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The World of Courtesans c10: 7 Courtesans and Goshthi in Sanskrit Drama

The World of Courtesans c10

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English

7 Courtesans and Goshthi in Sanskrit Drama

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Courtesans and Goshthi in Sanskrit Drama

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SANSKRIT PLAYS FOLLOW a stereotyped and rigid conventional pattern, and hardly provide vignettes of contemporary manners and customs. Their heroes and heroines wilt under the pangs of separation; sometimes they are the victims of palace intrigues. Usually they are served by a host of attendants, including the court buffoons, rakes, and other low characters. This might perhaps have pleased the jaded taste of the rulers, but they hardly offer any data about contemporary society. It is, therefore, pleasant to find that even in those days there existed some dramatists who diverged completely from the beaten path and presented to us a true picture of the contemporary morals. In these ancient plays we meet the so-called low characters in society—prostitutes, pimps, rakes, gamblers and tipsters. Their very vices and their trivial and vulgar conversations engage our attention. Their humour is, in its own way, unparalleled in Sanskrit literature. In this category of full-length dramas and one-act plays, the names of the play *Mrichchhakatika* by Shudraka and the *Chaturbhani*, a collection of four burlesques by different authors, stand out prominently.

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We are not concerned here with the controversy about the date and the authorship of the *Mrichchhakatika*. Internal evidence places the play in the fifth century A.D. and its author seems to have been the person who wrote *Padmaprabhrita*, one of the burlesques in the *Chaturbhani*. The hero of Shudraka's *Mrichchhakatika* is Charudatta, a Brahman merchant of Ujjayini. A stroke of misfortune had impoverished him. In the first act he is shown bemoaning his fate and opening his heart to his friend Maitreya who tries to console him. The dialogue proceeds and soon it is night. Maitreya observes: "At this hour of the evening people are abroad upon the King's highway—courtesans, courtiers, servants and royal favourites. They will take me now for fair prey."

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The scene suddenly changes. On the road there appears the great courtesan, Vasantasena, followed by a courtier, Samsthanaka (Shakara), and by a servant. The courtier asks her to stop and to shed her fears. Shakara repeats the request "My tortured heart is burning, as on a heap of coals a piece of meat." The servant follows suit and says that she is fleeing from him "as a summer peahen" and adds, "but my lord and master struts fast and faster, like a woodcock in the wood " The courtier gives a charming description of Vasantasena:

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*Why should you tremble, should you flee,*
*A-quiver like the plantain tree?*
*Your garment's border, red and fair,*
*Is all a-shiver in the air;*
*Now and again, a lotus-bud*
*Falls to the ground, as red as blood.*
(Ryder, *I. 20*)

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Shakara is apparently a boor He keeps asking Vasantasena to stop. He mixes up his references from mythology and calls her an eater of fishes and a destroyer of her kin. He describes her as snub-nosed, stubborn, a love-box, a courtesan, a wanton creature and a maid of sin. (Ryder, I, 23).

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The servant is a low-born character. He seeks to tempt her, describing his master as a royal protege, who can provide her "with good flesh and fish to eat". (Ryder, I. 26). The Vita draws a picture of Vasantasena fleeing from them, her girdle drooping low upon her hip, and the red realgar dripping from her cheeks and lips. (Ryder, I, 27).

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Surrounded by these scoundrels Vasantasena calls for her attendant Madhavika. But Shakara threatens to kill her. The frightened Vasantasena offers him her ornaments but he persists in his ardent protestations of love. The Vita understands her aversion for his master but when he speaks aloud he says, "Vasantasena, your words have no place in the dwelling of a courtesan." He adds:

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*Which, as you know, is friend to every youth;*
*Remember, you are common as the flower*
*That grows beside the road; in bitter truth,*
*Your body has its price; your beauty's dower*
*Is his, who pays the market's current rate:*
*Then serve the man you love, and him you hate.*
(Ryder, *I. 31.*)

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He continues:

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*The wisest Brahman and the meanest fool*
*Bathe in the selfsame pool;*
*Beneath the peacock, flowering plants bend low,*
*No less beneath the crow;*
*The Brahman, warrior, merchant, sail along*
*With all the vulgar throng.*
*You are the pool, the flowering plant, the boat;*
*And on your beauty every man may dote.*
(Ryder, *I. 32.*)

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At this juncture Shakara reminds her of how she fell in love with Charudatta in the garden of Kamadeva's temple and points out Charudatta's house which was to their left. He asks his followers to stop her from entering it. Vasantasena makes the best possible use of the darkness of the night; she removes her anklets and garland to avoid detection through sound or smell and she finds her way to Charudatta's house. There she finds the door shut.

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Meanwhile Charudatta has prevailed upon his friend Maitreya to go out with his maid Radanika and offer *bali* to the Mothers. As Maitreya opens the door to go out, Vasantasena quietly slips into the house, after putting out the candle. Later on Shakara enters the house with his followers. He is reprimanded by Maitreya and there is an exchange of angry words. Shakara asks Maitreya to convey to Charudatta the information that he and his followers had tried to win Vasantasena by force. He asks him to restore her to them at once and then he will be his friend forever. But if Charudatta refused to do so, there would be a fight to death. After saying all this, Shakara departs. Charudatta speaks to Vasantasena in the dark. He issues orders to her for he is under the impression that she was Radanika. Soon the mistake is found out; Vasantasena leaves her ornaments with Charudatta for safety and is escorted to her house by Maitreya.

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When the Second Act begins, Vasantasena is seated in her room. She is painting a picture. She refuses the ceremonial bath and shows signs of deep distress. Her attendant feels that her condition bespeaks her love for Charudatta. She informs her that she has deliberately left her jewels with him in order to find some excuse to visit his house again.

