Bhartrihari was a poet and scholar of great repute. He was the step brother of Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya, one of the illustrious rulers of the
Gupta Empire.
Originally the king of Ujjain, Bhartrihari renounced worldly life and accepted a religious way of life. The reason for this change in lifestyle was his wife, whom he loved blindly. However on finding out that his wife loved somebody else his whole perspective of life changed. Following this incident he adopted a spiritual way of life, dedicating the remaining part of the life meditating and composing numerous literary works.
Bhartrihari had a unique style of writing. His works are characterized by the delicate use of Sanskrit. Most of these poetry compositions contain instances from his life, written in a manner to serve as a spiritual guide. His life story is still popular today through numerous fables and songs.
