tat-kuNDal-aadaShTa-visheShak-aantaM
kaaraNDava-kliShTam iv' aaravindaM
nandaH priyaayaa mukham iikShamaaNo
bhuuyaH priy"-aananda-karo babhuuva
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
4.23
Those painted marks were nibbled away
at the edges by her earrings
So that her face was like a lotus
that had suffered the attentions of a karadava duck;
Nanda, by gazing upon that face,
Became all the more the cause of his wife's happiness.
COMMENT:
I once asked my old teacher Gudo Nishijima if he didn't feel a doubt about devoting so much energy to his role as advisor to the top management of a Japanese cosmetics company. His answer was along the lines of "When women have consciousness that they are beautiful, they feel happy."
This verse, as I read it, relates to that observation, which was a kind of reflection, as if on a mirror.
When women have consciousness that they are beautiful, they feel happy. When others have consciousness that they are beautiful they feel even more happy. And when a special other has consciousness that they are beautiful, they feel all the more happy.
If previous verses, by repetition of parasparam (each other) and anyonyam (one another), emphasized the mutuality of Nanda and Sundari's love, in this verse the description seems more one-sided. Was Sundari aware that Nanda was comparing her face to anything other than a perfect lotus?
The description of Sundari's bliss is in any case ironic in the sense that she is blissfully ignorant of, but we the reader can guess, what is coming in Canto 6, whose title is bhaarya-vilaapaH, A Wife's Lament.
EH Johnston:
As Nanda looked thus at the face of his beloved on which the lines of paint were rubbed away at the end by her earrings so that it resembled a lotus pressed down by a karadava bird, he became a still greater source of delight to her.
Linda Covill:
Nanda made his sweetheart happier than ever when he watched her face, the edge of its visheshaka smudged by her earrings so that it seemed a lotus nibbled by a karadava bird.
VOCABULARY:
tat-kuNDal'-aadaShTa-visheShak'-aantam (acc. sg. n.): make-up edge nibbled away by her ear-ring
tat: it, that, her
kuNDala: n. ear-ring
aadaShTa: mfn. nibbled , pecked at
aa- √ daMsh: to bite (as one's lips)
visheShaka: make-up
anta: m. end , limit , boundary
kaaraNDava-kliShTam (nom./acc. sg. n.): distressed by a duck
kaaraNDava: m. a sort of duck
kliShTa: mfn. molested , tormented , afflicted , distressed ; wearied , hurt , injured , being in bad condition , worn
klish: to torment , trouble , molest , cause pain , afflict
iva: like
aravindam (nom./acc. sg.): n. a lotus
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
priyaayaaH (gen. sg.): f. wife, mistress, beloved
mukham (acc. sg.): n. the mouth , face , countenance
iikShamaaNaH = nom. sg. m. pres. part iikSh: to see , look , view , behold , look at , gaze at
bhuuyaH: ind. all the more
priy"-aananda-karaH (nom. sg. m.): the cause of his wife's happiness
priyaa: wife, mistress, lover
aananda: m. happiness , joy , enjoyment , sensual pleasure
kara: mfn. a doer , maker , causer , doing , making , causing , producing (esp. ifc.)
babhuuva = 3rd pers. sg. perfect bhuu: to be, become
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 4.22: Attentively Holding Up a Mirror
nandas tato darpaNam aadareNa
bibhrat tadaa maNDana-saakShi-bhuutaM
visheShak'-aavekShaNa-kekar'-aakSho
laDat-priyaayaa vadanaM dadarsha
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.22
And so Nanda attentively held up the mirror
Which was bearing witness to a work of beauty.
Squinting to see the marks she had painted on it,
He beheld the face of his impish lover.
COMMENT:
The kind of outrageous beauty for which women tend to strive, enhancing their already attractive features with make-up, clothes, jewellery, perfume, sexy mannerisms, hair dye, cosmetic surgery, botox, et cetera, et cetera... is this kind of exaggerated, potentially overwhelming beauty necessarily part of the tangled mass of causes (samudaya-lataa; 3.12) producing suffering?
That depends on whether we react to it, as both men and women in our different ways are prone to react to it, or not.
The alternative which Ashvaghosha as I hear him has been demonstrating through the first half of this canto is not to react emotionally, not necessarily allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by exaggerated female beauty (or necessarily aspiring to it), but rather simply to witness it, to see it as it is -- so that when a beautiful young Indian woman comes in front of the mirror the mirror reflects a beautiful young Indian woman, and when an aging American actress who has had too much plastic surgery comes in front of the mirror the mirror reflects an aging American actress who has had too much plastic surgery.
A rich vein of gold, then, might be buried in the phrase darpaNam aadareNa bhR, attentively to hold up the mirror.
EH Johnston:
Then Nanda respectfully held the mirror which bore witness to her decoration (by its reflection) and, turning his eyes sideways to see the paint, beheld the mischievous face of his mistress.
Linda Covill:
So Nanda dutifully held the mirror which bore witness to her act of adornment, and as he squinted to watch her maquillage, he observed his lover's mischievous face.
