TH E H A RVA RD O R I E NTA L SER I ES

VOLU M E NINE
HARVAR D O R I E NTAL S E R I E S
E DI TE D

WI TH THE CO OPE RATI O N o r VARI O U S SC HO LARS

BY

C H A R LE S R O C K WE LL LAN M AN
WALES PROF ESSOR OF SANS KR I I IN HAR VAR D UNI VERS ITY
‘ '

1]o l um c flint

C AM BRIDG E, M ASSAC H U SETTS

pu b l ishenby 193m m mathentit y

1 9 05
 THE LI TTLE C LAY C ART
[ R
M C C H A R A TI K A ]

a 19mm: Em ma
ATTRIBU TED TO KI NG SH UDRAKA

T RAN SLATE D F RO M TH E O RIG I NAL SAN SK R IT AN D PRAII RI TS

I N TO EN G LI SH P RO SE AN D V E RSE

BY

A R T H UR WI LLI A M RY D E R F I L D
, .

I N STRUCT OR IN SANSKR I I
' ‘
IN HARVARD UNI VERS ITY

CAM BRIDG E, M ASSACH U SETTS

pu b “ 51) a nby 19m m a nthem“ ?

19 05
H
Gu n m a n. M m , U S A
. . . Pu m c xrx
os Aa m or HAR VAR D U m vm
BOSTOI I AI I D NE W Yo u Gum AND Co xr nnr

CHI C AGO AI I D SAI I Fm a so o G nu : AII D Co xr m

LO I I DOII G u m AND Co m AI W, 9 St M ar t ine St r eet ,
’
.

Leic ee t er Sq u a re

Lm rzxa Or m H u n seo wrrz, Qu m t ra eee, 14

A oapy of t hie vo lu m e po et age pa id, m ay be o bt ained dir ec t ly a nywhere wit hin t he

.

of t he U n iversa l P o et a l Union. by m diu g a P ae ta l Orde r fo r t he pr ic e ae given l

t o The Pu b lic at ionAge n t o f Harvard U niversit y Ca m b ridge , M assac h u se t t s. U
,

St at e s o f Am e ric a .

The pr ioe of t hie o o lu m e ie o a e do lla r Aoo o rdi ng t o t he

eio nt a blee u eed iu t he U n
-
it e d St a t ee m o ney o rder eyet e m ae t he ba eie of int e m
—

m o ney o r de rs.
- 6 e hil linge a a d z pe n ce = 6

an d fl pfeM ige = 7 fia m o r lire a nd 7O c ent im ee = 5 M e r a nd 58 6re = 3

P
CO YR IG HT , 1905. BY HAR V ARD
PRINTED RY D . R
. UPDI KE AT THE M ERRYM O UNT P RE
SS

BOSTO N, MASSAC HU SETTS

 TO M Y F ATH E R

WILLIAM H ENRY RY DE R
 C ONT E NT S

N OTE B Y TH E E D ITO R O F TH E SE R I ES
P REF A C E B Y TH E T RAN S LA TO R
I N T RO D U C TIO N
TH E A UTH O R AN D TH E P LA Y

TH E TRA N S LATI O N

A N OUTLIN E OF TH E P LOT
DRAMATI S P ERSO NAE
T RAN SLATIO N O F TH E L ITTLE C LAY CA RT
PROLOGUE
ACT I THE G EM S AR E LEFT BEH IN D
.

AC I II TH E H AMPOO ER WH O G AM LED S
‘
. B

ACT III TH E H O L E I N THE WA LL

.

AC I IV M A DAN I II A AND S HAR VI LAxA

‘
.

ACT V . TH E STO R M
ACT VI . TH E WAPP ING OF TH E RULLOC K C A RTS
S -

ESC AP E
’
ACT VI I . A YAII A
R S

ACT VI I I . TH E STR A NGLIN G OF VASANTASE NA

A C T I II . TH E T I A L
R

ACT II . TH E E N D

E PI LOGU E
D E PA R T U RE S T RAN SLA TIO N RO M RA E S TE XT
’
O F TH E F PA
 NOTE B Y TH E E D ITO R

I TH t he ba ttle o
f t he Sea of Japa n a nothe r t u rning point -

in t he br ig
"
o
c u rs e of r ec orded hu ma n histor y has been

thing is su r e : fo r bette r fo r wo rse a nd whet her we will o r no t he

, , ,

West m ust know t he E ast a nd t he E a st mu st know the West Wit h

, .
'

tha t knowle dg e will ine vita bly c ame an int er cha ng e of potent in fl u

enc es of in fl u en h fl p
a t will a ec t r of un dl r eli ion a n d
'

, c es t o y t he g
mor als t he philosophy t he lit er at u r e t he a r t in shor t all t he ele
, , , , ,

is a
r es on ib il r est in u on t he molde rs a n
p ar t of t he p s it y g p d le f
a ders o

t he thou g ht a n d life ofo u r tim e a nd upon o u r U niver sit ies inpa r

,

t ic u la r t o se e t o it tha t these n
, e w for ces nug ht y o r go od o r o r evil
f f , ,

Japa nese ha ve g r aft ed upo nthe ir o wnstoc k is t o day t he admira tion -

r ld I n o u r wo n r , le t u s n
f
o t he wo . de o t f g
or et tha t tha t stoc k is t he

owth qf c ent u nes a nd tha t it is r ooted in a soil qf r a c ia l c har

'

g r ,

ac ter in o r m ed by ethic a l idea l s whic h we a r e won

f t t o r e a r d wit h
g ,

whic h wer e, infa c t, inc u lc at ed twe ntyfo u r cent u ries ag o t hro ug h

pr ce ept a nd ea a mple by Gotama t he
'
E nlig ht ened o r as t he H indus
, ,

c a ded him Gota ma t he B u ddha I t ha s qfien been said t ha t I ndia

, .

has never in fl u e nc ed t he deve lop m en t of h u m a nity as a whole B e tha t .

as it ma y it n o w seems n o less pro b ab le tha n st r a n e t ha t she is yet

, g
destine d t o do so o n t he o ne ha nd indir ectly thr ou g h t he :irylu e nc e
, , ,

n di a nB u ddhism up onJapa n a n o nt he othe r dir ectly by t he

q d , , , ,

dgfi u st o n in t he W est of a kn o w le dg e qf her sac r e d wri t in

‘

g s espe ,
A NOT E B Y TH E E D ITO R

we m ust kn
ow not o nly wha t she is b u t , a lso ho w she has bec o me what
she is; know in shor t,
, om e of t he p rm a pa l phases of he r spiri t ua l
s

lust o ry as t he y a r e r eflec ted in he r a n c ien t lit e ra tu r e espec ia lly tha t

,

n a To in rp r et t o t he W n
of I di . te e st t he tho u h
g oft t he E a st t o b r i g ,

he r best a nd noblest ac hieve ment s t o bea r upono u r hfe tha t is t o ,

—

da y t he pr oblem of Or ienta l philo logy .

The H a rva r d Orient al S eri es emb odies a n a t temp t t o pr esent t o

Westernsc ho la rs int r ustwor thy texts a nd t r a nsla tions so me oft he
, ,

g r e at est wor ks
of t he H ind u lit e r a t u r e a n d p hi losop yh a nd r e ligi o n ,

tog et he r with c er t ain instr u m ent s su c h as t he Vedic Conc o rda nc e

,

o r t he H ist or y of t he B east fab k fo r t he ir c ri t ic a l st u dy o r e lu ci

,

be fo u nd a t t he e nd of this book D r R yde r passin

. b
g yfo r t
. he p r e ,

this volu me a tt empted t o show wha t t he I ndia ng eniu s inits str eng th ,

an d in it s w ea kness c o u ld do in t he fie ld of liter a tu r e pu re a nd
,

simple The t imeli n

. ess of the Se ries as a who le is a ne loq u ent t ribu t e
t o t he disc er nm ent of my loved a nd u n r o tte n u il a n r ien
f go p p d f d ,

H enry Cla r ke W a rr en I nhim we r e u n

. it ed no t only t he will a nd t he
ability t o est a b lish su c h a pu b lic a tion as t his bu t a lso t he lea r n , in g
an d in sig ht whic h en ab le d hi m t o
f o r ecast in a g en er a l wa
y it s p o s

sib ilit ies of u sdu ln ess H e kn ew tha t t he E ast ha d m any a lessont o

'

tea ch t he West ; bu t whe ther t he le sson be r epose qfspir it o r hyg iene

of t he soldie r in t he fi e ld w het he r it be t he divin
, e im m an e nc e o r sim

p lic it l
y of ife o r t he o v er com ing of e vil w ith go o d h e k ne w th ,a t t he

r st lesson t o be t au g ht u s was t he t eac ha ble hab it ind

fi of m .

C . R . L
.

Ju ne, 1905
 P RE F A C E

HEtext Chose nas the ba sis Of this transla tion is th at given

inthe editionof Parab and I ha ve chose nit fo r the follow
‘
,

ing re aso ns F ara h s edition is the most recent and its editor is a
'

. ,

most admirable S ansk rit scholar who it seems to me has in , , ,

several pla ces u nderstood the real mea ning Of the text bett er than
his predecesso rs This e dition conta ins the comment Of P rt h vi
.

dhara ; it is fa r freer from misp ri nts tha n many texts printed in

I ndia and in respect to arrangement and typography it is clear
, , ,

an d conve nient Besides it is easily obta inable and very cheap T h is

.
, .

last consideration m a y p rove to b e Of importa nce if the p resent ,

translationShou l d be fou nd h e lpfu l inthe Class room F o r the sake -

.

Of ca ta logu ers I note th at the pr oper transliterationOf the S a nskrit

,

na mes of this title a cco rding to the ru les la id down by the Ameri
c an Library A ssocia tion in its Jou rn a l fo r 1 8 8 5 is as follo w s ,

M rc c h aka t ika ; Cfidraka ; P rt h vidhara ; K aci nat h a P an

du rafiga P a
'

ra ba ; N irn a a S agara
y
-
.

The verse nu merationOf ea ch ac t follows the editionOf P arab

-

fortu nately it is a lmost identica l with the nu meratio n in the edi

,

tions Of G Odab Ole a nd Ji vana nda F o r the convenience o f those .

who m ay desire to cons u lt this book inconnectionwith S t e nzle r s ’

edition I h ave ad ded reference s at the top of the page t o that e di

,

tion as well as to the edition o f Para b I n these references the .

,

letter P sta nds fo r Parab the lette r S fo r St e nzle r

.
, . .

d O Harre m w it x I n
. Lip ig f
e z or 2} M k
ar s.
xii P RE F A C E

I ha ve omitt e d a few minor matters s u ch as slight misprints and ,

what se em to me to be erro rs inthe damn; these matt ers and the ,

passages of u nu s u al interest o r diffic u lty I sha ll treat in a series ,

of note s o nt he pla y which I hope soont o pu blish in the Jou rna l

,

o f the A merica n Orien ta l Society It is h ardly necessary to give .

in the t enth (P
ac t
ara b 2 883 This pa ssa
,ge is explicitly
declare d by tradition to be a n int erpolation by another b and and ,

it is clearly shownto be su ch by interna l evidence It wil l be noticed .

th at the omission of this pa ssa ge cau ses a brea k in the verse

nu m era tion o f the tenth ac t where the verse nu mber 5 4 is fol ,
-

lowed by the nu mber 5 8 .

Of the books which ha ve b eenu sefu l to me inthe present work ,

I desi re to mention especia lly the editions o f St e nzle r G o da b o le , ,

Ji vana nda Vidyasaga ra and Parab ; the commenta ries of P rt h vi

,

dhara Lalladik sit a and Jivananda ; fu rther the transla tions o f

, , ,

Wilson Re gnau d and B o ht lingk

, , .

A nu mb er of friends were kind enou gh to re ad my ma nu script ,

an d ea ch contri bu te d som eth ing I wish t o mention e specia lly my .

friend and pu pil M r W alter E C lark of H arv ard U niversity

, . . , ,

whose ca refu l reading of both text a nd transla tion w as fru itfu l of

many good s u ggestions .

B u t by far my grea test persona l indebt ed ness is to Professor

Lanma n whose generou s interest in my work has never flagge d
,

from the day when I began t he stu dy o f S anskrit u nder his gu id

an ce H e h as cr iticized this translation with the u tmost rigor ; ih
.

deed the pages are fe w which ha ve no t witne ssed some imp rove
,

ment from his ha nd It is to him a lso tha t I o w e the a ccu racy

.

an d bea u ty which ch ara cterize the p ri nted book ; nothing ha s been

ha rd e nou gh to wea ry him nothing sma ll e nou gh t o esc ape h im
, .
 P RE F A C E xiii
And more t h an all e lse I am grat e fu l t o him fo r t h e opport u nit y
,

o f p u bli shing int he H arvard Orie nt al Se rie s; fo r t his se rie s is t hat

en t e rp ri se which sinc e t h e deat h o f Profe ssor Whit ne y most
, ,

honorably u pholdsint h isc o u nt ry t h e st anda rds o facc u rat e scholar

ship set by t h e gre at e st o f A m e rican S an skrit ist s.

