THE
MALAVIKAGNIMITRA.
A SANSKRIT PLAY BY KALIDASA.
LITERALLY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE
C. H. TAWNEY
C.
H. Tawney, M.A.
Malavikagnimitram
of
Kalidasa
THE
MALAVIKAGNIMITRA.
A SANSKRIT
PLAY BY KALIDASA.
LITERALLY
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE
C. H. TAWNEY,
MA.,
PREFACE.
THE following
translation is intended for the use of persons
beginning the
study of Sanskrit literature. The admirable
edition of
this play by Shankar Pandit, M.A., forming
No. VI. of
the Bombay Sanskrit Series, will hardly meet the
needs of
the tiro. Professor Weber's German translation was
made from a
faulty text ; and it is possible that many who
take up the
study of Sanskrit may not be familiar with German.
There
seems therefore to be an opening for an English
translation
sufficiently literal to assist beginners in unravelling
the difficulties
of the Sanskrit text. The number of
students who
master the rudiments of Sanskrit is increasing
every day.
A knowledge of the grammar of this language
is indispensable
to the student of comparative Philology, and
whatever may
be thought of the abstract merits of Sanskrit
literature,
it must always have its value for Englishmen who
have chosen
an Indian career, as throwing a flood of light
upon the social
customs and modes of thought of the more
cultivated
classes of modern Hindu society.
The Malavikagnimitra
furnishes us with a vivid picture
of a native
court in the most flourishing period of
Indian history,
probably about the third century after Christ.
An attempt
was indeed made by the late Professor Wilson to
show that the
play could not have been written before the
tenth or eleventh
century, and was therefore not the work of
the great
Kalidasa. His objections, which rest solely upon
internal
evidence, 1 have been fully refuted by Weber, whose
1 There is
not the same melody in the verse nor fancy in the thoughts.
Wilson's Hindoo Theatre,
Vol. II., p- 346.
IV PREFACE.
arguments are
reproduced in Sliankar Pandit's edition, and
fortified with
some additional proofs. So far from the internal
evidence
being against the traditional belief that the
play is the
work of the great Kalidasa, a great many coincidences
of style and
thought between this and the other works
attributed
to him are pointed out by the above-mentioned
scholars. Indeed,
Wilson in his account
of the play supplies
us with some
arguments in favour of its antiquity, though
he finally
decides against it. I confess it seems to me difficult
to understand
how a critic who places Bhavabhuti in
the eighth
century can have assigned so late a date to the
Malavikagnimitra.
With reference to Bhavabhuti, Wilson
observes '
:
" The
date thus given to the compositions of
"
Bhavabhuti is quite in accordance with their internal evi-
" dence.
The manners are purely Hindoo, without any foreign
te admixture.
The appearance of women of rank in public,
" and
their exemption from any personal restraint in their
" own
habitations, are very incompatible with the presence
" of Mahometan
rulers. The licensed existence of Buddha
tl
ascetics, their
access to the great, and their employment
" as teachers
of science, are other peculiarities characteristic
" of an
early date, which the worship of Civa in his terrific
"
forms, and
the prevalence of the practices of the Yoga,
" are
indications of a similar tendency."
Now, it is
curious that in the Malavikagnimitra we find a
female Buddhist
ascetic held in great honour, who speaks
Sanskrit, and
not Prakrit (the ordinary dialect of women in
the Indian
plays, even of queens), is apparently acquainted
with the
theory and practice of medicine, 'and is usually addressed
as " learned"
or " reverend/'
It is indeed
an objection to the historical truth of the play
that Pushpamitra
was according to Buddhist accounts a zeal-
1 lliudoo Theatre,
Vol. II., p. 4.
PREFACE.
cms persecutor
of Buddhists. But it does not follow that his
son Agnimitra
was hostile to the Buddhists ; indeed, he may
have quarrelled
with his father upon this very ground : (see
the expression
vigatarosJiachetasa, p. 107, line 11, of the Bombay
edition),
' besides,
it is not necessary to our position to suppose
that the author
possessed accurate information with
respect to
the history of the kings of the Cunga dynasty, which
flourished
so long before the date assigned by modern scholars
to the
great Kalidasa.
Civa is invoked
in the Malavikagnimitra, though we have
no trace
of the bloody worship of his consort Kali, of which
we read in
the works of Bhavabhuti, and which is generally
believed to
be of comparatively modern origin. As for the
diction of
our play, it is free from the long and involved compounds
and
"dark conceits" which puzzle the student of
Bhavabuti's
works, and is throughout fresher and more natural
than the style
of that poetl
Those who are
not convinced by the arguments of Weber
and
Shankar Pandit that the play was composed by the
author of the
Cakuntala will, I think, admit on reading it,
that it furnishes
us with a genuine description of Hindu
society before
the Mahometan invasion.
For this reason
it has an abiding historical value, though
no one
would, of course, think of comparing it in this respect
with the Mrichchhakati,
which reveals to us strata of Hindu
society, that
were apparently beneath the notice of the
author of
the courtly Malavikagnimitra. I now proceed to
extract from
the second volume of Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde
an account
of the Cunga dynasty of kings of
which Pushpamitra
was the founder :
1 This is a
conjecture of my own. Shnnkar Pandit supposes he may have
been angry
because his son was sent to guard the horse.
VI PREFACE.
" After
the death of A$oka the vast dominions of the
"
Mauvya 1
kings
broke up into three kingdoms. The first was
" in Magadha,
the kings of which have been already men-
" tioned.
The second was that of Jaloka, which included a
"
great part
of North-Western India as well as Kacmira. He
" is no
doubt identical with the Indian king, called by the
" Greeks
Sophagasenos, who was a contemporary of Antio-
" elms
the great, and renewed with him the treaty which his
" forefathers
had m ade. .......
" The
third kingdom of the Mauryas probably embraced a
"
part of the
south-western provinces of the original kingdom,
" as its
kings are mentioned as successors of Kunala, who
" was
Viceroy in Takshacila and Gandhara.
" After
the death of his father, Sampadi must have de-
" clared
himself independent, and a struggle probably arose
" between
the three brothers, in which Jaloka was victorious,
" and
obtained the greater part of his father's kingdom.
"Suyacas
secured the eastern, Sampadi the soulh-western
{(
portion. He
probably transferred the seat of his sove-
"
reignty to
Vidia, at any rate this city appears as the
" of
the capital succeeding dynasty of Cunga kings.
" We possess
some information about Pushpamitra the
" founder
of this dynasty in a Buddhist work, and also in
" the
drama Malavikagnimitra. The Purauas only inform us
" that
he was the general of the last Maurya Brihadratha^
" whom
he deprived of his throne and his life. In the Bud-
" dhist
work we are told that he was the last of the Mauryas,
" and
that his predecessor was called Pushyadharman. The
" first
statement is of course a mistake, the second may be
"
supposed to
be correct, as the name could scarcely have been
1 Said to be
derived from Mura, the mother of Chandragupta, the first
Maurya king.
