Kalidasa

(5th c. ?) Generally considered the greatest Sanskrit writer, noted both for his
command of the language and his ability
to evoke poetic emotion (rasa) in his
listeners. There is little definite information about Kalidasa’s life; even the dates
of his birth and death have been widely
debated. According to legend, Kalidasa
was an illiterate village boy. As a joke he
was presented as a suitor for a learned
princess who had vowed that she would
only marry a man who could defeat her
in a silent debate—that is, a debate
using gestures instead of words.
Kalidasa “defeated” the princess
through coincidence and mutual misunderstanding and became her husband. When the princess discovered the
depths of Kalidasa’s ignorance, she
threw him out of the house, ordering
him not to return until he had become
educated. In desperation he went to a
temple of the goddess Kali and was
about to offer himself as a human sacrifice, when Kali appeared to him and
gave him absolute mastery of Sanskrit.
Upon his return, his wife is reported
to have asked him, “Have you gained
proficiency in [Sanskrit] speech?” (“Asti
335
Kalidasa
kascit vagviseshatah?”). Kalidasa gave
his answer over time, using the three
words in his wife’s question as the first
words of his three greatest works—
Kumarasambhava, Meghaduta, and
Raghuvamsha. He is also the author of
the dramas Abhijnanashakuntala,
Vikramorvashiya, and the Malavikagnimitra.
These works reportedly gained him
the patronage of king Vikramaditya,
with whose court Kalidasa is
traditionally associated.
Legend also recounts that Kalidasa’s
miraculous gift of learning caused his
death. Since his wife had spurred his
search for learning, Kalidasa thought of
her as his guru or religious teacher. Out
of respect, he refused all sexual relations
with her. Enraged at his refusal, she
cursed him to meet his death at the
hands of a woman. Many years later, a
king composed a line of verse and
offered a large prize to the person who
could compose the best ending.
Kalidasa heard about this contest while
enjoying the company of a courtesan
and effortlessly composed the perfect
ending. In her greed for the prize, the
courtesan stabbed and killed Kalidasa.
Although her crime was discovered and
she was punished, this legend illustrates
the Hindu belief in the unstoppable
power of fate, particularly when driven
by a curse.