रामानुजीये विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

May Narayana, the Lord of Sri serve me to overcome (overcross) all contretemps.’-Nārāyana who is envisaged when devotion-steeped dawn breaketh,-Narayana whose Will-Sunrise dispelleth the darkness of worldly wanderings of all Jivas at the termination of Prārabdhakarma,-Narayana whose super-excellence is
Conception, Birth, Dotage, Death, etc., also meaning impediments in the way of completing this work. Embodied Souls. The word Jiva or Jiv-atman wherever used in this book means embodied ātman (soul.) That part of Karma, which has begun to fructify. s. s. 1 2 ever typified by His Truth’-(indicating) Weapons2 and Adornments."
May Padma’s Spouse, of Compassion, the Milky Sea, be with us to compass our success,Spouse-the Target, right-hit by the Soul-shaft, from Pranava-bow well shot by those holy ones .whose fixed thoughts are. by sruth-proved
The Tatvas, viz, the Twenty-six categories. According to the Sankhya-Vedantins, the 26 categories are:- Fire, Air, Ether, Earth, Water (the elements) 5 Their respective rudiments or Tanmātrās 2 Eyes, 2 Ears, 2 Noses, Tongue, Skin, Brain and Rectum Nature (Prakriti), Mahat, Ahamkara. Mind Soul and God 5 … 10 6 26-
The Holy Discus etc.

See Astra-biūshayadhyaya in the Vishnu- The Holy Kaustubha etc. Purana 4. Sri or Lakshmi-the wife of Vishuu. 5. cf. प्रणवो धनुः शरोह्यात्मा ब्रह्मतलक्ष्यमुच्यते । अप्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यं शरवत्तन्मयो भवेत् ॥ 6. The Holy Mantra (Aum) 7. Also means “The Strong.” 8. Means the Vedas (the Hindu Scriptures OF Revelations.) 3 Graces (Divine), lured,-(Spouse) in whose bosom-mid, flasheth full the Kaustubha-Soul. Prologue ends. ENTER SUTRADHARA.3 Sutradhara.-Esteemed Gentry! I am bid by this august assembly composed of saintly men like yourselves, who, in order to witness festivals, have trod far and wide over several holy places like Srirangam, Tirupati, Kanchipura, Tiru-Narayana- 1. Ο pura, Purushottama and Pānduranga where our (Sarvesvara), the Blessed Lord" With reference to the strong man, it means, Bow-string drawn to the ear. The gem obtained at the churning of the ocean and worn by Vishnu on his breast. (See n. 3, p. 2.) General Notes:-The first benedictory verse is intended to succinctly set forth the great efficacy of Bhakti (love to God), and the second, that of Prapatti (Surrender to God.) 3. Stage-manager. 4. 5. All-Lord i. e., Universal God. Bhagavan. (See this word explained in J. R. A. S. by A. G. Acharya.) 4 is installed, the Lord before whose lotusfeet the gem-set diadems of myriads of Devas and Asuras form, as it were, so many waving lights, the Lord whose vow always is to protect all who seek refuge of Him, whose duties are right-well done, with lotus-born Lakshmi co-operate,-Who, like the cloud (rain), quencheth the wild-fire of mundane misery. The dust of the different places of the earth hath been holy-made by the dust of your holy steps. Ye have chanced to visit, and sojourn in, this Isle of Srirangam, begirt by Kariri’,-your steps, bent hither by longings to witness festivals. Bid by ye, who in saintliness match with Ananta, Garuda,3 Vishvaksēna,’-bid by ye, the universally worship-worthy,-(by ye) exempt of the least trace of sin,-(by ye) whose character is in tune with high birth the wind-increased i.e., gaining freshes by the blowing of the South-West winds. The serpent-couch on which the Almighty reposes.

The principal bird-vehicle of Vishnu,

The Archangel and First-in-command of Vishnu. 1. and learning,-(by ye) who fall foul, as doth the mad elephant on plantain-plants, on opponents heretical and agnostic, whirling in the vortex of perpetual illusion,-(bid by ye) who are the ornaments of the vast world,-(by ye), who are master-teachers of the mysteries of the Upanishads,-(by ye) the versed in the Circle of Sciences, by such worshipful Arya-worthies then (I am bid.) Bidden what? 1. This:-That I should entertain this august gathering with a troupe of actors who enact the parts of diverse human attributes, such as Wisdom, etc., which removeth the lust of men for weltering in Samsara,’ by enacting a Drama in which the superb ninth emotion,-Peace,-findeth The tendency to be always wordly without any thought of spirituality.

Hindu Dramatists recognise ordinarily eight emotions:शृङ्गारहास्य करुणारौद्रवीरभयानकाः । बीभत्माद्भुतसंज्ञौ चेत्यष्टौ नाट्ये रसाः स्मृताः ॥ while others recognise af as the ninth emotion. 6 a prominent place like other emotions, such as Heroism, etc., which captivate the minds of men, bent on Dharma,’ Artha and Kāma. 3 The mandate of this learned gathering is now accepted by me, with the wager,’ (that I shall forfeit these titles),-me known as Vaikuntha Vinodin, the son of that Master Dramatist Santoshapāla," the disciple of Sanmargavardhana," the founder of the Histrionic Art and Lion to the actor-elephants of the opposite creed. And now this House, crowded with the elite of the place,
Duty or Works.
Goods or Riches.
Enjoyments. These three and salvation (Mōksha) are the recognised 4 ends and aims of life (purusharthas). Peace is required for Mōksha.
The wager is the relinquishment of the claim for all the good qualities for the manager, if the particular Drama bidden be not enacted to the satisfaction of the said audience.
Lit., Entertainer of the residents of Vaikuntha, the abode of Sri Nārāyana.
Lit., The enhancer of happiness.
Lit., The cultivator of righteous ways. seemeth all eager to witness this divine performance. 3
Now doth shine this assembly with highly illustrious men, who well discriminate Natya,’ Dēsa, Mārga, but who would turn deaf ears to all unscientific performances, and who seem, as it were, the guardian-angels of the Histrionic Art. I now therefore bow to the Primeval Lord, the Donor of all treasures of wisdom, the Manifester of Supreme Essence, even in His different Incarnations such as the Fish etc., the Exsiccator of the ocean of ignorance, and the Destroyer of devotion to other deities.
May, the Horse-faced’ Vasudeva’s5
Gesturing by putting oneself in the position of the character impersonated.

Dancing in keeping with heating time and music.

Dancing with gesturing.

Hayanana (Hayagriva)–one of Vishnu’s incar- nations. Sri Narayana, the All-pervader. 1. Form known as Vagisa’, the Dawn to the night of nescience, the unique Collyrium to the eye of wisdom and the Elucidater of the Vedas, illumine me! (With hands suppliant).

May Sriman Narayana, who assumeth the twice-five Incarnations, to Whom the pious, full of devotion in the holy shrine of Srirangam, ever do resort,-Narayana with whose diverse Incarnations, Lakshmi, assuming appropriate Forms Herself, doth co-operate with him in His manifold works," make us all blessed. Muse or the Lord of poetic inspiration. The double meaning implied in the 6th Sloka is: May the sportive Nata, (Chief Actor) who assumeth the guise of different characters, who is assisted by several actors, all highly appreciative of the stage, the Nata in whose diverse actions the Nati herself, also putting on appropriate guises, doth co-operate with suitable gestures, give us all joy.
Works such as saving the good etc. 9 (Seeming meditative for a moment, and then with joy.) Graced am I now by the mercy of the Almighty, who hath in His hands the very be-ness of all beings.

I shall therefore now establish the faith of the Acharyas, making Wisdom the pivot of this Drama, discussing at the same time the moot points of the Histrionic Art, rendered fragrant by constant researches conducted in the field of the Upanishads". (Turning towards the curtain) Let this stage now be graced with the presence of thy ladyship.

