form of
Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...
) killed
Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (, ), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas. In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu ...
, the demon has been reborn as Shishupala and desires to conquer the world, and must be destroyed again. Meanwhile,
Yudhiṣṭhira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the anc ...
and his brothers, having conquered the four directions and killed
Jarasandha Jarasandha () is a king featured in the Hindu Mythology. He is the powerful monarch of Magadha, and a minor antagonist in Mahabharata. He is the son of the king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to popu ...
, wish to perform the
rajasuya Rajasuya () is a śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion. It is ceremony that marks a consecration of a king. According to the Puranas, it refers to a great sacrifice performed by a Chakravarti – universal monarch, in which the tributary princes ...
yajña (ceremony) and Krishna has been invited. Unsure what to do (Canto II), Krishna takes the counsel of his brother
Balarama Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The fir ...
and of
Uddhava Uddhava () is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, described to be the friend and counsellor of Krishna. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. The principl ...
. While Balarama suggests attacking declaring war on Shishupala immediately, Uddhava points out that this would involve many kings and disrupt Yudhishthira's ceremony (where their presence is required). Instead, he suggests ensuring that Shishupala attends the ceremony as well. Pleased with this plan, Krishna sets out (Canto III) with his army to
Indraprastha Indraprastha (Sanskrit: इन्द्रप्रस्थ, n̪d̪ɾɐpɾɐst̪ʰə (lit. "Plain of Indra" or "City of Indra") is a city cited in ancient Indian literature as a constituent of the Kuru Kingdom. It was designated the capit ...
where the ceremony will be held. On the way, he sees Mount Raivataka (Canto IV), decides to camp there (Canto V), and all seasons simultaneously manifest themselves for his pleasure (Canto VI). His followers' enjoyment (Canto VII) and
water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...
(Canto VIII) are then described, as are nightfall (Canto IX), drinking and a general festival of love (Canto X) and dawn (Canto XI). These cantos, containing exquisite and detailed descriptions that are unrelated to the action, are usually the most popular with Sanskrit critics. The army resumes its march in Canto XII, and Krishna finally enters the city (Canto XIII). The ceremony takes place, and at the end, at
Bhishma Bhishma (), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, is a central figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was a statesman and military commander of the ancient Kuru Kingdom. Renowned for his wisdom, valor, and unwavering principles, ...
's advice, the highest honour (''arghya'') is bestowed on Krishna (Canto XIV). Shishupala is enraged at this (Canto XV), and makes a long speech on (what he considers) Krishna's bad qualities. He leaves the assembly. In Canto XVI, he sends a messenger to Krishna. Krishna declares war (Canto XVII), and the armies fight (Canto XVIII), with the various complex formations of the armies being matched by the complex forms Māgha adopts for his verses in Canto XIX. Finally, Krishna enters the fight (Canto XX), and after a long battle, strikes off Shishupala's head with
Sudarshana Chakra The Sudarshana Chakra (, ) is a divine discus, attributed to Vishnu in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodak ...
, his discus. Despite what may appear to be little subject matter, the cantos of this work are in fact longer than those of other epics.


