वासवदत्ता (महाकवि सुबन्धु - श्लेष-प्रधान शास्त्रीय गद्यकाव्य सान्वय सटीक)

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 103 ‹with distinctive marks› as Rāma was ‹attended by Lakṣmaṇa›¹ ; the lord of the ‹stars› as Sugrīva was the lord of ‹Tārā›² ; with a ‹red disc› as a good monarch has a ‹devoted circle (of atten- dants)›.³ Then⁴ the glow brought close to night went to destruction as if entered into the heart of a loving woman ; as if drunk by the cups of the eyes⁵ of female chickores⁶ ; [190] as if licked up by masses of red lotuses. Straightway the Lord of Planets⁷ ascended like a cake of butter⁸ exhibited by the neatress Night ; a mirror, it would seem, bearing the beautiful face of Him whose banner is of flowers⁹ ; the white umbrella, as it were, of Him whose banner is a dolphin ; the round ivory hilt, it might be termed, of the great sword of night ; the white chowry, one would fancy, of the mighty King of Passion ; [191] like to the sandy shore¹⁰ of a Yamunā of the night ; the crystal linga, so to speak, of the Great Ascetic of the heavens ; the egg of a black serpent, in all seeming ; a shell, as it were, of the great celestial sea¹¹ ; a monument, one might call it, to Him whose banner is a dolphin and who was consumed by the Foe of Love¹² ; like to the circle of the pyre, marked with charcoal in dark spots, of Him who was born of fancy ; apparently a white lotus of the Ganges coursing in the heavens ; a mass of ¹ See Mahābhārata, 3. 276. ² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘with ‹reddened stars› as the Lord of the Monkeys had ‹Tārā’s love›; dear to ‹Rōhiṇī (the fourth lunar mansion)› as a bull is dear to the ‹cow›.’ ³ Tel. ed., ‘with a ‹red disc› and accompanied by «soft rays» as a good monarch has a ‹devoted circle (of attendants)› and is accompanied by «light taxes»’ ; similarly the Srirangam text. ⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘then.’ ⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘pairs of eyes.’ According to the conventions of Sanskrit literature, the eyes of the chickore (Caccabis chukor, Gray) become red at the sight of poison. It is also supposed to live only on moonbeams (see below, p. 108). ⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘female cakravākas.’ ⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the blessed Lord of Stars, with his radiance destroyed.’ ⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘fresh butter.’ ⁹ Tel. ed., ‘bearing the reflexion of a gazelle.’ ¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘new shore.’ ¹¹ Srirangam text adds ‘the crystalline water-pot, so to say, of the Ascetic of the sky.’ ¹² Tel. ed., ‘a monument, one might call it, marked with charcoal in dark spots, to Him who was born of fancy and was burnt by the fire from Śiva’s eye.’