The founders of Visishtādvaita Philosophy- Nathamuni, Yamuna, Rāmānuja etc. The Drama in which Viveka (wisdom) is the hero.
The metaphysical writings attached to the Brahmayas, the chief aim of which is to ascertain the secret meaning of the Vedas. 10 ENTER NATI.1 Nati. At thy service, Sir! This thy beloved servant awaiteth thy commands. Sutradhara.-Are our expert dramatis persona getting ready by wearing various guises, suited to the rōle to be played in obedience to the behests of this serene assembly? Nati.-My Lord! Surely the troupe of actors hasten, who are as much subject to thy control, as thy limbs, hands, legs, eyes, etc. are, the moment thou thinkest of them. By the way, I have one thing to ask of thee :What is the name and nature of the play about to be staged? Sutradhara.-My Love! Knowest thou not the new Drama, named Sankalpa-suryodaya, the hero of which is Vivēka ?
It is only the wise, who know the
Chief actress-generally the wife of the Sūtra- dhara.11 true nature of Paramātman1 and of Jivatman that will appreciate the singular plot of this Drama, where, the good and bad aspects of Jiva personate their respective presiding deities, and constitute the diverse characters (consequent).
This striking performance will appeal even to men worldly disposed, for as much as it aboundeth in, (the demonstration of) the emotion of Heroism, evidenced in the conquest of Māhāmōha by Vivēka,–in the emotion of Mercy by the attitude of the Lord,-in the emotion of Peace by the attitude of the Jiva seeking for salvation. Words fail me to adequately convey the singular significance of this Drama. Countless are the conches in the ocean, but not one of them can be the Conch Pāncha-
Supreme Spirit (God.)
Grand Illusion.
Embodied Soul.
Protecting the virtuous and destroying the vicious &c. [vide, Bhagavad-gitā: paritranaya &c.] 12 janya,’ adorning the lotus hand of Vishnu !
Let those ordinary rubies of little lustre which deceive the simple world remain in the mansions of the rich; of what avail are these ?-think of this for a while; could any even among the oldest rubies stand comparison, with that ruby which illumineth the Mole Srivatsa Vishnu’s breast and which acteth as a mirror to Sri Lakshmi’s sports? on The matter to be mentioned presently is the rarer feature of this Drama :-
The name of the Conch worn as a Weapon in the hand of Vishnu. The implied meaning of verse (10) is :Wordly dramas seduce the minds of simpletons who cannot discriminate the main essentials of a scientific drama, but this is a rare drama (spiritual) which baffles all comparison with other dramas.
Such as the Syamantaka-a ruby for which Lord Krishna fought hard with Jambavan, Sri Rama’s Bear-Chieftain. For fuller particulars, read Syamantaka-Upākhyana. Canto X, Sri Bhagavata. 13
The plot of this Drama is so arranged as to discriminate the good from the bad. It is wrought by a playwright of high altruistic temperament, whose mastery of the Upanishads is well renowned, the special object set in view being the salvation of mankind. Nati.-My Lord! Whose opus is this Drama? This audience doth evince sympathy for us, begot by its sense of high veneration held for this self-same dramaturgist! Sutradhara.-My Love! Didst thou not hear this :- That there is a Poet named Sri Venkatanātha, the son of Anantasūri,-respected all over the world,-the wonder of the universe, the ornament of the Visvamitra’Gotra, the Lotus to the sports of stainless
Kausika-Gōtra or descent, one of the important Gotras by which the twiee-born are recognised. The Goddess of learning, Sarasvati, is supposed to live in the lotus flower. Stripped of the figure. the meaning is the seat of all learning. I. 14 Sarasvati,-the Treasure-house of infinite virtues, and himself the son of PundarikākshaSomayaji,-Venkatanatha, the acquirer of the additional name of Vedantacharya through the divine commands of Lord Ranganatha,-the wearer of the renourned A large number of Advaiti Pandits from the North of India hailed once to Srirangam and challenged the Vaishnava savants there that they must either conquer them in controversy or embrace their creed. In fear and anxiety the Vaishnavas of Srirangam sent word to Venkatanatha at Kanchi (Conjeevaram), who, responding, came all the way to Srirangam and in Lord Ranganatha’s temple defeated the Advaitins, after seven days’ disputation. A full report of this disputation is collected and shaped into a book called Ṣatadushani. Lord Ranganatba, immensely pleased at the great abilities of our Venkatanātha addressed him thus:- “Well are we pleased that thou hast put down thy opponents and established the Ramanuja-Siddhants which alone describes our nature truly. From now thou shalt be known in the world by our own title “Sri Vedantacharya.” (See Biographical sketch.) 15 title of Karitarkika-simha,’-by virtue of his abilities, the dispeller of all doubts likely to arise in all sciences and arts2,-the Acharya whose disciples hoist his triumphant banners in all the quarters ten.
Ever do the virtuous, who appreciate the sweet fragrance of this author’s work which are composed of soft, hard, and middling expressions resembling a garland made of (diverse) flowers, admire him.
Of the race, the progenitor of which was capable of endowing the cosmos with
Lit. The Lion of Poetry and Logic. 2

Sarvatantra-svatantra-the title given by Sri Ranganayaki on the same occasion. For fuller particulars the readers are referred to the life sketch of Vedanta Desika prefixed to this book. अतिकोमलशब्दसंदर्भा

अतिकठिनशब्दसंदर्भा

अनतिकोमलशब्दसंदर्भा

The allusion here is to Visvamitra proclaiming in anger, disappointed at Indra’s obstructing 16 a new Indra, or creating a new cosmos without an Indra, the self-same race as that of the universal mother Sāvitri-the cause of rebirth’, according to the sages, of the twice-born, our author was born. Further-
Wise men surmise, through close reasoning that this author is the Incarnation of the Vishnu’s Bell, used in His Worship by the lotus-seated (Praja- 2 Trisanku’s ascent to Svarga because of the latter’s desire to enter into Svarga with his physical body, which Visvamitra undertook to do. The implication is, our author Venkatanatha is capable of miracles no less than that of his renowned ancestor. ef. अन्यमिन्द्रं करिष्यामि लोको वा स्यादनिन्द्रकः । Ramayana-Bala Kānda.
The Upanayana or Thread Ceremony in which Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, and Vai yas, take their spiritual birth after chanting the Gayatri; hence these three castes are also known as the Twice- Born. cf. सावित्र्या ऋषिर्विश्वामित्रः Vedantacharya is the incarnation of the Holy Bell at Tirupati, vide his life sketch. 17 pati’), the Bell that frighteneth the armies of the Asuras2. and
To gratify the Lord Supreme, the Blessed Venkatanātha, the master of all knowledge at his twentieth year, the expounder of Brahmasūtra-Bhāshya to his disciples a score and ten times, composed this superb and melodious* drama, surcharged with superior sense. 3 Nati.-My Lord! How shall the tough composition of this Poet, always bent on Vēdāntic researches, and whose adamantine logic uprooteth the trees of Pāshandas,5 be fit to be put on boards by persona like us? Sutradhara. (Smiling) Lady! I shall just

Semi Creator (Brahma or the Demiurge.) The Demons-the enemies of the Gods.

Sri Bhashya of Sri Ramanuja. 4 The word used in the original has another meaning viz., “in conformity with the Srutis.”
Those who treat the Supreme Lord Sri Nārā- yana as but the equal of other deities. s. s. 2 18 reply to the first of your two questions’. Thinkest thou this Author is one who hath merely restrained the actions of his senses and who hath inerely fixed his mind intently on the enjoyment of the Supreme Being? If so, I shall just tell thee the following:-
If the Muse, worthy of the galaxy of the sages, Manu, Vyāsa and Valmiki, fragrant with ambrosia, desireth herself to grace a person, who could stay her? Will any stop the Gangā which falleth on the matted hair of Siva, as arid as the Vindhya Mount, if she falleth, of her ow accord, on a lame person? I shall now answer the second question.
Doth not the celestial Gangā, with a
The two questions are:-1. How could language used for philosophic researches be made to suit a dramatic production? 2. How could language used for vehement disputations with opponents fit in for a dramatic production? The implication in verse 17 is:-There is nothing inconsistent in an author who is usually an expert disputant composing a melodious drama. 19 force sublime and so terrible as to split mountains like the Himalaya, and which maketh even the head of Siva tremble, spread her sweet, clear and beautiful waters on the Earth as well? Nati.-(With joy). What my Lord sayeth is right, but how to account for the embodiment of the Emotion of Peace in this Drama when the Masters of the Histrionic Art maintain that there is no such thing as that emotion ? Sutradhara. (contemptuously.) Lady! Them, then, I do not consider as connoisseurs of the Histrionic Art.
Methinks that they hold the opinion that the Emotion of Peace could not be -enacted, perhaps because of the difficulty to find in this world an audience to appreciate that emotion. Further :-
The Erotic Emotion pampereth the ways of the wicked; the Emotion of 20 Valour breedeth mutual contempt; the Emotion of Wonder bordereth on the grotesque; the other Emotions are paltry enough. But Peace alone then by elimination is the Emotion that allayeth the agony of the mind. Nati. This superior Emotion (Peace) is of the experience of great sages, such as, Sanaka, Sanandana and others. Still how could this Emotion, the essence of which is Yoga which is attainable only by the control of the sense-group, be represented in a drama, fit alone to be witnessed by philistines? Sutradhara.-Lady! Say not so. For:- for thee to raise this doubt, we are not going. to depict the creed of Alēpakas, who give up the performance of all duties. There are the Varnasrama2 duties, expounded times without number, by the
Those who maintain that the renunciation of dutios entails no sin on man e. g. the Sankhyās etc.
Duties ordained for the different Castes and Orders.1.

5). 21 Divine Lord Krishna,’-duties ennobled by the doctrine of Satvikatyaga and which could not be abandoned even by the adhe- 3 5 rents of Nivritti-Dharma. It is the discharge of these duties that giveth the lovers of Ranga’ their lives’ goal. Further hear and see more, about the greatness of the true Histrionic Art. For, it is said:-

That which could not be depicted in a Drama is neither Sāstra nor Vidyā,7 I. E. cf. सात्विकेन त्यागेन कार्यमित्येव यत्कर्म नियतं क्रियतेऽजुर्न । सङ्गं त्यक्ता फलं चैव स त्यागस्सात्विको मतः ॥ [Bh. Gi.] Dedication of the fruit of action to God. [See n. 1.] Duties pertaining to the realisation of Moksha. Two meanings:-(1) Lovers of Srirangam; (2) Lovers of the Stage. Two meanings:-(1) Livelihood. (2) Soul-pilgrimage. The implication is that the performance of Nityakarma is obligatory even for Yogis so long as they retain life.
Sciences relating to Veda, 14 in number.

