Question

Which was/were the greatest poetry and drama work of Kalidas?
A) Kumarasambhava
B) Raghuvamsha
C) Meghaduta
D) All of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: King Vikramaditya of Ujjain, a prominent Gupta king, employed Kalidasa as a poet in his court. Kalidas is widely regarded as the finest Sanskrit poet and dramatist of all time. The Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata had a big influence on this famous literary personality.

Complete answer:
Kalidasa was a Classical Sanskrit author who is widely regarded as the greatest playwright and dramatist of ancient India. His works include three plays, two epic poems, and two shorter poems.

Let us now consider each option:
A) Kumarasambhava: It is largely considered Kalidasa's best work, as well as the best kavya poem in Classical Sanskrit. Spring's portrayal set the bar for nature metaphors that have pervaded Indian literature for decades. The work Kumarasambhava ("Birth of Kumara") portrays Lord Shiva's marriage to his lover Parvati. We can consider this option as the right one. But while checking other options, we can see that this is an incorrect option.

B) Raghuvamsa: Raghuvamsha is a Sanskrit maha kavya (an epic poem) written by Kalidasa, the most famous Sanskrit poet. In 19 sargas, it chronicles the stories of the Raghu dynasty, particularly the Dilipa family and their descendants up to Agnivarna, who include Raghu, Dasharatha, and Rama (cantos). But this option cannot be considered as the final answer. Thus, this is an incorrect option.

C) Meghaduta: The lyric poem Meghaduta was written by Kalidasa, who is regarded as one of the finest Sanskrit poets. It tells how a yaka (or nature spirit) was sent to a remote place by his master for a year and asked a cloud to deliver a message of love to his wife. While considering all the provided options, this is an incorrect option.

D) All of the above: Kalidasa's best poetic works include Kumarasambhava, Raghuvasma, and Meghaduta. Kumarasambhava and Raghuvamsa were founded on Raghu's dynasty and Kumar's (Kartikeya) birth, respectively. A Yaksha tries to transmit a message to his girlfriend through a cloud in Kalidasa's well-known work Meghaduta. Thus, this is the correct option.

Kalidasa wrote all three given poems. That is, Kumarasambhava, Raghuvasma, and Meghaduta are works of Kalidasa and hence the all of the above is the correct one.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: Kalidasa influenced several Sanskrit writings, as well as all Indian literature. Rabindranath Tagore was also greatly influenced by him. Tagore's poetry about the monsoons reflects Meghaduta's romanticism. Kalidasa's Sanskrit plays affected European literature in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.