Origin of the Young God
by Kalidasa
Category: Epic poetry, Sanskrit

The greatest long poem in classical Sanskrit by the greatest poet of the language, Kumarasambhavam celebrates the love story of Siva and Parvati, whose passionate union results in the birth of their son, the young god Kumara. Beginning with a luminous description of the birth of Parvati, the poem proceeds in perfectly pitched sensuous detail through her courtship with Siva until the night of their wedding. It plays out their tale on the immense scale of supreme divinity, wherein the gods are viewed both as lovers and as cosmic principles. Composed in eight cantos, the verses of Kumarasambhavam continue to enchant readers centuries after they were first written. Hank Heifetz's sparkling translation brings to life the heady eroticism and sumptuous imagery of the original.