Study relating to Vedanta. Dahara, Kuhara, Madhu, etc. 22 Silpa,1 nor Kalā,’ Yogas nor Jñāna’. Nati. A herculian task hast thou taken upon thyself! With fickleness natural to womanfolk, I tremble with fear at the thought of the leaders of the opposite creed who are seized with the demon of envy. Sutradhara.-Lady! Enough of thy timidity. Now fortune is in our favor. For:-

Faultless are the rich characteristics of this Drama, and its exquisite elegance is to the taste of a friendly audience. No small circumstances these, conducive to the appreciation of a dramatic troupe. Further :-
All alert (too) is the best of poetsVenkatesa-the seat of the treasure of
Ayurveda etc.
(64) Arts.

Yama, Niyama, etc. 1. Knowledge of the Brahman. 23 knowledge; proficient in the art of Drama is our troupe by long practice; renowned and impartial is this distinguished gathering: and and our stage is Srirangam, the heirloom’ of Sri Rāma and others (of the Raghu-Race). Thou hast also to consider this :-

Let men devoid of quiescence choose to extol or censure this work, itself full
Lord Ranga appeared before Prajapati in His Pranavaākāra-Vimāna and Prajapati was worshipping Him for several years in Satyalōka, when the latter presented Him to Ikshvāku, the progenitor of the race of Sri Rama, through his son Manu. Sri Rama made a present of this, his family deity, Ranga to Vibbishana, who then set out for Lanka, with the desire of installing Lord Ranga there for his worship, but lo! when he reached the present isle of Srirangam between the two branches of the Kaveri, Ranga was so enamoured of the shady groves and green verdure of the isle that he took His abode there and declined to accompany Vibhishapa any further. Such is the sanctity of Srirangam, the place where this drama was first staged. (“Sriranga-Mahatmyam” will give fuller particulars.) 24 of the Emotion of Peace and the treasure of the serene, according to the bent of their own minds. Why say much here? It matters not. The universe is not without an Isvara’; the fourteen witnesses2 appointed by Him watch everything. Surely, even if envy and other bad passions by chance enter the minds of the wise, they disappear as quickly as they rise, like the lightning-flash.
Seized with envy, may men droop their heads down and remain silent at the first mention of this work, but the self-same persons (on hearing a few words of this work) shall nod their heads, their Supreme Lord. (8) Mind.

(1) The Sun. (2) Moon. (9) God of Death. (3) Wind. (10) Day. (4)

Fire. (11) Night. (5) Ether. (12) Dawn. (6) Water. (13) Dusk. 35 (7) Earth. (14) Duty. ef. आदित्यचन्द्रावनिलोनलश्च द्यौर्भूमिरापो हृदयं यमश्च । अहश्च रात्रिश्व उभे च संध्ये धर्मश्च जानाति नरस्य वृत्तं ॥ 25 body thrilling through like the cluster of Kadamba’ flowers, blossoming at the first appearance of Winter. Then, though they half-close their eyes for shame, they suddenly lift their heads up and extol of their own accord the elegance of our work. Or :- Let it be that these men part not with their envy and let their hearts burn with malice. In any case:-

Ousted we are not by the lovers of the Histrionic Art which the high-souled Bharata ordained for the good of the world, -Art2, the essence of which is indicated by the three letters of the alphabet,,, constituting his name, and which stand respectively for Thought, Music’ and Action5.
A kind of tree (said to put forth buds at the roaring of thunder-clouds.) 2 The Science of Music which is the auxiliary to Sāma-Vēda.
भाव, 4. राग, 5. ताल. 26 Nati.-Be it so, my Lord! Still how shall we in spite of our vigilance fulfil our promise, when so many are our opponents, so learned1 in several of the sciences and eager to pick holes in us? Sutradhara.-Ah, thou extoller of others’ virtue ! Why so much regard for numerical superiority? Or perhaps, some indulge in putting endless questions, just to make doubly sure of what they already know; probably thou art one of them,-never mind. Esteem only the purely intelligent persons. For:-
One2, though gifted with several stained” kalās, decayeth gradually, but one though gifted with a single stainless’ kalā, Also means:-
Capable of only putting endless questions.

The Moon or a certain person. The decaying phases of the Moon or little knowledge in all the 64 arts. Chandra Kalā or full knowledge in one art. 27 attaineth the estate of Girisa’. Therefore gratifying the Lord Supreme through this Histrionic Art, commended by sages such as Parāsara and Vyāsa3,Art which would not countenance the ways of the wicked and which is of ancient practice, we shall make the audience so blest, all alert. (With suppliant hands and humility). 27. Oh, ye learned savants of the Histrionic Art! ye shall now be all steady and all attentive to witness the several connecting links’ of this Drama, wherein, the hero of the play, Viveka, shall embark

Siva or Eloquence in words.

4 26-cf. Drink deep or touch not the Pierian Spring. A little learning is a dangerous thing; The author of the Smriti of the same name and the father of Vyasa. The reputed author of Brahma sutras, Maha- bharata etc. मुख, प्रतिमुख, कल्प, अवमर्श, उपसंहार, उपक्षेप. In this sloka the whole plot of the play is briefly indicated. 28 on his enterprise’, (to accomplish Móksha for Jiva), shall attempt to put down his enemies, shall create an infinite longing for liberation3, shall practice Yoga to please Murāri1 thereby, and shall bring about the consummation to Jiva of the joy of the Brahman". (Behind the curtain).

The endeavours of the vicious are thwarted like darkness dispelled by the
पुरुषनिःश्रेयससाधनस्वमत प्रकाशनरूपे बीजारम्भसमन्वयात्मके -The argument of the first Act.
निःश्रेयसप्राप्तिविरुद्ध बाह्यमतभङ्गोयोगे बिन्दुयत्नसमन्वयरूपे— The argument of the second Act.
The arguments of the third to the eighth acts, both inclusive.
Murari - The Enemy of the demon Mura - Vishnu. The argument of the ninth act-anЯसमन्वयरूये
The argument of the tenth act-NE- समन्वयरूपे.
When applied in the case of Viveka, this means the enterprise of Mahamoha, etc. 29 rays of the sun by the performance1 of this Drama enacted by experts so as to suit the occasion,-performance not conflicting with the ways of the virtuous. Sutradhara.-(Listening with joy). 1

4 Lady! Hear this well;-This song introducing the actors indicateth our goal as well as that of the Mumukshu’. 6

This far-sighted self, as well as Vivēka is capable of vanquishing respectively wicked rival actors and Mahāmōha. (Behind the curtain). “When I, wearing the hard and sweet sugar-cane bow, and the fragrant vernal flower-shafts in my hand, am alive, and Also means practice of Karmānusbṭhāna in the case of Prapanna. Other meanings: -(1) Expert actors (2) Prapannas (3) The Sun. Also means-Karma prescribed for the different Varnāṣramas. Also means-The sun not transgressing the prescribed bounds in the sky.
One longing for Bliss. 6 Means:-Sutradhara.. 30 inspire terror to my enemy-hosts, who is this cursed member of the dramatic troupe that longeth from the side of our enemy, for something not fit to be mentioned before our sovereign Lord, Mahāmōha, the Ruler of the minds of all Dēvas, Asuras, sages and men, the partner in life of Durmati,’ and the great actor in the theatre of war?”. Sutradhara (Looking round in fear and confusion). Lady! Who is yon fellow coming attended, with eyes reddened, with boundless anger? I now see to my dismay: 3
That this is no other than Kāma, the guardian-angel of the chief goal of life of those who uphold, Dharma, Artha and Kāma, the impediments to the attainment of Moksha.
Evil sense.
Duty or works.

Wealth or goods.

Passion. When personified, this is Cupid. 5. Bliss.31
It is this Kāma that reduced the manliness of Mahēsvara by just one-half, that chastiseth those who scoff at Passion, the Third End of life. Facing us cometh this flower-weaponed Kāma, leaning his throbbing arm on Rati’ who walketh with an amorous, sportive gait. Therefore we shall withdraw quickly and conceal ourselves from this mortal world, where Cupid’s festivals are in full swing and in tune with the current season, and deliberate what should be done later. (Ereunt). [Preface ends.] (Enter Kama, reclining his arm on Fasanta, and accompanied by his sweetheart).
Lord Siva, through the influence of Kama had to transform himself to a form, half-man,

half-woman, and is known as Ardhanartsvara. Goddess of Love and Wife of Kama.

