Kāvya (

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 ...

: काव्य,

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 ...

: ''kāvyá'') refers to the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

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 A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from straightforward language use or literal meaning to produce a rhetorical or intensified effect (emotionally, aesthetically, intellectually, etc.). In the ...

such as

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

simile A simile () is a type of figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes are often contrasted with metaphors, where similes necessarily compare two things using words such as "like", "as", while metaphors often create an implicit c ...

s, and

hyperbole Hyperbole (; adj. hyperbolic ) is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis (literally 'growth'). In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and cre ...

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 , also Devanagari transliteration, transliterated Ashvaghosha (, ; lit. "Having a Horse-Voice"; ; ) ( Common Era, CE), was a Buddhist philosopher, dramatist, poet, musician, and orator from India. He was born in Saketa, today known as Ayodhya. ...

(c. 80–150 CE), a philosopher and poet considered the father of

drama, is attributed with first using the term.

Early kāvya

Although very little literature in the kāvya style written before the time of

Kālidāsa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali (god), 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. ...

(5th century CE) survives, it can be assumed from quotations in

Patañjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...

's grammatical treatise the

Mahābhāṣya ''Mahabhashya'' (, IAST: '','' , "Great Commentary"), attributed to Patañjali, is a commentary on selected rules of Sanskrit grammar from Pāṇini's treatise, the ''Aṣṭādhyāyī'', as well as Kātyāyana's ''Vārttika-sūtra'', an ela ...

(2nd century BCE), as well as from poems written on various inscriptions of the 4th to 6th centuries CE, that it dates back to an early time. One early epic work in this style is the

Buddhacarita ''Buddhacharita'' (; ) is an epic poem in the Sanskrit '' mahakavya'' style on the life of Gautama Buddha by Aśvaghoṣa of Sāketa (modern Ayodhya), composed in the early second century CE. The author has prepared an account of the Buddha's ...

by Aśvaghoṣa (2nd century CE). Only the first half of this survives in Sanskrit, and the rest in a Chinese translation made c. 420 CE.

Mahākāvya

is believed to have lived in the early 5th century CE. He is the author of two epics, the

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 narrat ...

and

Kumārasambhava ''Kumārasambhavam'' ''( ) (transl. - "The Birth of Kumāra")'' is an epic poem by Kālidāsa. It is widely regarded as the finest work of Kalidasa as well as the greatest kāvya poem in Classical Sanskrit. The style of description of spring set ...

. These two epics are traditionally known as

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 phenomena such as scenery, love, and battles. Ty ...

"great epics". Other writers of great epics were

Bhāravi 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 insc ...

(6th century CE), author 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 ...

;

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 ...

(c. 7th Century CE), author of Śiśupāla·vadha, an epic famous for its linguistic ingenuity, and

Śrīharṣa Shri-harsha (IAST: Śrīharṣa) was a 12th century CE Indian philosopher and poet. Śrīharṣa works discuss various themes in Indian Philosophy, such as pramana. He has been often interpreted as promoting Advaita Vedānta in his ''Sweets of Re ...

(12th century CE), author of Naiṣadhīya·carita. Another epic often called a ''mahākāvya'', is

Bhaṭṭikāvya ' (; "Bhatti's Poem") is a Sanskrit-language poem dating from the 7th century CE, in the formal genre of the "great poem" ( mahākāvya). It focuses on two deeply rooted Sanskrit traditions, the ''Ramayana'' and Panini's grammar, while incorporat ...

, which is simultaneously a narrative and a manual of grammatical instruction. It is believed by some to have been written by the 7th-century poet and grammarian Bhartṛihari.

Prose writers

Those who wrote in prose included Subandhu (5th or 7th century CE?), author of

Vasavadatta :''Vasavadatta is also a character in the Svapnavasavadatta and the Vina-Vasavadatta'' ''Vasavadatta'' (, ) is a classical Sanskrit romantic tale (''akhyayika'') written in an ornate style by Subandhu, whose time period isn't precisely known. ...

, a romantic tale, and

Bāṇabhaṭṭa Bāṇabhaṭṭa () was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet from India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'' in the court of the Emperor Harsha, during his reign at Kanyakubja. Bāna's principal works include a biography of Harsha, the ''Ha ...

(also called Bāṇa) (7th century CE), author of Kadambari, a romantic novel, and of Harṣacarita, a biography written in poetic prose. Another well-known writer of the period was

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 ...