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Then follows an interesting interlude in which the vicissitudes in the lives of gamblers are described. Mathura, the keeper of a gambling house, is shown shouting aloud, asking people to hold a shampooer who owed him ten gold coins. He and another gambler follow the shampooer to an empty temple. But not finding anybody there, they spend their time gambling. The shampooer hides himself and stands still like a stone image. He sees his pursuers gambling and is unable to check his interest in the game. He is caught by Mathura and given a sound beating. He is reminded of the fact that he was bound by the conventions of the fraternity of gamblers. They force him to give a surety for half the sum that he owed them. As soon as he is ready to leave, Mathura goes back on his own promise and wants full payment. The wrangling starts all over again. At this juncture Darduraka enters and utters stanzas in praise of gambling. He intervenes to stop this quarrel and suggests a novel method of settling the dispute He advises Mathura to advance the shampooer ten more coins to enable him to gamble again. If he won naturally he would be able to pay his debts but if he lost then Mathura would have to bear the loss. Mathura is enraged by this plan and during the wordy exchange that follows the shampooer makes his escape.

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The shampooer then enters the house of Vasantasena and tells her that he used to be in the service of Charudatta. Then misfortune befalls Charudatta and the shampooer took to gambling. Vasantasena wants to save him and sends her own bracelet to Mathura.

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In the Third Act, Charudatta and Maitreya discuss Rebhila's music on the way home When they reach Charudatta's house, Maitreya washes his feet and he is given the golden casket containing Vasantasena's jewelry. He is asked to keep it in safe custody, and then both he and Charudatta retire for the night. Now enters Sharvilaka, the thief, one of the most interesting characters in the play. He had reached the house after breaking the orchard wall and was ready to force his way into the inner court as well. He welcomes the night. He speaks of his trade: "The trade that thrives while sleeps the sleepy-head." Then he selects a soft place in the wall weakened by constant sunlight and eaten by saltpetre rot. He then cites the four varieties of breaching that are prescribed by Skanda, the patron saint of thieves: "If the bricks are baked, pull them out; if they are unbaked, cut them; if they are made of earth, wet them; if they are made of wood, split them. Here we have baked bricks; ergo, pull out the bricks." He defines the shapes that the breaching can take and quotes again the treatises on thieving. They mention seven shapes—a "lotus," a "cistern," a "crescent moon," a "sun," an "oblong," a "cross" (*svastika*), and a "full vessel" (*purnakumbham*). He wonders which one he should use to excite the wonder of the men the next morning. He finally chooses the shape of the "full vessel" and offers prayers to Skanda and then to the teacher of magic who gave him a magic salve. The salve had made his body invisible to the eyes of watchers and impervious to wounds made by sharp-edged swords. He applies the magic salve to his body and breaks the wall. He then enters the courtyard. From the sleeping Maitreya's hands he gently takes the golden casket belonging to Vasantasena. He confesses that this has been done to redeem his beloved Madanika's slavery. Soon the theft is discovered and Charudatta's wife sends her own necklace to Vasantasena as compensation for the loss she has suffered.

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In the Fourth Act Vasantasena is shown rejecting a gift sent by Shakara. In the meanwhile Sharvilaka the thief visits Vasantasena and meets his beloved Madanika, her slave girl. Vasantasena finds them engaged in intimate talk and does not wish to disturb them. The conversation centres round the redemption of Madanika from slavery and Sharvilaka offers to pay Vasantasena a handsome sum to free Madanika. In the course of the conversation Madanika discovers that he has stolen the ornaments from Charudatta's house She rebukes Sharvilaka and he bursts forth into a severe condemnation of all courtesans. "A courtesan will laugh and cry for gold, she trusts you not... A woman takes your gold, then leaves you free; you're worthless, like cosmetics, when you're dry. One man perhaps may hold her heart in trust. She lures another with coquettish eyes, sports with another in unseemly lust, another yet her body satisfies". (Ryder, IV. 14, 15, 16)

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He soon learns that the jewels belong to Vasantasena. Madanika advises him to return the jewelry to Charudatta or to Vasantasena. Vasantasena had already overheard this conversation The jewelry is restored to Vasantasena. Madanika is free and she and her lover leave the house in a bullock cart. Sharvilaka hears of the imprisonment of his friend Aryaka by the king Palaka, who believing the words of a soothsayer was convinced that Aryaka was destined to depose him. Sharvilaka decides to rescue his friend.

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In the meanwhile Vasantasena is told that Charudatta's friend, Maitreya, had come to see her. Maitreya's description of the quarters of Vasantasena pictures the grandeur in which some courtesans of the Gupta period lived. The stock description seems to have been borrowed from some common source as another version also appears in the *Brihatkathashlokasamgraha*. The maid points out to him the gateway (*gehadvaram*). Maitreya watches with admiration the lofty gateway which had just been sprayed and had just received a coat of green. On the threshold are heaped offerings of all sorts of fragrant flowers. The gateway is adorned with strings of jasmine garlands. It has a high ivory portal and is decorated with red holiday banners waving in the air. On both sides there are auspicious water pitchers decorated with green mango twigs, and set on the railings of the pillars that sustained the portal. He notices that the doors are of gold, studded with diamonds

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When he enters the first court, Maitreya sees a row of balconies whitened with handfuls of powder strewn on them. They have golden stairways inlaid with gems, and crystal windows decorated with strings of pearls. There he sees a porter snoozing comfortably.