PREFACE. VII
" invented.
' According to the drama the capital of his son
<
{
Agnimitra was
Vidi^a, so we are perhaps justified in sup-
"
posing that
he was originally in the service of Pushyadhartl
man, and that
after usurping his throne, he deprived the
''
king of Magadha
of his sovereignty. The fact that in
" another
account, which we shall proceed to lay before our
"
readers, he
is represented as reigning at Pataliputraneednot
"
surprise us,
as in this account he is supposed to belong to the
"
Maurya dynasty.
" We are
told in the drama that, intending to perform the
"
horse-sacrifice,
he let loose a horse, which, as it was wandering
((
along the right
bank of the Indus, was carried off by a squa-
" dron
of Yavana cavalry, but rescued by its guard under Va-
" sumitra.
" We cannot
of course be certain whether this was the real
" cause
of the quarrel or not, but so much is clear that Pushpa-
" mitra
came into collision with the Greeks on the bank of the
" Indus.
As he ascended the throne in 178 B. C. ,this struggle
" must
have taken place in the reign of Eukratides. According
" to the
account in the drama, it took place under the rule of his
" son
Agnimitra, whose general he was, but this is contrary
(i both to
Brahmanical and Buddhist accounts, and the truth
<l
probably is,
that during the latter years of his reign he
" associated
his son with himself as partner in the era-
"
pire. Much
more important is another event of his life,
" of which
we possess an account. From it, it is evident
" that
he was stirred up by the Brahmans to persecute the
" Buddhists
; in other words, that a great change took place in
11 the views
of the mightiest Indian prince of the time, and
1 The subjective
character of the Hindu mind prevented Indian writers from
bequeathing
to posterity trustworthy historical records. Accordingly Lassen
and other
antiquaries who undertake to furnish us with a history of ancient
India are obliged,
where the Greek accounts fail them, to make a liberal use of
conjecture.
PREFACE.
"
produced its
natural results. The incident to which I allude
'
is narrated
in the following way. Pushpamitra summoned a
" council
of his ministers and asked them what was the best
" course
for him to adopt in order to obtain undying glory.
"
They reminded
him of the example of his predecessor AQoka,
" who
made the 84 thousand proclamations of the law, and
"
whose fame would last as long as the law of Bhagavat 1
pre-
" vailed.
The King answered that he preferred some other
"
means of making himself famous, and applied to a Hindu
"purohita,
who recommended him to suppress Buddhism by
" force.
The King adopted the suggestion, and went with a
" force
composed of all four arms2 to Kuttukarama in the vicitf
nity of
Pataliputra, with the firm determination of destroying
<l the law
of Bhagavat. Three times when on the very thres-
" hold
of the vi/idra,
3 he was deterred
by the roar of a lion
"
from carrying out his intention, and returned to the city
" without
effecting any thing. At last he summoned a meet-
"
ing of the
inmates of the monastery, and informed them that
" he intended
to destroy the law of Buddha, and asked them
"
which they would choose, the destruction of the vihdra, or
"that
of the stiipa.* They preferred to leave the place ; the
"
King then utterly
destroyed the vihdra, and massacred all
" its
inhabitants. He than moved on to Cakala, where he pro-
" claimed
that whoever brought in the head of a Cramana 5
" should
receive a hundred gold pieces. One of these offered
" his
own head to the murderers, in order to save the law and
" the
lives of the other Arhats. 6 When the King heard this,
1 This -word
here is equivalent to Buddha.
2
Viz., cavalry,
infantry, elephants, and archers.
3 Buddhist
convent.
* A kind of
tumulus erected over relics of the great Buddha (commonly
called Tope).
6 Buddhist
ascetic.
6 The highest
rank in the Buddhist hierarchy.
PREFACE. IX
" he gave
orders that every Arhat in that province should be
"
put to death,
but he subsequently met with so much opposi-
" tion
that he no longer continued his persecutions in this quar-
"
ter, but
turned off to Koshtaka, and thence went towards the
"southern
sea, near which he is said to have been imprisoned
"
by a Yaksha
in a mountain together with his whole army.
" On account
of the massacre of the holy men he received the
" title
of Munihata, slayer of hermits.
" This
is the only account which we have of his attempt to
"
put down Buddhism.
It is at any rate clear from this story
" that
the Buddhists were so powerful at this time that the
"
Brahmans, not
being able to overcome them by fair means,
" made
use of their influence over a sovereign of their own
"
religious persuasion
to accomplish their object by violent
" measures.
They must have welcomed his assistance all the
"more
gladly, as according to the above account he was
ft
evidently in
possession of an extensive dominion. It stands
" to reason
that the King- could only act in this arbitrary
" manner
in his own dominions, we may therefore conclude
"thatCakala
1 and Koshtaka were comprised in them. The
" first
appears to have been the furthest limit of his dominions
{< in this
direction, because we are told that here he met with
"
opposition.
The only objection to the story is, that at this
" time
Eukratides is said to have reigned as far as the Vipaga,*
" but
this is removed by supposing that after the murder of
tl this
king- Pushpamitra availed himself of the confusion to
" which
it gave rise and made himself master of Cakala.
" It is
evident that at the time of his greatest prosperity
"
Pushpamitra
ruled the greater part of the original Maurya
"
kingdom. We
get a hint from another source of the extent
1 Cakala is
in the Punjab beyond the Vitasta or Jhelum, the Hydaspes of
the Greeks.
The Greeks called the town Sagala ; Koshtaka is not mentioned
elsewhere.
2
t. e., the
Beeas.
X PREFACE.
" of his
realm towards the south. In the drama the Narmada
"
is mentioned
as its southern limit, for Virasena the brother-in-
" law
of Agnimitra is represented as in command of a border
" fortress
on this river. In a war which he had with the king
" of Vidarbha
the latter monarch was overcome, and compelled
" to surrender
one half of his kingdom to Madhavasena, a
" friend
of the conqueror's, and the Varada was fixed as the
"
boundary of
the territories of the two princes. It is however
"
most probable that this territory was not conquered by the
" founder
of the dynasty but by his son after his death. His
"dominions
accordingly extended, if we include those of his
"
vassal, to
the table-land of the Deckan. His possession of
" so wide
a territory explains why the Cunga kings are always
"
spoken of as
the successors of the Maurya dynasty. The
" founder
of the dynasty reigned 36 years according to the
"
most probable account. The Puranas agree in representing
"the dynasty
as lasting for 112 years, and the lengths of the
"
reigns of Pushpamitra's
successors agree with one exception
"in both
accounts. The discrepancy only amounts to two
"years,
and as there is no antecedent improbability in the
"
numbers, we
have no reason for doubting their correctness.
