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

86 VĀSAVADATTĀ
The flower of the iron-wood tree was lovely as the wheel ¹ of the
God of Flowery Arrows for agitating the hearts of absentees.
The trumpet-flower seemed to be the hook of the God of the
Flowery Bow to catch the fish which are the hearts of the
travellers.²
[139] ‘The breeze of Malaya blew with odours of great
sweetness from the perfumes commingled by being crushed
by the braids on the sloping foreheads ³ of Lāṭa damsels, eager
for abundance ⁴ of amorous play; bearing the fragrance of the
perfume of saffron-dust on the urn-like bosoms ⁵ of fair Karṇāṭic
beauties, versed in all amorous arts; making the sky re-echo
with the sound of the very sweet ⁶ humming of swarms of bees,
collected because of the fragrance inherent in the splendour ⁷
of the hair of beautiful, artfully expert damsels of Kuntala ⁸;
skilful in gathering perfumes for marks on lovely cheeks of
Kērala girls, tremulous with the passion of young adolescence ⁹;
[140] cunning ¹⁰ to touch the round buttocks of large-buttocked
Mālava ingénues,¹¹ versed in all the four-and-sixty arts; cooled
by ¹² abundant drops of perspiration from the burden of the firm
and swelling breasts of Andhra dames, overcome by amorous
exhaustion.¹³
¹ Tel. ed., ‘round whetstone’; Srirangam text, ‘round whetstone for the arrows.’
² Cf. the quatrain of Bhartṛhari (Böhtlingk, Indische Sprüche, 2 ed., No. 6237,
St. Petersburg, 1870–1873) thus translated by Jackson (in Cosmopolitan Magazine,
26. 276):
‘Angling in life’s river, Men—those silly fishes—
Cupid drops his line; Quick dart up above;
On the hook he fastens Out he pulls and fries them
Some fair maiden fine. In the fire of love.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘perfume of flowers (Srirangam text, ‘association of the perfume of
medlar-flowers’) in the massy braids of hair dishevelled on the sloping brows.’
⁴ Tel. ed. omits ‘abundance.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘masses of saffron-dust on the pairs of fair, urn-like bosoms.’
⁶ Tel. ed. omits ‘very sweet.’ ⁷ Srirangam text, ‘swaying.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘on account of the delightful fragrance inherent in the
tresses of western beauties filled with love-longing.’
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘lifted up by young adolescence.’ ¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘fortunate.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘talkative Mālava damsels.’ ¹² Tel. ed., ‘cool from.’
¹³ On the erotic characteristics of women from the several districts of India see
Schmidt, Beiträge zur indischen Erotik, pp. 315–338, Leipzig, 1902, and for the ‘four-
and-sixty arts’ see ib. pp. 136–146.

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 87
'Meanwhile, being informed by Vāsavadattā's maids of honour
of her intention [not to wed],¹ Śr̥ṅgāraśēkhara brought together,
for his daughter's self-choice,² an assembly of the kings³ that
possess the entire earth. Then Vāsavadattā⁴ ascended a dais
noisy⁵ with the loud murmur of swarms of bees drunken with
the fragrance of the perfume⁶ of burning aloes; [141] that was
whitened by the radiance of the lustre of most vehement laughter⁷;
that was thronged with a multitude of suitors skilled in many
stories of ridicule of their rivals; [142] that was thronged with
swarms of bees from the pleasure groves of the city, attracted
by the fragrance of the burning incense⁸; that made the air
re-echo with <delightful music> as Arjuna's battle made the
air re-echo with <Nandighōṣa>.⁹
'And there stood¹⁰ princes: some <conquered courtesans> as
Kalāṅkura <had the adornments of his city conquered by the bird>¹¹; [143] others were <blind, swart, and without teachers> as
the Pāṇḍavas were <associated with Kr̥ṣṇa, Drāupadī, and their
teachers>; others had <hopes of joy>¹² exceeding¹³ full blown as
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'his daughter's intention.'
² On the 'self-choice' (svayaṁvara) of a husband, a special privilege of the warrior
caste, see Schmidt, op. cit. pp. 649-654; Jolly, Recht und Sitte, pp. 50-51, Strassburg,
1896; Post, Grundriss der ethnologischen Jurisprudenz, I. 18-19, Oldenburg, 1894-
1895; Schiefner, Tibetan Tales, tr. Ralston, pp. 282-284, London, 1906; Budhasvāmin,
Bṛhatkathāślōkasaṁgraha, 5. 80-93; 20. 93-121 (ed. Lacôte, Paris, 1908); and, in
modern folk-tales, Knowles, Folk-Tales of Kashmir, 2 ed., p. 494, London, 1893; Steel
and Temple, Wide-Awake Stories, p. 430 (references to further literature), Bombay,
1884; Natesa Sastri, Dravidian Nights, pp. 29-31, 61-67, 143, Madras, 1886;
Swynnerton, Indian Nights' Entertainment, pp. 160-161, 171, 289, London, 1892.
The svayaṁvara also forms one of the main motifs of the entire Kādambarī.
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'princes.'
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'the exquisitely hipped Vāsavadattā.'
⁵ Tel. ed., 'whose atmosphere resounded.' ⁶ Tel. ed., 'perfume of the smoke.'
⁷ Tel. ed., 'perfumed by the fragrance of the abundance of most vehement laughter.'
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'fragrance of the burning perfume materials of
bdellium and the like.'
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add 'with gifts of <parched grain> as a monarch's
audience-hall has gifts of <kings>; beautified with a <canopy> as a hermit's abode is
beautified with <sacrifices>; adorned with <flowers> as Indra's heaven is adorned with
<gods>.' ¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'there, for an instant, stood.'
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'some <knew courtesans> as Kalāṅkura <seized the adornments of the city>.' The bird in question is Garuḍa.
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit 'of joy.'
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit 'exceeding.'

