Another anecdote on Kalidasa

Bhoja raja  of Ujjain was a lover of Arts and himself a poet. He was known for welcoming and honoring poets who came to him. There were a number of poets in his patronage, Kalidasa being the most honored and loved of them.

     Agyata Sharma was a poor but learned person. He thought of seeking honors from the king. He set out to Ujjain for trying his luck. On the  way,he was sitting below a Jambu tree on the bank of a lake,and thinking how to please the king and win a favor. There was a shower of Jambu fruits around him. He looked up and found a number of monkeys jumping from branch to branch. An idea flashed to him. He was very glad that he could impress the king with it.

 Next day ,he went to the king’s court and announced that he was Agyata Sharma, a famous poet and he wanted to show his skill. He said he would give the concluding line of a Sanskrit poem and challenged if any of the poets in his court could construct the full poem. The concluding line was-

                    Gulu gug gulu gug guhuhu.

King Bhoja looked up to the poets of his court. But none came up with an answer.The king was crestfallen He looked around for his favorite poet Kalidasa, but he had not yet come.  Agyata sharma was beaming with pride and hoping for a big reward.

At that moment, Kalidasa came in . The king told him of the challenge . Kalidasa smiled and said: ‘Here is the full poem:

Jamboo phalaani pakwaani

Patanti vimalay jalay

 Kapi kampita shaakhyebhyo

Gulu gug gulu gug guhuhu..

When the king heard this ,he was very pleased that the honor of his court was saved by the clever poet Kalidasa

Kalidasa explained: While coming to Ujjain,this Agyata sharma must have passed by the lake.There is a Jamboo tree on its bank and the branches of the tree are hanging over the lake.He must have seen the monkeys shaking the branches and when the ripe jamboo fruits fall into the lake, they plop into the water of the lake making the sound Gulu gug gulu gug guhuhu.

 Agyata sharma's chalange had failed. Yet,the generous King  honored Agyata Sharma with a pouch of gold coins, Sharma was happy to receive the gift even after defeat.