Vikramorvaseeyam
by
Kavikula Guru
Sri
Kalidasa
(translated
by EDWARD BYLES COWELL,)
Vikramorvasiyam
by
Kalidasa
" I revere
the rhythm as well as the rhyme, by which poetry first
becomes poetry
; but that which is really, deeply, and fundamentally
effective, that
which is really permanent and furthering, is that which
remains of the
poet when he is translated into prose. Then remains
the pure,
perfect substance ; of which, when absent, a dazzUng exterior
often
contrives to make a false show ; and which, when present, such an
exterior
contrives to conceal."
GoETEE CAitto-hiography.J
v
PEEFACE.
The following
translation has been undertaken to
supply the
Sanskrit student with a literal version of a
highly
esteemed work, which has been lately made a textbook
by Mr. Moniee
Williams' edition. The first
object,
therefore, of the translator has been to give his
author's literal
meaning ; elegance of style has been
throughout esteemed
secondary, although he has endeavoured,
as far as he
was able, to combine the two. He
refers his readers
to Professor Wilson's Specimens of the
Theatre of the
Hindus, for a fine scholarly translation in
verse : the
following pages aspire to be only a faithful
transcript of
the original in prose.
Vikramorvas'i
is a drama by the same elegant hand
that wrote
Sakuntald (which was translated in prose by
Sir W. Jones
at the close of the last century)—tradition
IV PREFACE.
and internal
evidence alike bearing witness to the identity
of
authorship. In each we see the same exquisite
polish of style,
the same light touch in painting scenery
and character
; and yet the two dramas are ' like in
diflFerence,'
and each has the separate personality, as well
as the mutual
likeness, which characterises the twin
offspring of
the same creating mind.* Kalidasa is
believed to have
flourished during the century which
preceded our
era, and tradition names him as one of the
" nine gems
" of the court of Vikramdditya.
The translator
would forbear to make any remarks on
the drama,
with the exception of the Fourth Act, which
requires a
few words of introduction. In the Sanskrit
dramas, the
heroes alone talk Sanskrit, the women and
inferior characters
speak in Prdkrit, a dialect derived from
Sanskrit by a
similar series of changes to those which
have melted
Latin into the modern Italian and Spanish.
Now, through
the greater part of this act, Kalidasa
* Both Idramas
are founded on ancient legends. A few
meagre hints
in the " Mahdbhdrata" (vol. i., p. 113), appear to
have furnished
the first idea of the amplified story of the
" Vikramonas'i."
The PaurAuio version appears in the Barivans'a.
PREFACE. V
makes his hero
use Pr&krit instead of Sanskrit; and this
artistic change
of dialect shews that he felt that Pururavas
was, in this
act, departing from the vira rasa or ideal of
heroism. He is
mad, but his madness is not that of
" Orestes
" or " Lear," for we are in the world of the soft
contemplative
Hindd ; and wherever we turn in Indian
poetry, we find
the gentler feelings of the heart, but not
the fiercer.
The reader must bear this in mind as he
follows Pururavas
through the forest, and forget for the
while Orestes'
frenzied call for his bow, or Lear's desolation
in the
storm.
I have followed
Mr. Williams' text; but have also
consulted Lenz,
and especially his " Apparatus Criticus''
(published in
1834), which contains some useful scholia
from a MS. in
the East India House Library ; Professor
Wilson's translation has also frequently
afibrded me
much assistance.
I may add that,
in the numerous stage-directions, I
have not
always kept the word ndtya ' gesticulation.'
It is probable
that the Hindu stage was nearly destitute
of all accessories
to the performance, these being left
to the imagination
of the spectator ; motion in a chariot,
etc., were thus
merely represented by gesticulation: but
VI PBErACJi.
I have not
thought it necessary to preserve this very
prosaic feature
in the translation. I have also followed
Professor Wilson
in his rendering of the title of the
Drama; on the
Continent, other interpretations have
been suggested,
as " Vrvasia Incessus," etc. ; the last
German Translation,
by Hofee, gives it as " Urwas'i
der Preis
der Tapferheit," which agrees with Lenz' last
suggestion, in
his " Apparatus" p. 9, VikramaprdptorvaS'X.
I have also adopted
Lenz's and Boehtlingk's interpretation
of the words
Praves'aka and Vishkambhaka.
EXPLANATION OF
SOME TERMS OF
MYTHOLOGY, ETC.
