Delphi Collected Sanskrit Epics

by Vālmīki, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith (Translator)

Explore Sanskrit literature, the classical language of India, representing a rich cultural tradition from the time of the Vedas in the second millennium BC until Late Antiquity. The leading works of Indian epic poetry are the ‘Ramayana’ and the ‘Mahabharata’, as well as The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature and Sangam literature. These texts are among some of the oldest surviving epic poems ever written. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature's finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents a comprehensive range of Sanskrit epics, including the complete ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’, with illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)

* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to the leading works of Sanskrit epic poetry
* Concise introduction to the epic poems
* Complete ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’, with scholarly footnotes
* Excellent formatting of the poems
* Rare other Sanskrit epics appearing for the first time in digital publishing - explore the rich heritage of Sanskrit literature
* Easily locate the sections you want to read
* Features a biography on the leading poet Kalidasa
* Bonus text of Arthur Anthony Macdonell’s ‘A History of Sanskrit Literature’
* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres

CONTENTS:

The Hindu Itihasa
Ramayana by Valmiki (Translated by Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)
Mahabharata by Vyasa (Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)

Other Sanskrit Epics
Buddhacharita by Asvaghosa (Translated by E. B. Cowell)
Saundarananda by Asvaghosa (Translated by E. H. Johnston)
Selections from ‘Raghuvamsha’ by Kalidasa (Translated by Arthur W. Ryder)
Selections from ‘Kumarasambhava’ by Kalidasa (Translated by Arthur W. Ryder)
Shishupala Vadha by Magha (Cantos I-IV) (Translated by M. S. Bhandare)
Kiratarjuniya by Bharavi (Translated by Romesh Chunder Dutt)
Bhattikavya by Bhatti (Canto I) (Anonymous translation 1867)

The Biographies
A History of Sanskrit Literature by Arthur Anthony Macdonell
Kalidasa: His Life and Writings by Arthur W. Ryder

Genres: Classics, Religion

13690 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2018

About the author

Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Yoga Vasistha is attributed to him. A religious movement called Valmikism is based on Valmiki's teachings as presented in the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,
"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.