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Studies in
the major figure of speech (viz., rasavadalamkāra).18 Bhoja cites it to show that the so-called 'utprekşāvayava' figure is not different from utprekşā.19 Ruyyaka cites it as an example of angāngi-bhāyasankara' of the figures ‘upamā', 'śleşamülā atiśayokti' and 'utprekşa'.20 Hemacandra quotes it to illustrate :
fataheit: A ET-aty TETTTTTTGL Fut : 121
The behaviour of a hero and his heroine is attributed to Candramas-the moon and his beloved Niśā (Night). Siva by this description suggests his own keen desire to kiss Pārvati.
In this Canto Kālidāsa describes according to the principles of the Kāma-śästra the amour of Siva and Pārvati and cleverly suggests to his intelligent readers that the amorous sports of the divine pair would in course of time lead to the Birth of Kumāra (Kumāra-Sambhava). The different pictures of Pārvali as mugdha and madhya and pragalbhā näyikå are very charming, so too Siva's description of the sunset, the night-fall and the moon-rise is very charming.
This canto may well be described as 'Sastra-Kavya' as it concerns itself with love and the art of love and presents the principles of erotics in a very attractive and poetic garb.
Finally Dharma (Duty) Artha (Wealth) and Käma (Love) are the three recognised aims of human life, and all the three are equally important. Naturally, the delights of married life have an important place in our life : There is nothing abhorrent to taste if they are beautifully, poetically and appropriately portrayed in literature. On the contrary such descriptions are a great source of beauty and have aesthetic appeal to sensitive readers. It would, therefore, be only apt to regard this Canto to be a crowning and glorious achievement of Kālidāsa's poetic art.
I would like to conclude this paper with the following verse of Mallinātha, who pays a very handsome tribute to Kālidāsa for his 'dhvani-gabhira kävya (poetry pregnant with rich suggestion) :
कालिदासगिरां सारं कालिदासः सरस्वती । चतुर्मुखोऽथवा साक्षाद् विदुर्नान्ये तु मावृशाः ॥
18 Vakrokti-Jivita, III 16v. 69. 19 Sarasvatīkaņķhābharaṇa NS ed. p. 468 20 Almkārasarvasva, NS ed. p. 248. 21 Kavyānušāsana (p. 148)
