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    Features of Mahakavya in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa

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    Devdut Mandal
    The document discusses the characteristic features of a Mahakavya as described by Indian scholars Bhamaha and Dandim. It analyzes how Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa exemplifies these features. Specifically, it notes that the Raghuvamsa follows the guidelines of having a subject matter based in mythology, consisting of multiple cantos with verses, including conflicts between gods/kings and their enemies, and employing rhetorical devices and literary techniques. It provides examples from the Raghuvamsa of how these features are incorporated, such as descriptions of kings Raghu and Rama's battles.

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    Features of Mahakavya in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa

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    Devdut Mandal
    299 views10 pages
    The document discusses the characteristic features of a Mahakavya as described by Indian scholars Bhamaha and Dandim. It analyzes how Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa exemplifies these features. Specifically, it notes that the Raghuvamsa follows the guidelines of having a subject matter based in mythology, consisting of multiple cantos with verses, including conflicts between gods/kings and their enemies, and employing rhetorical devices and literary techniques. It provides examples from the Raghuvamsa of how these features are incorporated, such as descriptions of kings Raghu and Rama's battles.

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    kalidas mahakavya

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    Features of Mahakavya in Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsa

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    The document discusses the characteristic features of a Mahakavya as described by Indian scholars Bhamaha and Dandim. It analyzes how Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa exemplifies these features. Specifically, it notes that the Raghuvamsa follows the guidelines of having a subject matter based in mythology, consisting of multiple cantos with verses, including conflicts between gods/kings and their enemies, and employing rhetorical devices and literary techniques. It provides examples from the Raghuvamsa of how these features are incorporated, such as descriptions of kings Raghu and Rama's battles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    299 views10 pages

    Features of Mahakavya in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa

    Uploaded by

    Devdut Mandal
    The document discusses the characteristic features of a Mahakavya as described by Indian scholars Bhamaha and Dandim. It analyzes how Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa exemplifies these features. Specifically, it notes that the Raghuvamsa follows the guidelines of having a subject matter based in mythology, consisting of multiple cantos with verses, including conflicts between gods/kings and their enemies, and employing rhetorical devices and literary techniques. It provides examples from the Raghuvamsa of how these features are incorporated, such as descriptions of kings Raghu and Rama's battles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 10

    Characteristic Features of Mahakavya in

    Kalidasa's Kumarasambhavam & Raghuvamsa


    Bhamaha and Dandim, the seventh century’s Indian Scholars
    describe the features of Mahakavya in their books Kavyalankara
    and Kavyadarsha respectively.
    Raghuvamsa
    - Kalidasa

    The Raghuvamsa is a Mahakavya, written in the fifth century A.D. basically contains the
    stories related to the Raghu dynasty, namely the family of Dilipa and his descendants up
    to Agnivarna, including Raghu, Dasharatha and Rama. The theme of this Mahakavya is
    taken from Balmiki’s The Ramayana.

    • Ancestors of Rāma: Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja, and Daśaratha


    The story can be divided into some parts-

    • King Dilīpa's journey to Vasiṣṭha's hermitage.


    • King Dilipa and the calf Nandini.
    • Raghu is born, grows up, and becomes king.
    • Raghu as king, and his conquest.
    • Raghu's gift to Kautsa, and the birth and youth of Aja.
    • Aja and Indumati.
    • Dasharatha.
    • Rama.
    • Descendants of Rama.
    • Agnivarna.
    Every Mahakavya should begin with a benediction or invocation to God.
    Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsa begins with a prayer to lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
    He writes in the Canto 1-

    “vāgarthāviva saṁpṛktau vāgarthapratipattaye /


    jagataḥ pitarau vande pārvatīparameśvarau //”

    The translation is-


    “To Parvati and Parameshvara,
    the parents of the world, who are united like word and meaning, I pray, for the gift
    of speech fit with appropriate meaning.”
    According to Bhama every Mahakavya should have a Kathabasthu (a subject matter
    or a plot).
    • Dandim in his Kavyadarsha depicts that kathabasthu should not be entirely
    fictitious. It should have some connection with Ramayana, Mahabharata and
    mythology.
    • The protagonist should be a character of Ramayana, Mahabharata and
    mythology.
    • In Raghuvamsa the characters are Rama, King Raghu, Dasharatha etc. They are
    the characters from Ramayama.
    • The whole story of the Mahakavya develops around the story of mythology.
    Every Mahakavya deals with the conflict between Gods and anti-gods, Kings and
    their enemies-
    • In Raghuvamsa, there is the vivid description of the conflict between the kings
    and their enemies and Gods and anti-gods.
    • Raghu sets out in all four direction to conquer. We see the conflict between
    Raghu and the king of Banga(the greater Bengal), Utkala (odisha), Kalinga etc. he
    also has a conflict with Persians and Mlechcha(non-Sanskrit people).
    • Aja fights against all kings of Bharata when he marries Indumati. When Indumati
    chooses Aja, the disappointed rival princes attack him.
    • Lord Rama kills Ravana when he abducts Sita. It is a conflict between Gods and
    Anti-god, as we know Rama is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Ravana is a
    Rakhshasha.
    The Mahakavya should be consisted of sargabandhas(cantos)
    • Dandi says that the number of swargabandhas should be between eight and
    thirty.
    • Raghuvamsa is written in 19 sargas(cantos).
    • In a cantos their should be thirty to two hundred verses.
    • eighteenth and nineteenth cantos of Raghuvamsa contain minimum seventy
    'shlokas'. Twelfth canto contains one hundred and three 'shlokas’ (verses).
    • Verse refers to a quatrain.
    • The last quatrain should be in different metrical styles.
    The Mahakavya should be repleted with Rasas and Bhabas.
    • We see the predominance of sringara, vira, karuna and other rasas and bhabas in
    the Raghuvamsa
    • Sita’s helplessness, Ajas’ inconsolable weeping due to Indumati’s death and king
    Dilipa’s pain for childlessness present karuna rasa in the poem.
    • In the episode of Rahgu, Aja and Rama, Kalidasa brings out the essence of bravery
    and vira rasa.
    • Aja’s weeping presents the swattik bhaba ‘asru’ (tears), paralyzing of King Dilipa’s
    hand presents the swattik bhaba ‘stambha’ (paralysis), Aja’s fainting in the death
    of Indumati presents the swattik bhaba Pralaya.
    The other features are-
    • Ashtadashavarnana (description of 18 places)
    • Gunas
    • Alankara(rhetoric)
    • Kalpana(imagination)
    • Metres
    • Nayaka should be Dhritodatta.

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