Picture:Kalidasa Statue in China

Kalidasa is widely considered to be the greatest Indian poet and playwright of all time. He wrote in Sanskrit. There are seven works written by him-two epic poems, two shorter poems and three plays. They are 1.Raghu Vamsa (dynasty of Raghu),2.Kumara Sambhava (Birth of Kumara, 3.Megha Duta (Cloud Messenger),4.Ritu Samhara (Cluster of Sesons), 5.Malavikagnimitram (Malavika and Agnimitra),6.Abijnana Shakuntala (The recognition of Shakuntala) and 7.Vikramorvasiya (Urvasi won by valour).His master piece was Shakuntala.

The age of Kalidasa has been debated for long. He could have lived anytime between 2^nd century BC and 4^th Century AD. Though the western scholars have placed him in the period of Gupta dynasty, Indians believe that he lived in the time of the great Indian king Vikramditya who started his own Vikrama era in 56BC. Kalidasa was one of the Nine Jewels (Navaratna) of Vikramaditya’s court.

My research into Tamil Cankam (also known as Sangam) literature shows that Kalidsa lived sometime before the birth of Christ. Tamil poets have used a lot of his similes. Kalidasa was most famous for his apt similes. The Sanskrit poets praised him as Upama Kalidasasya: ( Kalidasa owns similes).Tamil poets have used lot of common Indian/ Hindu beliefs. The source may be different ancient Indian works. But there are very clear indications to show that the poets have got them from Kalidasa’s works. There are over 200 similarities between the works of Kalidasa and the Sangam Tamil works. No one can reject them as co incidences or of pan Indian origin.

Cankam

Tamil Cankam literature is 2000 years old. Scholars date the Cankam literature to first few centuries of the modern era. Tamil Cankam anthologies consist of 2380 + poems composed by 470+ poets. It runs to approximately 30,000 lines. Brahmin poets contributed the highest number of poems or lines. Kapila who was praised as a ‘’Brahmin of spotless character’’ composed the highest number of poems (235)  in the anthology. He was well versed in Sanskrit and was able to teach Tamil to a North Indian king known as Arya king Brahadatta. No need to say that the medium of instruction was Sanskrit. Kapila made him a great scholar in Tamil and made him to write a poem in Tamil which is in Tamil anthology Kurunthokai. Kapila sang the great Kurinchipattu just to show the greatness of Tamil language to the North Indian king. Kurinchipattu is famous for portrayal of nature. Kapila recites 99 plant names at one go. Though we see a lot of plants were mentioned by Valmiki and Kalidasa, Kaipla beat them by giving a list of ninety nine plants together. Paranar is another great Brahmin Tamil poet always associated with Kaplilar. Both of them lived around 150 AD. It is corroborated by their reference to Roman (yavana) imports and exports from the South Indian ports.

Paranar “ may” be a Brahmin poet according to some scholars. There are two reasons to consider him a Brahmin. Chera king katal pirakottiya Senkuttuvan gave him land (Umbarkadu as ‘piramadeyam?) and his son when he composed a poem on him. The kings give such land to Brahmins only. They entrust their children for education only with Brahmins. The second reason is the name is a Sanskrit name found as one of the Gothra Rishis. It comes in stories of Vikramaditya as a Brahmin name. Kapilar and Paranar have used a lot of Kalidasa’s expressions and similes. Not only Kapilar and Paranar but also other Tamil poets used such similes. Most of them are Brahmins who must be well versed in Sanskrit and Kalidasa’s works. Kalidasa’s name and fame must have spread far and wide by 1^st or 2^nd century AD when most of the cankam poems were composed.

 

GSS

Another great work of the first few centuries is Gatha sapta sathi in Prakrit language. ‘’The occasional echoes in Gatha Sapta Sathi of ideas in Kalidasa’s poems and dramas (e.g. GSS 14,44,47,232,251 etc) would lead to the conclusion that Kalidasa belonged to the 1^st century BC and enjoyed the parentage of King Vikramaditya’’ says MV Patwardhan (Gathakosa,1988).The Tamils might have got these ideas through the minor poets who lived in the borders of Taminadu and Andhra. Except King Hala the compiler of GSS, no one was famous. They simply followed and copied the great poets and we see only one or two bright sparks here and there. GSS is later than Kalidasa because of the following facts:

1. GSS refers to Ganapathy/Vinayak but not to Murugan or Balaraman. Cankam and Kalidasa refer to Murugan and Balaraman but not Lord Ganesh, which became popular later.
2. GSS refers to Hora (hour) which is considered a borrowing from Greek.
3. GSS poem 361 by Salivahanan is a translation of Kumarasambhava poem.
4. GSS refers to Vikramaditya.
5. Lot of themes are common to Cankam and Kalidasa , but absent in GSS. It is a long list. But negative evidence is a weak evidence. So I am not giving them here. But this will prove that GSS is NOT the common source for Tamil or Sanskrit poems. It is vice verse.

