A History of Sanskrit Literature: Classical Period, Vol. I c5.36

c5.36

The *Kumāra-saṁbhava*¹ is regarded as one of Kalidasa's early works, but it is in its own way as admirably conceived and expressed as his other poems. To the extent to which it has survived, it does not, however, complete its theme,—a defect which it shares with the *Raghu-vaṁśa*, also apparently left incomplete. The genuineness of the first seven cantos of the *Kumāra-saṁbhava* is beyond doubt; but it brings the narrative down to the marriage of Śiva and Pārvatī, and the promise of the title, regarding the birth of the Kumāra, is not fulfilled. Probably canto viii is also genuine; along with the first seven cantos, it is commented upon by Mallinātha and Aruṇagiri, and is known to writers on Poetics, who somewhat squeamishly censure its taste in depicting the love-sports of adored deities;² it also possesses Kalidasa's characteristic style and diction. The same remarks, however, do not apply to the rest of the poem (ix-xvii) as we have it now. These cantos probably form a supplement¹ composed by some later zealous admirer, who not only insists upon the birth of Kumāra but also brings out the motive of his birth by describing his victory over the demon Tāraka. It is unbelievable that Kālidāsa abruptly left off his work; possibly he brought it to a proper conclusion; but it is idle to speculate as to why the first seven or eight cantos only survived. The fact remains that the authenticity of the present sequel has not been proved.