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

56 VĀSAVADATTĀ
swallowed up, and which they vomited, as it were,¹ under the
guise of lampblack, and were exhausted by having stretched
their necks a hundred times as if to see the tremulous delights
of amorous union,² [47] and had been witnesses of manifold ways
of wanton sport,³ seeming to protect the darkness ⁴ lurking
beneath them as if it were a refugee ; when they had become
<dull> because their «oil» had been consumed as knaves ⁵
become <slack> because their «affections» have been consumed ;
when they had reached the end of their <wicks> as the exceed-
ingly aged reach the end of their <lives> ; when they had only
their <bowls> left as noble lords reduced in their estate have
only their <bodies> left ; [48] when they were <put in the middle of the house> as demons <wander abroad at the end and middle of night> ; when they had <moths> flying about them as the <sun>
descends on the summit of the western mount ; when the gifts of
flowers in the boudoirs, that had been noisy with the humming ⁶
of swarms of bees delighting ⁷ in the abundance of unceasing
drops ⁸ of honey had withered ; [49] when the downy Nepal
jasmines had fallen from the tresses ; when fair women seemed
to be pouring forth teardrops for grief at separation from their
lovers ⁹ and, with bud-like feet ¹⁰ tinkling with anklets, delayed,
as it were, the departure of their best beloved ; when the mist of
perspiration ¹¹ had been dried by the wind of the wings of a swarm
of bees enamoured of the perfume of the wreaths of half-opened
Malabar jasmine ¹² in thick tresses dishevelled by weariness of
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit 'as it were.'
² Tel. ed., 'the quivering of amorous women.'
³ Tel. ed., 'varied love-joys with delights manifold'; Srirangam text, 'wanton
sport with perturbations manifold.'
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'mass of darkness.'
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'the voices of knaves.'
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'sound of the humming.'
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'stupefied with the intoxication of tasting.'
⁸ Tel. ed., 'drops fallen unceasingly'; Srirangam text, 'drops falling unceasingly.'
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'best beloved.'
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add 'when they (the fair women) shone with bud-like
feet.'
¹¹ Tel. ed., 'particles of the mist of perspiration'; Srirangam text, 'particles of
perspiration.'
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'mādhavī.'

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 57
intense passion in the waning night; [50] when damsels were
tuneful¹ with the jingle of the bracelets on their tremulous,
slender arms while they illumined their apartments by the light
of the rays² of their milk-white teeth, revealed through their
sobbing at the pain caused by the loosening of the hair which
adhered to the fresh³ nail-marks⁴; [51] while their attendants,
wearied with importunities for another glimpse, saw lovers con-
stantly; while (the damsels themselves) felt bashful just for an
instant at the endearing words of the house-parrots who had
remembered⁵ a hundred shameless speeches uttered in the night⁶;
[52] when they (the damsels) had the beauty, as it were, of an
autumnal day with ⟨clouds not adorned by sky⟩,⁷ for their ⟨bosoms
were adorned by the marks of nails⟩; when they seemed nigh
unto death and had their faces set toward the ⟨city of the Lord
of Life⟩,⁸ for their faces were set toward their ⟨lovers' persons⟩;
when they resembled a row of trees in a forest in the spring-tide
abounding in ⟨sap⟩, for they abounded in ⟨anxiety⟩; when they
were embraced by their lovers; when there blew a wind that
rocked the filaments of the flowers and removed their pollen
from the hair [53] of damsels wearing delightsomely tinkling
jewels, whilst it had an abundance of expanded white lotuses,
and caused pleasure, and rejoiced in union, and rained down
a fire of chaff,⁹ as it were, on lonely¹⁰ girls lightly deserted by
their lovers, and surrendered them wholly to the burning arrows
of love, and carried far [54] the plaint of the Brahminy duck¹¹;

¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘charming.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘rays.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘fresh.’
⁴ See Schmidt, Beiträge zur indischen Erotik, pp. 478–496, Leipzig, 1902.
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘who made up speeches of love’s shamelessness’; Srirangam text, ‘who
remembered speeches of love’s shamelessness.’
⁶ The same embarrassing habit of the parrot is mentioned by Amaru (see Böhtlingk,
Indische Sprüche, 2 ed., No. 2710, St. Petersburg, 1870–1873).
⁷ Their beauty was like the dark massed clouds.
⁸ A euphemism for Yama, the God of Death.
⁹ A fire of chaff being proverbially sudden and intense; Tel. ed. and Srirangam text,
‘powder of a fire of chaff,’ also omitting ‘rained down.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘lonely, deserted.’
¹¹ According to the conventions of Sanskrit literature, two indiscreet lovers were
transformed into Brahminy ducks (Cascara rutila, Pallas) and condemned to pass

