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The killing of Shishupala / Magha ; edited and translated by Paul Dundas.

By: Māgha [author.].
Contributor(s): Dundas, Paul, 1952- [editor,, translator.].
Material type: TextTextSeries: Murty classical library of India: 11.Publisher: Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, Murty Classical Library of India. 2017Description: xxxvi, 784 pages ; 21 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780674545618 (pbk.).Related works: Container of (expression) : Māgha. Śiśupālavadha | Container of (expression) : Māgha. Śiśupālavadha. English.Subject(s): Krishna (Hindu deity) -- Poetry -- Early works to 1800 | Death -- Poetry -- Early works to 1800DDC classification: 891.21 Summary: Magha's The Killing of Shishupala, written in the seventh century, is a celebrated example of the Sanskrit genre known as mahākāvya, or great poem. This adaptation from the epic Mahābhārata tells the story of Shishupala, who disrupts Yudhishthira's coronation by refusing to honor Krishna, the king's principal ally and a manifestation of divinity. When Shishupala challenges Krishna to combat, he is immediately beheaded. Magha, who was likely a court poet in western India, draws on the rich stylistic resources of Sanskrit poetry to imbue his work with unparalleled sophistication. He expands the narrative's cosmic implications through elaborate depictions of the natural world and intense erotic sensuality, mixing myth and classical erudition with scenes of political debate and battlefield slaughter. Krishna is variously portrayed as refined prince, formidable warrior, and incarnation of the god Vishnu protecting the world from demonic threat. With this translation of The Killing of Shishupala, presented alongside the original text in Devanagari script, English readers for the first time gain access to a masterwork that has dazzled Indian audiences for a thousand years.-- Provided by publisher.
List(s) this item appears in: 2018-06-22
Item type Current location Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Chennai Mathematical Institute
Fiction
891.21 MAG (Browse shelf) Available 10383
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Magha's The Killing of Shishupala, written in the seventh century, is a celebrated example of the Sanskrit genre known as mahākāvya, or great poem. This adaptation from the epic Mahābhārata tells the story of Shishupala, who disrupts Yudhishthira's coronation by refusing to honor Krishna, the king's principal ally and a manifestation of divinity. When Shishupala challenges Krishna to combat, he is immediately beheaded. Magha, who was likely a court poet in western India, draws on the rich stylistic resources of Sanskrit poetry to imbue his work with unparalleled sophistication. He expands the narrative's cosmic implications through elaborate depictions of the natural world and intense erotic sensuality, mixing myth and classical erudition with scenes of political debate and battlefield slaughter. Krishna is variously portrayed as refined prince, formidable warrior, and incarnation of the god Vishnu protecting the world from demonic threat. With this translation of The Killing of Shishupala, presented alongside the original text in Devanagari script, English readers for the first time gain access to a masterwork that has dazzled Indian audiences for a thousand years.-- Provided by publisher.

This is a facing-page volume in English and Sanskrit.