88 VĀSAVADATTĀ
autumn days have ⟨cucumbers⟩¹ exceeding² full blown; others
desired the ⟨very beautiful girl⟩ as men eager to repel a foe³
desire ⟨their own army⟩; [144] some listened to ⟨Holi-songs⟩
as fowlers listen for ⟨birds⟩; some were intent on the pursuit
of ⟨(mere) appearance⟩ as hunters are intent on the pursuit of
⟨wild beasts⟩; some destroyed the doctrines of ⟨conventionality⟩
as adherents of the teachings of Jāimini destroy the doctrines of
the ⟨Buddhists⟩; some showed (only) the ⟨returns of the year⟩
as wagtails reveal ⟨gain for astrologers⟩; some uttered ⟨rather
doleful cries⟩ as the borders of Sumēru are ⟨made of gold⟩;
[145] some were ⟨dazzled at the sight of glorious folk⟩ as pools
of expanded⁴ white lotuses are ⟨closed at the sight of the sun⟩;
[146] some trusted in the delusion⁵ produced by the sight of the
⟨beauty of the universe⟩ as Duryōdhana trusted in the delusion⁵
produced by the sight of ⟨Kṛṣṇa⟩; some, though ⟨haughty within
themselves through the consciousness of their elephants⟩, had
goodly «steeds», for they were indeed ⟨powerful in their know-
ledge of self-defence⟩ and had goodly «arms»; some, though
desiring to ⟨seize the hands (of their foes)⟩, thought «to give
life», for indeed, desiring ⟨to wed (Vāsavadattā)⟩, they thought
«of a thing not easy to do»; [147] some, though ⟨subdued⟩,
were «stalwart», for they were indeed ⟨dejected⟩ and «motion-
less»; some had their ⟨peace⟩ taken away on account of their
ignorance of the mysteries of their «senses» as the Pāṇḍava princes
had their ⟨lands⟩ taken away on account of their ignorance of
the mysteries of the «dice»; some were ⟨Guṇāḍhyas⟩, authors
of «Bṛhatkathās», for they were ⟨rich in hunting-nets⟩ (and)
authors of «great stories»⁶; others were ⟨winds⟩ with «sweet
breezes», for ⟨they went in crooked ways⟩ (and) «bore perfumes»⁷;
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘quarters of the sky.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘exceeding.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘eager for attack.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘expanded.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘marvels of the delusion.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘some followed after ⟨great stories⟩ as Guṇāḍhyas follow after ⟨Bṛhat-
kathās⟩’; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘others bore ⟨perfumes⟩ as winds bear ⟨sweet breezes⟩.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 89
[148] some manifested hopes on account of ⟨crows⟩ as the troops
of the Kurus manifested hopes on account of ⟨Drōṇa⟩¹; some
were unable to bear the ⟨glory of heroes⟩ as white lotus groups
are unable to bear the ⟨rays of the sun⟩. And² having regarded
them one by one, [149] the princess retired from the dais with
loveless heart.
‘Then in a dream³ that very night she saw a youth adorned
with an ⟨armlet⟩ as Vāli was adorned by ⟨Aṅgada⟩; ⟨with pearls
about his neck⟩ as the koel ⟨has a sweet note⟩; skilful in attracting
the ⟨fair⟩ as the golden gazelle was skilful in attracting ⟨Rāma⟩;
[150] rejoicing ⟨the ears of his elders⟩ by his nectarous words as
Jayanta rejoiced ⟨Indra⟩; ⟨to whom gave he not joy⟩ as Kṛṣṇa
⟨gave no joy to Kaṁsa⟩?; with ⟨swift-moving hands⟩ as a great
cloud has ⟨glittering hail⟩⁴; the elemental root of the tree of
beauty⁵; the hill of ascent for the jewel of passion⁶; the
mountain of origin of streams of delightful stories⁷; the spring-
tide month of the mango of dexterity; the mirror of the face
of nobility⁸; [151] the elemental seed of the tendrils of know-
ledge; the chosen spouse of glory⁹; the rival house to Lakṣmī
and Sarasvatī¹⁰; the original abode of proficiency in virtue; the
¹ Tel. ed., ‘some showed ⟨a knowledge of crows⟩ as the troops of the Kurus showed
⟨the teaching of Drōṇa⟩.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘and immediately.’
³ Tel. ed. omits ‘in a dream.’ For instances in modern folk-tales of the heroine
falling in love with the hero from a dream see Frere, Old Deccan Days, 2 ed., p. 119,
London, 1870; Temple, Legends of the Panjāb, 2. 278–279; 3. 370–371, Bombay,
1884–1900; Swynnerton, Indian Nights’ Entertainment, pp. 248–251, London, 1892
(where, as in the Vāsavadattā, both the hero and the heroine dream of each other).
⁴ Tel. ed. adds ‘with ⟨great truthfulness and glory⟩ as the ocean has ⟨great beasts
and the (Vāḍava) fire⟩; composed, as it were, of pure rivers—his hair the ⟨Mālinī⟩, for
it was ⟨garlanded⟩; his nose the ⟨Tuṅgabhadrā⟩, for it was ⟨aquiline and graceful⟩; his
lip the ⟨Śōṇa⟩, for it was ⟨red⟩; his voice the ⟨Narmadā⟩, for it ⟨gave pleasure⟩; his arm
the ⟨Gōdā⟩, for it ⟨gave the earth⟩; and his fame the ⟨Ganges⟩, for it ⟨sustained the
heavens⟩.’ So also the Srirangam text, except for the omission of ‘⟨with great truth-
fulness⟩’ and ‘⟨great beasts⟩.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘love.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘for the multitude of jewels of all the qualities.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘streams of stories of delightsome love.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘the mirror of beauty.’
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘Sarasvatī.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘glory and Lakṣmī.’

