०७

(1.) Then (after the settling of the wedding-day) in the waxing (fortnight) of the lord of herbs, on the day endowed with the virtue (auspiciousness) of the Jamitra ( seventh position from the zodiacal sign fixed as auspicious for the marriage ), Himavat, with his relatives gathered, performed the ceremonies preliminary to the wedding of his daughter. (2.) On account of the ladies being busily engaged, out of love, in every house, in getting up the auspicious things fit for the marriage ceremony, the city and the inner apartment of the mountain were comparable to (appeared to forni) one house. (3.) The city, the high roads of which were strewed with heavenly flowers, the row of flags in which was made of China-silk and which was ablaze with the brilliance of its golden outer-gates, appeared as if it was heaven transplanted. (4.) Although they had a number of chidren, Umâ alone, like one seen after a long time or like one revived after death, specially became the life of an object of special love to) her parents as she was about to be given away in marriage. (5.) With a benediction pronounced (upon her every time ) she passed from lap to lap and enjoyed ornamentation after ornamentation: though shared by (different ) relatives the love of the mountain’s family was centred in her (lit. was focussed on that one object ). was in (6.) At the Muhurta (period of 48 minutes) auspi ciously presided over by the sun and when the moon conjunction with Uttaraphalgunf ( its twelfth mansion), the kinswomen with their husbands and male children living put decorations on her body. (7.) She adorned the dress she put on for being smeared with oil (previous to bathing), the beauty of which was heightened by the tender sprouts of durva’ mixed with white mustard seeds, in which a silk cloth was worn reaching be- K. T. 5 ( 50 ) yond the navel ( or, in which the silken cloth worn round the navel was removed ) and in which an arrow (in the hand ). was held (8.) The maiden holding (lit. having come in contact with) the arrow ( to be held ) at the ceremony previous to the marriage rite, shone like the digit of the moon stimulated (waxing) by the ray of the sun, at the termination of the dark fortnight. (9.) The women conducted her, the oil applied to whose body was removed by the powder of Lodhra, whose person was besmeared with the slightly dry Káleya anguent (or saffron pigment) and who had worn a cloth flt for bathing. to the four-pillared saloon. (10.) In it having a pavement of sapphire stones placed in it and variegated by being inlaid with ornamental rows of pearls, they bathed her, while the furyas sounded, with water poured out of gold pots. 1). Sle whose borly looked brighter by the auspicious. bath and who had put on a dress (lit. pair of bleached garments) fit for approaching the bridegroom, shone like the earth, that had received a washing from rain water and that had the Kâs’d flowers full-blown. (12.) From that place she. being clasped, was condu cted by lulies devoted to their husbands to the middle of the auspicious altar which had a canopy and four pillars ( at its four corners } and which was provided with a seat. (13.) Having seated the girl of a slender frame, facing the east on it, the ladies sitting before her with their eyes attracted by real ( unartificial ) beauty delayed for some time, though the articles of decoration were at hand. (14.) One of the ladies tied the beautiful mass of her hair, the moisture of which was removed by the smoke of incense and which had flowers inside it with a garland of yellow Madhuka flowers (Bassia Latifolia) intermixed with durva grass so as to form a charming knot. (15.) They (the ladies) applied white aloe paste to her body, and decorated it with ornamental paintings drawn with gororhana (yellow pigment ): she (thus) stood surpas- (51) sing the beauty of the three-coursed river (Ganges), the sandy banks of which are marked with the Chakraváka birds. (16.) Excelling (the beauty of) the lotus with bees adhering to it or of the moon’s disk with streaks of clouds. the grace of her face (set off) by her decorated tresses occasion for (even) talk of comparison (or left no equalisation). (17.) The barley sprout placed on her ear, by its having attained excellence (as it hung) over her cheek rough with the besmearing of lodhra powder and excessively yellow with the paint of gerochana’ (yellow pigment) arrested eyes (held rivetted upon it the eyes of the onlookers ). (18.) The lower lip of her, with symmetrical limbs, parted by a line, (in the middle) the redness of which was heightened by a thin layer of wax, and which had the fruition of its loveliness uear, gave rise to an indescribable beauty by its throbbings. (19.) When blessed by her friend after dying her feet (with lac dye ), jocosely saying-touch (strike) the digit of the moon on thy husband’s bead with this she struck her with a wreath of flowers without uttering a word. (20.) The ladies decorating her, seeing that her eyes were as graceful as the petals of a lovely (lit. well grown) lotus, took up collyrium (for putting it into them) not because they thought it would add to their beauty, but because it was auspicious to do so. (21.) As the ornaments were being put on her person she shone like a creeper with flowers springing up, like the night with stars rising therein, and like a river with birds (chakravakas) resorting thereto. (22.) Observing her form looking magnificent (by the dress) in a mirror she, with her long eyes steady, became eager to approach S’iva: surely the dressing of women has for its fruit (object) the sight of (or its being seen by) their husbands. 