Spring. 32 wearing the Kama. (Repeating “When I, hard and sweet sugar-cane-bow, etc.”) Ah, thou disgrace to the Bharata race!
What quarter in, will timid Vivēka hide, Shot by arrow-glances of the dames [blue-lotus-eyed,. Whose bow-brows vie with lovely creepers" [charms, Glances aiming at minds tender, besmeared [with lustful conquering charms? Vasanta.-(Aside). What vain castles in the air doth this insolent Kāma build? Though I am counted as one among the conductors of the Archirādi-mārga,2 my long friendship with Kāma, I am not, all of a sudden, able to sever. (Aloud) Friend, Fish-bannered Kāma !
Vasanta or the Spring being one of the seasong in Uttarayana,-one of the conductors of the virtuous to Moksha.
The way to Moksha by which virtuous men are conducted. 33 True! I shall inaugurate thy great festival, which bringeth victory to our great King Mahāmōha and driveth Vivēka away. Look there:-
In spring do sport lustful lovers, who have the bees hovering over the blossomed blue lilies worn on their tufts, who hold in their arms golden-syringes and who have disordered forelocks which are besineared with saffron-paste drenched by water driblets, diffusing the fragrance of musk, emanating from the leathersprinklers, pressed by damsels’ hands. Kama. Very well, Vasanta! This is in our favor. This vile Vivēka is in every way vanquished almost, for, this great festival is begun in the regions bordering the Kaveri, before which the places of diversion in Svarga1 pale.
Here we see the Kaveri, which aboun- The abode of the Devas (Immortals.)-the Hindu paradise. s. s. 3 34 deth in full-blown lotuses,-Kāveri which spreadeth her freshes, overflowing her either banks, and filling the several streamlets branching off, and watering the adjacent lands,-Kāveri which looketh mossy with the daily-bathing sportive Chola-damsels’ tresses, and which seemeth smiling with white swan-pair’s1 presence. Rati. My Lord! This great festival lacketh its usual eclat, for, troubled is my mind at the thought that for some inexplicable reason the invincible and persevering Viveka is the enemy of our Lord Mahāmōha! Kama.–Ah, thou simpleton! Ah, thou life of Kāma! thou presiding deity of damsels ! How is it that when thou shouldst rejoice at the gain of a mighty foe, thou with fiickleness natural to women, praisest the
The presence of white swan-pairs i.e., husband and wife in the Kaveri makes one fancy that the river is smiling. Sanskrit rhetoricians concede a white colour to smiles and the Hamsa’s (Swan’s) colour being also white, the river is said to be smiling. glory of Viveka ? 35 Look here:-
Was not even Siva, of the mighty Meru-bow, with fire-shafts accompanied by high-wind, for a moment unable to transgress the mandates of me, whose hand holdeth the charming sugarcane-bow, and whose flower-shafts are fixed in the beemade bow-string? Vasanta. –Madam! True! Take this not for a joke. The musquito can never the elephant’s foe be, or perhaps, ignorant thou art of the world’s ways. Thy lover’s heroic exploits are known throughout the world. For:-
Sarasvati, the first Vēdhāh3 beareth in his tongue, full of the chant of the Vēdas; to a feminine form, Siva’s left side was
The golden mountain.
The goddess of learning. 3. The four-faced Demiurge.
Ardhanarisvara (See n. 1, p. 31.) 36 transformed; even the supreme Vishnu1 was under the sway of cowherdesses. How then shall others escape the torments of Kāma ? Kama.Well, opportunely. Vasanta! Thou speakest
Shall Viveka face me, when I oppose him with the flower-shafts lent by thee, to bring the whole universe under the sway of young damsels ? Rati. Forsooth, my Lord! But my mind is still perturbed at the thought, when and what the persevering Viveka, safely installed in the invulnerable strong fortress of Vairagya and guarded by the ever vigilant ministers, Sama3, Dama’ himself a matchless warrior, may do? etc,
The reference is to Lord Krishna’s dalliance with the Gōpis.
Dispassion.

Control of the five external senses. 1. do. do. the internal sense. 37 Kama.-Ah, timid lady! Enough of thy excessive doubts. Thou seemest to be deceived by the simple fools devoted to our enemies, and so dost not understand the greatness of thy own party. Look for a while on the victorious weapons known in all the worlds three, of thy beloved, the conqueror of the universe! 38. Is not my premier bow the matchless frame of damsels, whose slender waist doth not exceed my wrist-hold, whose constant beauty is the bow-string, and whose earreaching and daintily curved eyes are the beautiful shafts ? Further-

If the melodious names of the sweet prattling damsels be but heard, it driveth all demeanour to a distance; good-bye it biddeth to peace of mind; modesty, it doth destroy; dispassion, it doth exterminate; what else will it not do? Vasanta. Surely, this is a proposition a fortiori. Even the casual mention or hearing of 38 a woman’s name causeth mental distraction..
Let alone the fact that the thought of women and their glances, prattles, etc, in an admiring spirit, driveth dispassion away to a distance. The thought of them, even in a carping spirit, doth surely drive dispassion away. Besides-
The attempt to restrain the mind, full of passion and wandering in the various woodlands of the senses, purely by one’s own effort’, is as impossible as that of trying to bind the Airāvata2 with a lotus-fibre. Rati. My lord! Thou shalt so ply thy prowess as to evade the ken of the great yogis, who are able to break the strong old illusion that body and soul are identical. Kama.(Laughing) My love! Methinks the fear of thy eyes hath seized thy heart
Also means without God’s grace.
Indra’s elephant.
Practicers of Yoga. 39 as well. Even the best of yogis shall be made by me to prostrate at the feet of the (young) maiden yogis-in-chief!
Hast thou not heard (too) of a superior dual form, blended in one’, by (means of) my apparently tender but really hard missiles,-form, the half of which formeth the armour of the other, the half life of which dependeth on the half life of the other? Rati. My Lord! Thy greatness is well known to me, but I am distressed, like the plantain (tree) shaken in a heavy gale, to think when and what may befall us, through the force of our ever-persevering, farsightel foe, strong to command and counsel alike, favored by God, and aided by several co-operators, such as Yama," Niyama, etc. Well known it is that the 3 2
The form referred to is Ardhanariṣvara, See, n. 1, p. 31. 2 शरीरमाधनापेक्षं नित्यं यत्कर्म तद्यमः ।
नियमस्तु स यत्कर्म नित्यमागंतु साधनम् ।
The first two angas or means of attaining Yoga 40 power of knowledge bringeth about realisation of rare results, stretching unto Mōksha itself! Kama.-(With sarcastic smile). Ah, thou simplteton and sweet prattler! Where is the scope for wisdom in the presence of me-thy beloved, whose flower-shafts fixed on the humming bee bowstring, have the universe for their target, and who is ever confident of victory? By what means can salvation be (possibly) secured (while I am)? Indeed the slenderness of thy waist is perhaps not evident in thy mind! (Smiling again in jest). Yes, my love! That, I See! I See !! The heaviness of thy breasts hath (evidently) obsessed thy brain (or mind) as well, or, perhaps thou art no exception to thoughtless talk, characteristic of charming women!41 Look here!
Incited by me, Krōdha’ shall create infinite ignorance; this shall bring about failure of memory, which in turn shall obstruct the influence of intellect on Jiva; Jiva, bereft of intellect, shall fall into abysmal darkness and perish there. When it doth so matter, what shall stupid Vivēka do? Therefore Vivēka’s ministers, Sama,2 Dama3 and others, shall never withstand the overwhelming might of our phalanx. By himself, invincible is Mahāmōha, whose left foot is planted on the diadems of all Dēvas and Asuras. A hyena is no equal to the Lion, the lord of beasts!
Even the mightiest of foes shall, in due time, be discomfited by my weapons संगात्संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते । क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।

cf. 1. स्मृतिविभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ Anger. 2 & 3. See n, 3 & 4 p. 36. 4. अरविन्दमशोकं च चूतं च नवमल्लिका । नीलोत्फलं च पंचैते पञ्चवाणस्य सायकाः । [Bh. Gi.] 42 five, which compare indeed with the weapons1 five of the Lord Supreme (Himself).

Not to speak of the other Devas, the ever-penanceful Lord of Badarikāsrama Himself, who expoundeth before the assembly of sages the doctrines of Mōksha, as acceptable as the Vedas, betrayeth his Vairagya by His thigh-posts, procreating the woman-jem Urvasi. Rati.-Husband dear! I take thy word for truth. Thy prowess never failed from over the First Maker down to the last worm. Still
शङ्खं चक्रं गदा शार्ङ्ग ख

Nārāyaya.