58 VĀSAVADATTĀ
then (Kandarpakētu) saw in a dream ¹ a damsel ² about eighteen
years of age with her hips girt ³ round with the bond of a girdle⁴
which was the gate ⁵ of the city of delight of her thighs ; which
was the golden rampart of the great treasure-house of the city
of joy ⁶ ; which was a trench for the line of the tendril of down ⁷ ;
each night separated by a river, from whose opposite banks they continually call to
each other.
¹ Cf. Hall, Introd., pp. 30–31, note ; and, for parallels in Sanskrit romances and
dramas, as well as in The Thousand Nights and One Night, see Gray, ‘Literary
Studies on the Sanskrit Novel,’ in WZKM. 18. 40–41, 50. For a more modern
parallel, reference may be made to the Panjābī legends of Princess Adhik Anūp Daī,
daughter of Rāja Sirkaṭ (a hero of the Rāja Rasālū cycle), and of Jalālī, the black-
smith’s daughter (Temple, Legends of the Panjāb, 1. 233 ; 2. 168–169, Bombay, 1884–
1900). The same motif is found in early European romances, as in the Artus de la
Bretagne and Palmerin de Oliva (Dunlop, History of Prose Fiction, 1. 258–259, 380,
London, 1896). See also, for other instances of dreams toward morning, Harṣacarita,
pp. 136–138, 166, 207, Bombay ed., 1892 (tr. Cowell and Thomas, pp. 105–106,
132–133, 177, London, 1897); Kādambarī, pp. 135–136, Bombay ed., 1890 (tr.
Ridding, p. 57, London, 1896) ; Bṛhatkathāślokasaṃgraha, 2. 43 (ed. and tr. Lacôte,
Paris, 1908) ; Natesa Sastri, Dravidian Nights, p. 49, Madras, 1886 ; Frere, Old
Deccan Days, 2 ed., pp. 68–69, London, 1870. In India, as elsewhere in the East,
dreams play an important rôle in divination, and the wide sphere of Sanskrit oneiro-
mancy has been admirably discussed by Julius von Negelein (Der Traumschlüssel des
Jagaddēva, Giessen, 1912), on the basis of a critical edition and translation of Jagad-
dēva’s Svapnacintāmaṇi. It seems generally agreed that dreams toward morning
come true (cf. the texts cited by Hall, loc. cit.). According to the Kathāsaritsāgara,
46. 150, ‘the slow or speedy fruitage of it [a dream] depends on the difference of
time [when it is beheld] ; but this dream, being seen at the end of the night, will give
a speedy fulfilment’ ; and it may be added that the Asura princess Uṣā, to whom
Subandhu himself alludes (below, p. 61), first saw her future husband, Aniruddha,
in a dream (Kathāsaritsāgara, 31. 11–32, tr. Tawney, 1. 276–277, Calcutta, 1880).
² This detailed description of the heroine, to which many parallels might be cited in
Sanskrit literature, becomes of special interest when compared with the well-known
representations of the female form in Indian art, in which the breasts and hips are of
exaggerated development, while the waist is correspondingly slender. Vāsavadattā is
to be classed, from Subandhu’s description, as a padminī, having, among other cha-
racteristics, a moon-like face, eyes with reddish corners, dark, heavy hair, a line of
down on the abdomen, and a slow gait ; a taruṇī, as being between sixteen and
thirty, and a dēvasattvā, as being noble in conduct and wealthy (Schmidt, Beiträge
zur indischen Erotik, pp. 220–224, 243–253, Leipzig, 1902). For similar, but far
briefer, descriptions of Oriental beauties, see, for example, Swynnerton, Romantic
Tales from the Panjāb, pp. 391–392, London, 1903 ; The Thousand Nights and One
Night, tr. Payne, 3. 111–112 ; 4. 295 ; 7. 147, 210 ; 8. 103–104, London, 1882–1884.
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘marked out.’ ⁴ Tel. ed., ‘new girdle.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘garland of.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the golden rampart of the abode of the treasure of
her thighs, Love’s great depository.’
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘zone of the trench for the multiform tendril of down’ ; Srirangam text
also adds ‘zone.’

which was a halo for the disc of the moon of her hips ; which
had a golden inscription consisting of a line of down that pro-
claimed victory over the triple world ¹; which was the line of
the moat of the prison of the hearts of all men ; [55] and was
as the bar of the chamber of a flock of birds which were the
glances of the world.²
(She was) adorned with a waist which seemed full of sorrow
through failure to see her moon-like face that was hidden by the
burden of her swelling breasts ; which appeared to be filled with
weariness from the oppression ³ of the urns of her bosom and the
circlets of her heavy ⁴ hips ; which had apparently conceived a
deep resentment for her massy buttocks ⁵ ; [56] which seemed
filled with exhaustion from the restraining hand ⁶ of the Creator
who had compressed it exceedingly ; and which had become
extremely slender, as if on account of its anxious thought : ‘ Sup-
pose mine own breasts should fall on me like projections from
a height ’ ?
(She was) beautified by breasts with golden jewels filled with
gems of passion ⁷ ; with nipples for seals ; apparently nailed with
iron under the guise of nipples through fear of falling because of
their vast circumference ; [57] accumulations of loveliness, as it
were, remaining after the consecration of all her members ; the
lotuses, so to say, of the pool of the heart ; possessed of the
beauty of a pillow for the cheek ⁸ of Love ; the fruit of the tendril
of the line of down ; caskets full of the dust of the lure that

¹ Tel. ed., ‘ which had Love’s golden inscription with a row of letters that proclaimed
his victory over the wide triple world ’; similarly the Srirangam text.
² She attracted and kept captive, like so many birds, the glances of every one. Tel.
ed., ‘ as the golden bar of the chamber of the abode of her thighs for birds which were
the glances of the whole world ’; Srirangam text, ‘ as the golden bar of the chamber
of the abode of birds which were the glances of the whole world.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ the confined oppression on both sides from.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ very heavy.’
⁵ Because her waist shrank away from them.
⁶ Srirangam text, ‘ as if with pain produced by the seizure of the hand.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ golden caskets filled with gems of passion.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘ a box of the unguent of Love ’; Srirangam text, ‘ a pillow for the
disport of Love.’

