Sunday, September 5, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 4.26: The Sweet Smell of Work

kaa cit pipeSh' aaNga-vilepanaM hi
vaaso 'Nganaa kaa cid avaasayac ca
ayojayat snaana-vidhiM tath" aanyaa
jagranthur anyaaH surabhiiH srajash ca

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4.26
For one woman was grinding fragrant body oils;

Another was making clothes fragrant;

Another, likewise, was preparing a bath;

While other women strung together
sweet-smelling garlands.


COMMENT:
As always in a list of four, it is possible to see a certain logic of progression -- whether one was originally intended or not!

In this verse as I read it the body is the self, clothes are an external object, to take a bath (as emphasized by vidhim) is an action, and a garland of flowers can be taken as a symbol of the real universe as celebrated for example in the Lotus Sutra.

EH Johnston:
For one woman was pounding ointment, another perfuming clothes, another preparing the bath and others weaving sweet-smelling garlands.

Linda Covill:
one woman was grinding body-unguents, another was perfuming clothes, one was preparing a bath, and others were weaving fragrant garlands.


VOCABULARY:
kaa cit (nom. sg. f.): someone, a woman
pipeSha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect piSh: to crush , bruise , grind , pound
aaNga-vilepanam (acc. sg.): fragrant body oil
aNga: n. a limb of the body, the body
vilepana: n. smearing , anointing (esp. with fragrant oils &c ) ; unguent , ointment , perfume for the person (as saffron , camphor &c )
hi: for

vaasaH (acc. sg.): n. cloth , clothes
aNganaa (nom. sg.): f. " a woman with well-rounded limbs " , any woman or female
kaa cit (nom. sg. f.): someone, a woman
avaasayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect vaas: to perfume , make fragrant , scent , fumigate , incense , steep
ca: and

ayojayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect causative yuj: to put in order , arrange
snaana-vidhim (acc. sg.):
snaana: n. bathing , washing
vidhi: m. any act or action , performance , accomplishment , contrivance , work , business (ifc. often pleonastically e.g. mathana-vidhi , the [act of] disturbing)
tathaa: ind. so also , in like manner
anyaa (nom. sg. f.): another woman

jagranthur = 3rd pers. pl. perfect granth: to fasten , tie or string together , arrange , connect in a regular series
anyaaH (nom. pl. f.): other women
surabhiiH (acc. pl. f.): mfn. (prob. fr. 5. su + √ rabh , = " affecting pleasantly ") sweet-smelling , fragrant
srajaH = acc. pl. sraj: f. a wreath of flowers , garland
ca: and

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