1877.] 
39 
Are Kalidasa's Heroes monogamists ?— ’Ey G. A. Grierson, C. S., 
Rang pur. 
I was much interested by an article by Prannath Pandit in the last 
number of the Journal of the Asiatic Society on the “ morals of Kalidasa.’* 
With reference to one bead of bis subject, “ Polygamy,” I venture to 
differ from him. He says (page 357), “ It is noteworthy that it (polygamy) 
is never prominently brought forward in the poems, except in the case of 
the wives of Dasa-ratha .” And again, further on, “ The greatest of our 
poet’s heroes are either monogamists, or may be taken to be so for all the 
purposes of bis epic narrative.” 
Has be not with regard to the poems forgotten Dilipa , one of the 
very noblest characters in the Raghuvansa, who is especially declared to have 
bad a numerous (I. 32) antah-pura-varga or zenana. Moreover, though 
it is then said that be considered these wives of no value in comparison to 
Sudalcsliind, Dilipa is at the same time distinctly said to have considered 
not only her, but also Lalcshmi as bis wife, and hence to have been at least 
a professed bigamist. Of course it may be urged that calling LaTcslwii 
bis wife was a mere figure of speech, but still the fact shows that 
according to Kalidasa, bis model Dilipa did not consider polygamy an 
objectionable practice. 
Again Agni-varna in the nineteenth book, who, though not a reputable 
character, was undoubtedly one of Kalidasa's heroes, can hardly be called a 
monogamist. 
With regard to Kalidasa's play-heroes, one, at least, viz., Pururavas, 
cannot be taken as a monogamist, “ for all purposes of the epic narrative,” 
or of the dramatic narrative either. 
In the second Act of Vikramdvasi, Kipunilcd makes him out offend¬ 
ing bis Queen by imagining her to be TJrvasi, and calling her by her 
( Tlrvasi's) name T ^f^TT «n^T *RT ^T^TIT II 
This surely is hardly the act of a strict monogamist, especially as subse¬ 
quently Pururavas marries Tlrvasi in the lifetime of bis Queen. 
The only other Dramatic Hero of Kalidasa with whom I am acquaint¬ 
ed,—j Bushyanta, though undoubtedly possessed of an “ affinity” for S'aJcun- 
tald, as every right-minded hero should have for the heroine, used to 
appear surrounded by Yavan women, with bows in their bands and wearing 
garlands of flowers.* I know that the commentators say that these 
women were simply arm-bearers, but on this occasion there was no reason 
* ncar the commence¬ 
ment of the 2nd Act of the S'ahmtald. 
