What is Bharavi | Indian poet Bharavi

Bharavi was a prominent figure of Sanskrit literature in ancient India. He is said to be contemporary to Kalidas. Nothing can be said with certainty about his life history but it is widely claimed that he came from South India.

Bharavi is best remembered for his magnum opus ‘Kiratarjuniya’, a classical epic in Sanskrit. Kiratarjuniya is based on a story from the Mahabharata and comprises 18 cantos. In this epic, Bharavi describes the battle between Arjun, a great warrior and the mountain man in very vivid style and great language. In the end the reality of the mountain man became clear as he was Lord Shiva who blessed Arjun with Pashupatastra, a great weapon.

Kiratarjuniya is a phenomenal display of Bharavi’s literary genius. Each canto of Kiratarjuniya begins with Shree and the concluding verse of each canto uses the word Laxmi. He is known for his compact and concise style. He expres- sed long points and dialogues in a few words. He used lofty and sublime language in accordance with the high thoughts and great story.