Author – Awadhesh Sharma
Princess Vidyottama was a highly educated maiden who had defeated many scholars in Shastrath, a debate on philosophical disciplines. She was also arrogant and had declared a condition that she would only marry the person who could defeat her in Shastrath. Her father, the king of Kashi, had instructed the Acharya of the Gurukul to look for a suitably educated groom who could meet the conditions set by his daughter for marriage. Many aspirants tried to win her hand through debate but were unsuccessful. Most of the aspiring candidates were products of the Gurukul and the whole educated community had become annoyed with the princess’ behaviour and wished to teach her a lesson.
One day while passing through a wooded area, the Acharya noticed a man on a tree, who was cutting the branch he was sitting on. The Acharya realised the woodcutter’s stupidity and decided to present him to the princess for debate. He called the man down and found out that he was uneducated but interested in learning. The Acharya promised him that if he married the princess, she would certainly educate him. For marrying her, he had to participate in a debate with the princess. During the debate, he should not speak, and should respond to any question through gestures only. The Acharya will take care of the rest. After initial disbelief, the person agreed to Acharya’s proposal.
The Acharya presented the new aspirant to the princess for debate, on condition that the debate would be through gestures only. His pretext was that the candidate was observing silence and could not speak that day. The princess initiated the debate by raising her index finger. In response, the candidate pointed his two fingers at her. The Acharya interpreted their gestures. One finger indicated that there was only one supreme God, whereas two fingers signified that there were two supreme powers comprising one the God and other the Soul. Vidyottama was impressed.
Next, she showed him her palm with five spread fingers. In response, the aspirant showed her his fist. The Acharya explained that the five fingers indicated the five senses whereas the fist indicated the importance of control over five senses. Vidyottama accepted the candidate’s reasoning and married him.
In the night, when they met again, the princess asked her husband: Asti Kashchit Vagvisheshah? Is there anything specifically intelligent that you can say? Her husband did not understand. He then told her truthfully his interpretation of the debate that took place earlier between them.
About gestures, he thought that she was threatening to poke his eye with one finger and so he responded to poke her both eyes by showing her two fingers. Regarding the show of palm with five spread fingers, he assumed that she was threatening to slap him. In response, he threatened to hit her with his fist. The princess realised that she had been cheated. In rage, she immediately expelled him from her palace.
Feeling hopeless and dejected, after wandering in the woods, the expelled husband entered into a pond to end his life by drowning. At that moment, he saw some people who had come to the pond to wash a goat for sacrifice to goddess Kali. He asked them to offer him to goddess as sacrifice instead of the goat. They refused, but he accompanied them to the Kali temple and prayed to the goddess. At the temple, he came in contact with educated people and scholars who took him under their guidance. He studied under their tutelage for several years and eventually started writing poems and plays in Sanskrit. Being inspired by his devotion to goddess Kali, he became known as Kalidas. It is believed that he was a Shaivite, a follower of Shiva worship tradition.
He composed three great books with each of the words of Vidyottama’s question asked during their first meeting after marriage. From “asti” = asti-uttarasyaam dishi, he produced the epic “Kumarasambhavam”; from “Kashchit” = kashchit-kaantaa, he wrote the poem “Meghadutam” and from “Vagvisheshah”= vaagarthaaviva, he wrote the epic “Raghuvamsam”.
His creations were well received and he was recommended to present himself to king Vikramaditya. He travelled to Ujjain where king Vikramaditya appointed him a court poet. By this time, his name and fame had spread all over India. Princess Vidyottama learnt about him and repented her rude behaviour towards him. She also travelled to Ujjain and reconciled with her husband Kalidas and assisted him in his future career.
There is no direct reference to his own life and time in his books. Nature and scriptures such as the Mahabharat, the Ramayan and Purans are the major sources of ideas for his compositions, which appear to be relevant to all ages and to many places and regions of India. In the absence of any specific information about his life, scholars from various parts of India claim that he originated from their region.
Subsequent poets, writers and scholars have referred to Kalidas’ name and works. Their commentaries have been used to establish facts about his life and time. Many versions of tales are popular about him, including his marriage with Vidyottama.
It is believed that he was brought up in childhood by foster parents. He was not interested in his studies during childhood but played musical instruments skilfully. He was evicted from his foster parents’ house and ended up in Kashi, where he survived by selling firewood. A girl from his village accompanied Kalidas after his expulsion from the village. She is recognised as the source of inspiration for Shringar Ras in his books.
Kumardas, a friend of Kalidas in Sri Lanka, invited him to read his plays to local audiences. While reading the play Shakuntalam, an assassin attacked and killed him.
The dates of Kalidas have not been established conclusively, and range from second century BC to fifth century AD. Referring to his play Malavikagnimitram, in which king Agnimitra of Shung dynasty was a major character, some scholars claim that he lived in the second century BC.
Analysing the use of word Vikram in his works, other scholars believe that Kalidas was a poet in the court of king Vikramaditya during the first century BC.
Those who assume Vikramaditya of first century BC a mythological personality, assert Kalidas’s time during the reign of Chandragupta Second, who had assumed the title of Vikramaditya during the fourth-fifth century AD.