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In the second court Maitreya sees cart-bullocks, grown fat on mouthfuls of grass and pulse stalks. Their horns are smeared with oil. He sees a snorting buffalo and a ram having his neck rubbed like a prize-fighter after the fight. Naturally the buffalo and the ram are reared for fights. Then he sees horses, their manes being put in shape and a monkey tied securely in a stall. An elephant is eating a cake of rice, drippings and oil.

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In the third court Maitreya sees the seats prepared for young men. A half-read book is lying on the gaming table which is provided with dice made out of gems. There he also sees courtesans and elderly libertines, past masters in the war and peace of love He sees them wandering about holding pictures painted in many colours.

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In the fourth court Maitreya finds maidens beating drums. The cymbals clash and the pipe discourses sweet music. There he also sees someone holding a lute delicately in his lap and stroking it with his fingers. He also meets singing girls who are made to dance and recite a drama with love as its main theme. There he also sees water coolers (*salilagaggario*) which are kept hanging in the window so as to catch the breeze.

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In the fifth court are located the kitchens. Maitreya's nose catches the overpowering smell of asafoetida and oil and this makes his mouth water. The kitchen is warm and meat is being baked. The courtesans and bastard pages (*bandhulah*) had adorned themselves with jewels. When Maitreya asks them who they are, they answer him thus:

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Petted in a stranger's court,
Fed on strangers' food,
Strangers' money makes us sport—
Not so very good.
Stranger women gave us birth,
Stranger men begot;
Baby elephants in mirth,
We're a bastard lot.
(Ryder, *IV. 28.*)

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In the sixth court Maitreya finds artisans working in gold and jewels in their workrooms (*karma-toranani*). The workers were listing pearls, corals, topazes, sapphires, cat's-eyes, emeralds, and all other kinds of gems. Rubies were being set in gold, and gold ornaments were being fashioned. Pearls were being strung on a red cord. Pieces of beryl were polished and shells were being cut Coral was being ground on whetting wheels Layers of sandal paste were being dried and musk was being moistened Sandal-wood was ground to make sandal water. Perfumes were being compounded. Betel leaves and camphor were being offered by courtesans to their lovers. In this gathering he sees their coquettish glances, hears the sounds of laughter and sees wine being drunk. He noticed the atmosphere of glee There were male servants and maid-servants and men who had lost everything and forsaken their families All were assembled there. When the courtesans drank from the liquor-jars and handed the jars to them, they drank what was left.

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The seventh court serves as an aviary. Here the doves sit snugly in their dovecotes. There is a parrot, a thrush and a cuckoo fed on fruit syrups. Rows of cages hang from pegs. Quails are being egged on to fight and a partridge is being made to walk. Caged pigeons are being provoked and teased and a peacock is dancing in all its glory Flamingoes wander about gracefully. Maitreya also finds out from the maid the name of the man who is wearing a silk cloak and has adorned himself with ornaments. He is wandering about, stumbling and stretching his limbs. He turns out to be Vasantasena's brother. There is a woman dressed in the most expensive garments. She wears shoes on her greasy feet. She turns out to be Vasantasena's mother. Maitreya makes an uncharitable remark: "Lord! what an extensive belly the dirty old witch has got! I suppose they couldn't put that superb portal on the house till after they had brought the idol in." The maid reprimands him, but the irrepressible Maitreya continues in the same vein:

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*Drinking brandy, rum and wine,*
*Mother fell extremely ill.*
*If mother now should peak and pine,*
*A jackal-pack would have its fill.*
(Ryder, *IV. 30.*)

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Then Maitreya enters the orchard, sees beautiful flowering trees and silken swings under huge trees. The swings are just large enough for a girl to sit on. In the pond grow lilies and lotuses He meets Vasantasena and hands her over the pearl necklace pretending all the time that it is in exchange for the jewelry which Charudatta has gambled away. But Vasantasena is fully aware of what had happened. She takes the necklace and asks her maid to lay it away. She says she intends to pay Charudatta a visit that evening.

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In the Fifth Act, Maitreya meets Charudatta and curses Vasantasena for accepting so readily the necklace. He observes, "A courtesan is like a pebble in your shoe. It hurts before you get rid of it. And one thing more, my friend. A courtesan, an elephant, a scribe, a mendicant friar, a swindler, and an ass—where these dwell, not even rogues are born." In the meanwhile Vasantasena braves the rain and storm and comes there to restore to Charudatta the stolen gold casket and then the lovers embrace.

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In the Sixth Act there is an interlude when Vasantasena offers Rohasena, the son of Charudatta, her own ornaments so that he could have a golden toy-cart made. This is a token of her love but he refuses to accept it. The conversation between Vasantasena and Rohasena is interrupted and she is informed that a covered cart (*sajjam* *pravahanam*) is waiting for her at the side door. The driver is asked to wait until Vasantasena is ready to go out. The driver remembers that he had forgotten the cushion and goes to bring it back. He thinks it is better to take the cart back with him and fetch it, for the bullocks were likely to be restive

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At this very juncture the servant of Shakara is ordered to take the bullock-cart to a garden named Pushpakarandaka The road is blocked with traffic and he threatens the driver who is blocking his way. He finds that the wheel of the cart is stuck and the driver asks his help. He leaves his own cart near the side door of Charudatta's orchard and goes to help the driver who is in difficulty. In the meanwhile Vasantasena comes out of the orchard and mistaking Shakara's bullock-cart for her own cart enters it. She is driven away. While he is driving the cart, the driver hears the announcement that a prisoner has escaped from the prison. He is no other than Aryaka and Sharvilaka has helped him to escape He is in search of shelter and he reaches Charudatta's orchard. He sees a bullock-cart coming. He observes.

