1. Rasika Priya Kesava Dasa Bahadur K.P. MLBD

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And feigning innocence you have come Early this morn to pester me To take you to him ! In the night When him you offer betels, friend; Then to your lover, tell me why, You in the day are insolent?'

The woman neighbour's words to the nāyikā

The woman neighbour says to the nayaka :

'Laughing some words I spoke in fun, And she too jestingly did speak- 'Twas your gain : she did not become Yours, just because your eyes did meet ! Such meeting is not meeting friend, The chatak7 may shout, and die too, Or quiet remain, but the clouds send The svati raindrop when 'tis due8 How can that maid today be brought To meet you here, though you may yearn, When her own courtyard she sees not9 E'en when with passion's fire burns !'

The words of the gardener's wife about the nāyika

The gardener's wife says to the nāyıkā :

'How will the glow your youth has known Be hid by clothes and ornaments, When by your body's light alone To bright day is the dark night turned ? How 'twill be if your perfume joins That of your husband, when black bees10 By your own scent drawn, swarm around ? So think I when your face I see : Oh ! moon-faced ! with greed you're possessed, Shri Krisna to see; how will you then.

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Walk with the burden of your breasts,11; .. Your hair's weight if your waist does bend'?' :

The words of the gardener's wife about the nayaka

The gardener's wife says to the [nāyaka :

'Oh ! Ghanasyama,12 do not bar my way Let me go home; just now you will, A moment hence, behold that maid Clasped to your bosom-she who is As lightning ! Common if she was, Without much ado she'd have come But of gait graceful, is she not Vrișabhānu's daughter ? See, the sun Is setting now, on you I die ! Repair you to the forest-she Is coming fully decked, and night Comes too ! This passion's hold to flee Do you in this cool arbour roam, And she afeared of the black bee Has taken shelter in her home ?'

The words of the female betel-leaf seller about the nāyikā

The female betel-leaf seller says to the nāyika :

'Soft even as wax, friend, is your heart, Tender as lotus stem it stays, The sound of your melodious voice At once the mind does captivate. As pomegranate seeds your teeth, And like young sprouts your red lips are, With joy fill they whom your eyes meet ! For your goodness I have regard, O ! friend ! Yet with fear question I, From tongue as butter soft, and mouth Which is as lotus dainty, why :** Words hard as a log of wood come out ?'

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The words of the female betel-leaf seller about the'nāyaka

The female betel-leaf seller says to the nāyaka

'Oh ! lower your eyes, for they behave Improperly, as all men know, And you conceive, too, in a way : Your fickle nature first would throw A spell upon the heart, and steal It : and then would its help desire ! In some heart you would entrance seek" In someone's breasts entangled are ! How can she live, if you in love Thus are attached? Would it be so The hearts and minds of belles of Braja Secretly you'd sell to Kamadeva !'

The words of the female artist to the nayika

The female artist says to the nāyikā :

'To call him back you're eager, though The city's limit he has not left, It seems you are in Krisna's control More than he in yours : if bereft Of him your eyes do quiver so In pain, as fish of water drained, Why for a moment let him go ? Keep holding him as picture framed !'

The words of the female artist to the nāyaka

The female artist says to the nāyaka

'You're like a stubborn stallion, strong, who.restive is, when to peg tied; No other place know, right or wrong By coaxing move not, but when strikes A whip unseen! Within your mind O! Krisna, a million times revolve

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What I tell you, and be advised By your well-wishers: You go forth Charmed by her body, but this know- Love is not love which does reside In outward form, but hid does flow, From heart to heart, from eye to eye.'

• The words of the female bangle seller to the nayika:

The female bangle seller says to the nāyikā;

'If your soul and her's have not met, What happiness will you derive By meeting thus? Meet him yourself, Or ask some woman to describe Such meeting's joy. If he now strays Into your eyebrows, how long then Will you there bind him, tell me pray? I die on you! Shrī Krisna, O! friend, With garland of flowers you should tie, If you away turn from him thus, Your passion's fury will not die! Beat it to death with lotuses! How long will you so laugh always, And with your eyes your love explain? Now with your tongue that message say Which in your heart so long has lain!

The words of the female bangle seller to the nāyaka

The female bangle seller says to the nāyaka

'Why give her sorrow-she who means Much to you-for whom sad you keep, Oh! Krisna! without whom nothing seems Good to you? Do what her will please. Blest are you that she loves you so, What will you get by making fun Of her? If anger in her grows,

Or else offended she becomes, You should make haste her to appease, And beg forgiveness of her: think! If a glass of milk hot should be Would you not cool it, ere you drink?'

The words of the goldsmith's wife about the nayika

The goldsmith's wife says to the nayika:

'Restless your eyes are, and your gaze Sidelong, does charm; oh! tell me why When first to love you shelter gave, Away you turn now? Sweet! your eyes Are sharp, and big, and lovely; they Are pleasing to the mind, and full Of love, and greatly piercing, pray What wonder, if Shri Krisna they should Have in an instant made their slave! Your lovely eyes, friend, are the home Of splendour, excitement, and shame! On whom they fall, his calm does go, And troubled does his heart remain!'

The words of the goldsmith's wife about the nayaka

The goldsmith's wife says to the nayaka

'Now when she laughs she slowly bows, And by her glances steals the soul, Her heart with love inflamed is now,. And in her mind clearly unfolds The mystery of love strange, so she Knows it, and does to others tell! Till midnight she did wake with me, So long you've waited, oh! Giridhara18, Be patient now, the time is near: Who is more blest than you ? for much Since yesterday she lends her ears When I do talk to her of love!

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The words of the woman of mixed caste about the nāyika

The woman of mixed caste says to the nāyikā:

'My Krisna, friend, is of mind serene And tender, but your eyes, my sweet! Though pure, ardent and restless seem, As dirty young blue lotus leaf. And straight his nature is, but used. ... To crooked deeds your eyes, and bold, Savage, and cunning! and when you Catch them, they will not be controlled! They take more airs than you, my friend! Why don't you stop them ? This I've said So often to you. ? Yet e'en then My Krisna your flirting eyes caress!'.

The words of the woman of mixed caste about the nāyaka

The woman of mixed caste says to the nāyaka

'Howe'er yourself you satisfy By making love to lustful maids By millions; without Rādhā's eyes Beholding, 'twill no joy create. If powdered chalk you do apply Instead of camphor to your face, No coolness nor perfume will rise From it, and 'twill not give you grace. Thus only will your greed survive Oh ! darling of Braja ! thus you may Be discontent; for can thirst die By licking of dew only, pray?'

The words of the female recluse about the nāyikā

The female recluse says to the nāyikā :

'Oh ! bosom friend when someone falls In love with you what will I.do ?

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Will that love then leave you at all, E'en though you try? Your hunger too And thirst, will of a sudden fly, And song and dance forgotten be ! Your mind all work will leave aside, Nought good around you will you see : And nights and days will sleepless turn, And fire such in your heart be lit As in the heat the more will burn ! And when already cool it is A thousand times more cool you make ! Therefore I humbly beg of you With my end-cloth spread, for your sake, Your insolence you should eschew.'

The words of the female recluse about the nāyaka

The female recluse says to the nāyaka

'In your heart frigid'she remains Not; nor you in her fervent heart E'en for a while, then why exchange Yours for hers ? Still no care at all She has for you, though ever dwells On her your mind, so that departs Your hunger, and all joys as well ! Oh ! handsome boy ! with saffron were You always beautifying her face, And did not leave off so to do A moment, even by mistake ! Oh ! how was it that even you, O ! Krsna, within the sway did come Of the eyes of a rustic maid ?'

The words of the worker of ornaments in silk and gold threads about the nāyika

The worker of ornaments in silk and gold threads . who has come to fetch the nāyikā says to her : :

'Is it for this that I did cause O ! mistress, that fop, Krisna, to meet

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You ? having won him with sweet talk Past prying eyes, and each to each Brought you together ? First your eyes Did meet, and now he pines to speak : Make haste that I my mission might Accomplish, and depart.' When she These words did hear, that nayika who Did fretting sit, said : 'When defiled Mind was with speech alone what you Will gain now if our minds unite ?'

The words of the worker of ornaments in silks and gold threads about the nāyaka

The worker of ornaments in silk and gold threads says to the nāyika:

'None can be like that fawn-eyed14 maid Whom to befriend you did come near, Dissemble not, and your hand stay From brass, though it like gold appears ! Though Sarasvati should instruct, Herself, crows can't like cuckoo's sing ! Can he who likes the mango much Be satisfied with tamarind ?'15

Concluding verse

Says Keshavadāsa, I have described Attributes like talks, and the like Of bosom friends; now I'll go on To speak of acts which they perform.