VOCABULARY:
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
tataH: ind. then
darpaNam (acc. sg.): m. the mirror
aadareNa (inst. sg.): respectfully, carefully , zealously
bibhrat = nom. sg. m. pres. part bhR: to hold
tadaa: ind. in that case (often used redundantly , esp. after tataH)
maNDana-saakShi-bhuutam (acc. sg. m.): being a witness to her adorning
maNDana: mfn. adorning , being an ornament to (gen.); n. adorning , ornament , decoration
maNDa: m. ornament , decoration
-na: (action noun suffix)
saakShin: mfn. seeing with the eyes , observing , witnessing ; an eye-witness , witness (in law) of or to (gen. loc. , or comp.)
bhuuta: (ifc.) being or being like anything , consisting of , mixed or joined with
visheShak'-aavekShaNa-kekar'-aakShaH (nom. sg. m.): with eyes that squinted in looking at her face-mark
visheShaka: mn. a mark on the forehead (made with sandal &c )
avekShaNa: n. looking towards or at ; the act of considering , attention , observation
kekara: mfn. squint-eyed
akSha: n. [only ifc. for akShi] the eye.
laDat-priyaayaaH (gen. sg. f.): of his playful wife
laDat = pres. part. laD: to play , sport , dally ; to loll the tongue , put out the tongue , lick
priyaa: f. wife, mistress, lover
vadanam (acc. sg.): n. the act of speaking ; the mouth , face , countenance
dadarsha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect dRsh: to see, behold , look at , regard , consider
bibhrat tadaa maNDana-saakShi-bhuutaM
visheShak'-aavekShaNa-kekar'-aakSho
laDat-priyaayaa vadanaM dadarsha
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.22
And so Nanda attentively held up the mirror
Which was bearing witness to a work of beauty.
Squinting to see the marks she had painted on it,
He beheld the face of his impish lover.
COMMENT:
The kind of outrageous beauty for which women tend to strive, enhancing their already attractive features with make-up, clothes, jewellery, perfume, sexy mannerisms, hair dye, cosmetic surgery, botox, et cetera, et cetera... is this kind of exaggerated, potentially overwhelming beauty necessarily part of the tangled mass of causes (samudaya-lataa; 3.12) producing suffering?
That depends on whether we react to it, as both men and women in our different ways are prone to react to it, or not.
The alternative which Ashvaghosha as I hear him has been demonstrating through the first half of this canto is not to react emotionally, not necessarily allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by exaggerated female beauty (or necessarily aspiring to it), but rather simply to witness it, to see it as it is -- so that when a beautiful young Indian woman comes in front of the mirror the mirror reflects a beautiful young Indian woman, and when an aging American actress who has had too much plastic surgery comes in front of the mirror the mirror reflects an aging American actress who has had too much plastic surgery.
A rich vein of gold, then, might be buried in the phrase darpaNam aadareNa bhR, attentively to hold up the mirror.
EH Johnston:
Then Nanda respectfully held the mirror which bore witness to her decoration (by its reflection) and, turning his eyes sideways to see the paint, beheld the mischievous face of his mistress.
Linda Covill:
So Nanda dutifully held the mirror which bore witness to her act of adornment, and as he squinted to watch her maquillage, he observed his lover's mischievous face.
VOCABULARY:
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
tataH: ind. then
darpaNam (acc. sg.): m. the mirror
aadareNa (inst. sg.): respectfully, carefully , zealously
bibhrat = nom. sg. m. pres. part bhR: to hold
tadaa: ind. in that case (often used redundantly , esp. after tataH)
maNDana-saakShi-bhuutam (acc. sg. m.): being a witness to her adorning
maNDana: mfn. adorning , being an ornament to (gen.); n. adorning , ornament , decoration
maNDa: m. ornament , decoration
-na: (action noun suffix)
saakShin: mfn. seeing with the eyes , observing , witnessing ; an eye-witness , witness (in law) of or to (gen. loc. , or comp.)
bhuuta: (ifc.) being or being like anything , consisting of , mixed or joined with
visheShak'-aavekShaNa-kekar'-aakShaH (nom. sg. m.): with eyes that squinted in looking at her face-mark
visheShaka: mn. a mark on the forehead (made with sandal &c )
avekShaNa: n. looking towards or at ; the act of considering , attention , observation
kekara: mfn. squint-eyed
akSha: n. [only ifc. for akShi] the eye.
laDat-priyaayaaH (gen. sg. f.): of his playful wife
laDat = pres. part. laD: to play , sport , dally ; to loll the tongue , put out the tongue , lick
priyaa: f. wife, mistress, lover
vadanam (acc. sg.): n. the act of speaking ; the mouth , face , countenance
dadarsha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect dRsh: to see, behold , look at , regard , consider
SAUNDARANANDA 4.21: Exaggerated Female Beauty
tasyaa mukhaM tat sa-tamaala-pattraM
taamr'-aadhar'-auShThaM cikur'-aayat'-aakShaM
rakt'-aadhik'-aagraM patita-dvirephaM
sa-shaivalaM padmam iv' aababhaase
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
4.21
Set off by the tamala marks, her face
With its cherry red lips,
and wide eyes extending to her hair,
Seemed like a lotus set off by duck-weed,
With crimson tips, and two big bees settled on it.