(7th–8th century CE), who as well as poetry, wrote the

Kāvyādarśa The Kavyadarsha (, ) by Dandin is the earliest surviving systematic treatment of poetics in Sanskrit. Contents This work is divided into 3 ''pariccheda''s (chapters) in most of the printed editions, except one, where the third chapter of the oth ...

, a discussion of poetics, and the Daśa·kumāra·carita.

Some examples of kāvya

Source:

Epics

* Rāmāyaṇa – Vālmīki *

Mahābhārata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succe ...

– Vyāsa *Kumāra-sambhava – Kālidāsa *Buddha-carita – Aśva-ghoṣa * Raghu-vaṃśa – Kālidāsa *Madhurā-vijaya – Gaṅgā-devī *Kṛṣṇa-vilāsa – Sukumāra *Vikramāṅka-deva-carita – Bilhaṇa *Śiva-līlārṇava – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Kirātārjunīya – Bhāravi *Śiśupāla-vadha – Māgha *Naiṣadhīya-carita – Śrī-harṣa *Jānakī-pariṇaya – Cakra-kavi *Raghunāthābhyudaya – Rāma-bhadrāmbā *Gāṅgāvataraṇa – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Daśāvatāra-carita – Kṣemendra *Pūrva-purāṇa – Jina-sena * Rukmiṇīśa-vijaya – Vādi-rāja *Dharma-śarmābhyudaya – Hari-candra *Bāla-bhārata – Amara-candra *Śrīkaṇṭha-carita – Maṅkha *Rāma-carita – Abhinanda *Jānakī-haraṇa – Kumāra-dāsa * Yādavābhyudaya – Vedānta-deśika *Yudhiṣṭhira-vijaya – Vāsudeva *Rāvaṇa-vadha – Bhaṭṭi *Kapphiṇābhyudaya – Śiva-svāmī *Hara-vijaya – Ratnākara *Rāghava-pāṇḍavīya – Kavi-rāja

Plays

*Ūru-bhaṅga – Bhāsa *Svapna-vāsavadatta – Bhāsa *Matta-vilāsa-prahasana – Mahendra-varmā *Bhagavadajjukīya – Mahendra-varmā *Mṛcchakaṭika – Śūdraka *Kunda-mālā – Diṅnāga *Mālavikāgnimitra – Kālidāsa *Ratnāvalī – Harṣa-vardhana *Vikramorvaśīya – Kālidāsa *Abhijñāna-śākuntala – Kālidāsa *Nāgānanda – Harṣa-vardhana *Prabodha-candrodaya – Kṛṣṇa-miśra *Uttara-rāma-carita – Bhava-bhūti *Veṇī-saṃhāra – Bhaṭṭa-nārāyaṇa *Mudrā-rākṣasa – Viśākha-datta *Padma-prābhṛtaka – Śūdraka *Pāda-tāḍitaka – Śyāmilaka *Pratijñā-yaugandharāyaṇa – Bhāsa *Hāsya-cūḍāmaṇi – Vatsa-rāja *Karpūra-carita-bhāṇa – Vatsa-rāja *Bāla-carita – Bhāsa *Avimāraka – Bhāsa *Āścarya-cūḍāmaṇi – Śakti-bhadra *Priya-darśikā – Harṣa-vardhana *Karṇa-sundarī – Bilhaṇa *Tāpasa-vatsa-rāja – Māyu-rāja *Naiṣadhānanda – Kṣemīśvara *Viddha-śālabhañjikā – Rāja-śekhara *Laṭaka-melaka – Śaṅkha-dhara *Hāsyārṇava – Jagadīśa *Prasanna-rāghava – Jaya-deva *Mahāvīra-carita – Bhava-bhūti *Mālatī-mādhava – Bhava-bhūti *Hanumannāṭaka *Ubhayābhisārikā – Vara-ruci *Dhūrta-viṭa-saṃvāda – Īśvara-datta *Anargha-rāghava – Murāri *Bāla-rāmāyaṇa – Rāja-śekhara *Saṅkalpa-sūryodaya – Vedānta-deśika

Stories and Fables

* Pañca-tantra – Viṣṇu-śarmā * Hitopadeśa – Nārāyaṇa-paṇḍita *Siṃhāsana-dvātriṃśikā * Vetāla-pañcaviṃśati – Jambhala-datta *Jātaka-mālā – Ārya-śūra *Bhoja-prabandha – Ballāḻa *Śuka-saptati – Cintā-maṇi *Puruṣa-parīkṣā – Vidyā-pati *Prabandha-koṣa – Rāja-śekhara *Prabandha-cintāmaṇi – Meru-tuṅga