Appraisal

The poet seems to have been inspired by the ''
Kirātārjunīya ''Kirātārjunīya'' (, ''Of Kirata and Arjuna'') 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 Shiva (in the guise ...
'' of
Bharavi Bharavi () was a 6th century Indian poet known for his epic poem '' Kirātārjunīya'', one of the six '' mahakavyas'' in classical Sanskrit. Date According to multiple grant inscriptions of the Ganga dynasty, such as the Gummareddipura in ...
, 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 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. 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 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. 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. Magha is also noted for technique of developing the theme, "stirring intense and conflicting emotions relieved by lighter situations". The work is primarily in the vīra (heroic) rasa (mood). In the 20th stanza of the fourth canto, Māgha describes the simultaneous setting of the sun and the rising of the moon on either side of the Meru mountain as like a mighty elephant with two bells dangling on either side of his body. This striking imagery has earned Māgha the sobriquet of ''Ghaṇṭāmāgha'', "Bell-Māgha". His similes are also highly original, and many verses from the work are of independent interest, and are quoted for their poetic or moral nature. Whereas Bhāravi glorifies
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
, Māgha glorifies Krishna; while Bhāravi uses 19 metres Māgha uses 23, like Bhāravi's 15th canto full of contrived verses Māgha introduces even more complicated verses in his 19th. A popular Sanskrit verse about Māgha (and hence about this poem, as it his only known work and the one his reputation rests on) says: :उपमा कालिदासस्य भारवेरर्थगौरवम् । :दण्डिन: पदलालित्यं माघे सन्ति त्रयो गुणाः ॥ : upamā kālidāsasya, bhāraverarthagauravam, : daṇḍinaḥ padalālityaṃ — māghe santi trayo guṇāḥ : : "The similes of
Kalidasa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 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 Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviv ...
,
Bharavi Bharavi () was a 6th century Indian poet known for his epic poem '' Kirātārjunīya'', one of the six '' mahakavyas'' in classical Sanskrit. Date According to multiple grant inscriptions of the Ganga dynasty, such as the Gummareddipura in ...
's depth of meaning,
Daṇḍin Daṇḍi or Daṇḍin (Sanskrit: दण्डिन्) () was an Indian Sanskrit grammarian and author of prose romances. He is one of the best-known writers in Indian history. Life Daṇḍin's account of his life in ''Avantisundari-ka ...
's wordplay — in Māgha all three qualities are found." Thus, Māgha's attempt to surpass Bharavi appears to have been successful; even his name seems to be derived from this feat: another Sanskrit saying goes ''tāvat bhā bhāraveḥ bhāti yāvat māghasya nodayaḥ'', which can mean "the lustre of the sun lasts until the advent of Maagha (the coldest month of winter)", but also "the lustre of Bharavi lasts until the advent of Māgha". However, Māgha follows Bhāravi's structure too closely, and the long-windedness of his descriptions loses the gravity and "weight of meaning" found in Bhāravi's poem. Consequently, Māgha is more admired as a poet than the work is as a whole, and the sections of the work that may be considered digressions from the story have the nature of an anthology and are more popular. His work is also considered to be difficult, and reading it and
Meghadūta ''Meghadūta'' (, literally ''Cloud Messenger'') is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa (c. 4th–5th century CE), considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. It describes how a '' yakṣa'' (or nature spirit), who had been banished by ...
can easily consume one's lifetime, according to the saying (sometimes attributed to Mallinātha) ''māghe meghe gataṃ vayaḥ''. ("In reading Māgha and Megha my life was spent", or also the unrelated meaning "In the month of Magha, a bird flew among the clouds".)


Linguistic ingenuity

Besides its poetry, the poem also revels in wordplay and ingeniously constructed verses. The second canto contains a famous verse with a string of adjectives that can be interpreted differently depending on whether they are referring to politics (''rāja-nīti'', king's policy) or grammar. The entire 16th canto, a message from Shishupala to Krishna, is intentionally ambiguous, and can be interpreted in two ways: one favourable and pleasing (a humble apology in courteous words), the other offensive and harsh (a declaration of war). For instance:
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

कृतगोपवधूरतेर्घ्नतो
वृषमुग्रे नरकेऽपि संप्रति ।
प्रतिपत्तिरधःकृतैनसो
जनताभिस्तव साधु वर्ण्यते ॥
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

kṛta-gopa-vadhū-rater ghnato
vṛṣam ugre narake 'pi saṃprati
pratipattir adhaḥkṛtainaso
janatābhis tava sādhu varṇyate which can mean either of: You delighted the cowherds and their wives by killing Demon Buffalo and cracking down on crime. Now your action against the formidable demon Naraka is winning the enthusiastic approval of the people. By having sex with the wives of the cowherds you acted criminally and slaughtered justice. Now that your career has hit rock bottom, the people say you got what you deserved.
The 19th canto, especially, like the 15th canto of ''
Kirātārjunīya ''Kirātārjunīya'' (, ''Of Kirata and Arjuna'') 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 Shiva (in the guise ...
'', contains '' chitrakavya'' or decorative composition, with many examples of
constrained writing Constrained writing is a literary technique in which the writer is bound by some condition that forbids certain things or imposes a pattern. Constraints are very common in poetry, which often requires the writer to use a particular verse form. D ...
. Its third stanza, for instance, contains only the consonant 'j' in the first line, 't' in the second, 'bh' in the third, and 'r' in the fourth:
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