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*If this should prove to be a picnic rig* (goshthiyanam),
*Its occupants not peevishly inclined:*
*Some noble lady's waiting carriage trig;*
*Or rich man's coach, that leaves the town behind—*
*And if it empty be, fate proving kind,*
*'T would seem a godsend to my anxious mind.*
(Ryder, *VI. 4.*)

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Aryaka gathers from the conversation of the maid and the driver that it is Vasantasena's cart. He enters it surreptitiously imitating Vasantasena's movements. The searchers for Aryaka overtake this cart. They come to know that it is Charudatta's cart proceeding to the Pushpakarandaka garden and carrying Vasantasena. A soldier inspects the cart and finds Aryaka there, but he lets him go.

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In the Seventh Act, Charudatta discovers who Aryaka is. He removes his fetters and allows him to continue his journey in the cart.

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In the Eighth Act, a Buddhist monk is shown washing his clothes in a pond in the Pushpakarandaka garden. Shakara rebukes him and strikes him and then lets him go. He sits in the garden and tells his friend that he cannot get Vasantasena out of his mind After some time his bullock-cart driver arrives with Vasantasena inside. The Vita finds this out and is surprised to see her. Vasantasena tells him what has happened. They try to hoodwink Shakara. Shakara sees her. He is infuriated and remembers the occasion when she escaped from his clutches He orders his friend to kill her. The friend refuses; a similar order to the driver meets with the same fate. Shakara begins professing his love for her. Naturally she spurns his advances. Enraged by her refusal, he tries to strangle her, and she falls down on the ground unconscious. The Vita and the driver soon discover the crime. The Vita is afraid and knows that it is folly to stay there, so he leaves the place. The driver is ordered by Shakara to wait for him in the tower of his palace

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Shakara then hits upon the plan of lodging a complaint against Charudatta; he wants to accuse him of the murder of Vasantasena and to prove that he did it for money. While Shakara is contriving this nefarious scheme, the Buddhist monk who is no other than the ex-shampooer enters. Shakara thinks his presence there an ill omen and leaves in disgust. The ex-shampooer remembers with gratitude the good turn that Vasantasena had done him, the freedom that she guaranteed him by saving him from the clutches of the gamblers. He sees some movement among the fallen leaves and discovers that Vasantasena, whom Shakara had abandoned as dead, is now regaining consciousness. She asks for water. He at once brings her water and learns what has happened He leads her to a Buddhist monastery and leaves her in charge of a nun.

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The Ninth Act centres round a court room scene. The beadle is shown putting the court room in order He is trying to avoid Shakara who is bragging of his good looks and amours. The beadle stands waiting for the magistrate to come. The case, after some hesitation on the part of the magistrate, is taken up. Evidence is piled against Charudatta and the magistrate pronounces the death sentence.

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In the Tenth Act, Charudatta is being led to the place of execution. Even the hangmen pity his plight. At this most crucial moment Shakara's driver, throwing himself from the palace tower where he had been confined by his master, comes and tells the hangmen what has actually happened. Shakara appears and accuses the driver of theft and is believed by the police. Things really look black for Charudatta and the executioner is ready to perform his duty. Suddenly Vasantasena appears and the truth is out. At this very moment they hear that a revolution has been proclaimed. Sharvilaka kills Palaka and puts Aryaka on the throne. The drama ends with the reunion of Charudatta and Vasantasena.

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The *Mrichchhakatika* has great dramatic power. In addition to this it sheds interesting light on the low characters in the society of that period. Shakara is a miserable person, self-indulgent and engrossed in wine and women. His only qualification is that he happens to be the brother-in-law of the king His utterly ridiculous references to Pauranic episodes display his ignorance. His behaviour towards Vasantasena, his attempt to kill her and foist the blame on Charudatta show the utter depravity of his character.

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His friend the Vita acts as a courtier At times he applauds the stupidity of his friend yet he is an upright man who tries to help Vasantasena when she is in distress. The quarrels of the gamblers for a petty sum and their eagerness to gamble at all hours is emphasized. The thief Sharvilaka is no mean fellow. He had studied the art of making breaches thoroughly and is well acquainted with all the implements employed by the thieves. Vasantasena is no low character. She is well educated. She is a beautiful courtesan who runs a splendid establishment. In the play we meet all kinds of courtesans and prostitutes and their lovers, and bastards brought up in the establishment. We have a glimpse of the fat, ungainly bawd and of her son who poses as a dandy. It is also evident from the drama that though generally the courtesan is supposed to be an exacting person, she is also capable of true love and could marry a man of her choice.

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The *Mrichchhakatika* is only concerned with the life of a noble courtesan and some of the low people who visited the quarters of ill-fame. But the *Chaturbhani*, a collection of four *bhanas* or burlesques by different authors all belonging to the early fifth century A.D., deals almost exclusively with life in the quarters of ill-fame. Courtesans and their hangers-on, and the different types of clients who visited them, are all described. Their conversation is in a pointed kind of language which Thomas calls the "very ambrosia of Sanskrit language." Their talks dealt with sports and amusements, drinking, gambling and other vices. Members attended *goshthis* with their women friends and apart from their interest in love-making, drinking, and gambling, these members also discussed topics relating to the art of love. They also enjoyed music, dancing and dramatic shows. Picnics and garden parties were also a necessary part of their culture. It is also evident from the burlesques that hardly any stigma was attached to visiting these quarters of ill-fame. Merchants, government officials, military officers, *pandits* and even Buddhist monks visited these quarters.

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The authorship of the *Padmaprabhritakam* is ascribed to Shudraka and hardly anything more is said about him. But there are reasons which lead one to believe that this is the same Shudraka who wrote the *Mrichchhakatika*. The subject of the *Padmaprabhritakam* is the love of Muladeva, the famous rue of the literature of the Gupta period, and of Devasena, a celebrated courtesan of Pataliputra.

