Kadambari

Kādambari is a detailed, exquisite novel in the Sanskrit language, which Bānabhatta wrote in the seventh century.

The romantic novel transcends the bounds of mortal existence, and moves through three lives until deep, passionate love attains its fulfillment. In the fanciful fusion of the world which is depicted in this novel, animals, birds, human beings, and semi-divine and divine characters merge; and the earth and the heavens combine in the universal bond of love which defies death and continues in the next birth through transmigration of the soul. The entire creation is thus held together. It is these unique qualities of the heart and faith that distinguish this classic of Bānabhatta from the ancient or modern romantic novels in different languages.

ynopsis

The king of a race of demigods had a daughter named Kadambari. Mahashweta, the daughter of a celestial nymph, was one of her companions, and met one day a young man named Pundarika, along with a friend of his, Kapinjala, near a lake named Acchoda. Pundarika was the son of a sage named Shwetaketu and the goddess, Lakshmi, and he fell in love with Mahashweta. However, unaware of reciprocation of Mahashweta's love, he died of grief. In a state of grief before dying, he cursed the Moon, who had caused him so much heartache, that the latter would be born on the earth and also suffer pangs of love the way he himself had suffered. The Moon cursed him back that he too would share the sufferings on the earth in his next life on the earth after transmigration of his soul.

A heavenly being carried away dead Pundarika's body to the heavens while Mahashweta heard a voice that she should not end her life since there would be a reunion between her and Pundarika. When Pundarika's body was being carried away, his friend Kapinjala pursued him on a horse. While doing so, he inadvertently ran over a semi-divine being, who then cursed him that he would die and be reborn as a horse on the earth after transmigration of his soul.

The Moon was born on the earth as a son of Tarapida, the king of Ujjayini, and his parents named him Chandrapida. Pundarika was born a son of Tarapida's minister, Shukanasa, and his parents named him Waishampayana. Kapinjala was born as a horse named Indrayudha, which Chandrapida once subsequently received as a present.

One day Chandrapida and Waisampayana set out with an army on an expedition of conquest over the world. Chandrapida rode on Indrayudha. One day Chandrapida saw a pair of demigods and decided to chase them, riding on his horse, Indrayudha, but the horse carried him away from his companions, and he reached Acchoda lake and met there Mahashweta, who had been waiting for Pundarika. Mahashwveta narrated her life history to Chandrapida, and took him to the palace of Kadambari's father. Chandrapida saw Kadambari there, and left.

Soon, however, he received a message from Kadambari's father that he should return. By this time he had rejoined the army, so he asked Waishampayana to bring the army and hurried back. He was eager to pay a second visit to the palace where Kadambari was, but he could not do so until Waishampayana had returned. He received next the news that Waishampayana had gone to Acchoda lake. Waishampayana had met Mahashweta there and fallen in love with her, but she could not reciprocate the love since she was in love with Pundarika and was waiting for his return. She did not of course know the identity of Waishampayana and Pundarika. Waishampayana pursued her "like a parrot", and Mahashwveta angrily cursed him that he would die and become a parrot in his next life. Waishampayana fell down dead, and became a parrot in his next life. Chandrapida went to the lake in search of Waishampayana, heard about the latter's fate, and, unable to bear the sorrow, ended his life.

In his next life, Chandrapida got reborn as King Shoodraka of Vidisha. One day a woman of the hunter community brought a parrot of wonderful abilities to the king. That parrot was of course a reincarnation of Waishampayana, and narrated to the king the events in his prior two lives. They all next went to the hermitage of a sage named Jabali, who, on seeing the parrot, knew all about its previous life as Waishampayana, and affirmed the parrot's story. On the completion of Jabali's narration and affirmation, Shoodraka fell down dead, and rose back as Chandrapida. The parrot too fell dead, and Pundarika, whose body had been preserved in the heavens, came down to the lake as Pundarika himself.

Chandrapida married Kadambari, and Pundarika married Mahashweta. All lived happily thereafter.

Chandrapida spent his time partly in his own home town of Ujjayini, partly at Hemakuta, the home of Kadambari, and partly on the Moon inasmuch as he was an incarnation of the Moon!

References

* "The Kadambari of Banabhatta, With the Commentaries of Bhanuchandra and His Disciple Siddhachandra (Proteges of the Emperor Akbar), Edited by Kashinath Pandurng Parab; Printed and Published by Tukaram Javaji (Proprietor of Javaji Dadaji's Press, Bombay, India), 1896"