Ans. Kadambari has its place in the world’s literature as one more aspiration out of the very heart of genius after that story, which, from the beginning of time mortal ears have yearned to hear, but which mortal lips have never spoken.

Unlike many other Sanskrit texts Kadambari successfully frame with historical evidences. Hence the text is vibrant with ample social perspectives during the reign of Harshavardhana. Though initially Banabhatta was a very common man of ordinary identity and no special recognition, later on by virtue of his merit he acquired a commendable position in the king’s court and critics find many resemblances of king Harsha and the imaginary king in the text Tarapeeda. However, the text gives a hint to autobiographical aspect to a large extent too. Historically not much of Harshabradhana’s administrative system is reflected in Bana’s Harshacharita and hence Kadambari appears as a contemporary text. Banabhatta was also a great admirer of Gupta emperors.

Tarapeeda’s son Chandrapeeda in many ways resembles Samrat Chandragupta II. From lines 19-25 of Allahabad Inscription we come to know that Samrat Samudragupta had implemented different policies towards other contemporary rulers and later on the same tendency was visible in Harshavardhana as well. In Kadambari Vaishampayana also tells Chandrapeeda that he has no kings to rule over because his father has already involved in some or the other treatise with them. The love story of Kadambari and Chandrapeeda has in many aspects established the shadow of Kalidasa’s Vikramarvasi which is the love story of Chandragupta II or Vikramaditya.

The mental trauma that a typical Hindu family goes through due child is precisely drawn by the penances performed by the queen Vilasavati to win a son and the reverence paid to Mahakala. The site of the temple of Mahakala is still available at the outskirts of the ruin Ujjayni. The same religious practice of enduring hardship and performing penances for a son is found in The Mahabharata as well. The age old Hindu custom of the wife sacrificing her life at the pyre of her deceased husband is also of special mention.

Forming a special university for the two sons in the royal court is one of the contemporary Indian royal cultures and it has also been mentioned in The Mahabharata and Ramayana. When Chandrapeeda is announced the crown prince and he approaches for advices to Sukanasa, the minister of his father, he wants the crown prince that he ought to be very active and vigilant, as the royal power does not pass smoothly to the king as a hereditary right, rather it is to be retained by the sword of the warrior. It was indeed an era of war coupled with efficient administration, rich treasury and vast territory.

In the description of the royal palace of the king the image of the immense powerful sense of authority is prominent. The palace was divided into several apartments like the public and private audience, court, pleasure garden, the central secretariat and so on. The pomp of military arrangement was indeed noteworthy. Just before the entrance to the palace there were separate stables for horses and camels and house for the elephants. The king’s perso..al beasts, however, used to receive special accommodation trial in the court. and care. Military store and armoury were well-guarded places.

Bana has presented a minute detail of the coronation ceremony Chandrapeeda which is attended by all the kings of Tarapeeda’s ally. After the ceremony is over the crown prince is introduced with each of the kings. And when he starts in the great rally several kings and chiefs join him as a sense of their loyalty to their king. is

of forces. This precisely The prince is also accompanied by huge armies of the allied I what was to be followed in the contemporary royal ceremonies. The role of the chief minister Sukanasa in this context was very important. He was the central figure in maintain alliances with all the kings. Not only was he the pivotal spokesperson for the king, but also he used to operate an intricately secret network of spy in all over the state and the neighbouring states as well to ensure safety and security of the central administration.

Yet another very important aspect of the society in medieval India is the quiet yet busy life in the hermitages. These places are situated specially in forests where the day is spent in worship and peaceful toils, and in the evening the sunbeams ‘linger like birds on the crest of hill and tree’. This place is the hub of education and peace and hence here night darkens all but the heart. This is the reason why most of the important events in the story happen in such forests like the first meetings of Pundarika and Mahashweta. Chandrapeeda and Kadambari and even the truth about the parrot Vaishampayana’s previous life is also revealed in such a hermitage.

It is not only the contemporary social, royal and personal event that we can draw omantic description of nature moves us too as from Kadambari, but also the universal the night is found to be narrated. “The brightness of the day approached the west, following the path of the sun’s chariot wheels, like a stream of water.” It is to be noted that Kadambari, as a successful love story in Sanskrit is a matter of pride for us because the time it portrays is in fact the time when most of the other so called developed nations had not yet been born.

