Meghadootam (The Cloud Messenger)

मेघदूतं
(The Cloud Messenger)

Kaalidaasa is the uncrowned king of poetry and dramas of our land; why, even in the world, amongst all languages. The sweetness is missing in Shakespeare. Goethe, the best of German poets sings - In Kalidaasa, we see flowers and fruits the same time, colourful spring and colourful leaves the same time. Even Sri Aurobindo would go into raptures and has written books on Kaalidaasa's dramas and poetical works. Philosophy and nature worship in one place.

Kaalidaasa has written three dramas - Shaakuntalam (on Shakuntalaa from puraaNa), Maalavikaagnimitra (historical ) and Vikramorvasheeyam (mythological). Also two epic poems -Kumaarasambhavam (love and wedding of Paarvatee and Shiva and birth of Kumaar) and RaghuvaMsha (on Solar Dynasty in which Raama was born).

Rutasamhaara - Collection of beauty of six seasons. Considered his earliest work. One gets the unmistakable jhalak of a great poet in the making here.

Meghadootam is a khandakaavya - a poem of about 150 shlokas, in Mandaakraanta metre, a slow moving taala. A young YakSha, in the service of Kubera, is in charge of collecting flowers from the gardens for morning worship by the king. He is newly married. One morning, he wakes up late and hurriedly collects flowers worn by his wife and gives them to the palace. Noticing hairs in the flowers, the king is furious and exiles the yakSha for one year.

He settles for a lonely life below the Vindhyaa Mountains on the Raamagiri hills. Monsoon comea. Time for travellers and traders to return home to their families. The yakSha cannot.

One day a huge cloud settles on the hill top. Looking at it, the yakSha salutes it and offers poojaa with kutaja flowers and praises the cloud for pouring rains and cooling down the weather. Then he requests the cloud to take his message his beloved on the Himalayas, Alakaapuri, the place of his residence.

Firstly he wishes godspeed to the cloud and pleasant flight all through. Then he charts out the route, visiting natural beauties and places of pilgrimage. Gives a rough idesa of our country in his times. (In Raghuvamsha, Kaalidaasa gives s larger circuit taken by King Raghu during his conquering days behind the Sacrificial Horse. Here he touches our Konkana coast where the warriors drank fermented coconut drink from cups made out of taamboola (betel) leaves.)

His drescription of Ujjain and prayer to Lord Kaalabhairava at the city is very picturesque and respectful. His flight over Sangam, the holy confluence of sacred rivers is bewitching. (In RaghuvaMsha, Kaalidaasa had over twelve shlokas in which Rama desribes to Sita the beauty of the confluence as viewed from the Pushpaka vimaana on their return journey from Lanka.)

His references to the village lives enroute provides heartening reviews of rural people, simple and down to earth. Once Alakaapuri is sighted, directions with landmarks are given for the cloud to follow to reach his residence. Nice bird's eyeview of the rich city. Followed by detailed description of his residence. A loving description of his wife. A secret anecdote known to him and his wife only is narrated so that the wife will know the cloud is a genuine messenger. Finally the message of encouragement to hold on a month more until he comes home.

I had this whole poem by heart and used to sing it to tune while pacing up and down the verandah after night meals. Mother picked up a few lines and would sing them when she was working in the kitchen. I remember the lines she would sing even now.