Kalidas wrote three plays titled Abhigyan Shakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram and Vikramovarshiyam; two epic poems Kumarasambhavam and Raghuvamsam; and two lyrical poems Meghadutam and Ritusamharanam.
The plot of Abhigyan Shakuntalam, The Recognition of Shakuntala, is based on the story in the Mahabharat. Shakuntala was an adopted daughter of sage Kanva who lived in a forest Ashram. During a hunting trip, King Dushyant arrived at the Ashram in search of water to quench his thirst. He saw Shakuntala at the Ashram and fell in love with her. Sage Kanva was away from the Ashram. In his absence, they married according to the rituals of Gandharva Vivah, love marriage. The king presented Shakuntala with a ring and left to attend to an urgent task. Before leaving, he promised to come back to take her to his capital.
When Kanva returned, he learned by his Yogic power about the events in the Ashram. Shakuntala was pregnant and the king did not return to take her. The sage sent Shakuntala, accompanied with his disciples and a matron, to the king. The king failed to recognise and accept her as his wife. Shakuntala left the palace, and went to a forest, where she gave birth to a baby boy named Sarvadaman.
One day a fisherman caught a fish and found a ring in it. It was the same ring, which the king had given to Shakuntala. She had lost it while crossing a river, during her journey from the Ashram to the palace. The fisherman came to the king to sell the valuable ring, marked with a royal symbol. Seeing the ring triggered the king’s memories of his wedding to Shakuntala and he started a search for her.
During a trip to the forest, the king saw a boy playing with lion cubs. On further investigation it was revealed that the boy’s mother was Shakuntala. The king located her, and brought her and the boy to his capital. The boy was his son who was later named Bharat. He was a great ruler and the land of his kingdom was named Bharatvarsh, India.
Sir William Jones, an English judge in the court of East India Company, translated Abhigyan Shakuntalam into English, which was first published in Kolkata and then in Europe in 1790. Its German translation appeared in 1791 and French in 1803. The play was well received by European scholars, who started acknowledging the achievements of ancient Indian civilisation in literature and culture.
The play Malavikagnimitram, Malavika and Agnimitra, is about palace intrigues. Agnimitra, a major character in the play, is a historical personality, who ruled Magadh between 149BC and 141BC. In the play, Malavika was a handmaiden of the chief queen of king Agnimitra. She was very beautiful and attracted the attention of Agnimitra. The queen felt their attraction and imprisoned Malavika on some pretext. Later, it was revealed that Malavika was from a royal family and was released from imprisonment. She subsequently wed the king.
The play Vikramovarshiyam, Vikram and Urvashi, is based on an ancient legend of king Pururava and nymph Uravashi. The myth originated in hymns in the Rig-Ved and has been amplified in subsequent scriptures.
The epic poem Kumarasambhavam, The Birth of Kumar, narrates the story of Kumar, also known as Skand and Kartikey, the son of Shiva and Parvati. It describes the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, the birth of Kumar, and the battle of Kumar with the demon Tarakasur, who had defeated deities and usurped their power. Kumar finally defeated Tarakasur, and deities were restored to their positions. Stories of the deities’ plan to incite Kama, the love god, to arouse love in the heart of Shiva towards Parvati, and destruction of Kama by Shiva are elaborately described in the poem.
The epic poem Raghuvamsham, The Dynasty of Raghu, describes major events in the life of kings of Raghu dynasty, to which Maryada Purushotam Ram belongs. Four generations before Ram described in detail include Dilip, Raghu, AJ and Dasarath. The story of Ram consistent with the text in the Valmiki Ramayan is also included. After Ram, his son Kush returned to Ayodhya from Kushawati, a city allotted to him, and continued the tradition of Raghu dynasty by ruling the kingdom from Ayodhya. The poem also mentions over twenty subsequent kings after Kush. The last king in the epic died without a child and his pregnant queen was installed at the throne with an expectation that the newborn baby would continue the lineage.
The Poem Meghadutam, The Cloud Messenger, provides physical description of many regions of India and the emotions of an officer posted on duty to a distant land. A Yaksh, attendant of Kuber, the lord of wealth who lived in the city of Alaka on a mountain in the Himalaya, was posted to a mountainous region in Central India. He remembered his wife and wished to send her a message. He noticed clouds in the sky, as the rainy season was to start, and requested it to convey his communication to his wife, on its northward course. The Yaksh described many captivating sights that the cloud would see on its way to the city of Alaka, where his wife resided alone.
The poem Ritusamharanam, The Gathering of the Seasons, offers vigorous depictions of nature in all the six seasons encountered in India. The poem describes natural beauty in each season, and emotions arising in the hearts of women living away from their husbands during those periods.
Kalidas’ works are full of Shringar Ras that includes flirtation, playfulness, dalliance, adornment, artistry and other activities and feelings. His plays, especially Abhigyan Shakuntalam, remain popular and are staged in theatres and during cultural functions throughout India and other countries. Kalidas’s books are translated in many languages, and are an inspiring account of the private lives and cultural traditions of ancient times.