This article is about the ancient Indian poem. For the Indian military operation, see Operation Meghdoot.
Meghadūta (Sanskrit: मेघदूत literally Cloud Messenger)[1] is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa (c. 4th–5th century CE), considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. It describes how a yakṣa (or nature spirit), who had been banished by his master to a remote region for a year, asked a cloud to take a message of love to his wife. The poem became well-known in Sanskrit literature and inspired other poets to write similar poems (known as "messenger-poems", or Sandesha Kavya) on similar themes. Korada Ramachandra Sastri wrote Ghanavrttam,[2] a sequel to Meghduta. By- Riyanshu Singh
A poem of 120[3]stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works. The work is divided into two parts, Purva-megha and Uttara-megha. It recounts how a yakṣa, a subject of King Kubera (the god of wealth), after being exiled for a year to Central India for neglecting his duties, convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife at Alaka on Mount Kailāsa in the Himālaya mountains.[4] The yakṣa accomplishes this by describing the many beautiful sights the cloud will see on its northward course to the city of Alakā, where his wife awaits his return.
In Sanskrit literature, the poetic conceit used in the Meghaduta spawned the genre of Sandesa Kavya or messenger poems, most of which are modeled on the Meghaduta (and are often written in the Meghaduta's Mandākrāntā metre). Examples include the Hamsa-sandesha, in which Rama asks a Hansa Bird to carry a message to Sita, describing sights along the journey.
In 1813, the poem was first translated into English by Horace Hayman Wilson. Since then, it has been translated several times into various languages. As with the other major works of Sanskrit literature, the most famous traditional commentary on the poem is by Mallinātha.
The great scholar of Sanskrit literature, Arthur Berriedale Keith, wrote of this poem: "It is difficult to praise too highly either the brilliance of the description of the cloud’s progress or the pathos of the picture of the wife sorrowful and alone. Indian criticism has ranked it highest among Kalidasa’s poems for brevity of expression, richness of content, and power to elicit sentiment, and the praise is not undeserved."[5]
An excerpt is quoted in Canadian director Deepa Mehta's film, Water. The poem was also the inspiration for Gustav Holst's The Cloud Messenger Op. 30 (1909–10).
Simon Armitage appears to reference Meghaduta in his poem ‘Lockdown’.
It is believed the picturesque Ramtek near Nagpur inspired Kalidasa to write the poem.[6]
Visualisation of Meghadūta
Meghadūta describes several scenes and is a rich source of inspiration for many artists.
Composer Fred Momotenko wrote the composition 'Cloud-Messenger', music for a multimedia performance with recorder, dance, projected animation and electronics in surround audio. The world premiere was at Festival November Music, with Hans Tuerlings (choreography), Jasper Kuipers (animation), Jorge Isaac (blockflutes) and dancers Gilles Viandier and Daniela Lehmann.[8]
Adaptations
Indian filmmaker Debaki Bose adapted the play into a 1945 film titled Meghdoot.[9]
Wilson, Horace Hayman (1813). The Mégha Dúta, Or, Cloud Messenger: A Poem, in the Sanscrit Language. Calcutta: College of Fort William. Retrieved 11 November 2010.. 2nd ed 1843 Introduction, text with English verse translation, and assorted footnotes.
Johann Gildemeister, ed. (1841), Kalidasae Meghaduta et Cringaratilaka ex recensione: additum est glossarium, H.B. König. Kalidasae Meghaduta et Çringaratilaka: additum est glossariumMeghaduta ; et, Çringaratilaka Sanskrit text, with introduction and some critical notes in Latin.
The Megha-dūta (3 ed.), Trübner & co., 1867 With Sanskrit text, English translation and more extensive notes separately.
Colonel H. A. Ouvry (1868), The Megha dūta: or, Cloud messenger, Williams and Norgate The Megha Dūta: Or, Cloud Messenger. A prose translation.
Ludwig Fritze (1879), Meghaduta, E. Schmeitzner. German translation.
The Megha duta; or, Cloud messenger: a poem, in the Sanscrit language, Upendra Lal Das, 1890. Hayman's translation, with notes and translation accompanying the Sanskrit text.
Exhaustive notes on the Meghaduta, Bombay: D.V. Sadhale & Co., 1895 Exhaustive Notes on the Meghaduta: Comprising Various Readings, the Text with the Commentary of .... Text with Mallinātha's commentary Sanjīvanī. Separate sections for English translation, explanation of Sanskrit phrases, and other notes.
Eugen Hultzsch, ed. (1911), Kalidasa's Meghaduta: Edited from manuscripts With the Commentary of Vallabhadeva and Provided With a Complete Sanskrit-English Vocabulary, Royal Asiatic society, London Kalidasa's Meghaduta
T. Ganapati Sastri, ed. (1919), Meghaduta with the commentary of Daksinavartanatha
Sri sesaraj Sarma Regmi, ed. (1964), Meghadutam of mahakavi Kalidasa (in Sanskrit and Hindi), chowkhmba vidybhavan varanasi-1
Ramakrishna Rajaram Ambardekar, ed. (1979), Rasa structure of the Meghaduta - A critical study of Kalidaas's Meghaduta in the light of Bharat's Rasa Sootra (in English and Sanskrit)
Translations
The Meghadūta has been translated many times in many Indian languages.
