Page 244.
My Lord, I, having a common cause with my friends of wandering, saw
among the Suhmans, in the outer park of a city called Damalipta, a
great festal crowd. There, in a bower of Atimukta creepers, I saw a
certain young man amusing himself with the sound of a lute. I asked
him "Worthy sir, what is this festival called? on what account is this
beginning, through what cause do you stand in solitude, accompanied
(only) by your lute, as if out of spirits, not having done honour to
the festival?"
He replied: "The King of Suhma, called Tungadhanwa, being without
offspring, begged from the feet of Durgâ, called Vindhyavâsiní,[11]
dwelling in this abode, having her love for the abode in Vindhya
forgotten, two children, and by her in a vision to him sleeping near
(her temple) direction was given: 'There shall be produced of thee one
son, and one daughter shall be born; but he shall be in subjection to
her husband. But let her, beginning from the seventh year till her
marriage, propitiate me every month while the moon is in Krittika (the
constellation of the Pleiades), with the ball-dance, for the obtaining
an excellent husband; and whom she likes, to him she is to be given
and let this festival be called the Ball Festival.' So she said.
"Then in a very short time the beloved queen of the king, named
Mediní, bore a son, and a daughter was born at the same time. That
damsel, called Kandukavati, will to-day propitiate the goddess having
the moon as a diadem.
"But her friend, Chandrasena by name, her foster-sister, was beloved
of me; and in these days she has been violently besieged by the king's
son Bhimadhanwa. Therefore I, distressed, perplexed at heart by the
pain of the arrow-darts of Kâma, somewhat consoling myself with the
soft tones of the lute, occupy a solitary place."
And at that moment there came near a certain sound of anklets, and a
certain lady came up. He indeed having seen her, with eyes opened
wide, having risen up, having been embraced by her, sat down; and he
said "This is the (lady) dear as my life, separation from whom,
burning as it were, burns me up; and by that prince the robber of
this, my life, I am brought to a state of coldness, as if by death;
and I shall not be able, saying he is the king's son, to practise
loyalty towards him; therefore, having caused myself to be favourably
regarded by her, I will abandon a life which has no remedy."
But she, with her face full of tears, said "O beloved, do not, on my
account, engage in violence. Thou, who having been born of a worthy
merchant, Arthadâsa, wast called Kosadâsa by thy parents, art called
by thy enemies Vèsadâsa (slave of a girl), from thy excessive
attachment to me. Thou thyself being dead, I should imagine the
popular saying would be (he was) Nrisansa-Vesa--the slave of a wicked
one. But now take me to any place you will."
But he said to me: "Friend, in the regions seen by you, which was
(the most) prosperous, abounding in corn, and having the greatest
number of good men?"
To him, having laughed a little, I said "Wide is this (world bounded
by) ocean and sky. There is no end of pleasant regions in one place or
another. But, indeed, if I should not be able to produce some plan
causing you to live comfortably here, then, indeed, I will show you
the way."
Meanwhile, the sounds of jewel-anklets arose. Now she, in a hurry,
said: "My lord's daughter Kandukavati is come to propitiate Durgâ with
playing at ball; and she is of unforbidden sight in this Kanduka
(ball) festival. May the eye of you going to see her be successful; I
must be keeping near her." So saying, she went away, and we two
followed her.
I first saw the red-lipped (lady) standing on the floor of a jewelled
stage; and she, seen by me a stranger and at a distance, immediately
settled in my heart. And I, having my mind occupied by astonishment,
thought: "Is this Lakshmi? for the lotus is not placed in her hand;
but in her (Lakshmi's) hand there is a lotus, and she (the goddess)
has been all enjoyed by Vishnu, and by former kings; but in this
(lady) there is unimpaired faultless youth."
While I was thus reflecting, she, faultless in every limb, touching
the ground with the tips of her stretched-out fingers, having her dark
curled locks shaken, having with agitation saluted the mighty goddess,
took hold of the ball, resembling (in colour) the god without a body
(_i.e._ Kâma) having his eye reddened by no slight passion; and having
dropped it with graceful languor to the ground, having struck it,
gently rising, with her bud-like hand having the delicate fingers
stretched out, the thumb a little bent; having thrown, it up with the
back of the hand, she caught it observed with active grace, in the air
as it fell like a bunch of flowers joined with a circle of bees; and
she discharged it in middling slow and quick musical time, throwing it
very gently; and at that moment she displayed a quick movement with
her feet; and when it stopped, she caused it to rise up with numerous
blows; and, contrarywise, she caused it to rest; and she made it rise
up like a bird, striking it regularly with her left and right hands
when it was come straight to her side, and having caught it fallen
when it had risen to a very great height, she practised a song-step;
and having caused it to go up in various directions, she made it come
back again. Thus sporting sweetly in various ways, accepting the words
of praise loudly spoken at every moment by the people with their
feelings interested come near to the stage, she stands turned towards
me (who was) leaning on the shoulder of Kosadaâsa, having just then
confidence produced in me, with flushed cheek and wide expanded eye.
Then she being caused to have a glancing look like that of Kandarpa
when first descended to earth, corresponding therewith having her
gracefully-curved creeper[12] eyebrows sportively playing; with the
network of the rays of light of her lips oscillated by the waves of
the wind of her breath, like twigs moved in sport, as if beating off
the bees eager to catch the perfume of heir lotus-face. In the
circular whirlings of the ball (caused) by very rapid striking,
entering, as it were, a flowery cage, through bashfulness at sight of
me; in the Panchavindhu movement shaking off, as if through fear, the
five arrows of Kâma simultaneously falling (on her); in the Gomuttrika
steps quivering like the brightness shown in the cloud imitating
forked lightning; in the harmonious movements of her feet, having the
time kept by the sound of the jewelled ornaments; with her lower lip
suffused with the brightness of a furtive smile; with the mass of her
locks put up again when fallen down; with her jewelled girdle-belt
sounding by knocking together; with the brightness of her muslin
dress, agitated as it rested on her gracefully prominent full hips;
with the beautiful ball, struck by the quivering, bent, and extended
arms; with the arms like a loop, turned downwards; with her graceful
hair reaching to the end of the back, rolled round upwards; with the
game continued (and) not neglected from her rapidity in putting up the
fallen-down golden leaf of the ear-ring; with the ball whirled inwards
and outwards by the feet and hands throwing it up repeatedly; with the
necklace lost to sight through bending down and rising up; the pearls
without separation in falling and rising; with the wind of the little
branch (stuck) in (or behind) the ear engaged in drying up the paint
of the cheek spoilt by the perspiration breaking forth; with one hand
engaged in holding back on the surface of her bosom the falling
muslin dress; sitting down and rising up, closing and opening her
eyes, striking on the ground or in the air, with one ball or more than
one, she showed various sorts of play worth looking at.
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