NOTES

I. Sakhi literally means a near friend or confidante. The intimate friend (bosom friend) of a young girl helped her in her love affairs. In this role he was a sort of go-between, though not in the bad sense of a procuress. In old India where women lived a comparatively secluded life and could not publicly meet their friends and lovers, the services of a trusted female friend were invaluable. She carried messages from the girl to her lover, helped

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her to meet him, and made the course of their love smooth. Kalyāna Malla gives a list of such women who were adept as messengers of love. These are a gard- ener's wife, a personal friend, a widow, a nurse, a dancing girl, a woman engaged in manual or technical work, a maid-servant, a social woman who moved from house to house, a woman with whom one could be free, a young girl under sixteen (because one would hardly suspect her), a tailoress, a woman ascetic, a cowherd girl who sold mik and curd, and an old woman. In Kama Sūtra, Vatsyāyana groups the different varieties of friends as follows: a childhood companion, a fellow student, one bound by an, obli- gation, one of the same disposition and fond of similar things, those whose secrets and faults are mutually known to each other , a child of one's nurse, those brought up together and those, who are hereditary friends. Also Chārāyaņa says that citizens form friendships with washermen, barbers, cowherds, florists, druggists, betel-leaf sellers, tavern-keepers, beggars and the like, and with the wives of these people. Vātsyāyana also commends especially a female astrologer, a female beggar, and a female artist, for gaining another woman's confidence, and says, 'the man who is clever and wise, who has the assistance of a friend, and who knows the intention of others, as also the proper time and place for doing things, can gain over with ease a woman very difficult to obtain.' 2. Wife of Shiva. and daughter of Himavat (the Himalaya mountain). Also known as Uma, Gauri, and so on. She was famed for her faithfulness and beauty. 3. Shankara is Shiva, the Destroyer, and one of the gods in the Hindu triad. He married Uma (Parvati) who was one of the daughters of Daksha. Since Daksa had as many as forty or fifty daughters it is difficult to say which one is meant here. Most probably it is Sati, who also married Shiva before Parvati. She is said to have killed herself because of a quarrel between her father, Daksha, and her husband Shiva. She is also famed for her faithfulness and beauty. 4. One of the many names of Krisna, others being Nandalal, Giridhara, Gopāla, etc. 5. The nāyaka, Krisna, asks his maid servant to convey something vulgar to Radha. The maid-servant protests, and tells him,'That girl Rādhā is very bashful, how can I convey such unrefined words to her. Only the other day she was complaining to me, "Your master, Krisna, does not come to me but goes instead to my maid. Indeed the kind of women he favours and whom he beseeches even by falling on their feet, are so low that they are not fit to be even the slaves of my slave. It may be that you are the dear son of Nanda, but how can I ever forget that Radha, being daughter of the influential Vrișabhanu, is no less than you are?' 6. This may mean (1) 'If the nayaka has to kecp awake day and night- in the day because of his work, and in the night worrying about you (the woe- begone nayika whom he has left behind)-and god forbid, falls ill or dies, then what will you do?' or (2) If you (the nayika) worry so much yourself and if something should thereby happen to you, what a great misfortune would be to your departed lover'. The more likely interpretation is the former one

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7. The Indian cuckoo which drinks only rain-water and pines specially for the svati raindro p. 8. Sväti is the name given to the fifteenth lunar mansion in the path of the moon. It is for the rain drop, which falls at this particular time only that the chätak pines. But he may shout himself hoarse, or even die, the raindrop of Svati will fall only at the fixed time. So too, the girl's love can be obtained by the näyaka only when it is ripe, not before. 9. The woman neighbour says: 'The maiden is so shy that she cannot even cross her own courtyard for fear of being found out, even though passion's flames devour her; then how did you expect me to bring her all the way here to you?' 10. In one of Bihari's verses also, black bees are attracted to the nāyika's perfumed body. 'The black bees round her gathered, by the scent Sweet of her body drawn.' In Bana's Harsacharita black bees settle on Malati's face: 'A thick swarm of bees settling eagerly upon her eyes beautiful as a pair of blue lotuses, half hid her face which thus appeared as if it was covered with a dark blue silk veil.' 1I. Praising the heaviness of women's breasts, Bhartrihari says, 'Breasts should be so full that they make a woman bend with their weight'. When the courtesan Urvashi moved, we are told, 'Her breasts scented with heavenly salve dark-nippled, rubbed with heaven's sandal-wood, and shiniag from her necklace, were shaken up and down, and so heavy were they that through the upborne-burden of them, and the sharp movements of them, she was bowed down at every step.' 12. Krisna (See note 4 of this Chapter). 13. See note 4 of this Chapter. 14 Women's eyes were compared to those of a fawn or a ntelope both by Sanskrit and Persian writers. Describing the eyes of the Yaksha bride, Kālidāsa says they were as the gentle eyes of a timid fawn. Bhartrihari speaks of his fawn-eyed-darling. 15. The mango is king of the fruits with a delicious sweet taste. The tamarind is a common fruit, sour and acid, and of unpleasant taste. So one who has taken a liking for the sweet mango can never be satisfied with sour tamarind.

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CHAPTER XIII

The Act of Bosom Friends

This chapter completes what the other had left unsaid. We have been told about the messages which go-betweens convey from the lover to his beloved, and vice versa in the last chapter, and in this one Keshavadāsa tells us what they do to bring the lovers together. The most appropriate go-between is the near and trustworthy friend of the woman, whom Hindi poets call sakhī (bosom companion), and the devices described in this chapter are the ones employed by her. The acts done by the bosom companion to further the cause of lovers are to instruct, entreat, adorn, stoop and chide. By these means she persuades the lover and his beloved to be inclined towards each other, and brings the affair to a successful conclusion. In doing so the bosom friend has to encounter many obstacles, most of them of the lovers' own making, as for example, bashfulness, ignorance, obduracy, arrogance, deceit, and frigidity, on the part of the woman, and hesitancy, lack of zeal, and infidelity on the part of the lover. These impedi- ments the bosom companion removes by the means mentioned above. She instructs the woman when she finds her ignorant in the ways of love, causes her to leave shyness, overcomes her arrogance and harshness by sweet words, inflames her with passion when she finds her frigid, and reproves her when she encounters deceit. In like manner she encourages the lover by urging him on when he is hesitant and lacking in zeal, and by censuring him when she finds him to be false to his beloved. In the course of the performance of these intimate duties sometimes the bosom friend herself gets involved with the nāyaka and then the position becomes complicated and instead of pressing her friend's love-suit she begins to plead her own. Despite this, however, she is more sincere than the other go- betweens whom we had encountered in the previous chapters, viz. the maid-servant, the nurse, the wives of the gardener and the barber, and the betel-leaf seller, and when the others

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deceive the nayika by trying to win over the nayaka for them- selves she alone remains faithful. Without the bosom friend many a girl would stay deprived of the pleasures of love, and many a lover remains thwarted in his amorous advance. The incentive of the bosom companion is his friendship and a desire to oblige, and not financial gain, as for other go-betweens. It is perhaps for this reason that she proves herself to be a better and more reliable intermediary than the others. After having narrated the ways used by bosom companions in uniting lovers, Keshavadāsa goes on, in the next chapter, to describe the various emotions and their qualities.

The acts done by bosom friends1

To instruct, entreat, unite, adorn, To stoop, and chide-these are the acts Which bosom friends for lovers perform.

Instruction to the nāyikā

Giving instruction to the nāyikā, her bosom companion says :

'If love you to your lover show Your co-wife2 will with sorrow burn, And if you firmly stick to "no", To your own body pain will come ! This "no" may please you for a while, Your lover will you ever please, Oh ! bosom friend, no good there lies In "no" ; but good lies, friend, indeed In loving your beloved : may I die on you, if you will thus Not love him, and "no" always say How long will you maintain your love ?'

Instruction to the nāyaka

Instructing the nayaka the bosom companion says :

'Having smeared her limbs with sandal-paste, And bathed her with saffroned water

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With perfumed things having her arrayed, For making love have you brought her ? Put sandal-marks on her, and laid Flower garland her neck to adorn, And beautified her in all ways All to no end ? Her eyes how come You have dark with collyrium made ? Why betel-leaves you have begun To give with camphor scented, say ? Oh ! Krisna ! your mind in merriment Remains absorbed, why don't you lay Yourself upon her feet, that won With fawning she's whose mouth always Imbued with fragrance, sweet becomes ?'

Entreating the nāyikā

The bosom companion says to Rādhā:

'How long will I, oh! bosom friend, Thus tolerate your arrogance And quiet remain? How can this task Be done, if friend, I meet him not ? A million schemes though you may plan The joy to meet him ne'er you can Obtain till then: in the mirror see Your limbs, in what a state they be! How long will you in secret meet Your lover thus, tell me, my sweet?'

