Poetry
Kamayani
कामायनी
Jaishankar Prasad · 1936
Synopsis
After the deluge that engulfed the world of the gods, Manu, the sole survivor, meditates on the ruins, emptied of all feeling. The epic follows, in fifteen cantos each bearing the name of a state of the soul, Contemplation, Hope, Faith, the return within him of thoughts, desires and actions. Shraddha, the faith of the heart, joins him; Ida, intelligence, draws him towards another path, and we see the man torn between the two, until he seeks harmony.
Context
The poem appeared in 1936, a year before its author's death. It draws on the flood story of the Shatapatha Brahmana and on characters already present in the Vedas, and the author himself explains that he reads Manu in it as the mind, Shraddha as faith and Ida as intelligence. The imprint of Kashmiri Shaivism can also be recognised in it. It is regarded as the culmination of chhayavad. Its first line illustrates the stamp issued in 1991 in honour of the author.
Who it is for
An allegorical epic whose reading demands attention; the French translation, published in 1997, comes with notes for each canto.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the greatest works of modern Hindi literature and as its author's masterpiece.
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