ARTHUR W . RYDER

H a r vard U niversity
M ay 23, 19 05
 INT R O D U C T I ON
I THE AUTH OR AND T HE PLAY
.

the life the da te and the very identity of

O NC E R N I NG , ,
‘

K ing S h fidraka the rep u ted a u thor of The Litt l e C l ay C art

, ,

we a re c u riou sl y ignorant No other work is ascribed to him and

.
,

we ha ve no direct informationabou t him beyond the somewha t ,

fancifu l sta tements o f the P rologu e to th is play There are to be .

,

su re many tales which cl u ste r a bou t the name of Ki ng S hudraka

, ,

b u t none of them represe nts him as anau thor Yet o u r very la ck o f .

information m ay prove to some extent at least a disgu ised bless

, ,

ing F o r o u r igno ra nce of ext ernal fa ct compels a close r stu dy o f

.

the text if we wou l d find o u t wh at manner o f m an it was who

,

te the pla y And the ca se of King S h fidraka is by no means

.

un iqu e inI ndia ; inre gard to every grea t S anskrit writ er so bare ,
—

is S anskrit literatu re o f biography w e are forced to conce ntrate ,

—

atte n tiono nthe m anas he revea ls h imself inhis works First ho w .

,

ever it m ay be worth while to compare Sh ndraka with t wo other

,

great dramatists of I ndia and th u s to discover if w e m ay inwha t

, , ,

wa ys he e xcels t hem o r is excelled by them .

Kalidasa Sh fidraka Bhavabh uti assu redly these are the grea t
, ,
—

e st n a mes inthe history o fthe I n diandram a So different are these .

m e n and so grea t that it is no t possible t o asse rt fo r a ny o ne of

, ,
'

them su ch su p remacy as S hakspere holds in the E nglish drama .

It is tru e that K alidasa s dramatic ma st e rpiece the S hak u nta la

’

, ,

is the most widely k nown o f the I ndia n plays It is tru e th at the .

tender and ele gant K alidasa has beenca lled with a no t wholly fo r ,

‘ Fo r m mu m inafing disc u ssio no f t hu e mm me ru de r is nferre d tO Sylvfi nu m“ .

mirab le wo rk . Le Th éfit re I ndie n Paris, . 189 0, page s 196 -

9 11 .
xvi I NT R O D U C TI ON
tu nat e enth u siasm the Sha kspere of I ndia B u t this rat her e x
,
“
.

el u sive admirationof the Shak u nta la res u lts from lack o f informa
tionabo u t the other great Indian dramas I ndeed it is part ly du e .
,

to the accident t h at only the Shak u ntala b ecame k nown in trans .

la tionat a time when romant i c E u rope w as in fu ll sympathy with

the literatu re of I ndia .

Bha vab h uti too is far less widely knownth anKalidasa ; and fo r
, ,

this the reasonis deeper seated The a u sterity of Bha va bh uti s style
-
.
'

his la ck o f h u mor his ins ist ent grande u r are qu alities which pre
, ,

vent his being a tru ly popu lar poet With reference to K alidasa .
,

he holds a positionsu ch as A eschyl u s holds w ith reference t o E u

ripides H e will a lways seem to min
. ds that sympathize with his
grandeu r the gre atest o f I ndia npoe ts ; while by ot her equ ally dis
‘ .

c e m in min
g d s o f another order he w ill be adm ired b u t not
pas ,

sio n a t e ly loved .

Yet however great the difference between Kalidasa the grace ,

“

”2 ”3
of poet ry and Bha vabh uti the master of eloqu ence these t wo
, , ,

au thors are f a r more i n timately allied in spirit than is either o f

them with the au thor of The Little C lay C art K alidasa and Bha va .

bh uti are H ind u s o f the H ind u s ; the Shaku ntal a and the Latter
A cts of R ama co u ld ha ve b een writt en nowhere save in I ndia :
b u t Sh fidraka a lone in the long li ne o f I ndian d rama tist s has a
, ,

cosmopolitan charact e r Sha k u nta la is a H indu maid M adhava is

.
,

a H in du hero ; b u t Sanst hanaka and M aitreya and M adanik a are

citizens of the w orld I nsome of the more striking characteristics of
.

S anskrit literatu re in its fondness fo r system its ela boration o f

—

style its love of epigram K alidasa and Bh avabh uti are far tru er
,
—

‘ I nh is no w pro c h i m t heir co n
t e m pt fo r m e —
t h e y lm o w so m e t h ing, bu t t haa wo rk m
’

no t fo r t hm e . Ye t t h e re will arise a

o f Jo h n M ilt o n . Pa nam afig ht -

" . i 99
. .
3 M a h i virw u it l . i 4
.
xviii INT RO DUC TION

H ere we ha ve ph flm h
p y
Thc lac k n h fl il
'

i g
'

g m wy a t c ro o t w a .

My limba po flu t ed b
y t hc c li n in
g g m ud :

W e
fi m t he gru vc
y ar d t m vy my wre at h pp
a aflh ag ;

And natu re description

(y g m a t d iré vat a nopo n t he m

'
'
st

(y rw lcy hifla t his bm m c r flabla xc

‘

M W M I nda

And genu ine bitterness

F WM E M M W
W M

WW ’
a st o c k in t radc , ia n
fi ,
c

Fo r sa k l t he pr iw ia c a u rt y .

I t rw t ym c flfind a
’
m a w t o bu y

(
v . 36)

It is nat u ral th at S h u draka shou ld choose fo r the e xprw sio n of

matters so diverse that type of drama which gives the grea test
scope to the au thor s creative power This type is t he so called
'
-
.
 INT R O DUC TI ON xix
”1
dram a of invent ion a ca tegory c u rio u sl y su b ordinat ed in I ndia
,

to the heroic drama the plot of which is d ra wn from history o r

,

myt hology I ndee d lTh e Little C lay C art is the only exta nt drama
.
,

which fu lfils the spirit of the drama o f invention as defined by the ,

Sa nskrit canons o f drama tu rgy The plot of the M al ati and M a .

“
p

dha va o r of the M allik a ahd M aru ta is inno tru e sense the ih

” “
"

, ,

ve n t io no f the au t hor ; a nd The Little C la y C art is the only drama

”2
o f in vention which is fu ll o f rasca ls “
.

B u t a spirit so po w e rfu l as t h at o f K ing S h fidraka co u ld no t be

confined within the strait j acket of the minu te and sometimes
-
,

pu e rile ru l es o fthe tech nica l works I nthe very title o f the dra ma
, .
,

he has disregarded the ru le tha t the name of a dra ma of invention

3

sho u ld be formed by c o m m u nding the names of heroine and hero ‘

.

Again the books prescribe th at the hero sh all appear inevery ac t ;

,
5

yet C h aru dat t a doe s no t appea r in acts ii iv vi and viii And .

, . , .
, .

fu r ther v ariou s characters Vasant ase na M aitreya the co u rtier

, , , , ,

an d others h ave v astly ga ined b eca u se they do no t conform too

,

closely to the techni c al definitions .

The characters o fThe Little C lay C art are living m e nand women .

E ven whent h e type mak e s no strong appeal to Western minds ,

as inthe case of C ham dat t a t h e chara cter live s ina sen , se inwhich ,

D u sh yant a o r evenR am a c an hardly be sa id to live jS h u draka s

“ " ’

m e nare bet te r individ u a lized th an his women; th is fact alo ne dif

fere nt iat e s him sha rply from other I ndi an dra m at iM I e dra ws
o n every c la ss high so u led B rahman to the -

execu t ioner and

H is greatest character is u nqu estionably S anst h zinaka this com
‘

‘ P nh u m pa .
‘ Dm la : Dac a rii pa iii 88
. . .

As inMi lat id ni dha va De carfipa, iii 83 I n Ki lidi sa s Sh aku nt all

’
. . . .

7 I nBh avabh fit i
'
s Lat te r Act s o f
xx INT RO DUC TION
binationof ignorant conceit bru tal l u st a nd cu nning this gre ate r , , ,

than C lo t e n w ho aft e r strangling an innoce nt woman c a nsay : ‘

W
, , ,

M M ost attractive ch ar
"

acters a re the five

2
conspirat ors m e nwhose home is east o f S u ez ,
“

”
an d the t e ncomma ndme nt s They live from hand to mou th rea dy . ,

at a n mome nt to ste l e m c sk et o r to ta ke part ina revol u tion

y a a
g a -
,

a nd pre se rving t h ro u gh it all t b e ir c hara c t e r asge nt le m e nand t he ir

irresistible conceit And side by side with them move s the hero
.

C haru dat t a the B u ddhist bea u i de al of manhood

,
-
,

Am
'

g hfe t o t hc m who x so m m gm w,

(5 3
4 )
To him life itself is no t dear b u t only honor H e valu e s w ealth
, , .
3

only as it su pplies him with the means of serving others We m ay .

,

of Venice There is some inconsistency from o u r point of view

. . , ,

inmaking su ch a cha ra cter the hero of a love drama ; and indeed -

,

it is Vasant ase na wh o does most of the love ma king ! -

Vasant ase na is a chara ct e r w ith neithe r the girlish charm o f

S hak u nt alii no r the matu re womanly dignity of S ite S he is
“ 6
.

more admirable than lovable Witt y and wise she is; and in he r .

love as tru e as ste el ; this too ina soc ial positionwhich make s su ch ,

constancy difficu lt Yet she cannot be ca lled a great characte r; she

.

does no t seem so tru e to life as her clever maid M adanika I n , .

ma king the heroine o f his play a cou rt esan S hfidraka foll ows a ,

su ggestion of the technical works o n the drama ; he doe s no t

thereby cast any impu t a tionof ill o nVasant ase na s character The ’
.

cou rteza n class in I ndia corre sponded rou ghly to the het aerm of
l se e psge l fl .

‘ Se e x. 91 .
‘ Se e v . 48 m d t he fo l lo v ing st ag dire tio n
e -
c .

I n K i lidi u
'
s l
p ay o f t be t na m e . I n B ha va b h fit i
'
s Lat t e r Ac t l of Ri ms .
 I NT RO DUC TI ON x xi
a ncient the geish as o f Japan; it w as possibl e t o b e a
G reece or

cou rtezan and ret a in one s self respect Yet the inherited w ay of
’
1 -
.

life proves dist a stefu l to Vasa nt a se na; he r o ne desire is t o w eape

its limita tions and its dangers b y becoming a legal wife 2
.

I n M aitreya t h e Vidfishak a we find an instance o f o u r au tho r s

’

, ,

masterly skill in giving life to the dry bone s of a rhet o rica l de fini
t io n . Th e l l idfish aka is
. a st o c k c harac t e r w h o has so m e t hing in
common with a j e ste r ; and in M aitreya the esse ntial traits of the
character eagerness fo r good food and other cre atu re comforts
—

and bl u ndering devot ion to his fr iend are ret a ined to be su re —

, ,

to follow C haru dat t a even inde a th The grosser traits of the t ypi .

c al Vidfish aka are la ckin g M aitreya is neither a glu ttonno r a fool

. ,

b u t a sim m e minded whole h earted friend

-
,
-
.

The cou rtier is another character su gge st e d by the technical

w or ks and transformed by the geni u s of S h fidraka H e is a m an
, .

no t onl y of edu cation and soc ial refinement b u t a lso o f rea l no ,

b ilit y of natu re B u t he is in a false position from the first this

. ,

finds the co u rage to break a way and risks life and all that makes , ,

life attractive by ba ck ing Aryaka Of all the conspi rators it is he

, .
,

who ru ns the gre a te st risk To his protection o f Vasanm e na is .

added a to u ch of in finite pathos when we remember that he w as

him se lfinlove w ith he r O nly whenVasant ase na lea ve s him w ith
3
.
‘

o u t a thou ght t o e nter C ham dat t a s ho u se does he re alize ho w ’

, ,

m u ch he loves h er ; then indeed he brea ks forth in w ords of the

, ,

most p assiona te jealou sy We need no t linger over the other char

.

a cter s except to obse rve tha t ea ch has h is m arked in

, divid u a lity ,

‘ Se e viii 48 ‘ Se e pagea ss sfi and pa ge l u

‘
-
. . .

Ye t lo ve bids m e pn t t le
”
o n pa ge 86 ‘ Page sl
“ '

. . .
xxii INT R O DUC TION
a nd that ea ch hel ps to ma ke vivid this pictu re of a soci e ty tha t

the thi rd o f his vita lly dist ingm shm g qu ali

'

S h u draka s h u mor is
'
’

12188 P S h u mor has an A meri ca n fla vor both m i t s p u ns and m

o 0

(B
o o o 0

.
,

j
its sit u at io ns h e pla ys o n words c a n seldom be adequ a tely re
‘

prod u ced in transla tion b u t the sit u ations are independent o f

,

la ngu age And Sh fidraka s h u mor ru ns the whole gamu t from grim
.
’

to farcica l from satirica l to qu aint Its v ariety a nd keenness are

, .