Entreating the nāyaka

Entreating Krisna the bosom companion says:

'Brahma3 as lotus flowers has made Her eyes; her jewelled teeth to wit, Are as seeds of pomegranate, And as the bimba fruit4 her red lips. Her laughter rich, he did create

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As nectar; as Triveni5 flowsh beie 17 He did that woman's tresses braid- That maiden with a voice mellow As cuckoo's-as a hair her waist! Her breasts delicious he did form As twin fruit of the wishing tree®! And poor Brahma did then become Enamoured of her! ne'er did see You, oh! Gopala, my bosom friend's Whole body; as the hue of gold Is that fair woman, and a scent Pleasing and sweet from her does flow.'

Appeasement of the nāyikã

The bosom companion says to Radha:

'You please him, and yourself please you, And from the casement your glance cast? On him, and show him your face too, And when you're called you silent are, Which I like not: O! I have amused Many as you, now needlessly Me you amuse, O! woman deceitful! Saying "no" to me, and "yes" to your Krisna!'

Appeasement of the nāyaka

Entreating Krisna the bosom companion says:

'With flowers and ornaments you decked Her, and, oh! Krisna, thus did increase Her good fortune and happiness; Advanced your suit, and loved her deep Within your heart, and clasped her feet! Swcet smelling things to her applied, And forcing on her betel-leaves, Kept her awake many a night! Oh! Krișna, I pray you, now arise!

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Why sit you yet, when you should go ? Stealing another's heart, now why Do you still your displeasure show ?8

Another example of the appeasement of the nāyikā

The bosom companion says to Rādhā:

'When I about his faults do speak, His virtues you start to describe, Your love adroitly you conceal As in a moment lightning hides Amidst dark clouds; Oh! how can you In her house stay on dreadful nights Of Bhädom,9 when within the woods Your lover keeps? You make me rise When I sit, and then you create A scene; dear friend, I wonder why You do not trust me so, to say What buried in your mind does lie.'

Meeting of Krisna

The bosom companion says to Krisna

'Of counselling her friends wearied were, Dark clouds of frightening her were tired, The lightning weary to lay bare The midnight path; love wearied was To stoop before her: Passion so Of striking her; the Three Winds10 stayed Weary of blowing her to and fro! Unfeeling god! why did you make Her mind such that her body's fire She will seek no wise to allay? I have oft tried, and now I tire, But my advice she will not take. The cuckoo tired of singing is, The chatak11 too is wearied out:

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But all in vain, for nothing will Make that cold maiden turn about.'

The nāyika's adornment

The bosom companion says:

'I cleaned her feet with pumice stone,12 And with red dye I did them deck, And then her lovely eyes adorned With collyrium: around her neck A garland placed; ornaments on Her body: now the glass she holds Wherein her beauty she does gaze: Who will now, as the nāyaka throw A sidelong glance on her, and take Her gently in his lap; and out Of deep affection, fondly place A betel in her quivering mouth?'

The nayaka's adornment

The bosom companion says to Krisna:

'A lovely turban you have worn, And jacket: and around your waist A pleasing scarf; with scent adorned Yourself, and on your breasts displayed A garland fair; and your mouth, Krisna, By betel pleasing you have made! But oh! Gopala! dull are, I think, All your adornments, till that belle Rādha, your loved one, of sweet face, The tika13 mark on your forehead By her own fair hands does not place!'

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The nāyika's stooping

The bosom companion says to Rādha:

'Again and again the mind I turned Of Krisna towards you; and when he Did favour show, it seemed returned The hour of your good fortune, sweet! And that same lover whose feet you once Did often clasp, fell on your feet ! So I have for your sake begun His feet to touch too. What did speak The proud new brides14 I brushed aside, And sang your praises: that you'd feel Obliged I knew full well, but why Should I now that vain lad entreat, When, as before he made you sigh, Now, oh! so cruelly, he makes me!15

The nāyaka's stooping

The bosom companion says to the nayikā:

'How can that god influenced be Who bracken with beauty together did bind, And on the ugly tendū tree16 The Kāmalatā creeper17 entwined ? Who on the serpent's head did place A shining jewel ?18 Oh! such a god Possesses that abiding state Which cannot, friend, be e'er destroyed! First in the mirror see your face Then say what the truth is; I for one Of all wed maids will offering make On Rādhā, daughter of Vrișabhānu.'

The bosom companion's complaint against the nāyika

The bosom companion says to the nāyikā:

'How great your beauty you esteem And your birth, that in anger steeped

4

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Your inind e'er is! nor do you deem Your equal anyone; but keep Encircling in the sky upon Pride's chariot! thus do not behave, With insolence; subdue this storm Of vanity, and captivate Him with your glance, for his heart, prized As diamond, he with pleasure yields- And oh! you girl, antelope-eyed, With tender words unto him speak!'

The bosom friend's complaint against the nāyaka

The bosom companion says to Krisna;

'To take an oath you are not tied, Nor of a go-between have fear But from the corner of your eyes The betel juice wipe off, my dear! Somewhat there lingers in my mind The memory of those days when you Did butter steal;19 if now you find Me to be innocent, it would prove My folly, what else can I say? Oh! Krisna! ashamed you did not feel To go unasked thus to her place! Your falsehood is so great indeed That her you have offended, though The dust you from her feet did take Has yet till now not blown away!'

The desperate Nāyikā

Rādha says to her bosom companion :

The maid-servant is as midnight Elusive, the nurse as blaze dwells, With grief's fire are the slaves alight! Pierced with the nāyaka's love themselves Are the gardener's and barber's wives,

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And betel-leaf seller-oh! my friend You only are my hope! unite20 Me with Shri Krisna, or I will end My life, and you' Il see me no more! My heart's secret to you I've told.'

Concluding verse

So of such kinds all beings say, Is the enjoyment of the love of Krisna Which men of the four castes21 and stages22 With pleasure do recount and listen. Of Rādhā and Rā dhāramaņa23 Adornments I have thus described, I go on now tell of some Sentiments, and their qualities.

NOTES

1. Vātsyāyana classifies go-betweens-or messengers of love into different types according to the different kinds of work they are called upon to per- form. According to him they fall into eight types-(a) who performs the entire job, (b) who does only part of it, (c) who bears letters only, (d) who acts on her own account and gets involved with the lover herself, (e) who acts for an innocent young woman, (f) a wife who serves as go-between, (g) a mute go-between and (h) who carries a message of double meaning. 2. A rival wife. Apparently polygamy was allowed and was prevalent in those days. At the moment the trend is towards monogamy, and according to a prevailing government regulation no government servant can have more than one wife living. (See also note 11, Chapter 11). 3. The first member of the Hindu triad, the Creator, (See note 2 Chapter3). 4. Bimba is a perennial climber with tendrils and fibrous roots, producing white flowers during the rainy season. The fruit is elongated and hard like a small gourd, and turns scarlet when ripe, hence the comparison to a woman's lips. Hindi and Sanskrit writers often compare a woman's lips to the ripe bimba fruit. In Mayura'a Shringara Astaka there is the following description of a lovely damsel:

'Who is this beauty, her face shining like the full moon Advancing along the path in the full bloom of youth, Drunk with love-and sleep her eyes rolling, her lips full and red, like ripe bimba fruit.

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In The Adventure of the Ten Princes of Dandin, Rani Vasumati has lips like bimba fruit : 'The new leaves of the tree which torture travellers away from home with the memory of the lips of their beloveds, went into the making of her lips red as the bimba fruit.' Describing Radha's lips in Gita Govinda, Poet Jayadeva says: 'Your lips like a bimba fruit, but infatuates further And your bosom so chaste, how it ravages playing with my life. These are with her the pleasures of being intimate; The charms vibrant and moist of her eyes and the scent of her lotus mouth The ambiguous sweet nectar-dripping of her words and the sweet- ness of her bimba lips.' (Trans. Keyt) In the Bhāgavata Purāna, when the gopis (cowherd girls) are unable to find Krisna, 'their faces, with lips red and luscious like bimba fruits were down- cast'. In Kathā Sarit Sagara, Upakosta's lover says: 'Then my heart was cleft by the stroke of love's arrow, and I could not sleep that night through my desire to kiss her bimba lips.' Finally, Draupadi who was considered to be a paragon of beauty, had lips red as the bimba fruit. 5. The place where the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet (See note 2, Chapter 4). 6. The Kalpa vriksa --- A mythical tree which has the merit of fulfilling all desires, 7. In Keshava's time women were still not free to mix in society, and kept mostly to the zenana, or inner-quarters meant for them. These sometimes had windows which overlooked the men's quarters and the lovelorn maiden could occasionally come upto basement-window and steal a hurried glance at her beloved. So does Bihari's nayika look on her lover throwing on him a quick glance: 'Timidly her face veiling, That moon-faced lady swiftly peeped Through the casement-window, and then withdrew Suddenly, like a tongue of lived flame.' 8. Obviously the lovers have had a quarrel, and Krisna is reviling his beloved Radha. The bosom companion entreats him to go away and stop displeasing one whom he loved so fondly. 9. The sixth month of the Hindu year corresponding to August/September. It is the month of heaviest rainfall, hence the nights are dreadful with dense clouds, streaks of lightning and rain. 10. These are the three winds, shitala (cool), manda (gentle), and sugandha (perfumed). II. A kind of Indian cuckoo. 12. Pumice-stone was used for scrubbing dirty feet clean. It is still used by some Indian women for this purpose. 13. An auspicious mark placed on the forehead both by Hindu men and

