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41-415: Dasha Shloki is Sanskrit for "ten verses ". According to legend, Adi Shankara chanted this hymn in response to his disciples's final request for him, which was to explain the essence of the teachings of Vedanta . He is believed to have first sung the hymn when he met his guru , Govindapada . In the hymn, Adi Shankara states that the nature of the self is identical to Brahman, which is not identical to

82-426: A kavikulaguru , 'the lord of poets' and the vilāsa , 'graceful play' of the muse of poetry. The Indologist Sir Monier Williams has written: "No composition of Kālidāsa displays more the richness of his poetical genius, the exuberance of his imagination, the warmth and play of his fancy, his profound knowledge of the human heart, his delicate appreciation of its most refined and tender emotions, his familiarity with

123-422: A pathyā ("normal") form or one of several vipulā ("extended") forms. The form of the second foot of the first pāda (II.) limits the possible patterns the first foot (I.) may assume. The scheme below, given by Macdonell, shows his understanding of the form of the śloka in the classical period of Sanskrit literature (4th–11th centuries CE): [REDACTED] In poems of the intermediate period, such as

164-407: A śloka is recited, performers sometimes leave a pause after each pāda , at other times only after the second pāda . (See External links.) A Shloka has to be composed in a specific metre (chhanda), with a specific number of lines with a specific number of words per line, each word could be a mantra. For example, viṣṇu sahastranāma is in anuṣṭup chhanda (two lines of four words each). A mantra, on

205-399: A conspiracy. On discovering that she has been tricked, Vidyottamā banishes Kālidāsa, asking him to acquire scholarship and fame if he desires to continue their relationship. She further stipulates that on his return he will have to answer the question, Asti Kaścid Vāgarthaḥ " ("Is there anything special in expression?"), to her satisfaction. In due course, Kālidāsa attains knowledge and fame as

246-403: A highly revered critic, considered Kālidāsa to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. Of the hundreds of pre-modern Sanskrit commentaries on Kālidāsa's works, only a fraction have been contemporarily published. Such commentaries show signs of Kālidāsa's poetry being changed from its original state through centuries of manual copying, and possibly through competing oral traditions which ran alongside

287-424: A message to his lover through a cloud. Kālidāsa set this poem to the mandākrāntā metre, which is known for its lyrical sweetness. It is one of Kālidāsa's most popular poems and numerous commentaries on the work have been written. Kalidasa also wrote the shyamala Dandakam descripting the beauty of Goddess Matangi . Kālidāsa wrote three plays. Among them, Abhijñānaśākuntalam ("Of the recognition of Śakuntalā")

328-924: A single person. According to Srinivasachariar, writers from 8th and 9th centuries hint at the existence of three noted literary figures who share the name Kālidāsa. These writers include Devendra (author of Kavi-Kalpa-Latā ), Rājaśekhara and Abhinanda. Sastri lists the works of these three Kalidasas as follows: Sastri goes on to mention six other literary figures known by the name "Kālidāsa": Parimala Kālidāsa alias Padmagupta (author of Navasāhasāṅka Carita ), Kālidāsa alias Yamakakavi (author of Nalodaya ), Nava Kālidāsa (author of Champu Bhāgavata ), Akbariya Kalidasa (author of several samasya s or riddles), Kālidāsa VIII (author of Lambodara Prahasana ), and Abhinava Kālidāsa alias Mādhava (author of Saṅkṣepa-Śaṅkara-Vijayam ). According to K. Krishnamoorthy, "Vikramāditya" and "Kālidāsa" were used as common nouns to describe any patron king and any court poet, respectively. Kālidāsa

369-475: Is found in Rabindranath Tagore 's poems on the monsoons. Bāṇabhaṭṭa , the 7th-century CE Sanskrit prose-writer and poet, has written: nirgatāsu na vā kasya kālidāsasya sūktiṣu, prītirmadhurasārdrāsu mañjarīṣviva jāyate . ("When Kālidāsa's sweet sayings, charming with sweet sentiment, went forth, who did not feel delight in them as in honey-laden flowers?"). Jayadeva , a later poet, has called Kālidāsa