EH Johnston:
Her face seemed like a lotus with the tamala leaf for its water-weed, her dark red lips for its flaming tip and her long flashing eyes for the bees settled on it.
Linda Covill:
Her own face, with its tamala paste, lips touched with red and eyes extending to her hair, seemed a moss-bedecked, crimson-tipped lotus settled by bees.
VOCABULARY:
tasyaaH (gen. sg. f.): her
mukham (nom. sg.): n. mouth, face, countenance
tat (nom. sg. n.): it, the, that
sa-tamaala-pattram (nom. sg. n.): with tamala paint marks
sa: (possessive prefix) ind. an inseparable prefix expressing "junction" , "conjunction" , "possession", " similarity " , " equality " (and when compounded with nouns to form adjectives and adverbs it may be translated by " with " , " together or along with " , " accompanied by " , " added to " , " having " , " possessing " , " containing "
tamaala-pattra: n. the leaf of Xanthochymus pictorius ; " a sectarial mark on the forehead "
tamaala: m. " dark-barked (but white-blossomed) " Xanthochymus Pictorius ; sectarial mark on the forehead (made with the juice of the tamaala fruit)
pattra: n. wing, feather; a leaf , petal (regarded as the plumage of a tree or flower)
taamr'-aadhar'-auShTham (nom. sg. n.): red lipped
taamra: mfn. of a coppery red colour
adhara: mfn. lower ; m. the lower lip , the lip
oShTha: m. the lip ; f. the plant Coccinia Grandis (to whose red fruits lips are commonly compared)
cikur'-aayat'-aakSham (nom. sg. n.): with eyes extending to her hair
cikura: m. the hair of the head
aayata: mfn. stretched , lengthened ; stretching , extending , extended , spread over ; directed towards , aiming at
akSha: n. [only ifc. for akShi] the eye
rakt'-aadhik'-aagram (nom. sg. n.): tipped with crimson
rakta: mfn. coloured , dyed , painted ; reddened , red , crimson
adhika: mfn. surpassing (in number or quantity or quality) , superior , more numerous ; abundant ; excellent
agra: mfn. foremost , anterior , first , prominent , projecting ; n. uppermost point or part, tip
patita-dvirepham (nom. sg. n.): with large black bees alighted on it
patita: mfn. fallen , dropped , descended , alighted
dvirepha: m. a large black bee
sa-shaivalam (nom. sg. m.): with duck-weed
shaivala: mn. Blyxa Octandra (a kind of duck-weed or green moss-like plant growing in pools and often alluded to in poetry)
padmam (nom. sg. n.): mn. a lotus
iva: like, as if
ababhaase = 3rd pers.sg. perfect bhaas: to shine , be bright ; to appear (" as " or " like " nom. or instr. of an abstract noun)
taamr'-aadhar'-auShThaM cikur'-aayat'-aakShaM
rakt'-aadhik'-aagraM patita-dvirephaM
sa-shaivalaM padmam iv' aababhaase
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
4.21
Set off by the tamala marks, her face
With its cherry red lips,
and wide eyes extending to her hair,
Seemed like a lotus set off by duck-weed,
With crimson tips, and two big bees settled on it.
EH Johnston:
Her face seemed like a lotus with the tamala leaf for its water-weed, her dark red lips for its flaming tip and her long flashing eyes for the bees settled on it.
Linda Covill:
Her own face, with its tamala paste, lips touched with red and eyes extending to her hair, seemed a moss-bedecked, crimson-tipped lotus settled by bees.
VOCABULARY:
tasyaaH (gen. sg. f.): her
mukham (nom. sg.): n. mouth, face, countenance
tat (nom. sg. n.): it, the, that
sa-tamaala-pattram (nom. sg. n.): with tamala paint marks
sa: (possessive prefix) ind. an inseparable prefix expressing "junction" , "conjunction" , "possession", " similarity " , " equality " (and when compounded with nouns to form adjectives and adverbs it may be translated by " with " , " together or along with " , " accompanied by " , " added to " , " having " , " possessing " , " containing "
tamaala-pattra: n. the leaf of Xanthochymus pictorius ; " a sectarial mark on the forehead "
tamaala: m. " dark-barked (but white-blossomed) " Xanthochymus Pictorius ; sectarial mark on the forehead (made with the juice of the tamaala fruit)
pattra: n. wing, feather; a leaf , petal (regarded as the plumage of a tree or flower)
taamr'-aadhar'-auShTham (nom. sg. n.): red lipped
taamra: mfn. of a coppery red colour
adhara: mfn. lower ; m. the lower lip , the lip
oShTha: m. the lip ; f. the plant Coccinia Grandis (to whose red fruits lips are commonly compared)
cikur'-aayat'-aakSham (nom. sg. n.): with eyes extending to her hair
cikura: m. the hair of the head
aayata: mfn. stretched , lengthened ; stretching , extending , extended , spread over ; directed towards , aiming at
akSha: n. [only ifc. for akShi] the eye
rakt'-aadhik'-aagram (nom. sg. n.): tipped with crimson
rakta: mfn. coloured , dyed , painted ; reddened , red , crimson
adhika: mfn. surpassing (in number or quantity or quality) , superior , more numerous ; abundant ; excellent
agra: mfn. foremost , anterior , first , prominent , projecting ; n. uppermost point or part, tip
patita-dvirepham (nom. sg. n.): with large black bees alighted on it
patita: mfn. fallen , dropped , descended , alighted
dvirepha: m. a large black bee
sa-shaivalam (nom. sg. m.): with duck-weed
shaivala: mn. Blyxa Octandra (a kind of duck-weed or green moss-like plant growing in pools and often alluded to in poetry)
padmam (nom. sg. n.): mn. a lotus
iva: like, as if
ababhaase = 3rd pers.sg. perfect bhaas: to shine , be bright ; to appear (" as " or " like " nom. or instr. of an abstract noun)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 4.20: Wet Paint
patyus tato darpaNa-sakta-paaNer
muhur muhur vaktram avekShamaaNaa
tamaala-pattr'-aardra-tale kapole
samaapayaam aasa visheShakaM tat
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.20
Then, looking repeatedly at the face of her husband,
Whose hand had clung to the mirror,
She completed her face-painting
So that the surface of her cheek
was wet with tamala juice.