W O c c ide nt a l
write rs of comedies
It rem ains to say a word abou t the const ru ction of t h e pla y
Obviou sly it is too long M ore th an this the m a in action h alts
, .
.

,
.

thro u gh acts ii to v and d u ring these e pisodic a cts we almost

. .
,

forget th at the mai n plot concerns the love o f Vasa nt a se na and

C haru dat t a I ndeed we have inThe Little C lay C art the ma te ria l
.
,

fo r t w o pla ys The large r part o f ac t i forms w it h ac t s vi to x a

. . . .

consistent and ingenio u s plot ; while the remainder o f ac t i might .

be combined w ith act s iii to v to m ake a pleasi ng comedy o f . .

lighter tone The second ac t clever as it is h as little rea l connec

.
, ,

tion either with the mai n plot o r with the story o f t he gems The .

breadth of treatment which is observable in this pla y is fou nd in

m any other specimens o f the Sansk rit drama which h as set i t self ,

a n idea l dif fer ent fr om tha t of o u r o w n dra ma The lack o f dra .

m atic u nity and consistency is o ft e n compensated indeed by , ,

lyr ical b eau ty and charms o f st yle ; b u t it su ggests the qu estio n

whether w e might no t more j u stly spea k of the S anskrit plays as
dra matic poems th an as d ramas I n The Little C lay C art at any .
,

ra te we co u ld ill a f
, ford to spa re a single scene even thou gh the ,

very richness and v ariety of the pla y remove it from the class of
the world s greatest dramas
’

.
 INT RO DUC TION

II . T HE TRANSLATI ON

TH E following transla tio n is su fficiently different from previou s

tra nslations of I ndian pla ys t o requ ire a word of expla nation The .

difie re nc e consists ch iefly in the ma nner in which I h a ve e ndea

'

vo re d to rv e the form o f the origin

sne
.

a l The I ndian plays are .

written in mingle d pm and an d t il i

so large a p art of the who le tha t t h e man ner in which it is re n

the iambic t e tero f Sophocles o r t he b lam v e m e of Shakspere

t
,

b u t rou ghly corre sponds to the G reek cho ru ses o r the occasiona l
rhymed son gs of the E liza bet han st a ge I n ot her words the v .
,

port ion of a S anskrit dra ma is no t narrat ive ; it is somet ime s de ~

v e b u t more common rica l : w e b st a

°

s
;
pt i , ly ly s u ms u
p t h e

emot iona l imp which the precedi ng ac fio n o r di alogu e has

made u pono ne of the a ctors S u ch mat t er is in E ngli sh c ast into .

the form of the rhymed sta nza ; and so althou gh rhymed v is ,

a

very rarely employed in classi c al Sanskr it it se ems the most ap ,

ro riat e vehicl e fo r t h e t rans lat ion of the sta n zas of a S am krit

p p
drama It tru e that we occasiona lly find st a nzas which might
.

9
fit ly b e rend e re d in E nglish bla nk verse and more frequ ently , , ,

su m which are so prosaic as no t to dm e rve a rendering in E ng

lish verse at all B u t as the pre se nt translat io n m ay be regarde d
1
.
,

in some sort a ne xperiment I ha ve preferre d to hold rigidly to ,

the dist inct ion fou nd in the original bet ween simple prose and
type s o fst a nza which seem to me t o corre spond t o E nglish rhymed

It is obvio u s th at a tra nsla tion into verse and espe cially into ,

rhymed verse ot ,
s b e as litera l as a transla tion into p rose ; this

of t h
e lat t a so rt inThe Lit t le Ch y Gu t are vii . sand viii s . .
xxiv I NT R O DUC TI ON
disadvanta ge I have u se d m y b est pains t o m inim ize I ho pe it .

m ay be said that nothing o f rea l moment h as been omitted from

the verses ; a nd where la ck of met ri ca l skill has compelled ex

an sio n I ha ve striven to make the additio n s as insignific n t
p , a as

possible .

Th e re is another point however in which it is hardly fea sible

, ,

to imi t ate the original ; this is the differe nce in the dialects u sed
by the variou s charact ers I n The Little C lay C art as in other
.
,

I ndiandram as some of the characters speak Sa nskrit others P ra

, ,

krit No w Prakrit is the generic name fo r a nu m ber o f diale cts

.

derived from the Sanskrit and closely akin to it The inferior pe r .

so n a e s of an I ndia n pla y an d with rare exception s ll the

g , a , ,

women spea k o ne o r another o f these Prakrit s Of the thirty

, .

ch aract ers o f this play fo r e xa mple only five (C haru da t t a the

, , ,

cou rtier Aryaka S harvilaka and the j u dge ) speak S anskr it ; the
, , ,
‘

ot hers speak v ariou s Prakrit dialects O nly in the ca se o f San .

st han aka h a ve I ma de a ru de a tt empt to su ggest the dialect by

su bstitu ting sh fo r s as he does And the grandiloqu ence o f Shar .

vilak a s S an
'
skrit in the satiri c a l portion o f the third ac t I have

Whenever the langu age of the origina l is at all tec hnical the ,

transla to r la bors u nder pecu liar diffic u lty Th u s the legal terms .

fo u nd inthe ninth ac t are inadequ ately rendered and to some ex , ,

te nt at least inevita b ly so ; fo r the legal forms o r lack of forms

, , ,

pict ured there were nev er contemplate d by the ma kers o f the E ng

lish legal vocabu lary It m ay be ad ded here tha t inrendering from a
.

literatu re so a rtificia l as the S ansk rit o ne m u st lose no t only the ,

se nsu ou s b ea u ty o f the verse b u t also m any pla ys o n words

, .

I nregard to the no t i nfreq u e nt repetitions fou nd in the text I ,

xThis st at e m e nt re
q u ire -a slight lirnit at io n; c o m pare . fo r e mam ple t h e fo o t no t e t o page se .
 I NT RO DUC TION

III . AN O U TLINE OF THE PLOT

AC T I entitled The Gem s a r e 14 2 B ehind E vening of the first

.
, .

da y —
Aft er the p rolog u e C haru dat t a who is within his ho u se
, , ,

converses with his friend M a itreya and deplores his poverty , .

W h ile they are speaking Vasant a se na appea rs inthe st reet ou tside

, .

She is p u rsu ed by the co u rtier and Sanst hanaka ; the la tter ma kes
h e r degrading o ffers of his lo ve which she indignantly rejects , .

C h aru da t t a se nds M aitreya from the hou se t o offer sa crifice and ,

thro u gh the open doo r Vasant a se na slips u nobserved i nto the

hou se M aitreya retu rns aft er analterca t ion
.

re cogn ize s Vasant a se na Vasa nt a sena lea ves a ca sket of gems inthe
.

hou se fo r safe keeping and retu rns to h e r home .

A C T I I e ntitl ed The S ha mpooer who G a mb le d Second day

.
, . .

The a c t Opens inVasant a sena s hou se Vasant a se na confesses to he r

’

maid M adanika h er love fo r C haru dat t a Thena S ha mpooer appears .

in the street p u rs u ed by the ga mbling ma ste r and a gambler who

,
-
,

dema nd of him t e ngold pieces which he has lost in the gambling

-

hou se At this point D a rdu raka enters and engage s the gambli ng
.
,

master and the gambler ina nangry discu ssion d u ring which the ,

S ha mpooe r esca pe s in to Vasant a se na s hou se When Vasa nt ase na

’

learns th at the sham m r had once served C haru da t t a she pays his ,

debt ; the gratefu l S ha mpooer resolves t o tu rnmonk As he lea ve s .

the ho u se he is atta cked by a ru na way elephant and saved by ,

K am apfiraka a servant of Vasa nt a se na

, .

A C T I I I e ntitled The H ole int he W

.
, a ll The night following the .

second day C haru dat t a and M aitreya retu rn home aft er mid
.
—

night from a conce rt and go to sleep M aitreya h as inhis hand the

, .

e m c sket which V asan t s na h as left behin d Sh il k e nte s

g a a e arv a a r
-
. .

H e is in love with M adanik a a maid of Vasant a se na s and is t e

'

, ,
 INT RODUC TION xxvii
solved to acqu ire by t h e fi the mea ns of bu ying h e r freedom H e .

makes a hole inthe wall of the hou se enters and ste a ls the casket , ,

of gems which Vasant a se na h ad left C ham da t t a wakes t o find .

casket and thief gone H is wife gives him h e r pea rl neckla ce with
.

which to ma ke restitu tion .

vilaka comes to Vasa nt ase na s hou se to b u y M ada nika s freedom

’ ’

Vasant a se na overhears the fa c t s co ncerning t h e theft o f h e r gem

c a sket fio m C haru dat t a s ho u se b u t a ccepts the ca sket an d give s
’

, ,

M ada nika h e r freedom As S ha rvilaka lea ves the hou se he hears

.
,

th at his friend A ryaka w h o had bee n impriso ned by the king has
, ,

esca ped and is being p u rs u ed S harvilaka departs to hel p him . .

M aitreya comes from C h aru dat t a w ith the pearl neckla ce to repay ,

Vasant a se na fo r the gem casket She accepts the necklac e also as

-
.
,

giving h er an excu se fo r a visit to C haru dat t a .

AC T V entitled The S t or m E vening o f the third day

.
, C ha
.
—

ru da t t a appears inthe garden of his ho u se H ere he receives a se r .

vant o f Vasa nt ase na w h o a nnou nces that Vasant ase na is o n he r

,

w ay t o visit him Vasant a se na the n appears in the street with the

.

cou rtier ; the two describe alternately the violence and bea u ty of the
storm which h as su ddenly ar isen Vasant a se na di smisses t he co u r .

tier ente rs the garden and expla ins to C haru dat t a ho w she has
, ,

agai ncome into possessio nofthe gem casket M e an whil e the storm -
.
,

ha s so increased inviole nce that she is compelled to spend the night

at C h aru dat t a s hou se
’
.

Ae r V L entitled The Swam ng of t he B u llo c k c a r t s M orning o f

'
,
‘
.
'
.

the fou rt h day H c re she meets C haru dat t a s little so n R o h ase na

.
—
’

, .

The boy is peevish beca u se he c an no w ha ve only a little cla y cart

to pla y with instead o f finer toys Vasant ase na gives him he r
, .

gems to b u y a toy cart o f gold C haru dat t a s serv ant drives u p to

.
’
xxviii I NT R O DUC TION
ta ke Vasant a se na in C haru dat t a s b u ll o c k c art
to the park where '
»
,

she is to meet C haru dat t a ; b u t while Vasant ase na is making ready ,

he drives away to get a cu shion ThenSanst hanaka s servant drives .

’

his ma ster s cart which Vasan a se n n

’
u
p with t a e te rs by mista ke
, .

Soo n aft er C haru dat t a s servant ret u rns with his cart Then the
,
’
.

escaped prisoner Ar yaka appears and enters C ham dat t a s cart ’

.

Tw o policemencome o nt h e scene ; they are searching fo r Ar yaka .

O ne of them looks i nto the cart and discovers Aryaka b u t agree s ,

to p rotect him This he do e s by deceiving and finally maltrea ting

.

his compa nion .

ACT V I I entitled A rya ka s E sc ape Fo u rth day

’
.
, C haru dat t a . .
—

is a waiting Vasant ase na inthe park H is cart inwhich Aryaka lies .

,

hidden appears C haru dat t a discovers t h e fu gitive removes his

, .
,

AC T V I I I entitled The S t r a ngling of Vasa nt asena Fo u rth

.
, .

day . A B u dd hist monk the sh ampooer of the second ac t enters

—

, ,

the pa rk H e has diffic u lty in escap ing from Sanst hanaka who
.
.

appears with the co u rtier Sa n st h ana ka s ser van t drives inwith the ’
.

cart which Vasant ase na had entered by mi sta ke She is discovered .

by Sanst hanaka w ho pu rs u es her with insu lti ng offers of love

, .

Whe n she repu lses him Sa nst hanaka gets rid of all witnesses , ,

strangles he r and lea ves her fo r dead The B u ddhist monk ente rs
, .

aga in revives Vasa n

, t ase na and co nd u cts h e r to a mon a ste ry
, .

A o r I X entitled The Tr ia l Fift h da y

'
.
, S anst h anaka a cc u ses . .
—

C haru dat t a of m u rdering Vasant a se na fo r h e r money I n the cou rse .

of the trial it appea rs tha t Vasant ase na had spent the night of the
,

sto rm at C haru dat t a s ho u se ; tha t she had left the hou se the next
’

morning to meet C haru dat t a in the park ; th at there had been a

stru ggle in the pa rk which appa re ntly ended in the m u rder of a
,

woman C haru da t t a s friend M aitreya enters with the ge ms which

.
’

, ,
 I NT RO DUC T ION xxix
Vasant ase na had le fl: to b u da t t a s so n a t o c rt of gold
’

y C h aru y a .

These gems fa ll to the floor du ring a scu ffle between M aitreya and
Sanst hana ka I n view of C haru dat t a s povert y this seems to esta
’
.
,

blish the motive fo r the crime and C haru dat t a is condemned t o

,

de ath .