जजौजोजाजिजिज्जाजी
तं ततोऽतितताततुत् ।
भाभोऽभीभाभिभूभाभू-
रारारिररिरीररः ॥
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

jajaujojājijijjājī
taṃ tato'titatātatut
bhābho'bhībhābhibhūbhābhū-
rārārirarirīraraḥ
He progresses to just two consonants in the 66th stanza:
भूरिभिर्भारिभिर्भीराभूभारैरभिरेभिरे ।
भेरीरेभिभिरभ्राभैरभीरुभिरिभैरिभाः ॥ bhūribhirbhāribhirbhīrābhūbhārairabhirebhire
bherīrebhibhirabhrābhairabhīrubhiribhairibhāḥ
By the 114th stanza, this is taken to an extreme, with a celebrated example involving just one consonant:
दाददो दुद्ददुद्दादी दाददो दूददीददोः ।
दुद्दादं दददे दुद्दे दादाददददोऽददः ॥ dādado duddaduddādī dādado dūdadīdadoḥ
duddādaṃ dadade dudde dādādadadado'dadaḥ
The same canto also contains increasingly ingenious palindromes. The 44th stanza, for instance, has each line a palindrome:
वारणागगभीरा सा साराभीगगणारवा ।
कारितारिवधा सेना नासेधा वारितारिका ॥ vāraṇāgagabhīrā sā sārābhīgagaṇāravā /
kāritārivadhā senā nāsedhā vāritārikā
The 88th stanza is a palindrome as a whole (syllable-for-syllable), with the second half being the first half reversed. This is known as ''pratiloma'' (or ''gatapratyāgata'') and is not found in Bharavi:
तं श्रिया घनयानस्तरुचा सारतया तया ।
यातया तरसा चारुस्तनयानघया श्रितं ॥ taṃ śriyā ghanayānastarucā sāratayā tayā
yātayā tarasā cārustanayānaghayā śritaṃ
The 34th stanza is the 33rd stanza written backwards, with a different meaning. Finally, the 27th stanza is an example of what has been called "the most complex and exquisite type of
palindrome A palindrome (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, palindromic number, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date "Twosday, 02/02/2020" and th ...
ever invented". It may also be thought of as a syllabic
Sator Square The Sator Square (or Rotas-Sator Square or Templar Magic Square) is a two-dimensional acrostic class of word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome. The earliest squares were found at Roman-era sites, all in ROTAS-form (where the top l ...
. Sanskrit aestheticians call it ''sarvatobhadra'', "perfect in every direction" — it yields the same text if read forwards, backwards, down, or up:
सकारनानारकास-
कायसाददसायका ।
रसाहवा वाहसार-
नादवाददवादना ॥
sakāranānārakāsa-
kāyasādadasāyakā
rasāhavā vāhasāra-
nādavādadavādanā.
The 29th stanza can be arranged into the shape of a "drum" (''muraja-citra''):

सा सेना गमनारम्भे
रसेनासीदनारता ।
तारनादजनामत्त
धीरनागमनामया ॥ The first, second, third, and fourth lines give the same text when read along a "drum" pattern.
In the 118th stanza, each half contains the same ''pāda'' twice, but with different meanings. This is known as ''samudga'':
सदैव संपन्नवपू रणेषु
स दैवसंपन्नवपूरणेषु ।
महो दधे 'स्तारि महानितान्तं
महोदधेस्तारिमहा नितान्तम् ॥ sadaiva saṃpannavapū raṇeṣu
sa daivasaṃpannavapūraṇeṣu
maho dadhe 'stāri mahānitāntaṃ
mahodadhestārimahā nitāntam
The canto also includes stanzas which can be arranged into the shape of a sword, zigzags, and other shapes. Finally, it ends with a stanza (120th) in the extremely difficult "wheel design" known as ''cakra-vṛtta'' or ''cakrabandha'', wherein the syllables can be arranged in the form of a wheel with six spokes.Illustration
/ref>
सत्वं मानविशिष्टमाजिरभसादालम्ब्य भव्यः पुरो
लब्धाघक्षयशुद्धिरुद्धरतरश्रीवत्सभूमिर्मुदा ।
मुक्त्वा काममपास्तभीः परमृगव्याधः स नादं हरे-
रेकौघैः समकालमभ्रमुदयी रोपैस्तदा तस्तरे ॥

