Kalidasa is equally
famous for his epic Raghuvamsa. It is a mahakavya in 19 cantos, narrating the history of
the kings of the Solar race from Dilipa the first. Dilipa
was childless. On the advice of sage Vasishta, he worshipped the divine cow Surabhi
because of its curse, by servingNandini, her off-spring.
When a lion pounced on Nandini, Dilipa offered himself as prey
in exchange. This pleased the divine cow and Dilipa was blessed with a son Aja.
Raghu's exploits are described.
We read of Aja and his queen Indumati. Here occurs the famous
pass-age Aja Vilapa at the death of his queen.
Sri Rama's story is beautifully told. The epic ends with
Agnimitra. |