Ananoa, a name
of K&ma.
Bhasata, the
name of a sage, the dramatic instructor of the
Nymphs.
Chataka, a hird,
supposed to live only on rain.
Choweib, the
white hushy tail of the Thibet cow, which serves for
a flapper, and
is also used as an ornament for horses, like
the plume of
the war-horse of chivalry.
Danava,
Daitta, or Asuba, a kind of Titan or demon.
DtTE&A or
PAEVATf, the wife of Siva.
Gandhaeta, a
celestial musician.
Gaettda, the
King of Birds.
Inbea, the god
of the visible firmament.
EaI/FA, the name
of a tree in Indra's paradise.
EXma, the god
of love.
Kaetikbta, the
god of war.
KuTEEA, the god
of wealth.
LAKSHMf, the
wife of Vishnu.
Maeisha, a title
given to the principal actor.
Nandana or SwAESA,
Indra's paradise.
Sachi or PAULOMf,
the wife of Indra.
Saeaswati, the
wife of Br&hma, and goddess of eloquence.
KALIDASA'S
YIKRAMORYA^I.
PROLOGUE.
BENEDICTION.
May He, whom
they call the Sole Male in the Veddntas,
pervading heaven
and earth, to whom alone, in its full
meaning, belongs
the title of " Lord," who is sought within
by those who
desire liberation, with suspended breath and
other penances—Siva,
who is ever ready to be found, by
firm faith and
meditation,—be your final beatitude !
MANAOEB.
[After the
benediction is ended.
Enough of this
prolixity. {Looking towards the actors'
room.) Mdrisha
! this assembly hath seen the sentimental
compositions
of former poets ; I am now about to appear
before it with
a new play, strung together by the art of
KSliddsa, entitled
" Vikramorvas'i ;" do thou, then, command
our company,
that every actor be attentive to his part,
2 VIKEAMOEVASI;
Enter an Actob.
n
ACTOE.
Sir, your commands
shall be fulfilled.
UANA6EB.
I would meanwhile,
with bowed head, address the
reverend and
learned in this assembly. I beseech you
all, by your
kindness to your friends, or at least by your
admiration of
a good drama, hear with attention the present
work of
Kilid&sa.
[A Voice is heard
behind the scenes.
Help, ye
noble ! help !
UANAGSB.
Ha ! why is heard
this sudden cry of distress from the
beings who ride
in their aerial chariots through the sky ?
{Having thought
a moment.") Ah ! I have it ! It is the
heavenly nymph,
who was bom from the thigh of the
Muni, the friend
of Nara ;* who, returning from visiting
the Lord of
Kail&sa, has been seized in mid-journey by
the demon-foes
of the gods, and therefore does yonder
troop of nymphs
shriek for succour.
\_Exeunt.
* Indra sent
some nymphs to tempt Nir&yana while engaged in
penance ; the
sage, to shame them, took up a flower and placed it on
his thigh ; and
it immediately became a beautiful nymph, hence
named Tlrvasl.
OR, THE HERO
AND THE NYMPH.
ACT I.
Enter some Nymphs,
hurriedly.
NYMPHS.
Help, ye
noble ! help ! whosoever is the friend of the
immortals, or
hath his way in the sky.
Enter, hurriedly,
a King in his chariot, with his Chaeioteek.
KING.
Cease your cries,
approach and tell me, Pururavas, now
returning from
the Sun,—against what are ye to be helped ?
BAMBHA.
Against the
insolence of the demons.
KINO.
What wrong has
been done you by their insolence ?
BAMBHA.
Let the
great King hear! She, who was Indra's soft
weapon, when
he was alarmed at the greatness of a Sage's
penance ;—the
shamer of Parvati, proud of her beauty
;
and the ornament
of heaven; she, our loved companion,
returning from
the palace of Kuvera, has been carried oflF
midway, with
ChitralekhS,, by a Ddnava.
KING.
Is it known towards
what quarter the miscreant is gone ?
NYMPHS.
Towards the
north-east,
Vasanfasend is
called praharcmcm mangasya.—Ms,lCK., p. 163.
4
VIKRAMOaVA^i';
KING.
Dismiss your
sorrows j I will strive to bring back your
friend.
NYMPHS. [rJroyffuliliy.
Well worthy is
the action of a descendant of the Lunar
race ;
KING.
Where wiU ye,
meantime, await my return ?
NYMPHS.
