The Complete Works of Kalidasa, Vol. 2: Plays

by Kālidāsa, Chandra Rajan (Translator)

Kalidasa's status as the major poet and dramatist in classicl Sanskrit literature is unquestioned. Possibly the first translation into English in its entirity, Chandra Rajan fulfills a long-felt need and makes these classics accessible to a much wider audience. Her introduction serves to place the text in their context and suggests ways of looking at them singly and as part of the ouevre. The first volume is devoted to the poems, while the second contains the plays.

397 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2002

About the author

Poetry of Indian dramatist and lyric poet Kalidasa (circa 375-circa 415) represents the height of the kavya style, which his epic poem Raghuvamsha and his lyric poem Meghaduta exemplify.

Poeple widely regard Kālidāsa (Devanāgarī: कालिदास "servant of Kali") as the greatest renowned writer in the classical Sanskrit language.

We know nothing with certainty about the life of Kālidāsa apart from works but speculate about the place where he lived or the dates of his birth and death. According to legend, his known beauty brought him to the attention of Vidyottama, princess, who married him.
Kālidāsa, however, legendarily lacked much education, and his ignorance and coarseness shamed the princess. A devoted worshipper of Kali (by other accounts of Saraswati), Kālidāsa is said to have called upon his goddess for help when he was going to commit suicide in a well after he was humiliated by his wife, and was rewarded with a sudden and extraordinary gift of wit. He is then said to have become the most brilliant of the "nine gems" at the court of the king Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Legend also has it that he was murdered by a courtesan in Sri Lanka during the reign of Kumaradasa.