60 VĀSAVADATTĀ
increases the pride of passion¹; heavy with the fall of the hearts
of all mankind; the fruits of the mighty tree of existence; the
product of the great tree of youth; two Brahminy ducks, charm-
ing with necklaces of pearl for lotus-filaments²; [58] fruits of the
tree of Prayāga, which seemed to stand at the juncture of the
line of down with her necklace of pearl³; the solitary dwelling⁴
of the God of Love when overcome by weariness from the con-
quest of the triple world.
(She was) beauteous with a bud-like lower lip which had the
glow of eventide in close proximity⁵ to her moon-like face;
which had what seemed to be a minium seal as a guard for the
jewels of her teeth; [59] which was coloured, as it were, by the
flushing redness of her heart⁶; which was, so to say, a fresh bud⁷
of the coral-tree from Passion’s sea. (She was) adorned by a pair
of eyes which were longer than a very tender screw-pine blossom;
with languidly tremulous glances; giving rise to a suspicion that
they were the windows of wanton Love abiding in the inner
chamber of her heart; causing beatitude by their very passion;
[60] with redness in their corners as if for anger at her ears,
which hindered their further extension⁸; seeming to whiten all
the world; making the sky seem filled with a forest of expanded
lotuses; pouring forth, so to say, thousands of oceans of milk;
seeming to surpass the loveliness of a garland of downy Nepal
jasmine and blue lotus.⁹
(She was) beautified by a nose which was the column¹⁰ of the
¹ Tel. ed., ‘dust of the proud nature of passion’; Srirangam text, ‘dust that increases
the pride of passion.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘hidden through their greed of lotus-filaments (which
were) pearl necklaces.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘the shores of Prayāga in the guise of the junction of the Ganges and
the Jumna, (which were) her pearl necklace and line of down’; similarly the Sri-
rangam text.
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘the solitary rest-house’; Srirangam text, ‘the victory rest-house.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘continual close proximity.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘inward redness.’ ⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘a bit.’
⁸ The eyes of an Indian beauty are conventionally supposed to extend to her ears.
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘surpassing a garland of blue lotuses clinging to downy Nepal jasmine-
flowers.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘trunk.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 61
balance for the jewels of her teeth ¹; [61] the bridge betwixt the
oceans of her eyes ²; a wall, as it were, between two elephants
mad with youthful passion. (She was) adorned with delicate
brows which were clusters of bees about her blue-lotus eyes ³;
portals ⁴ of her face that formed the abode of Love; the shores ⁵
of Passion's sea; wantoning in youthful dancing. She possessed,
as it were, the loveliness of the sky in the rainy season [62] with
‹clouds› swelling with beauty, for her ‹breasts› swelled with
beauty.⁶
Like one ⁷ who has gained the cry of Victory she stood on
the tip of a trembling ‹balance›,⁸ for she had trembling ‹anklets›;
she was like Suyōdhana's valour while his eyes rested on ‹Karṇa›,
for her eyes extended to her ‹ears›; she seemed to have the
sportiveness of the Dwarf ⁹ in exhibiting his ‹destruction of Bali›,¹⁰
for she revealed her ‹furrowed folds›; she was like the station of
the sun in Scorpio ‹after traversing Virgo and Libra›, for she
‹transcended comparison with other damsels›; [63] she rejoiced
in ‹unblemished beauty› as Uṣā rejoiced at the sight of ‹Anirud-
dha› ¹¹; she had the ‹beauty of lovely eyes› as Śacī ‹delighted
in gazing on Indra's pleasure groves›; she had, as it were, the
sportful dancing of Śiva with his ‹quivering serpent›, for she had
beautiful ‹eyes and ears›; she had lofty dark ‹nipples› as a forest ¹²
has lofty dark ‹bread-fruit trees›; [64] she was adorned with a
¹ Compare the Euphuistic passage in Ben Jonson's Cynthia's Revels, 5. 2 : 'You
that tell your mistress, her beauty is all composed of theft; her hair stole from Apollo's
goldy-locks; her white and red, lilies and roses stolen out of paradise; her eyes two
stars, plucked from the sky; her nose the gnomon of Love's dial, that tells you how
the clock of your heart goes; and for her other parts, as you cannot reckon them, they
are so many; so you cannot recount them, they are so manifest.'
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'the bridge, as it were, betwixt the ambrosial oceans
of her eyes.'
³ The bees being extremely fond of the lotus.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'garlands of the portals.'
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'currents.'
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, '‹clouds swelling with rain›' and '‹breasts shining
with pearl necklaces›.' ⁷ Tel. ed., 'like a king.'
⁸ This seems to be introduced merely for the sake of the pun on tulākoṭi.
⁹ Viṣṇu. ¹⁰ Cf. Rāmāyaṇa, 1. 29; Bhāgavatapurāṇa, 8. 21–23.
¹¹ Cf. Harivaṁśa, 173–186; Kathāsaritsāgara, 6. 31.
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'the Vindhya forest.'

62 VĀSAVADATTĀ
⟨beautiful throat and with armlets⟩ as the army of monkeys was
adorned by ⟨Sugrīva and Aṅgada⟩.
She seemed to be made of planets ¹: of the ⟨Sun⟩, for she had a
⟨shining⟩ ornament ; of the ⟨Moon⟩, for she had a ⟨beautiful⟩ round
face ² ; of ⟨Mars⟩, for she had a ⟨rosy⟩ bud-like ³ lower lip ; of
⟨Mercury⟩, for she had a ⟨lovely⟩ appearance ; of ⟨Jupiter⟩, for she
had ⟨heavy⟩ round hips ; of ⟨Venus⟩, for she had ⟨wide-open⟩ lotus
eyès ⁴ ; of ⟨Saturn⟩, for she had ⟨slow-moving⟩ steps ; of ⟨Rāhu⟩,
for she had ⟨dark⟩ heavy hair.⁵
She was a picture, as it were, on the wall of life ⁶ ; [65] the
place of assembly, so to say, of the loveliness of the triple world ;
apparently the perfect elixir for the Great Ascetic ⁷ in his youth ⁸ ;
seemingly the place of Passion's fancy ; the repository, so it would
seem, of delight ; [66] the flag of conquest over the threefold
earth,⁹ as it were, of the God of the Dolphin Banner ¹⁰ ; evidently
the manifestation of intellect ¹¹ ; the conqueror, it would seem, of
Passion ¹² ; a powder, so to say, to numb the senses ¹³ ; a power,
one would think, to bewilder Love ; apparently the joyous abode
of beauty ; the sole sanctuary, as it were, of good fortune ¹⁴ ; seem-
ingly the place where loveliness had its origin ¹⁵ ; [67] wellnigh
a perfect seduction of the mind ¹⁶ ; almost a blind ¹⁷ of the juggler
¹ A similar thought is expressed by Bhartṛhari (Böhtlingk, Indische Sprüche, 2 ed.,
No. 2169, St. Petersburg, 1870–1873). In like fashion a girl is described as made of
flowers in Harṣacarita, p. 38, Bombay ed., 1892 (tr. Cowell and Thomas, p. 263,
London, 1897).
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘for she had a smile of ⟨white beauty⟩.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘bud-like.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text insert, transferring this further down, ‘of ⟨Venus⟩,
for she had a ⟨white⟩ pearl necklace.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘like a picture on the life-wall of the theatre of the
triple world.’ ⁷ Śiva. ⁸ Tel. ed., ‘the perfect elixir of youth.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘over the threefold earth.’
¹⁰ Kāma. ¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit.
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the battle-ground, as it were, of Love.’
¹³ Tel. ed., ‘the confusion, so to say, of all the senses.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed., ‘good fortune’s birth-hall, as it were, of friends’ disport.’
¹⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘rendezvous.’
¹⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘wellnigh a perfect spell for the winning of love’
(Srirangam text, ‘mind’).
¹⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘almost a mighty drug to bind the eyes.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 63
Love ; a production of the Creator, so to say, for the enchantment
of the triple world.
Then, while he drank her in, as it were, with eyes dilated with
joy, sleep, which he had long served, became jealous¹ and de-
serted him. [68] But when he awoke, he was unable to sustain
himself, being drowned, so to speak, in a sea of poison, and as if
submerged in the words of his enemies. Thus then, for an instant,
he embraced the sky, and with outstretched arms² cried to his
beloved, as if she were painted in the heavens,³ graven on his
eye, and carven on his heart: ‘O, dearest one, come! come!
where dost thou go’⁴? Then in that very place he passed the
day on his bed, with his eyes closed,⁵ with all his attendants
barred out, with the doors shut, [69] and refusing all enjoyment
of food,⁶ betel, and the like. Thus, too,⁷ he spent the night as
well with longings for the coming of the dream.
Then his confidential friend, named Makaranda, somehow
gained entrance⁸ and thus addressed Kandarpakētu, who was
overwhelmed with the wounds of the arrows of Love: ‘My friend,
[70] why dost thou take to this unwonted course, which is unbe-
coming to a man of honour? When they behold this conduct
of thine, the good are swayed by perplexity, while the wicked, on
the other hand, make it out to be undesirable and indecorous⁹;
for the heart of the evil man finds its highest delight centred in
bringing to light what is undesirable. Who, pray, can discern
the true character of such an one?
‘Thus, even though a <Bhīma>, he is «no foe of Baka»,¹⁰ for he
¹ In like manner life becomes jealous of Mahāśvētā because of her love for Puṇḍarīka
in the Kādambarī, p. 325, Bombay ed., 1890 (tr. Ridding, p. 128, London, 1896).
² Tel. ed., ‘stretching out his arms for an instant to the sky to embrace it’;
Srirangam text, ‘blindly stretching out his arms to the sky to embrace it.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘in the heavens and its subdivisions.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘O, dearest one, go not! go not’!
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘clinging to his couch.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘food.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘somehow or other.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘gained entrance and a sight (of Kandarpakētu).’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘pursue thy (Srirangam text, ‘this’) indecorous and
undesirable course.’
¹⁰ See Mahābhārata, I. 159–166.

