Chapter 5 is missing.

Raghuvamsha has a place next only to Valmiki Ramayana in Sanskrit literature. It is “an expression in a delightful form and melodious language of the best thoughts and noblest emotions which the spectacle of life awakens in the finest souls...” so say Jagannatha Pandit and Vidyaanatha. It has a special merit of “subordinating form to matter, his poems set the sentimental chords into vibrations...” so says Krishnarao Mahadeva Joglekar, who translated this poem into English as early as in 1916, a publication of Nirnaya-Sagara Press.

What Sir William Jones put it about Kalidasa's works and Sanskrit while translating Sacontala, that position still obtains in their respect. He said: - A modern epigram was lately repeated to me, which does so much honour to the author of Sacontalá, that I cannot forbear exhibiting a literal version of it: "Poetry was the sportful daughter of Válmic, and, having been educated by Vyása, she chose Cálidás for her bridegroom after the manner of Viderbha: she was the mother of Amara, Sundar, Sancha, Dhanic; but now, old and decrepit, her beauty faded, and her unadorned feet flipping as she walks, in whose cottage does she disdain to take shelter?"

Raghuvamsha has many commentaries, but one generally accessible and understandable is that of mahaamahopaadhyaaya mallinaatha suuri. Another work of Vallabhaacaarya is said to be very nice, but presently it is unavailable in India, yet available in Netherlands at a cost of many Euros. The translation of Nandargikar is the trend-setting pattern, published in Year: 1897 - Nandargikar, Gopal Raghunath. But that is now in 2 Microfilm copies in USA. One at Columbia Univ. and another In District of Columbia, Arlington Library. The next in line is that of Joglekar, as said above, and this book too is out of print and we are hanging around a much dilapitated copy of it. And though the way of Joglekar's translation, words used etc., do not comply to present day culture, source book is source book. Wherever possible Joglekar's words are reproduced duly acknowledging him.

We are attempting Raghuvamsha in the series of word for word translations, after Valmiki Ramayana, Ritu samhaaram, Gita Govindam, only to tell apart the words used by the poet and their meanings. Since this work of ours is not the grand finale to the purport of this poem, please treat this as a guidebook to masterwork, since it a fanciful and humble attempt to say what the poet had said. Kalidasa himself said this poem with a similar fancifulness - caapalaaya... Let us become students first, to become pundits at a later time.

Notes:
1] Adjustment of browswer view setting will give a comfortable reading, Sanskrit best viewed in Netscape 4.7, Opera, as of now
2] Fonts used are Sanskrit 99, URW Palladio, and Georgia, zip file avaialble in the main page.
3] Wherever required the file containing abbreviations may be called for - link is given after introduction at the opening of each chapter.
4] Source books are as above, and that of M.R. Kale - with a very deatiled notes, commentary, explanation etc., available trhu M/s Motilal Banarasi Das
5] Teugu books of shriimaaan chalamancarla venkaTa sheSaacaaryulu, and his guru shriimaan taTTaa narasimhaacaaryulu both retd. Principals of Sanskrit collages, and that of Vedam Venkataraya shastri, and many other Telugu translations of mallinatha suuri's commentary, who incidentally is of Telugu origin.
6] Word units of compounds in verses are purposefully separated in this work. Verses with undevided compounds are now being encoded by Shri Arvind Kolhatkar and they are avaialable in Sanskrit.gd site in phased manner.

Raghuvamsha is the poem about the narration of Rama's dynasty, and the poet is starting with the episode of Dillipa, the forefather of Rama. Dillipa comes to the hermitage of Sage Vashishta seeking sage's divine blessing for progeny.