("Shishupala's Slaughter") Sanskrit play created
by the poet Magha in the seventh century, which is considered one of the six
mahakavyas.
The play's central topic is the death of Shishupala, a
fabled character whose mother was promised by Krishna that he would forgive her
son a hundred times.
This pledge just makes Shishupala more rash, and after the a
hundredth insult, Krishna tosses his discus and slashes Shishupala's head off.
Aside from its legendary premise, the play is famous for a
variety of unique poems, such as perfect palindromes (verses that are the same
whether read backward or forward) or verses with just one or two consonants,
which are used to demonstrate the poet's expertise.
