Kumarasambhava or Kumaarasambhavam is one of the Sanskrit epic poems written by Kalidasa. Kumarasambhava means the birth of the War God or Kartikeya, Lord Shiva's first son.
The epic poem Kumarasambhava is divided into seventeen chapters or sargas. They describe the courtship of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. The seventeen chapters are said to be Shringar Rasa that is the illustration of love, romance, and sexual desire. It is said that a powerful rakshasa or demon named Tarakasur was blessed that he would be killed by Lord Shiva's son. However, Shiva had condensed the desire for love by intense meditation. Parvati performed great tapasya or spiritual penance and won the love of Lord Shiva. Later Parvati gave birth to a son named Kartikeya. Kartikeya grew up and killed Tarakasur and restored tranquility and the glory of Lord Indra and the celestial world. This how ends the story of Kumarasambhava.
There is a mythical story relating to Kalidasa when he was writing Kumarasambhava. Kalidasa abandoned his home and went away in search of knowledge and become worthy of his intellectual wife Vidyotama. When he returned his wife asked, 'asti kashchit wagvisheshah' that means if he had attained any intellect which should prompt her to extend a special welcome to him. Kalidasa wittily gave an appropriate answer to this. He informed Vidyotama that he had created three great epics based on the three letters uttered by his wife, 'asti', 'kumarsambhava' and 'kashchi'. The three words relates to the three great epics, Kumarasambhava, Meghadutta and Raghuvansa.
It is believed that Kalidasa was cursed with leprosy when he completed the eighth chapter of Kumarasambhava. In this chapter he described the act of love between Lord Shiva and Parvati. The last part of Kumarasambhava was completed by an anonymous writer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recently Updated Articles in Indian Literature
|
|
|
• | Hindi Poets The names of some of the Hindi Poets are Sumitranandan Pant, Dharamvir Bharati, Suryakumar Pandey and Ravindra Prabhat.
| | • | History of Tamil Literature History of Tamil Literature has a rich literary tradition spanning more than 2000 years. It encompasses ancient Sangam literature, which includes classic works like Silappatikaram and Manimekalai, and later periods marked by religious and philosophical texts. Tamil literature has evolved through various genres, reflecting the cultural, social, and linguistic heritage of the Tamil people.
| | • | Voices in the City , Anita Desai "Voices in the City" is a captivating novel by Anita Desai, an acclaimed Indian author. Set in post-colonial Kolkata, the book intricately weaves together the lives of four characters as they navigate love, loss, and the complexities of urban existence.
| | • | Modern Poetry in Malayalam Literature Modern poetry in Malayalam literature brought about a complete orientation in the form and subject matter of poetry. The classicist mode was abandoned and a newer content and Romanticism was seen in the works as opposed to the earlier rigid form of poetry which mainly dealt with religious themes.
| | • | Kamalakanta Bhattacharya Kamalakanta Bhattacharya was an 18th century Indian poet. He was a great devotee of Goddess Kali.
| | |
|
|
|
|