90 VĀSAVADATTĀ
treasury, as it were, of great loveliness ¹; with a form seductive ²
in the threefold world. And he is named Kandarpakētu, the
son of a king named Cintāmaṇi. And even in sleep she heard
his name and the like.³
‘Straightway (she thought): “O Prajāpati! This I consider
perfection in the creation of beauty! [152] He has been formed
by the Lote-Born God,⁴ who, with his mind eager to behold the
loveliness of his own skill,⁵ took the atoms of beauty inherent
in the threefold world ⁶! Otherwise, how is there possibly such
perfect grace in him? In vain did Damayantī endure the hard-
ship of dwelling in the forest ⁷ for Nala’s sake. [153] Uselessly
did Indumatī, even though a queen, become enamoured of Aja.⁸
Fruitlessly Śakuntalā suffered the curse of Durvāsas for Duṣ-
manta’s sake. To no purpose Madanamañjarī loved Naravāhana-
datta.⁹ [154] In vain was Rambhā, whose thighs surpassed the
plantain,¹⁰ enamoured of Nalakūbara. Fruitlessly did Dhūmōrṇā
long for Yama among the thousands of Gandharvas, Gaṇas, and
many gods ¹¹ who came to her self-choice.” ¹²
[155] ‘Thus meditating in many ways, as if she had ascended
the midst of the fire of separation, as if she were swallowed up
by the flame of the Vāḍava fire,¹³ as if she were devoured by the
awful fire of the flame of the Last Day,¹⁴ as if she had entered
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the treasury of the wealth of great loveliness.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘delightful.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘even in sleep she heard his name and the like, that
“he is Kandarpakētu, the son of a king named Cintāmaṇi.” ’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘formed by the Creator.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘with his mind eager to behold his skill all at once.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘beauty of the totality of the threefold world.’
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘endure hardship in the forest.’
⁸ See Raghuvaṁśa, 6. 8. ⁹ This legend is apparently now lost.
¹⁰ See Rāmāyaṇa 7. 26. Tel. ed., ‘who surpassed the plantain on the slopes of
Mount Mēru by the massiness of her thighs.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘among the hosts of gods.’ The allusion is apparently
based on Rig-Veda 10. 10.
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘vainly Ṛddhi found Kubēra among the Gan-
dharvas and Yakṣas. Fruitlessly the mind of Pulōman’s daughter clave to the Lord of
the Gods (Indra).’
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘flame of the fire of love.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘as if seized by the fire of Spring, as if devoured by
the awful flame of the southern breeze.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 91
into the caverns of hell ¹; thinking of Kandarpakētu as if he
were carven on her heart, which was emptied of all its faculties,²
as if he were engraved there, inlaid, riveted, swallowed up, joined
by strongest cement,³ entered into the frame of her bones, within
her vitals, flecked with her marrow's pith, enveloped in her breath,
placed in her inmost soul, [156] liquefied in her sheltering ⁴ blood,
distributed through her flesh ; as if mad,⁵ as if deaf, as if dumb,
as if listless, as if abandoning all her faculties, as if swooning, as
if blasted by a planet, as if surrounded by a series of the billows ⁶
of the sea of youth, as if enveloped by the bonds of love, as if
pierced by Kāma's flowery arrows, as if reeling from the venom
of the thought of love,⁷ as if shaken ⁸ by the arrows of the con-
templation of beauty, as if bereft of life by the winds of Malaya
(she exclaimed) : " Dear friend Anaṅgalēkhā, put thy lotus hand
upon my heart ! The pain of separation is hard to bear ! Foolish
Madanamañjarī, [157] sprinkle sandal water ⁹! Simple Vasanta-
sēnā, bind my heavy hair ! Fickle Taraṅgavatī, scatter the
screw-pines' pollen ¹⁰! Gauche Madanamālinī, fan me with bits
of śāivala ¹¹! Trivial Citralēkhā,¹² trace in a picture ¹³ the thief of
my thoughts ! Noble ¹⁴ Vilāsavatī, scatter an abundance of pearl-
dust ¹⁵ ! Passionate Rāgalēkhā, cover my bosom with a quantity
of lotus leaves ! Dear ¹⁶ Kāntimatī, gently ¹⁷ wipe away my tear-
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'into the house of the hell of madness.'
² Tel. ed., 'as if emptied of all her faculties ; thinking of Kandarpakētu as if he
were carven on her heart.'
³ Tel. ed., 'adamant.' ⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit 'sheltering.'
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add 'as if blind.'
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'rolling billows.'
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'from the poisonous fluid of the thought of love.'
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'pierced.'
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'sprinkle my limbs with sandal water'!
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'scatter the screw-pines' pollen on my limbs'!
¹¹ Tel. ed., 'with a bunch of śāivāla'; Srirangam text, 'make a bracelet with a bunch
of śāivāla '!
¹² Tel. ed., 'Citrārēkhā.'
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'on a tablet.'
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'beautiful.'
¹⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add 'on my limbs.'
¹⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'most dear.'
¹⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'very gently.'

drops ¹! [158] Come, good Sleep! Be kind to me! Alas!
what is the use of my remaining faculties? Only too truly my
other members were not made an eye by the Creator! Lord
of the Flowery Weapons, this the supplication to thee: ‘Attend
thou upon a man of such a sort’ ²! [159] Breeze of Malaya,
that teacheth to behold the woe ³ of love, blow as thou wilt ; my
life is gone”! Thus speaking in phrases manifold, she ⁴ swooned,
together with her friends.
‘Straightway, having her life revived by the exertions of her
servants, now ⁵ upon the strand of the bank of a river ⁶ of exceed-
ing cool camphor water, now on the shore of a stream of most
chill sandal-wood water, now in the shade of trees ⁷ on the banks
of pools covered with forests of lotuses,⁸ [160] now in plantain
groves whose leaves were swayed by the wind, now on couches
of flowers,⁹ now on beds of lotus-leaves,¹⁰ with her body burned
by the fierce separation-fire of the collection of the rays of the
twelve suns arisen at the time of the world’s destruction, exces-
sively emaciated, and, as it were, lifeless ¹¹ (she cried): “His lotus
mouth with its lote-like lower lip overspread with a smile white
as the lustre of the tremulous waves of the milk-ocean agitated
by mighty, trembling Mandara ¹²! [161] His pair of eyes
enamoured of his ⟨ears⟩ as a company of Brāhmans is enamoured
of ⟨Holy Writ⟩! The beauty of his straight nose which is spread
full ¹³ far abroad, as if eager to breathe the innate perfume of
his fragrant mouth! His row of teeth lovely as a digit of the
¹ Tel. ed. adds ‘Yūthikā, jasmine-adorned, agitate the damp winds with a fan of
bits of plantain’!; Srirangam text, ‘bits of reed.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘be thou obedient to one like me’!
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘great joy.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘Vāsavadattā.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘led by her attendants.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘on the bank of a river filled with.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘sandal-wood trees.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘with very red dhak-trees, lotuses, and kadambas’; similarly the Sriran-
gam text.
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘shoots of flowers.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘now on rocks cooled by masses of camphor.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. adds ‘devoid of strength.’ ¹² Tel. ed., ‘very greatly agitated.’
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘full.’