64 VĀSAVADATTĀ
is <horrible> and a «foe of them that praise him» ; though a <fire>,
he is a «wind», for he is a <devourer of his own place of refuge>
and a «dog in his mother» ¹; [71] though very <pungent>, he is of
«fine flavour», for he is very <cruel> and «utterly insipid»; he
does not abandon his <bitterness>, though «flattered by clasped
hands and prostration at his feet»,² even as mustard-oil abandons
not its <sharpness>, though «caressed with both hands and held
to the head»; he is <delightful on account of his freedom from faults> (at first), but afterwards is unpleasant and «cruel» even as
the fruit of the palmyra-palm tastes <pleasant at first>, but is dis-
agreeable and «sharp» at the last ; he, when <deserted>, wrinkles
his brow even as the dust of the feet, when <shaken off>, discolours
the head.
‘ He <confirms his folly> in proportion as he is «humoured»
even as the fruit of the poison-tree <strengthens madness> in pro-
portion as it is «honoured»; [72] he has no lack of <enemies>
with his «bad conduct» even as there is no dearth of <water> in
«low ground»³; he brings distress to the <good> with his «great
jealousy» even as a summer day brings distress to the <flowers>
with its «swarms of gnats»; he is cunning in binding <sins>
together and eager to «destroy the works of all men» even as the
darkness is cunning in binding <night> together and eager for
«sunset».
[73] ‘ Though <Śiva>, he is «Viṣṇu», for he is a <prince> of
«unseemly conduct»⁴; he is <deaf> and «praises not his subjects»
even as Indra’s horse <cried aloud> and «exulted in his birth from
the ocean» ; he agitates the heart of a good man, even though he
is <disturbed> and shows «affection», like as the churning-stick
agitates the heart of the cream, even though it is <separated> and
¹ A false etymological pun on Mātariśvan, an obscure Vedic deity (on whom see
Macdonell, Vedic Mythology, pp. 71-72, Strassburg, 1897; Hillebrandt, Vedische
Mythologie, 2. 149-153, Breslau, 1899; and the authorities there cited). The name
probably means ‘having water as his mother’ (Fay, JAOS. 16. clxxii-clxxiii), or, less
plausibly, ‘materiae puer’ (Fay, KZ. 45. 134-135).
² Literally, ‘sustained by the head (of his suppliant).’ ³ Tel. ed., ‘he has no
lack of <enemies> even as a dearth of <water> is not produced by a river in low ground.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘he has <unseemly conduct> even as Rudra has
<abnormal eyes>; he is <deceitful> even as Viṣṇu <holds a disc>.’

shows «butter»¹; [74] he is noisy with ‹self-praise› and «garru-
lous of his wanderings in the world» even as an offering to the
Yakṣas is noisy with ‹crows› and «bears evidence of wandering
dogs»²; his visage is distorted from ‹entire lack of self-control›
and his «generosity» is suppressed even as a must elephant ³
fixes his distorted visage on ‹his female› and suppresses his
«ichor»; he is ‹not alarmed by fear of God› even as a bull is
‹wearied from union with the cow›.
‘He is ‹miserable through his disgrace of his family› and is
devoted to «evil ways»⁴ even as a paramour is ‹distressed by an
error in his name› and is devoted to the «way of the fair»; [75]
he causes slowness in ‹softly modulated and excellent› speech
even as the disease of indigestion ⁵ causes slowness in ‹body›
(and) speech; he is devoted to the ‹breaking of agreements› and
a friend of the «foes of his lord» even as a jackal is devoted to
the ‹flesh of a corpse› and delights in the «night»; [76] ‹the
sight of him causes distress to his kindred› even as a corpse is
‹deprived of the use of its eyes›; he destroys ‹good fortune› even
as the axe cuts the ‹sandal-wood›; he ‹destroys his family› and
cuts down «men gifted with patience» even as the spade ‹cleaves
the earth› and cuts down the «creatures that share in the soil»⁶;
[77] he engages in ‹low actions› even as a dog engaged in
‹venereal acts› makes good folk ashamed; he, for all his ‹charms
of hair and face›, has no pleasure in his «lute, skilful though
he is» like as a must elephant ‹delights in the forest›, yet has
no pleasure in the «spreading greensward, even though he
traverses it».⁷

¹ Tel. ed., not expressing ‘of a good man,’ has ‘shows continually.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘he ‹wanders about the world› even as an offering to
the Yakṣas has ‹flocks of crows›,’ etc.
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘as an elephant.’
⁴ If vāmādhvan be synonymous with vāmācāra, this may be an allusion to the
infamous ‘left hand’ Tantra-worship (Hopkins, Religions of India, pp. 490-492,
Boston, 1895).
⁵ See Jolly, Medicin, p. 77, Strassburg, 1901.
⁶ Trees, according to the commentator Śivarāma.
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘he has no pleasure in his ‹goodly youth›’ (yavasam + san = saṁvayasam);
Srirangam text, ‘he rejoices not in ‹his companions of equal age› even as the elephant
‹continually› rejoices not, . . .’ (yavasam + sa = savayasam).
F