GU Pope on Kapilar

Reverend GU Pope, the great Tamil devotee, wrote an article in 1893 in which he said that Kapila must be well versed with Kalidasa’s works and added that Kurinchipattu of Kapilar is nothing but an imitation of Kalidasa.

No wonder Kaiplar did this. He had to do this so that Aryan King Brahadattan understood Tamil well. When someone reads about similarities between two authors the first question will be who copied whom? The second question will be whether they got it from some common source. The third question will be whether it was all pan Indian beliefs. But all these doubts will be cleared when one sees the very same words used by two poets. It is like a verbatim translation. The scholars praised Kalidasa because he was the originator of these similes or expressions or phrases. Kalidasa could not have read all the 30000 Tamil lines and copied the best. Since Kapila lived in 150 AD, Kalidasa must have preceded him. No one could come anywhere near Kalidasa because he used 1000+ similes in apt places. He has rarely repeated any of them.  Though there are 3000+ similes in Mahabharata it is not considered one man’s work.

Now I will produce the evidence from Tamil poems:

1.Prayer to Lord Shiva

Now a days we start any book or event with a prayer to Lord Ganesh. But Kalidasa and Cankam poets begin their work with a prayer to Lord Shiva. Five Cankam works- Akananuru (Aka),Purananuru (Pur), Ainkurunuru (Ain),Pathitrupathu (Pathi) and Kalithokai (Kali) begin with a prayer to Shiva. Natrinai (Nat) is the only work with a prayer to Lord Vishnu. That too is a sloka from Vishnu Sahasranama is translated into Tamil. Kalidasa begins with a prayer to Shiva in Raghuvamsam, Kumarasambhavam and Shakunthalam. Though some scholars say that the Tamil prayers were added on a later date, that person must have followed Kalidasa. Another remarkable thing about Tamil literature is no one has used the word ‘’Shiva’’ in 30 000 lines. Shiva is referred to with other epithets. Kali also rarely used Shiva. This shows the closeness in time of Cankam poets and Kali. Even the oldest Rig Veda never used Lord Siva’s name, but Yajur Veda used his name.

Kali or Cankam poets never referred to Lingam. But Lingam was known in Gupta period. And Guptas called themselves as Parama Bagavathas (great devotees of Lord Vishnu).But Kali used only shiva for his prayers even in the book of ‘’Raghu’’ vamsa. He lived long before the Guptas. Guptas who were great sponsors of Sanskrit language, attracted by his works named their children Kumara Gupta and Skanda Gupta. Even Hala in GSS prayed to Lord Shiva. This reflects the time they lived.

Many of the Cankam poets have Sanskrit names.Rudran and Mahadevan (Bharatham Padiya Perunthevan) are names of at least four Tamil poets.

Shiva’s epithets in Kalidasand Cankam Tamil books:

a)      Neelakanta (blue throated),Neela lohitha:

Kali: Kumara VII 51,VIII 12,Shak VII 34

Cankam: akam 1,Pura 56,55,91 Paripatal 8,9 Malaipadu 83

b)      Ardhenthu Maulin (cresent moon)

Kali: Megha 57 =Cankam akam 1

c)       Ayugma netra (one and a half eye,three eyed)

Kali: Kumara III 51,69

Tri lochana,thri nayana, thraiyambaka (Kum III44,66VI 89,Mega 54,118,60)

Virupakshana (kum VI 21)

Cankam: Akam 181 (paranar),Pura 6(kari Kizar),pura 55, kali 2

d)      Bhutapathi,Bhuteswara,Bhutanatha (Lord of the livingbeings)

Kali: Ragu II 58,Kum II 43,74 Ragu II 46

Cankam :Puram 219,259,276 poets names also Shiva’s name with Puthan epithet!!!