moon freed from blemish and white as a mass of foamy milk ¹ !
His beauty never seen before, surpassing Kāma ² ! Those
blessèd places and people, the pure letters of his name, [162] and
the righteous things which have been adorned by him ” ³ !
‘ Over and over thinking thus, as if he were painted on the
quarters and sub-quarters ⁴ (of the sky), as if he were engraved
on the cloud, as if he were reflected in her eye, she painted him
in a picture as if he had been seen before, and kept gazing here
and there.⁵ Then her confidante, named Tamālikā, having
regarded her together with her friends, was sent to observe the
feelings of Kandarpakētu ; [163] and she came with me and is
standing right here beneath the tree.’ ⁶
So speaking, he (the parrot) ceased. Then Makaranda, rising
joyfully, told Tamālikā of the affair ; and she, courtesying, pre-
sented an epistle to Makaranda.⁷ Then he ⁸ read it himself :
[164] ‘E’en when her eyes behold her lover true,
A maiden wavereth ’twixt hope and fear ;
But when she only dreameth of his troth,
Ah, then, what fond assurance can she have ’ ⁹ ?
¹ Tel. ed., ‘ white as the foam of delicate nectar from a collection of the digits ’ ;
Srirangam text, ‘ beautiful as a collection of the digits.’
² Tel. ed., ‘ his beauty, surpassing Kāma in visible form ’ !
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ those blessed places, those pure people, the lucky
letters of his name, the things adorned by him ’ !
⁴ Srirangam text omits ‘ sub-quarters.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘ she kept looking for him here and there as if he were painted on the sky,
reflected in her eye, or seen before in a picture ’; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁶ Cf. Gray, ‘ Literary Studies on the Sanskrit Novel,’ in WZKM. 18. 43–45, 48–49,
for paintings of beloved objects ; and for instances of love letters and confidantes as love
messengers in modern Indian tales see Temple, Legends of the Panjāb, 1. 237; 2. 280–283,
295–297 ; 3. 372–375, Bombay, 1884–1900 ; Knowles, Folk-Tales of Kashmir, 2 ed.,
p. 68, London, 1893 ; Swynnerton, Romantic Tales from the Panjāb, p. 389, West-
minster, 1903, and Indian Nights’ Entertainment, pp. 171, 252, London, 1892. Cf.
also Cimmino, L’Uso delle didascalie nel dramma indiano, pp. 35–36, Naples, 1912.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ then Kandarpakētu, rising joyfully and calling Tamā-
likā, made known the state of affairs. She, courtesying, presented him an epistle.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘ then Makaranda, taking it, read it himself ’ ; Srirangam text, ‘ then
Makaranda, taking and untying the epistle, read it himself.’ For the confidant not
only reading the heroine’s love letter to the hero, but also writing one to her for him,
see Swynnerton, Indian Nights’ Entertainment, pp. 171, 252, London, 1892.
⁹ The literal translation of this stanza is given above, Introduction, p. 26.

94 VĀSAVADATTĀ
Hearing this, Kandarpakētu, being above all joy ¹ as if plunged
in the ocean of ambrosia, rising slowly ² with both his arms out-
stretched, embraced Tamālikā. Then, asking her ³ the entire
story of Vāsavadattā,—‘What does she do? What does she
say? How is she’? and the like—Kandarpakētu set forth,
having passed the night there, and likewise the day.⁴
[165] Meanwhile even that Blessed One whose garland is rays
had descended to the middle world as if to tell the ⁵ story.
Then into the water of the western sea sank the jewel of day,
having the form of the disc in the crest of the cock of day;
moving slowly, as if because of the grief brought upon multitudes ⁶
of Brahminy ducks ; charming with clusters of the flowers of the
coral-tree ⁷; possessed of the loveliness of the frontal lobes of
Indra’s elephant, splashed with red lead ⁸; with a circlet like
unto an earring of the jewel in the hood of the monstrous
Vāsuki, undulating beneath the bond of the mass ⁹ of tangled
locks of Śiva, shaken by the impetuous motion of his revel dance;
[166] delightful as a mass ¹⁰ of succulent barley to a bulling cow
at evening ¹¹; with the beauty of a ruddy ¹² jewelled earring of a
courtesan of the west ¹³; formed like the rounded shoulder of the
buffalo of day, cloven by the sword of blackness ¹⁴; [167] the
Black Ascetic’s begging-bowl, as it were, filled with honey ¹⁵;
seeming to be the beauty of the clouds with clusters of unfading
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘deeming himself, as it were, above all joy.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘very slowly.’
³ Srirangam text, ‘and then, sitting with her, he asked her.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘Kandarpakētu, with her and his friend, set forth
from that place, having passed the day exactly there.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘this.’ ⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘hearts.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘coral-tree of the western mount.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘coloured with a line of red lead.’
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘in the hood of monstrous undulating Vāsuki, bound in the diadem of
the mass’; similarly the Srirangam text.
¹⁰ Srirangam text, ‘dish.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘delightful as a moist line of lac to a woman at evening.’
¹² Tel. ed. omits ‘ruddy.’
¹³ Srirangam text, ‘earring of Varuṇa’s darling.’
¹⁴ Is there here a covert allusion to the victory of Kālī (Durgā) over the demon Mahiṣa?
¹⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the skull, filled with sweet honey, of the Celestial
Ascetic.’

flowers ; like unto a cluster ¹ from the ushoka-tree of heaven ; the
golden mirror, so to say, of a wanton of the west ² ; with the
aspect of a branch of a coral-tree shaken by the motion of the
tossing waves.
And ³ gradually, [168] when the trees had their tops melodious
with the soft notes of multitudes of sparrows, free from quarrels
with each other ⁴ and desirous of their nests after having rolled
in the dust and flown up again ; when the crows were eager for
home ; when the inner apartments ⁵ gave forth the fragrance of
the incense of aloes burning constantly ; when the old men were
angered at interruptions ⁶ from the confused murmur of young
folks eager to hear the poetic ⁷ tales begun by the sages seated on
the banks of the Taṭinī, adorned with millet-grass ; when the
children longed for slumber, soothed with very light hands by old
women ⁸ who told them stories ⁹ with tongues tremulous in the
lullaby ; [169] when the courtesans had assumed the insignia of
passion ; when the sages had entered upon their evening devo-
tions, disgusted at hearing manifold obscene words ¹⁰ from harlots
possessed by their paramours ¹¹ ; when the forest regions had the
surfaces of the very soft sites of cow-stalls occupied by herds of
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘clusters of flowers.’
² Tel. ed. adds ‘‹going toward the west› and ‹red› as Bhadra was ‹addicted to
brandy› and was ‹amorous› ; abandoning ‹its rays› and ‹cloudy› as a foolish man
abandons ‹his wealth› and is ‹dejected› ; with red ‹rays› as a Buddhist mendicant has
red ‹garments› ; possessed of ‹understanding› as the sun was possessed of ‹Saṃjñā›’ ;
so also the Srirangam text, except ‘mighty Bhadra’ for ‘Bhadra’ and ‘poor man’ for
‘foolish man.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘then’ ; Srirangam text, ‘and then.’ This entire sentence is translated
and compared with Harṣacarita, Jamnu ed., 1879, pp. 30, 2-36, 4 (tr. Cowell and
Thomas, pp. 67-68, London, 1897), by Cartellieri, ‘Subandhu and Bāṇa,’ in WZKM.
I. 118-124.
⁴ Tel. ed. omits ‘with each other.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘interstices in the lattices of the inner apartments.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘filled with anger at the sound of’ ; Srirangam text, ‘desirous of the
cessation of the sound of.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘poetic.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘when the children, longing for slumber, were attended by old women
who were pleased at being patted by very light hands’ ; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘many stories.’
¹⁰ Srirangam text, ‘had their ears disgusted by hundreds of obscene words.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘when fair women were disgusted . . . ; when the sages had entered
upon their evening devotions.’

