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

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 139 ⟨left the ground⟩; like oceans adorned with ⟨whirlpools⟩ and with «billows», for they were adorned with ⟨whorls (of hair)⟩ and had «swift gaits»; like pleasure parks with ⟨dhārtarāṣṭra geese⟩, for they included the ⟨mallikākṣa breed⟩; like noble houses charming with very new ⟨furniture⟩, for they were charm- ing with very new ⟨harness⟩¹; like mines that have the ⟨gems of the gods⟩, for they had ⟨curls (on their necks)⟩; like the Lēkhas that have ⟨fortitude together with Indra⟩, for they ⟨sustained most mighty lords⟩.² Long danced the headless corpse as if with joy at the thought: “I am released ³ from the ears that heard detraction of others, from the eyes that beheld the rise of the evil and the fall of the good, and from the head that bowed un- worthily.” ⁴ ‘Then spread the dust ⁵ born of battle, hiding the eye as if smiling; concealing the existence of the ear as if afraid of hearing calumny of another; [297] frenzied, as it were, being tossed by the motion of the wind; a cause of grayness, so to speak, to the Apsarasas; a cause of blindness, it might be termed, to the soldiers; the darkness, in all seeming, of the evening of conflict; fallen and cut off from its ⟨family⟩, as it were, since it was cut off from the ⟨earth⟩; resembling the doctrines of the adherents of the Mīmāṁsā that conceal the ⟨doctrines of the Jains⟩, since it concealed the ⟨sight of the quarters (of heaven) and the sky⟩; like unto a good man clinging to ⟨Viṣṇu’s feet⟩, since it clung to the ⟨zenith⟩.⁶ One assumed an ⟨agonising

¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘like potters’ houses ⟨containing very new pots⟩, for they ⟨bore very new harness⟩.’ ² Tel. ed., ‘like the Lēkhas that ⟨have increase with Indra⟩, for they ⟨included indravṛddha steeds⟩; like drunkards ⟨living in dramshops⟩, for they were ⟨adorned with defences⟩’; so the Srirangam text, except ‘like the Lēkhas that have increase through the ⟨weapons of Indra⟩, for they had increase through ⟨indrāyudha steeds⟩.’ ³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘thank heaven! I am released.’ ⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘and from the mouth that praised the unpraise- worthy.’ ⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘mass of dust.’ ⁶ Tel. ed. substitutes for the last two similes ‘⟨going in the path of the constella- tions⟩ as an evil prince ⟨goes not in the path of a Kṣatriya⟩; with the appearance of thick smoke like a quarrel; hiding ⟨living creatures⟩ as the quality of passion hides ⟨truth⟩; ⟨high-raised⟩ as an ill-bred man is ⟨puffed up⟩; hiding the path of the