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women. For women it serves as an adornment, and the mark is red or ver- million, of small size, round, or vertically elongated. Men wear different kinds of tīka marks, mainly sacerdotal, varying with the cult to which they belong. Shaivites, or the followers of Shiva, wear the mark horizontally placed across the forehead, while the followers of Visnu, Vaisnavites, have it placed vertically in the centre of the forehead. These marks are usually of sandal-wood paste. 14. The co-wives or the rival wives. Vatsyayana lays down meticulous codes of conduct for the wife towards her co-wives. When a new bride comes she should look on her as a younger sister and give her a position superior to her own. She should give her good advice and cherish her and not mind the favours her husband may lavish on her. The younger wife should regard the elder one as a mother and should not approach her husband without her permission. While giving this advice to maintain harmony, however, Vät- syayana also gives detailed instructions on how the elder wife should instigate the others to join her in a concerted move to oust the favourite wife and to remove her from her husband's favour. In practice the co-wives did not get along well and they were always jealous of each other. 15. The go-between in this caseis of the kind acting on her own account ... , mentioned by Vatsyayana in Kama Sutra. She is described as follows: 'A woman who goes herself to a man, and tells him of her having enjoyed sexual union with him in a dream, and expresses her anger at his wife having rebuked him for calling her by the name of her rival instead of by her own name, and gives him something bearing the marks of her teeth and nails, and in- forms him that she knew she was formerly desired by him, and asks him privately whether she or his wife is the better looking, such a person is called a woman who is a go-between for herself. Now such a woman should be met and interviewed by the man in private and secretly. The above name is also given to a woman who having made an agree- ment with some other woman to act as her go-between, gains over the man to herself by the means of making him personally acquainted with herself, and thus causes the other woman to fail. The same applies to a man who, acting as a go-between for another and having no previous connection with the woman, gains her over for himself, and thus causes the failure of the other man,' 16. A tree of average size like ebony, not particularly good or symme- trical, hence rough and ugly to look at. 17. An ornamental climbing plant which has shapely and good looking leaves. It generally climbs on a tree like the tendū. 18. According to popular superstition the king cobra's head bears a bright jewel which shines out in the night. 19. Krisna loved butter, milk, and curd, very much; so much indeed that he did not mind stealing it, sometimes forcibly, from a cowherd maiden. He earned quite a bad name in Gokul for it, and because of this was often called makhanchora, i. e. 'thief of butter'. (makhan-butter; chor-thief ) 20. All her helpers and friends have deceived Rādha. The elusive maid- servant cannot be seen, just as one cannot see midnight, (being fast asleep).

... ... ....

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The nurse of Radha is a conflagration of love herself, what heed can she give her mistress. The bodies of the slaves are full of sorrows. The gardener's wife, and that of the barber and the betel-leaf seller, instead of conveying Radha's love to the nayaka have become infatuated with him themselves. Radha's bosom friend alone is faithful to her, and it is her whom she begs to somehow unite her with her lover Krisna. 21. There are four classes amongst Hindus as mentioned in Manu's code. (i) Brahmin- the learned or priestly class whose duty it is to study the Vedas, and to perform sacrifices and religious ceremonies. (ii) Kshatriya-the kingly or warrior class. (iii) Vaishya-those engaged in trade and agriculture. (iv) Shudra-the servant class. In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord says: 'The four orders of society (ie. the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra) were created by me, classifying them according to their proclivities and assigning suitable duties to them; but I the author of this Creation am immortal and a non-doer. 22. The Upanishads divide the entire life of a man into four stages or ashramas. These are (1) student life, or brahmacharya, in which the youth leaves his home and lives with a preceptor till his education is over, (ii) the life of the householder or grihastha, in which the student having completed his education, marries, has children and lives a family life, (iii) the life of retirement from the world and preparation for the other one, the vanaprastha stage. This begins when, in old age, being absolved of family duties the man prepares for final enlightenment and release from worldly life. This is the stage of austere discipline and penance, a life of tranquillity and desire- lessness, and (iv) the stage of sannyasa, or renouncement, in which the man becomes a sort of wandering mendicant or ascetic, not bound by worldly rules of conduct. 23. Rādharamaņa is a name for Krișņa. Ramaņa means a 'husband' or 'lover'. So Radharamana means the husband or lover of Radha, i.e. Kṛișņa.

CHAPTER XIV

Laughter, and Other Sentiments

In this chapter Keshavadāsa describes the nature of laughter and its various types. Where delight is produced by means of the eyes and speech there laughter is born. There are four kinds of laughter-feeble, sweet, violent, and loud. Feeble laughter arises when the eyes, lips, cheeks, and teeth blossom out somewhat. This is the mildest kind of laughter which is almost a smile. The lips open only a little and dis- close the glimmer of bright teeth, the cheeks sparkle with joy, the eyes are bewitching and restless, and the eyebrows are a little aslant. Such mild laughter comes to the nayika's lips when she is exchanging pleasantries with her lover in a chance encounter, or is filled with bashfulness while listening to a love tale. Where on hearing some melodious sound the mind and body is captivated by tender and winning coquetry, this is called sweet laughter. This also arises during the course of courtship when the nāyaka entreats the nāyika in order to obtain her willingness. Violent laughter arises when on laughing fear- lessly the odour of the mouth causes pleasure, and broken words issue from the lips. This type of laughter is for lovers who are free with each other and clasp each other's hand joyfully again and again; who being overwrought with love mumble incomplete words in the excitement of their passion. Loud laughter is produced when relations who are gathered at the home of a newly-wed couple begin suddenly to laugh without having any consideration of decorum. Of this the Poet gives two vivid examples, one of the laughter of cowherd girls when Rādha fails to recognize her lover who is disguised as a woman and clasps him to her bosom, and the other when they see Krisna's embarrassment at being deceived into thinking that an empty pot carried by a milkmaid contained butter and trying to steal it. Other sentiments are described by Keshavadäsa, though not in such great detail. Tenderness is produced by separation

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from the loved one, violence from rage, valour from zeal, dread from great fear, loathsomeness from abhorrenc, wonder from surprise, and evenness following dejection from all worldly things. Conforming to a convention in Hindi poetry various colours are ascribed to different sentiments. Tenderness has the hue of a young pigeon, violence is red, valour white, dread black, loathsomeness blue, and wonder is yellow. These sentiments are illustrated by the behaviour and moods of the nayaka and the nāyikas in various situations. Keshavadāsa classifies his illustrations into the two divisions of 'hidden' and 'manifest' which indeed are followed right through the book. Having described sentiments he goes on, in the next chapter, to tell of the four rules or conditions which govern all Hindi poetry.

The sentiment of laughter, and its kinds

Where by the means of eye and speech Delight produced is, there the wise And clever-minded do indeed The birth of laughter recognize. Says Keshavadasa, poets and wise men Four kinds of laughter have described, First feeble, than sweet merriment, Third violent, and fourth laughter loud.

Feeble laughter

When eyes, and cheeks, and teeth, and lips, Do blossom out somewhat, then 'tis By diverse men of wisdom called Feeble laughter, says Keshavadāsa.

Rādha's feeble laughter

'For the past month or so she smiles As soon as words of love she hears, That girl who loves you all the while

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Does sit purposely to give ear To such love-talk; and much delight I know she finds in love-filled words Which king Nala's messenger1 recites In that love-tale so I have heard. That yearning of your heart's delight2 I reckon will now be fulfilled, It seems to me that now the light Of your good fortune has been lit.'

The feeble laughter of the nāyikā

The bosom campanion says to the nāyikā :

'While putting betels in your mouth Against your youthful lips did brush His eager finger who knows how ? Then you too glanced towards him thus As though you would swallow his eyes, And laughing spoke to him some words By which it seemed that he did lie Completely in your love submerged. Seeing this, my friend, I could discern That at long last you had appeased The fire that in the heart did burn Of your young lover, him to please'.

The feeble laughter of Krisna

The bosom companion says to Krisņa :

'The splendour of your teeth does show Beneath your lips; you make me quite Insensible by love's downpour ! The shadow of your restless eyes Does sparkle in your lovely cheeks : By mind, act, speech, her you enslave, Your eyebrows her emotions speak.