" If we
subtract the years of his successors' reigns, we have
"
only 30 years
left for the reign of the founder. The simplest
11 way of
reconciling this discrepancy is to suppose that he first
" established
his power in the seventh year, or perhaps was
"
crowned in that year, so that the first six years have been
" omitted.
TVe know nothing about his successors, except their
" names
and the length of their reigns, which are as follows.
" Vasumitra
reigned 8 or 10 years
1
"
Sujyeshtha
7 years.
"Ardraka
2
"Pulindaka
3
1 The Yayu
Purana gives 8, the Matsya Parana 10.
PREFACE. X
" Gosbavasu
reigned 3 years.
"Vajramitra
9
"
Bhagavata 32
"Devabhuti
10
"These
ten kings reigned from 178 B.C. to 66 B.C., and in
"
every case
tbe son ascended tbe throne of bis fatber.
" The
next dynasty bears the name of Kanva, and was
" founded
by Vasudeva, the Minister of the last Cunga king,
" who
murdered bis dissolute master and ascended bis throne."
Such is tbe
history of the Cunga dynasty, or rather all
that one of
the most able of Indian archaeologists, familiar
with every
nook and corner of Sanskrit literature, can present
to us as a
substitute for history. No doubt the view of the
relations subsisting
between Agnimitra and Pushpamitra
which we find
in the play is unhistorical. But that does
not impair
the value of the drama as a picture of Indian
manners at
a time when Buddhism and Brahmanism were both
favoured religions,
contending for dominion over the whole
of India.
It only
remains for me to say that I have endeavoured to
give translations
of all the most important various readings in
Taranatha's
edition, and I must express myself highly indebted
to his commentary,
which has guided me in the interpretation
of several
passages upon which Shankar Pandit's notes throw
no light.
Calcutta, January
1875.
MALAVIKAGNIMITRA.
MAY that
lord who, though established in sole supremacy,
and bestowing
great blessings upon his votaries,
1
himself wears
the garment of skin ;
2 who, though
his body
is united with
that of his beloved,
3
is at the head
of ascetics
whose
minds are averted from outward objects ; in whom
there is no
arrogance, though he supports the whole world
with his eight
forms,
4 may he,
I say, remove our5 state of
darkness in
order that we may behold the perfect way.
6
Here ends the
Ndndi.1
1 Taranatha
Tarkavachaspati reads pranatdbahuphale agreeing with
the word "
supremacy,"
i.e., from which result great blessings to his
votaries, such
as heaven, emancipation, &c.
a In Civa's
case, the skin of a panther. Skin garments were characteristic
of ascetics.
3 Civa and
Parvati are one individual, the left portion of whose body
is female,
and the right male (Shankar Pandit). According to Professor
Weber, this
fact is first mentioned by Bardesanes, who derived it
from the members
of an Indian embassy to Heliogabalus.
4 The eight
forms are earth, water, fire, wind, sky, sun, moon, and
paqupati,
or lord of animals. The last is sometimes given as Yajamdna,
which appears
to mean " a person who employs priests to perform a
sacrifice."
Weber gives the last form as the Brahman caste. The
Rev. K. M.
Banerjea observes, that originally it meant " a celebrant,"
now "
a spiritual client." Bengal Magazine for September 1874.
5 Taranatha
reads vas for was, your state, &c.
6 The way of
moksha, or liberation.
7 Taranatha
observes that this Nandi is irregular. It ought to have
eight or twelve
lines.
( 2 )
Enter the Manager.
Manager (looking
towards the curtain}. Actor,1 come
here for a
moment.
Enter Actor.
Actor. Sir,
here I am.
Manager. I
have received the following order from the
spectators
:
" You
must act at this spring festival a play
named Malavikagnimitra,
composed
2
by Kalidasa
;" therefore
let the music
be begun.
Actor. Not
so, I pray. Why do the spectators pass
over the compositions
of famous poets, like the honoured
bards Bha"sa,
Saumilla,3 and others, and do such great
honour to the
work of Kalidasa, a modern poet ?
Manager. Ah
! your remark is wanting in critical
acumen. Every
old poem is not good because it is old ;
nor is every
new poem to be blamed because it is new ;
sound critics,
after examination, choose one or the other, the
blockhead must
have his judgment guided by reliance upon
his neighbours.
1 Called pdripdrgvika,
or assistant. The manager (sutradhdra)
addresses him
by the title of mdrisha. He uses bhdva as a term of
respect in
addressing his master.
2
Literally,
the whole business or plot of which was composed.
The "spring
festival" of course corresponds to the modern Holi festival.
3 Pandit Taranatha
Tarkavachaspati reads Dhavaka, Saumilla,
Kaviputra,
and others. Dhavaka was, according to Mammata Bhatta,
the author
of the Ratnavali and Nagananda ; but his avarice induced
him to forego
the honour of their authorship in favour of Harsha Deva,
king of Kashmir,
who lived at the beginning of the 12th century.
I prefer the
reading of Shankar Pandit's edition, because if we adopt
the
reading Dhavaka, and believe that he is the Dhavaka mentioned
in the Kavya
Prakac,a, we cannot ascribe the play to the great Kalidasa.
But the
question must eventually be settled by diplomatic criticism.
None of the
Bombay manuscripts read Dhavaka.
( 3 )
Actor. The
honourable spectators are the best judges.
Manager. Then
make haste. I long to perform the order
of the spectators
which I received some time ago \vith
bowed head,
even as this servant of the Queen Dharini,1
skilful in
attendance, longs to perform her order.
\_Exeunt
Actors.
End of the
Introductory dialogue.*
Enter a female
servant.
Female servant.
I am ordered by the Queen Dharini to
ask the teacher
of dancing, the noble Ganadasa, what
degree of proficiency
Malavika has attained in the dance
called
Ghalita, in which she has for a long time been instructed.
Therefore,
let me enter the music-hall. ( With
these words
she walks round.')
Enter another
female servant, with an ornament in her hand.
First female
servant (having seen the second). Hola !
Kaumudika !
Why are you in such a brown .study that,
though you
pass close to me, you do not cast a glance in
my direction
?
Second female
servant. "Why, bless my soul, here is
Vakulavalika.
My friend, I was contemplating this beautiful
ring of
the Queen's with a snake-stone seal, which I
have just brought
from the jeweller's, and so I came to merit
your reproof.
VakulavaWcd
(observing it). Your gaze was rivetted on
a thing worth
looking at. By means of this ring, from
which a stream
of rays breaks forth, the extremity of your
hand appears,
as it were, adorned with flowers.
