Aum Gung Ganapathaye Namah
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato
samma-sambuddhassa
Homage to The
Blessed One, Accomplished and Fully Enlightened
In the
name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Kalidasa
A Collection of Articles, Notes and References
References
(Revised: Sunday, December 24, 2006)
References
Edited by
An Indian Tantric
What’s
in a name? That which we call a rose
By
any other name would smell as sweet.
- William
Shakespeare
Copyright
© 2006-2010 An Indian Tantric
The following educational
writings are STRICTLY for academic research purposes ONLY.
Should NOT be used for
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(The
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8
"... Freely you received, freely give”.
-
Matthew 10:8 :: New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in
the last days.
2 People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without
self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5 having
a form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with them.
6 They are the kind who
worm their way into homes and gain control over
weak-willed women, who are
loaded down with sins and are swayed
by all kinds of evil desires,
7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also
these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as
far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.
9 But
they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their
folly will be clear to everyone.”
-
2 Timothy 3:1-9 :: New International Version (NIV)
6 As he saith also in
another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
-
Hebrews 5:6 :: King James Version (KJV)
Therefore, I say:
Know your
enemy and know yourself;
in a hundred
battles, you will never be defeated.
When you
are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself,
your chances of
winning or losing are equal.
If ignorant both of your
enemy and of yourself,
you are sure to be defeated in every battle.
-- Sun Tzu, The Art of War, c. 500bc
There are two ends not to be served by a wanderer.
What are these two? The pursuit of desires and of the pleasure
which springs from desire, which is base, common, leading to rebirth, ignoble,
and unprofitable; and the pursuit of pain and hardship, which is grievous,
ignoble, and unprofitable.
- The Blessed
One, Lord Buddha
Contents
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A Brief Word on Copyright
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Republication or redissemination of the contents of
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and
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Moreover,
I believe that satisfies the conditions for copyright and
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References
Some of the links may not be active (de-activated)
due to various
reasons, like removal of the concerned information from the source database. So
an educational copy is also provided, along with the link.
If the link is active, do cross-check/validate/confirm the
educational copy of the article provided along.
References
Kālidāsa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalidasa
Kalidasa
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc60.html
Kalidasa: life and works
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html
Kalidasa and Sanskrit Poetry
http://www.poetry-portal.com/poets3.html
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Educational Copy
of Some of the References
FOR EDUCATIONAL
PURPOSES ONLY
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Reference
Kālidāsa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalidasa
Known to be an ardent worshipper of Shiva, he wrote his plays and
poetry largely based around Hindu mythology and philosophy. His name means,
literally, "Kali's servant".
...
Life
Not much is known about Kalidasa's
personal life and background, but there are several myths and legends about it. From his
works he comes across as a very educated Brahmin but the legends have a more
romantic story to tell. He is said to have been born in a community of shepherds(Kuruba Gowda). He was known for his beauty and
innocence. A
local princess Vidyotama, who vowed to marry only a man who defeated her in
debate, outwitted all the scholars in the kingdom. These insulted scholars
managed to present the dim-witted Kalidasa as a learned man and even got her
married to him. But when the truth was discovered she was ashamed of his uneducated
ignorance and coarseness. Kalidas left his home in
pursuit of knowledge and to become worthy of his intellectual wife. A devoted
worshipper of the goddess Kali, Kalidasa is said to have called upon the
goddess for help and was rewarded with a sudden and extraordinary gift of wit and wealth. When he
returned, his wife asked, "
The province of origin of Kalidasa is the subject of
much debate. His loving description of the
Legend has it that he was murdered by a courtesan
in
Works
Plays
Three famous plays written by Kalidasa are Mālavikāgnimitram (Mālavikā and
Agnimitra), Vikramorvaśīya (Pertaining to Vikrama and Urvashi) and Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of
Sakuntala). The last is the most famous, and was the first to be translated into
English and German.
