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Kalidasa

Also known as Kálidása, Kālidāsa, Kalidas

Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems.

OverviewAI-generated

Kalidasa was a male Indian poet, lyricist, playwright, and writer who composed works in Sanskrit. His literary output spans the genres of epic poem, lyric poetry, drama fiction, and Indian classical drama. He is described in sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition. His notable works include Raghuvaṃśa, Abhigyanashakuntalam, Mālavikāgnimitram, and Vikramōrvaśīyam.

Kalidasa’s period of activity is recorded with a floruit around 400, with a work period starting in 400 and ending in 500. He adhered to the Hinduism religion. His works are held in collections such as the National Gallery of Art. He is featured on focus lists for Wikipedia articles that all languages should have.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Europeana Sparql, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: active 17th century
Died: 18th century
Works: 276

Top works

Kalidasa's Sakuntala
The poems of Kalidasa rendered into English verse
[Sakuntala
Malavika und Agnimitra
La reconnaissance de Sakountala

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Writing

via TMDB

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Country: India

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 1,106
Total plays: 4,036

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Performance study on single basin single slope solar still with different water nanofluids
· 2015 · cited 369x
Performance study on basin type double slope solar still with different wick materials and minimum mass of water
· 2011 · cited 337x
Single basin double slope solar still with minimum basin depth and energy storing materials
· 2010 · cited 326x
Performance analysis on inclined solar still with different new wick materials and wire mesh
· 2015 · cited 245x
Review on Schiff bases and their metal complexes as organic photovoltaic materials
· 2014 · cited 234x

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

“न रत्नमन्विष्यति मृग्यते हि तत्”
“If a professor thinks what matters mostIs to have gained an academic postWhere he can earn a livelihood, and thenNeglect research, let controversy rest,He's but a petty tradesman at the best,Selling retail the work of other men.”
“There in the fane a beauteous creature stands, The first best work of the Creator's hands; Whose slender limbs inadequately bear A full orbed bosom, and a weight of care; Whose teeth like pearls, whose lips like Bimbas show, And fawn-like eyes still tremble as they glow.”
“O my good fortune, please subdue the anguish of your Soul. Nobody is destined only to happiness or to pain. The wheel of life takes one up and down by turn.”
“God Shiva and his mountain bride,Like word and meaning unified,The world's great parents, I beseechTo join fit meaning to my speech.”
“O thou who didst create this All,Who dost preserve it, lest it fall,Who wilt destroy it and its ways—To thee, O triune Lord, be praise.”

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Writer.image: Kalidasa inditing the cloud Messenger, A.D. 375.jpg
Writer.caption: A 20th-century artist's impression of Kālidāsa composing the Meghadūta
Writer.occupation: Poet, Dramatist
Writer.language: Sanskrit, Prakrit
Writer.genre: Sanskrit drama, Classical literature
Writer.subject: Epic poetry, Puranas
Writer.notableworks: Kumārasambhavam, Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Raghuvaṃśa, Meghadūta, Vikramōrvaśīyam, Mālavikāgnimitram
Writer.name: Kalidasa

via Wikipedia infobox

Works in European collections

36 objects attributed to Kalidasa, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Mâlavikâ and Agnimitra: a drama of the Kâlidâsa in five acts

Abhijñānaśakuntala: Kâlidâsa 's Ring-Çakuntala

Kalidasae Meghaduta et Çringaratilaka: additum est glossarium

Vikramorvaśī: this is Urwasi, the price of bravery; a drama Kalidasas in 5 acts

Sacuntala annulo Sacita 1, Qua textus continetur

Kalidasae Meghaduta et Çringaratilaka: additum est glossarium

Sakontala or the decisive ring: An Indian spectacle

Kâlidâsa 's Ring-Çakuntala

Urvasia :Fabula Calidasi. [2], Apparatus criticus ad Urvasiam, fabulam Calidasi

Kalidasa's Wolkenbote

Raghuvansa :Kālidāsae Carmen

Sakontala, or the drooping ring: Indian drama of potash in six elevators

Sakuntala or the recognition ring: an Indian drama

Meghadûta or the cloud messenger: an ancient Indian elegy

Urvasia :Fabula Calidasi. [1]

Sacuntala annulo Sacita 2, Qua glossarium continetur

Sakuntala or the decisive ring

Kalidasa 's Śakuntalā: an Indian spectacle

Sakuntala oder der Erkennungsring ein indisches drama von Kalidasa

Untitled

~18 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections

Contents

Early life
Period
Theory of multiple Kālidāsas
Works
Epic poems (Mahākāvya)
Minor poems (''Khaṇḍakāvya'')
Plays
Translations
False attributions and false Kalidasas
Influence
Critical reputation
Later culture
See also
References
Citation
Notes
Bibliography
Further reading
External links

Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE during the Gupta era. Kalidas is mentioned as one of the seven Brahma avatars in Dasam Granth, written by Guru Gobind Singh.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kalidasa” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (10)

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Kalidasa