66 VĀSAVADATTĀ
[78] ‘The shoots of evil vices are born without seed and grow
without a stock, and hard they are to uproot; if a particle of
iniquity enters into the heart of the wicked, it is a terrible thing.
But into the heart of the good it enters not; and if at any time
it does enter, [79] it is like quicksilver, unstable for an instant;
the virtuous, even as deer, are obedient to the voice of one¹ who
knows their pleasure; persons like thee easily capture the heart
of a friend² as do the wagtails of the autumn-tide; and the wise³
give no unseemly counsel, while the friendship of the foolish is
thrown on the side of profit. [80] And likewise,⁴ when milk,
fancying⁵ that “water is as milk because of its sweetness, cool-
ness, purity, and healing of distress,” enters into friendship (with
water), destruction is wrought by water itself, when it reflects
that “ruin has come in times gone by through the decoction of
me myself, increased by union with that (milk).”⁶ This conduct
is, therefore, extraordinary; follow the course, my friend,⁷ which
is customary among the upright; [81] the noble themselves go
utterly astray by mistaking their direction.’⁸
When he (Makaranda) had said this,⁹ and more to the same
effect, Kandarpakētu, dominated by the wounds of many¹⁰ arrows
¹ Tel. ed., ‘take refuge with one’; Srirangam text, ‘the virtuous are not, like deer,
obedient to a petty pleasure.’
² Tel. ed., ‘persons like thee take away pleasure, as do the wagtails’; Srirangam
text, ‘persons like thee obtain the weal of a host of friends.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘the friendly-minded.’ ⁴ Tel. ed. omits ‘and likewise.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘from the identity of sound.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘by water, thinking that “ruin has come upon me aforetime in the
decoction of milk, which had gained increase from union with myself”’; similarly
the Srirangam text. The close union of mingled water and milk becomes, in Sanskrit
literature, a type of the truest and most altruistic friendship (cf. Böhtlingk, Indische
Sprüche, 2 ed., Nos. 2024, 2026, St. Petersburg, 1870–1873). The passage may, perhaps,
be partially elucidated by a stanza from Bhartṛhari (ib. No. 2026), thus rendered by
Tawney (Two Centuries of Bhartrihari, pp. 30–31, Calcutta, 1877):
‘Milk to the water with it mixed its native virtues gave,
Which, pitying sore its tortured friend, rushed on a flaming grave;
The milk, unwilling to be left, must share its fellow's fate,—
True friendship envy cannot reach, nor fiery pains abate’!
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘my friend.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the good, though going astray by mistaking their
direction, again regain the right path.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘his dear friend, Makaranda, having said,’ etc.
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘many.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 67
of Love, somehow said slowly: ‘Good friend, my mind¹ is con-
fused by a ⟨hundred afflictions⟩ as Diti was confused by ⟨Indra⟩.²
This is no time for advice; my limbs seem to be on fire; [82]
my faculties are boiling, so to speak; my vitals feel as if burst-
ing³; my breath is almost leaving me; my senses are wellnigh
eradicated; and my memory is destroyed.⁴ Now, therefore, if
thou didst share the sorrows and joys of our playing together in
the dust,⁵ then follow me.’ So speaking he went forth from the
city with him, unnoticed by his retinue.
Straightway, after going a distance of several hundred nalvas,⁶
a great mountain,⁷ called Vindhya, was seen with its thousand
peaks bowed down to earth,⁸ restrained by Agastya’s word⁹;
[83] with its sides¹⁰ thronged with hundreds of savages eager to
slaughter hundreds of female yaks who had been delighted by
hearing the songs of pairs of Vidyādharas (then) slumbering peace-
fully¹¹ in the bowers within its caves; with its rocky sides cooled
by breezes bearing the perfume of trickling yellow sandal-wood¹²
broken and dragged down by the trunks of the elephants on its
ridges¹³; [84] with the monkeys¹⁴ eager to lick their paws wet
with the sap of the palmyra-palm fruit which had been broken
by its exceedingly long fall; with its borders fragrant with the

¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the mind of folk like us.’
² Cf. Rāmāyaṇa, 1. 46.
³ Tel. ed. omits this clause.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘is, as it were, destroyed.’
⁵ Alluding to their childhood days as playmates. Tel. ed. and Srirangam text,
‘Now this is enough of this talk. If thou didst share the joys and sorrows of our
laying in the dust, then let it be come together with me.’
⁶ A nalva is equivalent to 400 cubits. Tel. ed., ‘then, having gone with him
a journey measured by several hundred nalvas’; similarly the Srirangam text.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘great.’ With this description of the Vindhya
Cartellieri (‘Subandhu and Bāṇa,’ in WZKM. 1. 132) compares that given by the
Kādambarī, pp. 38–43, Bombay ed., 1890 (tr. Ridding, pp. 16–18, London, 1896).
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘to the chasms of the earth.’
⁹ Cf. Mahābhārata, 3. 103–104.
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘with its sloping sides thronged with hosts of savages
eager to slaughter herds of female yaks.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘peacefully,’ the latter having ‘awakened from
sleep.’
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘sandal-wood sap.’
¹³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘elephants come to its sloping ridges.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘with hosts of monkeys.’
F 2

68 VĀSAVADATTĀ
perfume of the juice of various fruits sipped again and again ¹ by
pairs of chickores dwelling near its overhanging cascades ; [85]
seeming to sustain a host of stars clinging to its summit since its
peak was speckled by pearls ² fallen from the temples of must
elephants which had been cloven by the edges of the sharp claws
of thousands of bold lions.
The shadow of its foot was haunted by ⟨bears, gayals, griffins,
lions, and lotuses⟩ as Sugrīva [86] had the shadow of his feet
honoured by ⟨Ṛkṣa,³ Gavaya, Śarabha, Kēsari, and Kumuda⟩ ⁴ :
its ⟨peace was disturbed by the exhalations of elephants⟩ as the
Lord of Cattle ⁵ has his ⟨ashes disturbed by the hissing of his
serpent⟩ ; it had a ⟨chaplet of beautiful forests⟩ as Janārdana ⁶
wears ⟨beautiful sylvan garlands⟩ ; it had ⟨dita-bark and syandana-
trees⟩ as the God of a Thousand Rays ⁷ has a ⟨chariot with seven
steeds⟩ ; [87] it was ⟨full of caverns and infested with jackals⟩ as
Śiva had ⟨Kartikēya near him and was attended by Pārvatī⟩ ; it
was full of ⟨jungles and wastes and was covered with white thorn-
apples⟩ as a paramour is filled with ⟨petulance and passion for
his mistress and is amorous⟩ ; it had ⟨Arabian jasmine-plants and
Arjuna-trees⟩ as Śrīparvata has the ⟨Mallikārjuna⟩ near it ; [88]
it had ⟨Italian panic and bind-weed⟩ as Naravāhanadatta was the
⟨husband of Priyaṅguśyāmā⟩ ⁸ ; it ⟨formed a place for emblic
myrobalan-trees⟩ as a child is ⟨held by its nurse⟩ ; it had a series
of forests ⁹ rosy with the ⟨reddish lustre of ruddle⟩ ¹⁰ as the dawn
of day makes the series of forests ⁹ rosy with the ⟨radiance of
the mountain-born Aruṇa⟩ ; it was impenetrable on account of
⟨many creeping plants⟩ as the dark lunar fortnight is impene-
¹ Tel. ed. omits 'again and again.'
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'massy pearls.'
³ Jāmbavat, the king of the bears.
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, '⟨Kumuda and Panasa⟩ . . . ⟨lotuses and jack-trees⟩.'
⁵ Śiva.
⁶ Viṣṇu. Tel. ed., 'it had a ⟨chaplet of magnificent forests⟩, as Janārdana wears
⟨full-blown sylvan garlands⟩.'
⁷ Sūrya.
⁸ See Lacôte, Essai sur Guṇāḍhya et la Bṛhatkathā, pp. 213, 228, Paris, 1908.
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'leafy forests.'
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit '⟨ruddle⟩ . . . ⟨mountain-born⟩.'