96 VĀSAVADATTĀ
antelopes slowly ruminating; when the thick woods ¹ had nests
filled with multitudes of sleepy crows ²; [170] when the trees of
the hermitages ³ had ⁴ families of monkeys without their monkey
tricks ⁵; when the flocks of owls that dwelt in huts within the
hollows of aged trees were eager to set out; when the lamplight
flashed forth ⁶ as if the tips ⁷ of the rays of the sun had burst into
a flame, going forth to affright the darkness; when He ⁸ whose
banner is a fish, who steals the mind of all the world,⁹ and who
hath a resonant bow, was unceasingly ¹⁰ raining a shower of
arrows; [171] when the courtesans, lovely in their attire of
passion's task ¹¹ and devoted to bawdy talk, were arranging their
adornment; when women had their hips resonant with girdle-
zones ¹² bound on by their attendants; [172] when the courtyards
had people hurrying to go to the houses of many folk ¹³ who were
continuing their narration of interrupted tales ¹⁴; when the pleasure
gardens ¹⁵ were inhabited by the cocks; when the peacocks had
ascended their perches; when the householders had performed
the duties of eventide; when the swarms of bees were reposing ¹⁶
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘clumps of village trees.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ravens awakening from sleep.’
³ Srirangam text, ‘trees in the gardens.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘were filled with.’ [noisy cries.’
⁵ Tel. ed. adds ‘when the trees in the gardens had flocks of cranes devoid of their
⁶ Tel. ed. omits ‘forth.’ ⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘branches.’
⁸ Kāma. ⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘all things living.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘unceasingly.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘charming and lovely in passion’s attire.’ ¹² Tel. ed., ‘girdle-adornments.’
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘houses of tellers of tales.’
¹⁴ On the popularity of telling stories at night in India see Steel and Temple, Wide-
Awake Stories, pp. vii, 2–3, Bombay, 1884; Swynnerton, Rājā Rasālu, p. 152, Calcutta,
1884; Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal, p. 176, London, 1883. According to some Oriental
traditions (Rohde, Griechischer Roman, 2 ed., p. 593, Leipzig, 1900), telling stories at
night was imported from Greece to India by Alexander the Great. But the custom
prevails widely, being found, for instance, among the natives of Guiana (Im Thurn,
Among the Indians of Guiana, p. 216, London, 1883), the North American Indians
(Waitz, Anthropologie der Naturvölker, 3. 234–235, Leipzig, 1862), the Micronesians (ib.
5. 2. 81, Leipzig, 1870), the Africans (Nassau, Fetichism in West Africa, p. 330, London,
1904; Struyf, ‘Aus dem Märchenschatz der Bakongo (Niederkongo),’ in Anthropos, 3.
742), and in Europe generally (MacCulloch, Childhood of Fiction, p. 2, London, 1905).
It should also be noted that the entire story of the parrot in the Kādambarī (pp. 101,
614–615, Bombay ed., 1890 (tr. Ridding, pp. 46, 203, London, 1896)) is told at night.
¹⁵ Tel. ed. adds ‘of the Kirātas’; Srirangam text, ‘of Kirāta houses.’
¹⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘in crooked beds.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 97

in huts within the hollows of lotus-buds, narrow because the tips
of their filaments were bent up and down ¹ in their contraction ² ;
—then, with the thought : ‘ By this path the lordly shining (sun)
must go ’! the lordly twilight was seen, as if with raiment of all
manner of cloth ³; as if a continuous tessellated pavement of
jewels made by Ocean ⁴; [173] as if containing the blood of the
buffalo of day, cloven by blackness ⁵; as if a coral-creeper of
the great ocean of the sky ⁶; as if the red lotus of the pool of the
heavens ; as if the golden bridge ⁷ of the progress ⁸ of Kāma ; as
if the madder-hued, ruddy banner of the palace of the sky; with
a yellow ⟨sky⟩ as at her self-choice Lakṣmī chose Him ⁹ of the
yellow ⟨robes⟩; devoted to the ⟨stars⟩ and with a red ≪atmosphere≫
as a female (Buddhist) ascetic is devoted to ⟨Tārā⟩ and wears red
≪garments≫.¹⁰
And straightway ¹¹—while the courtesans seemed to be pupils ¹²
of the twilight skilled in ⟨arrangements of pleasure-giving
(musical) modes⟩, for they were skilled in ⟨amorous tricks of
night⟩¹³; [174] while the sky seemed to be a street of shops
devoid of ⟨them that hold the balance⟩, for it was devoid of ⟨the
sustainers ¹⁴ of Libra⟩; while the lotuses had the folds of their
buds tightly ¹⁵ closed ; while bees ¹⁶ wandered here and there over
¹ Tel. ed., ‘ bent high up.’ ² Srirangam text, ‘ instantaneous contraction.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘ with raiment of cloth on every side ’ ; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ made by Ocean for the sun.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ cloven by the sword of blackness.’ Is there here
a covert allusion to the victory of Kālī (Durgā) over the demon Mahiṣa ?
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ creeper of the western ocean.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ golden banner.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ chariot.’ ⁹ Viṣṇu.
¹⁰ Tel. ed. adds ‘ ⟨reddened with buds⟩ as a courtesan is ⟨addicted to paramours⟩ ;
with ⟨liver-red clouds⟩ as a beautiful woman has ⟨her breasts copper-coloured with
saffron⟩ ; with reddish ⟨stars⟩ as an ichneumon has reddish ⟨eyes⟩ ’ ; so also the
Srirangam text, except ‘ fair-faced dame ’ for ‘ courtesan.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ then straightway.’
¹² Srirangam text omits ‘ pupils.’
¹³ Tel. ed., ‘ when the courtesans were skilled, as it were, in nightly amours ; when
the flashing lamplights seemed to be pupils of the twilight ’ ; with no attempt at
paronomasia.
¹⁴ The moon, etc., according to Śivarāma.
¹⁵ Tel. ed. omits ‘ tightly.’
¹⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ swarms of bees.’
H

