The Art of Epithet in the Kumārasambhava, Sanskrit Poetry of Kālidāsa

Abstract

          The purpose of this article is to study the literary art of Kālidāsa, specifically the art of epithet, with Cantos 1-8 of Sanskrit poetry titled Kumārasambhava as the main resources for data collection. The research found that Kālidāsa used synonyms for the Lord Shiva’s names that can be divided into three types: 1. the main word of ancient names; 2. the names that the poet himself had made; 3. the various meaningful names related to the story. The third type can be divided further into 4 groups: 3.1 the general well-known name; 3.2 the names that show greatness; 3.3 the names that represent the identity of the deity; and 3.4 the names corresponding to the events that the poet was telling. For the goddess Pārvatī’s, the poet used epithets with characteristics appropriate for the story, which can be divided into 3 groups: 1. the names corresponding to the role of the daughter of God Himawat; 2. the names corresponding to the role of the perfect ascetic; and 3. the names corresponding to the role of a noble or virtuous woman. The poet also used the art of epithet with God Himawat’s names, which can be divided into 3 groups: 1. the general words that mean “a mountain”; 2. the words that directly refers to the “Himālayan mountain”; and 3. the words that clearly indicates the deity’s role as “the king of the mountains”.