Kaumudika.
Come now, where are you going?
1 Dharini is
the covptSt'fj aXc^ce liable to be supplanted or supplemented
at any time
by an i^alperov ^wpr]fj.a.
a Skr.
prastdoand, which Monier Williams explains by prologue.
The Sanskrit
dramatists made much use of these Euripidean devices.
( 4 )
Vakulavalika.
I am going by the orders of the Queen
to ask the
noble Ganadasa, the teacher of dancing, what
sort of
pupil Malavikd has shewn herself.
Kaumudika.
Friend, though kept out of the way by
such an employment,
she has certainly been seen by the
king ; has
she not ?
Vakulavalika.
Yes, the girl was seen at the Queen's
side in a picture.
Kaumudika.
How did that come about ?
Vakulavalika.
Listen 1 The Queen had gone to the
hall of painting,
and was looking at a picture of the drawing-
master's on
which the hues of the colouring were still
fresh ; at
that very moment in came the king.
Kaumudika.
What happened then ?
Vakulavalika.
Then, after the customary salutation,
the king sat
down on the same seat with the queen, and
beholding Malavika
in the midst of the queen's attendants
and very
near to her, he asked the queen.
Kaumudika.
What, I pray ?
Vakulavalika.
" What is the name of this extraordinarily
beautiful girl
standing near you in the painting?"
Kaumudika.
Admiration naturally follows forms of
surpassing
loveliness. What happened then ?
Vakulavalika.
Then the king finding that no attention
was paid to
his question, and becoming suspicious, began
to importune
the queen again and again. Then the princess
Vasulakshmi
said Sir, this is Malavika.
Kaumudika.
That is child-nature all over. Tell me
what happened
next.
Vakulavalika.
What else than this ? Malavika is now
kept with especial
care out of the range of the king's eyes.
Kaumudika.
Come now, go and do your errand. I too
will give the
ring to the queen.
[Exit Kaumudika.
( 5 )
Vakulavaliha
(walking round and looking about). Here is
the
teacher of dancing, the noble Ganadasa, coming out
of the music-hall
: let me shew myself.
Enter Ganadasa.
Ganadasa. Although
every one of course thinks most
of his own
hereditary lore, still the importance I attach to
dancing is
not without foundation, how can it be ? Sages
say that this
is a pleasing sacrificial feast to the eyes of
the gods, being
developed in two different ways by Civa in
his body
which is blended with that of Uma,1 in it is seen
the behaviour
of men arising from the three qualities,
2
and distinguished
by various sentiments ; dancing is the
one chief amusement
of human beings, though their tastes
are different.
Valtulavalika
(advancing}. Reverend sir, I salute thee.
Ganadasa. My
good girl, may you live long.
Vakulavalika.
Noble sir, the queen wishes to know
whether
your pupil Malavika is not very troublesome to
teach.
Ganadasa. Let
the queen be informed that Malavika
is exceedingly
clever and intelligent; whatever movement
expressive
of sentiment is taught by me to her in
the way of
acting, that the girl, as it were, teaches to me
in return by
the admirable way in which she executes it.
Vakuldvalikd
(to herself). I seem to see her cutting out
Iravati. (Aloud)
Your pupil may be already considered a
success since
her instructor is so well satisfied with her.
Ganadasa. My
good girl, you know people like her
are hard to
find, so I must ask you, whence such a choice
attendant was
brought to the Queen.
1 Half of
Diva's body
dances as a lady, and half as a gentleman.
3
Goodness, passion,
and darkness.
( 6 )
Vakulavaliha.
The Queen has a brother of inferior
caste, Virasena
by name, he has been placed by the king
in command
of a frontier fortress on the banks of the
Mumldkini.1
He sent this girl as a present to his sister,
thinking her
just the sort of person to learn accomplishments.
Ganadasa (to
himself). From2 her distinguished appearance
I conjecture
that she is of high birth. (Aloud}
My wood girl,
I am certainly destined to become famous,
for the skill
of the teacher, when communicated to a worthy
object,
attains greater excellence, as the water of a cloud,
when dropped
into a sea-shell, acquires the nature of a
pearl.
3
Vakulavalika.
Well, where is your pupil ?
Ganadasa. Having
just now taught her the fivelimb
movement4 I
told her to rest, and so she has gone to
the window
that commands a view of the artificial lake,
and is enjoying
the delightful breeze.5
Vakulavalika.
Then, sir, give me leave to depart, in
order that
I may stimulate her zeal by informing her that
her teacher
is satisfied with her.
1 The Mandakini
here probably means the Narmada (Nerbudda).
One of the
Bombay manuscripts reads the Prakrit equivalent of Narmada.
8
Literally,
relying upon.
3
Referring to
the notion that drops of water fallen into sea-shells
under the
influence of the star Arcturus become pearls (Shankar
Pandit).
* In which
the mind, eye, eyebrow, feet, and hands are employed
equally (Taranatha).
5 Taranatha
reads simply pravdtam, the breeze.
( 7 )
Ganadasa. Go
and see your friend. I, too, as I have got
an interval
of leisure, will go home.
\_Exeunt Ganadasa
and Vakvlavalilta.
Here ends the
Vishkambhaka.*
Then the king
is discovered with his retinue standing
apart, and
attended by the minister seated behind him with
a letter in
his hand.
King (looking
at the Minister who has read the letter').
Vahatava, what
does the king of Vidarbha mean ?
2
Minister. To
destroy himself.
King, I want
to hear his dispatch at once.
Minister. He
has on the present occasion sent the
following answer
:
" My royal
brother has informed me,
that my cousin,
Prince Madhavasena, who had promised to
enter into
a matrimonial alliance with my royal brother,
while proceeding
to his court, was on the way attacked by
one of my wardens
of the marches and taken prisoner.
This man, with
his wife and sister, I am required to set free
out of regard
for my royal brother. Now my royal
brother knows
well enough what is the custom of kings
with respect
to sovereigns of equal birth ;
3
therefore,
he
1 An interlude
or introductory scene coming between the acts, and
performed by
an inferior actor or actors who explain to the audience
the progress
of the plot, and thus bind firmly together the story of the
drama, by concisely
alluding to what has happened in the intervals of
the acts or
is likely to happen at the end. (Monier Williams.)
* The reading
pratipadyate means " What answer does he give ?
"
3 Taranatha
reads tatra for tanna "In making this request my
royal
brother did not take into consideration." Weber, who appears to
have the same
reading, supplies in a note,
" and
how hostile have
accordingly
become the relations between me and my cousin." He
compares the
word bhrdtrivya, which from meaning originally
" brother's
son "
comes to mean "
enemy."
