As a Sanskrit student reading various poems and play. Among so many poets I like Kalidasa. He is a renowned Sanskrit poet, and a literary genius. Kalidasa's poetic style is characterized by its rich imagery and flowing rhythms.
His works, composed in
Sanskrit, are celebrated for their lyrical beauty, intricate narratives, and
profound insights into human nature. He possessed a remarkable ability to evoke
emotions and paint vivid portraits of both the natural world and the human
psyche. His most famous works include the plays Abhijñānaśākuntala (The
Recognition of Shakuntala) and Vikramōrvaśīyam (Urvashi Won by Valor), and the
epic poems Raghuvaṃśa (Dynasty of Raghu) and Kumārasambhava (Birth of Kumara).
क ख ग घ – Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha
He was one of the court poets in the assembly
of the king Vikramaditya. He is known for his skill to compose poems on any
given topic. One day, during a lively discussion in the royal court, King
Vikramaditya decided to test Kalidasa's unparalleled poetic skills.He
challenged Kalidasa to Compose a
four-line verse where each line ends with one of these syllables: ‘ka,’ ‘kha,’
‘ga,’ ‘gha,’ . And remember, the poem must make perfect sense and
display your usual brilliance!”
Kalidasa
accepted the challenge with a confident bow. The task seemed simple at first,
but as he returned to his chambers, he began to realize the complexity of the
assignment. He spent hours. Kalidasa decided to step outside and take a walk.
As he
wandered through the quiet streets of Ujjain, Kalidasa noticed a young girl
walking ahead of him, carrying a palm leaf in her hand. Intrigued by the sight
of her and hoping for a brief distraction, Kalidasa called out to her."Ka
twam bale?" he asked in Sanskrit, his voice filled with curiosity.
"What is your name, child?"The girl stopped and turned toward him,
her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Kanchanamala," she replied with a
smile, Kalidasa was struck by the simple beauty of her name, which meant “a
garland of gold.” Sensing a lively spirit in her, he decided to continue their
conversation. "Kasya putri?" he asked, meaning, "Who is your
parent?"
"Kanchanamala"
answered without hesitation, "Kanakalathaya," referring to her
mother, Kanakalatha, whose name also meant "a vine of gold." Kalidasa
couldn’t help but smile at the poetic nature of their names, already feeling
his thoughts begin to turn.
Amused,
Kalidasa then asked, "Kim va haste?" meaning, "What is in your
hand?"
Kanchanamala
lifted her palm leaf slightly, as if presenting it to him. "Tali
patram," she said, "A palm leaf."
Kalidasa’s
curiosity grew. "Ka va rekha?" he asked, "What is written in
it?"
Without
missing a beat, Kanchanamala replied with a knowing grin, “Ka, kha, ga, gha,
nga,” reciting the first five letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.
In that
instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Kalidasa. Her simple, innocent
answer contained the very sounds he had been struggling to find for his poem.
The syllables “ka,” “kha,” “ga,” “gha,” and “nga” were right there, presented
by this clever young girl.
Kalidasa
hurried back to the palace, his heart light with relief and excitement. When he
reached the court, he bowed before King Vikramaditya, who watched him with
curious eyes. "Your Majesty," Kalidasa began, "I have completed
the poem as you requested."
See this
small conversation in a verse form. conversation be held between
Kalidasa and a Girl of his Village.
का त्वं बाले ! काञ्चनमाला कस्याः पुत्री ? कनकलतायाः ।
हस्ते किं ते ? तालीपत्रं का वा रेखा ? क ख ग घ ॥
1"Ka
twam bale?" का त्वं बाले ? (What is your name,
child?)
2.
"Kanchanamala." काञ्चन माला | (My name is Kanchanamala.)
3.
"Kasya putri?" कस्याः पुत्री ? (Who is your parent?)
4.
"Kanakalathaya." कनकलतायाः | (My mother is
Kanakalatha.)
5.
"Kim va haste?" हस्ते किं ते ?What is in your hand?)
6.
"Tali patram." ताली पत्रम् (A palm leaf.)
7.
"Ka va rekha?" का वा रेखा ? (What is written in it?)
8.
"Ka, kha, ga, gha, nga." क ख ग घ
King wanted the court poets to write a poem that
ended in Ka Kha Ga and Gha, the first four consonants of the Sanskrit language.