EH Johnston:
Then looking repeatedly at the face of her husband who had the mirror in his hand, she completed the painting on her cheek, the surface of which was wet from the tamala leaf.
Linda Covill:
While she finished applying the visheshaka to to her cheeks, damp with tamala paste, she kept looking at her husband's face as he held the mirror in his hand.
VOCABULARY:
patyuH = gen. sg. m. pati: a master , owner , possessor , lord , ruler , sovereign ; a husband
tataH: ind. then, at that time
darpaNa-sakta-paaNeH (gen. sg. m.): holding the mirror in his hand
darpaNa: mirror
sakta: mfn. clinging or adhering to
paaNi: m. the hand (often ifc. = holding in the hand)
muhur muhur: ind. now and again , at one moment and at another , again and again
vaktram (acc. sg.): n. " organ of speech " , the mouth , face ,
avekShamaaNaa = nom. sg. f. pres. part. avekSh (ava √iikSh) to look towards , look at
tamaala-pattr'-aardra-tale (loc. sg.): surface wet from face-painting with the juice of the tamaala fruit
tamaala-pattra: n. the leaf of Xanthochymus pictorius ; " a sectarial mark on the forehead "
tamaala: m. " dark-barked (but white-blossomed) " Xanthochymus Pictorius ; sectarial mark on the forehead (made with the juice of the tamaala fruit)
pattra: n. wing, feather; a leaf , petal (regarded as the plumage of a tree or flower)
aardra: mfn. wet , moist , damp
tala: n. surface
kapole (loc. sg.): m. cheek
samaapayaam aasa (periphrastic perfect from causative sam- √ aap): she brought to end, finished, completed, concluded
visheShakam (acc. sg.): mn. a mark on the forehead (made with sandal &c )
tat (acc. sg n.): that
muhur muhur vaktram avekShamaaNaa
tamaala-pattr'-aardra-tale kapole
samaapayaam aasa visheShakaM tat
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.20
Then, looking repeatedly at the face of her husband,
Whose hand had clung to the mirror,
She completed her face-painting
So that the surface of her cheek
was wet with tamala juice.
EH Johnston:
Then looking repeatedly at the face of her husband who had the mirror in his hand, she completed the painting on her cheek, the surface of which was wet from the tamala leaf.
Linda Covill:
While she finished applying the visheshaka to to her cheeks, damp with tamala paste, she kept looking at her husband's face as he held the mirror in his hand.
VOCABULARY:
patyuH = gen. sg. m. pati: a master , owner , possessor , lord , ruler , sovereign ; a husband
tataH: ind. then, at that time
darpaNa-sakta-paaNeH (gen. sg. m.): holding the mirror in his hand
darpaNa: mirror
sakta: mfn. clinging or adhering to
paaNi: m. the hand (often ifc. = holding in the hand)
muhur muhur: ind. now and again , at one moment and at another , again and again
vaktram (acc. sg.): n. " organ of speech " , the mouth , face ,
avekShamaaNaa = nom. sg. f. pres. part. avekSh (ava √iikSh) to look towards , look at
tamaala-pattr'-aardra-tale (loc. sg.): surface wet from face-painting with the juice of the tamaala fruit
tamaala-pattra: n. the leaf of Xanthochymus pictorius ; " a sectarial mark on the forehead "
tamaala: m. " dark-barked (but white-blossomed) " Xanthochymus Pictorius ; sectarial mark on the forehead (made with the juice of the tamaala fruit)
pattra: n. wing, feather; a leaf , petal (regarded as the plumage of a tree or flower)
aardra: mfn. wet , moist , damp
tala: n. surface
kapole (loc. sg.): m. cheek
samaapayaam aasa (periphrastic perfect from causative sam- √ aap): she brought to end, finished, completed, concluded
visheShakam (acc. sg.): mn. a mark on the forehead (made with sandal &c )
tat (acc. sg n.): that
SAUNDARANANDA 4.19: Sundari's Bouncing Breasts
saa taM stan'-odvartita-haara-yaShTir
utthaapayaam aasa nipiiDya dorbhyaaM
kathaM-kRto 's' iiti jahaasa c'occair
mukhena saacii-kRta-kuNDalena
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.19
Pressing him so close in her arms that her string of pearls
Was lifted from her bulging breasts, she raised him up;
"What are you like!" she cried laughingly,
As her ear-rings swung at jaunty angles to her face.
