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Kumarasambhava
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Sanskrit:
“Birth of Kumara”
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Kumarasambhava

poem by Kalidasa
Also known as: “Birth of the War God”
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History

Kumarasambhava, epic poem by Kalidasa written in the 5th century ce. The work describes the courting of the ascetic Shiva, who is meditating in the mountains, by Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas; the conflagration of Kama (the god of desire)—after his arrow struck Shiva—by the fire from Shiva’s third eye; the wedding and lovemaking of Shiva and Parvati; and the subsequent birth of Kumara (Skanda), the war god. The original poem is in eight cantos, but a sequel was added by an imitator.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.