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The one-act burlesque begins with salutation to Siva followed by the praise of spring. Spring is accompanied by the flowering *kurabaka* and *ashoka* trees, by a breeze laden with the fragrance of mango flowers, by the twittering of birds, by the cooing of cuckoos and by flowers shooting from almost everywhere in the trees.

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The Vita or the rake constitutes the sole character in these burlesques. He himself reports the speeches of other characters. He appears on the stage and informs the audience that Karnisuta Muladeva, learned in many arts and sciences, was in love with Devasena, the famous courtesan of Pataliputra. She was struck by the fever of love. Devadatta, the sister of Devasena, who was kept by Muladeva informs him that she could not meet him for some days because her sister is ill. She says that she intended to see him later. When he receives this message, Muladeva requests his friend Shasha to find out what had happened to Devasena.

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The Vita (Shasha) is now on his way to Devasena's house and on the road bursts forth into a poem of praise for Ujjayini—

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"Look at the incomparable charm of Ujjayini, overflowing with all kinds of good—verily the cheek-painting of the bride, Earth "

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"Here one listens to exercises in the recitation of the *Vedas*; one hears the din of elephants, of chariots and horses, the twang of the bows, learned discussions on drama and poetry. There is the buying and selling of goods brought from across the four oceans. One listens to songs, to musical instruments and to pleasantries. There is gambling; at certain places one hears the gossip of the rakes The rows of houses resound to the chirpings of birds that are reared as pets and to the tinklings of girdles and bracelets."

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While he is soliloquizing thus, he suddenly comes across a minor poet named Sarasvatabhadra. He had fixed a steadfast gaze on the heavens and the pose suggested that he was trying to derive inspiration from there for his poetry. The Vita addresses him, "Friend Katyayana! What kind of cud are you chewing? What did you say?—that the ghost of poetry has possessed you and is driving you on? You cobbler! stitching together pieces of old poems! Why you are like a herdsman in search of his dispersed herd; are you searching for new poems?"

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The subject of the poem was, of course, spring. After exchanging a few pleasantries with him the Vita proceeds further and meets a *pithamarda* who makes fun of the poet. He says any effort to please the poet with words was like trying to spray the ocean with water.

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The Vita goes on and meets a friend of a courtesan named Vipula; the friend criticizes Muladeva's attitude to Devadatta. The Vita's rejoinder is that while Muladeva wanted reconciliation with her, she refused to be reconciled.

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After dismissing Vipula's friend the Vita meets a grammarian on his way to the quarters of ill-fame. The Vita blurts out, "Woe unto me! Here comes another obstacle in my way. Dattakalashi, son of Dandashuka, a grammarian of the Panini school stares me right in the face. Now it is difficult to escape from the network of his words. His mind appears to be troubled. Yes, he seems to have been rubbed the wrong way in some discussion. Even otherwise his tongue always itches for a fight; at the slightest touch it tolls away like a temple bell. This good fellow is fond of courtesans. He calls his beloved by the name Rasanavati. She is the daughter of Nupurasena. Honestly I pity Rasanavati, tied like a lyre to a camel's neck. He has raised his hand and is addressing me."

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"What did you ask me? Whether I had slept well?"

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"Now there is no way out, I cannot escape him. I shall now welcome him. Welcome to you, O granary of letters! Friend Dattakalashi, you appear to be disturbed! I hope you are well."

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"What were your words? Like the scavenger crows the followers of the Katantra school have swooped down on me. Alas! The crows and owls have started the fray. Let me congratulate you, my friend! I have found you with your feathers intact. What did you say?—that you care a tuppence for these wretched followers of Katantra! Stay as you are! Now I propose to leave."

c10.57

"What did you say? Where is the hurry? Why accelerate? Please, pardon me. Do not pound me with such hard words, cruel as a staff's blows. Please talk to me in the common language of the people. Spare me from the chattering of the grammarians; it is as ugly as the gruntings of a camel and it pierces my ears like poison darts."

c10.58

"What did you ask me? How can I abandon my style born of the babble of dialecticians. It savours of bullfights. It has been moulded by hundreds of verb roots that rattle like a ballista. How am I to give this the feel of the delicate curves of a woman? No wonder then that you are an orphan!''

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''Jaw-breaking words have as much in common with the prattle as welcoming a woman and a friend with court plaints or proverbs or as much common as thorns and chaplets of flowers.''

c10.60

''What did you say? Without doubt she is unchaste She is estranged even by my honeyed words.''

c10.61

''Who is that harlot?''

c10.62

''How am I to call her my beloved?'' He meditates. ''Now I know. Rasanavatī deserves this, because there is no sight as disastrous as a *koel* used to wandering at will in a mango grove and now forced to perch on the thorny *Ber*-tree. Ah, but there is an element of fun in this pain! Let me enjoy it!''

c10.63

''Friend, Dattakalashi, how was this woman estranged from a sweet-spoken person like you? I am very anxious to hear all about it. Unbosom yourself. Tell me everything.''

c10.64

''What did you say? She is definitely a whore. Yesterday, a holiday, that coquette forced her way into the outer veranda of the house and took her seat by my side. Her manner was caressing while I was engaged in performing a *yajna*. I reprimanded her. I said, 'Stop touching me, I am performing *yajna*' Alas! Making a girl one's own is a delicate business.''