The allusion here is: -When Narayana was practising severe austerities in Badarika rama, Indra, afraid of his position, sent down some of his nymphs to distract the penance of Narayana, who to put the nymphs to shame created from His thigh a woman who surpassed the nymphs in beauty. On seeing Urvasi (i.e., born of thigh), the nymphs went away, seeing their efforts fell fruitless against Narayana. 43 I have one thing more to ask of thee, not known to me yet. Kama. - What is that? Rati.-What is the cause of the enmity, as between the lion and the elephant, between Viveka and his party on the one side, and Mahāmōha and his party on the other ? Kama.Love mine! Thou shalt hear about this from the very beginning.
The chaste lady named Buddhi’ lived with Jiva. in the abode of Milaprakriti," and was ever devoted to him. She brought forth three sets of progeny from the triquality-bounded Jiva, each at a time, with The first of a quality preponderating. these is the set, Vivēka and his bandthe haters of worldly enjoyments, the second and third set is the joint family of Rāga and Moha1 combined.
Intellect 2. The root cause of nature composed of the attributes, Satva, Rajas (Goodness, Passion and Inertia.) and Tamas
Attachment. 4. Illusion. 44 In this triple family, Vivēka and Mabāmōha were respectively installed, as suzerain lords, by subjects akin to them in disposition.
Of these, the wedded wife of Moha is Durmati,’ with an eye ever adverse to Mōksha, and the devoted wife of Viveka is Sumati,2 with an eye ever adverse to sense-lusts. Rati. And then? Kama.-Like the clan of Rakshasas co-operating with Asuras, Raga and others, having passion as their dominant trait fulfil the function of ministers to Mahāmōha, born of the race of Tamas and the Lord Paramount of Samsara. The race of Viveka, born of Satva, lacketh a large following and claimeth but few votaries in the world. Our progenitor Jiva, though by nature neutral, is now, through the influence of his wedded wife Buddhi, just at this moment inclined towards us, and this, the
Evil mind. 2. Good mind. 45 ever wicked Viveka and his band brook not. Like the man of polemics defeating his own argument, not realising its weakness, these, unmindful of their own ruin, long to deprive Jiva of his temporal joys, along with us, who desire to advance those joys. They impute iniquities to Prakriti so long enjoyed by our progenitor Jiva and have so far, by some unknown means, succeeded in creating in him an aversion for the same, and they attempt to make him embark on a long never-to-return journey’. In this, Viveka and his brood illustrate the action of the mos: wicked Sugriva and Vibhishana, the respective lords of the Monkey and Rakshasa races who deserted their own kith and kin. Difficult it is to describe the state of Jiva,
Archiradimarga. The allusion here is to Sugriva de rting his brother Valin, and Vibhishana hi brother Ravana, the two joining the side of Art Rama and thus bringing about the destructio. of their brothers. For fuller particulars, vide RamayanaKishkindha, and Yuddha, Kandas. 46 at the time when Viveka maketh such an attempt.
Owing to the vile Viveka and his party, born-blind is this Jiva in discerning others’ faults; foremost among the dumb in censuring others; stone-deaf in hearing others censured: practically effeminate in enticing others’ wives: ignorant in influencing others; and abashed even to behold others. Therefore it is that we desire to exterminate them, rupturing all fraternity. We oppose them with the aid of Pravritti’ Dharma, and they oppose us with the aid of Nivritti Dharma. Their clan, having Satva for its essence, shall soon be overpowered by ours, like the glow-worm by the sun’s rays.
Thus it was that love between the two brotherly families was lost, and enmity arose, owing to the difference in their
Occupation.
Renunciation. 47 respective prime inborn qualities. Are not the Devas and Asuras, born of the same Kasyapa’ Prajapati, life-long enemies? Rati.-Hush, Heaven forbid! 2 After all, the sons despoil the father of his joys; otherwise why would brothers plot each other’s ruin? My Lord! Is not peace that averteth abhorrent war possible between them and ye ? Kama.-Ah, simpleton! Peace is impossible under any circumstances whatsoever.
The virtuous and the vicious offend each other merely by the difference in their respective inherent qualities. How can even the lapse of myriads of Kalpas bring about a reconcilation between the two?

Vivēka’s partisans and ours are of different mould in each Jiva, and are The father of Indra. Lit. शान्तं पापं, ज्ञान्तं पापं. A day of Brahma, or one thousand yugas, being a period of 432 million years of mortals and measuring the duration of the world. For details see Bhagavadgitā by Govindacharya. 48 diametrically opposed to each other. If we two meet in one and the same subject, oh, sweet lady!, we either finish them or be finished. Even for parley, peace is impossible with our enemies-the votaries of Nārāyana, and us–the votaries of Artha and Kama. Even if, perchance, peace be brought about by some effort extraordinary, our King Mahamoha, expert in destroying all enemies, shall brook it not. Myself, a matchless warrior, shall never subscribe to it. (The keenest hunger of) a tiger shall never (drive it to) feed on grass. Rati.-How have those exterminators of the race plotted to destroy mighty warriors such as ye? Kama.-Ah, timid lady! This state-secret ought not to be divulged, particularly to women. Rati.-(Taking Kama by the hand). Dear Lord! Oath on me, oath on thy dear friend Vasanta, thou shalt disclose the state-secret in all its integrity (to me). Vasanta. (Aside). 49 How to disclose it here? Hard, indeed, are the undetermined ways of Providence to surmount !

(Aloud). Friend, Kāma! The plot of the enemies’ of Mahāmōha, capable only of rearing castles in the air, shall now be exposed by us-their enemies. Kama.-If so, hear me speak. There is Nivritti- Dharma promoted by several perverse doctrines, disavowal of selfness in Karmas etc, all propounded by Vivēka-the foremost of fools, and practised by some austere philosophers plodding in the barren field of Upanishads and longing to exterminate our race by witchery. It is said that when Jiva is thus intent on NivrittiDharma, great mishaps befall him such as blindness, deafness, impotence, lameness, dumbness etc, in (the event of) discerning the fault of others. By way of revenge that selfsame Fiend of Nivritti-Dharma is going to prevail on Jiva to bring about a re-union with Buddhi. Therefore, out
Viveka and his party. S. 8. 4 50 of this re-union, one, intently hateful towards our race, with an appearance sweet and serene, a Brahmarakshas’, otherwise known as Para-bhakti’, the exterminators of all sense-lusts, shall be born. For:-
Buddhi, the housewife of Jiva-the progenitor (with her) of the two racesundergoing endless modifications, accordant with the preponderance of the three’ qualities, one over another, yet (intrinsically) remaineth faithful to the same Jiva, and engendereth, in right" time, the horrid Para-bhakti, more hidious-made by the chanting of vicious Mantras that eventuate (at last) in the deluge of terrific Moksha.
Then, this Para-bhakti, characterised by renunciation etc, (on the one hand)
Goblin. 2. Supreme Devotion to God. 3. भैमरथि - सप्तत्यात्सप्तमे वर्षे सप्तमे मासि सप्तमी । रात्रि मरथी नाम सर्वप्राणिभयंकरी ॥
Satva, Rajas, Tamas.
जायमानकटाक्षादि सन्धुक्षिताचार्यप्रसादानन्तरकाले

Ashtaksharī-Mantra, etc.51 and faithful devotion to the Supreme Lord (on the other hand) is to practise severe penance, involving the inhibiting of all the senses. Pleased by this penance, Sri Janārdana’s Mercy is to fashion a demon, surpassing the strength of myriads of Kaitabhāsuras2, to be her (Bhakti’s) servant -(stops suddenly half uttering this). Vasanta.-(Aside) “This (demon) can be no other than Sankalpa-Suryodayathe extinguisher of our race must be the close of the sentence. I shall however conclude it otherwise. 39 (Aloud). The rest must be difficult to mention. Rati.-(With fear and confusion). My Lord! Protect me, protect me. (Embraces her husband). Kama. (Embracing firmly and gesturing a never-before-enjoyed pleasure). H

