(

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: , lit. 'lineage of Raghu') is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

epic poem ('' mahakavya'') by the celebrated Sanskrit poet

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviv ...

. Though an exact date of composition is unknown, the poet is presumed to have flourished in the 5th century CE. It narrates, in 19 ''sarga''s (cantos), the stories related to the Raghu dynasty, namely the family of Dilipa and his descendants up to Agnivarna, who include Raghu,

Dasharatha Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana ...

and

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. The earliest surviving commentary written on the work is that of the 10th-century Kashmiri scholar Vallabhadeva. The most popular and widely available commentary, however, is the ''Sanjivani'', written by Mallinatha (ca.1350–1450).

The ''Raghuvaṃśa'' is a mahākāvya (roughly,

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

) containing 1564 stanzas. It describes the line of kings of the Raghu dynasty (also known as the ''sūryavaṃśa'' or the solar dynasty) that includes Raghu. It is written in 19 ''sarga''s (cantos), that can be regarded as being divided into three parts:Ryder * Ancestors of Rāma: Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja, and Daśaratha (Cantos 1 to 9) * The story of the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

(Cantos 10 to 15) * Descendants of Rāma (Cantos 16 to 19)

Dilīpa (Cantos 1, 2)

; Canto 1 – King Dilīpa's journey to Vasiṣṭha's hermitage The work begins with a prayer:

After some stanzas expressing the poet's humility and the greatness of the dynasty, King Dilipa and his reign are described. Dilipa has one great sorrow, which is that he has no child. With his queen Sudakshina he journeys to the hermitage of the sage

Vasiṣṭha Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigved ...

, to seek his advice.

reveals that King Dilipa had once offended the divine cow Surabhi and has been cursed by her, and instructs him to care for her daughter calf, Nandini. ; Canto 2 – King Dilipa and the calf Nandini The king spends his days in service of the calf, accompanying it on its wanderings and protecting it from danger. One day a lion appears, and when Dilipa raises his hand to draw an arrow and protect the calf, he finds himself magically frozen. He begs the lion to take his own life instead of the calf's, even in the face of the lion's arguments against doing so, after which this is all revealed to be an illusion and Nandini grants him a boon of having a son. He returns with his queen to his capital.

Raghu (Cantos 3, 4, 5)

; Canto 3 – Raghu is born, grows up, and becomes king Queen Sudakshina gives birth to a baby boy who is named Raghu. The boy's childhood and education are described. When his father the king Dilipa performs the

Ashvamedha The Ashvamedha () was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander ...

yajña In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called Brahmanas, as well a ...

and the god Indra captures his wandering horse, Raghu fights Indra who is impressed with him. His father crowns him king, and retires to the forest. ; Canto 4 – Raghu as king, and his conquest The reign of Raghu is described. He sets out in all four directions to conquer, and in this chapter much of India is described. ; Canto 5 – Raghu's gift to Kautsa, and the birth and youth of Aja Just after Raghu has performed a sacrifice and given away all his wealth, a freshly graduated student named Kautsa arrives and asks him for an immense amount of wealth, to give as guru-dakshina to his teacher. To grant his wish, Raghu resolves to go to war against the god of wealth

Kubera Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...

himself, and just as he resolves to do so, Kubera rains a shower of gold to fill his treasury. Both Raghu, who presses on Kautsa much more than he asked, and Kautsa, who accepts nothing more than what he needs to repay his teacher, win praise from all the people. A son is born to Raghu and is named Aja, who grows into adulthood and goes to the

svayamvara ''Svayaṃvara'' ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from '' Kṣatriya'' (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her ...

of princess Indumati.

Aja and Indumati (Cantos 6, 7, 8)

; Canto 6 – Indumati's

Many princes from all regions are at Indumati's svayamvara hoping to be chosen by her. Their qualities and kingdoms are described. Indumati passes by many of them, and finally chooses Aja. ; Canto 7 – Aja's wedding and ambush Aja is married to Indumati, but on his way home he is attacked by the disappointed rival princes. He defeats them all and returns home, at which his father Raghu crowns him king and retires to the forest. ; Canto 8 – Indumati's death and Aja's lament Indumati gives birth to a son

. One day, Indumati is killed by a freak accident (when a garland of flowers falls on her), and Aja laments at length on losing her. He lives in grief for eight years till his son comes of age, then gives up his body and is reunited after death with his wife.

Dasharatha (Canto 9)

; Canto 9 – Dasharatha, and the accidental death of Shravana Kumara The reign of King Dasharatha and his three queens is described. Once he goes hunting in the forest, during which a fatal hunting accident takes place: Dasharatha kills a boy, and is cursed by the boy's parents that he too will in old age die of grief for his son.

Rama (Cantos 10 to 15)

These cantos 10 to 15 tell the story of the

, but the parts from

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

well known to Indian readers are abridged. ; Canto 10 – The gods pray to Vishnu, who is incarnated as Rama The gods, tormented by

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

, pray to Vishnu. Dasharatha performs a

and is blessed with four children: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. ; Canto 11 – Sita's svayamvara, and the defeat of Parashurama Rama and Lakshmana accompany the sage

Vishvamitra Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gay ...

and kill the demon Tataka. They arrive at Mithila, where at the

of princess Sita, Rama strings and breaks the bow, and is married to her. On their way back to Ayodhya they encounter

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

, and Rama emerges victorious in this challenge. ; Canto 12 – Rama exiled, Shurpanakha humiliated, Sita kidnapped, and Ravana killed This canto narrates the story of most of the Ramayana (its ''kāṇda''s 2 to 6) in short, ending with the death of Ravana in Lanka at the hands of Rama. ; Canto 13 – The return by aerial route From Lanka, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya in the

