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The Birth of the War-God

A Poem by Kálidása

by Kālidāsa

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Pages: 78

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About this book

Himálaya rises as a divine mountain king in the opening of Kālidāsa's poem, where snowy peaks, shining minerals, forest animals and heavenly music share the landscape. Ralph T. H. Griffith's English verse translation gives this Sanskrit work a rhyming form. The first canto introduces Umá's birth, while the descriptions make the mountain a living presence rather than a distant backdrop.

A later passage follows Umá through severe vows, solitude and prayer. She endures harsh weather, cares for plants and animals, and receives a visiting hermit who asks what purpose drives her discipline. These scenes bring bodily frailty and spiritual determination into close relation. Readers interested in Indian mythological poetry can follow its elaborate nature imagery and formal speeches. Griffith's preface also explains his approach to translation, and a preliminary pronunciation note helps with the names and sounds of the Sanskrit words.

About the author

Kālidāsa

Kālidāsa was a classical Sanskrit poet and playwright of ancient India, who also wrote lyric verse. His surviving writing consists of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems. Drawing on Puranic stories and philosophy, he worked in epic, lyric and dramatic forms.