Sanskrit Manuscripts : Kumārasambhava

Kālidāsa, Kālidāsa

Sanskrit Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> The <i>Kumārasambhava</i> by Kālidāsa has been called "the greatest long poem in classical Sanskrit, by the greatest poet of the language" (Heifetz 1985: 1). Some manuscripts contain up to seventeen <i>sarga</i>s, but only the first eight are commonly ascribed to be the work of Kālidāsa himself. This manuscript contains the first seven <i>sarga</i>s of the text. The eighth <i>sarga</i>, a vivid description of the 25-year long lovemaking between Śiva and Pārvatī, was sometimes omitted by medieval scribes due to its erotic content. Editions omitting the eighth <i>sarga</i> have also been published, some of which are intended for use in schools (Heifetz 1985: 6). This manuscript, probably written in a Jain scriptorium, contains copious marginal annotations. The scribe, Lāvaṇyavimala, is named in the colophon, as well as his teacher, Śrīdānavimala. </p>