On yonder peak
of Hemakuta.
KING.
Charioteer !
urge the horses to their utmost speed towards
the
north-eastern quarter.
CHAEIOTEEB.
As the King commands.
KING.
[Gesticulating
the swift motion of the chariot.
Excellent ! Excellent
! with such a speed as this, I could
OTertake even
Oaruda, though he had the start ! Before
my chariot rise
the clouds in flakes, as rises the dust ; the
swift
rolling of the wheels seems to create a second range
of spokes between
the first ; the long chowrie on the
head of the
steed stands motionless as in a picture ; and
the banner in
the middle streams to the end of the car,
from the wind
of our speed.
[Exeunt.
SAHAJANYif!
Dear friend,
the King is gone ; let us, too, set forth
to the spot as
appointed.
or, the hero
and the nymph. 5
menaka!
Dearest, let
us do so.
\They climb the
peak of Hemahuta,
BAMBHA.
Will the King,
indeed, succeed in extracting this barb
of anguish from
our hearts ?
MBNAKA.
Doubt not, dear
friend.
£AMBHA.
Surely the D^navas
are hard to be conquered.
MENAEA.
Even great Indra
himself, as the hour of battle draws
near, summons
this most honoured hero from the earth,
and posts him
in the van of his army, to win victory
for the gods.
May he be altogether
victorious !
menakaI .
[Standing still
for a moment.
Dear friends
! take heart, and be of good cheer ; yonder
I see the
chariot which the Moon gave to the holy King,
gleaming
with the banner that bears the ensign of the deer,
and I divine
that he wiU not come unsuccessful back.
[They gesticulate
as at some sign, and stand
looJting. Then
enter the King and his
Chaeioteee, in
the aerial chariot, with
Ukvasi, whose
eyes are closed in terror,
leaning on the
right hand ofCjutuaJj^tlka..
O VIKBAMORVASI;
CHITEALEKHA.
Dearest ! revive
! revive !
KING.
Fairest maiden
! revive ! revive ! thy terrors from the
demon are
dispelled, O timid one ! the majesty of the
Thunderer guards
the three worlds : open therefore, I pray,
those long eyes
of thine, as the lotus-lake its lotuses at the
end of the night.
CHITRAlEKHii.
It is strange
; not even yet has she regained her consciousness
; and, but for
her breathing, there is no sjrmptom
of life.
KING.
Gtreatly, indeed,
was thy poor friend alarmed ; the heavy
beating of her
heart betrays itself by that wreath of Mandara
blossoms, and
she sighs repeatedly between her full breasts.
CHITSALEKHA.
[In a
mourr^id voice.
Dearest Urvas'i
! I beseech thee, recover thyself ; one
might have deemed
that thou wast no nymph of heaven
at all!
KING.
The tremor of
fear hath not yet forsaken her heart,
tender like a
flower ; but it is still told by yonder edge
of her robe,
as it rises and falls with the sighing of her
bosom.
[Urvasi comes
to herself.
OE, THE HERO
AND THE NYMPH. 7
KING.
\JwjlfulIy.
Joy to thee,
O Chitralekhd ! thy dear friend hath
regained her
consciousness ; see, like the night, when it
escapes from
darkness, at the rising of the Moon ; or like
the flame of
the nocturnal fire, when it hursts through the
thickness of
the smoke, thy fair-formed companion is seen
freed from her
fainting; like Gangft, as she flows back
into serenity,
when the fall of a bank hath troubled her
waters.
OHITRALEKHA.
Dear Urvas'i
! lay aside your fear,—they have been conquered
by a Monarch
who compassionates the distressed ;—
the D&navas,
the enemies of the gods, have had their hopes
all smitten down.*
UEVA^I.
\_Opening
her eyes.
What? did
great Indra behold the fray, and come to
my rescue ?
CHITRAIEKHA.
Not Indra, but
this holy king, Pururavas, himself a very
Indra in majesty.
* "
Sahhi, Urva^i, ms'wastd hJtava, d^ammmkampina mahm'djena
pardhatdh
hhalM te; tridas'aparipanthmo hatds'd Ddncmdh." I should
prefer the
absence of the semicolon, in which case hatdsid would
simply mean ''cruel,"
and te would be construed with Dmtmah.
° TIKBAMORVASI;
UEVASI.
[^side, looking
at the king.
What a
kindness hath my fright from the Dknava proved
!
KING.