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Dear boy ! why do you silent stay ? Your laughter manifest and sweet May bring some heart within its sway ! Lo! now your laughter soft indeed The heart of someone steals away !'

Sweet laughter

Says Keshava when upon the ears Some sweet melodious sound does fall Which mind and body holds in thrall That 'laughter sweet', do poets declare.

The sweet laughter of Rādha

Oh ! Shrī Krisna in your eyes I see It seems a dancing space inscribed : The pupils of your eyes indeed The dancers are; and black and white Their waist-garments :3 a million types Of sizzling dances there abound ! The male dancer is your own eye, And drums of soft laughter resound In it; and laughter flash I ween The light that in a lamp is seen !

The sweet laughter of Krisna

The bosom companion says to the nāyikā :

'Oh ! bosom friend mine Krisna today Spoke long to you words with love filled, A scarf around your neck he placed, A necklace on your breasts, and did Entreat you of a sort; amazed Was I and much surprised to see Such ardent love him oft display ; And why upon your head did he His hand so place ? Why did he laugh ? And in your end-cloth4 tie a knot ?'

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Violent laughter

Where upon laughing fearlessly The odour of the mouth does please, And from lips, broken words issue, There violent laughter is produced.

Rādhā's violent laughter

Oh ! you of sly and restless eyes, The mind of my Krisna you astound With laughter soft; as flashing lies The studded ornament that crowns Your head, so does the tilaka5 please, Oh ! girl, which gleams on your forehead So sparkles too, your splendid teeth, And the red stone in your necklace : So shines the lustre of your cheeks And the soft smoothness of your chin, The glittering pearl that wavering keeps As to and fro moves your nose-pin !6

Krisna's violent laughter

One bosom companion says to another :

'Shrī Krișņa and Rādhā dalliance make Rising and falling; gratified With one another, they embrace; Anon the two do in strange wise From one another separate Being with emotion overwrought They speak words sweet and meaningless Which pleasing are, but yet cannot Be understood; friend I have marked Beside the Yamuna? river stand Shrī Krisna and Rādhā-seen them laugh And wild with pleasure, clap their hands !'

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Loud laughter"

Says Keshavadasa where caring not For a married couple, relations all Begin to laugh, that I surmise Is 'laughter loud' to poets wise.

The loud laughter of the cowherd girls

Said someone there's a cowherd lass From Mahavana8 who sings as sweet As Saraswati;9 her loveliness Does match the wife of Kāma, Rati.10 Then Rādha said, 'call her inside,' And when that cowherd girl was brought In agitation she did rise To do her honour, and did clasp That maiden who was Krisna disguised ! Seeing this the cowherd girls around, O'ercome with mirth, did hold their sides, And peals of laughter did resound.

The loud laughter of Krisna

Hear what happened to Krisna today Oh; bosom friend : 'A cowherd girl An earthen jar on her head placed, Did venture forth; with milk and curd That jar was spattered, and she passed On the way, Krisna, who forward stepped With hope to taste what in it was, And lifted it from off her head, But empty, lo ! that jar he found; And Krișna, dear friend, was much abashed; Seeing this, their end-cloth throwing around Their heads, the maidens laughed and laughed.

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The sentiment of tenderness

By separation from one loved Is tender sentiment produced, And like a pigeon young, is said To be that dear emotion's hue.11

The tenderness of the nāyaka

More lustrous than the sun who is, More tender than the moon serene, More bounteous e'en than Shankaraji,12 Lovely as Rama13, more strong than Indra;14 With charm the heart who captivates, Firm as the ocean whom I wist, And greatly skilled, as Shrī Ganesha;15 How does he pass his days amidst Such simpletons? Oh ! tell me what To unwise Nanda, friend, shall I say And Yashoda16 who having got Such a son, herdsman have him made?

Rādhā's tenderness

She who is filled with smell as sweet As is a perfumed champa17 bud, A creeper of beauty who is And by the minds of lovers Joved; Whose speech is as of god's divine, As Indrajī's spouse18 who joy spreads wide In all the world whose body shines As Kamadeva's,19 who's as lightning bright, Or as Lakshmï20 who incarnates, Who is obtained by much merit; Fools are these cowherds so to make Such a lovely girl as Rādha, sell milk;

The sentiment of violence

Says Keshavadäsa, the sentiment Of violence does from rage arise,

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In which the body hot becomes :.. And with itself remains at strife ! This sentiment's colour is said By all who speak of it, as red.

The violence of the nāyikā

The lion has likened his thin waist Oh ! Rādhā, unto yours, but you Its slenderness have snatched away ! So the eyes of the deer, so too Fish's unrest, and elephant's gait ! The mottled parrot, and cuckoo, And lotus lovely, and wagtail, Ashamed have to the forest moved ! The champa flower and the saffron, The swan, the tender lotus root, Wood-apple, and pomegranate, Are all undone : and gold, poor fool ! His body burns ! less grows the moon; The bandhujiva21 its scent has lost, And Krisna your slave has turned; on whom Oh ! Rādhã, you are angry now ?22

Krișņa's violence

The bosom companion says to Krisņa : 'Strife you did slay, and kill and drown Parting, who was of you afraid; Of all the love and good fortune You rifled, and to Rādha gave; Guile you did prune, destroyed knowing, And in love's combat even churned The mind of Kamadeva : say, Oh ! Krisna On whom your anger now has turned ?'

The heroic sentiment

Says Keshavadāsa from zeal is born The sentiment heroic, whose

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Colour white is described by all To be-so doth convention choose.

The nāyika's heroism

The bosom companion says to Rādhā :

'Taking with you the elephant Of motion, and the fiery steed Of body's gleam, of dalliance The chariot, and the soldiers fleet Of feeling; having overawed Shame, name, anxiety and the like; Taking the sword of laughter soft, The warriors of your breasts, the pikes Of nail-marks, and armour of love Donning, with courage as your mate : You should overcome Madan Gopāla In love's sweet encounter today.'23

Krișna's heroism

The bosom companion says to Krisna :

'Will you kill her as you did slay Aghāsura ? Or to pieces hack Her as Bakāsura ? Or as Kesha And Keshi24 throw her down ? Or snatch Her soul as Putana's ?25 Or will you Drive her as you did Kālīnāga26 From out the stream ? Or her denude Of all ecstasy! oh ! Ghanashyāma, As arrows do the clouds ? Always You've won, why to her lose ? With passion maddened are Braja-maids,27 Their longing when will you remove ?'

The sentiment of dread

Says Keshavadāsa the sentiment Fearful, is always of dark shape,

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And much dread in the minds of men Its sight and hearing does create.

The dread of Radha

The sky was laden with dark clouds, Over the earth all round they poured, Helped by the wind they rumbled loud, And threateningly the thunder roared, Nor for a minute did it die : And when that lustful woman saw The lightning flash from every side, Unto her lover's neck so fast She clung, as flames which pounced upon Arjuna,28 who in Indra's woods sojourned.

Krișņa's dread

The words unpleasant which are said Jn anger, e'en more bitter turn Than poison-only he can tell The strength of bile who eats currants !29 The woman who in your mind remained Till now, at last you have today Grieved; and indeed you're very plain To teach me ! when she simple stayed She naively spoke : but rage now mars Her, and her eyebrows as the bows Of passion she knits ; from afar I see them thus, how, can I go ?

The loathsome sentiment

Says Keshavadāsa the sentiment Loathsome abhorrent is, and blue Its shape, which seeing and hearing, makes The mind and body sorrowful.

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The loathsomeness of Radha

The bosom companion says to Rādhā :

'Your mother's flesh to you is sweet Because you swear, "her flesh I'll eat !" Your father's blood does satisfy You not, for, "I drink it !" you cry : So also is your heart pained not Your brothers' throat to cut, because You swear "I will their throats sever !" Such false oaths take you whenever We meet. Whose child are you, accursed ? Of friend, or spirit ? or demoness ? O ! swear by Krisna, and tell me true Yourself, of what strange birth are you ?'30

The loathsomeness of Krisna

· The nāyikā says to the nāyaka :

'Where hundreds of woodworms infest The broken framework of the thatch, And smoky 'tis all round-where dwell Spiders and snakes, and scorpions black : In that place full of evil smell, You do for a bed go a begging, And at midnight you are restless For women dark, with dirty limbs ! Are you with disgust not filled so, Oh ! Ghanashyāma, always to remain In stifling rooms where wood is stored, And in the narrow winding lanes ?'

The sentiment of wonder

On hearing or on seeing which, Amazement and surprise are born, Says Keshavadāsa, know you that is

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Of wonder sure the sentiment The hue of which, by all who know, Is said to be colour yellow.

