Asaga Biography | Poet

Asaga was a 9th-century Digambara Jain poet who wrote in Sanskrit and Kannada language. He is most known for his extant work in Sanskrit, the Vardhaman Charitra (Life of Vardhamana ). This epic poem which runs into eighteen cantos was written in 853 CE. It is the earliest available Sanskrit biography of the last Thirthankara of Jainism, Mahavira. In all, he authored at least eight works in Sanskrit. In Kannada, none of his writings, including the Karnataka Kumarasambhava Kavya, a version of Kalidas 's epic poem Kumarasambhava, that have been referenced by later day poets have survived.