कुन्द / कुन्द — Kunda
Sanskrit verse in Devanagari
पूर्वमेघः — श्लोक 44
Transliteration
tām uttīrya vraja paricita-bhrūlatā-vibhramāṇāṃ
pakṣmotkṣepād upari-vilasat-kṛṣṇaśāra-prabhāṇām |
kunda-kṣepānuga-madhukara-śrī-muṣām ātma-bimbaṃ
pātrīkurvan daśapura-vadhū-netra-kautūhalānām || 1.49 ||
Plant part in the verse
कुन्दक्षेपानुग-मधुकर-श्रीमुषाम्
कुन्द — Kunda flower
क्षेप — tossing, throwing, scattering
अनुग — following
मधुकर — bees
श्री-मुषाम् — stealing or surpassing the beauty
Meaning:
“The eyes of the Daśapura women surpass the beauty of bees following tossed Kunda flowers.”
English translation
After crossing that river, proceed onward. Let your reflection become the object of curiosity for the eyes of the women of Daśapura. Their eyes are familiar with the graceful play of eyebrow-creepers; when their lashes lift, their dark pupils shine above them. Their glances steal the beauty of bees following tossed Kunda flowers.Literary meaning
Kālidāsa uses Kunda for whiteness and contrast. White Kunda blossoms are tossed or scattered, and dark bees follow them. This becomes a visual comparison for women’s eyes: white eye, dark pupil, moving glance, and playful beauty.
Why did Kālidāsa select Gular?
1. For its unmatched whiteness
Kunda is culturally understood as intensely white. Kālidāsa uses this whiteness to create contrast with dark bees and dark eyes.
2. For the bee-and-flower image
The phrase कुन्दक्षेपानुग-मधुकर depends on a moving visual: white Kunda flowers tossed or scattered, with dark bees following them. This becomes an elegant comparison for women’s eyes.
3. For feminine ornament
Fresh Kunda flowers are small, white and suitable for hair decoration. In Alakā, Kālidāsa places them in the curls of celestial women.
4. For delicacy
The phrase प्रातः कुन्दप्रसव-शिथिलम् suggests a flower loosened in the morning. It perfectly expresses the Yakṣa’s life weakened by longing.
5. For visual contrast with the cloud
The dark monsoon cloud, white Kunda flowers, black bees and bright women’s eyes create a powerful colour composition.
6. For Śṛṅgāra rasa
Kunda contributes whiteness, tenderness, youth, ornamentation, eyes, bees, and separation. These qualities are central to the poem’s mood of love.
Kālidāsa selected Kunda because it is the classical flower of whiteness and tenderness. It allows him to show dark bees against white blossoms, fresh flowers in women’s curls, and a life so fragile that it resembles a morning Kunda bloom.