Shakuntala stops to look back at Dushyanta, Raja
Kalidasa's second play, generally considered his
masterpiece, is the Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of
Shakuntala) which tells the story of another king, Dushyanta, who falls in love
with another
girl of lowly birth,
the lovely Shakuntala. This time, the couple is happily married and things seem
to be going smoothly until Fate intervenes. When the king is called back to
court by some pressing business, his new bride unintentionally offends a saint
who puts a curse on her, erasing the young girl entirely from the king's
memory. Softening, however, the saint concedes that the king's memory will
return when Shakuntala returns to him the ring he gave her. This seems easy
enough--that is, until the girl loses the ring while bathing. And to make
matters worse, she soon discovers that she is pregnant with the king's child. But
true love is destined to win the day, and when a fisherman finds the ring, the
king's memory returns and all is well. Shakuntala is remarkable not only for
its beautiful love poetry, but also for its abundant humor which marks the play
from beginning to end.
The last of Kalidasa's surviving plays,
Vikramōrvaśīyam, is more mystical than the earlier plays. This time, the king
(Pururavas) falls in love with a celestial nymph named Urvashi. After writing
her mortal suitor a love letter on a birch leaf, Urvashi returns to the heavens to
perform in a celestial play. However, she is so smitten that she
misses her cue and pronounces her lover's name during the performance. As a punishment for ruining
the play, Urvashi is banished from heaven, but cursed to return the moment her
human lover lays eyes on the child that she will bear him. After a series of
mishaps, including Urvashi's temporary transformation into a vine, the curse is eventually
lifted, and the lovers are allowed to remain together on Earth. Vikramōrvaśīyam
is filled with poetic beauty and a fanciful humor that is similar to
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Poetry
In addition to his plays, Kalidasa wrote two
surviving epic poems Raghuvamsha
(Dynasty of Raghu) and Kumarasambhava (Birth of Kumar Kartikeya), as well as the lyrical Meghaduta (Cloud
Messenger) and Ritusamhāra (The Exposition
on the Seasons).
Other Works Attributed To Kalidasa
Kalidasa has also been credited with many minor
poems and hymns. But these are generally treated by scholars as works of other
poets writing under the name of Kalidasa.
In addition to being a great poet Kalidas is
believed to be a good astrologer too. "Uttara Kaalaamritam " a work on astrology is attributed to him and it is
said that as a result of his worship of goddess Kali, the predictions
given in this book are absolutely correct.
Commentaries
While many commentaries on the works of Kalidasa
exist in various Indian and non-Indian languages, the most famous and often
studied one is the Sanjeevani
by Kolachalli Mallinatha Suri (15th century CE) (usually referred to as
Mallinatha), written during the reign of the Vijayanagara king Deva Raya II.
Kalidasa in modern popular culture
...
Mohan Rakesh's acclaimed play in Hindi based on
Kalidasa's life Āshad ka ek din(A Day In The
Month Of Āshad) tries to capture the conflict between the harsh
realities of the times and the ethereal beauty repeatedly portrayed in his
works. Kalidasa
leaves behind his childhood sweetheart Mallika to go to the royal court. He
wins acclaim and a life of pleasure. When he comes back to Mallika
expecting an eager welcome, he discovers that in the intervening years, her life has
taken the harsh road never seen in his art.
Surendra Verma's Hindi play "Athavan Sarga," published in 1976,
is based on the ancient myth that Kalidasa could not complete his epic
"Kumārasambhava" because he was cursed by the goddess
Pārvati for obscenely describing her conjugal/amorous life with Lord Shiva in the eighth
canto of this epic.
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. The playwright, while beautifully
depicting the dilemma of a writer in such a circumstance, has not only invalidated the eternal
discussion of obscenity in literature but also underlined the importance of the freedom
of expression &
futility
of censorship in art.
"
Legends
1 There arose a question on
who was the better poet: Kalidasa or Dandi? After realising that no Sanskrit
scholar of their time was capable of evaluating their competence, the pair go to the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. Upon being asked
who was the greater poet, the goddess answers that it
was Dandi. Disappointed, Kalidasa asks the goddess, "Am I nothing,
mother?" A
phrase well known to all students of Sanskrit is then uttered:
"tvamēvaham" ("You and I are the same
.")