Compare also Bhartrihari (Bombay
( 8 )
should be impartial
in this matter : as for the prince's
sister she
disappeared in the confusion of the capture : I
will do my
utmost to find her. Anyhow my royal brother
can certainly
ensure Madhavasena's being set at liberty.
Mark the condition.
If my royal brother will set my
brother-in-law
free, the Maurya minister,
1 whom he has
imprisoned,
then I will immediately release Madhavasena
from
confinement." These are the contents of the letter.
King. What?
does the foolish fellow presume to bargain
with me about
an exchange of services ? Vahatava !
the king of
Vidarbha is my natural enemy, and sets himself
in opposition
to me : therefore give orders, as before
determined,
to the avenging army under the command of
Virasena to
root him up, inasmuch as he is numbered
among my foes.2
Minister. As
the king commands.
King. Or what
do you think about it yourself?
Minister. Your
Highness speaks in accordance with
the treatises
on policy. For an enemy that has but lately
Classical
Series) Niticjatakam st. 21, jndtiqched analena him f relations
are worse than
fire, on which the commentator observes ddydddh
sahnjdrayah
" kinsmen
are natural enemies." Such, with but few
exceptions,
has been the history of royal families in the East. " An
Amurath an
Amurath succeeds, not Harry Harry."
1 Weber takes
sachiva as a proper name. Taranatha reads dryasachicam
the noble minister.
Shankar Pandit does not appear to have
found the latter
reading in any of his manuscripts. He observes " the
name of this
brother-in-law of the king of Vidarbha is not known ;
as however
he was the minister of the Maurya kings of Pataliputra, it
is probable
that he was imprisoned by Agnimitra to prevent him from
rebelling
against his (Agnimitra's) father, who had murdered the last of
the Mauryas
Vrihadratha, and usurped his throne in his son's favour."
c. p. Lassen
Indische Alterthumskuude, Vol. II., p. 361 et seq.
9
Literally,
standing in the category of those that make themselves
liable to be
attacked (Shankar Pandit).
( 9 )
entered upon
his kiugdom, because he lias not taken root
in the
hearts of his subjects, is easy to extirpate, like a
tree that is
unsteady, because it has been only lately
planted.
King. So may
the saying of the wise compilers of
treatises prove
true. For this purpose let the general be
ordered to
put his troops in motion.
Minister. It
shall be done.
[Exit Minister.
H
The retinue
remain standing round the king in such an
arrangement
as the nature of their respective duties requires.
Enter the Vidushaka.1
Vidushaka.
His Highness gave me the following commission
:
"
Gautama, devise
some expedient by which I
may see
face to face Malavika whose picture I beheld by
accident."
Well I have done so, and will now inform him
of the fact.
(He walks round.}
King (seeing
the Vidushaka). Here is another minister
come to me
who superintends another department of my
affairs.
Vidushaka.
May your highness prosper.
King (nodding
his head). Sit down here.
The Vidushaka
takes a seat.
King. Has the
eye of your wisdom been employed in
devising a
means of attaining our object ?
Vidushaka.
Means indeed ! rather ask about the successful
accomplishment
of my commission.
1 The jocose
friend and companion of the king. He ia always a
Brahman. He
is the Leporello of the Indian drama.
B
King.
.-What do you mean ?
Vidushaka (whispers
in Ids ear}. This is what I mean.
King. Excellent,
my friend ! A clever start ! We hope
for good luck
in this enterprise, though success in it is
difficult to
attain. For it is the man with allies that is
able to accomplish
an undertaking surrounded with
obstacles,
even one who has the use of his eyes cannot without
a light perceive
an object in the darkness.
A voice behind
the scenes.
1 A truce to
excessive boasting.
In the presence
of the j^ing himself shall be decided which
of us is superior
and which inferior.
King. Friend,
a blossom has budded on your tree of
policy.
Vidushaka.
You shall see fruit also on it, I promise
you.
Then enter
the Chamberlain.
Chamberlain.
Your majesty, the minister begs to inform
you that your
orders have been carried out. But here are
Haradatta and
Ganadasa, the two professors of acting, each
eager for victory
over the other, wishing to have an interview
with your majesty,
like two dramatic passions incarnate
in bodily
form.
King.
Introduce them.
Chamberlain.
As the king commands (going oat and
returning
with them}.
Haradatta (looking
at the king*). Ye gods ! Awful is
the majesty
of the king. For he is not unfamiliar to
me, and he
is not stern of manner, nevertheless I approach
his side with
trembling; though the same, he appears
every moment
new to my eyes, even like the mighty
ocean.2
1
Nepathye, in
the tiring room, the postscenium.
2
Literally,
water-receptacle.
( 11 )
Ganaddsa.
Great indeed is the splendour that resides
in this
hero. 1 For though ray entrance has been permitted
by the guards
appointed to wait at the door, and though
I am advancing
towards the king with the attendant that
is always
about his throne, by the effulgence of his
majesty, that
repels my gaze, I am, as it were, without
words denied
access after all.
Chamberlain.
Here is the king, approach, gentlemen.
Both (advancing}.
May the king be victorious.
King.
"Welcome, gentlemen. (Looking round at the attendants.')
Seats for these
gentlemen.
They sit down
on chairs brought by the attendants.
King. What
is the meaning of this, that you two
professors
have come here at a time when you ought to
be teaching
your pupils?
Ganaddsa. Listen,
king ! I learned the art of dramatic
acting from
a good teacher. 2 I have given lessons in the
art. 3 I have
been favoured by the king and the queen.
King. I know
it well.
Ganaddsa. -I,
a man with such antecedents, have been
taunted by
this Haradatta in the presence of the principal
men of the
court in these words :
" This
man is not as
good as the
dust on my feet."4
1 PurusJiddhikdram
idam jyotih = etat purushddhikdram jyolih =
eshah puruishah
adhikdrah (adhikaranam, sthdnam) yasya tat. None of
the Bombay
MSS. read purushdkdram, the reading of Taranatha's
edition, which
means this splendour in the form of a man. It is of
course the
easier reading, and so far less likely to be correct.
3
Tirthdt, the
reading of Shankar Pandit, is practically equivalent to
Taranatha's
sutirthdt. Weber takes sutirtha as a proper name.
3 Taranatha
reads dattaprayogo 'smi devena. I had the professorship
of theatrical
representation conferred upon me by the king.
4 One is irresistibly
reminded of the two professors in Moliere'a
Bourgeois Geutilhoinine.
( 12 )
Haradatta.
King ! This man was first engaged in abuse
of me. He said,
" in truth,
there is the same difference
between
your reverence and myself that there is between
the ocean and
a puddle j"
1
therefore let
your Highness
examine him
and me in theoretical knowledge and in practical
skill. Your
Highness is able to discern the difference
between us
and to decide our case.
Vidushaka.
A fair proposal.
