Carudatta 3.1

3.1

tṛtīyo'ṅkaḥ
(tataḥ praviśati nāyako vidhūṣakaśca.)
nāyakaḥ---vayasya! vīṇā nāmāsamudrotthitaṃ ratnam. kutaḥ,
utkaṇṭhitasya hṛdayānugatā sakhīva
saṅkīrṇadoṣarahitā viṣayeṣu goṣṭhī.
krīḍāraseṣu madanavyasaneṣu kāntā
strīṇāṃ tu kāntarativighnakarī sapatnī .. 1 ..

Third Act
(Then enter the hero and the jester.)
Hero—My friend, the lute is indeed a gem not born of the ocean. For:
To the yearning lover she is like a faithful friend conforming to his heart; / amidst sensual pleasures she is a gathering free from the flaw of vulgarity; / in the delights of play and the afflictions of love she is a beloved mistress, / but to women she is a co-wife who obstructs their lover's pleasure. (1)