Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa (SANSKRIT)

Author: S Radhakrishnan
Rewa Prasada Dwivedi/
Foreword/Introductio: S Radhakrishnan
Publisher: Sahitya Akademi
Year: 1993
Language: multilingual
Pages: 904
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8172015135

Description

The Raghuvamsa a sargabandha mahakavya ascribed to Kalidasa consists of 1557 verses in 19 cantos. After the Mahabharata, the Raghuvamsa is the first epic in which the art of poetic composition in Sanskrit touched its highest peak. The Raghuvamsa presents the paradox of human existence and successfully captures the entire panorama of human development, its rise and fall.

The Raghuvamsa underscores the principle that the immortal and blissful soul is the only reality of human life and all sensual pleasures are short-lived and ephemeral. The present publication is a critical edition of the epic based on eleven manuscripts and five printed editions.

The editor, Professor Rewa Prasada Dwivedi (b 1935) at present working as Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit has already established himself as an eminent teacher and scholar of Sanskrit literature besides being known as a Sanskrit poet, with a modern sensibility. The present work testifies to his competence in the textual criticism of Kalidasa’s works. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1991 for his Swatan-tryasambhavam, in Sanskrit.

Contents

Publisher’s Note

General Introduction

Editor’s Note

Abbreviations

Text

Appendix

Index of Lines