Lit-One full of mercy on all - Epithet of Sri Narayana. In Kama’s eyes the name to be mentioned is an Asura, as he is going to destroy his clan. Kaītabha is the demon who stole away the Vedas from Brahmā. 52
(Aside). With this timid and turbulent embrace of the tremulous-eyed Rati, which causeth her bangles to break, throweth her pearl-necklace out of place, brusheth away all afflictions, and produceth every pleasure though passing, the soul inward spurneth all notions of the duality of our dual frames ! (Aloud)-Dear Rati, the (lady) love of the foremost warrior of Mahāmōha’s forces! fear not! take heart, take heart! This (that I spoke) meaneth nothing more than a tradition invented by the amateur travellers in Upanishads, to beguile the tediousness of the journey, in the manner the juggler performeth the trick of a town being swallowed.
Chandra’, Indra’ and others, who denounce (acts of) ravishment, themselves swerve from (the path of) rectitude. The
The Moon-the allusion is to the seduction of Tara-the wife of Brihaspati.
The King of the Devas-the allusion is to the seduction of Ahalya-the wife of Gautama. 53 moment my bow is bent, resounding with the rows of humming bees, who then can to the doors of Virakti bend-let alone our powerful cabinet ministers. whose essential
How shall Mōha, (strength) is made up of the different squadrons of indifference, indolence, slumber, etc, and who possesseth tremendous power to eclipse knowledge, be conquered’ by any body? Rati. (Aside). By accident my lord’s utterance sounds equivocal. (Aloud). May prosperity attend our great king! Vasanta. Ah, thou wife of Kāma!
Fear not, for, so long that Moha and his followers are well armed, shall Jíva,
There is also the implication that by no means Mōha would conquer. This utterance is ambiguous and another meaning implied in verse 58 is.-The moment Mōha and his partisans are no more, Jiva regaineth his innate nature अपहतपाप्मत्व, etc and shall attain liberation through the influence of Virakti. 54 covetous of Prakritic’ association, shake himself off from the influence of Virakti P Rati (Aside). Alas! Vasanta’s utterance soun- deth ambiguous. (Aloud). My Lord! Is Vivēka bereft of sense, as also his ministers Sama, Dama and others? If Jiva discardeth Prakriti,’ the finale for them and for us, would seem to be the same! Kama.-Rightly so. But this sinful (brood) Vivēka and others, jealous of the joy of our race, play at games that tend to extinguish both the races, under the very nose of Jiva; blunt indeed are they of their wits as not to perceive their own ruin thereby. These ignorant people shall not, by any means, be successful in their enterprise. For-
The irresistible force of Karma shall put life into us again, albeit slain in battle.
Body or nature i.e., matter. 55 We shall revive even like Sugriva’s famous’ warriors of old. (Behind the curtain). ye the Who is this perverse person that reckoneth us as sinners, as sinners, who wish the greatest good for all? Thou fellow, immodest and ill-behaved! We, who subject. all our actions to the Mercy of Madhu’s conqueror, strive to overthrow wicked, who put the progenitor (Jiva) in unshakable shackles. We also strive to bring about eternal bliss to Jiva after liberating him from all miseries and even then keep our race sapient under the influence of (Jiva’s) Buddhi. Do not the Upanishads proclaim thus ?:60. Sri Narayana,-even by the mask of Bhakti or Prapatti donned by the actor1. The Monkey and Bear warriors of Sugriva, who died in the battles at Lanka, especially in the great havoc caused by Kumbhakarna, regained their lives through the boon of Indra after the termination of the war.
Vishnu 56 Jiva delighted,-Jíva who playeth the different rōles’ in the melodrama of Samsāra,doth lift him to the utmost eminence, doth make him, through His Mercy, His peer in all respects, save Sri-Lordship and Cosmos creationship. Hence :-
As sure as anything is the fact that the great fame of having overthrown our foes Mōha etc, the high duty of protecting our father (Jiva) (from falling into Samsāra), and the joy of having accomplished our ambition-these shall anon come to us of their own accord. Kama.-(Looking with jear and scorn). My love! Yonder cometh Viveka himself, facing us, the head of all the adversaries of Mahamoha, accompanied by his co-partner in life-Sumati.
This Viveka, ever defending Sama,
Birth, youth, dotage, etc.

श्रियः पतित्वं = Being the husband of Sri. Being the cause of the comos. 1. 57 Dama, and other virtues, monopolising the secrets1 of Mantras like the Ashtāksharī, and desirous of demolishing Mōha, restraineth all desire for sense-lusts, maketh researches in Vedanta, consulteth the rules relating to Moksha, and studieth BhagavadGītā with unswerving devotion. Further :-

This Sun of Vivēka, augmenting the lustre of Sumati, to whose (Sumati’s) heart the truth about God and soul is most near,Vivēka who again is full of the ardent love for Moksha, though in great prosperity, doth now attain the feet of Vishnu, on Whom he leaneth, after scattering the (twofold) mist of Ahamkāra viz. selfness in body and selfness in soul. Also means-Keeping his councils secret”. The double meaning implied in verse 63. is -The sun, now increasing the lustre of the quarter opposite to the West, (East), though rising, is still invested by the excessive redness of the dawn, doth now clear the mist, and reacheth the sky. 58 It is therefore not meet that we should unmask ourselves to our enemies too soon, and without proper precaution. (Thus ereunt Kama with his wife and friend). Mediate Interlude ends. (THEN ENTER KING AND SUMATI). King. (Vivēka)-(Musing). Love mine! Hearest thou the rant of this fellow Kama, the source of the noxions thicket of endless sins, the seat of boundless conceit ? See, how he scorneth at us-the very persons who strive to obliterate all sins. Or :-
A person void of sense perceiveth faults in others, though they exist not; similarly perceiveth he in himself virtues that exist not. This frailty cometh as the effect of Mōhas’ eye-salve. 59

Sumath. Aryaputra! Do not ugly-faced persons impute their ugliness to the fault of the mirror, which by nature is clean? King.-Forsooth, my Queen! Thou kennest things as they are and speakest as thou kennest. Further :-

Thou art one, free of all faults and art ever intent on compassing infinite supreme Bliss to man. Thou art endowed with Guna,’ Alankāra, Bhāva, and Rasa, like the work of a good poet. 2 (Again musing). 3 4 Alas, My love! these Kāma, Krodha, Lōbha," and their *Lit: Noble son. This term is usually used by ladies when accosting their husbands. When applied to Poets’ work.-
Diction etc.

Rhetoric.

Gesture.
Emotion.

When applied to Sumati.- Understanding, retentiveness, etc. Ornaments. 3 Thought. 4. Attachment.

Greed. 60 ilk who divert themselves in tormenting the abiding Jíva, pose themselves as the upholders of righteousness, and look upon us, as the augmenters of vice,-us who strive to compass Moksha for Jíva and to draw down (upon him) the merciful look of the Lord Divine-the natural friend to one and all alike,-merciful look, the panacea to all persons agonised by the anguish of Samsāra. Alas! Queer is this buffoon’s bluff! Never mind, mark my great vow, for earning the Almighty’s blessings. Its carrying out solely dependeth on thee.
Ah! Beautiful lady! By this vow, so auspiciously taken, I draw courage through the mercy of Madhu’s foe’ and by keeping away from Jíva his foes, external and internal, I will plant him firmly in Yoga, will divest him of the influence of both Pāpa1 and
Vishnu.
Infidels and Perverts.

Lust, Passion, Anger. etc. 1. 2. Vice. Virtue-According to Visishtadvaita philosophy both virtue and Vice are impediments to attain Emancipation.61 Punya and will vouchsafe all blessedness to him by making him attain the Parabrahman. Sumati.-Aryaputra! How is this eternal, stainless, highly-blissful and self-luminons Jíva, whose nature is self-evident to all mankind, consigned to the Ocean of misery, awful-made by great waves of sin dashing, and agitated by the resistless Ahamkāra, by the mephistophelian Mahāmōha, Māna, Mada, Matsara, etc.? 3 5 King. My love! Keen perceiver of subtilties! Can the Evident be denied or the Agamic contents rejected? Just see this :-

In this universe we have seen objects deprived of their natural quality by accidents of contact with some other object,
Supreme Lord.
Phil. The fallacy that body and soul are one and the same.
Conceit. 4. Pride. 5. Jealousy. 6. Vedic.
The formless clean mirror reflects the image of a flower when the latter is held before a mirror. red 62 and the accident passing, the object springing back to its original quality. Similarly, this eternal Samsara enshroudeth Jíva,’ through the influence of eternal rescience, yclept Karma, and releaseth him the moment it vanisheth. Sumati. True indeed! But how is it the all-benevolent Lord of Sri, hath so long neglected Jiva tormented by unbearable manifold miseries ? King. Hast thou not heard that Jiva who biddeth for Samsāra, by the bonds of nescience-(Eternal Karma) was bidden away by the Almighty for the very reason that He bid for Samsara and that the self same Almighty will extricate him on an opportunity lending itself? For :-
The Lord, whose impartiality is evident in His equal solicitude to placate कर्मोपाधिवशात्मोहा-
नित्यनिर्मलमहानन्दस्वरूपोऽपि जीवः द्यावृतो दुःखभाग्भवतितद्विगमे च आविर्भूतस्वाभाविकरूपो भवति । 63 both Sport and Mercy, typified as Lilā1 and Dayā,’ working ever at cross purposes, (the Lord) improveth upon the accident of merit gotten by His own Grace, and lifteth us, the fallen, in the manner of the worm etching out (unconsciously, as it were) auspicious letters (on a piece of timber). Further :-
From the ever-flowing river of Merit and Demerit, incapable of avoidance, diversion or crossing, the Lord lifteth us the fallen, and rejoiceth.
Lila-There is no exact English equivalent to this. But Lila is connoted by the desire of the Lord to indulge Himself in the sport of making souls take birth and rebirth, etc. in Samsara. See Introduction to Lives of Azhvars by Govindacharya on word Lila.
Mercy.