Ans. Unlike many other Sanskrit texts Kadambari successfully fits into a definite time frame with historical evidences. Hence the text is vibrant with ample social perspectives during the reign of Harshavardhana. The book is a lyrical prose romance that narrates the love story of Kadambari, Gandharva princess and Chandrapida, aprince who is eventually revealed to be the moon god.

More than the story, more than the characters, the chief merit of Bana is his masterly poetry evidenced throughout the work. Bana knows the main springs of the human heart and can lay them bare in the most fascinating form imaginatively. It is not the ordinary love we are used to in the novels or plays, not even in Sanskrit epics. It is a love that transcends not only time and space but also the bar of death. The tenderness of human love in all its delicacy and intensity, in all its fleeting moods and nuances, is chastened and sublimated by parting, sorrow and death, and is enlivened by abiding hope and faith, and heightened by the touch of an unshaken idealism. For such a transcendental love, the luxuriant diction and embroidered style of Bana become fitting vehicles here.

Chandrapida is depicted in this book as an ideal prince, mighty in war and superb love. His companion Vaishampayana represents the frenzy of love and the disasters might spell for want of discretion. Pundarika’s mate Kapinjala is again an ideal rend, ready for any sacrifice for the sake of his friendly attachment. Shukanasa is an deal minister. In short, there are no characters, male or female, in this pure romance who have any trace of evil or meanness in them. They all live for affection and love and suffer for the attainment of their ideals. That such ideal values are worth struggling for is the indirect lesson that humanity can derive by reading their romance.

Ans.  Bana shows great skill and discrimination in characterization. All the characters the lyrical prose romance, Kadambari are life-like and consistent. The gentle and youthful Harita; the generous and loving king Tarapida; the trusted minister Shukanasa whose first thought was always for the king; the tender queen Vilasavati; the devoted Patralekha, who followed the prince Chandrapida like his shadow; the affectionate yet stern Kapinjala, Mahashveta, holy in mind as she was fair in body, who serves as the foil for the heroine; these are characters that are bound to make a deep impression on the heart of the reader. Bana, however, lavished all his skill in depicting the hero and the heroine of his romance. We think that Bana, as has been remarked in the case of was more successful in delineating his heroine than his hero. Shakespeare, in the first

Kadambari is a romantic novel in Sanskrit.

It was written by Banabhatta half of the 7th century. As Banabhatta left it unfinished, Bhusanbhatta, the author’s on completed it, according to the plan laid out by his late father. The story of Kadambari is interesting for several reasons. It is a standard example of classic al prose; it has enjoyed a long popularity as a romance; and it is one of the comparatively few Sanskrit works which can be assigned to a certain date, and so it can serve as a landmark in the historyo fIndian literature and Indian thought. Banabhatta, its author, lived in the reign of Harshavardhana ofThahegar, the great king mentioned in many inscriptions who extended his rule over the whole of Northern India, and from whose reign (A . D. 606) dates the Harshaera, used in Nepal. Barga, as he tells as, both in the HarshaCarita’ and in the introductory verses of Kadambari. son I

The story of Kadambari is a very complex one, dealing theme as it does with the lives of two heroes, each of whom is re born twice on earth.

A learned parrot, named Vaicampayana, was brought by a Candala maiden to King Qfidraka, and told him how it was carried from its birthplace in the Vindhya 1 Peterson, ‘Kadambari,’ pp. 96-98; and The Subhishitévali,’ edited by Peterson.

The most appropriate achievement of Banabhatta, as a creative writer, is the delineation of his characters. In spite of the extraordinarily mythical nature of the story, all the characters in Kadambari are full of life and drawn with great subtlety. Female characters, compared to the male ones, are much lesser in number.

Though we get to see quite a few strong female personalities, most of them are portrayed as the typical home-bound, distressed, inferior, obedient women.

Ancient Indian society was full of patriarchal dictatorship. Amongst this, only a few women rose to prominence. In the novel Kadambari, too, except for two or three women, others play almost an insignificant role. Queen Vilasabathi, Manorama, Taralika and Madalekha are the insignificant ones, while Kadambari, Mahashveta and Patralekha are the women who bear some attractive qualities in their character.