Ae r X entitled The E nd S ixth day

'
.
, . Two headsmenare c o n
.
—

d u cting C haru dat t a to t h e pla ce of execu tion C ham dat t a ta kes

.

his last lea ve of his so na nd his friend M aitreya B u t S anst hanaka s

.
’

no t believed owing to the c u nning displayed by his mas t er Th e

, .

headsmenare preparing to e xecu te Char u dat t a w henVasant a se na

,

herself appears u pon t h e scene accompanied by the B u ddhist

,

monk H e r appearance p u ts a su mmary e nd to the proce edings

. .

Then new s is bro u ght th at Aryaka has killed and s u pplanted the
former king tha t he wishes t o reward C haru dat t a and that he has
, ,

by royal edict freed Vasant ase na from the nece ssity o f living as a
c o u rt esan S an
. st hanaka is b ro u ght b efore C haru dat t a fo r se nt ence ,

b u t is pardoned by the m an whom he had so grievou sly in j u red .

The play ends w ith the u su al E pilogu e .

 D R A M A TI S PE R SON AE
Ca i sso n t a , -
a B rahma n me rc ha nt
Ro m a ns, his so n
M a nam a, hisfi iend
Vu na a u l na n , a serva nt in his ho use

Sa nsm fm a u , r t h
b o er iw la w
-
of K ing P KLAK A

Sm i va n xa , his ser vant

Ano t ho r S a vant q m l Na

AnYa xa , a herd-rma n who bec o mes king

Snu vru xa , a B ra hma n, in lo ve wit h M a na m a

Mi r rm na , a gu mb ling mast c r a

Du nc a n“ , a g a m bler
Ano t her Gambler

Ka nnar ira a n
'

m a nt a of Va m r a sa nii
K m m rri u xa
VI RA KA
Gru m m a n } Pd

G e na
Am ar a } he

B ast a rd pages, in Va sm a srm fr s ho u se

’

A Ju dg e, a Gad wa r de n,
- a Cle rk, and a B ea dle

Va sa nra smsx,
'
a c o u r t e sa n
H er M o t he r
M a nu a l , ma id t o Va sa su sssi

Ano t he r M aid to VAM NTASE N Z .

The Wiflof C HZ aU DA rrA

'

Ra na m xx, ma id in C nii a u n
’
a a rra
'
s ho u se

SCEN E
U JJA YI NI (c all e d also Ava nrl ) a nd it s E nvir o ns
'
 TH E LI TTLE C LAY C ART

T
P R O LO G U E

I S bended knees the knotted girdl e holds ,

Fashioned by dou bling o f a serpent s folds '

H is se nsive o rgans so he checks his breath

, ,

Are nu mbed till co nsciou sness seems su nk in dea th ;

,

The All so u l fre e from al l a ctivities

-
, .

M ay H is m ay Shiv a s medita tion be

’

Yo u r strong defense ; o n the G reat Self thinks he ,

Know ing fu ll well the wor ld s vac u ity ’

.

M ay S hiva s neck shield yo u from every harm

’

Tha t seems a threatening th u nder clou d where on -

, ,

B right as the lightning fl ash lies G au ri s arm

-
,
’
.

S t ag e direc tor E nou gh

-
. tediou s work which fri tt ers away
o f this ,

t h e interest o f the au die nce ! Let me thenmost reverently sa l u te

the honorable gentl emen and anno u nce o u r inte ntiont o p rod u ce
,

”
a drama c a lled The Little C la y C art Its a u thor w as a m an
“
.

Who vied with elepha nts in lordly grace ;

That feeds o n moonbeams ; glorio u s his face
As the fu ll moon; his per son all h ave heard
Was altogether lovely First in worth
, ,

Among the twice born wa s thi s poet known

-
,

A s S h fidraka far over all the earth ,

H is virtu e s d e pth u nfa thomed and alone

’
.
2 A C T TH E F I RS T

The S amaveda the R igveda too

, ,

The science mathematica l he k new ; ,

The arts wherei n fa ir cou rtezans excel ,

And all the lore of elepha nts as we ll .

Throu gh Shiva s grace his eye w as never dim

'

H e saw his so n a ki ng in place of him .

The difficu lt horse sac rific e he tried -

S u ccessfu lly ; entered the fiery tide ,

O ne h u ndred years and t e n da ys old and died , .

battle ; sloth s dete rmined foe ;

E age r fo r
’

Of scholars chief who to the V eda cling ,

R ich in the riches th at ascetics know ;

G lad gainst the foem ans elephant to show
,
’

His valor ; su ch w as S h fidraka the king

—

, .

And inthis work of his ,

Within the town Av anti named , ,

D wel ls o ne c a lled C haru dat t a fa med ,

No less fo r yo u th than povert y ;

A merchant s so nand B rahman he
’
.
,

H is virtu e s have the power to move

Vasant a se na s inmost love ;
’

Fair as the springtime s radia ncy ’

And yet a co u rtezan is she .

So here ki ng S hudraka the ta le imparts

Of love s pu re festival in these two hearts
’

Of p ru de nt acts a la ws u it s wrong and ha te

,
’

A rasca l s na tu re and the cou rse of fate

'

, 7 .

[ H e w a lks a bou t a nd looks ar ou nd him ] Why th is m u sic room of ,

-

o u rs is empt y I wonder where the act ors h ave gone [ B gle c t ing ]
. .

Ah I u ndersta nd
, .
4 A C T TH E F I R ST 5 .

D ir ec tor M istre ss I ve beenp ractising so long and I m so h u ngry

’ ’
.
,

tha t my limbs are as wea k as dried u p lotu s sta lks Is there any - -
.

thing to e at in the hou se o r no t ?

A ct ress There s everything sir
’

.
, .

D ir ec tor Well what

.
?
,

A c t ress F o r instance there s rice with su gar melted bu tte r c u r

’
—
.
, ,

dle d milk rice ; and a ll together it ma kes yo u a dish fit fo r

, , ,

hea ven M ay the gods a lw ays be th u s graciou s to yo u !

.

D ir ector All that ino u r ho u se ? o r a re yo u joking

.
?

A ct r ess [ A side ] Yes I will ha ve my joke [ A lou d ] It s in the

’
.
, .

D ir ec tor A n
[ g y]r. il Y o u w retched wom a n th u s sh all yo u r o wn ,

hOpe be c u t o ff ! And dea th sha ll find yo u o u t ! F o r my expecta

tions like a scaffolding h ave beenraised so high only to fall again
, , , .

A ct r ess Forgive me sir forgive me ! It w as only a joke

.
, , .

D ir ector B u t wh at do these u nu s u a l prep arations mean O ne girl

.
?

is preparing cosmetics another is wea ving garlands a nd the very

, ,

grou nd is adorned with sac rificial flowers of five different colors .

A c t r ess This is a fa st day sir

.
, .

A ctr ess The fast fo r

. handsome h u sband
a .

D irector I n this wor ld mistress o r the next ?

.
, ,

A ct r ess I n the ne xt world sir

.
, .

D ir ec tor W r a t h dl ] Gen
.
fi y tleme n ! look at this She is sac rifici ng .

my food to get herself a h u sband in the next world .

A ct ress D o nt be angry sir I am fasti ng in the hope th at yo u

’
.
.
,

m ay be my h u sband in my ne xt birth t o o , .

D ir ec tor B u t who su ggested this fa st to yo u

.
?

A c t ress You r o wn dea r friend J fir na vriddha

. .

D ir ec tor [ A ngr ily] Ah J u rna vriddha so n of a slave we nch !

.
, ,
-

When oh whenshall I see King Palak a angry with yo u Then

, ,
?
P . PR OLOG U E 5

yo u will be part e d , as su re ly as t h e sce nte d hair of some you ng

bride .

A c t r ess D ont b e angry sir It is only t h at I m ay have yo u in t he

’
.
.
,

ne xt world t h at I ce l e brat e t hi s fast [ S he fa ll s a t his fe et ]

.

D ir ec t o r . St and u p , mi st re ss and t e ll m e w ho is t o o fl
, ic iat e at t hi s
fast .

A c t r ess Som e Brahman of o u r o wn so rt whom w e m u st invit e

. .

D ir ec t o r Y o u m ay go th e n And I w ill invit e so m e B rahman o f

. .

o u r o w n sor t .

A c t r ess Ve ry we ll sir
.
, .
[ E xit

D ir ec t o r [ W a lkin
.
g a bo u t ] Good h eave n s ! I n t his rich ci t y of
U jjayini h o w am I t o find a B ra hman of o u r o wn so rt ? [ H e lo o ks
abo u t hin t ] Ah h e re com e s C h aru dat t a s frie n d M ait re ya Goo d!
’
.
,

I ll ask him M ait re ya yo u m u st b e t h e first t o break bread in

’
.
,

o u r ho u se t o day -
.

A vo ic e behind t he sc enes Y o u m u st invit e so me ot h e r Brahman . .

I am bu sy .

D ir ec t o r B u t m an t he feast is se t and yo u h ave it all t o yo u r

.
, ,

se lf B e sid e s yo u sh all h av e a p re se n
.
, t .

The vo ic e I said no once Why shou l d yo u k ee p o n u rging m e ?

. .

D ir ec t o r H e say s no W e ll I m u st invit e some o t h e r B rahman

. .
, .

[ E xit -
.

EN D OF THE PROLOGU E
 A C T TH E FI R ST
THE G E M S ARE LE FT BEH IND

[ E a t e n wit h a c loak inhis ha nd, M a it r eya ]

O U mu st invite some other B rahma n I am b u sy And yet . .

I really o u ght to be seeking i nvita tions from a stranger Oh . ,

what a wretched sta te of affairs ! When good C haru dat t a w as still

wealthy I u sed to e at my fill o f the most deliciou sly fragrant
,

sw eetmea ts p repared day and night with the greatest o f ca re I

, .

wou ld sit at the door of the cou rt yard where I w as su rrou nded by ,

h u ndreds o f dishes and there like a painter with his pa int boxes
, ,
-
,

I w ou ld simply tou ch them with my fingers and thru st them aside .

I wou ld stand chewing my c u d like a bu ll in the city market .

And no w he is so poor tha t I ha ve to ru n here the re and every , ,

where and come home like the pigeo ns onl y to roost No w he re

, , , .

is this j asm ine scented cloak which C ham dat t a s good friend
’
-
,

Jurna vriddh a has se nt him H e bade me give it to C haru dat t a as

.
,

soonas he had finished his devotio ns S o no w I will look fo r C hm .

datta [ H e wa lks ab ou t and lo oks a r ou nd hint ] C hsru da t t a has

.

finished his devot ions and here he comes with an offering fo r t h e

,

divinities of the hou se .

[ E nter Cha m da t t a a s descri bed a nd R a da nika ] ,

Upon my th reshold where the offering ,

Was straightway seized by swans and flocki ng cranes ,

The grass grows no w and these poo r seeds I fling

,

Fall where the mou th of worms their sweetness stai ns .

[ H e w a flcs a b ou t v er y slo w ly a n d sea t s him s e i

lf]
M ait r eya C hi m dat t a is here I m u st go a nd spea k to him
. . .

p re ac hing] M y gre eti ngs to y o u M a

y h a ppi n ess.be yo u rs .
P . TH E G E M S A R E L E FT B E H IN D 7

Char u da t t a Ah it is my consta nt friend M aitreya Y o u are very

. , .

welcome my friend P ray be seated

, . .

M ait r eya Th ank yo u [ H e sea ts himself]Well comrade here is a

. . , ,

j asmi ne scented cloak which you r good frie nd J u rna vriddh a has
-

sent H e ba de me give it yo u as soon as yo u h ad finished yo u r de

.

voti ons [ H e pr esent s t he cloa k Cham da t t a takes it a nd r emains

. .

su nk in tho ug ht ] Well wh at are yo u thi nking a bou t ? ,

ca ndle shini ng thro u gh the deepest dark

A
Is happiness tha t follows sorrow s strife ;
'

B u t aft er bliss wh e nm an bea rs so rrow s ma rk

’

H is body lives a very dea th in life - -

.

M ait r eya Well which wo u ld yo u rather be dead o r b e poor ?

.
, ,

Char ada t t a A h my friend .

, ,

F a r better dea th thansorrows s u re a nd slow ;

Some passing su fle ring from death m ay flow
'

B u t overty brings never e ndi ng w o e 11

p
-
.

M ait r eya M y dear friend be no t th u s cast down Yo u r wea lth has

.
, .

beenconveyed to them yo u love and like the moon aft er she has , ,

yiel ded h e r nect ar to the gods yo u r waning fortu nes wina nadded ,

charm .

Char u da t t a C omrade I do no t grieve fo r my ru ined fortu ne s B u t

.
, .

This is my sorrow They whom I .

Wo u ld greet as gu ests no w pass m e b y , .

”
This is a poo r mans hou se they c ry ’

, .

As flitting bees the seaso n o e r

’

, ,

D ese rt the eleph ant whose store ,

Of ichor spent attracts no more

1
12
, .

M ait r eya Oh confou nd the money ! It is a trifle no t worth think

.
,

ing abou t It is like a ca t t le boy int he woods afraid of w aSps; it

.
-

does nt sta y anywhere where it is u sed fo r food

’
.