The Bengali poet Buddhadeva Bose translated Meghadūta into Bengali in 1957.
Dr. Jogindranath Majumdar translated Meghaduta in Bengali keeping its original 'Mandakranta Metre' for the first time published in 1969
Acharya Dharmanand Jamloki Translated Meghduta in Garhwali and was well known for his work.
Translation by C. John Holcombe (Available as ebook)
Partial text of the Megadhuta, with word-for-word translation
by Jaffor Ullah and Joanna Kirkpatrick
A literal prose translation Translating Kalidasa with examples from Meghaduta.
Megadhuta in Garhwali Translation by Acharya Dharmanand Jamloki.
Recordings
Dr. Bipin Kumar Jha. Chanted recitation.
Sung to music composed by Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. (Also here)
Recitation of first verse by Sangeeta Gundecha. (Two other verses, 1.5 and 2.26, are recited from minute 5:50 onwards.)
About the work
Illustrating the Meghaduta: "Illustrated catalogue of the plants and trees of Kalidasa’s Meghaduta".
by Chandra Holm
Notes on issues in translation by Holcombe
A Review of a book of translation.
February 13, 2023
meghadūta, this, article, about, ancient, indian, poem, indian, military, operation, operation, meghdoot, sanskrit, घद, literally, cloud, messenger, lyric, poem, written, kālidāsa, century, considered, greatest, sanskrit, poets, describes, yakṣa, nature, spiri. This article is about the ancient Indian poem For the Indian military operation see Operation Meghdoot Meghaduta Sanskrit म घद त literally Cloud Messenger 1 is a lyric poem written by Kalidasa c 4th 5th century CE considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets It describes how a yakṣa or nature spirit who had been banished by his master to a remote region for a year asked a cloud to take a message of love to his wife The poem became well known in Sanskrit literature and inspired other poets to write similar poems known as messenger poems or Sandesha Kavya on similar themes Korada Ramachandra Sastri wrote Ghanavrttam 2 a sequel to Meghduta By Riyanshu SinghKing looking at a cloud in a night sky Meghaduta illustration Guler School of Pahari painting c 1800 Lahore Museum A scene from Meghaduta with the yaksha and the cloud messenger with the first verse of the poem on an Indian stamp 1960 Artist s impression of Kalidasa composing the Meghaduta Contents 1 About the poem 2 Visualisation of Meghaduta 3 Adaptations 4 See also 5 Editions 6 Translations 7 References 8 External linksAbout the poem EditA poem of 120 3 stanzas it is one of Kalidasa s most famous works The work is divided into two parts Purva megha and Uttara megha It recounts how a yakṣa a subject of King Kubera the god of wealth after being exiled for a year to Central India for neglecting his duties convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife at Alaka on Mount Kailasa in the Himalaya mountains 4 The yakṣa accomplishes this by describing the many beautiful sights the cloud will see on its northward course to the city of Alaka where his wife awaits his return In Sanskrit literature the poetic conceit used in the Meghaduta spawned the genre of Sandesa Kavya or messenger poems most of which are modeled on the Meghaduta and are often written in the Meghaduta s Mandakranta metre Examples include the Hamsa sandesha in which Rama asks a Hansa Bird to carry a message to Sita describing sights along the journey In 1813 the poem was first translated into English by Horace Hayman Wilson Since then it has been translated several times into various languages As with the other major works of Sanskrit literature the most famous traditional commentary on the poem is by Mallinatha The great scholar of Sanskrit literature Arthur Berriedale Keith wrote of this poem It is difficult to praise too highly either the brilliance of the description of the cloud s progress or the pathos of the picture of the wife sorrowful and alone Indian criticism has ranked it highest among Kalidasa s poems for brevity of expression richness of content and power to elicit sentiment and the praise is not undeserved 5 An excerpt is quoted in Canadian director Deepa Mehta s film Water The poem was also the inspiration for Gustav Holst s The Cloud Messenger Op 30 1909 10 Simon Armitage appears to reference Meghaduta in his poem Lockdown It is believed the picturesque Ramtek near Nagpur inspired Kalidasa to write the poem 6 Visualisation of Meghaduta EditMeghaduta describes several scenes and is a rich source of inspiration for many artists An example are the drawings by Nana Joshi 7 Composer Fred Momotenko wrote the composition Cloud Messenger music for a multimedia performance with recorder dance projected animation and electronics in surround audio The world