The wonder of the nāyika

Oh ! Rädha, daughter of Vrisabhānu With wonder filled you move all day To sell your curd, and those who come To buy it are themselves purchased ! Your radiance as a woman's shines Though yet you be of tender age, Your voice is low, and sharp your mind, And tender is your heart, and chaste, But hard your budding youthful breasts ! Though you are woman, yet you bind Shrī Krișna in bondage, and restless Your eyes are, but calm is your mind. The tales of your lust are a stain Upon your virtue, and so I deem Immoral does your mind remain.

Another example of the nāyika's wonder

To parrots and starlings who are tamed The belles of Braja discourse do make On the sex art ; fair are these dames And innocent-of tender age : And all of them rush out to view Shrī Krisna from forth their hiding place As goddesses unseen ; I swear on you, Each maid stretched her bow eyebrow-shaped, And with arrows of looks sidelong, Mischievous, each assault did make Krișna's mind invisible upon ! So strange it was, the war they waged, And from the front they did not aim, But slyly from where they were hid,

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And sure they were so of their game That not one glance its target missed !

Krişna's wonder

Of curd and butter he is a thief, Of honey and milk-but in a trice The soul of everyone he steals ! I know not why saints and the like Should speak of him as Brahma great, And seeing this wondrous mystery The god's wives in their minds debate That how can such a one as he, Who when he sees the charming gait, Of cowherd women wandering free Is in a moment captive made ! To wrong-doers such destruction deal 231

The sentiment of evenness

Says Keshavadasa, when from all sides The mind dejected is, and rests At one point; this call poets wise The sentiment of evenness.

The evenness of the nāyaka

The bosom companion says to Krişna

'She looks not at the lotuses Nor yet the splendid moon does see, That lustful woman concentrates Her mind on tales that passion breathe : None in the three worlds can excel Her loveliness ; and naught appeals To her, since on you her eye fell ! Therefore, oh ! Krisna ! I pray take heed When she is bent her life to lay If you she sees not : Why don't you

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Meet her somewhere, so that she may At length her cherised lover view ?'

The evenness of Krisna

From the day when he boldly drew The essence from your dainty lips All the world's sweets, and nectar too, He has left : dates he no longer eats, Nor butter likes he, nor raisins Honey and sugar-cane he hates, Pomegranates do please not him ! Of this have I come for your sake To tell, e'en though such things to speak Were for an elder one not meet.32

Another example of the evenness of Krisna

Says Keshavadasa, in this world wide Demons and men, and other beings Of land and water, ever fight A war with time : and gods even Divine and ageless, also die, And are born on the earth again. Therefore in truth immortal lies He only who such knowledge gains As from birth's rounds33 he free becomes : That noise which in your ears resounds Is not of words, but Shankara's drum !34 So brothers mine, do not be bound Upon this mortal wheel, and run ! By good fortune who can escape, Let him : know here for those that come The whirlpool of awe ever gapes.

Concluding verse

Says Keshava, thus should be portrayed Other sentiments, but I fear

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Too bulky will this book be made, So I have not described them here : All sentiments under two main heads Do fall-hidden and manifest.35 'Tis for this reason I've defined Nine sentiments only, and I will speak Now of four conditions which bind The writing of all poetry.

NOTES

I. The messenger conveys the love of Damayanti, his beloved, to King Nala. The story of Nala and Damayanti is an Indian love tale related in the Mahabharata (translated into English by Deane Milman, and into Latin by Bapp). It is like that of Romeo and Juliet, Laila and Majnu etc. Nala was king of Nisadha and Damayanti the only daughter of Bhima king of Vidarbha. They had not seen each other, but merely by hearing of each other's nature and qualities they began to love one another to distraction.' They were married at a svayamvara after Damayanti had selected Nala against some odds. They led a happy married life and had two children, but due to the enmity of rival, Nala was induced to play against his younger brother at dice in which he lost everything-even his clothes, as Yudhisthira did to Shakuni. Thereupon Nala wandered along with Damayanti in the forest; and later on due to poverty had to desert even her. Damayanti returned to her father, where, after a number of adventures, Nala, too, was driven, and at length was united with her, after which he won back all that he had lost from his brother in another game of dice. 2. The yearning of the heart's delight, means the desire of Krisna to get Radha. The bosom friend says to him, 'You will soon be united with Rādha, your beloved. The fact that she has begun to be attracted to tales of love, such as Nala and Damayanti shows that love has awakened in her.' 3. Waist-garments, mean the garments worn by men and women (dhoti for men, and saree for women). These are tucked tight around the waist while dancing so that they may not obstruct the dance movements. 4. The corner or end of the saree in which the Indian house-wife ties her keys or any other valued thing. The actions performed by the nāyaka in this verse are all indicative of his love for the nayika. 5. The auspicious, ornamental, red or vermilion mark which women apply on their foreheads. 6. Hindu women, especially those who are married, wear a large nose- pin to which a pearl or precious stone is attached. The fashion is going out of date, and now the women of some communities wear it only on their wedding day.

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7. A tributary of river Ganga which meets it in Prayāga, (modern Allā- habad). The banks of the Yamuna were the scene of many of Krisna's exploits, including the famous rāsalila dance with Rādha and the gopīs (cowherd girls). 8. One of the provinces of Mathura in Krisna's times which contained large patches of forest land. 9. The lovely goddess of learning and the fine arts. 10. The Hindu god of love. Rati is his beautiful wife. II. The colour of the emotion of tenderness is like that of a young pigeon. Hindi poets were fond of ascribing colours to various emotions-for example rage was given the colour red, heroism white, loathsomeness blue, and so on. 12. Shiva, the Destroyer, one of the three gods in the Hindu triad-the fierce god, 'dark, black, destroying, terrible.' He is commonly represented as seated in profound thought, with a third eye in the middle of his forehead, contained in, or surmounted by the moon's crescent, his matted locks ga- hered up into a coil like a horn which bears upon it a symbol of the river Ganga which he caught as it fell from heaven. He wears a tiger or deer skin, and is seated on his bull Nandi. In the Vedas, Shiva is lauded as the lord of songs and of sacrifices, who heals and remedies, who is brilliant as the sun, the best and most bountiful of gods, who grants prosperity and welfare to horses, and sheep, men, women and cows; the lord of nourishment, who drives away diseases, dispenses remedies, and removes sin. It is this aspect of Shankara that this verse emphasises. 13. The eldest son of Dasharatha, King of Ayodhya, of the solar race, and an incarnation of the god Visnu. His story is told in the Rāmayana, one of the most holy books for Hindus. Rama broke the bow of Shiva and married Sita, daughter of Janaka, King of Videha. Due to the plotting of one of the maid servants of the court, Rama had to go into exile soon after his marriage, along with Sita and his brother Lakshmana. There Sita was abducted by Rāvana, the demon king of Lanka, which led to war between the two, in which Rama and his forces won. Sita was restored, and Rāma became King of Ayodhya. Rama was very beautiful, though dark-complexioned. The Ramayana gives the following description of him when he came to wed Sita. 'The dark body of Rama is inherently lovely and its splendour puts millions of gods of love to shame. His lotus feet tinted with red dye look very beautiful, and near them the mindshaped black bees of the sages are constantly hovering. His charming dhoti of pure yellow robs the early morning sun and the lightning of their light ... he wears enchant- ing ornaments on his broad breast ... his eyes are lovely as the lotus; in his ears dangle charming ear-rings, and his face is the very treasure-house of beauty. He has lovely eyebrows and captivating nostrils ... All his limbs are so beautiful that they steal the soul.' 14. The god of the firmament, described of being of a ruddy or golden brown colour, and having arms of enormous length. His forms are endless, and he can assume any shape at will. He rides in a bright golden car, drawn by two tawny horses with flowing manes and tails. His weapon is the thunder-bolt which he carries in his right hand. He also uses arrows, a great

