Magha poet from India was born in 600, date of death is unknown. Poems were written mainly in Hindi language. Dominant movement is other.
Biography
Magha (c. 7th century) (Sanskrit: ???, Magha) was a Sanskrit poet at King Varmalata's court at Srimala, the-then capital of Gujarat (presently in Rajasthan state). Magha was son of Dattaka Sarvacharya and grandson of Suprabhadeva. His epic poem (mahakavya) Shishupala Vadha, in 20 sargas (cantos) is based on the Mahabharata episode where the defiant king Shishupala is beheaded by Krishna's chakra (disc). He is thought to have been inspired by, and is often compared with, Bharavi.
Life and Work
Magha's fame rests entirely on the Shishupala Vadha. Vallabhadeva and Kshemendra quote some verses that are not found in the Shishupala Vadha as that of Magha, so it is believed that Magha wrote some other works that are now lost.
Unlike most Indian poets who give no autobiographical details or allude to contemporary events at all, Magha, in the concluding five verses of the work (known as the Prasasti), gives some autobiographical details, which is rare for Indian poets. The verses inform that his father was Dattaka and his grandfather was Suprabhadeva, a minister at the court of a king whose name is mentioned in different editions as Varmalata, Dharmanabha, Dharmanatha, Varmalakhya, etc. These verses are therefore called the nija-va?sa-var?ana or kavi-va?sa-var?ana by commentators.
According to tradition, Magha was a native of Gujarat, being born in Srimala or Bhinamal.
By his own accounts and that of others, he was born wealthy and lived a carefree life, :53 although according to one legend, he died in poverty.
Date
Magha is quoted by Anandavardhana, Bhoja, and in the Kavirajamarga, thus putting him no later than the 8th century. Pathak notes that he alludes to the Kasikav?tti and its commentary Nyasa, the latter of which is not mentioned by I-Tsing and thus must have been written after his departure from India in 695 CE. Thus, Pathak puts Magha in the second half of the 8th century. Hermann Jacobi puts him in the in 6th century, and Kielhorn and others put him in the second half of the 7th century.
Appraisal
Magha is highly popular with Sanskrit critics, and is extensively quoted by them. His Shishupala Vadha seems to have been inspired by the Kiratarjuniya of Bharavi, and intended to emulate and even surpass it. Like Bharavi, he displays rhetorical and metrical skill more than the growth of the plot,[3] and is noted for his intricate wordplay, textual complexity, and verbal ingenuity. He also uses a rich vocabulary, so much so that the (untrue) claim has been made that his work contains every word in the Sanskrit language. Whereas Bharavi glorifies Shiva, Magha glorifies Krishna; while Bharavi uses 19 metres Magha uses 23, like Bharavi's 15th canto full of contrived verses Magha introduces even more complicated verses in his 19th.
A popular Sanskrit verse about Magha (and hence about this poem, as it his only known work and the one his reputation rests on) says:
???? ?????????? ??????????????|
??????: ?????????? ???? ????? ????? ????||
upama kalidasasya, bharaver arthagaurava?,
da??ina? padalalitya? ? maghe santi trayo gu?a?
"The similes of Kalidasa, Bharavi's depth of meaning, Da??in's wordplay ? in Magha all three qualities are found."
Thus, Magha's attempt to surpass Bharavi appears to have been successful; even his name seems to be derived from this feat: another Sanskrit saying goes tavat bha bharave? bhati yavat maghasya nodaya?, which can mean "the lustre of the sun lasts until the advent of Maagha (the coldest month)", but also "the lustre of Bharavi lasts until the advent of Magha". However, Magha follows Bharavi's structure too closely, and the long-windedness of his descriptions loses the gravity and "weight of meaning" found in Bharavi's poem. Consequently, Magha is more admired as a poet than the work is as a whole, and the sections of the work that may be considered digressions from the story have the nature of an anthology and are more popular.
Magha influenced Ratnakara's Haravijaya, an epic in 50 cantos that suggests a thorough study of the Shishupalavadha. The Dharmashramabhyudaya, a Sanskrit poem by Harichandra in 21 cantos on Dharmanatha the 15th tirthankara, is modeled on the Shishupalavadha. ..