Ganaddsa. An
excellent idea !
2 The king
should listen
to us with
the utmost attention.
King. Stop
a minute,3 the queen may suspect partiality
in this matter
; therefore, the case had better be tried in the
presence of
the queen accompanied by the learned Kaugiki.
Vidushaka.
The king's suggestion is good.
The two Professors.
As seems good to the king.
King. Maudgalya,
summon the queen together with
the
revered saint Kaugiki, taking care to inform them of
this occurrence.
Chamberlain.
As the king commands (with these toords
he goes out,
and returns with the queen accompanied by the
Parivrdjikd*
or female Buddhist ascetic).
Chamberlain.
This way, this way, Queen Dhdrini.
1 Weber takes
this as an ironical speech of Ganadasa to Haradatta.
Shankar Pandit
says,
" this
is said ironically of Ganadasa, who, we may
suppose, used
the simile at first to disparage his rival. According to
Shankar Pandit,
therefore,
" He said
"
should be omitted.
Can atrabhavatah
refer to the
king to whom atralhavdn in the next line undoubtedly
refers ? This
seems to me the true interpretation .
a
Literally,
the best course to follow (Shankar Pandit).
3
Literally,
let it stand a little while (Shankar Pandit).
4 A wandering
female mendicant. She was a widow. The Hindoo
widow, says
Shankar Pandit, is not genera^y a wandering mendicant,
so we may assume
that she was a Buddhist, and this makes it likely that
the play is
much older than Wilson supposes.
( 13 )
Queen (looking
at the Parivrajika}. Reverend madam,
what do you
think of the quarrel between Ganadasa and
Haradatta ?
Parivrajika.
Cease fearing that your protege will be
defeated, Ganadasa
cannot be surpassed by any one.
Queen. Even
if this be true, still the favour of the
king gives
his rival the advantage.
Parivrajika.
Ah! consider also that you have a right
to the title
of queen. While the fire attains extreme brilliancy
from the assistance
of the sun, on the other hand the
moon also acquires
greatness when favoured by the night.
Vidushaka.
Look ! look ! Here is the queen arrived,
preceded by
the match-maker,1 the learned Kauc,iki.
King. I
see her, who indeed, decked with the auspicious
ornaments,2
aceompanied by Kau9iki in the dress of an
ascetic, shines
like the three Vedas incarnate accompanied
by the knowledge
of the Supreme Soul.3
Parivrajika
(advancing}. May the king be victorious !
King. Reverend
lady, I salute thee.
Parivrajika.
Mayest thou be for a hundred years the
husband of
Dharini and the earth,
4 the support
of living
creatures !
Queen. May
my husband be victorious !
1 Pitamardika,
according to Shankar Pandit, means one who assists
the
Nayika, or heroine, in her attempt to gain her lover. Weber
translates
it BdnJteldruckerin.
2 Such as
a wife would wear during the lifetime of her husband
(Shankar Pandit).
3 The Upanishads
(Shankar Pandit).
4 A pun on
the name of the queen. BMtadhdrini =1 the earth.
Kings are
again and again spoken of in Skr. poetry as the husbands of the
earth. Compare
Raghuvanqa, VIII, 51 (Bombay edition).
"
Surely I am
the husband
of the earth only in name, but my heart-felt pleasure was
in
thee."
( 14 )
King.-Welcome
to the queen ! (Looking towards the
Parivrdjikd).
Reverend lady, take a seat.
They all sit
down in due order.
King. Reverend
lady, a dispute about superiority in
skill has arisen
between Ganadasa and Haradatta, now
you must
occupy the position of judge in this matter.
Parivrdjikd.
Spare your taunts. When a town is accessible,
do men go to
a village to get jewels tested?
King. Not so,
not so. You are indeed "the learned
Kau9iki,"
whereas the queen and I are partial with respect
to these men,
Haradatta and Ganada'sa.
The two professors.
The king's remark is just. Reverend
lady, you are
impartial, you ought to decide between us in
the
question of excellence or deficiency.
King.
Therefore let the case be opened.
Parivrdjikd,
King, the art of dancing is a matter of
practice chiefly,
what is the use of a verbal controversy ?
King. What
does the queen think ?
Queen, If you
ask me, the whole dispute between these
two professors
is annoying to me.
Ganadasa. The
queen ought not to allow me to be
beaten
1
by one who
is only my equal.
Vidushaka.
Queen, let us see the contest of the two
rams.2 What
is the use of giving them a salary for
nothing ?
1 If mantum
is read, it means to be afraid lest I should be beaten by
my rival. The
same will be the meaning of avagantum, which Tarkavagicja
reads. Weber
translates, O Herrin ! du solltest mick nicht so
weit eruiedrigen
mir Jenen an Wissenschaft auch nur gleich zu
achten. (You
ought not to insult me so grosslya s to consider that
man even equal
to me in skill.)
2 Another reading
is the Prakrit equivalent of udarambhari, glutton.
( 15 )
Queen. You
do certainly take delight in squabbles.
Vidushaka.
No, fair one/ But when two infuriated
elephants are
quarreling, how can there be tranquillity
until one or
the other is conquered?
King.
Surely you have seen the skill of the two professors
exhibited by
themselves in person.
2
Parivrdjikd.
Of course, I have.
King. Then
what more can they now bring forward by
way of
proof?
Parivrajikd.
That is the very point I wish to speak
about. One
man can perform excellently in person,
another possesses
to a remarkable degree the power of
communicating
his skill ; he who possesses both excellences,
should be placed
at the head of teachers.
Vidushaka.
Gentlemen, you have heard the reverend
lady's speech
; this is the gist of it. The question must
be decided
by examining into your skill in teaching.
Haradatta.
It suits me admirably.
Ganadasa. King,
it is so determined.
Queen. But
when an unskilful pupil disgraces the instruction
of a teacher,
the teacher is sure to be blamed.
King. Queen
! It is fitting that it should be so.
Ganadasa. The
reception of an unpromising pupil shows
a want of discernment
in the teacher.3
Queen. What
is the meaning of this? (looking at
Ganaddsa, aside}.
Cease from fulfilling the desire of this
1 Chandi
means an angry woman, a vixen, but it is often used as a
term of endearment.
3 Taranatha
reads svdngasausthavatiqayam, exceeding skill in their
own art.
3 Taranatha
explains it the turning of an unpromising pnpil into a
skilful performer
shows acuteness of intellect in the teacher. Taranatha
gives the speech
to the king.
( 16 )
husband of
mine, which will only increase the ardour of
his passion.
Desist from your useless attempt.
1
Vidushaka.
Your highness speaks wisely. Ganaddsa !
As you
have begun to give instruction in music, and are
eating the
sweetmeats2 offered to Sarasvati, what do you
want with a
contest in which you may easily be defeated ?
