Historians classify literature as laukika and Vedic literature. Literature represents society and is useful to it. The Vedic literature acts like a father in the family. It gives instructions. The laukika literature acts like a mother. It spreads love.
Some Maharishis had witnessed the Vedic literature in a state of Samadhi. They heard it and transmitted it to their disciples. The poets and writers created the laukika literature. Both of these teach the same thing but in different styles.
The maharishis like Vyasa and Valmiki had documented the essence of the Vedas in epics and histories. Kalidas is a rishi and a poet. He is a rishi by means of his latent greatness and other great qualities. He is a poet by virtue of his poetry and literature. He had created great works of literature, studied all the greatest books and scriptures, like the sruthis, smrithis, epics, four types of skills, and 64 arts. Kalidas had shown an equal interest in the study of the Vedas and in different arts.
He incorporated the principles of the Vedas, Vedangas, Tarka and Vyakaranasastras into his poetry in a convenient fashion. He was also a scholar in Gaja and Aswasastras. In his Raghuvamasa, he had written:
King Dileep was unhappy because he had no children. Arunthudamivalanam-anirvanasya damthinaha. The elephant’s bathing is called anirvana. The elephant is much annoyed, if it is not bathed. King Dileep was angry like the elephant, which had not been given a bath. Alanam means the post to which the elephant is tied. The post does not inflict pain to the elephant. It is the chain that binds the elephant to the post that causes suffering to the elephant. King Dileep was suffering like that.
Poet Kalidas describes the stable of horses as vakthroshmana malinayanthi purogathani – lehyani saindhava silasakalani vaha. The jockeys in the horse stalls use saindhava salt during morning time.
There are two types of people. Some people spend the money exorbitantly for unnecessary luxuries, while others use the money only for their necessities. In literature, there are poets who use fewe words to convey great meaning. They use a lesser number of words even though they have mastery over the language. They do not waste words. Kalidas belonged to this category.
He did not imitate the other poets, like Bharavi, Magha, Sri Harsha, and Banabhatta. He did not waste words, even if the situation warranteda profusion of words. Although he was a scholar, he never used words unnecessarily. The taste of a food product depends on the amount of taste producing agent used in the preparation. If the agent is correctly used, then the product will have better taste. If an excess amount is used, then that food item becomes unpalatable.
Kalidas displayed a mature and balanced application of words in his writings. Lord Sri Ram killed Vali and made Sugreeva the king. Kalidas described this as dhato sthana ivadesaha. Pasya rules the noun drusir. The word drus is absent in this application. Similarly, after the establishment of Sugreeva as the king, there is no reference to Vali. Kalidas had intelligently used this type of grammar in his poetry.
In his poetry Kumarasambhava, there is a scene in which the army of the demon Taraka occupies Heaven and expells the deities from it. Kalidas described this as apavadai rivotsargaha krutha vyavruthayaha parai.
There are two principles in grammar, namely utsarga and apavada. Utsarga behaves normally and apavada is opposite to utsarga. Kalidas compared the army of the demon with apavada principle and the deities with the utsarga. He conducted this experiment by combining grammatical principles in his poetry.
Kalidas was partial to the application of meemamsa principles. According to the principle of matum ichcha meemamsa, meemamsa determines the manner in which the meaning of the Vedas has to be explained. Meemamsa is of two types, namely purvameemamsa and uttarameemamsa. The proponents of purvameemamsa argue that the basic principle in the Vedas is that of Karma. The supporters of uttarameemamsa contend that it is Brahma and not Karma that constitutes the fundamental principle. As a general rule, the followers of purvameemamsa are considered the true judges. The supporters of uttarameemamsa are called philosophers.
Philosophers argue that under the principles of the Vedas the karma and its effects merge into Brahmam. However, the purvameemamsa followers consider this to be fallacious. They do not accept the existence of Brahmam. If there is no Brahma, then there is no Brahmajnana. They follow only the tenets and principles of karmajnana. Kalidas was an expert in the purvameemamsa. He described the rites of japa, homa and other Agnihotras in his poetry. He supported the performance of rites that promote peace and welfare. He accepted pasuvisasana rites, since they are recognised by the scriptures.
Udghathaha pranavo yasam, nyayaistribhi rudeeranam|
Karma yajnaha phalam swargaha thasam twam prabhavo giram||
The poet Kalidas states in the Devatastuties that ayajna is to be started with the chanting of Om and that the mantras are to be chanted in other swara differences such as udatta. The outcome of the yajna is the attainment of Heaven. This verse is primarily based on the meemamsa approach.
His work the Abhijnana Sakuntalam is considered as a romantic narrative by a number of critics. However, some argue that Maharishi Valmiki’s soul entered Kalidas and made him write the work. This work followed the central theme, concept and core of the Ramayana, but in a different style. Kalidas had transformed an epic into a social drama in this work.
In this work, Sakuntala is Sita Devi. In Ramayana, it was not mentioned to whom Sita was born. She had grown in the palace of king Janaka as his own daughter. King Janaka was a Rajarshi. Maharishi Kanva is a Brahmarshi. Both were prudent and moderate men, who had subdued their passions and cast off their desires. Lord Rama had broken the Shiva-bow and married Sita. In Kalidas’s work, king Dushyanta used the bow of the deity Manmadha to marry Sakuntala. Neither king Janaka nor Maharishi Kanva had enquired about their daughters after their marriage.
Both Sita and Sakauntala were abandoned by their husbands when they were pregnant. These wives were guiltless, yet they were deserted; their husbands deserted them, due to fear of society. Both these wives were protected by their mothers, and in the end, Sita Devi sought shelter in the Ashram of Maharishi Valmiki and Sakuntala reached the ashram of Maharishi Marichi.
Lord Sri Rama could have located His wife and children with the assistance of Maharishi Valmiki. Similarly, Dushyanta received the assistance of maharishi Marichi in locating his wife and son, Bharata.
Lord Sri Rama and Sita Devi had separated from each other on earth, but had united in Vaikunta. King Dushyanta and Sakuntala were separated on the earth, but reunited in the ashram of Maharishi Marichi. After separation, both Sita Devi and Sakuntala experienced the same mental agony and suffering.
Kalidas explained the condition of Sakuntala as vasane pardhusare vasana, niyama kshamamukhi, dhrithaika veni|. She wore unclean and soiled dress. She did not take food and had untied her hair. Kalidas had been inspired to make this description, by referring to that made by Maharishi Valmiki about Sita Devi in the Ashoka forest in Lanka. Before going to her in-laws’ house, Sakuntala had offered her salutations to her father Maharishi Kanva. The latter, although a brahmarhsi had shed tears. He blessed her in a trembling voice, and blessed her in the following Vedic Rik chandas.
Ami vedim parithaha kaptha dhishnya samidvanthaha prantha samstheerna darbhaha|
Apaghnamtho duritam havyagandhihi vaitana sthvam vahnayaha pavayantu||
Each word in this verse is compiled in the Vedic style. This blessing is similar to that of a RigVeda scholar. This resembles the mastery of poet Kalidas over the Vedic mantras. There are a large number of such Vedic applications in the poetry of Kalidas. The principles of other scriptures such as Dharma sastra, Sruthi, Smrithi, Epics, Tarka and Vyakarana sastras are widely used by Kalidas, in his other works.
According to the Maha Bharata, the teaching of the Vedas is greater than their study. Those who teach the Vedas and the mantras to students, receive the outcome that is equal to the outcome received on donating land and cattle.