trable on account of its ‹blackness› ; it had gifts of a ‹hundred
crores› as Karṇa had the gift of ‹Indra's bolt› ; [89] it was
covered with ‹tail feathers moulted by peacocks› as Bhīṣma was
covered ¹ with ‹crescent-headed arrows› ; it was filled with ‹ele-
phants and was fragrant from the perfume of its jungles› as the
Kāmasūtra was written by ‹Mallanāga and contains the delight
and enjoyment of mistresses› ; it was a refuge for the race of
‹deer› as Hiraṇyakaśipu was a refuge for the race of ‹Śambara›.²
Because of the guise of its ruddle it seemed to have been
employed by Aruṇa to trace the path of the chariot of the
sun ³ ; [90] it watched, as it were, the journey of Agastya with
eyes dilated because the sun and moon had come upon its
summit ; on account of the old sloughs of snakes it seemed to
have a mass of entrails hanging out ⁴ ; as Kumbhakarṇa had
a host of monkeys come within his ‹teeth›,⁵ it had a host of
monkeys come upon its ‹summit› ; [91] it had bowers of screw-
pines for the rendezvous of the assembled nymphs of Śacī's Lord
who marked their pathway with a series of footprints dyed with
red henna.
Though of ‹no family›, it was adorned by a «noble ancestry»,
for it did ‹not cling to the ground› and it was «adorned with
beautiful bamboos» ; though it was ‹evidently safe›, it yielded
the «fruit of death», for it had ‹hara-nut trees› and yielded
«plantains» ; though ‹measured›, it was «measureless», for it
had ‹plateaus› and was «immeasurable» ; [92] though ‹noisy›,
it was «silent», for it had a ‹river› and was «still» ; though
a ‹Bhīma›, it was a friend of «Kīcaka», for it was ‹terrible› and
a friend of «reeds» ; though it hid its ‹garments›, it had brilliant
«raiment», for it hid the ‹sky› and had brilliant «sunbeams».
[93] It showed, moreover,⁶ a ‹malady of many of its com-

¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ had his body covered.’ Cf. Hopkins, ‘ Position of
the Ruling Caste in Ancient India,’ in JAOS. 13. 278.
² Cf. Viṣṇupurāṇa, 1. 19 ; 5. 27.
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ the sun on high.’
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘ tubular entrails hanging out of chasms cleft by thunderbolts ’ ; similarly
the Srirangam text.
⁵ Cf. Rāmāyaṇa, 6. 67.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ like a sick man.’

70 VĀSAVADATTĀ
ponents⟩ as if by a «great abdominal swelling»,¹ for it indicated
a ⟨change of many metals⟩ by its «thick bushes»; as a good
man shows his ⟨greatness⟩ by «habits of mercy», it showed its
⟨loftiness⟩ by the «course of the planets on its summit».
As the Mīmāṃsā and Nyāya philosophies conceal the views
of the ⟨Digambara Jains⟩, it concealed the view of the ⟨quarters
of heaven and of the sky⟩. It also had its vicinage adorned with
pools which were delightful on account of the appearance of the
⟨blue lotus⟩,² as the Harivaṃśa is delightful on account of the
appearance of ⟨Puṣkara⟩; [94] that were thronged with ⟨pairs of
fishes and with crabs⟩ as the Zodiac has ⟨Pisces, Gemini, and
Cancer⟩³; and that had hosts of ⟨birds, elephants, galangal,
and young medlar-trees⟩ as the parts of the day have the host of
⟨Śakuni, Nāga, Bhadra, and Vālava⟩.⁴ It also showed manifold
⟨metrical⟩ charms with «kusumavicitrās, vaṃśapatrapatitas, suku-
māralalitās, puṣpitāgrās, śikhariṇīs, praharṣiṇīs, and latās»,⁵
since it showed manifold charms ⟨produced⟩ through its «creepers,
lovely on account of their flowers, which had fallen on the
bamboo leaves, tender in their grace, tipped with blossoms,
crested, and charming».
[95] As if by a very dear mistress with outstretched wavy
arms, it was embraced, furthermore, by the Rēvā, whose waters
were perfumed by the abundance of the drops of liquid which had
fallen from the fragments⁶ of fullblown lotuses shaken by many
monstrous tails of bhāḥkūṭa-fish⁷ that had been terrified by the
notes, indistinct for passion, of geese and herons; whose waters
¹ See Jolly, Medicin, pp. 79–80, Strassburg, 1901.
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘⟨the blue lotus and the bedda-nut tree⟩, as the
Harivaṃśa is delightful on account of the appearance of ⟨Viṣṇu⟩.’
³ Tel. ed and Srirangam text, ‘thronged with pairs of ⟨fishes, dolphins, and crabs⟩,
as the Zodiac has ⟨Pisces, Capricorn, Cancer, and Gemini⟩.’
⁴ See Ginzel, Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie, 1. 359–
361, Leipzig, 1906.
⁵ See Weber, Ueber die Metrik der Inder, pp. 380, 394, 366, 361–362, 393, 384,
Berlin, 1863; Colebrooke, Miscellaneous Essays, 2. 144, London, 1873. Srirangam
text, like Hall’s manuscript D and the commentator, adds ‘like the Chandōviciti.’
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘fallen from masses of lotuses.’
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘by monstrous jaws of utkuṭa-fish’; similarly the Srirangam text, though
the latter has ‘bhākūṭa-fish.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 71
had been drunk up by the circling navels of beauties of Pulinda
kings at their evening ablutions ¹; [96] whose banks resounded
with the din of flamingoes noisy with passion ²; whose waters
were curdled with drops of the streams of ichor exuded from the
temple lobes of must elephants near its banks ³; with the gardens
on its shores witnesses to the trituration of the tremulous sport of
pairs of young deities delightfully ensconced on the sand formed
by the abundant dust fallen from the forests of screw-pines that
grew along its banks; [97] in whose waters dove the nymphs
who dwelt in bowers within bits of rose-apple that had fallen
near the forests ⁴ on its banks; whose environs ⁵ were lauded by
pairs of divinities drawn by curiosity at the sound of the sweet,
low notes of the many gallinules that nestled in the creepers of
chair-bottom cane growing on its shores ⁶; [98] whose banks
were strident with the screams ⁷ of multitudes of wild cocks
whose nests thronged the bowers of reeds ⁸ that had sprung up
near its shores; whose soft banks were trodden by the water
nymphs ⁹; whose tremulous ¹⁰ waves were rippled by the breezes
from the gardens; [99] whose demi-carp were watched by female
herons ¹¹ which had entered the numerous bowers of reeds; whose
reed-forests ¹² were terrible from supporting paddy birds eager
for the shoals of small fish; the water near whose bank was
coloured by the shoals of exceedingly quick rājilas fleeing from
¹ Tel. ed., ‘concealed in the circles of the deep navels of beauties of Pulinda kings
bathing at eventide’; similarly the Srirangam text.
² This clause is omitted by Tel. ed.
³ Tel. ed., ‘abundance of drops . . . falling from the rounded frontal lobes of the
huge must elephants standing near its banks’; Srirangam text, ‘must elephants standing
near the river-banks.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘lotuses fallen in the cavities on its banks.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘delightsomeness.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘sound of the abundant amorous sport of the gallinules that nestled in the
forests of chair-bottom cane.’
⁷ Srirangam text, ‘made by.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘screams of wild cocks thronging the bowers of masses of reeds.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘whose very soft sands were trodden by water nymphs
eager to enjoy the sunshine.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘very tremulous.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘evil female herons.’
¹² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the tendrils of whose reed-forests.’