Ganaddsa.
In truth, this is the meaning of the queen's
speech. But
listen to a saying which is a propos on the
present occasion.
The man who shrinks from a contest,
because he
possesses an appointment, and patiently endures
disparagement
from a rival, the man whose learning is
merely a means
of obtaining a livelihood, him they call a
huckster that
traffics in knowledge.
Queen. Your
pupil was but lately handed over to you,
so it is unbecoming
to exhibit knowledge that is not as
yet firmly
implanted.
Ganaddsa. It
is for that very reason that I am so importunate.
3
Queen. Then
exhibit both of you your skill in instruction
to the reverend
lady alone.
1 The most
intelligible reading of this passage is that given in Shankar
Pandit's
notes from G., which inserts the " aside to Ganadasa," at the
beginning of
the speech, and " aloud
"
before "
desist." Weber and
Taranatha take
utsdha as "
trouble,"
which is good enough if the speech
is supposed
to be spoken aloud, as it is by them.
2 The modaka
a dishful of which is offered to the goddess Sarasvati,
and really
given to the teacher, is a round ball of a slightly conical
shape at the
top, made of rice or wheat flour mixed with sugar, thin
slices of the
kernel of the cocoanut, together with spices, and then
either boiled
in steam or fried in clarified butter. (Shankar Pandit.)
3 "
In order," as Shankar Pandit observes,
" to show
more creditably
my skill in
teaching." Weber translates " I do not feel anxious about
that
"
(dafiir habe
ich keine sorge).
( 17 )
Parivrdjika.
That is not fair; even an omniscient person,
when giving
judgment alone, is apt to make a mistake.
Queen (aside}.
You fool of a Parivrajika! Do you wish
to lull me
to sleep when lam wideawake? (She turns
away in a pet.}
The king calls
the attention of the Parivrdjika to the
queen.
Parivrdjika
(looking}. Why dost thou, Oh moon-faced
one, turn away
thy countenance from the king without
reason, for
matrons, even when all-powerful with their husbands,
wait for some
cause before they fall out with them ?
Vidushaka.
Rather is it with good reason. She thinks
that slie must
uphold the side she favours. (Turning towards
Ganaddsa.}
I congratulate you on the fact that the queen
has saved you
by pretending to be angry. All people, even
the well trained,
become clever by instruction.
1
Ganaddsa. Listen,
queen ! You hear what people think
of the matter.
Accordingly, now that I wish to exhibit
in a
contest my power of communicating skill in acting,
if you do
not permit me, all I can say is, I am left in
the lurch by
you. (He rises from his seat.}
Queen (to herself).
What resource have I left ? (Aloud}
You have authority,
sir, over your pupil.
Ganaddsa. I
have been afraid for a long time without
reason.2
(Looking at
the king.} The queen has given her
1 And your
pupil has not had enough instruction. But suqikshild
1
pi
seems out of
place here. Tarana tha's reading makes better sense :
Upadeqa darqanena
nishndlo bhuvati. " All men, even the well trained,
are
severely tested by having to exhibit their teaching power." This
sneer of the
Viddshaka's brings matters to a crisis, as Ganadasa immediately
displays what
Shankar Pandit calls " the natural irascibility of
the Brahman
character."
* Instead of
apade qankito 'smi, Taranatha reads apadeqa qankilo 'smi,
1 have
been afraid of a refusal.
( 18 )
permission,
therefore let the king give his orders as to
what piece
of acting I shall exhibit my power of instruction
in.
King. Act whatever
the reverend lady commands.
Parivrajikd.
The queen has something upon her mind.
I am therefore
afraid.
Queen. Speak
boldly, I shall still be mistress of my
own attendant.
King. Say that
you will be mistress of me also. 1
Queen. Come,
reverend lady, speak your mind.
Parivrajikd,
King, people talk of a dance called ckalita,
made up of
four movements f let us see the skill of both
the two professors
exhibited3 with reference to that one
performance,
then we shall be able to estimate the difference
of these two
gentlemen with respect to teaching
power.
Both the
Professors. As your reverence commands.
Vidushaka.
Then go both of you into the play-house,
4
and having
made ready the orchestral arrangements, send
a messenger
to His Highness. Or better still, the mere
sound of the
drum will rouse us up.
Haradatta.
So be it I (He rises up.}
Ganaddsa looks
at the queen.
1 A fine stroke
of gallantry, says Sbankar Pandit ; I therefore suppose
that he takes
mama to mean the king. Taranatha reads the Prakrit
equivalent
of prabhavishyati prabhur, the king will have power. The
mama in the
king's speech will therefore refer to the queen.
8 Here Taranatha
inserts dushprayojyam, difficult to execute or to
teach. Before
chalitam he has Qarmishlhdydh kritim, invented by Oarmishtha.
3 Of course
in the persons of their pupils, the object being that the
king should
see Malaviki.
4
Literally,
spectacle-house. Taranatha reads varndpekshagrihe, in
the waiting-rooin
of the actors.
( 19 )
Queen. No,
I am not hostile to your success, Ganaddsa
Poth the teachers
go away.
Parivrajika.
Come here a moment, you two professors.
Poth (turning
round). Here we are.
Parivrajika.
I speak in my capacity as judge. Let
the two pupils
enter without their theatrical dresses,
1 in
order to display
the elegance of movement of all their
limbs.
Both. It was
not necessary to give us this advice.
\JExeunt the
two professors.
Queen (looking
at the king}. If my husband shows aa
much skill
in devising expedients
2 in the
other affairs of
his kingdom,
the result will surely be splendid.
King.
Cease to put an invidious construction on my
conduct.
Indeed, this was not brought about by me, oh
sagacious
one, it is ordinarily the case that people who
pursue the
same science are jealous of one another's fame.
A drum is heard
behind the scenes. All listen.
Parivrajika.
Ah the orchestra lias begun. For that
note of
the drum, which resembles the cry of a peacock,
delights
the mind, deep resounding, beginning with the
high-pitched*
middle tone, of the drum, I say,
1
Or, according
to Bombay manuscript G., with thin dresses.
8 Four expedients
are usually enumerated. Sowing dissension, negotiation,
bribery, and
open attack (bheda, sandhi, ddna, vigrahd).
" Other
affairs
"
is, of
course, a sarcasm. But Taranatha omits itareshu.
* I have followed
Shankar Pandit in his translation of upahita,
though he professes
not to understand the expression thoroughly.
Taranatha reads
upachiia, swelled by the answering cries of the
pea-fowl.
Weber observes,
that the delight of pea-fowl in rain, and the thunder
that accompanies
it, is a favourite commonplace of Indian poeta.
c. p. Uttara
Rama Charita, p. 87 of Vidyasagara's edition.
