Kumārasambhava

For the Malayalam film, see Kumara Sambhavam.

Kumārasambhavam (Sanskrit: कुमारसम्भवम् "The Birth of Kumāra") is an epic poem by Kālidāsa. It is widely regarded as the finest work of Kalidasa as well as the greatest kāvya poem in Classical Sanskrit. The style of description of spring set the standard for nature metaphors pervading many centuries of Indian literary tradition. Kumārasaṃbhavam basically talks about the birth of Kumāra (Kārtikeya), the son of Shiva (Śiva) and Pārvatī (Umā). The period of composition is uncertain, although Kalidasa is thought to have lived in the 5th century.

A great storm of dispute has raged over the question as to whether the whole of the work now available in seventeen cantos came from Kalidasa's pen. Vitthala Śastrin, who in 1866, published Cantos VIII to XVII in The Paņdit, took them as genuine product of Kalidasa's pen. Scholars like Hermann Jacobi took Cantos IX to XVII as a later interpolation. Stylistic inferiority of these cantos, silence on the part of early commentators and lack of citation in Alaṃkārasutra are often given as reasons for rejecting this latter part of the poem. Rarity of manuscripts has also been mentioned.

There is an orthodox tradition which rejects Canto VIII also on the ground that it is a sacrilege on the part of a great Śaiva poet to describe the amorous pleasures of the union between Shiva and Parvati, parents of the universe. Legend say that Kalidasa could not complete his epic Kumārasambhavam because he was cursed by the goddess Parvati, for obscene descriptions of her conjugal life with Shiva in the eighth canto. But later it has inspired the famed sculpture of Khajuraho temples. The English renderings of these Sanskrit plays tend to avoid erotic and explicit aspects due to moral tastes of modern audience. The play depicts Kalidasa as a court poet of Chandragupta who faces a trial on the insistence of a priest and some other moralists of his time.

Despite all this, Canto VIII is considered by many to be the crowning achievement of Kalidasa's poetic skill, and the quotations from this canto occurring in standard critical works like the Alaṃkārasutra and the Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa, and others are more numerous than from any other canto.

Contents

Kumārasambhavam literally means "The Birth of Kumāra". This epic entails Sringara rasa, the rasa of love, romance, and eroticism, more than Vira rasa (the rasa of heroism). Tārakāsura, an asura (demon) was blessed that he could be killed by none other than Shiva's son. However, Shiva had won over Kama, the god of love. Parvati performed great tapas (spiritual penance) to win the love of Shiva. Consequently, Shiva and Parvati's son Kartikeya was born to restore the glory of Indra, king of the devas.

Canto I (Uma's Nativity)

Then was it sweet, as days flew by, to trace
The dawning charm of every infant grace,
Even as the crescent Moons their glory pour More full,
more lovely than the eve before.

As yet the maiden was unknown to fame,
And Mountain-lady was her only name;
But when her mother, filled with anxious care
At her stern penance, cried Forbear ! Forbear!
To a new title was the warning turned,
And Uma was the name the maiden earned.

— Umotpattiḥ (उमोत्पत्तिः) I.25-26, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

The poet begins with a description of the mountain Himalaya deservedly called the King of all mountain-ranges. From his wife Mena he had a son named Mainaka and a daughter called Parvati, who was in her former birth Sati, the daughter of Daksha and wife of Shiva. Parvati's childhood and budding youth are then described. When she has attained the marriageable ago, the sage Narada, who is on a visit to Himalaya, foretells that she would win Shiva for her husband, Relying on this prophecy, Himalaya does not particularly bestir himself in the matter of his daughter's marriage. In the meanwhile, the god Siva, after he had lost his wife Sati, had betaken himself so & peak of the Himalaya and was practicing penance there. When Himalaya comes to know of this, he arranges that his daughter, accompanied by her two companions, should wait upon Shiva and do worshipful homage to him.

Canto II (The Address to Brahma)

When that great warrior battles for his life,
O, who may conquer in the deadly strife,
Save one of Siva's seed?

He is the Light, Reigning supreme beyond the depths of night;
Nor I, nor Vishnu, his full power may share,
Lo, where he dwells in solitude and prayer!

— Brahmasākṣātkāraḥ (ब्रह्मसाक्षात्कारः) II.57-58, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

At about this time the gods in Heaven were very much harassed by the demon Taraka and they therefore go to Brahma in a body. Having first propitiated him by a suitable hymn of praise, they narrate to him their grievances. Taraka, who had become master of the three worlds by virtue of a boon he had obtained from Brahma, had pressed all the gods into his service, and even the mighty Indra was powerless against him. The only person capable of ridding the world of this demon would be the son of Shiva. As, however, that puissant deity had no son, the obvious course was to bring about the birth of a son to him. Brahma points out that Parvati, daughter of the mountain Himalaya, was the only suitable mate to Shiva; if their marriage would be brought about, the gods could accomplish what they sought.