23, 24. Then her mother Mená, taking with her two fingers the auspicious wet yellow orpiment and the red ( 52 ) arsenic and having raised her face, on the two ears of which hung two bright ear-rings, made with great difficulty the tilaka mark ( on the forehead of ), her daughter giving shape thereby just to the desire which rose in her mind for the first time, and which attained growth ( was intensified ) after the development of Umá’s bosom. (25.) With her eyes filled with the tears of joy she also fastened the marriage-string of wool round her hand, which was misplaced but which was being pushed back (to the right place) by the nurse with her fingers. (20.) She, clad in a fresh silk (white) garment and holding a new mirror appeared to great advantage, like the shore of the milky-ocean with a mass of foam on it. {{ like the autumnal ( moon-let) night with the moon. (27.) The mother, expert in what was to be done (lit. what one should be made to do, on such an occasion) having made her, the main-stay (or glory) of the family, bow down to the worshipped tutelary deities, caused her to seize ( fall at ) the feet of chaste ladies in due order. (28.) Do thou obtain the ever continuous (lit. unInterrupted or undivided) love of thy husband’-thus was Umá, bowing before them, spoken to (blessed) by them; but by her, sharing half of his body, the blessings of her loving relatives were outstripped. (29.) The Mountain, well versed (in things to be done) and polite, having finished the ceremonies connected with her in a manner befitting (or proportionate to) his desire and wealth, sat in the reception hall attended by his friends awaiting the arrival of S’iva (the bull-emblemed God). (30.) In the meantime, before Bhava, the destroyer of the cities, too, were placed, on Kubera’s mountain (Kailasa), the decorations suited to his marriage, the first of its kind, by the divine mothers diligenfly engaged (or, full of respect ). (31.) Out of respect for them, the Lord simply touched that wealth of auspicious decorations: the very dress of the almighty God assumed the forms (of different decorations) desired by a bridegroom. Thus- ( 53 ) (32.) The ashes themselves became the white unguent for body, and the skull attained the beauty of the bright crest ornament, while the elephant’s hide itself was transformed into a silk garment with marks ( of swans &c.) on its borders made with rochana (yellow pigment formed from cow’s bile ). (33.) The eye itself which shone in the middle of the frontal bone, and which had the clear tawny pupil in its interior, proved on the side of the presence of ( or after Malli.-became for the accomplishment of-i. e. served as) the tilaka mark of Haritala (yellow orpiment). (34.) The bodies only of the lords of serpents transforming themselves into different ornaments in their proper places underwent a change: the brilliant gems in their hoods remained just as they were. (35.) What was the use of putting on the crest-jewel to Hara, whose crest is always united with the moon, which sheds even during the day the brilliance of its rays and which does not manifest the spot on account of its being merely a digit. (36.) He, the only (chief) source of wonderful things who had (thus ) created all the well-known articles of dress by his divine power, saw his image reflected in a sword brought by a gana ( servant) who was near. (37.) He, reclining on Nandi’s arm, mounted the lordly bull looking at the mountain Kailasa, whose broad back was covered with a tiger’s skin, and who out of devotion to him had contracted his huge bulk, and set out. (38.) The mothers following the God and having their ear-rings agitated by the motion of their vehicles, made the sky a bed of day-lotuses, as it were, with their faces yellowish-white (or reddish white-Malll. ) with the pollen (in the shape) of their encircling effulgence. (39.) Behind them, having the brilliance of gold shone the goddess Kalf, wearing ornaments of white skulls like an array of blue clouds with cranes (assembled) and throwing flashes of lightning far in the front. (54) (40.) Then the auspicious sound of music sent forth by the ganas marching in front of S’iva (the trident-holder) pervading the domes of their celestial vehieles, told the gods that it was right time for them to wait upon ( the god). (41.) The sun held the new umbrella made by Tvashtr (the heavenly architect); and the god, with his head at no great distance from its silk fringe, appeared to have the Ganges, as it were, falling on his head. (42.) Ganga and Yamuna also, assuming visible forms and holding Chaurics, served the god, at that time appearing to have as it were a flight of swans, although their riverforms were changed. (43.) The primeval Creator and the god bearing the mark Srivatsa (Vishnu) came incarnate to him, magnifying his glory with the words Be victorious,’ like fire with clarified butter. (44.) That was but one form divided in the three waystheir seniority or juniority is common (interchangeable ): sometime Hara is prior to Vishnu or Hari to the former; sometimes the Creator to them both; at others the two to the Creator. (45.) The protectors of worlds, with Indra, chief among them, appearing in modest (humble) dresses, the signs of royalty being cast off, and betokening Nandi to allow them an interview, bowed with joined palms when ushered in. (46.) He honoured Brahman with a nod of the head, Hari with words spoken, Indra with a smile, and the other gods with a mere look, according to seniority. (47.) The seven sages first pronounced a benediction saying, May you prosper,’ and he said to them with a smile-In this nuptial sacrifice that is commenced, you have already been chosen by me as the officiating priests. (48.) S’iva (lit. the wearer of a portion of the lord of stars) who is not to be overpowered by dark passions and whose glory regarding his destruction of the three cities was sung by celestial lute-bearers, (or, skilled choristers) with Vis wavasu as their leader, crossed the way. (55) (49.) The bull, moving charmingly through the sky with his golden little bells resounding and repeatedly shaking his horns, which piercing through the ck uds appeared as if covered with mud by being struck against a bank (or skirt of a mountain) bore him on. (50.) He (the bull) arrived in a moment at the city protected by the lord of mountains, which had never experienced an attack from an enemy, drawn as if by the glances of Hara extending forward like golden strings. (51.) The god, with his neck dark like a clond (or whose neck was of a deep dark) alighting in its vicinity from the path marked by his own arrow (the sky), being looked at by the townsmen with faces raised up through curiosity, went to the surface of an adjacent ground. (52.) The lord of mountains, delighted at his arrival, went forth to receive him, with arrays of elephants mounied by his rich kinsfolk as with his own ridges full of trees smiling with full-blown flowers. (53.) The two parties of the gods and the mountains with their bustle reaching far, met at the gate of the city with its doors thrown open, like two streams of water breaking through the same bridge with their commotion spreading to a distance. (54.) The mountain felt ashamed being saluted by Hara, adorable to the three worlds. For he did not know that his own head was already far bent low by his (the god’s) glory. (55.) He with his beautiful face brightening through joy, led the way (lit. getting to the state of a leader ) of his son-in-law and conducted him to his wealthy city, in the market-streets of which flowers were scattered knee-deep. (56.) At that time, the beauteous ladies of the city, eager to obtain a good sight of I’sa, spontaneously acted in the following way, all other occupations being set aside, in the rows of palaces. (57.) A certain lady going in haste to the window did not at all think of tying up her mass of hair, which was ( 56 ) loosened from its tie with its wreath of flowers dropped down, though holding it in the hand. (58.) Some lady snatching her fore-foot held by her dressing maid, while the red dye on it was yet wet, and having given up her graceful galt stretched a line of footprints marked with red-lace to the latticed window. (59.) Another lady having adorned her right eye with collyrlum, while her left eye was without it, went in that very state, to the vicinity of) the window, holding (in her hand) the painting pencil or stick. (60.) Another of the fair sex who was looking (lit. directed her eye) through the lattices of the window did not fasten the knot of her under garment loosened by her hasty movement, but stood holding up her garment with her hand with the brilliance of its ornaments penetrating ber navel. (61.) The waist-band, half-strung, of another lady who rose in haste, the gems of which dropped at every illplaced step, had only its string left at the time, fastened to the root of her big toe. (62.) The windows, having their holes filled up with the faces of those ladies, stirred up with intense curiosity, with the scent of wine remaining within and the rolling eyes like black bees hovering about, looked as if they were decorated with lotuses. (63.) In the meantime Hara (lit. the moon, crested God) came to the royal road with numerous flags flying and adorned with ornamental arches raised, doubling, even in the day time, the splendour of the tops of palaces by shedding on them moonlight. (64.) The women, ardently looking at him, the one -object of sight, with their eyes, did not think of any other object of sense thus the functions of all their other senses had entered as it were their eyes in their entirety. (65.) Rightly did Aparnâ, though of delicate frame, practise penance, hard to perform, for him. Blessed will be the woman (lit. she will have the mission of life fulfilled) (57) who obtains the privilege of even serving him; what to say then of her who can repose on his lap. (66.) Had not the Creator united with each other this pair, of covetable beauty, then the effort of the lord of creation to endow the two with beauty would have been fruitless. (67.) Surely the body of Kàma (the flower-arrowed god) was not burnt by him, his anger being roused on seeing the god; it was from shame, I think, that Kama relinquished his boby of his own accord. (68.) Having through good-luck, entered into relationship, ardently desired by the mind, with this lord, O friend, the lord of mountains will hold higher his head already lofty by his sustaining the earth. (69.) The three-eyed god, thus hearing the talks gratifying to the ear, of thy gay ladies of Oshadhiprastha, came to the abode of IIimálaya, where the handfuls of fried rice were pulverised by armlets. (70.) Then descending, assisted by Achyuta by offering his arm, from his bull, like the sun from an autumnal cloud, he entered the apartments of the lord of mountains previously entered into by Brahma. (71.) Just after him there arrived at the house of the mountain the gods headed by Indra, the great sages preceded by the seven sages, and the attendants of S’iva, as great achievements follow an excellent beginning ( measure ). (72.) There the lord. seated on a seat, duly accepted the offering