Pancha Kavya

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Mon, 15 Jul 2002, Srikrishna Ghadiyaram wrote:

> Hari Om !!
>
> What are the Pancha Kavya ? I heard these five make up the recommended
> reading. Any more info and comments on this subject.
>

The 5 mahakavyas plus Meghaduta are considered the essential works of
Sanskrit poetry.

They are:

Laghutrayi:

Meghaduta - Kalidasa - A Gandharva in exile sends a cloud messenger to his wife
Raghuvamsha - Kalidasa - The story of Shri Rama and His ancestors
Kumarasambhava - Kalidasa - The story of the birth of Kartikeya Bhagawan

Brhattrayi:

Kiratarjuniyam - Bharavi - The story of Arjuna and the hunter from Mahabharata
Naishadiyacharita - Sriharsha - The story of Nala and Damayanti
Shishupalavadha - Magha - The defeat of Shishupala by Krishna Bhagawan
                          from Mahabharata, Bhagavata etc.

There are many commentories on these but the ones by Kolachalli Mallinatha Suri
 are the most popular.

--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
It's a girl! See the pictures - http://www.braincells.com/shailaja/