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hook, and a net in which he entangles his foes. He takes enormous quantities of the Soma juice and getting drunk with it goes forth to fight his foes,: helped by troops of Maruts. He sends forth lightning and thunder, governs the weather, and dispenses rain. 15. Son of Shiva and Parvati, God of wisdom, and remover of obstacles. Hence he is invariably propitiated at the beginning of any important under- taking. (See note 1, Chapter I). 16. The foster parents of Krisna. 17. Spanish jasmine, a small flowering shrub yielding big white ex- quisitely fragrant flowers with the interior of their cups yellow. 18. Indraji's spouse is Indrani, wife of Indra, also called Shachī and Aindri. She is said to be the most fortunate of females, for her husband shall never die of old age. The Taittiriya Brahmana states that Indra chose her for his wife from a number of competing goddesses because she was the most voluptuous of them all. 19. The god of love, the Hindu Cupid (See note 2, Chapter I). 20. Goddess of fortune, and wife of Visnu (See note 4, Chapter 4). 21. A small flowering creeper. 22. The verse describes the beauty of Radha in superlative terms. All the things to which the various parts of her body could be compared to are undone, so much are they surpassed. 23. The imagery is from the implements and actions of war. The bosom companion instructs Radha to overcome her lover, Krisna, in love's battle, armed by motion as of an elephant, dalliance (as of a chariot), felling (the swift soldiers), laughter (the sword), her devastating breasts (warriors) nail-marks made in lovemaking (pikes), love (armour), and courage (mate). She should by the help of these, remove (overawe) shame, anxiety, social opprobrium etc. and proceed to conquer her lover in love's fray. 24. Aghasura, Bakasura, Kesha and Keshi were demons whom Krisna killed. 25. When Kamsa heard sage Narada's prophecy that he would bc killed by the eighth child of Devaki, the daughter of his uncle, he was greatly upset, and much more so when the eighth child (a daughter), of Devaki was ex- changed with Krisna, and she confirmed the prophecy when Kamsa tried to kill her. So he ordered a general massacre of all children born near about that time. This horrible task was given to Putana. After she had accom- plished it. Kamsa found out that Devaki's son, Krisna, still lived, so he spurred on the unwilling Putana to kill him. Pūtana smeared arsenic on the nipples of her breasts and gave them to the infant Krisna, but instead of the child being poisoned, he sucked out her very life and left her dead. 26. The incident is related in the Bhāgavata Purāņa. The snake Kāli naga, or Kāliya lived in the poisonous pool whose water was so deadly that cattle which drank of it immediately died. The fierce snake lived in the middle of the pool. Krisna once waded into it with a rope and fearlessly cast a noose round the serpent, tying the other and round his waist. Thus he pulled the snake out of the poisonous pool and got the better of it. The taming of the snake Kaliya is the subject matter of a famous painting.

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27. The women of the Braja country lying beside the river Yamuna, which was the scene of Krisna's early exploits. 28. Son of Indra, and a brave warrior. He was taught the use of arms by Drona whose favourite pupil he was. He won Draupadi at a svayam- vara. He also married Chitrangada, daughter of the King of Manipur, and Subhadra, sister of Krisna, and had connections with Ulūpi, a Naga princess. He fought against the Kaurava princes, assisted by Krisna who became his charioteer, and who gave him the teaching contained in the Bhagavad Gita on this occasion. Arjuna was a great fighter and he fought against a number of Rājas including his own son, Babhruvähana, his father, Indra, the Dravi- dians and on one occasion even with the great Lord Shiva himself disguised as a mountaineer, though he begged pardon when the god's true nature was revealed to him. 29. This conforms to the concept of Vaidic (Indian) medicine, accord- ing to which eating of currants increases the flow of bile. 30. The Poet is trying to illustrate the sentiment of loathsomeness and hence picks on the most abhorrent and disgusting images, like the nāyika's saying she will eat her mother's flesh and drink her father's blood, and so on. The thoughts are symbolic of the emotion which the Poet is attempting to create in the reader. 31. The verse expresses the dual aspects of Krisna -. the one amorous, and the other transcendental. In the one he steals butter, milk, and curd, plays childlike pranks, flirts and dances with cowherd girls, especially with Radha, the chief of them. At the same time he is the incarnation of Visnu, the supreme Lord. The Hindus do not find any discrepancy in these two aspects of Krisna and accept both. The amorous exploits of the cowherd girls are said to allegorically signify the affinity of the souls to god, and the dance of Krisna with the maidens of Braja is the union of the soul with the Supreme Being. The idea has been admirably expressed by the Hindi religious poet Rasakhan : 'He of whom Shankara, Ganesha and other gods ever sing, who is endless unblemished, unknowable, perfect, and the source of all the Vedas, whose name sages like Narada and Vyasa repeat with rapture, but even then knowing him-not in his entirety-such a one the cowherd girls dance and flirt with.' And again 'I wandered about seeking him in the entire universe, reciting the Puranas and giving ear unto the Vedas, which only increased fourfold my desire for seeing him. I never heard of him nor saw his form or knew of his nature. I got tired of searching for him, and no one told me where to find him, when lo! I saw him afar off in a forest hermitage pressing lovingly Radha's feet'. 32. The words in the verse are spoken by some old woman to Radha. So she ends by saying, 'I have told you all this (the condition of Krisna since the day he kissed Rädha), even though it is not proper for one who is your elder to speak to you so familiarly about love.' In India there was, and still is, a distance between the elder and younger person (like between

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father and son). Even a grown-up son will not smoke or drink in the pre- sence of his father, and will hesitate to do so in the presence of an elderly man. 33. The Hindus firmly believe in the doctrine of re-birth-that souls come back again and again in the world, being born indifferent bodies in accordance with their past deeds on earth. The experience of eternal truth, however, can bring about the soul's emancipation, and then it does not take re-birth, but is united with the Absolute. 34. Shankara, or Shiva, is the Destroyer, so his drum would mean the call of death. 35. Keshavadasa's division of all things and emotions into 'hidden' and 'manifest' is peculiar to him, and we do not encounter it with this persistency in any other Hindi poet.

CHAPTER XV

The Kinds of Poetry

This chapter, and the one following it, are somewhat different from the general trend of the book because they describe the art of poetry instead of the art of love. This subject has been dealt with in greater detail in the poet's 'Kavipriya'. Keshavadāsa was a believer in conventions and rules so far as the writing of poetry was concerned and he conformed strictly to them. He tried to lay down the canons of good poetry for those who came after him, and would not suffer any departure from them. In this chapter he classifies poetry into four types-the Kaushikī, in which merriment, love, and tenderness combine in happy proportion, and which is written in simple yet forceful words; the Bhärati, which combines the sentiments of wonder, heroism and joy, and which appeals to them ind and delights the soul; the Ārabhațī in which dread, loathing and the violent sentiments come together, which is full of alliterations and words of double meaning; and lastly the Sattviki where wonder, valour, and evenness merge in equal measure, and the sense is so clear that the reader can understand it as soon as he reads the words. Examples are given to illustrate each kind of poetry. It is difficult to give the parallel types of English poetry, for the rules and conventions of the two are different, but perhaps the ballad and lyric approximate to the Kaushiki, the ode to the Sättvikī, and heroic poetry to the Bharati. The Ārabhațī has no parallel in English poetry, but we get glimpses of it in some poems, as for example, the shooting of the al- batros, in 'The Ancient Mariner,' and the dreadful conseque- nces which arose from it and 'The Dream of Eugene Aram.' After having described the four types of poetry Keshava- dāsa goes on to enumerate in the next chapter, what he considers to be its defects.

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Kinds of poetry

Says Keshavadāsa all poetry Is of four kinds, as poets do know, Kaushikī, Bhāratī, Ārabhațī, And Sättvikī, which is the fourth.

The Kaushiki kind of poetry

Says Keshavadāsa where merriment, And love, and tenderness combine, Of simple words and happy sense, That's poetry of Kaushiki kind.

Example of poetry of Kaushikī kind

Some women to meet him essay, Through go-betweens,1 and some enjoy In their minds the bliss of sport; some take Many a vow in sacred spots, So that they may some converse make With him, and hear his winning speech : Some who as goddesses are, always Do run to see him, and appease All day the gods with gifts, I fear Oh ! bosom friend, that he's so dark, What can I do ? No sooner hears She, my Krisna's name, this woman laughs.

The Bhärati kind of poetry

Says Keshavadāsa that verse in which The sentiment heroic is, And wonder too, and merriment; Appealing to the mind whose sense- That soul delighting poetry Is of the kind called 'Bhārati.'

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Example of poetry of the Bharatī kind

The ear-rings of gold which she wears Are verily the chariot's wheels, The pendants which are glittering there The banner which does greatly please : Head ornament the charioteer, The saffron lines on forehead laid As though spokes are, and the nose-pearl Is as it were the hub well made.2 Her one glance does Shrī Krisna purchase ! Big eyes she has; and a gem shines On her forehead, as if Kāmadeva On fishes' chariot3 were reclined !

The Arabhati kind of poetry

Says Keshavadasa that verse in which The violent sentiment, and dread, And loathing are, in which there is Alliteration, and words have Meanings diverse : such poetry Should be considered 'Arabhati.

Example of poetry of the Ārabhați kind

Dense and dreadful clouds, rain-filled, Whose splendour is of black and white, Do thunder on the first and fifth Of Sävan's lunar days : the sky They roam, these hideous messengers Massive as elephants; all around The lightning strikes ! Braja women are With awe filled by the fearful sound. Now that Shri Krisna is far away Grim horror stalks all people thus, It seems as though all night and day Death dances on the land of Braja.5

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Poetry of the Sāttviki kind

Where wonder, valour, evenness, All the three sentiments do merge In equal measure, and the sense Is understood as soon as heard, That is considered by all men To be the pure Sāttviki verse.

