Simhasanadvatrimshika f6

English (machine translation) f6

Language: English

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In the city of Viśālā, there was a king named Nanda, endowed with great valour. Having made all rival kings depend upon his lotus feet by the strength of his own arm, he ruled under a single umbrella. His son Jayapāla was proficient in the practice of the thirty-six weapons; his minister was Bahuśruta. That king's wife was Bhānumatī; she was exceedingly dear to the king. He too was always enamored of her and remained enjoying the pleasures of sexual love. Whenever he sat on the throne, he would have Bhānumatī sit on half of the throne. He could not bear even a moment's separation from her. Once the minister reflected in his mind: ‘This king, having become shameless, seats a woman on the throne in the midst of the assembly, and all the people look upon her. This is highly improper. A man overwhelmed by passion knows neither proper nor improper. For indeed: Were there no lotus-eyed heavenly nymphs, that the lord of heaven had union with Ahalyā, an ascetic woman?

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When the straw hut of the heart is being burned by the fire of love, / what man, even a learned scholar, knows what is proper or improper? || 1

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Moreover: As long as one is not pierced by the arrow-glances of women, just so long does he maintain his dignity and firmness. And so it is said: One maintains dignity so long, just so long does one quiet the mind's fickleness, / so long does the thread of doctrine, the supreme and sole lamp of the entire world, shine in the heart, / until the heart, struck by the long, tremulous, wide-eyed side-glances of proud women, gleaming like the circle of the shore of the ocean of milk, takes hold. (2) Ah, the majesty of love! It confounds even one skilled in the arts. And it is said:

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The god whose banner is the sea-monster confounds in an instant one skilled in the arts, / laughs at the pure, mocks the learned scholar, and brings low the steadfast man. || 3

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And likewise:

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Sacred learning, truth, austerity, good conduct, discernment, and elevated behavior— / entering the fire of a woman, a fool turns them all into firewood. || 4

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Conduct, wealth, the exhaustion of strength, or disgrace to his own family, / or death standing close at hand—a man overwhelmed by passion sees none of these. || 5

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Thinking thus, having found an opportunity on one occasion, he said to the king: “O King, I have a petition.” The king said: “What is it? Speak.” The minister said: “That Bhānumatī is seated on half of the throne in the midst of the assembly—that is very improperly done. ‘A king's wives are not to be seen by the sun,’ such is the statement of the treatise-writers. Moreover, various kinds of people come here and look upon her.” The king said: “All this is understood by me; what can I do? I have immense love for her; leaving her, I cannot remain even for a moment.” The minister said: “Then let it be done thus.” The king said: “How? Explain that.” He said: “Summoning a painter, having him paint the likeness of Bhānumatī upon a canvas, and having it mounted on a section of the wall standing before you, her likeness may be viewed.” That speech struck the king's heart favorably. Then the king, having summoned a painter, said: “O painter, Bhānumatī's likeness is to be painted in a picture.” That painter said: “O King, having observed her form directly with my own eyes, I shall afterwards paint her according to her limbs.” Hearing that, Bhānumatī was adorned and shown to him.

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He, looking upon her and understanding, ‘She is a padminī woman,’ painted her endowed with the characteristics of a padminī. The characteristics of a padminī are as follows:

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Soft as a lotus bud, fragrant as a blooming blue lotus, / on whose limbs during the waters of love-making there is a divine fragrance, / her eyes resembling those of a startled deer and red at the corners, / her pair of breasts beyond price, rivaling the beauty of the bilva fruit. || 6

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Bearing a nose resembling a tila flower, / always reverent toward the worship of twice-born, gurus, and gods, / having the luster of a blue lotus petal or fair as the campaka flower, / with a love-parasol shaped like an open lotus calyx. || 7

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A slender woman who walks gently and playfully like a royal swan, / her waist graceful with three folds, her voice like a swan, well-dressed, / proud, deeply modest, eating gentle, pure, and light food, / fond of white flowers and white clothes—such would be a padminī. || 8

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Having thus painted her form endowed with the described characteristics, he delivered it into the king's hand. The king, too, seeing his beloved portrayed in the painting, was exceedingly pleased and gave the painter a fitting reward. Thereafter, the royal preceptor Śāradānanda, seeing Bhānumatī painted on the picture-cloth, said to the painter: 'O painter, you have painted all the marks of Bhānumatī, but you have forgotten one.' He replied: 'O master, tell me what has been forgotten.' Śāradānanda said: 'On her left thigh there is a fish-shaped mark resembling a sesamum seed; that you have not painted.' The king also heard Śāradānanda's words, and in order to verify it, when he looked at her left thigh at the time of lovemaking, there the sesamum-like fish mark was seen. Seeing it, the king thought in his mind: 'How did this man see the fish mark situated in her secret place? Surely he has had intimacy with her; otherwise, how could this be known by him? Moreover, in the case of women, one should not even doubt such things. For:

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They talk with one, look coquettishly at another, / and ponder another in their heart; women's love is not fixed on one alone. || 9

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Fire is never satisfied with logs, nor the great ocean with rivers, / nor death with all living beings, nor fair-eyed women with men. || 10

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There is no secrecy, there is no opportunity, there is no wooer— / thus, O Nārada, is the fidelity of women contrived. || 11

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The fool who through delusion thinks, 'This lovely woman is in love with me,' / falls under her power and dances like a pet bird. || 12

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Whatever competent man in this world treats their words—trivial or very weighty— / as true, his degradation is certain. || 13

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Just as red lac dye, squeezed out, is cast down at the foot, / so a man, drained of affection, is forcibly cast down at their feet by women. || 14

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Reflecting thus, he summoned his minister and recounted the previous event. The minister, too, at that moment spoke in conformity with his mind: 'O King, who knows what another's mind is like? In every respect this report may well be true.' The king said: 'O minister, if I am dear to you, then kill this Śāradānanda.' The minister, saying 'So be it,' seized and bound Śāradānanda before the people. At that moment Śāradānanda said: 'Ah, the proverb that "No king holds anyone dear" is true! For indeed: / Who, having obtained wealth, has not become arrogant? Whose sensualist's misfortunes have come to an end? Whose mind on earth has not been shattered by women? Who indeed is truly dear to kings? Who has not come within the range of Death? What beggar has attained dignity? Or what man, fallen into the snares of the wicked, has escaped with safety? || 15 || / And likewise:

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Purity in a crow, truthfulness in a gambler, / courage in a eunuch, contemplation of truth in a drunkard, / forbearance in a snake, quenching of desire in women, / or a friend among kings—by whom has this been seen or heard? || 16

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And moreover: with whomever a king is angry, though pure, he becomes impure. Thus it is said:

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Pure becomes impure, clever clumsy, brave cowardly, long-lived short-lived, / and well-born base-born, all through a king's anger. || 17

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Then, being led by the minister to the execution ground, he recited a verse:

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In the forest, in battle, amidst enemies, water, or fire, / on the great ocean, or on a mountain peak, / asleep, careless, or plunged in peril, / merits performed in a past life protect a man. || 18

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The minister also considered in his own mind: 'Ah, whether this is true or false, why should the murder of a brahmin be committed? It would be a great impropriety.' So he led Śāradānanda, unknown to others, to his own house, hid him in an underground chamber, and returning to the king, said: 'O King, your command has been carried out.' The king said, 'Well done.'

Linked texts (1)

Siṃhāsanadvātriṃśikā — Sanskrit