Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/233

190 Kumarsambhava, from the name, would appear to be a Poem celebrating the birth of Kartikeya, the Mars of the Hindus. But the 7 books that are extant embrace a certain portion of the intended theme. The poem as it stands describes the birth of Parvati, the mother of Kartikeya, the burning of Kamadeva, the god of Love, by Shiva, the Tapasya (austerities) of Parvati and her marriage with Shiva. Meghaduta is a Poem in 118 slokas. A Yaksha or Demigod having excited the wrath of his master Kuvera, the God of wealth, was doomed by the curse of the Master Deity to remain in a state of separation away from his beloved wife in a distant land for the length of one year. The lover in his distressed condition addresses a cloud to bear his message to his wife at Alaka, the capital of Kuvera. The Sakuntala and Vikramorvvashi are Dramas; the first has for its subject the story of Sakuntala, the adopted daughter of a sage, named Kanva, and Dushmanta, a king; the plot of the second is the story of Pururava, a king, and Urvashi, a nymph. All these are very excellent productions. They are by the immortal Kalidasa. Every one of them bears the stamp of great genius. Shishupalabadha, Kiratarjuniya, and Naishadha Charita are epic poems, the first by Magha in 20 Books, and the second by Bharavi in 17 Books, the third by Shriharsha in 22 Books. The death of Shishupala by the hand of Krishna, his cousin, is the theme of Magha's poem. The Kiratarjuniya contains the Topasya of Arjuna, his combat with Shiva in the disguise of a Kirata or barbarian, and finally his acquisition of certain weapons as rewards from Shiva who was pleased with his military prowess. The adventures of Nalaraja form the subject matter of Naishadha Charita. The first mentioned two works possess all the attributes of good epics, only now and then there are some very tedious passages. The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Books of Shishupalabadha, though the finest specimens of poetry, and the 7th, 8th 9th and 10th Books of Kiratarjuniya