Canto III (The Burning of Kama)

Then with strong effort, Siva lulled to rest,
The storm of passion in his troubled breast,
And seeks, with angry eyes that round him roll,
Whence came the tempest o'er his tranquil soul.

He looked, and saw the bold young Archer stand,
His bow bent ready in his skillful hand,
Drawn towards the eye— his shoulder well depressed,
And the left foot thrown forward as a rest.

— Madanadahanaḥ (मदनदहनः) III.69-70, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

Now, in order to induce the sentiment of passion in the anchorite Shiva and thereby make him marry Parvati, Indra deputes Kama (the god of Love). The latter, accompanied by his friend and helper Vasanta (the Vernal Season), repairs to the place where Shiva was practicing penance and Parvati was in attendance on him . When Kama appears there, all of a sudden the trees and plants put forth fresh sprouts, the earth becomes clad with untimely vernal glory, the beasts of the forest and the birds of the air show the influence of love, and even the ascetics find it hard to control their senses. The sudden descent of spring and the near presence of the lovely maiden combine for a moment to slightly disturb the concentration of Shiva, but for a moment only. He immediately controls himself; and finding that Kama was responsible for that momentary deflection of his fixity, he becomes wrathful; all of a sudden fire burst forth from hie third eye (on the forehead), which consumes Kama, reducing him to a heap of white ashes. Frightened at this unexpected catastrophe, Himalaya carries away his daughter to a safer place; Shiva immediately vanishes from the scene and the coup planned by Indra comes to naught for the time being.

Canto IV (Rati's Lament)

And then those words that made me, oh, so blest —
"Dear love, thy home is in my faithful breast!"
Alas, sweet words, too blissful to be true,
Or how couldst thou have died, nor Rati perish too?

Yes, I will fly to thee, of thee bereft,
And leave this world which thou, my life, hast left—
Cold, gloomy, now this wretched world must be,
For all its pleasures came from only thee.

— Rativilāpaḥ (रतिविलापः) IV.9-10, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

Rati, tho widow of Kama, had accompanied her lord on his fateful mission and was an eye-witness of hie sad end. She now laments long and piteously. She calls upon Vasanta to arrange a funeral pyre, on which she intends to immolate herself. The preparations are being made, when suddenly & voice from the celestial void assures her that her separation from Kama is only temporary; for, when Siva would wed Parvati, he would bestow upon him his corporeal form, and thus would Rati be re-united with her husband.

Canto V (Uma's Reward)

The silver Moon on Siva's forehead shone,
While softly spake the God in gracious tone: —
"O gentle Maiden, wise and true of soul,
Lo, now I bend beneath thy sweet control!
Won by thy Penance, and thy holy vows,
Thy willing slave Siva before thee bows!"

He spake, and rushing through her languid frame
At his dear words returning vigour came;
She knew but this, that all her cares were o'er,
Her sorrows ended, she should weep no more!

— Tapaḥphalodayaḥ (तपःफलोदयः) V.86, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

Now Parvati, who had fallen in love with Siva and secretly cherished a desire to become his wife, found herself sorely disappointed; and to achieve her object she could think of no other means than to practice austere penance. With difficulty she obtains the permission of her parents and repairs to a peak of the Himalaya which later came to be called Gaurishikhara after her. Here she continues mortifying the flesh by all kinds of processes, and is not daunted by even the severest forms of penance known to ascetics. These austerities win for her the love of Shiva who comes to her hermitage in the disguise of a young ascetic, in order to test the strength of her attachment. On learning the object of her penance he argues with her skillfully for a long while, pointing out the various faults of Shiva, such as his love for odious and horrid objects, his deformed body, his poverty, etc., and generally proving his entire unsuitability for the hand of such a pure, noble-born, delicate and cultured maiden as Parvati. The latter, however, attaches no importance to the so-called faults of Shiva; on the contrary, in her eyes those very faults constitute his charms; and, in short, speaking through her attendant maid, she makes it clear to the visitor that his arguments were unavailing and his presence unwelcome. At this the ascetic reveals his real form and declares himself as her slave. When Parvati sees Shiva before her, she is filled with supreme joy.

Canto VI (Uma's Espousals)

I seek the Mountain-Maiden as my bride,
Our hero Son shall tame the Demon's pride, —
Thus the Priest bids the holy Fire arise,
Struck from the wood to aid the Sacrifice.