‘ M g t h c m t ing m om a frngrw t h q m r e xu de s fio m t h c fo nhu d of t he c le phm t m

8 A C T TH E F I R ST (a s s
.

Chara d . Believe me friend M y sorrow does no t sp ring

, .

F rom simple loss of gold ;

F o r fort u ne is a fickl e cha nging thing , ,

Whose fa vors do no t hold ;

B u t he whose sometime wea lth has ta ken wing ,

Thentoo
A poor m an is a man ashamed ; from sh ame
Spri ngs want of dignity a nd worthy fa me ;
S u ch want gives rise to insu lts ha rd to bear
Thence comes despo nde ncy ; and thence despa ir
'

D espa i r b ree ds folly ; d e ath is foll y s fru it

’
.

A h ! the lack of money is all evil s root !

'
14

M ait r eya B u t j u st remember wh at a trifle money is afie r all and

.
, ,

he more cheerfu l .

Char a da t t a M y friend the poverty o f a m an is to him

.
,

A home of ca res a sh ame th at ha u nts the mind

, ,

Another form o f warfa re with m anki nd ;

The abhorrence o f his friends a so u rce of h ate ,

From strangers and from ea ch once loving mate ;

,
-

B u t if his wife despise him then t were meet

’

I nsome lone wood to seek a sa fe retrea t .

The fla me o f sorrow tortu ring his so u l , ,

B u rns fiercely yet contrives to lea ve him whole

,
15 .

C omrade I ha ve made my offering t o the divinities of the hou se

, .

D o yo u t o o go and offer sacrifice to the D ivine M ot hers at a pla ce

where fou r roads meet .

Char uda t t a . Wh y n to ?

M aitr eya Beca u se the gods are no t graciou s to yo u even when

.

th u s honored So what is the u se of worshiping ?

.

Char u da t t aNot so my friend no t so ! This is the consta nt d u ty

.
, ,

of a hou seholder .
P ! 6 Sl
. . TH E G E M S AR E L E FT B E H I N D 9

The gods feel ever glad co nte nt

I n the gift s and the self ch as t isement ,
-
,

The medita tions and the p raye rs , ,

Of those who ba nish worldly cares 16 .

Wh y thendo yo u hesita te G o and offer sacrifice to the M others

? .

M ait r eya No I m no t going Yo u m u st send somebody else Any

’
. .
.
,

w ay everyt h ing seems to go wron

, g with me poor B rahman tha t ,

I a m ! It s like a reflectionina mirror ; the right side becomes the

’

left and the left becomes the right Besides at this hou r of the
, .
,

evening people are abroad u ponthe king s highway co u rt esans

'
—

, ,

co u rt iers servants and royal favorit es They will ta ke me no w fo r

, , .

fa ir prey j u st as the bla ck snake o u t frog h u nting sna ps u p the

,
- -

mo u se in his path B u t what will yo u do sitting here ?

.

Charu da t t a Good then remain; and I w ill finish my devotions

.
, .

[ E nt e r Va sant ase na pu r su ed by t he , cou r t ier , by S a nst ha na ka , a nd

t he serv a nt ]

Co m tier Vasant ase na! St0 p

-
. top ! , s

A h why shou ld fear transform you r te nderne ss ?

,

Wh y shou ld the dai nty feet feel su ch dist re ss ,

Th at twinkl e in the da nce so prettily ?

Why shou ld yo u r eyes th u s startled i nto fea r , ,

D art sidelong looks Why lik e the timid deer

?
,

Before pu rsu ing h u nters sho u ld yo u flee ? ,

Sa nst hana ka S h t o p .
,
1
Vasant a se na , sh t o
p !
Why flee ? and ru n nd sh t u m b le in you r t u rni ng ?
? a

Be kind ! Y o u shall no t die Oh sht o p you r feet ! .

,

With love sh w ee t girl my tortu red heart is bu rning

, , ,

As o n a heap of coals a piece of me at . 18

l Thc m o st sh lkin h f S nst hfinah hn mfio no f sh fm
'
g pe c u a fit y o o s did w t —
su b sfi s
—
I have
t rie d t o im it t t e in t h e t ransh t io n .
10 AC T TH E FI RS T s
.

S erva nt . c o u rt e sa n stop ! ,

I nfea r yo u
flee
A way from me ,

As a su mmer pea he nshou ld ;

B u t my lord and ma ste r
Stru ts fast and faste r ,

Like a woodcock inthe wood .

Why shou ld yo u tremble shou ld yo u flee , ,

A qu ive r like the plantaintree ?

-

You r garme nt s border red and fa ir ’

, ,

Is all a shiver inthe air ;

-

Now and again a lotu s b u d ,

-

Fall s to the grou nd as re d as blood , .

A re d realgar vein yo u seem

‘
,

Whence smitte n drops of crimson strea m

, , .

Sa nst hanaka S h t o p Vasant a se na, sht o p!

.
,

Yo u wake my passion my desire my love ; , ,

Y o u drive a way my shle e p in bed at night ;

Both fear and te rror sh ee m yo u r heart to move ;
Y o u trip and sht u m b le in you r headl ong flight .

B u t R avana forced K u nti to his wil l ;

3

Ju sht sho sh all I e njoy yo u to the fill .

Cour tie r A h Vasant a se na

. , ,

Why sho u ld you r fieete r flight

O u tst rip my flying feet ?

Why like a snake in fright

,

Before the bird king s might -

’

Th u s seek to flee my sweet ? ,

Re d arse ni c , u se d as a co sme t ic .

Hc m w d sewhc m Sm st M nah
'
s m yt h o lo gy is v ildly c o nmse d I I indu t he d fe c t
. To a
-
u st m
b e lu dic ro u s e no u gh ; b u t t he h u m o r is o e c e u a rily lo st ina m nslat io n I t t he refm e see m s hu d ly
.

wo rt h wh ile t o e xpld nhls m yt h o lo glc al vag afl e s ln de t a il .

12 AC T TH E FI RS T (u se s .

S a nst ha naka M asht e r ! a m a n! a m an!

.

Cou rtier D ont be coward

’
. a .

Vasa nt ase na M adha vika ! M adh a vika!

.

Cou rtier .
[ L g g Fool ! She is calli ng her servants
a u hin ] .

S an st han a ka M ash t e r ! Is she callin

. g a woman ?

Cou rtier Why o f cou rse

.
, .

S a nst han a ka Women! I kill h u n dreds o f em I m a b ra ve m an

' ’
. . .

Vasa nt asena [ S eeing tha t no o ne a nswers ]Alas ho w comes it that

. ,

my very serv ants ha ve fa llen away from me I sh all ha ve to de

?

fend myself by mother w it -

.

C ou rtier D ont stop the sea rch

’
. .

Sa n st han a ka S hq u e al Vasan
. t a se n a sh q u e al fo r you r cu ckoo P ara
, ,

b h rit ik a o r fo r yo u r b lo ssh o m P allavaka o r fo r all the month of

,

M ay ! Who s going to sa ve yo u when I m chasing yo u ?

’ ’

Why shpe a k of B him ase na ? Or the shon

Of Jam adagni th at thrice mighty o ne ? ,
-

The t e n necked ogre Shon of K u nti fa ir

? - ?

Ju sht look at me ! M y fingers in yo u r h air ,

Ju sht like D u hshasana I ll tear and tear ,

’

, .

Look look !
,

M y sh w o rd is sh arp ; good by poor head ! -

,

Let s chop it o ff o r kill yo u dead

’

, .

Then do no t t ry my wrath to sh u n;
When yo u mu sht die yo u r l ife is done , .

Vasa nt ase n a S ir I am a weak woma n

.
, .

Cou rtier Th at is why yo u are still a live

. .

S a nst hana ka Th at is w hy you re no t m u rdered

’
. .

Vasa nt asena [ A side ] Oh ! his very co u rtesy fri ghte ns me C ome

. .
,

I wil l t ry this [ A lo u d ]S ir wha t do yo u expect from this pu rsu it

.
,
?

my jew els ?
P i n]
. TH E G E M S A R E LE FT B E H IN D 13

Cou rtier H ea venforbid ! A

. garden creeper mistress Vasant ase na , ,

shou ld no t be robbed of its blossoms S ay no more a bou t thejewels . .

Vasa nt asena Wha t is then you r desire

.
?

Sa n st han a k a I m a m an a big m an a regu la r Vasu deva Yo u

’
‘
.
, , .

m u sht love me .

Vasa nt asena [ I n digna nt ly ]H ea vens ! Y o u wea ry me C ome lea ve

. . .
,

me ! You r words are an ins u lt .

Sa n st han a ka [ L a u hing and c la i

pp gn hi s han d s ] Look m h t
g . a s e r , ,

look ! The co u rtezans dau ghter is mighty affectiona te with me

’

is nt she H ere she says C ome o n! H ea ve ns yo u re wea ry Yo u re

'
?
,
’

.
’

tired ! No I ha ve nt been walking to another village o r another

,
’

city No little m ish t ress I sh w e ar by the ge ntlem ans head I

.
, ,
’

sh we a r by my o w n feet ! It s on ly by ch asing a bo u t at yo u r heels

’

tha t I ve gro wn tired and we ary

’
.

Co u rtie r [ Aside ] Wh at ! is it possible th at the idiot does no t

.

un dersta nd whenshe says Yo u weary me [ A lou d ]Vasan

“
t a se n a ,

you r words h ave no pla ce in t he dwelling of a cou rtezan ,

Which as yo u know is friend to every you th ;

, ,

R emember yo u are commonas the flower

,

Th at grows beside the road ; in bitter tru th ,

Yo u r body has its p rice ; you r be au ty s dower ’

Is his who p ays the market s c u rrent rate :

,
’

Then serve the m anyo u love and him yo u ha te , .

And agai n:
The wisest B rahm anand the mea ne st fool
Ba the inthe selfsa me pool ;
Benea th the peacock floweri ng plant s bend lo w , ,

No less b eneath the crow ;

The Brahman warrior merchant sail along , , ,

With all the vu lga r th rong .

Y o u are the pool the flower ing p lant t h e boa t

, ,

And o n you r bea u ty every m a n m ay dote .

‘ A nam e o f Krishnm who is pe rhapo t h e m o st am o m us c hnac t e r in l ndianst o ry .

14 A C T TH E FI R ST s
.

Vasa nt asena Yet tru e love wo u ld be w o n by virtu e no t violence

.
, .

Sa nst han a ka B u t m ash t e r eve r si n

. ce the shla ve we nch went into
, ,
-

the park where K am a s temple sht a nds she has bee ninlove with
‘ ’

a poo r m an w ith C har u da t t a an d she does nt love me any more

’

, , .

H is ho u se is to the left Look o u t and dont let h e r sh lip o u t of o u r

’

ha nds .

Co u rtie r [ A side ] Poo r fool he h as said the very thing he sho u ld

. ,

have concea led So Vasant ase na is in love with C ham dat t a The
.
?

p rove rb is right Pearl su its with pearl Well I h ave had eno u gh
. .
,

of this fool [ A lou d ]D id yo u say the good merch ant s hou se w as

.
’

to the left yo u j ackass,

?

Vasa nt asena [ A side ] Oh wo nde.rfu l ! If his ho u se is re

,ally at my
le fi; h and thenthe sco u ndrel h as helped me inthe very ac t of h u rt
,

ing me , fo r he has gu ided

me to my love .

S a nst han a ka B u t m ash t e r it s pitch d ark a n d it s like h u nting

’ ’
.
,

fo r a grain o f soot in a pil e o f shpo t t ed beans No w yo u shee Va .

san t ase na and no w yo u do nt

’
.

Cou rtier Pitch dark it is indeed

. .

The su dden darkness seems t o steal

The keenness of my sight
M y Open eyes a s with a se al , ,

Are cl osed b y b la ckest night .

And again
D arkness anoints my body and the sky ,

D rops ointment o f th ick d ark ness till mine eye ,

Is all u np rofitable grown to me ,

L ike service done to them who chea t and lie .

Sa n st han a ka M asht e r I m lookin g fo r Vasant a se na’

.
, .

Co u r t ier Is there a nyt hi ng yo u c an trace her by j ackass ?

.
,

Sa n st han ak a L ike wh at fo r in . sh t anc e ? ,

1 Cu pid
.
P . TH E G E M S AR E LE FT B E H IN D 15

Co u r tier Like the tinkli ng o f he r jewels fo r i nsta nce o r the fra

. , ,

granee o f her garlands .

S a nst hanalca I hear the sh m e ll of h e r garla nds b u t my nose is

.
,

sh t u fie d so fu ll o f da rkness th at I do nt shee the sho u n d o f he r

' ’

jewels very clearly .

Co u rtie r [ To Vasa nt ase na A side ] Vasa nt ase na

. .
,

T is tru e the night is da rk 0 timid maid

'

, , ,

And li ke the lightning hidden in the clou d ,

Y o u are no t seen; yet yo u will be betrayed

By fragrant garlands and b y anklets lou d .

