Some Lamentation Passages in Sanskrit Poetry (Especially in Kālidāsa's Mahākāvyas).

The paper gives a detailed comparison of the two Sanskrit lamentation passages, the laments of Aja (Ragh. 8. 37-69) and Rati (Kum. 4.1-38); it is conducted against the background of some other texts with similar content. The laments share a number of similar motifs. When examining the structure of these passages (as well as that of other related texts, not only those written in Sanskrit), the following elements may be discerned: the speakers' stupor or loss of consciousness; their attempts at self-destruction; an address to the dead in which personal experiences are recalled. The lamenting persons are shown as coming to cry over themselves, thereby embracing some personal memories and finding comfort or protection. Apart from offering words of comfort, the consolatory speeches addressed to them also give an explanation of the causes of their loss (the death of Indumatī or the incineration of Kāma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]