premiere was at Festival November Music with Hans Tuerlings choreography Jasper Kuipers animation Jorge Isaac blockflutes and dancers Gilles Viandier and Daniela Lehmann 8 Adaptations EditIndian filmmaker Debaki Bose adapted the play into a 1945 film titled Meghdoot 9 See also EditMandakranta metre Hamsa Sandesha Sanskrit literature Sanskrit drama Sandesh Rasak Sandesa Kavya Ashadh Ka Ek DinEditions EditWilson Horace Hayman 1813 The Megha Duta Or Cloud Messenger A Poem in the Sanscrit Language Calcutta College of Fort William Retrieved 11 November 2010 2nd ed 1843 Introduction text with English verse translation and assorted footnotes Johann Gildemeister ed 1841 Kalidasae Meghaduta et Cringaratilaka ex recensione additum est glossarium H B Konig Kalidasae Meghaduta et Cringaratilaka additum est glossariumMeghaduta et Cringaratilaka Sanskrit text with introduction and some critical notes in Latin The Megha duta 3 ed Trubner amp co 1867 With Sanskrit text English translation and more extensive notes separately Colonel H A Ouvry 1868 The Megha duta or Cloud messenger Williams and Norgate The Megha Duta Or Cloud Messenger A prose translation Ludwig Fritze 1879 Meghaduta E Schmeitzner German translation The Megha duta or Cloud messenger a poem in the Sanscrit language Upendra Lal Das 1890 Hayman s translation with notes and translation accompanying the Sanskrit text Exhaustive notes on the Meghaduta Bombay D V Sadhale amp Co 1895 Exhaustive Notes on the Meghaduta Comprising Various Readings the Text with the Commentary of Text with Mallinatha s commentary Sanjivani Separate sections for English translation explanation of Sanskrit phrases and other notes Eugen Hultzsch ed 1911 Kalidasa s Meghaduta Edited from manuscripts With the Commentary of Vallabhadeva and Provided With a Complete Sanskrit English Vocabulary Royal Asiatic society London Kalidasa s Meghaduta T Ganapati Sastri ed 1919 Meghaduta with the commentary of Daksinavartanatha Sri sesaraj Sarma Regmi ed 1964 Meghadutam of mahakavi Kalidasa in Sanskrit and Hindi chowkhmba vidybhavan varanasi 1 Ramakrishna Rajaram Ambardekar ed 1979 Rasa structure of the Meghaduta A critical study of Kalidaas s Meghaduta in the light of Bharat s Rasa Sootra in English and Sanskrit Translations EditThe Meghaduta has been translated many times in many Indian languages The Bengali poet Buddhadeva Bose translated Meghaduta into Bengali in 1957 Dr Jogindranath Majumdar translated Meghaduta in Bengali keeping its original Mandakranta Metre for the first time published in 1969 Acharya Dharmanand Jamloki Translated Meghduta in Garhwali and was well known for his work Moti BA translated Meghduta in Bhojpuri Language Many Nepali poets such as Jiwanath Updhyaya Adhikari Shiva Kumar Pradhan Biswa Raj Adhikari have translated Meghduta in Nepali language 10 Mukhathala G Arjunan translated Meghaduta in Malayalam keeping its original Mandakranta Metre References Edit Meghdutam Retrieved 28 February 2012 Korada Ramachandra Sastri 1917 Ghanavritham Pathak K B 1916 Kalidasa s Meghaduta pp xxi xxvii Wilson 1813 page xxi Keith A B 1928 A History of Sanskrit Literature p 86 History District Nagpur Government of Maharashtra India Retrieved 2 July 2020 Joshi Nana A Visual Interpretation of Kalidas Meghaduta Joshi Artist Retrieved 1 January 2014 Alfred Momotenko Levitsky composer www alfredmomotenko com Sanjit Narwekar 1994 Directory of Indian Film makers and Films Flicks Books p 59 ISBN 978 0 948911 40 8 Monica 23 April 2018 Writer Pradhan passes away The Himalayan Times Retrieved 9 January 2022 Sanskrit Wikisource has original text related to this article Meghaduta in Sanskrit TextExternal links EditTextMeghaduta Transliterated text at GRETILTranslationsTranslation by Arthur W Ryder at The Internet Sacred Text Archive Translation by C John Holcombe Available as ebook Partial text of the Megadhuta with word for word translation Illustrated translation by Jaffor Ullah and Joanna Kirkpatrick A literal prose translation Translating Kalidasa with examples from Meghaduta Megadhuta in Garhwali Translation by Acharya Dharmanand Jamloki RecordingsDr Bipin Kumar Jha Chanted recitation Sung to music composed by Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Also here Recitation of first verse by Sangeeta Gundecha Two other verses 1 5 and 2 26 are recited from minute 5 50 onwards About the workIllustrating the Meghaduta Illustrated catalogue of the plants and trees of Kalidasa s Meghaduta A summary by Chandra Holm Notes on issues in translation by Holcombe A Review of a book of translation Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Meghaduta amp oldid 1138988854, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