satvaṃ mānaviśiṣṭamājirabhasādālambya bhavyaḥ puro
labdhāghakṣayaśuddhiruddharataraśrīvatsabhūmirmudā /
muktvā kāmamapāstabhīḥ paramṛgavyādhaḥ sa nādaṃ hare-
rekaughaiḥ samakālamabhramudayī ropaistadā tastare //
In the figure, the first, second and third lines are read top-to-bottom along the "spokes" of the wheel, sharing a common central syllable, while the fourth line is read clockwise around the circumference (starting and ending where the third line ends), sharing every third syllable with one of the first three lines. Further, the large syllables in bold (within the annuli), read clockwise, spell out ''śiśupālavadha-māgha-kāvyamidaṃ'' ("This is Śiśupālavadha, a poem by Māgha").


Derivatives

Māgha influenced Ratnākara's '' Haravijaya'', an epic in 50 cantos that suggests a thorough study of the ''Shishupalavadha''. The Dharmashramabhyudaya, a Sanskrit poem by Hari handra in 21 cantos on Dharmanatha the 15th
tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
, is modeled on the Shishupalavadha. The oldest known commentary on the ''Śiśupālavadha'' is that by Vallabhadeva, known as the ''Sandehaviṣauṣadhi''. The commentary by Mallinātha is known as the ''Sarvaṅkaṣā'', and, as on the other five ''mahakavya''s, is considered the pre-eminent one. There are numerous other commentaries on it from different parts of the country, illustrating its importance. The
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
writer Bhaskarabhatta Borikar, of the early 14th century, wrote a Shishupala Vadha in Marathi (1308).


Editions

* ''The Śiśupâlavadha of Mâgha: with the commentary (Sarvankashâ) of Mallinâtha'', edited by Pandit Durgāprasād and Pandit Śivadatta of Jeypore. Bombay, Nirnaya Sagar Press
First edition 18881888
Revised by Vāsudev Lakshmaṇ Śāstrī Paṇśīkar
Third edition 1902Fourth edition 190519051905Seventh edition 1917Tenth edition 1933
Revised by Nārāyaṇ Rām Āchārya Kāyvatīrt
Eleventh edition 1940
* With the commentary of Mallinatha, and with notes by Pandit Jibananda Vidyasagar's sons Ashubodh Vidyabhushan and Nityabodha Vidyaratna
Sixth edition 1920192019201920
* With the commentaries of both Mallinatha and Vallabhadeva, Kashi Sanskrit Series No. 69
192919291929
* With the commentary (''Sandeha-Vishaushadhi'') of Vallabhadeva, edited by Ram Chandra Kak and Harabhatta Shastri
1935
* The 8th and 9th sargas, with the ''Sarvankasha'' commentary of Mallinatha and the ''Alka'' Hindi Tika by Ram Kumar Acharya. Published by Chowkhamba
8th and 9th sargas
* Cantos 1–4, with the commentary of Mallinatha and an introduction, notes and translation by M. S. Bhandare. Bombay
1932
* Cantos 1–4, with extensive notes and “questions and answers”. Published by
Chowkhamba
* Rājakuṇḍa, Māghakāvyadurghaṭ
manuscript
*
Paul Dundas Paul Dundas (23 May 1952 – 5 April 2023) was a Scottish Indologist, an honorary fellow in Sanskrit language and Head of Asian studies at the University of Edinburgh. His teachings and research focused extensively on understanding Jainism, Bu ...
(2017). ''The Killing of Shishupala'',
Murty Classical Library of India The Murty Classical Library of India began publishing classics of Indian literature in January 2015. The books, which are in dual-language format with the original language and English facing, are published by Harvard University Press. The libra ...
, Harvard University Press.


References


External links


Transliterated text
at GRETIL
Description of Mount Raivataka
from ''Shishupala vadha'', translated by K. Krishnamoorthy ; The Shishupala story

sections XXXV–XLIV of the second book provide the basis for the story
Translation by Paul Wilmot
part of the
Clay Sanskrit Library The Clay Sanskrit Library is a series of books published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation. Each work features the text in its original language (transliterated Sanskrit) on the left-hand page, with its English translation on the ...
translation, {{ISBN, 978-0-8147-9406-7. Sanskrit poetry Epic poems in Sanskrit 7th-century Sanskrit literature