Prose Works

*Daśa-kumāra-carita – Daṇḍī *Kādambarī – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa *Harṣa-carita – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa *Tilaka-mañjarī – Dhana-pāla *Vāsava-dattā – Subandhu

Campū

*Rāmāyaṇa-campū – Bhoja *Nīlakaṇṭha-vijaya-campū – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Viśva-guṇādarśa-campū – Veṅkaṭādhvarī *Bhārata-campū – Ananta-bhaṭṭa *Varadāmbikā-pariṇaya-campū – Tirumalāmbā *Yātrā-prabandha – Samara-puṅgava-dīkṣita *Nṛsiṃha-campū – Daivajña-sūrya *Pārijātāpaharaṇa-campū – Śeṣa-śrī-kṛṣṇa *Udaya-sundarī-kathā – Soḍḍhala * Yaśastilaka-campū – Soma-deva-sūri *Nala-campū – Trivikrama-bhaṭṭa

Short Poems

*Ṛtu-saṃhāra – Kālidāsa *Nīti-dviṣaṣṭikā – Sundara-pāṇḍya *Nīti-śataka – Bhartṛhari *Vairāgya-śataka – Bhartṛhari *Amaru-śataka – Amaruka *Sabhā-rañjana – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Kali-viḍambana – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Vairāgya-śataka – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Śānti-vilāsa – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Megha-dūta – Kālidāsa *Bhāminī-vilāsa – Jagannātha *Gīta-govinda – Jaya-deva *Bhallaṭa-śataka – Bhallaṭa *Anyāpadeśa-śataka – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Mahiṣa-śataka – Vāñcheśvara *Dṛṣṭānta-kalikā-śataka – Kusuma-deva *Cāṇakya-nīti – Cāṇakya *Gumānī-śataka – Gumānī-kavi *Śānti-śataka – Śilhaṇa * Haṃsa-sandeśa – Vedānta-deśika *Kokila-sandeśa – Uddaṇḍa *Āryā-sapta-śatī – Govardhana *Tīrtha-prabandha – Vādi-rāja *Pārśvābhyudaya – Jina-sena *Sahṛdayānanda – Śrī-kṛṣṇānanda *Subhāṣita-kaustubha – Veṅkaṭādhvarī *Subhāṣita-nīvī – Vedānta-deśika

Devotional Hymns

*Śivānanda-laharī – Śaṅkarācārya *Śrī-kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta – Līlā-śuka *Gaṅgā-laharī – Jagannātha *Śivotkarṣa-mañjarī – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Saundarya-laharī – Śaṅkarācārya *Sudhā-laharī – Jagannātha *Varada-rāja-stava – Appayya-dīkṣita *Ānanda-sāgara-stava – Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita *Mūka-pañcaśatī – Mūka-kavi * Pādukā-sahasra – Vedānta-deśika *Lakṣmī-nṛsiṃha-karāvalambana-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya *Devyaparādha-kṣamāpaṇa-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya *Śiva-mahimnaḥ stotra – Puṣpa-danta *Śyāmalā-daṇḍaka *Śiva-pādādi-keśānta-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya *Viṣṇu-pādādi-keśānta-stotra – Śaṅkarācārya *Gopāla-viṃśati – Vedānta-deśika *Karuṇā-laharī – Jagannātha *Lakṣmī-laharī – Jagannātha *Rāma-karṇāmṛta – Rāmabhadra-dīkṣita *Rāmāṣṭa-prāsa – Rāmabhadra-dīkṣita *Raṅgarāja-stava – Parāśara-bhaṭṭa *Garuḍa-pañcāśat – Vedānta-deśika *Stuti-kusumāñjali – Jagaddhara *Caṇḍī-śataka – Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa *Sūrya-śataka – Mayūra *Nārāyaṇīya – Nārāyaṇa-bhaṭṭatiri *Devī-śataka – Ānanda-vardhana *Īśvara-śataka – Īśvara-kavi *Lakṣmī-sahasra – Veṅkaṭādhvarī