Other Tamil poets with Puthan epithet of Lord Shiva: Madurai Kauniyan Puthathanar

(Brahmin poet of Kayndinya Gothra)Bhuta Nathan,Perumbhutan, Puthan Ilanagan, Bhutapandiyan,Karuvur Puthan Chathanar, Ezathu pthan thevan, Ven Bhuthan, Senthan Bhuthan,Kundram Bhuthanar

e)      Sula bruth,Sulin (Trident bearer)

Kali: Ragu II 38, Kuma VII 40, III 57,IV 94 Mega 15, 19,

Cankam : Akam 1 (Bharatham padiaya Mahadevan)

f)       Vrushanga (On the Bull mount, Bull flag)

Kali: Kuma III 23,14,62, VII 29,VIII 20, Ragu II 35, 36

Cankam : Puram 56 (Nakkeeran, A Brahmin poet)

g)      Parvathi Parameswaran

h)      Kali: Ragu I-1 = Cankam Akam 1, Puram 166

i)        Purasasana

Kali :Kuma VII 30= Puram 55 (Marutham Ilanagan)

Tripura Thaganm (one who burnt three forts)

Kali :Mega 58= Cankam Puram 55, Pari 5-2,Kali 2-1 to 8, 38-1,Kali 1

j)        Ardhanari (half siva half shakthi)

Ragu 1, Kum VII 28 =Cankam : ‘Maathoru paathiyan’ (Ainkurunuru  prayer)

k)      Maheswaran (Great Lord)

Kali Ragu III 49= Cankam Puram 166, Kali 1

l)        Rudra (angry towards bad)

Ragu II 54,Kuma II 26,III 76,Malavi I-4

Cankam Puram 56 (nakkeeran)

Also refer to poets with Rudran names given earlier.

 

Above references prove that there was not a big gap between Kali and Cankam poets and they were Pre Gupta. No reference to Ganesh ,No reference to Lingam and rarely used the word ‘Shiva’. Lord Shiva was not even mentioned in the oldest Tamil work Tolkappiyam.

Tolkappiyam refers only to Vedic Gods Indra, Varunan, Durga, Vishnu and Kartikeya (Seyon)

2.Lord Kartikeyan/Murugan

Lord Murugan or Skandan has got a special place in the hearts of Tamils. He is the god of Kurinchi landscape (Hills and its sorroundings). Kalidasa and Tamil poets agree on two important points:

a)      Murukans valour b) Murukan’s place is inaccessible to women

Ponmudiyar in his poem in Puram (299) says that fearful anangu is in the Murugan temple.

Women won’t go and touch anything there. Narrinai poet Kulambanar also (288) gives the same message. He says that girls who attained puberty are scared to enter Murugan temple.

One woman fortune teller says that a girl is possessed by Murugan. WE have more references in Nar 34, 173 Akam 22, 98 and Kuru 111.

 

Kalidasa also says in Vikram( IV 40,V-23,IV 71-3) that women were afraid of entering Murugan’s garden (groves sacred to Kumara were forbidden to women.)

Murugan dwells in Hills:

Mega 45, Raghu II-36 = Cankam: Murugu 218-317, Akam1,61,59,149, Kali 27, 93 ,

Madur 262-270,Pari 2, 19

Peacock as Vahana, came from fire:

Kali: Mega 46, Raghu VI-4 = Pura 56, Akam 149, Murugu 210 and Pari 18-26

Borb in Saravana poigai:

Kali:  Mega 47, Raghu III-23 = Murugu 58, 253, 257, 267

 

Reference to Himalayas: The best evidence comes from Kalidasa’s reference to the beautiful and holy Himalayas. Kalidasa had an amazing knowledge of the Himalyas. In the very first sloka of Kumarasambhava he praised Himalayas as the measuring rod of the earth. We did not know how he came to know that it extends from oone end of the the Sub continent to the other endin an age where there was not any map in India. Tamil poets repeated verbatim Devatatma Himalaya what Kalidasa said. Tamil poets Paranar and Kumattur Kannanar repeated this epithet in Pathitrup Pathu (43-1, 11-23). The golden Himalayas was referred to by Nappasalai (Puram 39 and Paranar 356). Tamil poets had no easy access to the Himalayas 2000 years ago. They just copied what Kalidasa said. They describe the beautiful scenery from kalidasa’s other works

 

Reference to Pandyas and Agastya: Kalidasa knew very well the connection between the Pandyas and Agastya. He referred to it in Raguvamsa. He even spoke about the Aswamedha Yagna of Pandyas indirectly by referring to Avabruda snanam. Mudukudumi Peruvazuthi, a powerful king did a great many Yagnas according to Puram poems 6 and 13.

 

Non reference to Ganesh: Neither Kalidasa nor Tamil Sangam literature mentioned Lord Ganesh. Worship of Lord Ganesh became popular only later.

 

Lord Murukan’s treatment, reference to the Himalayas and Ganges and reference to Lord Siva ,Deepa Shika simile are few of the 220 similarities. These proved that Kalidasa’s name and fame spread far and wide in South India by first few centuries of modern era.

 

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