Pushpaka Vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

, and as they fly through the air, Rama points out to Sita many points of interest on the ground. ; Canto 14 – Sita's exile On their return to Ayodhya, Rama is crowned king, and their joy increases when Sita becomes pregnant. She expresses a wish to see the forest again. But on hearing that the people of the kingdom murmur about the queen's character, Rama after some internal struggle decides to exile his beloved wife. He asks Lakshmana to leave Sita in the forest. She is devastated, but taken care of by the sage Valmiki. ; Canto 15 – The birth of Rama's sons, and the passing of Rama In the sage's hermitage, Sita gives birth to two sons Lava and Kusha, who grow up and are taught the Ramayana by Valmiki. As they grow into youths, they come into the presence of Rama, who learns they are his children, and then Sita chooses to be swallowed up by the earth, her mother. Rama divides the kingdom among his brothers and children, and himself ascends to heaven.

Descendants of Rama (Cantos 16 to 19)

; Canto 16 – Kusha's return to Ayodhya and marriage One night, Kusha is visited by the deity of the now-abandoned city Ayodhya, who begs him to return to it. He does so, and there he marries Kumudvati. ; Canto 17 – King Atithi Kusha's son is Atithi, and his reign is described. ; Canto 18 – Later kings The dynasty continues, with a line of twenty one kings who succeeded Atithi. ; Canto 19 – Agnivarna The last described king, Agnivarna, gives in to a hedonistic life of pleasure, leaving the kingdom to his ministers to run. Even when he is required to make a presence before his subjects, he merely hangs his left foot out of a window. This canto serves as contrast to the earlier cantos describing glorious kings. He is consumed by disease and dies. His pregnant queen mounts the throne, and the people hope for a better future.

Geographical and historical references

The warrior Raghu leads a military expedition to

Transoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...

. He defeats and subjugates local people along the way (presumably on his march through Central Asia) until he reaches the Vakshu, as the ancient Indians called the

Oxus The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

River. There, Raghu's army battles the Hepthalites, or White Huns, whom the Indians called Hunas and ''Mlecchas'' (barbarians). The Hepthalites are defeated, and the Raghuvaṃśa boasts of "The exploits of Raghu, whose valor expressed itself amongst the husbands of the Huna women, became manifest in the scarlet colour of their cheeks." After crossing the Oxus, Raghu and his army encountered the

Kambojas The Kambojas were a southeastern Iranian peoples, Iranian people who inhabited the northeastern most part of the territory populated by Iranian tribes, which bordered the Indian subcontinent, Indian lands. They only appear in Indo-Aryan langua ...

, an ancient Indo-Scythian people often mentioned in Indian texts. The Kambojas submitted to Raghu and offered him gifts and treasures. Evidently, the Kambojas dwelt in the vicinity of the

Pamirs The Pamir Mountains are a range of mountains between Central Asia and South Asia. They are located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among ...

. Kalidasa describes the preponderance of

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

trees in the Oxus country, this particular region is still known for the cultivation of walnuts.

Metres used in the epic

The epic is composed in 21 Sanskrit metres, namely

Anuṣṭubh (, ) is a metre and a metrical unit, found in both Vedic and Classical Sanskrit poetry, but with significant differences. By origin, an anuṣṭubh stanza is a quatrain of four lines. Each line, called a ''pāda'' (lit. "foot"), has eight syll ...

, Indravajrā, Upajāti, Upendravajrā, Aupacchandasika, Toṭaka, Drutavilambita, Puṣpitāgrā, Praharṣiṇī, Mañjubhāṣiṇī, Mattamayūra, Mandākrāntā, Mālinī, Rathoddhatā, Vaṃśastha, Vasantatilakā, Vaitālīya, Śārdūlavikrīḍita, Śālinī, Svāgatā, Hariṇī.Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa - Edited with extracts & Notes etc by Narayan Ram Acharya Kavyatirtha, Chaukhambha Publishers, Varanasi, 2nd ed (2002), Appendix 2

Editions and translations

The Raghuvaṃśa has been published and translated many times. *
Part 1: Cantos 1-6Alt

Part 3: Cantos 14-19
* Parab (1888
''The Raghuvamsha of Kâlidâsa: with the commentary of Mallinatha''
* English prose translation (author unknown) in * P. de Lacy Johnstone (1902)
''The Raghuvança, the story of Raghu's line''
* Arthur W. Ryder (1914)
''Translations of Shakuntala, and Other Works''
(113 verses are translated, the rest are summarised in prose) * Carlo Formichi (1917)
''La Stirpe Di Raghu''
(Italian translation) * M. R. Kale (ed, 1922)
The Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa: with the commentary (the Samjivani) of Mallinatha ; Cantos I-X
* Rewa Prasad Dwivedi (ed, 1973), Raghuvaṃśa-Darpaṇa: Raghuvaṃśa commentary by Hemādri
Vol 1 (Cantos 1–12)Vol 2 (Cantos 13–19)
* Tapasvi Nandi (ed, 1989)
''Jinasamudra's commentary on the Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa''
* ''The Lineage of the Raghus'' (2024), edited and translated by Csaba Dezső, Dominic Goodall, and Harunaga Isaacson

References

External links to the text

Transliterated Sanskrit text
at GRETIL
Complete translation and commentary along with word meanings
by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao {{DEFAULTSORT:Raghuvamsha Works by Kalidasa Works based on the Ramayana Sanskrit poetry Epic poems in Sanskrit Ancient Indian poems Gupta Empire

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