Kadambari is the eponymous heroine of the novel. Banabhatta, here, too, follows the remote tradition in making her a maiden, born of a noble lineage. She is, of course, extraordinarily beautiful as a heroine should be and very young, thus in every way, a suitable partner to Chandrapeeda, Banabhatta exaggerates his art in emphasizing her extreme youth, her artless innocence, and the almost unnatural bashfulness that constantly seizes her and her overwhelmingly affectionate nature.

Mahashveta, on the other hand, is very different. When the two women Kadambari and Mahashveta – are presented side by side, the contrast is striking.

in Ans. Bana was definitely a master of what might be regarded as the ‘grand style’ Sanskrit prose. Such has been the consistent judgement of Indian connoisseurs and literary critics, down to Rabindranath Tagore.

King Sudraka is gifted by a Chandala maiden, a parrot. After having eaten some morsels and rested inside the king’s chamber, the parrot starts to talk and introduces itself as ‘vaishampayana’. On insist, the parrot then begins to narrate his tale with the preamble. “Your Majesty, this is a very long story; but if you are curious, it will be told.”The parrot related its story: “I was born on a tree on the Himalayan slopes. I lost my mother at birth and my father brought me up. One day some hunters came there, pulling down our nests and killing many of our kin. I lurked in the folds of my father’s plumes. My father was also killed and thrown down by the hunter. But I made my escape by concealing myself under the leaves. Next morning, when I was slowly making my way to the lake to quench my thirst, a sage called Marichi pitied me and giving me water, took me to his hermitage”.

The parrot lived in the Vindhya forest with his aging father. One day, many hunters overran the forest and killed an enormous number of animals. His father was dragged from his hollow and murdered. He then wanders off from there and finds refuge in a hermitage where he meets the divine sage Jabali.

The hermit Jabali admits that the parrot ‘Vaishampayana’ is experiencing the fruit of his own misconduct and thus, begins to narrate the tale which forms a large part of the novel Kadambari. He says that the parrot was the bosom friend of prince Chandrapeeda of Ujjayini. He went into a state of stupor after seeing a maiden named Mahashveta at Achhoda Lake but was cursed unknowingly for his advances of love towards her. Hence, he was turned into a parrot.

But, the human turned parrot was a handsome ascetic in its previous birth, called Pundarika. One day when Mahashveta had come to the Achhoda Lake for a bath, she spotted a handsome young ascetic and was infatuated. The former was also besieged by passion. He was actually the son of goddess Lakshmi and sage Shvetaketu. Some romantic attachment and exchange of accessories happen between them. After some time, driven by great love-sickness and raging passion. Pundarika dies. But due to a divine being’s admonition, the Pundarika turned human Vaishampayana turned parrot Vaishampayana.

Ans .Just as we universally consider Hamlet synonymous to tragedy or Lolita to the entire e of novel similarly in modern India in the languages of Kannada and Marathi dari has been recognised as the meaning of novel, romance, fiction or tale. The credit should go to the extent of acceptance and admiration that the novel has achieved through the passage of time. And this achievement is a direct result of the Nautiful method of narration of the love story of the Moon God and Kadambari. By bringing in several major and minor characters and many complex situations and coindents throughout the two lives of the central characters the long narrative keeps its readers amalgamated to the text in full attention.

Probably this is the reason why Banabhatta is regarded as the storyteller par excellence for centuries in India. into the when Certain auto-biographical elements are beautifully inserted Vaishampayana, the parrot narrator of the story describes his own tragic situation of losing his mother in his very childhood and being brought up by father in the Vindhya forest. That poor father too is brutally slaughtered in the hand of the hunters and the severely traumatized Vaishampayana losses all directions in life till he comes to the hermitage of Jabali. By virtue of such personal account at the very beginning the story told by the parrot narrator at once surpasses the boundaries of mere subjective and reaches to the inner palpable recesses of the readers.

The story-line of Kadambari may be described born as the son of the Goddess of fortune and the sage Svetaketu. Pundarika happens to fall in love with Mahasweta but owing to his ascetic’s vow, cannot come to a happy ending with his love. He attains the end of a dissatisfied life for his unfulfilled love hinting at the possible rebirth. The rebirth invariably takes place in the shape of Vaishampayana. The moon God also reincarnates as Chandrapeeda. In this life Chandrapeeda woos Kadambari before succumbing to the curse and Vaishampayana courts Mahasweta, but unfortunately is cursed by her and dies to be reborn as a parrot. One day the parrot who is former Vaishampayana and former Pundarika is brought to the court of the king Sudraka who is again by fortune the reincarnated form of Chandrapeeda.

