Meghadūta

This morning, I woke up to a torrential downpour. Rains lashing, the occasional bright lightening and the rumble of a thunder setting up the scene.

However, it was the clouds, travelling swiftly with the winds which captured my emotions. It looked so beautiful yet there seemed to be a determination in the way they moved; as if they carried a certain message and had to travel far to convey the same.

I could appreciate that probably  such beautiful cloudy day that had prompted Kālidāsa to weave his "Meghadūta"epic.

A poem of 111 stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works. The work is divided into two parts, Purvamegh and Uttaramegh. It recounts how a yaksa, a subject of King Kuber (the god of wealth), after being exiled or a year to Central India for neglecting his duties, convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife at Alakā on Mount Kailāsa in the mighty Himalayas. The yaksa accomplishes this by describing the many beautiful sights the cloud will see on its northward course to the city of Alakā, where his wife awaits his return.

The English translation of the poem can be found here, https://navankura.wordpress.com/meghadootam-kalidasas-poem-adapted-for-children/

Enjoy the rains & do take out sometime to appreciate nature's gifts!

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