Vasant, the Muse of Sanskrit Poets: An Exploration

As the chilling winter recedes and the sun emerges brightly, skies turn clear and blue, and fine breeze blows from the south laden with mist through the fluttering lush green young mango leaves. Bright flowers of different hues bloom all around, while the dancing bees greet them with their sweet drone. Suddenly nature turns wondrously beautiful, suggesting the arrival of vasant — spring. And with it, certain ineffably touching gaiety comes along evoking romanticism all around. Vasant, the driving force of life painted with a fiery palette of the reds, golds, oranges, and yellows of its flowers, kindled the flame of passion among Sanskrit poets, resulting in excellent poetry that articulated the emotions of longing, desiring, pining, etc. Being the most picturesque season, it became the natural canvas for their portraying the sringara rasa. This paper is an attempt to capture that sringara — romanticism and its beauty — expounded in classical poetry.