c10.65

''This touch-me-not attitude is the root of all quarrels Fool, you have done a great wrong by spurning a woman in love. Your speech has been toughened by harsh words. It is filled with the spark of grammar. It frightened the girl. Have you not heard this, 'He who touches with deafening words a passionate and soft hearted woman desirous of kind and endearing language is actually trying to strum a *vina* with a burning faggot'.''

c10.66

After leaving the grammarian the Vita meets another interesting character named Pavitraka, a Vaishnava, by faith. ''Here is Pavitraka, the son of Dharmasanika. He hides his . licentiousness. He professes the Vaishnava (Chauksha) faith yet he is impure of heart. He avoids the touch of strangers, holds his moist clothes close to his body, and contracts his limbs He closes his nostrils with his fingers and stands at the crossroads leaning against the pedestal of a Shiva-linga. The fellow deserves to be ridiculed. It is rumoured that he is in love with Varunika, the daughter of Mattakashini, a slave girl (*bandhaki*). Why is he agitated thus? Now let me bring to light the book of his vagabondage. Well Pavitraka, why are you standing there? You resemble a sunning tortoise putting out and withdrawing its neck."

c10.67

"What did you say? I am trying to avoid being defiled. Men inevitably brush against me as they throng this royal road."

c10.68

"Well, you fidget trying to avoid the stray touch of strangers, but I suppose Varunika's private organ is as pure as the holy bank of the Ganga?"

c10.69

"What was that you said? No, it is not so? Then are you trying to sell buttermilk to cowherds? Hoping to hoodwink the shrewd and the clever? Do you think you can outwit the wicked?"

c10.70

"What did you say?"

c10.71

"You are a smart one for detecting things!"

c10.72

"What kind of detection? There is no question of detection!"

c10.73

"The sun does not need to penetrate the darkness with the aid of a lamp. I am thousand-eyed in such matters. Throw away your cloak of wickedness. You feign a gentle appearance. You pretend to be a friend of the gentle but you are actually a slave of the rake! This panic and fear of being defiled and prostitution cannot go hand in hand. You are fettered by this pretence of fearing defilement. So you seek to pick jasmine flowers with a pincer!"

c10.74

"What did you say? I have now given up my vagrant ways."

c10.75

"Who will believe you? This is like observing a fast after a meal of rice pudding. What was your reply?"

c10.76

"Be kind enough to accept me as a disciple."

c10.77

"Well done! Now, you have come round adopting a right attitude. If you have decided to adopt the ways of a Vita, then throw away this role of hypocrisy, for the love of a courtesan is like a nailed staff. Proclaim yourself a tough. What did you say?"

c10.78

"I am at your service."

c10.79

After taking leave of Pavitraka, the Vita enters the Flower Lane (*pushpavithi*). The blue lotus, the red flowers of the *ashoka*, garlands and chaplets of all kinds are on sale here. There he meets an old man who had acted the role of a Vita in plays. "Here is another emporium of ridicule! This is Mridangavasulaka, who played a Vita in an old play. The courtesans have nick-named him Bhavajardgava—Dear old Bull! He is emerging from the house of the tender musician Arya Nagadatta He dyes his hair blue He bathes and anoints his body. He is trying to hide his age. This good fellow is a friendly sort. I cannot go away without talking to him. Well, Old Bull! Even old age is a good time for you!"

c10.80

"What did you say? Like an old snake I am shedding my slough for you no longer care for me!"

c10.81

"It seems you are rejuvenating yourself at the cost of your life itself. And you look so young! You are an expert You know the art of restoring youth with beauty aids. Round your head is a line of dyed hair. It speaks of artificial restored youth and the grey hairs in your whiskers have been pulled out by a tweezer; you have shaved off your beard. Your limbs, decorated and anointed, support your assumed youth like the careful repairs to a dilapidated house that help to keep it standing What did you say? Old wine is a stronger intoxicant."

c10.82

The Vita moves on and meets Shaishilaka. He ridicules him, reminds him of how he raped a Buddhist nun who had been sent to him as a love-messenger by the daughter of a florist.

c10.83

The Vita meets some more people and finally reaches the quarters of ill-fame (*vesha*). He describes the district as a seat of passion, a place for wickedness and deception. It is open to everybody except the poor. There he sees a Buddhist monk and observes: "Ah, who is this hurrying out from a courtesan's court? He is contracting his body. He has covered it with a dirty scarf. But I can see the ends of the ochre garment. They seem to be falling down because he is flurried. I get it. He is that wicked Buddhist monk, Sanghilaka. He is an inmate of Dharmaranya monastery. Oh, how holy is Buddhisml It continues to be respected day after day in spite of the repeated blows inflicted on it by wicked monks whose heads have been shaved for no rhyme or reason. But the sacred Ganga does not cease to be holy because crows come and defile it! He is trying to hide himself. He wants to get away. Right, if the arrows of my words touch him, he will not be able to escape unhurt. I shall certainly meet and talk to him. He beckons. 'Hey! You are the ghost that inhabits a monastery. Your movements are like that of an owl's in day-light. You are walking about filled with fear? What did you say?'"

c10.84

"I have just come from the monastery."

c10.85

"I know the real story of your monastic discipline you scoundrel; you have come out of the pond of *vesha*, like a frightened crane. Where are you going?"

c10.86

"What did you say? Sanghadasika's beloved is distressed by her mother's death and I have come to console her with the words of the Buddha."

c10.87

"The Buddha's words in your mouth are like a mouthful of consecrated water in place of wine."

c10.88

"Alas—if through some stupid mistake or if by chance a Buddhist monk enters the courtesan's courtyard, he is entitled to as much respect as the sacred Omkara in the book on the *ars erotica* by Dattaka. What did you say?"

c10.89

"We ought to be compassionate towards all creatures."

