Authorship of R̥tusaṃhāra: A Reappraisal

Summary

“Authorship of R̥tusaṃhāra: A Reappraisal” by Satya Vrat revisits the question of who wrote the Sanskrit poem *R̥tusaṃhāra* (Cycle of Seasons), long attributed to Kālidāsa. The article compares descriptions of seasons in the *R̥tusaṃhāra* with similar passages in Kālidāsa’s undisputed works (*Raghuvaṃśa*, *Meghadūta*, *Abhijñānaśākuntala* etc.) and argues that the stylistic, thematic and linguistic similarities are too close to be coincidental. For instance, the portrayal of lovers reacting to seasonal changes and the use of metaphors drawn from nature echo verses in the *Meghadūta* and *Kumārasambhava*. The author notes that some critics have suggested that an imitator wrote the *R̥tusaṃhāra*, but he counters that imitators generally produce inferior work, whereas this poem matches Kālidāsa’s poetic skill. Footnotes cite editions of Kālidāsa’s texts and discuss the chronology of references. The article concludes that the weight of internal evidence supports Kālidāsa’s authorship and that later doubts likely arose from misconceptions about the poem’s metre and vocabulary. By re‑examining textual parallels, Satya Vrat reinforces Kālidāsa’s reputation as the poet of all seasons.