10 h 40 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A king listens to a parrot, and a world of love, grief, and rebirth opens before him.
At the court of King Śūdraka, a speaking parrot begins a story he once hears from the sage Jābāli. One tale opens into another, leading from the Vindhya forest to Prince Candrāpīḍa of Ujjayinī. Raised beside his loyal friend Vaiśampāyana, the prince rides out to conquer the earth—and meets a love he never plans.
Beside lake Acchoda, Mahāśvetā lives in austerity, grieving for the young sage Puṇḍarīka. Her friend Kādambarī vows not to marry while she suffers, yet meets the prince. In this Sanskrit prose romance by Bāṇa and Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa, friendship and desire meet the demands of vows, while curses and past deeds bind lives together.
What you’ll discover
- Tales within tales Follow a speaking bird into a sage’s story, where each telling opens another door.
- Love bound by vows Meet two friends whose promises place love beside loyalty, grief, and the pain of waiting.
- A richly pictured world Linger among forests, lakes, and palaces in prose that invites you to slow down.
- Friendship beside romance Discover the deep loyalty that binds Candrāpīḍa to Vaiśampāyana, his companion since childhood.
- Lives joined across rebirth Explore a story where deeds and curses follow souls beyond a single lifetime.
Who will love it
Readers who love tales within tales, lavish pictures of forests and moonlit lakes, and stories of friendship and longing will feel at home here.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A learned parrot arrives at the king's court
- A young parrot loses his father to the hunt
- A hermit's son carries him to safety
- A childless king prays for a son
- The prince is schooled and given a wondrous horse
- A minister warns the prince about power
- A chase leads him to a lake and a white-robed ascetic
- Mahāśvetā tells of a love that ends in grief
- The Gandharva princess and the prince meet
- A tale told in layers, with words that play
Who’s who
- CandrāpīḍaThe crown prince of Ujjayinī, brave, courteous and well taught, who follows a chase to a lake and finds a love that tests him.
- KādambarīA Gandharva princess who has sworn not to marry while her dearest friend grieves, and who falls for the prince at first sight.
- MahāśvetāA white-robed ascetic and Gandharva princess who mourns her lost love and lives by the lake, waiting for a promised reunion.
- VaiśampāyanaThe prince's closest friend and the minister's son, learned, loyal and always at his side through the years of conquest.
- ŚukanāsaThe old minister who warns the prince against fortune, flattery and the blindness of youth, and who loves the prince as a second son.
- PatralekhāA captive princess raised by the queen, who serves the prince as a trusted companion and carries messages between the lovers.
- PuṇḍarīkaA young ascetic of striking beauty who forgets his vows when he meets Mahāśvetā and cannot bear the longing.
- TārāpīḍaThe king of Ujjayinī, who rules the earth but longs for a son and comforts his childless queen.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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La Kādambarī de Bāna
by Bāṇa; Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa · 650
A parrot who speaks like a scholar is carried to King Śūdraka's court and begins a tale of lives that cross.
Challenging10–20 hours to readfrançais
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In short
A king sits among a thousand chiefs when a young woman of the lowest caste is shown in. She carries a parrot in a golden cage.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A learned parrot arrives at the king's court
King Śūdraka sits in his audience hall among a thousand chiefs. A gatekeeper tells him that a Caṇḍāla maiden waits at the gate with a parrot in a cage. The king lets her in and wonders at her grace. Her attendant says the bird is named Vaiśampāyana and knows the scriptures, music and painting.
Then the bird speaks for itself. It raises its foot, says all hail, and sings a verse about the widowed queens of the king's enemies, every syllable clear. The old minister Kumārapālita says rare skill may come from effort or from a former birth.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 650
- Language
- français
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Bāṇa, and Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. The Kādambarī of Bāna. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-kadambari-of-bana.
Bāṇa, & Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. (2026). The Kādambarī of Bāna. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-kadambari-of-bana (Original work published ca. 650)
Bāṇa, and Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. The Kādambarī of Bāna. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-kadambari-of-bana.
@book{bana2026kadambari,
author = {Bāṇa and Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa},
title = {The Kādambarī of Bāna},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-kadambari-of-bana},
note = {First published ca. 650}
}
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What is Kādambarī about?
It follows Prince Candrāpīḍa, his friend Vaiśampāyana and the Gandharva princess Kādambarī, told through a parrot's memory. It is a tale of love, friendship, grief and rebirth that crosses several lives and worlds.
Who wrote Kādambarī and when?
Bāṇa wrote it in India in the seventh century. He left it unfinished, and his son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa completed it. The first part is the father's work, and the closing part is the son's.
Who are Kādambarī and Mahāśvetā?
Both are Gandharva princesses and close friends. Mahāśvetā is the white-robed ascetic who mourns her lost love, while Kādambarī, the daughter of King Citraratha, has sworn not to marry until her friend finds peace.
The author
Bāṇa
585–650 · Indian Sanskrit prose writer
Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harsha and pioneer of complex ornate Sanskrit prose style.
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