KADAMBARI by Banbhatt

Kadambari is a Mahanavalkatha (long novel) by Banbhatt. This is one of my favourite book. The story of this book is very interesting. 
Kādambari is a romantic novel in Sanskrit. It was substantially composed by Bāṇabhaṭṭa in the first half of the 7th century CE, who did not survive to see it through completion. The novel was completed by Banabhatta's son Bhushanabhatta, according to the plan laid out by his late father. It is conventionally divided into Purvabhaga (earlier part) written by Banabhatta, and Uttarabhaga (latter part) by Bhushanabhatta. 



In fact, here 3 lives of protagonist are described in a single plot. Hero and heroine dies and borns three time.

Chandrapeed and Mahashweta are the hero & heroine. One major difficulty in reading this book is that because it is too long, narrated by many narrator and is full of cliches. there are several competing subplots; indeed, the heroine does not make her appearance until past the midpoint. Many of the characters appear in multiple incarnations, some as humans and some as demigods or animals. The narration proceeds in a succession of nested frames; a large part of it is a retelling by a parrot of a story which was told to it by a sage. The latter story also contains several instances of one character relating a sub-story to another character.

The way two monologues of Dr. Faustus, soliloquies of Hamlet & Temptation scene in Paradise Lost are very famous, similarly here a friends preaching/ guiding to his friend Pundarik is very popular.

its title is " Dhairyadhanahi Sadhavah" can be translated as Gentlemans are full of patience. It happens in the story that Pundarik- the protagonist in his third birth was in his student / Brhammacharya age. They were moving in jungle. At that time he saw a beautiful girl Mahashweta. Mesmorized by her beauty Pundarik forgets everything.

So, his friend tells him very good lines that " O my dear friend Pundarik ! this is not good for you. That is a path choosen by ordinary people & you are not so. How can you be so impatient that you dont realise falling of 'Yaksha mala' from your hand. Where is your sense and understanding? It looks like all your education goes in vain. Dhairyadhan hi sadhav.

Reading this kind of books gives understanding of the great Indian tradition, value system and morality. Here a friend is also ideal example of friend that he stops his friend from going to wrong path.

Work cited:-
Wikipedia contributors. "Kadambari." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.