CHAPTER CCXLII. A DESCRIPTION OF THE RAINY SEASON.

Vaishampāyana said:—In the rainy season, while looking at the sky filled

with clouds Kāma having, a countenance like the full moon, said to

Prabhāvati of beautiful eyes: "O fair lady, see there appears the moon

of beautiful rays covered with clouds like your face covered with hairs.

O you of fair eye-brows, see the lightning on the cloud looks beautiful

like your handsome gold ornament. O you of fair limbs, the clouds are

discharging torrents of rain like unto your necklace (1-3). The cranes,

emerging in the drops of water, are shining like the rows of your teeth.

O you of fair eye-brows, the lotuses being under water, the tanks full

of streams do not look beautiful (4). The clouds adorned with crane,

like beautiful and clean teeth, are appearing like elephants, with huge

tusks, about to fight with one another in the forest (5). O you of

beautiful limbs, like unto circlets on your forehead the three coloured

rain-bow, adorning the sky and clouds, is gladdening the damsels (6).

Expanding their large feathers, the pea-hens looking perfectly beautiful

in the company of their mates and delighted at the muttering of clouds,

are dancing and emitting notes in return (7). Displaying their charming

beauty for a moment on the turrets other peacocks are dancing on the

roofs of the houses, white like the moon (8). With their feathers

exhausted, the beautiful peacocks, adorning for a moment the tops of the

trees, are again going to the naked ground in fear of new grown-grass

(9). The delightful wind, proceeding from cool drops of rain, like

sandal-paste, is blowing carrying the fragrance of Sarjā and Arjuna

flowers the very friend of Cupid (10). O you of a fair body, had not

this wind brought new showers and removed the exhaustion of sporting it

would not have been so much liked by me (11). What is dearer to men in

this season of the union of lovers than the approach of this fragrant

wind (12)? O you of fair body, beholding the banks of the river

overflown with water swans exhausted, and united with Sārasas and

Krounchas, are delightfully going to find out quarters after their heart

(13). O you of beautiful eyes, on the departure of the Swans and Sarāsas

emitting notes like the clatter of car-wheels, the rivers and tanks,

shorn of beauty, do not appear charming any more (14). The goddess

sleep, informed of the true character of the rainy season and Hari,

having saluted the most beautiful Sree, has sought refuge with Upendra,

the lord of the world, lying down for rest in the celestial region (15).

O you having lotus eyes, the divine Upendra having fallen asleep the

shining moon, covered with cloth-like cloud, is imitating the colour of

his countenance (16). Seeking to please Krishna, all the seasons are

showering all sorts of flowers and bringing garlands of Kadamva, Neepa,

Arjuna and Ketaka (17). All the flowers, and trees, with the elephants,

having their faces soiled with poison, and filled with bees, are

exciting great curiosity in men (18). As if seeing the sky, pressed down

by the weight of clouds surcharged with water, your beautiful face,

breast and thighs have entered into a ditch (19). Beholding these

charming clouds as if adorned with garlands of cranes it appears that

they are showering grains on earth for the behoof of the world (20). As

a powerful king makes the infuriated wild elephants fight with his own

so the wind is setting clouds surcharged with water against one another

(21). The clouds are pouring unearthly water, purified by air and

delightful to sparrows, peacocks and other birds sprung from eggs (22).

As the twice-born ones, fond of truth and religion, recite the _Riks_

encircled by their pupils, so the bulls are roaring with cows in the

pasture ground (23). One of the virtues of the rainy season is that

women take pleasure in living always in the company of their lovers

(24). O beautiful lady, the only defect that I perceive of the rainy

season is that the moon, resembling your countenance, does not come in

view, having his body possessed by the cloud-like Graha (25). In this

season when the moon appears in view at the interval of an approaching

cloud, the people, as if with delight, behold a friend returning from a

foreign country (26). Their eyes, on beholding the moon, the witness of

the lamentations of women suffering from separation, enjoy that

festivity which those of the women, separated from their lovers, do on

seeing them. So it appears to me: but this is not the fact (27). The

view of the moon is like a festival to the eyes of those women who are

united with their lovers, and is like a forest-fire to those who suffer

from separation, so the moon is the source of both pleasure and pain to

women (28). In your father’s city there is the effulgence of the rays of

the moon even in its absence; so you cannot form an idea of the merits

and demerits of the moon and for this I praise him before you (29). By

practising hard austerities which are resorted to by the pious he has

attained to the region of Brahmā which others can with difficulty

acquire and is worshipped by all. The Brāhmanas celebrate the glories of

the great Soma in sacrifice with _Sāman_ verses (30). When the

sacrificial fire was being brought by Pururavā from the region of the

Gandharvas it was spoiled on the way. While searching that place a

fig-tree was seen. Collecting fuels from that tree the three fires were

engendered. So it is that the moon, the lord of trees and herbs, revived

the spoiled fire from the fig-tree. Chandra (the moon) is the father of

Budha, the author of most excellent deeds whose son was the king

Pururavā (31). O beautiful lady, formerly when his ambrosial body was

drunk by the dreadful Munis the high souled Soma desired for Urvasi, the

foremost of Apsaras (32). In his family the intelligent Ayu attained to

the celestial region, through the tips of the Kusa grass and secured the

dignity of a demi-god and the heroic Nahusa acquired the dignity of the

king of gods (33). The moon, in whose family, the Divine Lord Hari, the

creator of the world is born, for a work of the gods, as a Bhaima chief,

remains always encircled by the daughters of Daksha (34). In his family

was born the high-souled Vasu, as if the flag of his race, who, by his

deeds, attained to the dignity of a Lord Paramount; the king Yadu, the

foremost of the lunar race, in whose family, the Bhojas, resembling the

king of gods, were born and who became the Lord Paramount, was also born

in the family of the moon (35–56). O you having lotus eyes, in Yadu’s

family, born in the lunar race no king has been born who is wily,

atheistic, unrespectful, ugly and coward (37). You are the

daughter-in-law of an accomplished prince as you are the mine of

accomplishments. Therefore bow unto Iswara fond of the pious. O lady,

the foremost of Purusha Nārāyana, the refuge of the grand-father, the

gods and the worlds, is your father-in-law. Bow unto him (38-39)".

A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha · 第 36 / 64 章