Mahakavya
Encyclopedia
Mahākāvya also known as sargabandha, is a genre of Indian epic poetry
in classical Sanskrit literature
. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet's skill at description. Typical examples of mahākāvya are the Kiratarjuniya
and the Shishupala Vadha
.
It is considered the most prestigious form in Sanskrit literature. The genre evolved from the earlier epics, the Mahabharata
and the Ramayana
. Despite the length of mahākāvyas (15-30 cantos, a total of about 1500-3000 verses), they are still much shorter than the Ramayana (500 cantos, 24000 verses) and the Mahabharata
(about 100000 verses).
To this list, sometimes a sixth one is also added.
About this list, Ingalls observes:
It is composed of a varying number of short poems or cantos, that tells the story of a classical epic. Each poem is composed in a metre the is fitting to the subject matter, such as a description of the seasons, a geographical form of nature such as a mountain, and cities.
Some modern mahākāvyas do not aim to satisfy all the traditional criteria, and take as their subject historical matter (such as Rewa Prasad Dwivedi
's Svatantrya Sambhavam on the Indian independence movement
, or K.N. Ezhuthachan's Keralodayah on the history of Kerala
), or biographies of historical characters (such as S.B. Varnekar's Shrishivarajyodayam on Shivaji, M. S. Aney's Sritilakayasornavah on Bal Gangadhar Tilak
, or P. C. Devassia
's Kristubhagavatam
on Jesus Christ). Some others like the Śrībhārgavarāghaviyam
(2002) composed by Jagadguru Rāmabhadrācārya continue to have the subject of the traditional epics.
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...
in classical Sanskrit literature
Sanskrit literature
Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Sanskrit literature dates to late Antiquity . Literary production saw a late bloom in the 11th century before declining after 1100 AD...
. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet's skill at description. Typical examples of mahākāvya are the Kiratarjuniya
Kirātārjunīya
Kirātārjunīya is a Sanskrit kavya by Bhāravi, written in the 6th century or earlier. It is an epic poem in eighteen cantos describing the combat between Arjuna and lord Shiva in the guise of a kirāta or mountain-dwelling hunter. Along with the Naiṣadhacarita and the Shishupala Vadha, it is one of...
and the Shishupala Vadha
Shishupala Vadha
The Shishupala Vadha is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is an epic poem in 20 sargas of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas, and is considered one of the six Sanskrit mahakavyas, or "great epics". It is also known as the Māgha-kāvya after its author...
.
It is considered the most prestigious form in Sanskrit literature. The genre evolved from the earlier epics, the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
and the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Despite the length of mahākāvyas (15-30 cantos, a total of about 1500-3000 verses), they are still much shorter than the Ramayana (500 cantos, 24000 verses) and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
(about 100000 verses).
The classical examples
Tradition identifies five works as model mahākāvya:- RaghuvaṃśaRaghuvamsaRaghuwamsa or Raghu race is a legendary lineage of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to the Hindu solar deity Surya. Kalidasa's famous work, Raghuvaṃśa depicts the legend of this race. The progenitor of the lineage was Raghu, son of the emperor Dileepa. Raghu was father of Aja, and thus...
by KālidāsaKalidasaKālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
: the Raghu dynasty, in 19 cantos (about 1564 verses) - KumārasambhavaKumarasambhavaKumārasambhava is a Sanskrit epic poem by Kālidāsa; the first eight cantos are accepted as his authorship...
by Kālidāsa: the wedding of ShivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and ParvatiParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, and the birth of KumaraKumaraKumara may refer to:Places* Kumara, New Zealand, a town* Kumara , a Parliamentary electoratePeople*Ajith Kumara , Sri Lankan politician*Dinesh Kumara , Sri Lankan cricketer...
, in 17 cantos - KirātārjunīyaKirātārjunīyaKirātārjunīya is a Sanskrit kavya by Bhāravi, written in the 6th century or earlier. It is an epic poem in eighteen cantos describing the combat between Arjuna and lord Shiva in the guise of a kirāta or mountain-dwelling hunter. Along with the Naiṣadhacarita and the Shishupala Vadha, it is one of...
by BharaviBharaviBharavi was a Sanskrit poet known for his Mahakavya , the Kirātārjunīya in 18 cantos based on an episode from the Mahabharata.-Time and place:...
