The killing of Shishupala

• Verfasst von: Māgha [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: The killing of Shishupala
• Mitwirkende: Dundas, Paul [HerausgeberIn] [ÜbersetzerIn]
• Werktitel: Śiśupālavadha
• Verf.angabe: Magha ; edited and translated by Paul Dundas
• Verlagsort: Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London, England
• Verlag: Harvard University Press
• Jahr: 2017
• Umfang: xxxvi, 784 pages
• Gesamttitel/Reihe: Murty classical library of India ; 11
• Schrift/Sprache: Text in Englisch und Sanskrit
• ISBN: 978-0-674-66039-7
• Schlagwörter: (t)Māgha / Śiśupālavadha
• Schlagwörter: (s)Sanskrit / (s)Mahakawja / (z)Geschichte 600-700
• Dokumenttyp: Kommentar
• Dokumenttyp: Fiktionale Darstellung
• Sprache: eng san
• K10plus-PPN: 1624574092

Abstract

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.--