H a ve yo u heard me Vasant ase na ? ,

Vasa nt ase na [ To he rselj i] H e ard and u nderst o od [ S he r emoves

. .

t he a nkle w in g
-
s la s aside t he
y , g a r la nds a nd takes a few step f
s , ,

in h e r wa y ] I c an feel the w a ll o f the ho u se an d he re is a side

g ,

entrance B u t alas ! my fingers te ll me that the door is sh u t

. .

Cham da tt a [ who is withint he hou se] C omrade , . my prayer is done .

Go no w and offer sac rifice to the M others .

M ait r eya No I m no t going

’

.
.
,

The poor mans ki nsmendo no t heed his will

’

The friends w ho loved him once no w stand afar ,

H is sorrows m u ltiply ; his strengt h is nil

Behold ! his chara cte r s bright sh ini ng star ’
-

Fades like the wani ng moon; and deeds o f ill

That others do are co u nted to him still , .

aga in:

No m an holds converse with him ; none will gre et

With du e respect the poor m an when they meet
Where rich m e n hold a feast if he draw near
.

, ,

H e meets with sc o m fu l looks fo r looks of chee r .

16 A C T TH E FI R ST 8 .

Where v u lgar th rongs are gathered t is the same ; ,

’

H is sca nty raime nt wakes his hea rtfelt shame .

Five are the dea dly sins we knew b efore ;

1

Alas ! I find the si xth is to be poor —

.

And yet again

Ah Pover t y I pity thee tha t so
, , ,

To me thou c linge st as thy d e arest fri e nd ; ,

When my poor life has met its woefu l e nd ,

I sadl y wonder whither tho u wilt go , .

M ait reya [ B etra ying his e mba rr assm ent ]Well comrade if I
.
, ,

go at least let Ra danika go with me to keep me company

, , .

Cham da t t a R ada n ika yo u are to accompany M aitreya

.
, .

M aitr eya M i st ress R adanik a do yo u ta ke the offering , nd the

a

ca ndle while I open the side door [ H e does so ] -

. .

Vasa nt asena It seems as if the door took pity o n me and opened

.

o f itself I will lose n

. o time b u t e n ter [ S he looks ia ] What ? a , . .

candle ? Oh dear oh dear ! [ S he pu ts it o u t with he r skir t and ent ers ]

,

Char u da t t a Wh at was that M aitreya

.
?
,

M aitr eya I opened the side door and the wind came thro u gh all
.
-

in a l u mp a nd blew o u t the ca ndle S u ppose yo u go o u t by the .

side door Ra danika and I will follow as soon as I ha ve gone into

-
, ,

the cou rtyard and lighted t h e ca ndle agai n .

S a nst hana ka M ash t er ! m ash t er !

. looking fo r Vasant ase na I ’
m .

Cou r tie r Keep o n looki ng keep o n looki ng !

.
,

Sa n
st han a k a [ D oes so ] M ash t e r ! m ash t e r ! I ve ca u ght her ! I ve
’ ’
. .

’
Cou r tier .
y Idiot
c a u ght me
, ou ve .

San st hd nah a Yo u shta n d right here m a sh t er and sh t a y where

‘
.
, ,

H ene h ch nd eiz h e n M h r!
’

yo u re
pu t [ e r .ws t e sea r a s es t e s r va t ] as t e

‘Thc five de ndly slna m zt hc sh y ng

i Bm h m m t he drinking o f wine t hd t ,
of a a du lt e ry
wit h t he wife o f o ne s t u m d aso o d sfio nwit h o ne gu flt y o f t h m c rim u
’
c he r , .
P . TH E G E M S A R E L E FT B E H I N D 17

m a sht e r ! ca u ght I ’
ca u ght he r !
ve her ! I ’
ve

S e rva nt M aster yo u ve c a u ght me you r serv an

’

. , t ,

S a nst hana ka M ash t er her e sh e rva nt here ! M asht e r sh erva nt ;

.
, ,

sh e rvan t m asht e r No w sh t a y where yo u re pu t both o f yo u [ H e

’
.
, .
,

t a ! Th ish time I ve c au ght her ! I ve ca u ght nt m e nfi!

’ ’

Throu gh t he bla ck night she fled fle d she ; ,

H e r garla nd s sh m e ll betrayed h e r ;
’

Like C hanakya ca u ght D rau padi

‘

I ca u ght he r hair and sh t aye d h e r .

Ah pro u d to be so you ng so fai r !

, ,

To o high thy love m u st no t aspi re ;

F o r no w thy 1 t ha i r
. i

Th at merits ric hm t gems and ra re ,

Serves b u t to drag thee t h rou gh the mire .

’
I ve got you r head girl got it tight , , ,

By the hair the locks and the cu rls too , , , .

No w sh c ream shq u e ak shq u e al with all you r might

, ,

”
Shiva ! Ishvara ! S
“
s Sha mbh u ! 1

n [ I n te r r or ] Oh si rs wh a t d oes this me a n?
, ,

C o u r tier Y o u j acka ss ! It s another voice

’
. .

S a nst hana ka M asht e r t h e wench has cha nged he r voice t he w ay a

.
, ,

c at cha n ge s he r voice whenshe wants shome cream o fcu rdled mi lk

, .

Co u r t ie r C ha nged he r voice ? S trange ! Yet why so stra nge

.
?

She trod the sta ge ; she learned the art s ;

She stu died to deceive o u r he a rts ;
And no w she h e r part s .

[ E nt er M a it r ey ]a

M m eye Look ! I n the ge ntle evening b re m the flame of the

i
e-

1 1is fl u tt ering l ike the heart o f a go a t th at go e s to the alta r .

[ H h n d di d l M d nik !
'

e a
pp r oa c es a sc over s R a a m c a j ist re ss R a a a
18 A C T TH E FI RS T s .

st han
San aka M ash t er m ash t e r ! A m an! a m a n!
.
,

M aitreya T his is right this is perfectly right tha t strangers shou ld

.
, ,

force thei r w ay into the hou se j u st becau se C haru dat t a is poo r

, .

R a da nika Oh M aitreya see ho w they i ns u lt me

.
, , .

M aitr eya Wh at ! i ns u lt yo u No they are ins u lting u s

.
?
, .

R a da n ilc a Very well They are i ns u l ting yo u then

. .
, .

M a itr eya B u t they are nt u sing violence ?

’
.

R a da nika Yes yes !

.
,

R ada nika R ea lly

. .

M a it r eya .
[ R a isin his st a
g f a ngr ily] No
dog will show , sir ! M an, a

his teeth inhiso w nke nne l and I a m a B ra hm a n M y st a fi is crooked

'

as my fortu nes b u t it c a nstill split a dry ba mboo o r a rasc a l s pa te ’

.
,

Cou rtier H a ve mercy 0 great B ra hma n ha ve mercy

.
, , .

Sa nst hd na ka ] A h , here is the sinne r Well yo u brother in la w to .

,
- -

the king Sanst hanaka yo u scou ndrel yo u coward this is perfectly

, , , ,

proper is nt it ? C haru dat t a the good is a poo r m an no w tru e

,
’
—

b u t are no t his virtu es ano rname nt t o U jjayini A nd so m e nbre ak

into his hou se and insu lt his serv ants !
I ns u lt no t him la id lo w by poverty ,

F o r none are co u nted poor by mighty fate

Yet he who falls from virtu e s high esta te ’

Thou gh he be rich no m an is poor as he , 48 .

Cou rtie r [ B etr ayin

.
g his em ba r ra ssme nt ] H a ve me rcy O grea t ,

B rahman ha ve mercy We intended no insolence ; we merely mis

, .

took this lady fo r another F o r .

We sou ght an amoro u s ma iden ,

M a it r eya Wh at ! this o ne
.
?

o ne whose you th
Is in the gu idance o f he r o w n sweet will
20 A C T TH E F I R ST 8 .

Or I n gain is he
drada t t a o r a
?
,

Shon o f brave R ama and of fai r K u nti ?

O r D ha rm a pu t ra Ash vat t ham a n bold ?
?

Perhaps Jat ayu s shelf th at vu ltu re o ld

’
?
,

Fool ! I wil l tell yo u who C haru dat t a is .

A tree of life to th e m whose so rrows grow ,

Beneath its fru it o f virtu e bending lo w ;

Father to good m e n; virtu e s to u chstone he ;
’

The mirror of the learned ; and the sea

Where all the tides of chara cter u nite ;
A righteo u s m an whom p ride cou ld never blight
,

A treas u re hou se with h u man v irt u es stored ;

-
,

C o u rt esy s essence honor s p reciou s hoa rd

’ ’

, .

H e doth to life it s fu ll est mea ning give ,

So good is he ; we others breathe no t live , .

Let u s b e gone .

Sa nst hanalca Wi t ho u t Vasant a se na

.
?

st han
Sa n a ka H o w ?
.

Cou rt ier Like sick mens strength o r like the blind mans sight
.
’

,
’

Like the fool s j u dgment like the sl u ggard s might

’

,
’

Like thou ghtless sco u ndrels store of wisdom s light

’ ’

Like love when foemen fan o u r sl u mbering wrat h

, ,

S o did she vanish when yo u crossed h e r path

, .

Sa nst han a lea I m n o t going withou t Vasant ase na

’
. .

Cou rtie r And did yo u never h e a r this ?

.

To hold a horse yo u need a rein; ,

To hold an elephant a ch ain; ,

To hold a woman u se a heart ,

And if yo u ha ve nt o ne depart
’

, .

Sa nst han a lca If yo u t e going go along I m no t going

’ ’
. . .
,

Co u rtie r Ve ry well I w ill go

. . .
e as e] TH E G E M S AR E LE FT B E H I N D 21

S a nst hana h a M ash t e r

. gone su re enou gh [ To M a it r eya ]Well
’

s , .
,

o u m a n with the h ea d th at looks lik e a caret yo u manikin ta ke a

y , ,

shea t ta ke a sheat
,
.

M a it r eya We h a ve already b een invited t o take a sea t

. .

S anst hana ka By whom ? .

M ait reya By dest i ny

. .

S a nst hana ka Shta nd u p then Shtand u p!

.
, ,

M ait r eya We sha ll

. .

S a nst hana ka Whe n ? .

M a it r eya When fa te is ki nd again

. .

S a nst hanaka Weep then weep !

.
, ,

M ait reya We ha ve wept

. .

S amst haswk a Wh o mad e yo u ?

.

Sa nst hana ka La u gh then la u gh !

. , ,

M ait r eya Lau gh we sh all

. .

W h a le r When? .

M ait r eya When C h aru dat t a is h appy once more

. .

S a nst hana ka Y o u ma niki n give poor little C haru dat t a t hish m e s

. ,

shage from me Th ish we nch with goldenornaments and golden

.
“

jewel s t hish female sht age manager looking afie r the rehea rsal of
,
-

a n e w play t hish Vasa n

, t ase na she has beeninlove wi t h yo u ever —

shin c e she we n t into the park whe re K ama s temple sht a nds A nd ’
.

whenwe tried to co nciliate he r by force she we nt i nto you r ho u she , .

No w if yo u shend h e r a way yo u rsh e lf and ha nd he r over to me if ,

o u re sh t o re h e r at o n u t an n n l
’

y ce witho y la w sh u it i co u r
,t the I l ,

be fri ends with yo u forever B u t if yo u dont re sh t o re her there .

’

w ill be a fight to the dea th R emem b er .

Shmea r a pu mpkin sh t a lk with cow d u ng ; - -

Keep you r vegeta bles dried ;

C ook you r rice in winter eveni ngs
22 A C T TH E FI R ST 8 .

And be s u re yo u r mea t is fried .

Theni et em shta nd and they will no t

’

B o t h e rsho m e ly sh m ell nd
a ro t . 51

Tell it to him prettily tell it to him craft ily Tell it to him sho that
, .

I c a n he ar it as I ro o sht in t h e dove cote o n the top o f my o w n -

pa la ce If yo u sha y it different I ll chew you r h e ad like an apple

.
,
’

ca u ght in the crack o f a doo r .

M aitr eya Very well I sha ll tell him

. . .

Sa nst hana k a [ Aside ] Tell me she rvant Is m asht e r really go ne ?

.
, .

S e rva nt Yes sir

.
, .

S a nst hana lc a Then we will go as q u ickly as w e c a n

. .

Se r va nt Thenta ke yo u r sword master

. , .

S er vant H ere
. it is master Take you r sword master
, . , .

San st han a lc a [ Takin g it by t he wr on e n

g d ]
M y sh wo rd re d as a radish shki n , ,

Ne er finds the time t o molder ;

’

S hee how it shl ee ps its sheath with in!

I pu t it o n my shou lder .

While c u rs and bitches yelp at me I roam , ,

I Like a h u nted j acka l home ,52 .

S n h n h an d h r va nt alk ab ou t then e r c u n
1
[ a st a a a t e se w t , .

M ait r eya M istress Radanika yo u m u st no t tell good C h aru dat t a

,

of this ou trage I am su re yo u wo u l d onl y add to the poor mans

.
’

M ait r eya So be it .

