THE MEGHASANDESA

P. SRIRAMAMURTI

Department of Sanskrit, Andhra University, Waltair

The Meghasandesa of Kalidasa is a masterpiece of imagination. In this highly imaginative short poem, replete with romantic imagery, the sequence of events, as per the dates mentioned therein, has presented a problem to the commentators. Various interpretations have been given and they have also been discussed at length. In this small paper an attempt is made to suggest a fresh approach to the problem, for the sympathetic consideration of sahridayas.

It is said in the poem that the Yaksha saw first day of Ashadha:

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It is also said later on that he sent the message when the month of Sravana came in, i.e., when the rainy season set in (according to the usual interpretation).

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The interval between the seeing of the cloud and the sending of the message is rather inexplicable.

Vallabhadeva in his Panjika favours the reading to overcome this difficulty. He remarks that some read it as due to an illusion caused by the similarity of the two letters and in writing.

He further observes: Since the rainy season is relevant to the context, the reading which means ‘the first day’ is extremely confusing. But this reading of Vallabhadeva is not usually accepted as correct. Kshemendra who is also a Kashmirian, as Vallabhadeva, has only as the reading (vide Suvrittatilaka). In this case according to the reading preferred by Vallabhadeva and Kshemendra the remaining period of the curse is three months and ten days only since the date of termination of the curse is expressly stated as the eleventh day of the month of Kartika.

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But this period is referred to as four months in the same verse:

Thus the reference to the period of four months amounts to an approximation for three months and ten days.

Dakshinavartanatha reads instead of and explains it as thereby meaning that, after the Yaksha regained composure, he sent the message through the cloud, on the first day of Ashadha itself. In this case both the above-mentioned difficulties are got over easily. Also, the interval spoken of as four months by Yakhsa is really four months and ten days. Four months is a closer approximation to this period rather than to three months and ten days.

The widely accepted reading, however, is It has also been invariably interpreted to mean–‘when the Sravana approached’–thereby suggesting that the Yaksha sent the message when Sravana approached. Mallinatha, here, considers the view of Vallabhadeva who favours the reading and remarks in the following manner. If the reading is because of its close proximity to Sravana, it can be had even with the reading for it is the proximity of the two months of Ashadha and Sravana that is intended, rather than proximity of the days, since it serves no specific purpose. Mallinatha says further that there is sufficient time allowed for the Yaksha to think of sending a message to his beloved in time to ward off any possible future misfortune or casuality– –Mallinatha criticises the view of Dakshinavartanatha also who reads as and holds that the Yaksha was overpowered by love and was incapable of sending a sage immediately.

Here the interpretation that means only as Sravana was coming near, i.e., not exactly came, but approaching–serves no purpose. After all, the idea in taking it to mean rainy season is that the season is exciting to lovers. This purpose cannot be served by the prospect of it alone. Then it should mean only that the future intensity of the grief of his beloved due to the exciting rainy season is imagined by the Yaksha and he thought of sending a message through the cloud.

None of these interpretations seems to be satisfactory. I do not quite understand why the rainy season is required to be mentioned here to serve as the excitant as if the water-laden cloud will not do. After all it was the sight of the Ashadha cloud that roused all the feelings in the mind of Yaksha. He stood before it. Tears swelled in his eyes as his mind was filled with thoughts of his beloved. He pondered for a long while. Then he wanted to send a message to his beloved through the wandering cloud. Now, could any interval of days have passed between the moment the Yaksha saw the cloud and the moment he decided to send the message? Certainly not. Hence the possible interpretation of is, in my opinion–as the cloud approached–taking the word nabhas to mean ‘cloud’. As the Yaksha was pondering over, the cloud came near him from the slopes of the hill. Then he thought of sending a message. So he received the cloud with the offering of fresh flowers. Thus the text of the message was given to the cloud on the first day of Ashaadha, i.e., on the same day when he saw it on the mountain slopes.

Now a genuine doubt may arise. How are we to explain the descriptions of the future action of the cloud on the way when it is said to shower rain and so on? When the cloud is chosen as the messenger and its course to Alaka is being described, naturally all the possible activities have been described not excluding showering of rain. Moreover, though strictly the rainy season is yet to come, first rains would start earlier. With that excuse all the qualities of the rain, clouds have been associated with it by the poet. Further this difficulty exists even in the case of Mallinatha’s interpretation.

It may be asked: What about the excess of ten days in the calculation? One suggestion is that the ten days might have been expected to be the time required by the cloud to move to Alaka. Or it may be an approximation as said before.

The meaning of nabhas as the cloud is given in medini, and Apte, too, gives it. Of course, the most popular meaning of the word is the sky. Taking the word to mean this (the sky) in the most striking manner, still another explanation may be given. Then nabhasi means ‘in the sky’. A Word tasmin must be supplied to be construed in apposition with and the locative absolute means as he came near in the sky from down the slopes. Indeed the cloud that was referred to by the pronoun form tasya in the previous stanza becomes the meaning of tasmin and again it is the same as what is referred to afterwards in the same stanza by tasmai. This solves all the problems of interpretation easily. In this explanation the supply of tasmin may appear as far-fetched to some readers.

I put these two alternative explanations for the consideration of the sahridayas. My firm conviction is that, they are better than all the explanations that have been given before, since they are simpler, and quite proper to the imaginative susceptibilities of Kalidasa’s art.

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