Go, ask Himalaya for the lovely Maid,
Blest are those bridals which the Holy aid;
So shall more glorious honours gild my name,
And win the father yet a prouder fame.

— Umāpradānaḥ (उमाप्रदानः) VI.28-29, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

Parvati then asks Shiva to obtain her father's formal sanction for the marriage. Shiva deputes the Seven heavenly Sages for this purpose. Accompanied by Vasishtha's wife Arundhati, they go to the capital city (Oshadhiprastha) of Himalaya, which they much admire. Himalaya receives them with proper respect and veneration; and after mutual greetings are exchanged, he asks them in courteous terms the purpose of their visit. Thereupon they make known their business. Himalaya is only too pleased at their request and gives his consent. Fixing the date of the marriage as being the fourth day from that day, the sages return to Shiva, inform him accordingly, and permitted by him, go back to their celestial abode.

Canto VII (Uma's Bridal)

Now have they left the wedded Pair alone,
And Siva takes her hand within his own
To lead his darling to the bridal bower,
Decked with bright gold and all her sumptuous dower.
She blushes sweetly as her maidens there
Look with arch smiles and glances on the Pair,
And for one moment, while the damsels stay,
From him she loves turns her dear face away.

— Umāpariṇayaḥ (उमापरिणयः) VII.94-95, Trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith

The city of Himalaya is now cheerfully decorated in honour of the coming marriage-celebrations. On the appointed day the ladies in Himalaya's palace bathed Parvati, put on her the customary marriage-dress, and decked her with various auspicious thinge for the holy ceremony; and on Kailasa, Shiva too was suitably dressed and decked by the Holy Mothers. Afterwarde he starts for Oshadhiprastha on his famous bull Nandi, accompanied by the Mothers, by his attendant Ganas, and by Indra and other gods. He is received at the gates of the city by Himalaya and the bride's party. His beauty is much admired by the spectators, and in partioular by the ladies of the city. Then inside the palace the holy rites connected with wedding are all duly performed, including the final blessing pronounced by Sarasvati. After the conclusion of the ceremony the guests disperse and Shiva stays at his father-in-law's house.

Canto VIII (The Description of Uma’s Pleasure)

Her delicate hands trembling in pain
as her bitten lower lip was released,
Parvati cooled it in a moment with that coolness
of the crescent moon Siva wears in his hair.

And if, when he was kissing her hair,
Siva caught powder in the eye on his forehead,
he touched it to the perfume of Parvati’s breath,
fragrant as the odour of an opening lotus.

— Umāsuratavarṇanaḥ (उमासुरतवर्णनः) VIII.18-19, Trans. Hank Heifetz

The amorous sports of the newly-wedded pair are now described at some length, In all, Siva spends one month at Oshadhiprastha and then leaves it in the company of his wife. He next wanders over many regions, including among them the mountains Meru, Kailasa, Mandara, and Malaya, the celestial Ganges, and the Nandana Garden. Finally he comes to the mountain Gandhamadana at evening time. He proceeds to describe the beauty of sunset to his consort, the evening gradually giving place to & moonlit night. They then both drink the wine brought to them by the guardian-deity of the mountain, and spend the night in connubial pleasures. He then makes that place his abode thenceforth, and lives there for twenty-five years, enjoying the company of his beloved without break or hindrance in his happiness. With this statement the poem concludes.

Dispute and criticisms

Authenticity of Canto IX-XVII

The Kumārasaṃbhavam has apparently come down to us unfinished, or as a complete fragment of a larger whole. Seventeen cantos (or sargas) are found in some manuscripts, but only the first eight can be judged, on available evidence, to be the authentic work of Kalidasa. A later, lesser author (or perhaps two) seems to have completed the story, in nine additional sargas, describing the birth of the Young God Kumāra and his victory, as leader of the army of the gods, over Tāraka. For these nine sargas no commentary exists by Mallinātha (1350-1450), the most famous of Kalidasa’s commentators. Even more significantly, they are never quoted in the Alaṃkāraśāstra, the Sanskrit treatises on literary theory and practice in which verses from sargas one through eight are common. Modern literary scholars also point to a general inferiority in the writing, with increased use of padding, as further argument against Kalidasa’s authorship.

The eight definitely authentic sargas have a completeness of their own. Thematically, they develop not exactly a love story but a paradigm of inevitable union between male and female played out on the immense scale of supreme divinity. Sanskrit poetry excels at the blending, or counterpoint, of eroticism and reverence towards divine (or imperial) power. In the legend of the love of the God and the Goddess, of Shiva and Pārvatī, Kalidasa chose a theme in which these two elements are naturally and intensely unified.