410-526: Is found in a Sanskrit inscription dated c.  473 CE , found at Mandsaur 's Sun temple, with some verses that appear to imitate Meghadūta Purva, 66; and the Ṛtusaṃhāra V, 2–3, although Kālidāsa is not named. His name, along with that of the poet Bhāravi , is first mentioned the 634 CE Aihole inscription found in Karnataka . Some scholars, including M. Srinivasachariar and T. S. Narayana Sastri, believe that works attributed to "Kālidāsa" are not by

451-508: Is generally regarded as a masterpiece. It was among the first Sanskrit works to be translated into English, and has since been translated into many languages. Montgomery Schuyler, Jr. published a bibliography of the editions and translations of the drama Śakuntalā while preparing his work "Bibliography of the Sanskrit Drama". Schuyler later completed his bibliography series of the dramatic works of Kālidāsa by compiling bibliographies of

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492-456: Is the author of two mahākāvyas , Kumārasambhava (Kumāra meaning Kartikeya , and sambhava meaning possibility of an event taking place, in this context a birth. Kumārasambhava thus means the birth of a Kartikeya) and Raghuvaṃśa ("Dynasty of Raghu"). Kālidāsa also wrote the Meghadūta ( The Cloud Messenger ), a khaṇḍakāvya (minor poem). It describes the story of a Yakṣa trying to send

533-688: Is the basis for Indian epic poetry , and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence , occurring as it does far more frequently than any other metre in classical Sanskrit poetry . The śloka is the verse-form generally used in the Mahabharata , the Ramayana , the Puranas , Smritis , and scientific treatises of Hinduism such as Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita . The Mahabharata , for example, features many verse metres in its chapters, but 95% of

574-406: Is the one established in sleep, that one which remains (after the sublation of all else) - that auspicious absolute (Self) I am. Shloka Shloka or śloka ( Sanskrit : श्लोक śloka , from the root श्रु śru , lit.   ' hear ' in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is "any verse or stanza; a proverb, saying"; but in particular it refers to

615-685: The na- , bha- , ma- , and ra-vipulā . A fifth vipulā , known as the minor Ionic, in which the first pāda ends | u u – x |, is sometimes found in the Mahābhārata , although rarely. Macdonell's chart given above is in fact too restrictive with regard the first four syllables in a vipulā verse. For example, the first quarter verse of the Rāmayaṇa (critical edition) contains a na-vipulā and scans ⏑ – – – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – ( tapaḥsvādhyāyanirataṃ ). Other examples are easy to find among classical poets, e.g., Rāmacarita 1.76 manyur dehāvadhir ayaṃ – – – – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ –. In

656-567: The Bhagavad Gita , a fourth vipulā is found. This occurs 28 times in the Bhagavad Gita, that is, as often as the third vipulā . When this vipulā is used, there is a word-break (caesura) after the fourth syllable: Two rules that always apply are: The pathyā and vipulā half-verses are arranged in the table above in order of frequency of occurrence. Out of 2579 half-verses taken from Kalidasa , Bharavi , Magha , and Bilhana , each of

697-424: The 1st century BCE. A section of scholars believe that this legendary Vikramāditya is not a historical figure at all. There are other kings who ruled from Ujjain and adopted the title Vikramāditya , the most notable ones being Chandragupta II (r. 380 CE – 415 CE) and Yaśodharman (6th century CE). The most popular theory is that Kālidāsa flourished during the reign of Chandragupta II, and therefore lived around

738-529: The 32- syllable verse, derived from the Vedic anuṣṭubh metre, used in the Bhagavad Gita and many other works of classical Sanskrit literature. In its usual form it consists of four pādas or quarter-verses, of eight syllables each, or (according to an alternative analysis) of two half-verses of 16 syllables each. The metre is similar to the Vedic anuṣṭubh metre, but with stricter rules. The śloka

779-548: The 4th-5th century CE. Several Western scholars have supported this theory, since the days of William Jones and A. B. Keith . Modern western Indologists and scholars like Stanley Wolpert also support this theory. Many Indian scholars, such as Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi and Rāma Gupta, also place Kālidāsa in this period. According to this theory, his career might have extended to the reign of Kumāragupta I (r. 414 – 455 CE), and possibly, to that of Skandagupta (r. 455 – 467 CE). The earliest paleographical evidence of Kālidāsa

820-615: The 5th century CE during the Gupta era . In Dasam Granth , second scriptures of Sikhs written by Guru Gobind Singh, mentioned seven Brahma avatars Kālidāsa is one of these avatars. 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 Kumārasambhavam ,

