Ecological Imagination and Emotional Landscape in the Poetry of Kalidasa

This paper investigates the ecological vision in the major poetic compositions of Kalidasa, focusing on Meghaduta, Ritusamhara, Raghuvamsa, and Kumarasambhava. Through the lens of Ecocriticism, the study analyzes how these works articulate a meaningful relationship between the environment and human existence. It contends that the poet does not treat the natural world as mere embellishment; instead, he grants it agency, vitality, and moral significance within the poetic universe. In these texts, forests, mountains, rivers, clouds, and seasonal cycles are intricately woven into narrative and emotional structures. They influence characters’ experiences, intensify moods, and reflect spiritual states. Emotional transitions are often paralleled by shifts in landscape, suggesting a worldview in which inner life and external surroundings operate in continuity rather than separation. Such representations reveal a cosmology grounded in balance and order, where earthly and celestial elements coexist within an integrated whole. By applying ecocritical theory, the paper demonstrates that these compositions articulate an early form of environmental consciousness. The poetic imagination foregrounds harmony, reciprocity, and respect for the living world, thereby proposing an ethical orientation toward nature. Ultimately, the study argues that Kalidasa’s verse presents a philosophically rich and environmentally attuned vision that remains relevant to contemporary ecological discourse.