COMMENT:
In this verse, as in 4.4, Ashvaghosha draws our attention to Sundari's swelling breasts. He conjures here an image of firm breasts, and long earrings, in movement. Why the repeated reference to Sundari's bosom?
Maybe it is because, as a mammal writing for other mammals, Ashvaghosha knew that for all of us, whether we are male or female, female breasts tend to be the primary object of our earliest experiences, through many senses, of pleasure.
We smelt them, felt them, they stimulated our suck & root reflexes and we tasted their milk; we heard, we listened to, the voice that was stimulated by our sucking. Then, at some point, we were weaned off them. Breasts continued to hold a certain fascination, stimulated through the visual sense, but at least for a time we were led to let go of our tactile attachment to them. Literally, we moved on. In order to grow, we needed to let go of breasts and to learn through our own independent movements, and non-movements -- to educate the sense of movement and to be educated primarily through that sense of movement, and non-movement.
So it may be a general rule that our earliest human experience of "going forth" (pra-vrajanaH), second only to our emergence from the birth canal, has to do with letting go of attachment to the female breast.
Later on comes the other universal human difficulty of going forth from an idea....
Maybe it was because of skill in letting go that Ashvaghosha, like the cave-painters of Ajanta, was not afraid of the beauty of remarkably full female breasts; the monks of ancient India, rather, appeared to celebrate exaggerated female beauty in quite an irreligious way.
EH Johnston:
She clasped him with her arms, so that the strings of pearls swung loose from her breasts, and raised him up. ' What a sight you are !' she said and laughed out loud with the earrings hanging across her face.
Linda Covill:
She pressed him close in her arms and raised him up, making the strands of her pearl necklace lift off her breast. "What are you doing?" she cried laughingly, as her earrings were pushed sideways from her face.
VOCABULARY:
saa (nom. sg. f.): she
tam (acc. sg. m.): him
stan'-odvartita-haara-yaShTiH: her string of pearls lifting off from her swelling cleavage
stana: breast
udvartita: mfn. caused to come out or swell up ; raised , elevated; perfumed , scented , rubbed , kneaded , shampooed
ud- √ vRt: to go asunder , burst open ; to go upwards , rise , ascend , swell ; to bubble up , overflow
haara: mfn. bearing , carrying , carrying away , stealing (e.g. kShiira-haara , " stealing milk ") ; m. taking away , removal
yaShTi: n. or f. (ifc.) anything thin or slender ; a thread , string (esp. of pearls) ; a partic. kind of pearl necklace
utthaapayaam = acc. abstract noun from causitive of ud- √sthaa: to cause , to stand up , raise , rouse , start ; to set up , lift up , erect
aasa (copula use of as): she did
nipiiDya = abs. ni- √ piiD: to press close to or against
dorbhyaam = inst. dual dos: n. the forearm, the arm
kathaM-kRto 'si: "What are you doing?"
katham: ind. how? what? (interrogative particle implying amazement)
kRtaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. done
asi = 2nd pers. sg. as: (copula verb) to be
iti: "....", thus
jahaasa = 3rd pers. sg. perfect has: to laugh , smile , laugh at (instr.) ;
to deride , mock , ridicule (acc.)
ca: and
ucchaiH: ind. (sometimes used adjectively) aloft , high , above , upwards , from above ; loud , accentuated ; intensely , much , powerfully
mukhena (inst. sg.): n. the mouth, face
saacii-kRta-kuNDalena: with an ear-ring caused to hang off-centre
saacii: ind. crookedly , away , obliquely , sideways , askance
kRta: made
kuNDala: n. ring, ear-ring
utthaapayaam aasa nipiiDya dorbhyaaM
kathaM-kRto 's' iiti jahaasa c'occair
mukhena saacii-kRta-kuNDalena
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
4.19
Pressing him so close in her arms that her string of pearls
Was lifted from her bulging breasts, she raised him up;
"What are you like!" she cried laughingly,
As her ear-rings swung at jaunty angles to her face.
COMMENT:
In this verse, as in 4.4, Ashvaghosha draws our attention to Sundari's swelling breasts. He conjures here an image of firm breasts, and long earrings, in movement. Why the repeated reference to Sundari's bosom?
Maybe it is because, as a mammal writing for other mammals, Ashvaghosha knew that for all of us, whether we are male or female, female breasts tend to be the primary object of our earliest experiences, through many senses, of pleasure.
We smelt them, felt them, they stimulated our suck & root reflexes and we tasted their milk; we heard, we listened to, the voice that was stimulated by our sucking. Then, at some point, we were weaned off them. Breasts continued to hold a certain fascination, stimulated through the visual sense, but at least for a time we were led to let go of our tactile attachment to them. Literally, we moved on. In order to grow, we needed to let go of breasts and to learn through our own independent movements, and non-movements -- to educate the sense of movement and to be educated primarily through that sense of movement, and non-movement.
