| Author | Michael Madhusudan Dutt |
|---|---|
| Original title | মেঘনাদবধ কাব্য |
| Translator | Clinton B. Seely |
| Language | Bengali |
| Genre | Epic poem |
Publication date | 1861 |
| Publication place | British India |
Original text | মেঘনাদবধ কাব্য at Bangla Wikisource |
Meghnad Badh Kavya (Bengali: মেঘনাদবধ কাব্য; English: The Slaying of Meghnada) is a Bengali epic poem by Michael Madhusudan Dutta. Regarded as a central work in Bengali literature and Dutta's greatest literary work as well as the finest epic in Bengali literature and also as one of the greatest works of world literature.[1] Meghnad Badh Kavya is based on the demise of Meghnad (a.k.a. Indrajit), son of Ravana, the king of Lanka in the classic Sanskrit epic Ramayana.[2][3] Michael Madhusudan Dutt was an ardent admirer of both European literature and Indian literature and the epic owes much to Milton, Tasso, Homer, Virgil, Valmiki, Vyasa and Kalidasa.
The poem is divided into 9 cantos.[4] Each part exhibits different incidents. Starting from the death of Beerbahu, son of Ravana, it is continued till the sati-daha (the ancient Indian custom of burning the widows alive with the dead husband) of Prameela, Meghnad's beloved wife.
The poem starts with the lines:
সম্মুখ সমরে পড়ি, বীর-চূড়ামণি |
The great hero, being defeated in a face-to-face battle, |