2 There was a complaint by other scholars, why King
treats Kalidasa so differently. So King asked the scholars to describe a piece
of dry wood. All of them said "Suskam Kasthyam" ("dry
wood"). When Kalidasa came he said "Nirasa tarubara purata
bhage" ("lifeless part of tree lying in front of me") The poetic
interpretation and the sweet sounding words made everybody realize the speciality of Kalidasa
3 Saraswati bandana is also attributed to
Kalidasa.
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Reference
Kalidasa
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc60.html
...
Little is known about Kalidasa's life. According to legend, the poet was
known for his beauty which brought him to the attention of a princess who married him. However,
as legend has it, Kalidasa had grown up without much education, and the princess was
ashamed of his ignorance and coarseness. A devoted worshipper of the goddess Kali (his name
means literally Kali's slave), Kalidasa is said to
have called upon his goddess for help and was rewarded with a sudden and
extraordinary gift of wit. He is then said to have become the most
brilliant of the "nine gems" at the court of the fabulous king
Vikramaditya of
Kalidasa's first surviving play, Malavikagnimitra or
Malavika and Agnimitra tells the story of King Agnimitra, a ruler who falls in love
with the picture
of an exiled servant girl named Malavika.
...
He is generally considered to be the greatest
Indian writer of any epoch.
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Reference
Kalidasa: life and works
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html
...
Undetermined also is the place of Kaalidaasa's
principal literary activity, as the frequent and minute geographic allusions in
his works suggest that he traveled extensively.
...
The Vikramorvashiiya ( Urvashii
Won Through Valor) is based on the old legend of the love of the mortal
Pururavaas for the heavenly damsel Urvashii. The legend occurs in
embryonic form in a hymn of the Rig Veda and in a much amplified version in the ShatapathabraahmaNa.
...
The third play, AbhiGYaanashaakuntala ( Shakuntalaa Recognized by the Token Ring), is the work by
which Kaalidaasa is best known not only in
...
Poems. In addition to these three
plays Kaalidaasa wrote two long epic poems, the Kumaarasambhava ( Birth
of Kumaara) and the Raghuvamsha
( Dynasty of Raghu). The former is concerned with the events that lead to the marriage
of the god Shiva and Paarvatii, daughter of the Himaalaya. This union was
desired by the gods for the production of a son, Kumaara, god of war, who would help them
defeat the demon Taaraka.
The
gods induce Kaama, god of love, to discharge an amatory arrow at Siva who is
engrossed in meditation. Angered by this interruption of his austerities, he burns Kaama to
ashes
with a glance of his third eye. But love for Paarvatii has been aroused, and it
culminates in their marriage.
The Raghuvamsha treats of the family to which the
great hero Rama belonged, commencing with its earliest antecedents and
encapsulating the principal events told in the RaamaayaNa of Vaalmikii. But
like the Kumaarasambhava, the last nine cantos of which are clearly the
addition of another poet, the Raghuvamsha ends rather abruptly, suggesting
either that it was left unfinished by the poet or that its final portion was
lost early.
Finally there are two lyric poems, the Meghaduuta ( Cloud Messenger) and the Ritusamhaara ( Description of the
Seasons). The latter, if at all a genuine work of Kaalidaasa, must surely be
regarded as a youthful composition, as it is distinguished by rather
exaggerated and overly exuberant depictions of nature, such as are
not elsewhere typical of the poet. It is of tangential interest, however, that the
Ritusamhaara, published in
On the other hand, the Meghaduuta, until the
1960's hardly known outside India, is in many ways the finest and most perfect of
all Kaalidaasa's works
and certainly one of the masterpiece of world literature. A short poem
of 111 stanzas,
it is founded at once upon the barest and yet most original of plots. For some
unexplained dereliction of duty, a Yaksha, or attendant of Kubera, god of
wealth, has
been sent by his lord into yearlong exile in the mountains of central
...