[Aside, looMng
at ukvasi-
Well might all
the nymphs, as they tempted the holy
N4r&yana
in his devotions, stand silent with shame, when
they beheld her,
as she sprang from his thigh ; or rather,
I feel sure
that she was no creation of the ascetic at all.
Say, was it the
Moon, the giver of brightness, who called
her into being
? or K&ma himself, his whole soul immersed
in love ? or
was it the month that is richest with flowers ?
How, indeed,
could an aged Sage, cold with continued
study of the
Vedas, and his desires turned away from all
objects of sense,
create this heart-bewitching form ?
UBVA^f.
Dear Chitralekhd,
where can our friends be ?
OHITEAIiEKHA.
The mighty monarch
knows, who hath delivered us from
our fears.
KING.
[Looking at uktasi.
Thy friends
are in the deepest distress ; for only consider,
—
even he, before
whose happy eyes thou hast but once tarried
of thine own
accord, even he, fair lady, without thee will be
mournful with
longing; how, then, must thy friends fare
when parted from
thee, whose love hath grown up with
their growth
?
OE, THE HERO
AND THE NYMPH. 9
UEVASl,'
[To Urself.
Thy words are
very ambrosia ; but what marvel that
ambrosia
should come from the Moon?* {Aloud, to the
King) : Hence
is it that my heart so hastens after
them.
KING.
\Pointing
with his hand.
Yonder, fair
lady, thy companions stand on Hemakiita,
and look on thy
face, gazing with longing eyes, as on the
Moon escaped
from Rdhu.
[Ubvasi loohs
with longing.
CHITBAIiEKHA.
Dearest, why
dost thou look at me thus ?
uuvaIl
My eyes drink
in that sharer of my joys and sorrows
CHITEALEKHA.
[Smiling.
Whom meanest
thou ?
UBVASf.
[Reeovm'ing herself.
Whom should I
mean but yonder troop of my friends ?
eambha!
\Loohing joyously.
Dearest ! see
! the holy King approaches, bringing back
our loved Urvas'i,
with Chitralekhd ; like the Moon, attended
by its asterism
Vis'dkhd.
* Pururavas is
of the lunar race, and the Moon is the reservoir
of amhrosia {wmrita).
10 VIKEAMOaVASI
;
menaka! ^^ ,.
[Lookmg.
Dearest! two
delightful things have now happened to
us, for our companion
is restored to us, and the holy
King himself
is unhurt.
BAHAIANTA.
It was you who
said, " The Dinava is hard to he
conquered."
Kma.
Charioteer !
make the car descend on yonder mountainpeak.
CHAEIOTEEE.
As the King (long
may he live ! ) * commands.
[He does so ;
Ubvasi is shaken hy the motion,
and leans
timidly v/pon the King.
\A.side.
Ah! our descent
to earth bears a happy fruit! My
body, from the
shaking of the chariot, has felt the touch
of this long-eyed
maiden's side, and every hair seems to
shoot forth with
love.
XTEVASiC
[Ashamed, to
Chitralekha.
Remove a little
further.
OHITBALEKHA'^
I cannot : indeed
I cannot.
* A'lfnshmat
is properly used aa an honorary title ; I have translated
it at length
in the present instance, to explain its meaning. The
SdhUi/a-darpana
gives it as the proper mode of address ttom a
charioteer
to a warrior.
OE. THE HERO
AND THE NYMPH. 11
UAMBHA.
Let US go to
meet the gracious monarch
!
ALL THE
NYMPHS.
Let us do so
! \_They approach.
KING.
Charioteer !
stay the car, while this fair-browed maiden,
herself desiring,
steps forth to join her desiring friends ;
as the Beauty
of the Spring, the creepers !
\The Chakioxees,
complying, stops the chariot.
THE NYMPHS.
Hail,! may the
King be ever victorious !
KING.
And you, too,
may ye be happy in your companion's
return !
UBVASIC
[Having alighted,
leaning ypon ChitbaIiEkha's hand.
Dear friends
! give me a close embrace ; I had not a hope
in my heart,
that I should ever see my loved companions
again.
[Her friends
embrace her.
MENAKA.
[In a tone of
prayer.
May the great
King ever guard the whole earth
!
OHABIOTEEE.
O King ! a great
host of chariots has suddenly burst
into view ; and
yonder comes some one, who, decked with
bracelets of
molten gold, alights from the sky, and ascends
the mountain-peak,
like a lightning cloud
!