98 VĀSAVADATTĀ
the lotus-pool as representatives of the darkness¹; [175] while
the lotuses, love-lorn through separation from the sun, seemed to
wail under the semblance of the cries² of distressed female
ospreys³; while the early evening seemed an astrologer ⟨pointing
out the houses⟩, for it ⟨revealed the constellations⟩—there spread
darkness like the blackness of the column⁴ of Śiva's throat;
[176] with most goodly ⟨stars⟩ as the army of the demons had the
most goodly ⟨Tāraka⟩⁵; increasing the outcry of the ⟨owls⟩ as the
combat of the Bhāratas increased the outcry of ⟨Ulūka⟩⁶; dulling
the glory of the ⟨crows⟩ as the prowess of Dhṛṣṭadyumna dulled
the glory of ⟨Droṇa⟩; with ⟨owls⟩ moving about as Indra's
pleasure garden had ⟨Indra⟩ moving about; ⟨hiding all the
quarters of the sky⟩ as fire⁷ ⟨consumes all its fuel⟩; [177] resting
its belly, as it were, on the mountain slopes with their very close
fragments of stone⁸; with its eye, so to say, on peaks that were
red with lustre⁹ from the light of the eyes of sleeping lions¹⁰;
seeming to have life through the fire-flies; apparently increased
by the columns of smoke from oblations; made dense, as it were,
by masses of aloes-wood smoke¹¹ in adorning the heavy tresses of
amorous girls; [178] seeming to be illumined by spray from the
stream of ichor from¹² elephants' temples blackened by swarms of
bees clustering right closely together¹³; heaped, if one might say
so, in the shadows of clumps¹⁴ of dense tamāla-trees; apparently
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘repelled by the darkness.’
² Srirangam text, ‘notes.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘while the lotuses, standing in water coloured by
the reflected hue of twilight, seemed filled with fire through the pain of their hearts at
the destruction of their spouses.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘column.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘revealing the ⟨stars⟩ as the army of the demons
revealed ⟨Tāraka⟩.’
⁶ Srirangam text, ‘of Ulūka and Śakuni’; cf. Mahābhārata, 5. 161.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the flame of fire.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘rough with their very close stones.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘splendour of the lustre.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘lions awakened from sleep.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. omits ‘aloes-wood’ and ‘heavy’; Srirangam text omits ‘aloes-wood.’
¹² Srirangam text, ‘dripping ichor fallen from.’
¹³ Tel. ed., ‘seeming to be illumined by very thick swarms of black bees; blackened,
as it were, by the spray of dripping ichor fallen from elephants’ temples.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘forest clusters.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 99
lurking in the hoods of serpents, swart as lampblack ; the mantle,
as it were, of a woman who keeps an assignation by night ; the
remedy, if it might so be termed, for the gray hair of an aged
courtesan ¹ ; the offspring of life, one might say ; the friend, as it
were, of the iron age ; [179] the comrade, in all seeming, of a
rogue’s heart ² ; ⟨concealing⟩ manifest objects as Buddhist
doctrines ⟨deny⟩ manifest objects. It was darkness which
seemed to delight in the enchanting round lobes of absolutely
must elephants ³ ; which apparently yielded fruit in forests of
clusters of wide-spreading tamāla-trees with exceedingly close and
numerous leaves ⁴ ; which trembled, as it were, in the masses of
very ⁵ heavy tresses of dearest sweethearts ; which apparently was
mingled with rays of sapphire gems ⁶ ; [180] which was like the
exceeding dense blackness in pits, on river-banks, and in forests ⁷ ;
which was proud, it would seem, of swarms of bees, manifestly
cunning, huge, and evidently strong, drunkenly dancing on the
boughs of the conessi-bark trees ⁸ ; gleaming with the hoods of
serpents, destructive ⁹ with very thick venom ; broken ¹⁰ with
menacing flashes from the teeth of tuskers, mad with their burden
of ichor.¹¹
[181] And at the time of the rising of the moon with its black-
ness of night, bowing low, as it were, with folded hands under the
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘courtesans.’ ² Tel. ed., ‘rogues’ hearts.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘in the lobes of must elephants’ ; Srirangam text, ‘in the enchanting
lobes of herds of must elephants.’
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘in swarms of bees, manifestly cunning, huge, and evidently strong,
hidden in the calyxes of great expanded flowers on the boughs of many trees in the
forests of clusters of wide-spreading tamāla-trees with exceedingly close and numerous
leaves.’
⁵ Tel. ed. omits ‘very’ and ‘dearest’ ; Srirangam text omits ‘very.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘gems.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘forests.’
⁸ Tel. ed. omits this description ; Srirangam text, ‘swarms of bees, manifestly
cunning, huge, and strong, with their feet hidden in the calyxes of great expanded
flowers on the boughs of many trees.’
⁹ Srirangam text, ‘destructive to elephants.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘utterly broken.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘burden of ichor ; with the ⟨zone of earth⟩ folded up as the commence-
ment of sunrise has ⟨blue lotuses⟩ folded up ; concealing ⟨every fissure⟩ as the high estate
of the wicked conceals ⟨all character⟩ ; bowing, as it were, with folded hands under the
guise of closing blue lotuses to the night which had come’ ; similarly the Srirangam text.
H 2

100 VĀSAVADATTĀ
guise of closing blue lotuses, immediately ¹ the stars shone forth,
scattered like drops of the stream of water of Jahnu’s daughter
wandering in the winding hollows of ² the mass of matted locks
of Śiva, shaken by the fury of his twilight dance ; showers ³ of
drops, one might say, shed from the trunks ⁴ of the herd of
terrible must ⁵ world-elephants bowed with the burden of bear-
ing ⁶ the earth, hard to sustain ⁷ ; [182] masses of foam, as it were,
poured out by the steeds ⁸ of day, weary of wandering in the far
distant sky ; giving rise to the suspicion that they might be a grove
of white lotuses ⁹ in the great ocean of the heavens ; like ciphers ¹⁰
because of the nullity of metempsychosis, scattered ¹¹ in the sky as
if on the ink-black skin rug of the Creator who reckoneth the sum
total with a bit of the moon for chalk ; parched grain, it would
seem, sown by the hand of Rati, (the wife) of Him whose banner
is a dolphin,¹² and who setteth forth to conquer ¹³ the threefold
world ; [183] like globules ¹⁴ on the pearly arrows of Him of the
flowery bow ¹² ; masses ¹⁵ of foam, as it were, in the ocean of the sky ;
handfuls of cosmetic, so to say, prepared by Rati in the courts ¹⁶
of heaven ; multitudes ¹⁷ of pearls, one might fancy, in the neck-
lace of the Lakṣmī of the heavens ; fragments of the bones of
Kāma, in all seeming, scattered by the wind’s impulse ¹⁸ from the
circle of the pyre of the moon ¹⁹ ; [184] like the semblance of
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘then immediately.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘wandering in her devious roamings in.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘wide-spread showers.’
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘cheeks.’ ⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘must.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘bowed with bearing.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘hard to bear.’ [the mouths of the steeds.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘broad masses of foam on the edges of the cavities of
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘mass of white lotuses.’
¹⁰ Literally ‘points’ (cf. the form of the null sign in the Bakhṣālī Manuscript). On the
importance of this passage for the history of the Arabic (properly, Hindu) numerals see
Bühler, Indische Paläographie, p. 78, Strassburg, 1896 ; cf. also Smith and Karpinski,
Hindu-Arabic Numerals, pp. 51–54, New York, 1911.
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘painted.’ ¹² Kāma.
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘in desire of conquest over.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘scattered globules.’
¹⁵ Tel. ed., ‘wide-spread masses.’ ¹⁶ Tel. ed., ‘in the delimitation of.’
¹⁷ Tel. ed., ‘torn-off multitudes of pearls’ ; Srirangam text, ‘old multitudes of pearls.’
¹⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘entrance.’
¹⁹ Tel. ed., ‘from the circle of the pyre of Kāma, burnt by the Destroyer’s (Śiva’s)
fire’ ; similarly the Srirangam text.