So it may be a general rule that our earliest human experience of "going forth" (pra-vrajanaH), second only to our emergence from the birth canal, has to do with letting go of attachment to the female breast.
Later on comes the other universal human difficulty of going forth from an idea....
Maybe it was because of skill in letting go that Ashvaghosha, like the cave-painters of Ajanta, was not afraid of the beauty of remarkably full female breasts; the monks of ancient India, rather, appeared to celebrate exaggerated female beauty in quite an irreligious way.
EH Johnston:
She clasped him with her arms, so that the strings of pearls swung loose from her breasts, and raised him up. ' What a sight you are !' she said and laughed out loud with the earrings hanging across her face.
Linda Covill:
She pressed him close in her arms and raised him up, making the strands of her pearl necklace lift off her breast. "What are you doing?" she cried laughingly, as her earrings were pushed sideways from her face.
VOCABULARY:
saa (nom. sg. f.): she
tam (acc. sg. m.): him
stan'-odvartita-haara-yaShTiH: her string of pearls lifting off from her swelling cleavage
stana: breast
udvartita: mfn. caused to come out or swell up ; raised , elevated; perfumed , scented , rubbed , kneaded , shampooed
ud- √ vRt: to go asunder , burst open ; to go upwards , rise , ascend , swell ; to bubble up , overflow
haara: mfn. bearing , carrying , carrying away , stealing (e.g. kShiira-haara , " stealing milk ") ; m. taking away , removal
yaShTi: n. or f. (ifc.) anything thin or slender ; a thread , string (esp. of pearls) ; a partic. kind of pearl necklace
utthaapayaam = acc. abstract noun from causitive of ud- √sthaa: to cause , to stand up , raise , rouse , start ; to set up , lift up , erect
aasa (copula use of as): she did
nipiiDya = abs. ni- √ piiD: to press close to or against
dorbhyaam = inst. dual dos: n. the forearm, the arm
kathaM-kRto 'si: "What are you doing?"
katham: ind. how? what? (interrogative particle implying amazement)
kRtaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. done
asi = 2nd pers. sg. as: (copula verb) to be
iti: "....", thus
jahaasa = 3rd pers. sg. perfect has: to laugh , smile , laugh at (instr.) ;
to deride , mock , ridicule (acc.)
ca: and
ucchaiH: ind. (sometimes used adjectively) aloft , high , above , upwards , from above ; loud , accentuated ; intensely , much , powerfully
mukhena (inst. sg.): n. the mouth, face
saacii-kRta-kuNDalena: with an ear-ring caused to hang off-centre
saacii: ind. crookedly , away , obliquely , sideways , askance
kRta: made
kuNDala: n. ring, ear-ring
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 4.18: Suing for Peace
sa mukta-puShp'-onmiShitena muurdhnaa
tataH priyaayaaH priya-kRd babhaase
suvarNa-vedyaam anil'-aavabhagnaH
puShp'-aatibhaaraad iva naaga-vRkShaH
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - - = = - - = - = =
4.18
With head emerging from beneath the discarded flower
As he moved to gain his lover's affections,
He looked like an ornamental naga tree
that, overburdened with blossoms,
Had toppled in the wind onto its golden pedestal.
COMMENT:
With reference to suvarNa-vedi (golden pedestal) in line 3, EHJ notes that according to the Kaama Sutra (KS i.4, 7) there should be at the side of the lovers' bed a narrow platform called a vedikaa which was used as a table.
The Wikipedia entry on the Kama Sutra places its compilation at around the 2nd century CE, i.e. roughly around the time of Ashvaghosha.
EH Johnston:
With his head peeping over the fallen flower by the golden table he then appeared, as he conciliated his mistress, like a naga tree broken down by the wind from its excessive burden of flowers on to its golden rail.
