Bharavi

Bharavi, sometimes transliterated Bharavi, was an early medieval Indian Sanskrit poet renowned for his command of mahakavya, the high epic genre in classical Sanskrit poetry. Precise biographical details are scarce, but most scholars place him in the 6th or 7th century CE, with ties to the eastern Deccan or Andhra region and a milieu influenced by Gupta-era literary culture.

His best-known work is the Kiratarjuniya (often spelled Kiratarjuniyam), an epic poem in Sanskrit that retells a episode from the Mahabharata. The narrative centers on Arjuna’s intense penance to obtain a celestial weapon and his encounter with a hunter in the forest, who is revealed to be the god Shiva. The encounter tests Arjuna’s resolve, and the hunter ultimately grants him the weapon. The poem is celebrated for its dramatic focus, ornate diction, and a dense fabric of metaphors and similes.

Bharavi’s style is characterized by lavish ornamentation and concentrated, highly compressed expression. His verse is known for intricate wordplay, inventive imagery, and a brisk narrative pace that drives the epic forward while showcasing the poet’s virtuosity in kavya rhetoric. Kiratarjuniya has been influential in the development of Sanskrit poetics and has been studied as a canonical example of classical epic style.

Little is known about Bharavi’s life beyond his literary work, and Kiratarjuniya remains his enduring legacy. The poem continues to be studied for its linguistic richness, narrative technique, and contribution to the Sanskrit epic tradition.