A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s6.36

v3.c35.s6.36

Another great epic of Kālidāsa is the **Raghuvamśa**¹, "The History of the Family of Raghu", in which the poet describes the life and achievements of Rāma and also those of his predecessors and successors. The first nine cantos are devoted to the four immediate predecessors of Rāma, Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja and Daśaratha; then in cantos X-XVI he describes, fairly in agreement with the Rāmāyaṇa, the career of Rāma. Kālidāsa does not conceal the fact that he found his inspirations in the great epic of Vālmīki². However, he does not let himself off into a competition with the ādikavī. He has narrated the actual Rāma-tale very briefly, so briefly that the cantos of the Raghuvaṁśa devoted to this theme are just a neat abridgement of the seven books of the Rāmāyaṇa. On the other hand, his genius has an entire range providing new opportunities for originality, particularly in the cantos devoted to Raghu and Aja.