Bharavi, author of the Kiratarjuniya, one of the five major mahakavyas in Sanskrit, has been generally assigned by the scholars to the middle of the 6th century AD. First mentioned along with Kalidasa in the Aihole inscription of the Chalukya king, Pulekesin II, dated 634 AD, Bharavi is famous for the brevity and depth of his style (arthagaurava). According to popular traditions, he earned the sobriquet Chhattva Bharavi because of the poetic fancy conceiving the flower dust flown up by the wind to form a golden umbrella. His Kratarjuniya, an epic in 18 cantos, describes the circumstances that led to Arjuna's penance, his actual penance and his obtaining weapons from Lord Shiva. Valour is the main rasa. Professor A. B. Keith, while commenting upon the book, wrote, "There is no doubt of the power of Bharavi in description; his style at its best has a calm dignity which is certainly attractive, while he excels also in the observation and record of the beauties of nature and maidens."
Professor Mrinal Kanti Gangopadhyay, a distinguished cholar in Sanskrit, in this monograph has made a comparative study of all the available commentains on Bharavi and also presented his own views highlighting the positive achievements of Bharavi as objectively as possible.
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