Dr S. Radhakrishnan says, `Whichever date we adopt
for him we are in the realm of reasonable conjecture and nothing more. Kalidasa
speaks very little of himself, and we cannot therefore be
sure of his authorship of many works attributed to him. We do not know
any details of his life.
Numerous legends have gathered round his name, which have no historical value'
(II, p. ii). The apocryphal story that he ended his days in
...
Malavikaagnimitra (Malavika and Agnimitra) tells the
story of the love of Agnimitra of Vidisha, king of the Shungas, for the
beautiful handmaiden of his chief queen. In the end she is discovered to be of
royal birth and is accepted as one of his queens. The play contains an account of
the raajasuuya sacrifice
performed by Pushyamitra, and a rather tiresome exposition of a theory on
music and acting.
It is not a play of the first order.
...
Meghaduuta (Cloud Messenger): the theme of this long
lyrical poem is a message sent by an exiled yaksha in Central India to his wife
in the
...
Rituu-samhaara, (Seasonal Cycle), a poem describing the six seasons of the year in all their
changing aspects.
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Reference
WordWeb 4.5
seasons
One of the natural periods into which
the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices or atmospheric conditions
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Kumaara-sambhava (Kumaara's Occasioning), usually
translated `The Birth of the War-god', a mahaakavya relating how Parvati won the love of
Siva in order to bring into the world Kumara (i.e. Karttikeya) the god of war
to destroy the demon Taraka. The last few cantos are usually omitted from
printed versions,
being of an excessively erotic nature. This is especially true of Canto VIII where the embraces
of the newly-wedded divine couple are dwelled upon in vivid detail.
Great as Kalidasa was, it has been observed that he
had his literary weaknesses. He showed no interest in the social problems of
his day; his plays do not reflect the tumultuous times in which he lived; he felt no sympathy for the lot of the common
man; his work is overburdened with description, and is sentimental, wordy and at times
coarse. Within
his range he was unsurpassed by any of the dramatists who wrote in the Sanskrit
language, but this does not amount to much, for the general standard of Sanskrit drama is not on a par with the best elsewhere.
Comparing his works with those of the Persians, Arabs, Greeks and Europeans,
and by the same strict standards of criticism, Max Muller declares,
`Kalidasa's plays are not superior to many plays that have been allowed to rest in dust and peace on the shelves of our
libraries'.
...
Mallinaath (the most famous commentrator
on Kalidasa)
gives two meanings to Meghadoot's 14th verse. He says that `dinnaaga'
and `nichula' words refer to Buddhist philosophers `dinnaaga'. Based on this some scholars put kalidasa in 6th century AD `coz
kalidasa's contemporary `dinnaaga' was disciple of
Vasubandhu who was in 6th century AD. Flaw: Vasubandhu was
apparently in 400 AD `coz his books were translated in Chinese around 475-525
AD.
...
VaaN.bhaTTa in the preface of his kaadambaree mentions Kalidasa.
VaaN.bhaTTa was in early 7th century AD.
...
Kalidasa's Life
Many tell tales are there for his life. Some call
him native
of Kashmir, some of Vidarbh, some of Bengal and others of
It is said that he was a dumb fool to start with.