Called the Guna-kshata-lipi Nyaya -The worn is a wood-insect. The sense implied in verse (68) is-The Lord punishing us Sinners, through Lila, Himself imparteth virtue to one of the manifold Karmas through Mercy and thus protecteth us. 64 Sumati.-Aryaputra! My mind is perplexed by the serious doubt, as to how one can attain Moksha in the infinite future, when infinite past hath merely lapsed in an vain ? King.-Queen mine! The consort of Viveka as thou art, how is it that thou dost indulge in such doubts as if thou art ignorant of the ways of logical reasoning? Or :-

Even the sages still debate as to the true cause of this amidst so many (principles or) things, such as, Time, Nature, Fate, Accident, etc. This here is to be investigated :-
All Vedantic’ schools agree in thinking that in this cycle of Karma and Nescience, incessantly and strangely whirling, each Jiva cometh to ripen differently in its own due season. Catching the right moment in this ripening-by the First
Except Charvaka - The materialist who holds that body itself is the soul. 65 Teacher’ caught-the enlightened2 Jīva thus (caught) reapeth in plenty all the riches stretching up to Moksha.
In the manner of the Daughters of Vidēha, Jiva, confined in the body of Lanka, girt by the sea of Samsāra, ruled by the proud ten-headed demon of mind with the senses ten, (Jiva, like her, Vaidehi) pineth, thus humbled. Anon by a Hanuman-like Guru is (Jiva) instructed of the Truth (of God, etc.) known as
In this carnal body Brahmapura, having several portals of sins countless, Jiva, unrestrained of action, being incentived by a will free (-given) but kept in limits by by a Providence Almighty, is thus fast bound to the power (Ha of the senses, even like a demented king influenced by the advice of his evil
God is spoken of as the First Teacher.
Jiva doth feel a longing to investigate the Truth about God, the means of attaining Him and Beatitude. (Tatva, Hita, Purushartha).
Sita, or the daughter of Videha’s king, Janaka.
1. 5 66 ministers, each striving to contrive hisown objective. Sumati.-Aryaputra! Though tormented by this flesh (body), like one lodged in a fire-begirt lodging, how is it that the listless Jiva desireth not to rid himself of this body? King.-Eh My love, all-wise! It is no easy task to cross the great ocean of attachment.
Like the well-polished gem-set wall, the soul inviolate, beareth on it the most wonderful picture, made up of the stable and unstable’, tri-colored,’ distinctly limned by the Six-Attributed Painter, with His tri-qualitied brush. Sumatl.-(With grief) If so, how is it that the most beloved Buddhi doth not remind her mad husband?
The cosmos composed of moving and stationary objects:
Three colours and three attachments, ga, वित्तेषणा, दारेषणा..

God of the attributes Jñana, Sakti, etc. 4. Satva, Rajas, Tamas. 67 King-My quick-witted love! Buddhī also, self-luminons though she be, is for the nonce practically dormant. For-

Like the lotus fading at the setting sun and like the charmless night by the Rāhu’-eclipsed snow-beamed Moon, our Mother Buddhi, lovely lady! fadeth for the time being, remaining inert, struck out of her luminosity, resembling soul itself-her Lord, bereft of attributes, by Māyic2 contact. Sumati.-Aryaputra! Profoundly pitiable is this bonded state of Jiva along with Buddhi! Thou shalt now elucidate for me at length, the means by which Jiva,-ever so much misery-molested, shall attain Moksha. May I have peace of mind thus! King My ever well-wishing Queen! I shall now dwell in detail on the means of attaining Beatitude and in doing so, shall be

A serpent named Rahu is said to swallow the moon during an eclipse. 2. Illusion. 68 only reminding thee of what thou already. knowest.

Samsāra, hardened by hoarded sins, hard to stem, is the great curse of all Jivas and past palliation. Its only Deliverer is the Lord’s Free Will-Power,’ acting in concert with His causeless Mercy and it (Will-Power) gratifieth itself, by pitching upon a cause (for Karma-cessation). Sumati.-Aryaputra! If that cause is fit for my hearing, may it please thee to inform me of the same. King. My love, so pure of tongue! Thou shalt hear the gist of the subtle truth.
Full of Lust, Envy and Pride, the soul like the child, is, obsessed by several spirits. By the gracious look of a Royal Personage, Veda-famed, it (soul) entereth the way of the Wise.
To the soul, soaked in the nectareous look of the sinless Teacher, providentially
Sankalpa 2. May mean either Sri-Narayana or ācharya. 69 obtained, the many pure attributes,’ pure knowledge, etc, sprout up, making for boundless bliss. And then-
While the soul embodied, is on all sides pulled by cords of evil-smelling past pleasures of Svarga, fraught with fall inevitable,-brimfull Bhakti (love) in Brahma High the Goal,-the milky Sea of mercy, heaving high, springeth, influenced by his (soul’s) previous birth’s good Karma. In the interim, this other feast fit for universal suffrage superveneth (viz Prapatti or surrender to God). 2
With thee for my wife, I shall, at the time of Bhakti’s fruition, myself perform this peculiar (feast) sacrifice, no fruit expecting. The manifold attributes led by Sama, Dama, etc, shall be the officiat
Such as Sama, Dama, etc.

A Vedic feast literally (Adhvara) and is considered a sacred feast; hence is a sacrifice. 70 ing-Ritviks’ of this sacrifice. For reasons beyond our ken, the Eternal Lord doth become the goal of the offering of ātman’, and then shuffling off the shackles of karma, the bonded Jiva-(Pasu3) doth get unbound. Thou hast to consider this as well:

The Divine Lord of Sri, whose power is eternally manifest, in Creation, Duration and Dissolution of the universe, performeth through His Mercy a supernatural and matchless conversion on Jiva that performeth the momentary sacrifice of self-surrender and resignation, and so despatcheth his sins that they return never. Sumati.-Aryaputra! When shall the above described state of Supreme Bliss become the joy of Jiva ?
Officiating Priests in a sacrifice.
Soul.

The animal sacrificed in a yaga. 1. As opposed to the long time taken for Bhakti.71 King. My Queen, versed in the knowledge of the triple realms! We have thus far to rejoice at the fact that rescue from Samsāra hath somehow become possible to Jiva,-plunged in the main of misery intolerable,-by (the authority of) Revelation as well as Reason.

A blessed being, graduating along the scale of Sri-Lord’s Mercy-led by Teachers. taintless, reigneth in the abode of Supreme Bliss bedecked with suddhasatva.3 Further:-
Sure it is that the Divine Lord’s Mercy, unaffectable even by post-Surrender sins befalling, curbeth His wilful Lila, imparteth to Jivas a taste for karmas, congenial and inductive to the Lord Divine,
जायमानकटाक्षादिक्रमेण ।
गोपुरमण्डपादिना ।
Refulgent matter. 72

or and bringeth about infinite bliss now o hence.2

Free of all obstacles, the Divine Road of the Mercy of Madhu’s Foe,3 leadeth one, as revealed in the Vedas, to the city of Paramapada,’-the Mercy-Road, thick shaded by auspicious attributes, (such as Sausilya")-the Averter of the glare Māyā,6-exempt from sins of Rajōguna and, by the Tāpatrayās", unaffected.

of At the annihilation of this body in the case of Prapannas. At the termination of (a Karma already begun) in the case of Bhaktas.

Vishnu the sayer of the demon Madhu. Another meaning of verse (84) is–Free of all thorns on the way, the Path of firm belief in the Mercy of Madhu’s Foe, leadeth one to the royal road leading into the city of Ayodhya unassailed by anybody,-Path cool with the beautiful shade which alleviates the glare of the Sun,-path free of all dust and heat. 4. Abode of Supreme Bliss. disposition.

आद्यात्मिकादि.

Illusion.

Accessible

Passion. 73 Sumati.-Aryaputra! Methinks that thy word that Jíva, replete with sins innumerable, shall from the ocean of misery be rescued, may but be a hope held forth like the toy offered to a crying child! King. My lady charming! thou believer in the Revelations! Follow not the lead of falsity. Art thou not Sumati? Hast thou ever heard of the fallibility of the Revelations, or that of the Lord’s promise to protect His devotees? Here is convincing statement for thee.

oath

Sumati! Oath upon Fate’, upon thee, oath upon me; if only thou resign thy slumber and look with eyes wide awake, thou shalt thyself perceive the greatness of the Will of Demon Mura’s Victor2, so swift evinced in rescuing the loudly wailing Gajendra" from agony, Lot, or God’s free-gift of Grace, or Will. Vishnu. 3 The ailusion here is to the Gajendra Upakhyana in Sri Bhagavata which briefly stated is as follows:- Once the head of a herd of Elephants tormented 74 caught as he was warring, by the crocodile Ahamkāra’. Why, to champion the oppressed is a matter of course. For :-
Be a refugee humble, or be he proud or be he culprit or non-default it matters not, for, he is eligible for protection, as far as possible. This is the great ethical canon, firmly established by the highly virtuous, such as Visvamitra’, by excessive thirst went to a pool of water to quench its thirst, when lo! an alligator caught hold of the foot of the elephant which, knowing of no other protector, appealed loudly to the Mercy of the First Cause of the universe (Adimúlam). The Lord, loth to tarry a second longer, rode upon His vehicle Garutman and appeared at the scene of trouble. sent He His Discus which cut in twain the head of the alligator; and the liberated elephant was no other than a great Gandharva or allegorically Jiva, liberated from the agonies of Samsāra. cf. नक्राक्रान्ते करीन्द्रे. ग्राहग्रस्ते गजेन्द्रे, etc. Fast
The delusion that body and soul are identical. 2. A sage had to perform a sacrifice for which a human being as the victim. he required 75 the Dove, Sri Rāma, King Raghu, the Devapatnís, the crane Nālijangha, Brihaspati and several others. Sumati.-Aryaputra! Even the great Prajapati and others are worshipped by several votaries, whose ambition is Moksha. Such

A king whom he entreated for this purpose would not part with his eldest son; similarly his wife would not part with her last son; the chance therefore fell to the lot of the middle son who was called Sunassēpha. This latter as a last resort took refuge under Visvamitra who eventually saved him. Kapōtōpākhyāna, (see Mahabharata.)

