Mohanatarangini

Mohanatarangini (River of delight) is the first work of Kanakadasa (1509–1609), a prominent literary figure in Kannada literature whose works are mostly in the Sangatya (composition meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument), Shatpadi (Six line poems) and Shataka (hundred verse) metres. It has been estimated that he may have been around 35 years of age when he wrote this work.

This work, which is the biggest of Kanakadasa's compositions, contains 42 chapters with 2800 verses in the Sangatya metre. It contains various pauranika stories about suras, asuras and Krishna which the author narrates to his wife. The work has been inspired by mythological stories from the Bhagavata, the Mahabharata and various other puranas.

It is believed that Kanakadasa wrote this work when he lost his beloved wife. He seems to recount his personal experiences in fond remembrance of his wife. There is a close relationship between music and Sangatya poems in his work. This is a Sringara Rasa based book spanning over three generations. It is a story of Manmatha (the god of love), his parents Krishna and Rukmini, Pradumya (Rukmini's son), Rathi (Manmatha's wife), Aniruddha and Ushe. This story ends in defeat of demon Banasura and marriage of Ushe and Aniruddha using a presentation similar to sukumara style (a style of poetics elaborated by Kuntaka, a Sanskrit grammarian in his Vakroktijivita).