The king's daughter was a very learned lady (equality of women
! :-) ) and said that she will marry him who will defeat her in
`shaastraartha' (debate on the scriptures). Anyone who gets defeated will be black
faced, head shaven and kicked out of country on a donkey. (The punishment part
might be later aditions!) SO, the pundits took Kalidasa (whom they apparently
saw cutting
the tree branch on which he was sitting) for debate. They said that he (Kalidasa) only does
mute debates. The princess showed him one finger saying `shakti is one'. He
thot she will poke his one eye, so he showed her two fingers. She accepted it
as valid answer, since `shakti' is manifest in duality (shiv-shakti, nar-naaree etc etc). She
showed her the palm with fingers extended like in a slap. He showed her the
fist. She accepted it as answer to her question. She said `five
elements' and
he said `make the body' (earth, water, fire, air, and void). [ The
debate explanations are also apparently later additions] So they get married
and she finds he is a dumbo. So she kicks him out of the house. He straightaway
went to Kali's temple and cut his tongue at her feet. Kali was appeased with him
and granted him profound wisdom. When he returned to his house, his wife (the
learned) asked, ``
And the great Kalidasa wrote three books starting with
the 3 words:
with
with kashchit = kashchit-kaantaa
= Meghdoot (poetry)
with vaag = vaagarthaaviva =
Raghuvansha (epic)
Another story says that he was the friend of
Kumardas of
Kalidasa's work
mainly his epics - Raghuvansha and
Kumaar-sambhavam; `khanDakaavyaa' - Meghadoot; and dramas -
abhigyaan-shaakuntalam, Vikrama-uravasheeya, and Malavikaa-agnimitra are
considered his works for sure. Apart from that `Ritu-sanhaar and Shruta-bodh are considered his works as
well.
Characteristics of Kalidasa's works
Kalidasa is considered as the greatest poet of `shringaar' (or romance, beauty) His
works is brimming with shringaara-rasa. Sometimes he has used `haasya' (comedy) and `karuN.' (pathos). There are two aspects of `shringaar' -
`sambhoga' (sam = together,
bhoga = to enjoy, consume as in
consumer;
so sambhoga = the being together, the romance of being
together, the happy love poems etc)
`vipralambha' - that of separation
Kalidasa was expert at both. Meghadoot is immersed in
the `vipralambha-shringaar'. Kumara-sambhavam's 8th chapter is epitome of
`sambhoga-shringaar'. 4th chapter of KumarS (Rati-vilaapa) and 8th chapter of
Raghu-vansha (aja-vilaapa) are superb examples of `karuN.-rasa' (pathos).
Kalidasa's comedy is of the highest order. (Bharata in his NaTya-shaastra
mentions 8 types of comedy from the crudest of physical comedy resulting in
guffawing loud laughter to the most subtle where the heart smiles). Kalidasa's comdey brings a
gentle smile, not a loud guffaw.
Alankaraa (figure of speech) is of two types -
`shabda-alankaara' = beauty of sound
`artha-alankaar' = beauty of meaning
Kalidasa uses artha-alankaar more than the former. He is famous for his
`upamaa' (metaphor?).
Indian pundits say, ``upamaa kaalidaasasya'' (upamaa like
Kalidasa's). His upamaa are clear, complete and beautiful. His observation is
sharp and subtle.
He knows
the nature and human nature in and out. He has a sound knowledge of the scriptures. His `utprekshaa'
(simile) and `artha-antaranyaas'
(transfer of meaning)
are also very beautiful. He has used some `shabda-alankaar's as well. `anupraasa'
(alliteration),
`yamaka'
(same word repeated with different meaning), and `shlesha' (pun; one word two meanings). Kalidasa loves the
softer side of nature.
He mentions
serene and beautiful ashramas, river banks, gardens, palaces, bumblebee, deer,
cuckoo etc. He loves
Kalidasa knew the human psychology deeply. What humans
think in what situation. He also knew women's psychology very well. He is a master of
expressing emotions through actions. This brings extra dimension to his work (Remember
the shlok about Parvati counting the lotus leaves when her marriage proposal was
being discussed?).
In continuation to the shlok (about The great rishi
asking parvati's hand from Himalaya for Shiva), Kalidasa says, ``and then
Kalidasa expresses inner world and the external
world equally well.
Among
the objects of metaphors, he knows exactly how much importance to give to which
one. He only describes
the major attribute of the thing being compared. He also maintains the chronological order of
events (else
you get what is called kaala-dosha = time decrepancy). e.g.
here is a shlok about Parvati meditating hard to win Shiva:
...
valeeshu = in the tri-vali (triple
fold on
the belly, a mark of
beauty)
...