Seems Kalidasa, the most gifted among them, met a girl on the street and asked
her these same questions and received the same answers which he made into a
poem and presented it to the King next day. The clever use of the required
syllables and the simple yet elegant conversation that flowed seamlessly into a
beautiful verse showed Kalidasa’s genius. The entire court erupted in applause,
acknowledging the brilliance of their beloved poet. King said This verse is
indeed a masterpiece, and you have fulfilled the challenge with great
skill!"
The rest
of the poets who failed to complete the challenge, now realized why Vikramathithya
had chosen kālidāsa for conferring the title of kavi-chakravarty.
This is
one of my favorite poems by Kalidasa, the renowed Sanskrit poet.
Composed
by one of the legendary poets in the history of Sanskrit, this verse is an
example of the games of the learned. The revered Kalidasa constructed this
beautiful poem out of a meaningless string of sounds, in the competition of
Samasya Pooranam (समस्या-पूरणम्), organised by the great King Bhoj.
Such
competitions were commonly organised by advocates of literature and
scholarship, and Raja Bhoj is one of the most reknowned in this respect.
This was
the samasya put by king Vikramaditya to his courtiers. Samasya – the sanskrit
word loosely translated as a problem, was a literary riddle to solve, where the
last line of a quartet was given, and the poets have to come up with first
three lines. Sounds easy, but then again they have to follow certain rules of
line construction.
Samasya
Pooranam is a good pastime for Samskrta poetry lovers. Literally, it means
completing a riddle. The revered Kalidasa constructed this beautiful poem out
of a meaningless string of sounds, in the competition of Samasya Pooranam (समस्या-पूरणम्), organised by the great
King Bhoj.
Such
competitions were commonly organised by advocates of literature and
scholarship, and Raja Bhoj is one of the most reknowned in this respect.
The other
is one that ends with even more meaningless “ThA Tham Tha Tham Tham Tha Tha
Tham Tha Tam ThaH ” ( ठा ठं ठ ठं ठं ठ ठ ठं ठ ठं ठः) . The solution is of course, very interesting.
Once King Vikramathithya saw a young beautiful girl on her way to fetch water .
But as she reached the stairway she stumbled and dropped the vessel . The King
listened to the noise made by the vessel and it gave him an idea . The next day
he called his courtiers and gave the puzzle to solve ``ThAThaM ThaThaM ThaM
ThaThaThaM Tha ThaM ThA '' None was able to solve it . Kalidas, when asked,
demanded two days of time or the solution . He observed King's daily schedule
minutely for those two days . The observation
provided him the insight into the solution and he gave the above mentioned
answer . The meaning is quite straightforward.
raamaabhishEke
jalamaaharanthyaH
hasthaachchyutho
hEmaghaTo yuvathyaaH
sOpaanamAsAdya
karOthi Sabdam
ThA Tham
Tha Tham Tham Tha Tha Tham Tha Tam ThaH
रामाभिषेके जलमाहरान्त्याः
हस्ताच्य्तो हेमघटो युवत्याः
सोपानमासाद्य करोति शब्दम्
ठा ठं ठ ठं ठं ठ ठ ठं ठ ठं ठः
राज्याभिषेके In the grand coronation ceremony of the king,
हेम-घटः च्युतः the golden pot fell away
मदविह्वलायाः तरुण्याः(Young Girl) हस्तात् (from the hands) of an excited young girl (so excited about the
coronation ceremony that she was not in her senses),
सोपानम् आसाद्य करोति शब्दम् and upon reaching the stairs produced the sound -
ठं ठं ठठं ठं ठठठं ठठं ठः "tham tham thatham tham thathatham thatham thah"!!
While
bringing water for the coronation of Rama,
The
golden pot falling from the hand of the girl,
On the
steps on the riverbank, made this sound,
ThATham
ThaTham ThamThaThaTham ThaTamThaH!
Kalidasa
thus imagines capturing the sound made by the pot at each step. But both
Kalidasa and Raja Vikramathithya show how rhythm and harmony can be found even in the
events we would otherwise perceive as noise; for we see, the 'meaningless'
string of sounds actually follows the melodiuos meter of indravajrā (इन्द्रवज्रा)!!
Such were
the poetic talent of the scholars! There are many such playful (on the rhyme, rhythm
and form of syllables) poems in the 19th 'sarga' (chapter) of
'Shishupaalavadham' (aka 'Maagham') by the poet Maagha. You can also find them
in the last 'sarga' of 'Kiraataarjuneeyam' by 'Bhaaravi'. At present I am learning
both of their work. It is definitely an interesting to read but I advise you that you
need more than a basic knowledge of sanskrit to understand those poems, even
with the commentary once you read you will appreciate the poetic beauty of sanskrit.
