ABSTRACT
Alluding to the famous words of Kalidasa and asserting that the standards that gained currency as of European origin had once been Indian too, the chapter discusses the creative richness of Valmiki, Vyasa, and Kalidasa in the choice and treatment of themes. While this heritage, traced back to Shin-Ekhi-Unninni, can be seen to continue through Vyasa, Homer, Valmiki, and Kalidasa, the chapter discusses how their sense was missed entirely by most poets who came up later in the many Indian languages. The epic, the classic, and the mahākāvya as important concepts are discussed in some detail. Though the notions of the epic or the classic are not seen significantly to figure in Indian discussions, the reader’s attention is drawn to how such theoretical understanding seems to run deep in the works of Vyasa, Valmiki, and Kalidasa.