Censorship of Canto VIII

Moralistic critics in medieval and later India have severely censured Kalidasa for depicting the lovemaking of gods. Editions of the Kumārasaṃbhavam have been published without the eighth sarga (Umāsuratavarṇanaḥ), especially if they are intended for use in schools. By contemporary standards, however, the sexual detail of this sarga—though vivid and beautiful—is discreetly handled, and most of sarga eight is taken up with Shiva’s impassioned and sensual descriptions of nature. The evidence for its genuineness seems strong, and the level of the writing is quite as high as in the rest of the poem.

And once when he was loving on Mount Malaya,
the south wind, smelling of sandalwood branches
and filaments of lavan̄ga blossoms, like a lover with
sweet words, took all tiredness away from his beloved.

In the Heavenly Gangā, Pārvatī struck her lover
with a golden lotus and closed her eyes
as Śiva’s hands splashed her. Swimming, she needed
no waistband, as the fish glowed around her.

— Canto VIII.26-26, Trans. Hank Heifetz

This canto has been cited by even an old literary critic like Vāmana (fl. late 8th—mid-9th century), who seems to have believed it to be a genuine part of the poem. Kșemendra cites verse (under the authorship of Kalidasa, with whom, however, he finds fault) VIII.87 as an example of the impropriety of idea relating to composition (prabandhārthānaucitya) as it depicts the amorous pleasures of Shiva in his union with Parvati in the manner of the same of an ordinary couple:

Or, for example, [the verse] of Kālidāsa —
"At that moment Hara,
with His eyes attracted by the lines of nail-marks left on the upper part of her thigh,
prevented His beloved from adjusting the garment
which had slipped off."

Here, in the description of amorous pleasures of the three-eyed god, who is the Lord of the three worlds, in His union with Mother, has been stated the attraction of His eyes by the upper part of her thigh shining with the series of nail-marks impudently shown as befitting a low woman. Thereby the idea of the composition bears great impropriety indeed.

— Śrī Kșemendra, Aucityavicāracarcā

On the other hand, Ānandavardhana refers to the description of the amorous pleasures of (Shiva in his union with) Parvati (devīsambhogavarņana) in the Kumārasaṃbhava — who appears to believe this canto to be a genuine part — as a case where impropriety (anaucitya) owing to the description of love in union relating to high divinities does not appear to be indecent by virtue of the poet's genius:

Thus, the impropriety involved, for example,
in the delineation by even first-grade writers of the well-known sentiment of love
in union relating to high divinities does not appear to be indecent,
as it is concealed by the writer's genius.
For example, the description of the amorous pleasures in the union of
[Śiva with] the goddess in the Kumārasaṃbhava.

— Śrī Ānandavardhana, Dhvanyāloka 3.6, p. 346 in Pāțhak's edition

The objections to the supposed impropriety of depicting the lovemaking of Shiva and Parvati in the poem are met by Aruņagirinātha, in his remarks at the beginning of the eighth canto, with condemnation of the folly of those who declared themselves reluctant to comment on that canto:

The fault here belongs purely to him who thinks that these activities are real,
when in fact they are merely the playing of these two Great Actors,
acting out the actions of famous ordinary heroes and heroines
of the exalted type.

— Aruņagirinātha, Canto VIII (vol. 3 p. 215)

Both Aruņagirinātha and Nārāyaņapaņdita mention by name previous commentators who refused to comment on the eighth canto, and judging from the introductory material in Mallinātha's commentary on the eighth canto, his remarks on that portion of the poem formed a separate work, perhaps intended only for his older students.

Adaptations

The late Sanskrit play Pārvatīparinaya (पार्वतीपरिनय, "The Wedding of Parvati") has the same subject as that of Kumārasaṃbhavam. The play is so closely modeled on the poem, not only in the sequence of events it depicts but even in much of its actual wording, that the Pārvatīparinaya may be regarded as the result of an attempt to transfer an epic poem into the form of a play. Yet the play does alter some of the characteristics of Kalidasa's plot, and in doing so it often introduces touches that are reminiscent of several well-known Sanskrit plays.

Kumara Sambhavam is a 1969 Indian film adaptation of the poem by P. Subramaniam.

Bibliography

• Hank Heifetz (1 January 1990). The Origin of the Young God: Kālidāsa's Kumārasaṃbhava. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0754-9.

External links

• full text of the Kumārasambhava in Devanāgarī script (first eight sargas)
• full text of the Kumārasambhava in Roman script at GRETIL
• The Birth of the War-God, selected translation by Arthur W. Ryder
• single folio of a Kumārasambhava manuscript in the Cambridge University Library
• [1] Attempted English translation of text by RTH Griffith