The first drop of rain stayed
momentarily on her eyelids, dropped on
her
lips, shattered on her hard
breasts and trickled down her triple
fold and after a long
time disapperaed in
her navel.
Notice the time order of events!
Sanskrit pundits have accepted three style of
writing -
gauDee = big huge samaasa (word
conjugations)
paanchaalee = small samaasa
vaidarbhee = no samaasa
kaavya (loosely poetry) has three
features:
oja = harsh words and long
samaasa
maadhurya = sweet words with small
samaasa
prasaada = scarce samaasa and easy
to understand
Kalidasa is of the vaidarbhee style. Easy to understand (yet
the trickery of hinting the cause through mention of effect and vice versa is
very common). He has COMPLETE control over language. His language is very chaste
as per the grammar. His words are very select. He doesn't use words like `hi,
cha, vaa' (also, and) for completing the meter. When he uses them, he has a
purpose!
Kalidasa's verse knowledge is immensely deep. He has
used most of the known meters (chhanda) in Sanskrit. In one chapter he uses
only one meter. The next chapter is in a new meter. The whole of
`Meghadoota' is in `mandaa-krantaa' meter (2-2-2, 2-1-1, 1-1-1, 2-2-1, 2-2-1, 2-2).
Kalidasa was follower of the Vedic Sanatana dharma.
He believed in the `var.Na-aashraam' social order (four ``castes'' and four
`aashraama' (stages of social life) ) He believed in
dharma, artha, kaama, moxa. Moxa was his eternal goal. Then
dharma. Then comes kaam. He advocates
`tyaaga' (opp. of indulgence) and `tapasyaa'(austerity). He prefers `tapovana' (forest aashramas) instead of palaces. he is a Shiva
devout and remembers Shiva in all his openings of works (mangala-aachara.N). He puts society
above the individual.
He prays here and there for world peace. he is
optimistic. Even though he considers death as natural and life as a
deviation from that,
he considers this small life as a great gain.
...
Samasyaapuurtii
by Sameer Mahajan
([email protected])
raamaabhishheke jalamaaharantyaaH
hastaachchyuto hemaghaTo yuvatyaaH .
sopaana maargeNa karoti shabdaM
ThaaThaM ThaThaM ThaM ThaThaThaM Tha ThaM ThaaH ..
Once King Bhoj lying on his
bed saw a young beautiful girl on her way to fetch water. But as she reached the
stairway she stumbled and dropped the vessel. The King listened to the noise
made by the vessel and it gave him an idea. The next day he called his
courtiers and gave the puzzle to solve ``ThaaThaM ThaThaM ThaM ThaThaThaM Tha
ThaM Thaa.h''
None was able to solve it. Kalidas, when asked,
demanded two days of time or the solution. He observed Bhoj's daily schedule
minutely for those two days. The observation provided him the insight into the solution and
he gave the above mentioned answer. The meaning is quite straightforward.
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Reference
Kalidasa and Sanskrit Poetry
http://www.poetry-portal.com/poets3.html
Kalidasa today
Indian literature does not have the following among
English-speakers enjoyed by continental or even Chinese literature. The reasons
are probably 1. introverted view of Modernism, 2. indifferent translations, 3. Christian opposition to a
frankly sensuous if not sensual imagery, 4. an impersonal and
non-demotic nature. Sanskrit poetry is literature of a very high order: it is not
personal expression but a fusing of spiritual, sensuous and intellectual matters in a non-western tradition.
To these excellent reasons for reading it, should be added a closer integration
of poet and landscape, and the spiritual basis of its civilization.
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Revised: Sunday, December 24, 2006
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“Thou belongest to That Which Is Undying, and not
merely to time alone,” murmured the Sphinx, breaking its
muteness at last. “Thou art eternal, and not
merely of the vanishing flesh. The soul in man cannot be killed, cannot
die. It waits, shroud-wrapped, in thy heart, as I
waited, sand-wrapped, in thy world. Know thyself, O mortal! For
there is One within
thee, as in all men, that comes and stands at the bar and bears
witness that there IS a God!”
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret
Amen