The Kaumudimahotsava and the Date of Kalidasa
By Dasharatha Sharma
Summary
The article investigates the relationship between the Sanskrit drama Kaumudimahotsava and the works of Kalidasa in order to deduce the approximate date of the famous poet. Scholars have long debated whether Kalidasa lived in the early first millennium CE or later. The anonymous play Kaumudimahotsava contains numerous verses and motifs similar to those in Kalidasa’s dramas and poems. The author systematically compares parallel passages: for instance, a verse describing the delicate smile of a heroine and her eyebrows appears in both the Kaumudimahotsava and Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalamfile:///home/oai/share/The_Kaumudimahotsava_and_the_Date_of_Kalidasa.pdf. Another verse comparing the fragrance of jasmine with the beauty of the beloved occurs in the Kaumudimahotsava and the Raghuvamsa. The article points out that in each case the Kalidasa version is metrically superior and more polished, suggesting that the Kaumudimahotsava borrowed from Kalidasa rather than vice versa. The author argues that the metrical forms used in Kaumudimahotsava resemble those of later Sanskrit drama, while Kalidasa’s compositions show an earlier, more classical style. The paper also reviews linguistic and thematic differences: the Kaumudimahotsava contains words and idioms not attested in early classical Sanskrit, and its depiction of court life reflects later social conditions. Using these internal indicators, the article proposes that the Kaumudimahotsava was composed after Kalidasa. Therefore, the similarities cannot be used to push Kalidasa’s date forward; instead they suggest that Kalidasa predates the play. The article ends by asserting that while absolute dating remains uncertain, the comparative study of texts strengthens the case for placing Kalidasa between the first and fifth centuries CE.
Conclusion
By comparing parallel verses and analysing metres and language, the article argues that the Kaumudimahotsava is later than Kalidasa’s worksfile:///home/oai/share/The_Kaumudimahotsava_and_the_Date_of_Kalidasa.pdf. The play appears to borrow motifs and expressions from Kalidasa, and its stylistic features point to a post-classical period. Consequently, similarities between the two texts should not be used to argue for a late date for Kalidasa. Instead, the evidence supports the traditional view that Kalidasa flourished earlier, perhaps in the early first millennium CE. Comparative textual study thus provides important clues for Sanskrit literary chronology.