Satires and Verse Narratives

*Darpa-dalana – Kṣemendra *Kuṭṭinī-mata – Dāmodara *Deśopadeśa – Kṣemendra *Kalā-vilāsa – Kṣemendra *Narma-mālā – Kṣemendra *Rāmāyaṇa-mañjarī – Kṣemendra *Bhārata-mañjarī – Kṣemendra *Kathā-sarit-sāgara – Soma-deva *Rāja-taraṅgiṇī – Kalhaṇa *Sevya-sevakopadeśa – Kṣemendra *Cāru-caryā – Kṣemendra *Bṛhatkathā-mañjarī – Kṣemendra *Caturvarga-saṅgraha – Kṣemendra *Deśopadeśa – Kṣemendra *Samaya-mātṛkā – Kṣemendra *Bhikṣāṭana-kāvya – Utprekṣā-vallabha

Anthologies

*Samayocita-padya-mālikā *Subhāṣitāvalī – Vallabha-deva *Subhāṣita-ratna-koṣa – Vidyākara *Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra *Subhāṣita-sudhā-nidhi – Sāyaṇācārya *Padyāvalī – Rūpa-gosvāmī *Śārṅgadhara-paddhati – Śārṅgadhara *Sūkti-muktāvalī – Jalhaṇa *Sadukti-karṇāmṛta – Śrīdhara-dāsa

Modern Works

*Vātsalya-rasāyana (short poem) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar *Kāma-śuddhi (short play) – V Raghavan *Kālidāsa-rahasya (short poem) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar *Nāṭya-pañcagavya (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Pañca-kulyā (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Prekṣaṇaka-trayī (collection of short plays) – V Raghavan *Candra-sena (play) – S D Joshi and Vighna Hari Deo *Laharī-daśaka (collection of short poems) – Radhavallabh Tripathi *Śiva-rājyodaya (epic) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar *Anārkalī (play) – V Raghavan *Megha-prati-sandeśa (short poem) – Mandikal Rama Shastri *Kaṇṭakāñjali (satire) – K S Arjunwadkar *Vicchitti-vātāyanī (collection of verses) – Jagannath Pathak *Kāpiśāyinī (collection of short poems) – Jagannath Pathak *Parīvāha (collection of short poems) – Balram Shukla *Nipuṇa-prāghuṇaka (play) – Shankar Rajaraman *Bhārāvatāra-stava (devotional hymn) – Shankar Rajaraman *Mṛtkūṭa (short poem) – Bhaskaracharya Tripathi *Pratijñā-kauṭilya (play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Citra-naiṣadha (short poem)– Shankar Rajaraman *Sītā-rāvaṇa-saṃvāda-jharī (short poem) – C Rama Shastri and Sitarama Shastri *Lokālaṅkāra-paṅkīya (satire) – S Jagannatha *Asta-vyasta (play) – S Jagannatha *Kāvya-kalāpa (collection of short poems) – Jaggu Shingararya *Abhirāja-saptaśatī (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Abhirāja-sāhasrī (collection of short poems) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Nāṭya-nava-ratna (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Rūpa-rudrīya (collection of short plays) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Akiñcana-kāñcana (play) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Mīrā-laharī (short poem) – Kshama Rao *Mṛgāṅka-dūta (short poem) – Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra *Kavitā-putrikā-jāti (collection of short poems) – Balram Shukla *Pratijñā-śāntanava (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Maṇi-haraṇa (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Apratima-pratima (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Prasanna-kāśyapa (short play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Vivekānanda-vijaya (play) – Sridhar Bhaskar Warnekar *Śatālaṅkāra-kṛṣṇa-śataka (short poem) – H V Nagaraja Rao *Vyājokti-muktāvalī (short poem) – Mahalinga Shastri *Bhramara-dūta (short poem) – Mahalinga Shastri *Adbhutāṃśuka (play) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Madhurāñjali (collection of poems) – Galagali Ramacharya *Adbhuta-dūta (epic) – Jaggu Vakulabhushana *Laghu-raghu (short poem) – Bhaskaracharya Tripathi *Devī-dānavīya (short poem) – Shankar Rajaraman

Notes

Glossary

References

Bibliography

* Keith, Arthur Berriedale,(1928)
''A History of Sanskrit Literature''
(

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

). * * Warder, A.K., (1989). ''Indian Kavya Literature'', South Asia Books.
Kavya
(2007). ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''. * Winternitz, M. A History of Indian Literature. Oriental books, New Delhi, 1972 * Gonda, Jan ''A History of Indian Literature'', Otto Harrasowitz, Wiesbaden. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kavya Poetry movements Indian literary movements Sanskrit literature Ancient Indian poets Medieval poetry Ancient literature hi:काव्य Indian aesthetics