72 VĀSAVADATTĀ
the sight of the uddaṇḍapālas who moved within the circles of its
rippling ¹ waves ; [100] whose shores ² were dug up by hundreds ³
of barbarians whose greed for getting treasure had been aroused
by the sight of the mating of pairs of wagtails.
[101] As if angry, it displayed a ‹distortion of its face›, for it
displayed an ‹outlet and waves› ; drunk, so to say, it had a
‹tottering gait›, for it had a ‹winding current› ; it was the beauty
of the dawn, as it were, that gives ‹time› increase, for it gave its
‹shores› increase ; it was like unto the place of combat of the
Bhāratas with ‹quivering corpses›, for it had ‹dancing waters› ; it
was, one might fancy, the rainy season with ‹peacocks appearing
but serpents hidden›, for its ‹pools were hid by expanded
lotuses› ; [102] it seemed to be one who courts a ‹king› out of
desire for gain,⁴ for it courted the ‹mountain›. And also—
Even to-day it seems to call on him ⁵
Who from a jar was born, while on its heights
Loud scream the elephants, with temples rent
By tawny lions' fearsome claws and keen.
Then said Makaranda :
[103] ‘Behold this lion with his sinewy frame,
Now rising high behind and now before ⁶ ;
His curving tail along his archèd back,
His cavernous mouth, and white-tipped fangs agleam ;
Yea, and his ears erect,⁷ the while he springs
Upon the lordly king of elephants.⁸
‘And furthermore—
‘His ears erect,⁹ in sudden onslaught skilled,
His mane astart, and jaws all hideous,¹⁰
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit.
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘uneven shores.’ ³ Tel. ed. omits ‘hundreds.’
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘it seemed an amorous woman ‹courting a king›.’
⁵ Agastya ; cf. Rāmāyaṇa, 7. 57.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text interchange the order of the epithets.
⁷ Tel. ed., ‘neck erect.’
⁸ The literal translation of this stanza is given above, Introduction, p. 26.
⁹ Srirangam text, ‘neck erect.’ ¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘cavernous.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 73
His stiffened tail high-waving in the breeze—
No artist could portray this awful beast
[104] What time he croucheth on the mighty brow
Of some great elephant, shrill trumpeting
Adown the lonely dells of Vindhya's mount.'
Meanwhile, in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree ¹ that seemed
a paramour conspicuous on account of ⟨aphrodisiacs⟩, since it was
conspicuous on account of its ⟨mainas⟩,² he (Kandarpakētu) rested,
after having gone a few steps ³ along the Vindhya forest which
abounded in ⟨banyans⟩ as a river in a low region abounds in
⟨underbrush⟩; [105] which had ⟨great reeds everywhere⟩ as the
battlefield ⁴ of the capture of Uttara's kine had ⟨Bṛhannalā
appear⟩; which produced an abundance of ⟨camphor⟩ as the
entrance of a drum in a dry land produces an abundance of
⟨water from the clouds⟩⁵; which had ⟨sap inherent in many
trees⟩ as the nectarous converse of the wise has its ⟨savour drunk
by many a knave⟩; which continually held ⟨plantain trees⟩ as
Nalakūbara's desire was to hold ⟨Rambhā⟩ continually; [106]
which had its paths indicated by ⟨ghaṇṭāravā-plants⟩ as the
course of a must elephant has his path indicated by the ⟨sound
of his bells⟩; which had ⟨quickly growing kadambas⟩ as the
worship of the Holy Lord ⁶ has ⟨many fruits growing near by⟩;
which gave joy to hundreds of ⟨reeds⟩ as the wealth of Virāṭa
gave joy to hundreds of ⟨Kīcakas⟩.⁷
[107] Meanwhile, to the peak of the western mount climbed
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘in the shade under a rose-apple tree.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add, ‘like Vikartana, who ⟨loved Chāyā⟩, for it had
⟨delightful shade⟩; like Viṣṇu, who possessed ⟨Lakṣmī⟩, for it possessed ⟨beauty⟩; as
a king bent on invasion is adorned with ⟨thronging vehicles⟩, it was adorned with
⟨close-set leaves⟩; as the Veda is bedecked with many ⟨schools⟩, it was bedecked with
many ⟨branches⟩; as a group of courtesans has ⟨the love of many paramours⟩; it was
⟨bright with many buds⟩.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘a journey of some length’; Srirangam text, ‘a journey of some steps.’
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘as the land of the capture’; cf. Mahābhārata, 4. 36–69.
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘as the drum in the Kuru land brought a host of full
mighty men’ (i. e., the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas). The allusion seems to be to a rain charm.
⁶ Śiva. Tel. ed., ‘as the worship of the Holy Lord has ⟨many fruits gone forth
from afar⟩, it had ⟨lofty-growing kadambas⟩.’
⁷ Cf. Mahābhārata, 4. 14–22.