It is at the court of the king that the entire story is narrated and all the identities are revealed. Sudraka and the parrot narrator grieve to death at being separated from their beloveds in previous birth. At their death the body of Chandrapeeda revives by the grace of moon God; Pundarika is also brought back earth from Heaven and the two divine couple unite after a vivid waiting for more than two complete life-cycles. The beautifully arranged narration of the story is vibrant with the themes of rebirth, reinforced on several occasions by denotation, connotation and allusions, narrated in a way that sets up the theme and then reiterates it; with enormous suspense suggests, echoes the same and finally comes to rest just like the ocean involves into a chaotic and destructive phenomena in tumultuous tempest, but at the end of it becomes the same calm and soothing panorama of crystal blue water.

In order to maintain the suspense in the story not disturbing the unity of plot Bana has implemented several unique techniques which to define with Aristotle are, the frame, the prism and the time machine. It is also to be noted that the story-teller is named Vaishampayana who is the major narrator in the great Mahabharata as well. In the universally acclaimed texts like Decameron and Canterbury Tales the technique of framing takes place. It is the method of telling multiple stories within a story. Now, Kadambari is a story told to king Sudraka by parrot-narrator Vaishampayana about by Mahasweta about a story told by Kapinjala. Ovid’s Metamorphosis and Indian the story told to him by the hermit Jabali. Within this is a story told to Chandrapeeda Mahabharata are renowned for the use of the story telling technique called prism, which just like the dispersing of light leaves clues to certain events to come or the completion of the story at its beginning itself. In Kadambari also Vaishampayana and the other subsequent narrators introduce their story with a series of questions, thereby causing more intense involvement from the reader. The third technique called ‘time machine’ reflects to an indigenous idea, as the name suggests, to a time travel by virtue of mere narration of the story. In Kadambari both the narrator and the prime listener are unaware about their own identity which will be revealed with the appearance of Goddess Lakshmi. But during the course of the story they have travelled to myriads of time zones effortlessly being completely ignorant that somewhere in those time frames is hiding their true relevance with the story itself.

In disguise of an oblivious parrot who can only repeat what he is taught and can never understand a bit of the same here in Kadambari the irony is intensified because the same parrot is honoured by being myth logically connected to the chief narrator of the Mahabharata and at the end through stories within stories his actual identity is exposed as to be the pivotal character of the story. Hence both the narrator and the narrated are made one and the circle of their long longed love becomes complete.

Ans. Kadambari is a fantastic prose romance. This work transcends the bounds of mortal existence. It moves through three- lives until deep and passionate love attains its fulfilment. In due course Banabhatta has depicted the fanciful fusion of the world. Here animals, birds, human beings, semi divine and divine characters merge. The earth and the heavens combine in the universal bound of love. The entire creation is thus held together. It is these unique qualities of the heart and faith that distinguish this classic of Banabhatta from others. The parrot related its story: “I was born on a tree on the Himalayan slopes. I lost my mother at birth and my father brought me up. One day some hunters came there, pulling down our nests and killing”.

The plot of Kadambari is very impressive. It deals with the three lives of the characters. It presents a beautiful love story. Kadambari, the heroine of the novel, was the daughter of a king. Mahasweta was one of her companions. One day she met a young man named Pundarika near Acchoda Lake. Pundarika fell in love with Mahasweta. In due course Pundarika and the Moon coursed each other. In the next birth the Moon was born as Chandrapida and Pundarika was born as Waishampayan. In this birth the lovers could not achieve their beloveds. In the next birth Chandrapida married Kadambari and Pundarika married Mahasweta. All lived happily thereafter. Chandrapida spent his time partly in his own hometown of Ujjayini, partly at Hemekuta, the home of Kadambari. In fact, he was an incarnation of the moon.

Ans. Banabhatta is the most illustrious example of prose writer in Sanskrit. He belongs to the 7th century India. He is a towering figure in classical sanskrit literature. It is he who is the celebrated author of Kadambari and Harshacharita. Kadambari is his masterpiece. He was the court author and poet of a very famous Indian Emperor named Harshavardhan. Harshacharita and Kadambari were the two great compositions of Banabhatta. Explanation: Banabhatta was a significant writer of Sanskrit prose. His composition Harshacharita gives important information about the emperor Harsha. The Harcacarita, “The Life of Harca” (king of Kanauj and the author of three plays, discussed above in The theatre), which is important for its information on culture and society.