: a battle between ArjunaArjunaArjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
and Shiva from the MahabharataMahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, 18 cantos - Śiśupāla-vadha by MāghaMaghaMagha may refer to:* Magha , a month in the Hindu calendar* Magh , the same month in the Bengali calendar* Magha , an 8th century Sanskrit poet, who wrote Shishupala-vadha...
: the slaying of ShishupalaShishupalaShishupala or Sisupala was son of Damaghosha, king of Chedi, by Srutadeva, sister of Vasudeva. Therefore he was not only cousin of Krishna, but also Krishna's implacable foe, because Krishna had carried off Rukmini, his intended wife...
by KrishnaKrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, 22 cantos (about 1800 verses) - Naiśadha-carita by Sri-Harṣa: on the life of King NalaNalaNala , a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling...
and Queen DamayantiDamayantiDamayanti , a character in Hindu mythology, was the princess of Vidarbha Kingdom, who married king Nala, of Nishadha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata.-The story:...
, 22 cantos
To this list, sometimes a sixth one is also added.
- Bhaṭṭikāvya, by Bhaṭṭi: describes the events of the RamayanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and simultaneously illustrates the principles of Sanskrit grammar, 22 cantos
Characteristics
In the mahākāvya genre, more emphasis was laid on description than on narration. Indeed, the traditional characteristics of a mahākāvya are listed as:- It must take its subject matter from the epics (Ramayana or Mahabharata), or from history,
- It must help further the four goals of man (PurusharthasPurusharthasIn Hinduism, refers to a goal, end or aim of human existence...
), - It must contain descriptions of cities, seas, mountains, moonrise and sunrise, and "accounts of merrymaking in gardens, of bathing parties, drinking bouts, and love-making. It should tell the sorrow of separated lovers and should describe a wedding and the birth of a son. It should describe a king's council, an embassy, the marching forth of an army, a battle, and the victory of a hero".
About this list, Ingalls observes:
It is composed of a varying number of short poems or cantos, that tells the story of a classical epic. Each poem is composed in a metre the is fitting to the subject matter, such as a description of the seasons, a geographical form of nature such as a mountain, and cities.
Modern mahakavya
In the relatively secluded world of modern Sanskrit literature, mahakavyas continue to be produced. Some of these have been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit. In the introduction to Ṣoḍaśī: An Anthology of Contemporary Sanskrit Poets (1992), Radhavallabh Tripathi writes:Some modern mahākāvyas do not aim to satisfy all the traditional criteria, and take as their subject historical matter (such as Rewa Prasad Dwivedi
Rewa Prasad Dwivedi
Rewa Prasad Dwivedi is a Sanskrit scholar and poet. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit in 1991.-Life and career:...
's Svatantrya Sambhavam on the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, or K.N. Ezhuthachan's Keralodayah on the history of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
), or biographies of historical characters (such as S.B. Varnekar's Shrishivarajyodayam on Shivaji, M. S. Aney's Sritilakayasornavah on Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Lokmanya Tilak –, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities derogatorily called the great leader "Father of the Indian unrest"...
, or P. C. Devassia
P. C. Devassia
Plakil Chacko Devassia, often known as P. C. Devassia , was a Sanskrit scholar and poet from Kerala, India. In 1980 he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his poem Kristubhagavatam.-Notes:...
's Kristubhagavatam
Kristubhagavatam
Kristubhagavatam: A Mahakavya in Sanskrit based on the life of Jesus Christ is a Sanskrit epic poem on the life of Jesus Christ composed by P. C. Devassia , a Sanskrit scholar and poet from Kerala, India...
on Jesus Christ). Some others like the Śrībhārgavarāghaviyam
Sribhargavaraghaviyam
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam , literally Of Paraśurāma and Rāma, is a Sanskrit epic poem composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya in the year 2002. It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres and is divided into 21 cantos of 101 verses each...
(2002) composed by Jagadguru Rāmabhadrācārya continue to have the subject of the traditional epics.