Kākāsura was let off with his life by Sri Rama’s Brahm-āstra, though the former offended at Sita’s breast. When all the worlds would not give him protection against Brahm-astra, Rama spared his life by the mere fact of his falling at Rama’s feet after vainly circuiting in all the worlds three.
See Raghuvamsa for the story.

Vedic story-“Deva vai tvashtaram” etc.

See Yadavagiri-Mahatmya, 9th Adhyaya.
The story of Indra being saved by Brihaspati- See Bhagavatam. 76 being the case, how is it that thou speakest of Sri’s Lord alone as the granter of Moksha ? King-Oh my sharp-witted love! just think how exceptional forsooth is the greatness of Madhu’s Victor!
Firm faith in the Supreme as the Root of all Beings from Brahmā down to the worm, effecteth deliverance from Samsāra. But the numskull who, though aiming at Mōksha, payeth worship to the innumerable lower divinities, is like him who hopeth to quench his thirst by dew-drops! A thousand suns may be drawn in a picture but would they dispel a dot of darkness ?
The night of Prakriti, imposing aonic nescientic sleep on Jíva, can vanish only by the blaze of the sun of Sankalpa1 of our Lord, the Conqueror of Naraka.2
Divine Will.

Hell or the demon Naraka whom Lord Krishna killed, vide Sribhagavata-10th Skandha. 77 Sumati.-Aryaputra! Ever doth the mind of the Devas and the sages waver as to the knowledge of the exact relationship between the soul and the Lord High. But thou fixest thy mind on Sri-Narayana alone. How? King.-Queen mine! This decision is dependent on the Upanishads, interpreted by (the key of) several Smritis, Purānas and Upabrihmanās.1 The harmony subsisting between the Vēdas, the Brahmanas and Nārāyana is well known.

The truth to be searched is Vishnu (i.e., Nārāyana) alone. The authorities are the Vedas alone. The True-perceivers are the Sātvic2 Brāhmanas3 alone. Thus judged are that these three do constitute a harmonious group. What use then of the other (lesser) deities who are but worms* by comparison?
Those which exegetise the matter briefly touched upon in the Srutis.

Peace-preponderant.

The sacredotal class entrusted with the Vedas and their teaching and practising.

In so far as their dependence on Sri Narayans is concerned. 78 Further:-

If a sage Vyāsa, the arranger of the Vēdas, after reconnoitering all sciences divine, and subjecting them to severe ratiocination, solemnly declared thrice in a council of sages-by upraising his hands-the truth arrived at by him;-with him then for our authority, which other than Sri Nārāvana can pose as the Great Truth’ ? The saying of the great sages is to the effect-“the way by which the great ones have gone is the best way.”
Logic hath no finality; the Vedasare found contentious; the authorities of the Rishis are mutually conflicting. Why mention other paltry utterances ? Thus is verity hidden, like hidden is treasure in a cave. The wise man there–
Paratatva.
of. आलोज्य सर्वशास्त्राणि विचार्य च पुनः पुनः । इदमेकं सुनिष्पन्नं ध्येयो नारायणस्सदा ॥ सत्यं सत्यं पुनस्सत्यमुद्धृत्य भुजमुच्यते । वेदशास्त्रात्परं नास्ति न दैवं केशवात्परम् ॥ 79 fore would prefer the spiritual ways of the Great. The great sages Vyāsa, Valmiki, Manu Brihaspati, Suka, Saunaka, and others confirm our view. Let alone these several sages. Look at this one :-
Parāsara,’-the real perceiver of truth
Once during boyhood Parāsara, learning that his father had been consumed by a Rakshasa incited by Visvamitra, wanted to perform a sacrifice to exterminate all the Rakshasas. Vasishta intervened and requested Parāsara to desist from his desire to kill other Rakshasas who were quite innocent in the matter of the death of his father and then Parāsara stopped his sacrifice. Hearing this glad tidings, sage Pulastya came to the scene and feeling glad that his descendants were saved from a tragical death, blessed our Parasara with the boon that he alone would perceive the true God. Vasishta also blessed him that the boon of Pulastya prove true. Parāsara has himself cf. प्रदिशतु should prove mentioned this in Vishnupurana. भगवानशेषपुंसां इरिरपजन्मजरादिकां समृद्धिम् ॥ the colophon of the Vishnu purana. 80 that pertaineth to the Supreme God, who prayeth for Moksha’s eternal bliss, to come to all mankind,-bliss exempt from all pangs of birth, dotage and death,-himself supporteth our view, and this is quite enough. Sumati.-Aryaputra? This statement of thine doth not admit of a further rejoinder. I beseech thee to present to Jíva, in a nut-shell, the quintessence of all the Vēdānta. He is in earnest to arrive at truth, but is now perplexed in Vedantic searchings demanding several substantial supports. King.-Well conceived. I shall meet thy desire.
The Lord of Sri, whose Sankalpa is the main prop of the three kinds of conscients and non-conscients’ and who is the only Prime Origin of the four Purushārthas’, is the only resting place of all the cluster of the Srutis as the ocean is of all the rivers.
The three kinds of conscients are बद्धाः, मुक्ताः, नित्याः । ,,,, non-conscients are,, प्रकृति, कालं, शुद्धसत्वम् ।
Four ends of life-धर्म, अर्थ, काम, मोक्ष81 Further :-
Supreme is the spouse of Srī; most beneficial is Bhakti or Prapatti towards Him. His blessed Sankalpa sucketh up the Samsāra-sea. In no time can a person overcome the Nescience-fiend through the Noblest Mantra, the Ashtākshara’, bequeathing the knowledge (therefor.) My love! That which cleareth the doubts of even dullards hath now been briefly stated. 3
But in this Kali-age, some perverts, under the tight cloak of VedaVāda only seem to combat the apostates like Saugata, by insincere language like that passed between brothers-in-law. Pity! But these have been refuted threadbare by the best expounders of Vedanta.
The Holy Mantra of 8 syllables.
Only ostensibly supporting the Vedic teachings but really following the teachings of Buddhiste. Vada - Argument.
A division amongst Buddhists.
1. 6 82 For, savants adopt styles, terse and diffuse (as occasion demands). Sumati.-Well said, my lord! For, my mind is perturbed by the fear whether the Upanishads would all end in misinterpretation by endless arguments of diverse sages, like cows driven and dragged hither and thither by thieves. King. Enough of thy doubts!
Sruti, followed by the several Smritis,. such as that of Manu, etc, unquestionably accepted as authorities by eminent men, countenanceth not, even in dream, the Smritis of Kapila, etc, involving selfcontradiction, but that Sruti, the authority per se, well fortified too by steady logic, deafeneth the uproar of sophistry (Behind the curtain.)
Like Ugrasēna,’ thrown into prison by the wicked Kamsa,’ our Lord Jiva hath been
Ugrasena the maternal grand-father of Lord Krishna was the ruler of Madhura (North). He was deposed and imprisoned by his own son 83 cast in prison’ by Mahāmōha, who knoweth not that this will bring about his own complete ruin. As by Krishna assisted by Balarama, Jiva will be liberated by the very renowned, merciful and allbenevolent king Viveka and shall attain Moksha? King.–(Listening with joy.) Love mine! This is the heavenly oracle predicting the unfailing future, even like unto the Revelations of the Vēdas. Sumati.-(With joy). Aryaputra! Indeed this is the voice of the Immortals which can never turn false. Kamsa labouring under the dread of an oracle. (during the bridal procession of his own sister Devaki,) that her 8th son shall kill him (Kamsa). Lord Krishna (the Sth sou) in due time slew Kamsa in a duel, liberated Ugrasena and reinstated him as the king of the Yadavas.
Samsara. Brother of Lord Krishna. In the original also means Mighty Krishna. 84 King.-Love mine! Verily indeed! By thy co-operation, 1 fancy that the attainment of success is now within reach.
May the drop of desire to conquer the hosts of agnostics and apostates develop into the river of Madhusudana’s grace, watering well the Kalpaka tree of Perseverance, so much esteemed by savants, and fulfil my wish. (Again behind the curtain, drums beating.) Sumati.-(With wonder)-Aryaputra! Far off seemeth the event to celebrate the liberation of Jiva with the beat of drums, as also the occasion for our herds of elephants to be seized with frenzy for war. Hallo! but how then is it that the sky reverberateth with loud uproar, like the roar of clouds at the time of the great Cataclysm ? King.-Love mine! This is the drum beaten by the Immortals who hasten our prepar. ation for victory. Now that we have 85 strengthened our own side, we must now strive to overthrow our enemy’s side. (Thus saying both exeunt.) Finis Act I, termed Svapakshaprakāsa (Demonstration of one’s own creed.) AUM. ōM=(A-U-M) SANKALPA-SURYODAYA