Linda Covill:
His head blossoming with loosened flowers as he begged his lover's pardon, he resembled a naga plant overburdened with flowers, bending over its golden pedestal in the breeze.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
mukta-puShp'-onmiShitena: emerging from the fallen flower
mukta: mfn. loosened , let loose , set free ; fallen or dropped down (as fruit)
puShpa: flower
unmiShita: mfn. opened (as an eye) ; blown , expanded (as a flower)
un- √ miSh: to open the eyes , draw up the eyelids ; to open (as eyes or buds) ; to come forth , rise , originate ; to shine forth , become brilliant
muurdhnaa = inst. sg. muurdhan: m. head
tataH: ind. then
priyaayaaH gen. sg. priyaa: f. mistress, wife
priya-kRt (nom. sg. m.): mfn. doing a kindness
priyaM- √kR: either " to gain the affection of , win as a friend " or " to feel affection for , love more and more "
priyaM-kara: mfn. acting kindly towards , showing kindness to (gen.); causing pleasure , agreeable
babhaase = 3rd pers. sg. bhaas: to shine, to appear (" as " or " like " nom. or instr. of an abstract noun)
suvarNa-vedyaam (loc. sg.): onto a golden pedestal
suvarNa: gold
vedyaam = loc. sg. vedi: f. an elevated (or according to some excavated) piece of ground serving for a sacrificial altar (usually narrow in the middle , on which account the female waist is often compared to it) ; a kind of covered verandah or balcony in a court-yard (shaped like a vedi and prepared for weddings etc.; a stand , basis , pedestal , bench
anil'-aavabhagnaH (nom. sg. m.): toppled by the wind
anila: m. air or wind
avabhagna: mfn. broken off , bent down
ava- √ bhaNjn: to break off, smash
ava: (ind. prefix) off, down
√ bhaNjn: to break , shatter , split ; to bend
puShp'-aatibhaaraat (abl. sg.): because of an excessive burden of flowers
puShpa: flower
atibhaara: m. an excessive burden
iva: like
naaga-vRkShaH (nom. sg.): a naga tree
naaga: m. snake, serpent-demon ; name of several plants (Mesua Roxburghii , Rottlera Tinctoria &c )
vRkSha: m. a tree , (esp.) any tree bearing visible flowers and fruit, but also applied to any tree and other plants
tataH priyaayaaH priya-kRd babhaase
suvarNa-vedyaam anil'-aavabhagnaH
puShp'-aatibhaaraad iva naaga-vRkShaH
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - - = = - - = - = =
4.18
With head emerging from beneath the discarded flower
As he moved to gain his lover's affections,
He looked like an ornamental naga tree
that, overburdened with blossoms,
Had toppled in the wind onto its golden pedestal.
COMMENT:
With reference to suvarNa-vedi (golden pedestal) in line 3, EHJ notes that according to the Kaama Sutra (KS i.4, 7) there should be at the side of the lovers' bed a narrow platform called a vedikaa which was used as a table.
The Wikipedia entry on the Kama Sutra places its compilation at around the 2nd century CE, i.e. roughly around the time of Ashvaghosha.
EH Johnston:
With his head peeping over the fallen flower by the golden table he then appeared, as he conciliated his mistress, like a naga tree broken down by the wind from its excessive burden of flowers on to its golden rail.
Linda Covill:
His head blossoming with loosened flowers as he begged his lover's pardon, he resembled a naga plant overburdened with flowers, bending over its golden pedestal in the breeze.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
mukta-puShp'-onmiShitena: emerging from the fallen flower
mukta: mfn. loosened , let loose , set free ; fallen or dropped down (as fruit)
puShpa: flower
unmiShita: mfn. opened (as an eye) ; blown , expanded (as a flower)
un- √ miSh: to open the eyes , draw up the eyelids ; to open (as eyes or buds) ; to come forth , rise , originate ; to shine forth , become brilliant
muurdhnaa = inst. sg. muurdhan: m. head
tataH: ind. then
priyaayaaH gen. sg. priyaa: f. mistress, wife
priya-kRt (nom. sg. m.): mfn. doing a kindness
priyaM- √kR: either " to gain the affection of , win as a friend " or " to feel affection for , love more and more "
priyaM-kara: mfn. acting kindly towards , showing kindness to (gen.); causing pleasure , agreeable
babhaase = 3rd pers. sg. bhaas: to shine, to appear (" as " or " like " nom. or instr. of an abstract noun)
suvarNa-vedyaam (loc. sg.): onto a golden pedestal
suvarNa: gold
vedyaam = loc. sg. vedi: f. an elevated (or according to some excavated) piece of ground serving for a sacrificial altar (usually narrow in the middle , on which account the female waist is often compared to it) ; a kind of covered verandah or balcony in a court-yard (shaped like a vedi and prepared for weddings etc.; a stand , basis , pedestal , bench
anil'-aavabhagnaH (nom. sg. m.): toppled by the wind
anila: m. air or wind
avabhagna: mfn. broken off , bent down
ava- √ bhaNjn: to break off, smash
ava: (ind. prefix) off, down
√ bhaNjn: to break , shatter , split ; to bend
puShp'-aatibhaaraat (abl. sg.): because of an excessive burden of flowers
puShpa: flower
atibhaara: m. an excessive burden
iva: like
naaga-vRkShaH (nom. sg.): a naga tree
naaga: m. snake, serpent-demon ; name of several plants (Mesua Roxburghii , Rottlera Tinctoria &c )
vRkSha: m. a tree , (esp.) any tree bearing visible flowers and fruit, but also applied to any tree and other plants
SAUNDARANANDA 4.17: Insincere Surrender
tatash calan-nuupura-yoktritaabhyaam
nakha-prabh"-odbhaasitar'-aaNgulibhyaam
padbhyaaM priyaayaa nalin'-opamaabhyaam
muurdhnaa bhayaan naama nanaama nandaH
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
4.17
Then, at his wife's lotus like feet
Girt in trembling ankle bracelets,
Toes sparkling with nail gloss,
Nanda bowed his head, in mock terror.
COMMENT:
Though my musicality is very underdeveloped, a starting point to get myself in touch with musicality at the most basic level is to sing what every child in the playground can sing...
