Kalidasa for the 21st Century Reader

by Kālidāsa, Mani Rao (Translator)

A fresh and very readable translation of the world's greatest Sanskrit writer, Kalidasa.

Kalidasa (circa fourth century CE) is widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. Not much is known with certainty about his life, and though many are aware of his timeless Sakuntalam and Meghadutam, very few have actually read him, even in translation. The aesthetics of poetry may have changed over 1500 years-we no longer compare women's faces to lotuses or their figures to vines-but it is difficult not to be moved by the sheer beauty and lyricism of Kalidasa's description of the exiled yak?a beseeching a cloud to carry his message across the mountains to his lover, or his evocative narration of the meeting of doomed lovers in the forest.

Mani Rao's supple, contemporary translation removes the distance between Kalidasa and the modern reader; she helps 'read' the poetry for us while remaining loyal to the text.

Selections from all seven of the great poet's works (which are considered by Sanskrit scholars to be authentically his creations) are included in this volume- Meghadutam, Kumarasambhavam and Rtusamharam; the heroic exploits narrated in Raghuvamsam which gives us a remarkable picture of ancient India; as well as the celebrated dramas Abhijnana Sakuntalam, Vikramorvasyam and Malavikagnimitram. This is a translation that belongs to today; Kalidasa renewed.

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

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.

Reviews

[Juhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: strictly not for those who are sitting on the couch wearing the glasses of today
Wear your shoes for this time travel before you start

Author Mani Rao , who signed this lovely book for me , has put her heart and soul in writing this.Sanskrit to English translation that too transition from 6th century BC to 21st Century, a job done impeccably indeed.

Dramas and Poems are kept as is with not many references.Reader is set free to infer his/her own meanings
too

Meghdootam & Raghuvansham came out to be my favourite with certain Awe moments shocking my notions about the known stories and characters from Ramayana

You will have to give the book due time to jump into the waters and dive deep to discover the timeless beauty of prose and poetry

Even the name Kalidasa has its own special reference

Nature and it's bonding with human beings , celestial nymphs, travel through air and many such imagery tools leaves one spellbound

Abhigyan Shakuntalam , again a master piece and the longest drama in this book is well put.Though in English , the longing of lovers , their togetherness and reunion is described as good as it could have been done in Sanskrit.

Those new to Indian languages might find it little tough to read few words however the pronunciation is cited in the index

[Rajat TWIT · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is strictly for those who would love to explore the genre of classical Indian literature and enjoy the poetic inferences. Many will find the work of Kālidāsa bland or average but few will really cherish his wonderful work of amazing metaphors. There are many other translations available of Kālidāsa’s work but this book is good for a 21st Century reader, as the title says. Must read for the literary buffs wanting to explore something new and original!

[Vijay Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book includes selections from 7 of Kalidasa's works (Poems and Drama). If you want to explore this genre, it is a good read. Though one can only imagine how beautiful Kalidasa's poems must have been in Sanskrit, this translation is pretty good. I loved reading the drama selections in this book.

[Ayushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing that I really liked about this translation is that Rao does not add lengthy footnotes or end-notes but instead adds the important information along with the poetry (in italics) so the smooth flow remains undisturbed.