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Kavya (poetry)

Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Piṅgadatta (पिङ्गदत्त) is a minister of king Vimala from Vimalapura, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 56. Accordingly, as Nārāyaṇī narrated to a group of divine mothers (mātṛcakra) in presence of Candrasvāmin, who was listening from a tree: “... then a minister named Piṅgadatta said to Vimala: ‘here is one plan only in this case; carry it out, your Majesty, and all will be well. There is a Yakṣa named Sthūlaśiras, and I know a charm to propitiate him, by which he bestows the boon that one desires...’”.

The story of Piṅgadatta was narrated by Marubhūti order to entertain the company of prince Naravāhanadatta.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Piṅgadatta, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

context information

Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Full-text: Sthulashiras.

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Search found 1 books and stories containing Pingadatta, Piṅgadatta; (plurals include: Pingadattas, Piṅgadattas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)

Chapter LVI < [Book IX - Alaṅkāravatī]

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