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 101
parched grain ¹ roasted in the pan ² of the vast surface ³ of the
sky, that was excessively heated by the evening breeze and
smoky with the smoke ⁴ of rising dusk.
With them the sky shone as if turned to a leper.⁵ Exceed-
ingly distressed ⁶ was the pair of cakravākas, filled with a series
of ⟨deep ⁷ sighs⟩ and skilled in the joining of «bills in delightful
contact» as the diction of a good poet ⁸ is filled with a series
of ⟨long ⁹ chapters⟩ and skilled in the joining of «delightful
paronomasias and vaktra metres».¹⁰ [185] Separated was the
pair of Brahminy ducks, whose feet were variegated by swarms of
bees delighted and intoxicated by the honey-drops that adhered
from their course through the clusters ¹¹ of lotuses, and who were
parted by the incarnate curse ¹² of darkness as if by the noose ¹³ of
Death. [186] The pair of Brahminy ducks was parted like the
heart of a lotus, distressed by separation from the sun. A swarm
of bees was seen moving beside a lotus as if they were the mes-
sengers of the husband moon about to come. Under the guise of
stars ¹⁴ the quarters of the sky made lamentation with great drops
of tears,¹⁵ as if in grief for the departed Lord of Day.¹⁶ Under the
guise of its series of new filaments the lotus burned within the
heart of its bud like a fire of chaff ¹⁷ at separation from its shining
love.
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘parched grain bursted.’
² Tel. ed., ‘kitchen.’ ³ Srirangam text omits ‘vast surface.’
⁴ Tel. ed. omits ‘with the smoke.’
⁵ According to a reading recorded by Śivarāma, ‘with them the sky shone as if
spotted.’ ⁶ Srirangam text, ‘then exceedingly distressed.’
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘very deep.’ ⁸ Tel. ed., ‘good poetry.’ ⁹ Tel. ed., ‘very long.’
¹⁰ See Weber, Ueber die Metrik der Inder, p. 199, Berlin, 1863; Tel. ed., ‘parono-
masias, vaktra metres, and cakras’ (the latter being a carmen figuratum in the form of
a disc; cf. Kāvyaprakāśa, tr. Jhā, p. 197, Benares, 1898; Vidagdhamukhamandana,
3. 12–15, ed. Haeberlin in his Kāvyasangraha, pp. 290–291, Calcutta, 1847).
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘clusters.’
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘being parted as if by the curse.’
¹³ Yama, the god of death, is believed to draw the souls of the dying from their
bodies by means of a noose or cord.
¹⁴ Tel. ed., ‘under the guise of drops of water from the eyes of the stars’; similarly
the Srirangam text.
¹⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘with great drops of tears.’
¹⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the departed beloved of the Lord of Day.’
¹⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the chaff fire of the flame of grief burned in the
heart of the lotus.’

102 VĀSAVADATTĀ
[187] Forthwith¹ black darkness spread like a mass of colly-
rium from the forest of the sky, reduced to ashes by the rays² of
the sun ; blotting out <the heavens and the sky> as the words of
revelation blot out <the doctrines of the Digambara Jains>³ ; a
molten rājapaṭṭa gem,⁴ as it were ; and as the surge of the ocean.⁵
And⁶ straightway the Lord of Night ascended with the ruddy
disc of his arising ; the ball⁷ of the princess Night ; the ⁸ golden
mirror of Kāma ; like to a cluster of young red coral-flowers on
the eastern mount ; round as drops of saffron on the foreheads
of eastern damsels⁹ ; [188] like a golden earring of the beautiful
sky ; a mass of henna, as it were, dropped from the hands of tiring-
maids of celestial brides ; a golden jar, it would seem, in the
stucco of the heavens ; a golden¹⁰ dish in motion, it might be
termed, for the progress of the God of the Dolphin Banner, set-
ting forth for the conquest¹¹ of the threefold world ; stealing the
beauty of the top of Kāma’s golden quiver ; possessed of the
colour of the China roses that grow on the topmost peak of
the eastern mount ; a dish, as it were, filled with a ball of pellucid
saffron belonging to a wanton of the night ; [189] even as a single¹²
jar-like breast, tawny with saffron, of a fair dame of the east¹³ ;
<occupied by a gazelle> as the milk ocean¹⁴ is <ruled by Viṣṇu> ;
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘then.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘by the forest conflagration of the rays.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘though <Kṛṣṇa>, it concealed the distinctive
characteristics of «Viṣṇu», for it was <black> and concealed the distinctive characteristics
of «all forms».’
⁴ An inferior sort of diamond.
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘as running streams of cloth of molten silver.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘then.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘like a patchwork garment.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘like the.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘round as sectarial marks of bandhūka-flowers
fastened to the forehead as adornments of eastern damsels.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘auspicious.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘seeking to conquer.’ Tel. ed. omits the two adjectives following ; the
Srirangam text omits the second only, having for the first ‘like the mouth of Kāma’s
golden quiver.’
¹² Tel. ed. omits ‘single.’
¹³ Srirangam text adds ‘a cage, so to say, for the pleasure birds of the female
Vidyādharas that wander in the sky ; the lute-gourd, wrapped in red cloth, one might
fancy, of a pair of kinnaras resting on the summit of the eastern mount.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘Garuḍa.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 103
‹with distinctive marks› as Rāma was ‹attended by Lakṣmaṇa›¹ ;
the lord of the ‹stars› as Sugrīva was the lord of ‹Tārā›² ; with
a ‹red disc› as a good monarch has a ‹devoted circle (of atten-
dants)›.³
Then⁴ the glow brought close to night went to destruction as if
entered into the heart of a loving woman ; as if drunk by the cups
of the eyes⁵ of female chickores⁶ ; [190] as if licked up by masses
of red lotuses.
Straightway the Lord of Planets⁷ ascended like a cake of
butter⁸ exhibited by the neatress Night ; a mirror, it would
seem, bearing the beautiful face of Him whose banner is of
flowers⁹ ; the white umbrella, as it were, of Him whose banner is
a dolphin ; the round ivory hilt, it might be termed, of the great
sword of night ; the white chowry, one would fancy, of the mighty
King of Passion ; [191] like to the sandy shore¹⁰ of a Yamunā of
the night ; the crystal linga, so to speak, of the Great Ascetic of
the heavens ; the egg of a black serpent, in all seeming ; a shell,
as it were, of the great celestial sea¹¹ ; a monument, one might
call it, to Him whose banner is a dolphin and who was consumed
by the Foe of Love¹² ; like to the circle of the pyre, marked with
charcoal in dark spots, of Him who was born of fancy ; apparently
a white lotus of the Ganges coursing in the heavens ; a mass of
¹ See Mahābhārata, 3. 276.
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘with ‹reddened stars› as the Lord of the Monkeys had
‹Tārā’s love›; dear to ‹Rōhiṇī (the fourth lunar mansion)› as a bull is dear to the ‹cow›.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘with a ‹red disc› and accompanied by «soft rays» as a good monarch
has a ‹devoted circle (of attendants)› and is accompanied by «light taxes»’ ; similarly
the Srirangam text.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘then.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘pairs of eyes.’ According to the conventions of
Sanskrit literature, the eyes of the chickore (Caccabis chukor, Gray) become red at the
sight of poison. It is also supposed to live only on moonbeams (see below, p. 108).
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘female cakravākas.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the blessed Lord of Stars, with his radiance destroyed.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘fresh butter.’
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘bearing the reflexion of a gazelle.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘new shore.’
¹¹ Srirangam text adds ‘the crystalline water-pot, so to say, of the Ascetic of the sky.’
¹² Tel. ed., ‘a monument, one might call it, marked with charcoal in dark spots, to
Him who was born of fancy and was burnt by the fire from Śiva’s eye.’

