Part 3 - Mahākāvya and its features

The mahākāvyas occupy a very significant position in the Sanskrit literature. So it has been duly discussed by the rhetoricians like Daṇḍin, Viśvanātha Kavirāja and others. Viśvanātha, in his Sāhityadarpaṇa brings a very elaborate discussion on the salient features of a mahākāvya. According to him, a mahākāvya is a poetical composition consisting of several cantos. The hero should be a deity or a kṣatriya of a dignified family, having determination and liberality of heart or a number of kings of the same noble family may be its heroes. As for example, in the Śiśupālavadha, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the hero, who is a deity^[1] and in the Naiṣadhacarita, Nala is the hero who is a kṣatriya. Example of a number of kings being the heroes are–Dilīpa, Raghu, Rāma etc. in the Raghuvaṃśa Again, of the Śṛṅgāra (erotic), Vīra (heroic) and Śānta (quietistic), any one ought to be the aṅgīrasa (predominant sentiment) and all the other flavours acting as auxiliary. As for example, Śṛṅgāra is the predominant sentiment in the Naiṣadhacarita, Vīra in Śiśupālavadha and Śānta in the Mahābhārata The mahākāvya should contain all the sandhis or dramatic junctures i.e. mukha, pratimukha, garbha, vimarśa, nivarhana or upasaṃhṛti. The story pertaining to some righteous characters must be originated from history such as the Mahābhārata or from any other sources like the Rāmāyaṇa etc. It has for its fruits i.e. the final objects obtained by the hero, all the four of the class consisting of the great objects of human desire viz.

Dharma (merit), Artha (wealth), Kāma (enjoyment), and Mokṣa (liberation), or it has only one of them. The mahākāvya starts with a salutation to a deity or a benediction, or just with the mention of a subjectmatter leading into the main story of the poem. As for example, the Raghuvaṃśa starts with a benedictory verse^[2], whereas, the Kirātārjunīya^[3] and the Kumāra.^[4] begins with vastu-nirdeśa. Again sometimes, it begins with censure of the wicked and a tribute to the good. It comprises cantos, more than eight in number, neither too short nor too long, each canto consisting of verses set in some particular metre and however, there is a change of metre at the end of the canto. Again, sometimes, a canto is found to be composed in a variety of metres (the fifth canto of the Kirātārjunīya and the fourth canto of the Śiśupālavadha). The subject matter of the succeeding canto should be hinted at the end of each canto. In a mahākāvya, the following are to be described in it, according to occasion, together with their attendant incidents and circumstances-the sun and the moon, day and night, morning and evening, noon, twilight and darkness, ocean and mountain, woods and hunting, the seasons, the enjoyment and separation of lovers, saints, heaven, city, sacrifice, military march, counsel, marriage, birth of a son etc. Again, a mahākāvya should be named after the poet (e.g. the Māghakāvya), the story (e.g. the Kumārasambhava, the Raghuvaṃśa etc.), the hero (e.g. the Naiṣadhacarita), or the villain (Rāvaṇavadha, Śiśupālavadha). While, the title of a canto, is to be after the principal matter of it. (e.g. the first canto of the Raghuvaṃśa is named Vaśiṣṭhāśramagamana).