Char u da t t a .
[ T o Vasa nt ase na ]Ra daniki R o ha se na likes the fresh ,

air, but he wi ll be cold inthe evening chill P ray bri ng him into t he .

hou se and cover him with th is ma ntle [ H e g ives he r t he

, . ma nt le ]
P . TH E G E M S A R E L E FT B E H IN D 23

Vasa nt asend . thinks I a m his servant [ S he

[ To he r se lf] See ! H e .

takes the ma nt le a nd perc eives it spe rfu me A rdent ly t o herself]Oh ,

b ea u tifu l ! The ma ntle is fragrant with j asmine H is yo u t hfu l da ys .

are n o t wholly indifferen t to the pleasu res of the world [ S he wr aps .

it a bou t he r witho u t lett in g C ha

, r uda t t a se e ]

Cham da t t a C o m e R adanika ta ke Ro hase na and enter the heart

. , ,

o f the ho u se .

Vasa nt a se na [ To he rself] Ah me u nh appy tha t ha ve little p art

. ,

o r lot in yo u r heart !

Char u da t t a C ome R adanika will yo u no t even answer Alas !

.
,
?
,

Whe n m an once sees tha t miserable day ,

When fate a lmighty sweeps his w ealth away ,

Then ancient friendships will no longer hold ,

Then all his former bosom friends grow cold -

.

M ait r eya [ D r a wing nea r t o R a da nika] S ir here is R ada nika

.
, .

Char u dat t a H ere is Ra danika Who then is this

.
?

Th is u nk nown lady by my robe ,

Th u s clinging desecrated , ,

”
Vasa nta send [ To he rselfl] S ay rather consecrated
.
“
.

Until she seems the crescent moon ,

VW t h clo u ds o f a u tu mn ma ted
1 ?

B u t no ! I m ay no t gaze u po n another s wife

’

M ait r eya Oh yo u need no t fear th at yo u are looking at anothe r

,

mans wife This is Vasa nt ase nfi who has been in love with yo u
’
.
,

eve r since she saw yo u inthe gardenwhere Kama s t emple sta nds ’
.

Char u da tt a Wh at ! this is Vasa nt ase na [ A side ]

.
?

M y love fo r whom m y fortu ne spent —

M y wretch e d self in twa in has rent ,

Like co ward s anger inward bent ’

55 , .

1 Whi h l
c oo k pre tt y, b u t do no t rain He do u b fl
. e ss m ea ns t o sngge at ma t t h e c lo o k b e lo ng
ing t o a l tu n
ge m a n is u u ad e as t o
. nh sc ni u fiw ve flo l au mm nd o u ds m t b e a nh .
24 A C T TH E FI R ST [ s
a w8 .

M ait r eya M y fri end , that brother in law of the king says
- -

M ait r eya This wench with goldeno rnaments and goldenjewels

.
“
,

this female stage manager looking aft er the rehearsal o f a ne w

-

play this Vasant a se na she has been in love with yo u ever s ince
,
—

she went into t h e park where K ama s temple sta nds And whenwe ’
.

”
tried to conciliat e her by force sh e went into yo u r hou se , .

Vasa nt ase na [ To her self] T ried to concilia te me by force

.
“

tru l y I am honored by these words

, .

M a it r eya No w ifyo u send her a way you rself and h and h e r over
“

t o me if yo u restore h e r at once witho u t a ny la wsu it in co u rt

, , ,

then I ll be fri ends with yo u forever Otherwise there will be a

’
.
,

fight to the de n
Char a da t t a [ Co nt emp t no u sly ] H e is a fool [ To himself] H o w is .

this maidenworthy of the worship th at we pa y a goddess ! F o r no w

Al thou gh I bade h e r enter yet she seeks ,

To spare my poverty no r ente rs here ; ,

Thou gh m en are known to h er yet a ll she spea ks ,

C onta i ns no word to wou nd a modest ear 56 .

A l d M ist ess Vasan a se n I ha ve u nwittingly made myself

[ o u ] r t a ,

gu ilty of anoffense ; fo r I greeted as a servant o ne whom I did no t

recogn ize I b e nd my neck to ask you r pardon
. .

Vasa nt asend It is I w h o ha ve offended by this u nseemly intru sion

. .

I b o w my head to seek you r forgiveness .

M ait r eya Yes with yo u r pretty bow s yo u t wo h ave knocked you r

,

he ads together til l they look like a co u ple o f rice fields I also b o w
,
-
.

my hea d like a camel colt s knee and beseech yo u b ot h to st a nd ’

u
p [.H e do es so then ri ses ] ,

Charu da t t a Very well let u s no longe r tro u ble ou rsel ves with c o n
.
,

ve nt io ns .

Vasa nt ase na .
[ To he rself] Wh a t delightfu lly clever hint ! B u t
a

it wou ld ha rdly be proper to spe nd the night consideri ng h o w I ,

P. TH E G E M S AR E L E FT B E H I ND 25

ca me hither Well I will at least sa y this m u ch [ A lou d ] If I am

.
, .

to receive th u s m u ch of you r favor sir I shou ld be glad to lea ve

, ,

these jewels in you r hou se It w as fo r the sa ke of the jewels tha t

.

those sco u ndrels p u rsu ed me .

Cha m da t t a This ho u se is no t wort hy o f the tr u st

. .

Vasa nt ase na Y o u mistake sir ! It is to m e n th at treas u res are e n

,

tru sted no t to hou ses

, .

C har a da t t a M aitreya will yo u receive the jewels ?

,

Vasa nt asena I am mu ch indebted to yo u [ She ha nds him t he .

j ew els ]
M a it r eya [ R eceiving them ] H ea venbless yo u mada m , .

Chdr nda t t a Fool ! They are only entru sted to u s .

M ait r eya [ A side ]Then the thieves m ay tak e them fo r all I c are
.
, .

Char a da t t a I n a very short time

M aitr eya Wh at she h as entru sted to u s b elongs to u s
.
, .

Charu da t t a I sh all restore them

. .

Vasa nt a sena I shou ld b e gratefu l sir if this ge nt leman w ou ld

, ,

a ccompan y me home .

Chari t dat t a M aitreya p ray accompany o u r gu e st

, .

M a itr eya She walks as gra cefu lly as a female s wan and yo u are
.
,

the gay fla mingo to accompa ny h e r B u t I a m only a poor B rahman

.
,

an d wherever I go the people will fa ll u pon me j u st as dogs will

,

snap at a victim d ragged to the cross roads -

.

Char adat t a Very well I w ill accompa ny h e r myself Le t the

. . .

to rches be lighte d to ensu re o u r safety o n the highway

, .

M ait r eya Vardham anaka light the torches

. , .

Va r dha man a lca [ A side t o M a it r eya ] Wh at ! light t orches with

.

M ait r eya [ Aside t o Char ada t t a ] These

. torch e s of o u rs are like
co u rtezans who despise their poor lovers . They wont light u p ’

less yo u feed them .

26 AC T TH E FI R ST (asse s
.

Char u da t t a E nou gh , M aitre ya !

. Wn e ee d no t o rch es . See , w e hav e
a lamp u pon t he ki ng s highway
’
.

At t e nde d by he r st a rry se rv ant s all ,

And pale t o see as a loving m aide ns ch e e ks

’

Ri se s be fore o u r e ye s t h e moons bright ba ll

’

Whose p u re bea ms o n t he high pile d darkne ss fall

-

Like st re ami ng milk t h at drie d u p marsh e s see k s

-
57 .

[ H is v o ic e b e t r a in his
y g p as s io n ] M ist re ss Vasa n t a se na w e h a v e ,

re a ch e d yo u r hom e P ra y e n
. t e r [ Vasa nt asenag azes a r de nt ly a t hi m
.
,

t he n exit ] C omrad e Vasant ase na is gone C ome le t u s go home

, .
, .

All cre at u re s from t h e highway t a k e t h e i r flight ;

The watch m e n pa ce th e ir ro u nds be fore o u r sight ;
To fore st all t re ach e ry is j u st and right
, ,

F o r m any sins find sh e lt e r in t h e night . 58

[ H e w a lk s a b o u t ]A nd yo u sh a ll g u a rd t his gold e ncaske t by n igh t ,

an d Vardha m anak a by day .

M ait r eya Ve ry we ll
. .
[ E weu nt a m b o .
28 A C T TH E S E C ON D 8 .

his grea t festiv al is welcome wheno ne is you ng B u t tell me m is .

,

tress is it a k ing o r a king s fa vo rite whom yo u worship

, ,
’
?
,

Vasa nt asena Girl I wish to love no t to worship

.
, , .

M a da nika Is it a B rahmanthat excite s you r p assion some you th

.
,

distingu ished fo r very part icu lar lea rning ?

Vasa nt asena A B ra hman I shou l d h a ve to reverence .

M a da nilca O r is it some you ng merc hant gro wn enormo u sly

. ,

wea lthy from visiting many cities ?

Va sa nt ase na A me rch a nt girl m u st go to other co u ntries and
, ,

lea ve yo u beh ind no matte r ho w m u ch yo u love him And t h e

, .

separation m akes yo u very sad .

M a da nilca It is nt a king no r a favorite no r a B ra hma n no r a

’
.
, , ,

merchant Who is it then th at the princess loves

.
?

Vasa nt asena Gi rl ! Girl ! Y o u went with me to the park where

.

K ama s temple stands ?

’

M ada nilc d Y e s mistre ss

.
, .

Vasa nt asena And yet yo u ask as if yo u were a perfect strange r

.
, .

M ada nilca Now I know Is it the m an who comfort ed yo u w hen

.

y o u asked to be p rotected ?

Vasa nt asena Well wha t w as his name ?

,

M a da nih a Wh y he lives in the me rcha nts qu arter

’
‘
.
.
,

Vasa nt ase na B u t I asked yo u fo r his name .

M ada mh a H is na me mistress is a good omenin it self H is nam e

, , .

is C h aru dat t a .

Vasa nt asena [ Jo yfu lly ]G o o d M ada nika good Yo u ha ve gu e ssed

.
, , .

it
.

M ada nika [ A side ] So m u ch fo r th at [ A lou d ]M istress they say .

,

he is poor .

Vasa nta se n a Tha t is the very reaso nwhy I love h im F o r a co u rte

. .

za n who sets h e r heart o n a poo r m a n is bla mel ess in the eye s of

the world .
P . TH E S H AM POO E R WH O G A M BLE D 29

M ada nika B u t mistress do the bu tterflies v isit the mango tree

,
-

when its b lossoms ha ve fallen ?

Vasant ase na Th at isj u st why we ca ll that sort of a gi rl a b u tterfly .

M ada nilca Well mistress if yo u love him why dont yo u go and

’

.
, , ,

visit him at once ?

Va sa nt asena Girl if I shou ld visit h im at once then beca u se he
.
, , ,

ca nt make any retu rn no I dont mean tha t b u t it wou ld be

’ ’
—

, ,

hard to see him .

M a da nika Is that the rea so nwhy yo u left you r jewels w ith him ?
Vasa nt asena Y o u h ave gu essed it .

A oic e behi nd t he sc enes Oh sir a S ha mpooer owes me t e ngold

v 1 .
, ,

pieces and he go t away from u s H old him hold him ! [ To t hefl

, ee .
,

in sha m ooer ] Stop stop ! I see u from here [ E nt e hu ni edl

g p yo .
, r
y .

S ha mpooe r Oh confou nd this gambli ng b u siness !

.
,

F reed from its tether the ac e ,

I m ight better sa y ass h o w it kicks me ! “ —

And the ca st of the dice cal led the spea r “

Proves tru e to its na me ; fo r it sticks me .

The keeper s whole atte ntion ’

Was b u sy with the score ;

80 it took no great i nvention
To v anish thro u gh the door .

B u t I ca nnot sta nd fo rever

I n the u np rot ected street .

Is there no o ne to deliver ?

I wo u ld fall before his feet 2 .

While the keepe r a nd the gambler are looking somewhere else

fo r me I ll j u st w alk ba ckwards i nto this empty temple a nd tu rn
’

goddess [ H e ma kes a ll sorts of g estu r es takes hisp la ce a nd wa it s

.
, , .

E nt er M at ha r a a nd t he ga mb le n]
l hat of Mi t h u n t h e kc e pe r o f t he gam b ling bo u l e
' '
l .
-
.
30 A C T TH E S E C OND s
.

M at hu ra Oh sir a sh a mpooe r owes me t e ngold pieces a nd he got

.
, ,
-
,

a w a y from u s H old him hold him ! Stop stop ! I see yo u from

.
, ,

here
G a mble r Y o u m ay ru n to hell if they ll ta ke yo u in;
. ,
’

With I ndra the god yo u m ay sta y : , .

F o r there s never a god c a n sa ve you r skin

’

While M ath u ra wants his pay .

Oh w hither flee yo u nim ble rambler

, , ,

Yo u th at chea t an honest ga mbler ?

Y o u th a t sh ake with fear and shiver ,

All a tremble all a q u iver ;

-
,
-

Y o u tha t ca nnot trip eno u gh ,

O n the level grou nd and ro u gh

Fa mily , and r ep u ta tion! 4

G a mb ler .
[ E xa m ining t he f p
oot r ints ] H e re he goe s And her e the .

tracks are lost .