12 VIKEAMOKVASi;
THE NYMPHS.
Oh ! wonderful
! Behold Chitraratha !
Enter Chitbakatha.
OHITBAEATHA.
[Advanoing to
the king.
Hail ! Success
to the heroic valour which is able to
render such assistance.
KING.
Ah 1 the King
of the Gandharvas ! fHe alightsfrom the
car). Welcome
to my dear friend !
{They grasp each
other's hand.
CHITRABATHA.
Oh my friend
! as soon as Indra heard that Urvas'i was
carried off by
the demon Kes'i, he bade the Gandhaiva
hosts haste to
her rescue ; but having heard immediately
afterwards, from
the heavenly spirits,* of the weight of glory
that thou hast
won, I am come forthwith to thee here ; wilt
thou, then,
take charge of the maiden, and come to behold
great Indra himself?
Thou hast, indeed, achieved a mighty
action, and one
dear to his heart. She whom once NSiayana
gave to the wind-god,
has been won by thee, his friend,
from the
Daitya's hand, and regiven to him as a new gift
to-day
!
KING.
friend ! speak
not so ! The heroism is all Indra's
* Literally,
"the riders in mmdnd^ot heavenly chariots."
OE, THE HEEO
AND THE NYMPH. 13
own, if his friends
overcome his foes ; the very echo of the
lion's roar strikes
the elephants with terror, as it rolls forth
from the mountain
glens.
OHITBABATHA.
It is well !
Modesty is the ornament of valour.
KING.
My Mend ! this
is not a time for me to see Indra : do
thou, therefore,
thyself conduct yonder lady to the presence
of our lord.
OHITBABATHA.
It shall be as
thou wUt. Ladies ! let us depart.
\They all
set out.
TJEVASIC
[7b her
friend.
Dear Chitralekha
! I cannot say farewell to the great
king, who hath
saved us ; do thou, therefore, be my voice.*
CHITEALEKHA.
[Approaching
the King.
O mighty monarch
! Urvas'i sends thee this - message :
" I
desire," she says, " to take my leave of the Mng, and
with me to carry
his fame, as a friend, to the world of the
immortals."
KING.
May we part to
meet again
!
{The Nymphs all
set forth through the air,
with the Gandhaeta.
* Literally,
" my mouth."
14 VIKEAMOBVASIi
tJEVABL'
[Pretending to
be stopped in herflight.
How strange !
my garland is caught and entwined by
the branch of
this creeping plant. (^Turning and casting a
stolen glance
at the King.) Oh ! dearest Chitralekhd ! I
beseech thee,
release it.
OHITEAIEKHA.
[Looking and
smiling.
Ah ! it is, indeed,
firmly held. I cannot release it.
UBVASL
A truce to laughing
! pray unloose it.
chitbaleee£
It seems to me
very fast, but still I will imloose it.
uevasl"
[Forcirtg a smile.
Dearest ! you
will remember your words.
KING.
It was a kind
action of thine, O creeper ! in my behalf
—
to interpose
this momentary obstacle in her path ; since
once ageiin have
I seen this maiden with the arched eye,
her face half-turned
towards me.
[ChiieaIiEKHA
releases her. UsvAsf, after looking
back to the King,
beholds, with a sigh, her
companions in
their upwardflight.
OEABIOTEEB.
Behold, O King
! having hurled the Daityas, the guilty
rebels against
Indra, deep down into the briny ocean, thy
aerial weapon
hath returned into its quiver, like a great
snake to its
den.
OB, THE HBB.0
AND THE NYMPH. 15
KING.
Do thou, therefore,
stay the chariot, while I ascend.
[_The King ascends.
UBVASI.
[Looking mth
a fond glance towards the King.
Shall I—shall
I ever see that deliverer again ?
\JExit with the
Gandhaeta and her convpanions.
KING.
[Gazing wpwards
after her.
Alas ! that
love should always desire the unattainable !
This
heavenly maiden, as she flies upward to the central
home of her father,
irresistibly draws after her the soul from
my body, as the
flamingo draws the filament from the
blossom-shorn
lotus-stalk.
END or THE FIBST
ACT.
;
Om Tat Sat
(Continued
..)
(My humble salutations to Kavikula Guruh
Kalidasa and greatfulness to Sreeman
EDWARD BYLES
COWELL, for
the collection)
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