Example of poetry of the Sattviki kind

The bosom companion says to another nāyikā:

'Oh! foolish girl burn and destroy Your million cravings and desires, Oh! kindle not within your heart A blaze that burns like Holi's fire! The love of Radha and Shrī Krișna Consider of the highest kind, Kamadeva's6 and Rati's love even Inferior to their's is I find, Bhavānījī7 too cannot sow Discord between them : not to speak Of other's; Sarasvati's8 glow Before them too does little seem : Though simple she considered is, One are their souls, and thoughts, and minds, Though separate are their bodies, still Through ardent eyes the two are joined !'

Concluding verse

Says Keshavadāsa thus I've portrayed The sentiments of poetry, nine, Now of their four faults I'll relate But unto these give not your mind.

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NOTES

1. Messengers employed by lovers to advance their love-suit. 2. The imagery used in the verse is of the various parts of the chariot, which was used as a conveyance in those days by warriors and the well-to- do people. 3. The banner of Kamadeva, (the Hindu love god) is the Makara, or fish on a red-background. Most probably the chariot on which he sits bears the insignia of his banner and has the fish painted on it, so it is called the chariot of fish. 4. The fifth month of the Hindu calendar corresponding to August-one of the months of the heaviest rainfall in India. 5. The sense of horror is vividly brought out in this verse by the dark and dreadful clouds, lightning, and fearful sounds, culminating in the grim picture of Death stalking the Braja country. 6. The Hindu god of love. Rati is his wife. 7. A name for the wife of Shiva, daughter of Himavat, (Himalayas). In her milder form she is Uma-light. She is also Gauri, the yellow or brilliant, Parvati the mountaineer, Jaganmata, the mother of the world, and Bhavani. In her terrible form she is Durga, the inaccessible, Kāli, the black goddess, Chandi and Chndika, the fierce, and Bhairavi, the terrible. 8. The goddess of speech and learning. 9. Since these are defects of poetry which all good Poets should avoid, Keshavadasa says serious consideration should not be given to them.

CHAPTER XVI

The Defects of Poetry

In this chapter Keshavadāsa enumerates the faults of poetry which debase and corrupt it, having cautioned the reader in the last chapter not to give too much attention to them, for they are to be known only to be avoided. These faults are conflict, dryness, nauseousness, contrariness, and lack of wisdom. The conflicting sentiment in poetry arises where along with loathing, awe and violence, tenderness and love are described side by side. Dry- ness or insipidity arises when, while speaking well outwardly, the lovers remain insincere at heart. The disgusting or nause- ating sentiment is produced when some poet narrates about sexual pleasures with relish in the midst of grief. In moments of pain and sorrow appetite for scx vanishes, and the poet who places the two together certainly proves to be disgusting in his attitude and his poetry is bound to repel. Contrariness is where good and bad, are indiscriminately mixed together by the poet, while impropriety is produced where he thoughtlessly describes those very things which are vague and hard to un- derstand. In brief, Keshavadāsa's conception of bad poetry, is poetry which lacks clarity, consistency and purity. These qua- lities are in fact hall marks of all good writing, and it is easy to understand why Keshava considered poetry where they were absent, to be of an inferior type. As usual, illustrations of the various types of defect are given. Keshavadāsa goes on to men- tion those sentiments which are mutually opposing. There are tenderness and merriment, love and loathing, valour and awe. Finally he concludes the chapter by mentioning what he thinks is the merit of his book and his aim in writing it. He says: 'As amorists appear to be unhappy day after day without their beloveds, in the same manner poets of the spoken language seem to be inferior without Rasikapriya. By reading it know- ledge of love increases, information is gathered about various sentiments and practices, and both joy and salvation are attained.'

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Lack of goodness

Conflict, dryness, and nauseousness, Contrariness, and the unwise, Says Keshavadāsa, these lack goodness, So these the poets don't describe.

Conflicting sentiment

Where contrary sentiments, like love And loathing, and awe, are described, And violence too, and tenderness, Are by poets mentioned side by side- There the conflicting sentiment Is by all men known to arise.

Example of a verse with conflicting sentiment

When laughing I converse, then all Do laugh ; when shorn of shame I see, With loathing are they filled, and fall Away from me ; if words I speak I am reproached, and if I long For something, passion in me wakes -- So your advice to love him not I kept in mind, oh ! friend, always, Knowing that love will my heart not win, And for a moment if my gaze I chancc to throw upon Shri Krisna To censure me men will not stay.

The sentiment of insipidity

Where outwardly the lovers speak With loving words, but in hearts hid There lies deceit and duplicity, That is the sentiment insipid.

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Example of insipidity in verse

Whose mind in cunning is so steeped On seeing this world, her do you tell Love's riddle ; oh ! so sad it is, And laughable ! ne'er have I heard A co-wife could be thought a friend, As with my eyes today I see ! So woman vain ! I understand With your heart you love not, but with speech !

The sentiment of disgust

Says Keshavadäsa where a poet tells Of pleasures of sex in the midst of grief, With relish ; there is known to dwell The sentiment which disgusting is.

Example of the disgusting sentiment in verse

The bosom companion says to the nāyaka :

'To bathe, to give alms unto all, To eat, drink, and with song console, All this the nayika has forgot : Her wisdom has fled, and her soul Hard as a stool's top has been made ! Oh ! lover fond, consider not No sooner she on you will gaze All pleasures she will leave unsought ! Thus anxious, dull your letter proved Sweet words her please not-she who turns From love, how will she laugh and look When in her heart grief's furnace burns ?'1

The sentiment of contrariness

Says Keshava where good and bad mix, 'Tis sentiment of opposites.

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Example of the sentiment of contrariness in verse

When Shrī Krisna said, 'Give me some milk,' The cowherd girl thus made reply, 'I will not give it on credit, If you should need it, friend, then buy, And you will get !' Then he exclaimed, 'I'm used to free milk, why should I ?' The cowherd maid said, 'tis the same If I give or give not, for nigh My home is where I soon will be !' Shri Krisna then said, 'why do you fight ?' 'When was there love' twixt you and me ? I love to fight !' the maid replied : Shrī Krisna then said, 'will fighting make Your milk sell ?' 'And the girl said, 'if It does not sell, I'll myself take The milk, but you F'll never give !'2

The sentiment of impropriety

Where thoughtlessly those very things Emagined are, and by poets described, Which far from understanding lie, That sentiment unseemly is.

Example of impropriety in verse3

A dagger of deception bright, A casket of romantic love, And beneficial to all life As holy Ganga water, pure, The treasure selfishness does hold, The source of good to others-like The story of love's god in gold Entangled-and outspreading wide As stream of nectar ; giving joy To wise man : shaming Gaura4 quite,

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And Gira5-which the hermits foil, And creatures of the world, unwise- A voice such as these, know my queen, Is poisonous ; thus do I well ween.

The opposing sentiments

Know tenderness, and merriment, Love, loathing, valour, awe, to be, Says Keshavadāsa, such sentiments As are opposing mutually. So do I say : from the hateful Is fear born, from love merriment: From valour is the wonderful, From horror follows compassion. Says Keshavadāsa, so I with care, Have various sentiments described, And lack of sentiment, and where I've erred, may poets set it right.8

The significance of Rasikapriyā

As lovers miserable appear Without their loved ones, even so Poets of the language are, I fear, The Rasikapriya-who do not know. More knows he of love, who has read The Rasikapriyā, and knowledge gains Of sentiments, and practices, And joy and salvation attains .?

NOTES

I. The nayaka has relinquished all his works and amusements. The bosom companion tells him not to despair. The hard-heartedness of the nāyika is momentary. She expects much more from the nāyaka than a mere letter, the cold words of which fail to move her. But when the furnace of the grief of separation burns in her heart and awakens desire of union with the nāyaka, she will leave all other pleasures, and laugh and look on him with love.

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2. There is a swift exchange of repartees between the amorous and mischievous Krisna and the cowherd girl who flirtatiously denies to give him milk for the asking. Even in her fond denial love lies hidden. 3. The verse is an example of the sentiment of impropriety which has been defined in the previous verse to mean that in which description defies understanding. Hence we should not look for much meaning in the verse, yet the 'poisonous voice' is quite emotionally described, and each word is well chosen to create the right atmosphere. 4. Another name of Devi or Parvati wife of Shiva. 5. A name of Sarasvati, goddess of speech and learning. 6. The humility shown by the Poet in this verse contrasts forcefully with vanity shown in the succeeding two. 7. The Rasikapriya of Keshavadāsa is to a great extent a dissertation on various aspects of love, lovemaking, the union of lovers, and the ways in which such union can be effected.