Q. 2. What type of literature is Kadambari?

Ans. father of an ornate florid style, Bana created a new genre of prose romances by writing a historical tale, the biography of his patron king, under the title Harshacharita and this romantic imaginative novel, Kadambari. His Kadambari is one of the best romantic fictions of 7th Century by Banabhatta. Kadambari is one of the best romantic fictions. It is a detailed, exquisite novel in the Sanskrit language. It is one of the world’s earliest novels. The title of this fiction is named after its heroine. The presentation is made in seven chapters. It is an imaginative romantic story of love in the katha form.

The

Q. 3. What is the theme of Kadambari?

Ans. The central thread of Kadambari is that of a romantic attachment and eventual union between the hero Chandrapeeda and the heroine Kadambari. The name of the heroine is Kadambari. The novel describes the affairs of two sets of lovers through a series of incarnations, in which they are constantly harassed by a cruel fate.Banabhatta’s Kadambari is one of the best romantic fictions. It is a detailed, exquisite novel in the Sanskrit language. It is one of the world’s earliest novels. The title of this fiction is named after its heroine. The presentation is made in seven chapters. It is an imaginative romantic story of love in the katha form.

Q. 4. What does ‘Kadambari’ mean?

Ans. Kadambari means female cuckoo; wine distilled from kadamba tree; Goddess; Goddess Saraswati, or nightingale bird. This name is considered to be the source of immense happiness. The name of the heroine is Kadambari. The novel describes the affairs of two sets of lovers through a series of incarnations, in which they are constantly harassed by a cruel fate.

Acchoda.

Q. 5. Who is Mahasweta in Kadambari?

Ans. Kadambari, the heroine of the novel, was the daughter of a king. Mahasweta one of her companions. One day she met a young man named Pundarika near Lake. Pundarika fell in love with Mahasweta.

Q. 6. How did the parrot relate the story in Banabhatta’s Kadambari?

came slowly me and Ans. The parrot related its story: “I was born on a tree on the Himalayan slopes, lost my mother at birth and my father brought me up. One day some hunters there, pulling down our nests and killing many of our kin. I lurked in the folds of my father’s plumes. My father was also killed and thrown down by the hunter. But I made my escape by concealing myself under the leaves. Next morning, when I was making my way to the lake to quench my thirst, a sage called Marichi pitied giving me water, took me to his hermitage”.

Q. 7.How is the parrot related to the theme of love in Banabhatta’s Kadambari?

Ans. The parrot related its story: “I was born on a tree on the Himalayan slopes. I lost my mother at birth and my father brought me up. One day some hunters came there, pulling down our nests and killing many of our kin. I lurked in the folds of my father’s plumes. My father was also killed and thrown down by the hunter. But I made my escape by concealing myself under the leaves. Next morning, when I was slowly making my way to the lake to quench my thirst, a sage called Marichi pitied me and giving me water, took me to his hermitage”.

Ans. Kadambari is a fantastic prose romance. This work transcends the bounds of mortal existence. It moves through three- lives until deep and passionate love attains its fulfilment. In due course Banabhatta has depicted the fanciful fusion of the world. Here animals, birds, human beings, semi divine and divine characters merge. The earth and the heavens combine in the universal bound of love. The entire creation is thus held together. It is these unique qualities of the heart and faith that distinguish this classic of Banabhatta from others. The parrot related its story: “I was born on a tree on the Himalayan slopes. I lost my mother at birth and my father brought me up. One day some hunters came there, pulling down our nests and killing.

The plot of Kadambari is very impressive. It deals with the three lives of the characters. It presents a beautiful love story. Kadambari, the heroine of the novel, was the daughter of a king. Mahasweta was one of her companions. One day she met a young man named Pundarika near Acchoda Lake. Pundarika fell in love with Mahasweta. In due course Pundarika and the Moon coursed each other. In the next birth the Moon was born as Chandrapida and Pundarika was born as Waishampayan. In this birth the lovers could not achieve their beloveds. In the next birth Chandrapida married Kadambari and Pundarika married Mahasweta. All lived happily thereafter. Chandrapida spent his time partly in his own hometown of Ujjayini, partly at Hemekuta, the home of Kadambari. In fact, he was an incarnation of the moon.