74 VĀSAVADATTĀ
that very god whose garment is of rays, with his disc red as the
eyes of a must buffalo ¹ exhausted by heat. Then Makaranda,
getting fruits and roots, brought an abundance ² of pleasing food
in some way or other, and himself ate the remainder of what had
been enjoyed by Kandarpakētu. Thereupon, placing that most
dear one on the tablet of his heart, looking on her as if limned
by a pencil,³ [108] Kandarpakētu, with unshaken resolution,
slept on a couch of boughs prepared by Makaranda. Then,
when but half a watch of the night ⁴ had elapsed, Kandarpakētu
heard there, on the tip of the rose-apple tree, the chatter of
a parrot and a maina ⁵ quarrelling one with the other, and he
said to Makaranda : ‘ Good friend, let us now listen to the chit-
chat of this pair ’ !
[109] Then the maina ⁶ said, in a voice tremulous with anger :
‘ Wretch ! you have gone off courting some other maina ! How
else have you passed this night ’ ? Hearing this,⁷ the parrot said
to her : ‘ My dear, an unprecedented story has been heard and
witnessed by me ⁸ ; for this reason there has been a loss of time.’
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ forest elephant.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘ abundance.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ looking on that most dear one as if limned by the
pencil of fancy on the tablet of his heart.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ when but a watch of the night had elapsed,’ also
omitting ‘ there.’
⁵ The association of the parrot and maina (here called śārikā) is a common-
place in both the ancient and the modern literature of India. In this association they
convey weighty information in Swynnerton, Rājā Rasālu, pp. 105, 115–117, Calcutta,
1884 (where the maina is called šārak); Knowles, Folk-Tales of Kashmir, 2 ed.,
pp. 65–66, London, 1893 (where it is termed hār); Schiefner, Tibetan Tales, tr. Ralston,
pp. 168–169, London, 1906; Steel and Temple, Wide-Awake Stories, p. 139, Bombay
1884; Ram Satya Mukharji, Indian Folklore, p. 60, Calcutta, 1904 (where the maina
is called sāri). On talking birds in general in modern Indian folk-tales cf. Knowles,
op. cit., pp. 168–169, 198, 231, 434; Steel and Temple, op. cit., pp. 176, 412; Temple,
Legends of the Panjāb, 1. 9–10, Bombay, 1884; Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 41–42,
134–135, London, 1883; Frere, Old Deccan Days, 2 ed., pp. 74–75, London, 1870; Dra-
cott, Simla Village Tales, p. 62, London, 1906; Natesa Sastri, Dravidian Nights, p. 275,
Madras, 1886; O’Connor, Folk-Tales from Tibet, pp. 160, 166, London, 1906. On
the basis of the belief see MacCulloch, Childhood of Fiction, pp. 38, 247, London, 1905.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ a maina in the rose-apple bower, in a voice tremulous
with anger, said to a parrot that had come after a long time.’
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text insert ‘ then.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘ dismiss your wrath ! An unprecedented great story
has been witnessed by me.’

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 75
Then, being urged¹ by the maina, whose curiosity had been
aroused, he began to recount the tale.
[110] ‘There is a city named Kusumapura,² adorned with
whitewashed houses³ that have ‹statues› as the introductions⁴ to
the Bṛhatkathā have ‹heroines›⁵; where ‹children play› even as
the ‹māṇavakakrīḍas›⁶ have metres; that have ‹turrets› as herds
of elephants have ‹must beasts›; that have ‹windows› as Sugrīva's
army had ‹Gavākṣa›; that are situated in ‹pleasant places› as
Bali's abodes are situated in the ‹Sutala-hell›; [111] that is filled
with a population which is ‹Kubēra› yet «Varuṇa», for it is
‹generous› and «wise»; which is a ‹goatherd› yet a «deer», for
it ‹holds fast to passion› and is «delightful»⁷; which is ‹Priyam-
vada› yet «Puṣpakētu», for it ‹speaks kindly› and is «bedecked
with flowers»; which is ‹Bharata› yet «Śatrughna», for it
‹delights in astronomy› and «slays its foes»⁸; [112] which
‹makes the lunar day its highest object› yet «gives no heed to
the lunar day», for it is ‹devoted to lovers› and «gives full heed

¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘repeatedly pressed.’
² With this description of Kusumapura Cartellieri (‘Subandhu and Bāṇa,’ in WZKM.
I. 132) compares that of Ujjayinī in Kādambarī, pp. 102–111, Bombay ed., 1890
(tr. Ridding, pp. 210–214, London, 1896). Kusumapura is, of course, synonymous
with Pāṭaliputra, the Palibothra of the classics, and the modern Patna (cf. Lassen,
Indische Alterthumskunde, I, 2 ed., 167–169, Leipzig, 1867; Hall, Introd., pp. 35–36;
M'Crindle, Ancient India as described in Classical Literature, p. 42, n. 3, West-
minster, 1901).
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘radiant with houses ‹white with auspicious white-
wash› as the peaks of Mount Mandara are ‹delightsome with renowned ambrosia›.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘sections.’ Lacôte (Essai sur Guṇāḍhya et la
Bṛhatkathā, pp. 220–225, Paris, 1908), adopting the lambhāir or lambhakāir of
Hall's manuscripts D and F and the commentator Jagaddhara, translates ‘conquests,’
thus bringing the allusion of Subandhu into harmony with the divisions of the
Kathāsaritsāgara and Bṛhatkathāmañjarī (for other interpretations see Speyer, ‘Het
zoogenaamde groote verhaal (de Bṛhatkathā) en de tijd zijner samenstelling,’ in
Verslagen en mededeelingen der Koninklijk Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afdeeling
Letterkunde, 4. 9. 142; Von Mańkowski, Der Auszug aus dem Pañcatantra in
Kshemendras Bṛihatkathāmañjarī, Introd., p. 10, Leipzig, 1892).
⁵ Lacôte (loc. cit.) very plausibly translates śālabhañjikā by ‘vidyādharīs’. (cf.
Jagaddhara's gloss ad loc., śālabhañjikā vidyādharī, ‘śālabhañjikā (is the same as)
vidyādharī’).
⁶ See Weber, Ueber die Metrik der Inder, p. 367, Berlin, 1863.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘which is ‹Kṛṣṇa› yet «Rāma», for it is ‹eloquent›
and «delightful».’
⁸ Srirangam text, ‘yet «Lakṣmaṇa» . . . and «prosperous».’