( 20 )
answered by
the pea-fowl with necks erect., suspecting that
it is the thunder
of a rain-cloud.
King. Queen
I let us be punctual.
1
Queen (to
herself). Oh the indecorous behaviour of my
husband.
All rise up.
Vidushaka (aside
to the king}. Come, walk calmly and
slowly, lest
the queen find you inconsistent with yourself.
2
King. Though
I endeavour to be3
calm, the sound
of
the music of
the drum makes me hasten, like the noise of
my own desire4
descending
the path of fulfilment.
[Exeunt omnes.
Here ends the
First Act.
ACT II.
( Then are
seen, after the orchestral arrangements have been
completed,
the king, with his friend, seated on a throne,
Dhdrini, and
the retinue in order of rank.}
King. Reverend
Madam ! which of the two professors
shall first
exhibit to us the skill which he has infused into
his pupil ?
5
1 Taranatha
reads sdmdjikdh, let us be spectators.
8 That is,
find your indifference was merely assumed. It may mean
lest the queen
cause you to be disappointed by Ganadasa. Taranatha
omits both
md and tvdm, and explains visunvadayishyati by vipralapsyate,
anyatha mansyate,
which I suppose means, will be deceived into supposing
that you
have acted in good faith, and are not engaged in a loveintrigue.
3
Literally,
rest upon composure.
4 Manoratha
literally means " chariot of the mind." As Shankar
Pandit observes,
" there
lurks in the word a little pun."
* More literally,
of which of the two professors shall we first behold,
&c.
( 21 )
Parivrajika.
Even supposing their attainments to be
equal, Ganadasa
ought, surely, to be preferred on account
of his being
the elder.
King.
Well, Maudgalya, go and tell these gentlemen
this, and then
go about your business.
1
Chamberlain.
As the kinoO- commands.
Ganadasa. King,
there is a composition of Ormistha,
consisting
of four parts with a pause in the middle,2
your
Highness
ought to hear attentively one-fourth3 of it performed
with appropriate
gestures.
King. Professor
I I am most respectfully attentive.4
\Exit
Ganadasa.
King (aside
to Vidushaka). Friend, my eye, eager to
behold her
who is behind the scenes, through impatience
seems to be
endeavouring to draw up the curtain.
Vidushaka (aside).
Ha J the honey of your eyes ia
approaching,
but the fly
3 ia near,
therefore look on with
caution.
1
Literally,
execute the command given to thee. This means that
he is to deliver
the message to the teachers, and is not to return again
to the
king. (Sankar Pandit.)
9 If it were
madhyalayd, it might mean in middle time, there being
three
kinds of time, druta, madhya, and vilambita. Weber, mit dem
Takt in der
Mitte.
3 Taranatha
reads [chatushpada (vastukam) varnakam], the acting
consisting
of four parts, or expressing four parts. It seems to me,
in that Taranatha's
edition pada might mean "
line."
I have taken my
translation
from Shankar Pandit.
4 In Taranatha's
edition, we have an alternative reading tat praveqaya
pdtram, therefore
introduce your pupil.
8 Another reading
is dkshikam. Weber explains it as "
eye-balsam,"
but
remarks it may mean " the prize in gaming." Boghtlingk and Roth,
and Monier
Williams, know nothing of the meaning
"
eye-balsam,"
but
explain it
as derived from aksha, and meaning a wager, a debt incurred
in gambling.
( 22 )
Then Mdlavi/td
enters, with the teacher of dancing
contemplating
the elegance of her limbs.
Vidushaka (aside).
Look, your highness. Her beauty
does not fall
short of the picture.
King (aside).
Friend, ray mind anticipated that her
beauty could
not possibly come up to that represented in
the picture,
but now I think that the painter, by whom she
was taken,
studied his model but carelessly.
Ganaddsa. My
dear child, dismiss your timidity, be
composed.
King. Oh, the
perfection of her beauty in every posture
! For her face
has long eyes and the splendour of
an autumn moon,
and her two arms are gracefully curved
at the shoulders,
her chest is compact, having firm and
swelling breasts,
her sides are as it were planed off,
1 her
waist may be
spanned by the hand, her hips slope elegantly,
her feet have
crooked toes, her body is like the ideal
conceived in
the mind of the teacher of daucino-O.*
Mdlavikd having
gone through the prelude sings the
composition
consisting offour parts.
3
My beloved
is hard to obtain, be thou without hope
with respect
to him, oh my heart ! Ha I the outer corner of
my left eye
throbs somewhat ;
4 how is this
man, seen after
1 On account
of their smoothness : I have borrowed the expression
from
Shank&r Pandit.
8 Or perhaps
qlishtam may be an epithet of vapuh in the sense of
symmetrical.
3
Or, lines ;
I believe this shows that Shankar Pandit's reading above
"
one-fourth of it
"
(chaturthavustukaprayogam)
is not what Kalidasa
wrote. Where
are the remaining three- fourths? Taranatha's reading
(whatever
be its manuscript authority) gives a sense more consistent
with the sequel.
4 In the
case of women this portends union with the beloved.
( 23 )
a long time,
to be obtained P 1 My lord, consider tbat I am
devoted to
thee with ardent longing. (As she sings she
goes
through a pantomime expressive of the sentiment.)
Vidushaha (aside}.
Ha ! 1m ! this lady has made use
of the composition
in four parts for the purpose of flinging
herself at
your head.
King. My friend,
this is the state of the hearts of both
of us. Certainly
she, by singing
" know
that I am devoted
to
thee," and accompanying the words with expressive
action pointing
at her own body, seeing no other way of
telling her
love owing to the neighbourhood of Dharini,
addressed herself
to me under the pretence of courting a
beautiful youth.
Malaviha at
the end of her song makes as if she would
leave the
stage.
Vidushaha.
Stop, lady! you have forgotten something
by neglecting
the proper order ; I will ask about it if you
please.
Ganadasa. My
dear child, stop a minute, you will have
your
knowledge made more accurate.
Malavika turns
round and stands still.
King (to himself).
Ah ! her beauty gains fresh splendour
in every posture.
For her standing attitude, in which
she is placing
on her hip her left hand, the bracelet of
which clings
motionless at the wrist, and making her
other haud
hang down loosely like the branch of a
cyamd-tree*
and casting down her eye on the inlaid pavement
on which she
is pushing about a flower with her toe,
an attitude
in which the upper part of her body is upright,
is more attractive
even than her dancing.
1 Taranatha
reads punar drashtavyo, to be seen again.
1 Or making
like the branch of a yain-tree her other hand, from
which the
pearls have fallen.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued
..)
(My
humble salutations to Kavikula Guruh Kalidasa and greatfulness to Sreeman C H Tawney
for the collection)
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