Kalidasa - the Prolific Indian Writer

Unfortunately, only a small number of literary texts dating from the early centuries A.D have survived to the present day. Our knowledge of the development of Sanskrit literature in the early centuries A.D is based on writings from the first century A.D.

However, history associates the wok of Ashvaghosha-the outstanding writer and playwright, one of the founders of Buddhist Sanskrit literature and a major philosopher- with the reign of Kanishka during the early second century A.D. Many of his works remain unknown but his works like Buddhacharita ("The Life of Buddha") have been preserved for posterity in Chinese and Tibetan translations.

One of the pearls of ancient Indian literature is Kalidasa (late fourth-early fifth century), poet and dramatist, whose writings represent an illustrious page in the history of world culture.

Translations of Kalidasa's work penetrated to the West at the end of eighteenth century and were rapturously received right from the outset. In Russia, part of Kalidasa's play Shakuntala was translated by Nikolai Karamzin in the year 1792-93. In the preface to his publication, Karamzin wrote that the play contained poetry of outstanding beauty and was an example of the highest art.

Kalidasa was a prolific writer. Unfortunately, scholars could only discover three of his plays, namely, Shakuntala, Malavikagnimitra, and Vikramorvashi (Urvashi who won by valor), the poem Meghaduta (the Cloud Messenger) and two epic poems: the Kumarasambhava (the Birth of Kumara) and Raghuvanmsha (Raghu's line).

The core of all Kalidasa's writings is man and his emotions, his worldly concerns, his joys and sorrows. His works already represents a significant step forward in comparison with the writings of Ashvaghosha who depicted an idealized image of Buddha and his faithful disciples. Many of Kalidasa's heroes are kings. The poet not only extolled their exploits, but he also condemned their ignoble deeds. Both in his plays and poems, Kalidasa uses highly dramatic subjects, while his descriptions of Nature and man's emotions are distinguished by their lyric quality and humanism.Without swerving from earlier traditions Kalidasa stood out as an innovator in many respects. This explains why his works have been so accessible to the minds and hearts of the people of India through out many centuries.

In ancient India, considerable advances were also made by the theatre. One of these treatises has been handed down to the present day. Entitled, the Natyashastra (The Science of Acting), it is held by scholars to have been written in the early centuries of A.D. It is aptly referred to as the encyclopedia of ancient Indian theatre.