861-1519: The Mangalastaka, the Nalodaya (a work by Ravideva), the Puspabanavilasa, which is sometimes also ascribed to Vararuci or Ravideva, the Raksasakavya, the Rtusamhara, the Sarasvatistotra, the Srngararasastaka, the Srngaratilaka, the Syamaladandaka and the short, didactic text on prosody, the Srutabodha, otherwise thought to be by Vararuci or the Jaina Ajitasena. In addition to the non-authentic works, there are also some "false" Kalidasas. Immensely proud of their poetic achievement, several later poets have either been barefaced enough to call themselves Kalidasa or have invented pseudonyms such as Nava-Kalidasa, "New Kalidasa", Akbariya-Kalidasa, "Akbar-Kalidasa", etc. Kālidāsa's influence extends to all later Sanskrit works that followed him, and on Indian literature broadly, becoming an archetype of Sanskrit literature. Notably in modern Indian literature Meghadūta 's romanticism

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902-505: The author of the Rāmāyaṇa , in grief on seeing a hunter shoot down one of two birds in love. On seeing the sorrow (śoka) of the widowed bird, he was reminded of the sorrow Sītā felt on being separated from Shri Rama and began composing the Ramayana in shlokas. For this he is called the Ādikavi (first poet.) Each 16-syllable hemistich (half-verse), of two 8-syllable pādas , can take either

943-552: 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 and a Kashmiri Pandit , wrote a book titled The birth-place of Kalidasa (1926), which tries to trace the birthplace of Kālidāsa based on his writings. He concluded that Kālidāsa was born in Kashmir , but moved southwards, and sought

984-524: The editions and translations of Vikramōrvaśīyam and Mālavikāgnimitra . Sir William Jones published an English translation of Śakuntalā in 1791 CE and Ṛtusaṃhāra was published by him in original text during 1792 CE. According to Indologist Siegfried Lienhard : A large number of long and short poems have incorrectly been attributed to Kalidasa, for instance the Bhramarastaka, the Ghatakarpara,

1025-539: The finite and unreal not-self. He also describes the self as that which is one, auspicious, free of attributes and assimilation, and eternal. The first stanza of the hymn describes the author's interpretation of his self as identical to Brahman: na bhūmirna toyaṃ na tejo na vāyuḥ na khaṃ nendriyaṃ vā na teṣāṃ samūhaḥ anaikāntikatvāt suṣuptyekasiddhaḥ tadeko'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kevalo'ham Neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, nor ether, nor sense-organ, nor their aggregate (am I) because they are inconstant. That which

1066-476: The four admissible forms of śloka in this order claims the following share: 2289, 116, 89, 85; that is, 89% of the half-verses have the regular pathyā form. The various vipulā s, in the order above, are known to scholars writing in English as the first, second, third and fourth vipulā , or the paeanic , choriambic , molossic , and trochaic vipulā respectively. In Sanskrit writers, they are referred to as

1107-552: The frequency of the vipulā s and the patterns in the earlier part of the pāda have been carried out to try to establish the preferences of various authors for different metrical patterns. It is believed that this may help to establish relative dates for the poems, and to identify interpolated passages. A typical śloka is the following, which opens the Bhagavad Gita : From the period of high classical Sanskrit literature comes this benediction, which opens Bāṇabhaṭṭa 's biographical poem Harṣacaritam (7th century CE): When

1148-409: The insistence of a priest and some other moralists of his time. Asti Kashchid Vagarthiyam is a five-act Sanskrit play written by Krishna Kumar in 1984. The story is a variation of the popular legend that Kālidāsa was mentally challenged at one time and that his wife was responsible for his transformation. Kālidāsa, a mentally challenged shepherd, is married to Vidyottamā, a learned princess, through

1189-510: The late 19th century and early 20th century, as evidenced by Camille Claudel 's sculpture Shakuntala . Koodiyattam artist and Nāṭya Śāstra scholar Māni Mādhava Chākyār (1899–1990) of Kerala choreographed and performed popular Kālidāsa plays including Abhijñānaśākuntala, Vikramorvaśīya and Mālavikāgnimitra. The Kannada films Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955), featuring Honnappa Bagavatar, B. Sarojadevi and later Kaviratna Kalidasa (1983), featuring Rajkumar and Jaya Prada , were based on