c10.90

"Right, ever joyous (*nityaprasanna*)."

c10.91

"You will attain *nirvana* by annihilating desire."

c10.92

"You will quench your thirst by constantly drinking Prasanna wine."

c10.93

"What did you say?—It is a good thing that I will attain salvation."

c10.94

"Right, do not strive hard. It is without avail. Salvation is impossible for you."

c10.95

"What did you say? I must leave you to avoid dining outside the prescribed hours!"

c10.96

"Bravo, you have observed all the rules of the order. The only thing left for this monk who sticks to Panchashila is to observe the prescribed hours for dinner and see that on no account he misses his meal. Well, get going. Are you ashamed of the ringworm marks that your shaved head exposes? Leave the place, you dunce."

c10.97

After indulging in this banter with the Buddhist monk, the Viṭa meets a beautiful courtesan named Vanarajika. He observes: "Well, here comes an object on which the eyes of the toughs can feast. This Vanarajika, daughter of Vasantavati, is as beautiful as a flowering forest. The throng of flowers on her person is, as it were, slipping down from the temple of Kama. She has decorated her body very carefully with flower ornaments. It seems that she is on her way to meet her lover. I shall speak to her sweetly. You have accepted the gifts of the first flowers of the spring and have you not forgotten your guest? Welcome, please accept my salutations. The spring which is newly arrived has entered your body. What did you say?—'In what way?,' Then listen to me. Your hair is decked with *vasanti*, *kunda* and *kuravaka* flowers; *ashoka* flowers are attached to the ends of your braid; on your breasts are *sinduvara* flowers; mango blossoms wave delicately round your ears. O! beautiful one, holding flowers in your hands and standing thus you appear the very embodiment of the spring What did you say?—This is a gift for you "

c10.98

After meeting Vanarajika, the Viṭa reaches the house of the courtesan Tambulasena and calls out to her. Her behaviour indicates that she is not too happy to see him and wants to be rid of him. She had been in the company of her lover Irima and her countenance bore the marks of recent love-making. He teases her and her lover Irima and then proceeds further to meet the courtesan Kumudvati, the daughter of Bhandirasena. He sees her offering a sacrifice to the gods. She is near the outer gate feeding the crows. She is emaciated and looks tired. Her body is unadorned. Her conduct is like that of a wife praying for the safe return of her husband. He recollects that her lover has been sent out on a punitive expedition to suppress the revolt of some feudal chiefs. The Viṭa admires her devotion. He leaves without disturbing her.

c10.99

Next the Viṭa comes to a garden. He hears the sound of jingling ornaments and enters it to find a young and beautiful courtesan named Priyanguyashtika playing with a red ball. She is surrounded by her maids. They measure the upward throw of the ball while she lays her wager. It is no ordinary game but a dance in which the player moves her body up and down, then turns round, leaps, glides backwards and runs. He sees her garments fluttering in the breeze. Her earrings swing fast as she plays with the ball and flowers drop down from her locks. After counting a hundred she wins the wager and receives the congratulations of her maids.

c10.100

The next objective of the Vita is Shonadasi, the mistress of Chandradhara. She is seated on the threshold of the outer gate of the house. She has wrapped herself in a soiled garment and smeared red sandal on the forehead. Her hair is tied with a ribbon. She is strumming the *vina* and singing softly. The Vita has heard of her quarrel with her lover and of their estrangement. He advises her to seek reconciliation with her lover. He quotes an example. Does not the Ganga go out to meet the sea?

c10.101

The next person whom the Vita meets is Magadhasundari. When he describes her beauty he goes into raptures. She is singing softly as she waits for her lover to come. Then the Vita reaches Devadatta's house and finds that she has gone to meet Muladeva. During her absence he meets the love-sick Devasena in the garden. One of her friends promises to arrange matters in such a way that Devadatta herself will take the lovelorn girl to Muladeva. The Vita takes leave of Devasena and receives from her a faded lotus. It is a momento for Muladeva.

c10.102

The setting for the *Dhurta-vita-samvada* by Isvaradatta is a pleasant rainy day. There is thunder and lightning. Clouds pour down the showers and a cool breeze blows. It is a day for love-making and reconciliation. The sun is dimmed by the overhanging clouds. The moist earth, the black bees hovering over the flowering plants, the dancing peacocks, the lush fields and the muddy rivers difficult to ford—all receive the attention of the Vita. But though the weather is pleasant, he is disturbed because he cannot go out. He seeks pleasure in the soft songs sung by his wife.

c10.103

Suddenly the rain stops. Troubled by constant rain, the house-peacocks begin dancing with glee on the palace top. The damp *vina* whose strings had snapped is now exposed to sunlight. The gargoyles are flushing out crystal-clear water. Women are now busy wiping the misty mirrors. They were confined to their rooms. Now they peep out through the windows. Their golden zones with their hard and damp knots are being re-tied. The gallants have begun taking courtesans out to the gardens. Women are now busy applying lac-dye to their feet. They are preparing to walk out in the meadows.

c10.104

The Vita proposes to proceed either to the gambling den or to the quarters of ill-fame (*vesha*). He hesitates to go to the den for fear of losing everything. He, therefore, decides to visit the *vesha*. In his opinion the half-closed eyes, the sweet banter of the courtesans, the sharing of soft seats with plump girls and the gestures so common in the *vesha* could all be enjoyed by a man familiar with the pleasant ways adopted there. And he could enjoy all this without allowing himself to be snared by the courtesans. The Vita decides to leave for the *vesha* and on the way he sings the praises of the city of Pataliputra. It is a famous city known throughout the world. When men use the mere word *nagara*, this city is what they have in mind. It has lofty houses and its markets are thronged with crowds buying various kinds of goods in plenty. Its citizens are charitable and respect the arts. They are polite, straight-forward and cultured.