104 VĀSAVADATTĀ
foam, as it were, of the mighty ocean of the sky; a quicksilver
ball, one might imagine, of the dark metallurgist¹; a silver jar,
so to say, spangled with shoots of millet-grass²; [192] lovely as
the wheel of Kāma’s chariot³; the dove, it might be termed, of
the palace of the heavens; even as the beauteous crest-jewel of the
eastern mount⁴; like unto Āirāvata’s frontal lobe when deprived
of its minium⁵; resembling a fragment of the head of an old and
broken-horned cow belonging to the field of heaven with its white
wheat of stars; a silver vessel,⁶ as it were, yellowish with balls of
sandalwood, fallen from the hands of a divine maiden. [193] And
it was the white lotus of the bees of the eyes⁷; like to⁸ the sand
bank bed of the geese⁹ of the mind; the crystalline fan of the
fires of separation; the round white whetstone of Kāma’s
arrows.
[194–195] Meanwhile there were equivocal and jealous¹⁰ con-
versations, full of innuendoes and broken with emotion,¹¹ (delivered
by the lips) of female messengers sent to sweethearts by hosts of
women anxious for a rendezvous. [196] As for example¹²: ‘Be-
ware of evil women’s wiles, beloved! Thou dost not truly know
thyself! [Beware, destroyer of bliss! Truly thou knowest not
that thou art made a wretched woman!]’; [197–198] ‘Thou art
a lover,¹³ (even though) not one among them that draw and kiss
(women and) make (them) run! [Thou utter rascal! Thou art
¹ Tel. ed., ‘the celestial metallurgist.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘for the anointing of the Mind-Born God (Kāma).’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the white wheel, as it were, of Kāma’s chariot.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, interchanging this adjective with the one preceding,
‘even as the crest-jewel of the serpent-king of the eastern mount.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘laved in the river of heaven’; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘fan.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the eyes of the world.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘like to.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘flamingoes.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘jealous.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘displacements (of words).’
¹² The passage following is certainly the most difficult in the entire Vāsavadattā, and
only the most probable of the many interpretations suggested by Śivarāma and Krishna-
machariar have been adopted. The renderings here given do not attempt, therefore,
to exhaust all the possibilities. The reproachful translation is placed in brackets.
¹³ Ironical.

hard as a rock! Thou art magnetite, (even though) not one
among loadstones, touchstones, (and) magnets !]’; [199] ‘Thou
art like a rower, devoted to other than the functions of his duty,
drawing his sword in vain ! [Thou that hast the reward of duty ¹ !
Thou art devoted to another (woman) and gifted with excessive
speech to no purpose !]’; ‘Distressedly, as it were, thou thinkest
in thy mind of one ² hard to win! [Good friend,¹ thou thinkest
of one ² hard to win ³ as if she were thine own wife !]’; [200] ‘He
goeth in the ways of truth who standeth ⁴ filled with delight at
the swords of his foes! [He is insipid in his ways who standeth
without initiative before his co-wives !]’; [201] ‘He is a hero
indeed who brings from the conflict the elephants of the foe ! [He
is filled with delight who brings the wife of a rival to old age
through (amorous) struggle !]’; [202] ‘Holding a massy, broad
sword, and suddenly assailing the foe, he obtains great glory
through the conflict! [Holding the thighs, hands, and hair (of
his beloved), he obtains an excellent position with his body, unit-
ing at the supreme moment !]’; [203] ‘Set free from passion, thou
art beautiful indeed, and friendly to mankind! [Thou passionate
man, bereft of lordship! Thou art assuredly not lovely, and art
deserted !]’; [204] ‘Thou adornment of the earth! Bold ⁵ (is
she), white like the autumn clouds, with a clear sense of her own
greatness, able to ward off the jealousy of revellers,⁶ with firmness
and timidity in her mind, and world-wide truth in her speech!
[Thou wise one,¹ thou utter destruction of the earth, not white
like the autumn clouds, untransparent, selfish, jealous as a reveller !
“ Patient (am I), loving to think of the adornment of the world,
(but) in his mind is cowardice, and world-wide falsehood in his
speech ” ⁷ !]’; [205–207] ‘She, the receptacle of bliss, surpassing

¹ Ironical. ² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ a woman.’
³ The wife of another.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ he whose thoughts are on the ways of truth (or, on
insipid ways) standeth.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘ with her boldness vanished.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ able to defend the magnitude of her own evident
thoughts of greatness.’
⁷ The supposed address of the woman in love.