वासवदत्ता (महाकवि सुबन्धु - श्लेष-प्रधान शास्त्रीय गद्यकाव्य सान्वय सटीक)

130 VĀSAVADATTĀ
his ⟨teacher’s wife⟩¹ and ⟨a most excellent Brāhman⟩ ravished
the ⟨wife of his elders⟩. Pururavas was destroyed because of his
greed for the wealth of Brāhmans.² Nahuṣa, lusting for another’s
spouse, became a great ⟨serpent⟩ and became a great ⟨profligate⟩.³
Yayāti fell, ⟨having wedded⟩ a Brāhman girl,⁴ and ⟨took hold
of the hand⟩ of a Brāhman girl.⁴ [274] Sudyumna ⟨became a
woman⟩,⁵ so to say, and was ⟨fond of women⟩. The cruelty of
Sōmaka’s murder of ⟨Jantu⟩ was notorious⁶ and the cruelty of
his murder of ⟨living creatures⟩ was notorious.⁶ Purukutsa was
despised.⁷ Kuvalayāśva carried off⁸ ⟨Aśvatara’s daughter⟩ and
carried off⁸ ⟨a young she-mule⟩. [275] Nṛga became a lizard.⁹
⟨Kali⟩ conquered Nala and ⟨strife⟩ conquered Nala.¹⁰ Śaṁvaraṇa
became infatuated with the daughter of ⟨Mitra⟩¹¹ and became
infatuated with the daughter of ⟨his friend⟩. [276] Daśaratha
died through madness for his beloved ⟨Rāma⟩ and through the
madness of a beloved ⟨wife⟩. Kārtavīrya perished through his
kumāracarita, p. 72, Bombay ed., 1898 (tr. Meyer, p. 209, Leipzig, 1902). This
passage of Subandhu is compared with its elaboration in the Harṣacarita, pp. 20 sqq.,
Jamnu ed., 1879 (tr. Cowell and Thomas, pp. 74–75, London, 1897), and translated
by Cartellieri, ‘Subandhu and Bāṇa,’ in WZKM. 1. 126–132 (cf. also 13. 68). For
other lists of precedents see Harṣacarita, pp. 199, 221–224, 288, Bombay ed., 1892
(tr. Cowell and Thomas, pp. 169, 192–194, 258, London, 1897); Kādambarī, pp. 166,
339–340, 341, 600, Bombay ed., 1890 (tr. Ridding, pp. 64, 137, 138, 200–201, London,
1896).
¹ The reference is, of course, to the famous rape of Tārā, the wife of Bṛhaspati, by
the moon; cf. Harivaṁśa, 25; Viṣṇupurāṇa, 4. 6.
² Cf. Mahābhārata, 1. 75.
³ Tel. ed., ‘lusting for Indra’s spouse, went to serpenthood (or, ‘profligacy’)’;
similarly the Srirangam text; cf. Mahābhārata, 5. 11–17.
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘the daughter of a household priest’; cf. Mahābhārata, 1. 78–86.
⁵ See Rāmāyaṇa, 7. 87–90.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘in the world’; cf. Mahābhārata, 3. 127–128.
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘despised, as it were.’ The legend to which Subandhu here alludes is
uncertain, and is perhaps due simply to a popular etymology of Purukutsa as the
‘much despised’ (cf. kutsay, ‘to despise’). Sāyaṇa, however, on Rig-Veda, 4. 42. 8
(cf. also Sieg, Sagenstoffe des Ṛgveda, 1. 97, Stuttgart, 1902; Muir, Original Sanskrit
Texts, 1². 267, London, 1872), mentions an itihāsa, or legend, which states that
Purukutsa was once imprisoned, so that his realm had no ruler. His chief wife then
prayed to the seven Ṛṣis for a son, whereupon, in answer, she gave birth to Trasadasyu.
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘went to’; cf. Mārkaṇḍēyapurāṇa, 21–22.
⁹ See Mahābhārata, 13. 70; Harivaṁśa, 171.
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘Nala was conquered by Kali (or, ‘by strife’).’
¹¹ See Mahābhārata, 1. 173–175.