of worship with jewels, honey, curds and clarified butter, and a pair of new silk garments-all of them presented by the mountain, with the recitation of the holy mantras. (73.) He, clad in silk garments, was conducted to the bride by the well-behaved keepers of the inner apartment, as the (water of the) sea is carried on to the shore by the rays of the rising moon (lit. the new rays of the moon ). Being united with her the beauty of whose moonlike face was heightened, like the world with the autumnal season, the beauty of whose face, the moon, is increased, (74.) ( 58 ) S’iva had the lotuses of his eyes expanded like water rendered clear (delighted). (75.) The eyes of the two, eagerly longing to see each other, which shrank back as they met and which were withdrawn after being steadied a little, experienced at that moment the restraint of bashfulness. (76.) S’iva (lit. the god of eight forms) received her band the fingers of which were red, offered by her father, the mountain (or by the mountain’s priest ), as if it were the first sprout of the god of love, whose form was concealed in the body of Umâ through the fear of the god. (77.) The hair on Umå’s body stood on end, while S’iva (lit. the bull-marked god) had his fingers perspired: by the joining of their hands the action of the mind-born (Cupid ) was equally divided between the two. (78.) Since an ordinary bride and bridegroom on being married, attain excellent splendour (beauty from the presence of these two how can the beauty of the two be described when themselves brought in contact with each other? (79.) By going round the blazing fire, keeping it to the right that couple, now united, shone like the day and night closely joined to each other and revolving round the sides of Meru. (8.) The priest having conducted the bride and the bridegroom round the fire, with their eyes closed owing to mutual contact, made the bride offer fried rice into the kindled flre. (81.) She, following the instructions of the priest, bent her face towards the smoke of agreeable smell, arising from the (burning) bandful of fried rice; the smoke, touching her cheek with its forepart, attained for a moment the state of the ear-lotus. (82.) By receiving the smoke as required by the religious custom, the face of the bride bad the orbs of its cheeks a little moistened and ruddy, with the tint of the(59) black collyrium flushed and the barley sprout worn as carornament withered away. (83.) The Brahmana (priest) said to the bride, “Dear child, this fire is the witness to the conclusion of your marriage-rite: practise righteousness practise righteousness with Siva, your husband, giving up argumentation (c. with implicit acquiescence). (84.) Those words of the preceptor were drunk ( listened to attentively) by Bhavani, with ears stretched up to the borders of the eyes, like the first water of the rains (lit. come from Mahendra) by the earth extremely parched by the sultry season. (85.) Directed by her eternal lord, charming to look at, to see the polar star, she raising her face, with her throat choked with bashfulness, said with difficulty ‘scen.’ (86.) With their marriage-ceremony thus performed by the family priest versed in the ceremonial, the two parents of creation, bowed to the Creator, seated on a lotus. (87.) The bride was greeted by the Creator with the words “Blessed one, be you the mother of a hero.” Though the master of speech, he became slow to think (was at a loss to know) as to what blessing to pronounce in the case of S’iva. (88.) Thereafter, the two, the bride and the bride-groom, coming to the four-cornered altar (dais) furnished with decorations and sitting on gold seats, experienced the application of wet whole-rice to the forehead, customary with the world and to be coveted. (89.) The goddess of wealth held over them the lotus umbrella which possessed the beauty of a network of pearls by means of the drops of water attached to its petals, and the long stalk of which served as its pole. (90.) The goddess of speech praised the couple with speech of a two-fold composition: the laudable bridegroom in a speech refined by grammatical purity, the bride in language easily comprehensible. ( 60 ) (91.) They saw, for a while, the first representation (of a play) in the combination of the different incidents of which the styles of description were properly brought out, in which the different sentiments were delineated by proper modes of music and in which there were graceful bodily movements (or gesticulations). (92.) At its termination the gods with joined palms placed across their diadems prostrated themselves before Hara, who had married a wife and begged that the service of Káma, who had g. t back his body at the expiration of the curse pronounced on him, should now be accepted. (93.) The Lord whose anger was gone permitted the operation of his arrows even on him. Surely a request, proferred to their master at the right time by those who know their business, bears success. (94.) Now having dismissed the hosts of gods, the moon-crested god, taking the mountain’s daughter by the hand, went to the nuptial apartment in which pots of gold were placed, which was furnished with decorations ( of flowers, jewels &c. ) and in which a bed was spread on the ground. (95.) There the Lord made Gaurí laugh secretly by the fantastic distortions of the faces of the Pramathas (his followers)-Gauri who looked graceful on account of bashfulness due to her being newly married, who turned away her face though drawn towards himself by him, and who replied with difficulty to her friends who used to sleep with her.