1230-531: The life of Kālidāsa. Kaviratna Kalidasa also used Kālidāsa's Shakuntala as a sub-plot in the movie. V. Shantaram made the Hindi movie Stree (1961) based on Kālidāsa's Shakuntala . R.R. Chandran made the Tamil movie Mahakavi Kalidas (1966) based on Kālidāsa's life. Chevalier Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan played the part of the poet himself. Mahakavi Kalidasu (Telugu, 1960) featuring Akkineni Nageswara Rao

1271-403: The ma-vipulā, a caesura is not obligatory after the fifth syllable, e.g., Śiśupālavadha 2.1a yiyakṣamāṇenāhūtaḥ ⏑ – ⏑ – – – – –. Noteworthy is the avoidance of an iambic cadence in the first pāda . By comparison, syllables 5–8 of any pāda in the old Vedic anuṣṭubh metre typically had the iambic ending u – u x (where "x" represents an anceps syllable). Statistical studies examining

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1312-440: The most worthy sovereign, and of the most sober divine meditation; still he remains in such a manner the lord and master of his creation." Philosopher and linguist Humboldt writes, "Kālidāsa, the celebrated author of the Śākuntalā, is a masterly describer of the influence which Nature exercises upon the minds of lovers. Tenderness in the expression of feelings and richness of creative fancy have assigned to him his lofty place among

1353-448: The other hand, is prefixed by omkara (primordial sound) and suffixed by the essential nama (name) and the salutary word nama (salutation) between the prefix and the suffix. No metre is prescribed. The lyrics in any Vārnic or matric metres are shlokas, but stanzas from Vedic hymns are not shloka, despite it being a common mistake to think this. Kalidasa Kālidāsa ( Sanskrit : कालिदास , "Servant of Kali "; 4th–5th century CE)

1394-422: The patronage of local rulers to prosper. The evidence cited by him from Kālidāsa's writings includes: Another old legend recounts that Kālidāsa visits Kumāradāsa , the king of Lanka and, because of treachery, is murdered there. Several ancient and medieval books state that Kālidāsa was a court poet of a king named Vikramāditya . A legendary king named Vikramāditya is said to have ruled from Ujjain around

1435-674: The poets of all nations." Many scholars have written commentaries on the works of Kālidāsa. Among the most studied commentaries are those by Kolāchala Mallinātha Suri , which were written in the 15th century during the reign of the Vijayanagara king, Deva Rāya II . The earliest surviving commentaries appear to be those of the 10th-century Kashmirian scholar Vallabhadeva. Eminent Sanskrit poets like Bāṇabhaṭṭa , Jayadeva and Rajasekhara have lavished praise on Kālidāsa in their tributes. A well-known Sanskrit verse ("Upamā Kālidāsasya...") praises his skill at upamā , or similes . Anandavardhana ,

1476-510: The stanzas are ślokas of the anuṣṭubh type, and most of the rest are tristubh s. The anuṣṭubh is found in Vedic texts, but its presence is minor, and triṣṭubh and gāyatrī metres dominate in the Rigveda . A dominating presence of ślokas in a text is a marker that the text is likely post-Vedic. The traditional view is that this form of verse was involuntarily composed by Vālmīki ,

1517-461: The workings and counterworkings of its conflicting feelings - in short more entitles him to rank as the Shakespeare of India." Willst du die Blüthe des frühen, die Früchte des späteren Jahres, Willst du, was reizt und entzückt, willst du was sättigt und nährt, Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit Einem Namen begreifen; Nenn’ ich, Sakuntala, Dich, und so ist Alles gesagt. Wouldst thou

1558-466: The written tradition. Kālidāsa's Abhijñānaśākuntalam was one of the first works of Indian literature to become known in Europe. It was first translated into English and then from English into German, where it was received with wonder and fascination by a group of eminent poets, which included Herder and Goethe . Kālidāsa's work continued to evoke inspiration among the artistic circles of Europe during

1599-411: The young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted, fed, Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine? I name thee, O Sakuntala! and all at once is said. "Here the poet seems to be in the height of his talent in representation of the natural order, of the finest mode of life, of the purest moral endeavor, of

1640-439: 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 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

1681-403: Was similarly based on Kālidāsa's life and work. Surendra Verma 's Hindi play Athavan Sarga , published in 1976, is based on the legend 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. The play depicts Kālidāsa as a court poet of Chandragupta who faces a trial on

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