Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c6.50

v1.c6.50

How utterly needful for woman marriage is, we have already been told; and ix, 52 makes a parallel to the tale of the forefathers hanging in the cave. The Ṛiṣi Kuṇivarga, mighty through penance, begot from his mind a daughter, and then went into heaven. Though he wanted to give away the fair-browed, lotus-eyed one in marriage, she would not. She saw no men that were worthy of her as a husband. "With strenuous asceticism she racked her own body, found her delight in the lonely forest in worshipping her forefathers and the gods, and believed as she strove, that she had done all that was her duty. When, worn out by age and asceticism, she could not walk another step by herself, she resolved to go unto the other world. But when (the heavenly Ṛiṣi) Nārada saw that she wished to cast off her body, he spoke: 'How should the worlds of heaven be open to thee, the sacramentally unconsecrated (that is, unwedded) maiden! Thus have I heard in the world of the gods. Thou hast won the highest penitential merit, but not the worlds of heaven.'" Now she promised the half of the fruits of her asceticism to him who should take her hand. The Ṛiṣi Prākṛiṅgavant took her to wife; and she changed for a night into a wonderful and glorious young girl, and lay with him. Next morning she left the wrapping of the body, and went into heaven. Deeply the Ṛiṣi sorrowed over his short happiness with the enchanting one, but he had, indeed, the half of her penitential merit at his free disposal; so he followed her into heaven, drawn by her loveliness. The end and reward of woman is this indeed: the pleasures of love and children (she is ratiputraphalā, ii, 5.112; v, 39.67) and the barren wife is worthless (xii, 78.41). Nay, what a childless woman (aputrikā) looks on, that the gods and forbears will not accept at the sacrifice, for it is stained (xiii, 127, 13,14);