NA, NA, NA, NA, NA
In the original Sanskrit, the last line of this verse as I read it has a similar ring to it, almost sounding like a baby experimenting with sound, and experiencing the formation of its earliest ear-voice connections.
EH Johnston:
Then Nanda feigned terror and prostrated himself with his head at her lotus-like feet, which were girt with tremulous anklets and the toes of which gleamed with the brilliance of their nails.
Linda Covill:
Nanda, in a pretence of fear, bent his head to his lover's lotus feet -- feet encircled with swaying anklets, with toes brightened by their shimmering nails.
VOCABULARY:
tataH: ind. then
calan-nuupura-yoktritaabhyaam (dat. dual): girt in trembling anklets
cala: mfn. moving , trembling , shaking , loose
nuupura: mn. an ornament for the toes or ankles or feet , an anklet
yoktrita = past participle of yoktraya (?)
[according to EHJ yoktraya is a denominative verb formed from yoktra]
yoktra: n. any instrument for tying or fastening , a rope , thong , halter
nakha-prabh"-odbhaasitar'-aaNgulibhyaam (dat. dual): toes shining forth with nail gloss
nakha: mn. a finger-nail , toe-nail
prabhaa: f. light , splendour , radiance , beautiful appearance
udbhaasitara: mfn. made especially beautiful ;
udbhaasita: mfn. come forth , appeared ; lighted up , illuminated , splendid ; ornamented , graced , beautiful
-tara: comparitive suffix, often used just for emphasis
ud- √ bhaas: to come forth or appear brightly , shine ; (causative, to render brilliant or beautiful)
aNguli: f. a finger, toe
padbhyaam = dat. dual pad: m. a foot
priyaayaaH = gen. sg. priyaa: f. mistress, wife
nalin'-opamaabhyaam (dat. dual.): resembling lotus flowers
nalina: n. a lotus flower or water-lily , Nelumbium Speciosum
upama: mfn. (ifc.) equal , similar , resembling , like
upa- √ maa: to measure one thing by another , compare
muurdhnaa (inst. sg.): with his head
bhayaat (abl. sg.): out of fear
naama: ind, by name; quasi , only in appearance
nanaama = 3rd pers. sg. pefect nam: to bend or bow (either trans. or oftener intr. ) to bow to , subject or submit , one's self (with gen. dat. or acc.)
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
nakha-prabh"-odbhaasitar'-aaNgulibhyaam
padbhyaaM priyaayaa nalin'-opamaabhyaam
muurdhnaa bhayaan naama nanaama nandaH
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
4.17
Then, at his wife's lotus like feet
Girt in trembling ankle bracelets,
Toes sparkling with nail gloss,
Nanda bowed his head, in mock terror.
COMMENT:
Though my musicality is very underdeveloped, a starting point to get myself in touch with musicality at the most basic level is to sing what every child in the playground can sing...
NA, NA, NA, NA, NA
In the original Sanskrit, the last line of this verse as I read it has a similar ring to it, almost sounding like a baby experimenting with sound, and experiencing the formation of its earliest ear-voice connections.
EH Johnston:
Then Nanda feigned terror and prostrated himself with his head at her lotus-like feet, which were girt with tremulous anklets and the toes of which gleamed with the brilliance of their nails.
Linda Covill:
Nanda, in a pretence of fear, bent his head to his lover's lotus feet -- feet encircled with swaying anklets, with toes brightened by their shimmering nails.
VOCABULARY:
tataH: ind. then
calan-nuupura-yoktritaabhyaam (dat. dual): girt in trembling anklets
cala: mfn. moving , trembling , shaking , loose
nuupura: mn. an ornament for the toes or ankles or feet , an anklet
yoktrita = past participle of yoktraya (?)
[according to EHJ yoktraya is a denominative verb formed from yoktra]
yoktra: n. any instrument for tying or fastening , a rope , thong , halter
nakha-prabh"-odbhaasitar'-aaNgulibhyaam (dat. dual): toes shining forth with nail gloss
nakha: mn. a finger-nail , toe-nail
prabhaa: f. light , splendour , radiance , beautiful appearance
udbhaasitara: mfn. made especially beautiful ;
udbhaasita: mfn. come forth , appeared ; lighted up , illuminated , splendid ; ornamented , graced , beautiful
-tara: comparitive suffix, often used just for emphasis
ud- √ bhaas: to come forth or appear brightly , shine ; (causative, to render brilliant or beautiful)
aNguli: f. a finger, toe
padbhyaam = dat. dual pad: m. a foot
priyaayaaH = gen. sg. priyaa: f. mistress, wife
nalin'-opamaabhyaam (dat. dual.): resembling lotus flowers
nalina: n. a lotus flower or water-lily , Nelumbium Speciosum
upama: mfn. (ifc.) equal , similar , resembling , like
upa- √ maa: to measure one thing by another , compare
muurdhnaa (inst. sg.): with his head
bhayaat (abl. sg.): out of fear
naama: ind, by name; quasi , only in appearance
nanaama = 3rd pers. sg. pefect nam: to bend or bow (either trans. or oftener intr. ) to bow to , subject or submit , one's self (with gen. dat. or acc.)
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
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