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

are rocked ⟨by Kāma⟩ as a bee is rocked ⟨among the flowers⟩;
who are skilled in drawing ⟨paramours⟩ as a leech is skilled in
drawing ⟨blood⟩; who are bent on ⟨coition⟩ as a sacrificial priest ¹
is bent on ⟨divinity⟩; who have ⟨gay paramours⟩ as the arm of
the Great Dancer ² has the ⟨quivering serpent⟩; who ⟨inflame the
hearts of their gallants⟩ as Garuḍa ⟨causes anguish to the hearts
of serpents⟩; [116] who are ⟨superior to (other) courtesans⟩ as the
demon ³ Andha was ⟨impaled on the trident⟩.
‘There, too, dwells the revered Kātyāyanī herself, called
Vētālā,⁴ whose lotus feet are caressed by the garlands on the
crests of gods and demons; [117] who is the forest fire of
the great woods ⁵ of Śumbha and Niśumbha ⁶; who is the
adamantine cliff of the mountain of the great demon ⁷ Mahiṣa;
whose lotus feet are bathed by the river ⁸ of Jahnu’s daughter
falling from the matted locks ⁹ of Him ¹⁰ who holds the Ganges
subdued by love.¹¹
‘And in its environs flows the blessed Ganges, with a stream
of fragrance from the lines of pollen of the flowers of the diadems
of gods and demons ¹²; [118] with a current of the tide of virtue ¹³
from the ascetic’s water-jar of the Great Father ¹⁴; a pure rope ¹⁵
for Sagara’s hundreds ¹⁶ of sons, come ¹⁷ to earth, to ascend to the
city of the gods ¹⁸; with its waters perfumed by the dripping of
the yellow sandal-wood trees¹⁹ on the bank, (trees) shaken by being

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¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘as one who continually performs sacrifices.’
² Śiva. Tel. ed., ‘who are ⟨tight in the embrace of their lovers⟩ as the forest of the
arms of the Great Dancer has ⟨the marks of the serpent he holds⟩.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘demon.’ For the allusion cf. Harivaṁśa,
143-144.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘Caṇḍā.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘of the might of the great demons’; cf. Mārkaṇ-
ḍēyapurāṇa, 72-73. ⁶ Cf. Mārkaṇḍēyapurāṇa, 85-90.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘of the excellent mountain of the demon.’
⁸ Ganges.
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘from the pinnacle of the matted locks.’
¹⁰ Śiva. ¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘subdued by the strife of love.’
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘pollen of diadem-flowers fallen in the bathing of
gods and demons.’
¹³ Srirangam text, ‘proceeding from.’ ¹⁴ Brahmā.
¹⁵ Srirangam text, ‘a pure rope-ladder.’ ¹⁶ Tel. ed. omits ‘hundreds.’
¹⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘fallen.’ ¹⁸ Cf. Mahābhārata, 3. 106-109.
¹⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘perfumed by the sap dripping from.’