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Kumarasambhavam: The Origin of the Young God is Kalidasa’s great epic tale of the birth of Kumara, the son of Shiva and Parvati. Summary of the Book A long time ago, a monstrous young asura by the name of Tarakasura invoked the Creator, Lord Brahma. Tarakasura asked Brahma for immortality, but the Creator denied his wish, telling him that it was an impossible one. He coaxed the asura to ask him for something else, and after some thought, Tarakasura asked Brahma for an unusual boon. He begged that his death should come to him only at the hands of a son of Shiva the Destroyer. Shiva had remained an ascetic and abstained from any familial bonds since the self-immolation of his wife Sati. There was no foreseeable chance of him fathering a son on any other woman, for his heart still remained true to Sati. Brahma granted the asura his wish, helpless to do otherwise. Soon, the monster began to ravage through the worlds, raising hell wherever he went. The gods were helpless against him, and no one could help them. Yet, there was a small hope. A young girl was born to Himavat, a king in the Himalayan mountains, and his wife, Menaka. This girl, named Parvati after the mountains, was destined to become Shiva’s wife. She was the reincarnation of Sati, Shiva’s long lost love and from her womb would come the deliverer, the destroyer of Tarakasura. Kumarasambhavam is the epic story of the son of Shiva and Parvathi. It is one of Kalidasa’s three great Sanskrit epics, and this English translation renders the magical story and flow of the original work masterfully for modern readers. About Kalidasa Kalidasa was a Classical Sanskrit poet and writer, best associated with his plays and poems. Kalidasa is known for Abhijnanasakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram, Raghuvamsa and Meghaduta.