Shishupala Vadha

The Shishupala Vadha ("IAST|śiśupāla-vadha" "the slaying of Shishupala") is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry, one of the six "Mahakavya" or "epic poems". It was composed in ca. 8th century by Magha, hence also called "Magha-kavya".

The tale is that of Shishupala, king of the Chedis in central India, probably the same as Bundelkhand. Shishupala challenged Krishna to fight, upon which the latter struck his head off with his discus.

The poem is noted for its intricate wordplay, and textual complexity. The 19th canto contains the following stanza which has been called "the most complex and exquisite type of palindrome ever invented" [Martin Gardner, Mathematical Circus, p. 250] - it yields the same text if read forwards, backwards, down, or up:

: "sa-kA-ra-nA-nA-ra-kA-sa": "-kA-ya-sA-da-da-sA-ya-kA": "ra-sA-ha-vA vA-ha-sA-ra": "-nA-da-vA-da-da-vA-da-nA.": "(nA da vA da da vA da nA": "ra sA ha vA vA ha sA ra ": "kA ya sA da da sA ya kA": "sa kA ra nA nA ra kA sa)"

(note: hyphen indicates same word). The last four lines are the reversed version of the first four, given for clarity in associating the properties of the verse.

The stanza translates as:: [That army] , which relished battle ("rasAhavA") contained allies who brought low the bodes and gaits of their various striving enemies ("sakAranAnArakAsakAyasAdadasAyakA"), and in it the cries of the best of mounts contended with musical instruments ("vAhasAranAdavAdadavAdanA").

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