c10.105

"Here comes the banker's son Krishnalaka. Because of his connections with the *vesha* he has obtained the fruit of his youth and has become dear to people like us. Though he is strictly guarded by his father who fears the destruction of his family, this young man somehow manages to visit the *vesha*. His body bears the marks of the pleasures of love. He is coming here. Let me approach him. Krishnilaka! Always enjoy your youth in this way. You have just come from Madhavasena's house?"

c10.106

"How did you guess?"

c10.107

"What is there to guess in this? The god Kama thinks it fit to invite pairs of a similar kind. Well, I am not so divorced from work that is similar to yours! Where are you off to, leaving behind your passionate beloved?''

c10.108

''What did you say?''

c10.109

''How did I come to know of all this? There is nothing very complicated in all this. You wiped her face and your hand is smeared with collyrium; you fell at her feet and your hair is far from immaculately arranged. It seems that you have left your heart behind with her and have brought your body here. You wend your way with great difficulty like a ship tossed about by a heavy wind.''

c10.110

''What did you say? Now if I happen to meet my father and he sees me in this state he will want to give up his life.''

c10.111

''How hard he tried to separate you from that girl who is now thirsting for love A father is a veritable headache for a young fellow. A man saddled with a father is not allowed even a glimpse of the gambling den When one is gambling, one's skill leads one to higher bets. Here abuses are exchanged freely and a man of courage is often put to test. He is denied this pleasure and cannot enjoy even the fragrance of wine poured in cups shaped like dancing peacocks, and ruffled slightly by the breathing of the beloved, wine spotted by mango oil and perfumed by lotus petals.''

c10.112

''In bird-fights the *goshthi* divides itself into two parties and each forms itself one circle. Then the courtesans take their seats by the side of their lovers, and in their company no one minds increasing the bets. At such a time a young man with a father hardly has the freedom to lay a bet, then why speak of his acting as a juror (*prashnika*)? He cannot pursue an elephant and win the admiration of girls watching him from windows and gesticulating wildly as he displays his prowess. He is not destined to force his way on the royal road on a night made yellow by burning torches, and armed with a sword, rescue with courage his imprisoned friend. It is not possible for him to give up everything for the sake of a friend, yet all this can be borne. But these bastard fathers act as though they themselves had never tasted the pleasures of youth, and try to save their wealth by keeping their sons away from courtesans. I am tempted to make the world a place without fathers and act like Parashurama who armed himself with an axe to exterminate the Kshatriyas. Perhaps these old duffers remained unsatiated even in their youth. Poor idiots! They do not know that fragrant as the lotus-perfumed water and as delicious as ambrosia is the taste of the courtesan's mouth. It is even capable of restoring the dead to life. Uncovered thighs, confident kisses, heaving breasts, oblique glances accompanying knitted eyebrows, a display of anger at certain intervals—all this goes with the love of a courtesan. Who is stupid enough to forget this?"

c10.113

The Vita ridicules Krishnalaka when he tells him that his father wanted to get him married. "This is a matter for sorrow, for you will abandon the broad road of the courtesan in favour of the narrow lane of a wife."

c10.114

The Vita now meets the crowds of Pataliputra. They are on the road. Out of courtesy they make way for him; nobody tries to detain him any longer than for the minimum time needed to exchange courtesies. He sees the lane leading to the *vesha*. The Vita suddenly remembers his own exploits in days gone by. Here he had fought with others and forcibly taken away a courtesan; here he had bolted away out of fear.

c10.115

He enters the *vesha*. The air is laden with the fragrance of flowers and wines. The houses are tall with open windows on which are seated the courtesans. Incense and *agaru* smoke fill the houses and the thresholds of the side gates are heaped with flowers. One can constantly hear the tinklings of the zones and other ornaments worn by women. The Vita humorously calls the *vesha* "the head office of Kama". He calls the young maids of the courtesans "the standards of the victory of Kama". Their teeth flash and their faces are always smiling. They embellish their conversation with the knitting of eyebrows, their eyes express wonder and their gait is slow.

c10.116

The *vesha* resounds with the echoes of drums. Crowds of artists walk around and heaps of flowers have been thrown by the servants at the entrances of houses. Perfumed oil is being prepared for massaging the body after the dalliance of love is over and unguent is being ground to be applied to the breasts. Delicate garlands are exchanged everywhere. *Vinas* are strummed and wine is served.

c10.117

Then the Vita meets the servant of Madanasena, and she smiles provocatively. She is wearing transparent clothes. She takes down an ear ornament and touches the lotus in the other ear. He does not allow her to pass without asking her rather embarrassing questions.

c10.118

Then the Vita meets a courtesan named Bandhumatika on the doorstep of her house. She is mending her broken zone and conversing with her friend Chaturika. The Vita makes fun of her and goes his way.

c10.119

Next the Vita meets a courtesan named Ramadasi who had quarrelled with her lover. He finds out the reasons for their estrangement and advises her to proceed to her lover, uninvited. She agrees to act according to his proposal.

c10.120

The Vita then meets Ratisena. She is perspiring and rolling her half-closed eyes. Stray locks of hair play on her cheeks. She has just got up from her sleep. He makes fun of her, but she closes the window and dismisses him.

c10.121

The Vita now meets Pradyumnadasi. Her faded cheeks, dishevelled hair, displaced *tilaka* indicate all the signs of love-making. He describes the bites and scratchings on her body and wounds inflicted in the war of love. She was trying unnecessarily to hide them. She informs him that she is on her way back from her lover's house.

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