Swaveda

Translation

Kumarasambhava (Birth of the War-God)कुमारसम्भवम्

By Kālidāsa. Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith, 1853. Public domain.

Kalidasa's epic poem on the marriage of Shiva and Parvati and the birth of Skanda, the god of war who will defeat the demon Taraka. Griffith's verse translation covers cantos 1–7 — the portion uniformly attributed to Kalidasa. Cantos 8–17 of the received text are widely considered a later addition and were not translated.

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Chapters

  1. Chapter 1

    Canto First — Umá's Nativity

  2. Chapter 2

    Canto Second — The Address to Brahmá

  3. Chapter 3

    Canto Third — The Death of Love

  4. Chapter 4

    Canto Fourth — Rati's Lament

  5. Chapter 5

    Canto Fifth — Umá's Reward

  6. Chapter 6

    Canto Sixth — Umá's Espousals

  7. Chapter 7

    Canto Seventh — Umá's Bridal