M at hu r a [ G ases a t t he footpr int s q e c t ive ly] Look ! The feet are

. .

tu rned aro u nd And the temple has nt any ima ge [ Afier a mo

’

. .

m e nt s tho u g ht ]T hat rogu e o f a shampooer h as gone into the tem

’

ple with his feet tu rned arou nd .

G a mble r Let s follow him

’

. .

M at hu r a All right [ They enter t he temp le a nd take a g o od look

. .
,

the nmake signs t o eac h other ] .

G a m bler Wh at ! a woode n image

.
?

M at hu r a Of cou rse no t It s sto ne [ H e sha kes it wit h all his might

’
. .
.
,

thenma kes sig ns ]Wh at do w e care ? C ome let s ha ve a game [ H e ,

’
.

sta rts t o g a mb le as ha r d a s he c a n]

S ha mpooer [ Tr ying with all his m ig ht t o r ep r ess t he g a mb lin

.
g
f ev er .A sid e ] Oh oh ! ,

Oh the rattle o f dice is a ch a rm ing thing

, .

When yo u ha ve nt a coppe r left ; ’

R ea m] TH E S H A M POO E R WH O G A M BL E D 81

It works like a d ru m o n the hea rt of a ki ng ,

Of a ll his realm bereft .

F o r gamblers lea p down a mou nta insteep

I k now I sh all no t pla y .

Yet the rattle of dice is as sweet as the peep

Of nightingales in M ay .

G am bler M y tu rn my tu rn!
.
,

M at hu r a Not mu ch ! it s my tu rn
’
. .

S ha mpooe r [ Co min i k lyf o b e hind Is n it t n

’

.
g p q
u u c r m ] t m y u r ?

G a m ble r We ve got o u r m a n
’

. .

M athu r a [ S eizing hi m ] Yo u j ai l bird yo u t e cau ght Pay me

'
-
.
. ,

my t e ngold pieces -
.

S ha mpooer I ll pa y yo u this very day

’
. .

M at /m m P ay me this very mi nu te !
.

Sha mpooer I ll pay yo u O nly ha ve mercy !

’
. .

M at hu r a C ome will yo u pay me no w

. ,
?

Sha mpooer M y hea d is getting dizzy [H e falls t o t he g ro u nd The

. . .

others bea t him wit h a ll t heir mig ht ]

M at hnr a There [ dr a win h a mb le rs rin b o nd by ’

g] y
’

.
g t e g o u t e u

ring ? C o nfo u nd it ! Tha t is a limit which we gamblers cant pass ’

.

Where c an I get the money to pay him ?

M at ha r a Well th e n yo u m u st give su rety

.
, .

S ha mpooe r I h a ve a nidea [ H e nu dg es t he g a mble r ] I ll give yo u

’
. .

half if yo u ll forgive me the other ha lf

,
’
.

S ha mpooer .
[ To M at /cu r d ] I 11 give you s u ret y fo r a half . Yo u
might forgive me the other half .

M dt hu r a All right Where s the harm ?

’

. .

S ha mpooe r [ A lo u d ]Y o u forga ve me a h alf

.
, sir ?
82 AC T TH E S E C ON D

M at hu r a . Yes .

S ha mpooer .
[ To t he g a mb le r ] And yo u forgave me a h alf ?
G a mb ler Yes
. .

S ha mpooer Then I think I ll be go ing

’
. .

M at /m m P ay me my t e n gold pieces ! Where are yo u going ?

.
-

S ha mpooe r Look at this ge ntlemen look at this ! H ere I j u st gave

.
, ,

su rety to o ne of them fo r a half and the other forga ve me a ha lf , .

And even aft er that he is d u nning me poor helpless me ! ,

M athu r a [ Seizing him ]M y name is M ath u ra the clever s w indler

. .
, ,

an d yo u t e no t going to swindle me this time P ay u p j ail bird

’
-
.
, ,

S ha mpooer H o w . n I pay ? ca

M at hu r a Sell you r fa ther and pay

. .

S ha mpooer Whe re c an I get a father ?

.

M at hu r a S ell
. you r mother and pay .

S ha mpooer Where c an I get a mot her

.
?

M at hu ra S ell you rself and pay

. .

S ha mpooer H ave merc y ! Lead me to the king s high way

’
. .

M at hu ra Go ah ead
. .

S ha mpooe r I f it m u st be [ H e wa lks ab o u t ] Gentlemen will yo u

. .
,

b u y me fo r t e n gold pi e ces from this ga mbling ma ster [ H e sees

- ? -

r b an d ll Wh t is th t Y u wish to k n o what
a
pa sse-
y c a s o u t ] a a ? o w
I c ando I will be you r hou se servant Wh at ! he h as gone withou t
? -
.

even answering Well here s another I 11 spea k to him [ H e r e

.
,
’
.
’
.

p ea t s his ofe r ] Wh a t ! this o n e too ta k es no notice o f me H e is .

go ne C onfou nd it ! I ve ha d hard l u ck ever since C haru dat t a lost

.
’

his fortu ne .

M at hu r a Will yo u pa y ?
.

S ha mpooer H o w c a n I pay [ H e fa lls down M at hu r a dr ags him

.
? .

ab ou t ] Good ge n tlemen sa ve me sa ve me ! [ E nt er D a r du r ahd ]

, ,

D a r dnr ah a Yes ga mbling is a kingdom withou t a th ro ne

.
, .
P 6 1 6]
. . TH E S H A M POO E R WH O G A M BLE D 38

Yo u do no t mind defea t at all

G rea t are the su ms yo u spe nd and w in;
W h ile ki ngly revenu es roll in ,

R ich m e n like sla ves before yo u fall

, , .

And aga in
Yo u earnyou r coin by ga mbli ng ,

You r frie nds and wife by gambling ,

Yo u r gift s and food by ga mbling ;

You r last cent goes by gambling .

A nd a aig n
cash w as tak en by the trey ;
My
The deu ce then took my health awa y
The ac e then set me o n the street ;
The fou r complete d my defea t 9 .

H l k b i H re comes M at h u ra o u r sometime
[ e o o s ef o r e h m ] e g am ,

bling master Well as I ca nt escape I think I ll pu t o n my veil

’ ’
-
.
, , .

[ H e m a ke s a ny n u m b er
ofg estu r es wit h his c loa k the nexa mines it ] ,

This c loth is sadly indige nt in thread ;

This lovely cloth lets in a lot o f light ;
This cloth s p rotective power is nearly fle d ;
’

This cloth is pret t y when it s roll ed u p tight ’

.

Yet aft er all what more cou ld a poo r saint do F o r yo u see

,
?
,

O ne foot I ve planted in the sky

’

The other o n the grou nd mu st lie ‘

.

The elevation s rather high ’

B u t the su n st ands it Why ca nt I ?

’
.

Sha mpooer H o w n I pay [ M at /t u m dr ag s him a bou t ]

. ca ?

D a r du r aka Well well what is this I see [ H e a ddresses a by

.
,
?
,

sta nder ] What did yo u sa y sir

.
? This sha mpooer is being m al ,
“

”
trea ted by the gambling master and no o ne will sa ve him I ll
- ?
,
’

sa ve him myself [ H e pr essesfo r wa r d ] Sta nd ba ck stand ba ck !

.
,

‘ A h u mo ro u zly eu ggm t e d rd m nc e t o l ndia nnc e t ic pnc t ic u .

34 A C T TH E S E C ON D

[ H takes a look ] Well if th is is nt tha t swindler M ath u ra And

e ,
’
.

here is the poor sai ntly sh ampooe r ; a saint to be s u re ,

Who does no t h ang with bended head

R igid till set o f su n ,

Wh o do e s no t ru b h is b ac k w it h sand
Till boils begin to ru n ,

Whose shi ns dogs m ay no t bro w se u pon ,

A s they pa ss him in their ra mb ling}

Why shou ld th is ta ll and da inty m an
Be so in love with gambli ng ? 12

Well I m u st pa cify M ath u ra [ H e appr oa c hes ] H o w do yo u do

, .
,

M ath u ra [ M athu ra r et u rns t he g reetin

?
g ]
D a r du r aka Wha t does this mea n
.
?

M at /t u m H e owes me t e ngold pieces

.
-
.

D a r du raka A mere bagatelle !

.

M at hu ra [ P u lling t he rolle d up c lo a k fro m u n d er D a r du r a ka s

’
-
.

am ] L ook ge n tleme
, n look ! The m an ,in the ragged cl oa k ca lls
t e n gold pieces a me re ba gatelle
-
.

D a rdu raka M y good fool dont I risk t e n gold pieces o n a ca st

’
-
.
,

o f the dice ? S u ppose a m a n has mon ey is th at any reason why —

he shou ld pu t it in his b oso m and show it ? B u t yo u ,

You ll lose you r caste you ll lose you r sou l

’
,
’

F o r t e n gold pieces tha t he stole -

,

To kill a m an tha t s sou nd and whole ’

With five good senses in him 18 .

M athu r a Te ngo ld p ieces may be a mere ba gatell e to yo u sir To

.
-
, .

me they are a fort u ne .

D a r du raka Well the n liste nto me Ju st give him t e n more and

.
, .
,

let him go to gambling again .

M athu r a And wh at then?

.

D a r du raka If he wins he w ill pay yo u

.
, .

Se e no te o npage 88 .
36 A C T TH E S E C OND [sa w s

D ar du raka .
[ A
I h ave made an enemy of the infl u entia l
side ]
gambling m aster M ath u ra I had better no t st ay here Besides my
-
. .
,

good frie nd S harvilaka told me th at a yo u ng herdsma n na med

Aryaka has been designated by a soo t hsayer as o u r fu t u re king .

No w everybody in my condition is ru nning aft e r him I think I .

will join myse lf to him .

S ha mpooe r . Tr e mb les as he walks a wa y a nd looks a bou t him] H e re

is ho u se where somebody has left the side doo r open I will go
a -
.

in [ H e enters a nd pe rceives Vasa nt ase na] M adam I th row m y

.
,

self u po nyou r p rotection .

Vasa nt asena H e who throws himself u ponmy p rotectionsh all be

.

safe C lose the doo r girl [ The ma id does so ]

.
, .

S ha mpooe r A creditor madam

.
, .

Vasa nt ase na Y o u m ay open the doo r no w girl

.
, .

Sha mpooe r [ To himself]Ah ! H e r reasons fo r no t fearing a credi

.

t o r are in propo rtio n to h er i nnocence The p roverb is right .

The m anwho knows his strengt h and bears a load

Proportioned t o th at stre ngth no t more no r less , ,

Is safe from stu mbling and from so re distre ss ,

Althou gh he w ander o na dreary road .

Th at means me .

M athu ra [ . Wiping his

e To t he g a mb le r] P ay pay !
ey s .
,

G a mble r While we were q u arre ling with D ardu raka

.
,

m a n esca ped .

M athu ra I broke th at shampooer s nose fo r h im with

’
.

C ome o n! Let s tra ce him by the blood [ The y do so ]

’

G a mble r H e went i nto Vasant a se na s hou se sir

’

. .
,

M athu r a Then that is the e nd of the gold pieces

.
-
.

Ga mble r Let s go to cou rt and lodge a compl ai nt

.
’
.
P . TH E S H A M POO E R WH O G AM BL ED 87

M at hwra The swindler wo u ld lea ve the ho u se and escape No we

. .
,

m u st b esiege him and so ca ptu re him .

[ Vasa nt ase na g i ves M a da nika a sig n]

M ada nika Whe nce are yo u
. w h o are yo u whose so n
, sir o r
?
, sir o r
?

a re o u sir ? o r wh a t is yo u r b u siness sir o r what are yo u afraid o f?

?
y , ,

S ha mpooe r Listen mad a m M y birt hpla ce is P at alipu t ra ma da m

.
, . , .

I am the so nof a hou seholder I practise the trade o fa sh ampooer . .

Vasa nt ase na It is a very dai nty art sir which yo u h ave mast e red
.
, , .

S ha mpooer M ad am as an art I m astered it It h as no w become a

.
, .

mere trade .

M ada nika Yo ur answers are most disconsola te sir Pray co ntinu e

.
, . .

S ha mpooer Yes mad am Wh e n I w as a t home I u sed to hear

.
, .
,

travel ers tell ta les and I w anted to see ne w co u ntries a nd so I

. ,

came here And when I had come here to U jjayini I became the
.
,

se rvant o f a noble gentleman S u ch a h andsome co u rteou s gentle .

,

m a n! When he ga ve money a wa y he did no t boast ; w hen he w as ,

inj u red he forgot it To c u t a long story short : he w as so co u rt eou s

, .

th at he regarded his o wn person as the possession of others and ,

h ad co mpassion o na ll who so u ght his prot ect ion .

M ada nika Who m ay it be tha t adorns U jjayini wi th the virtu es

.

which he has stolen from the object of my mistress desire s ?

’

Vasant ase na Good girl good ! I had the sa me thou ght in mind
. . , .

M a da nika B u t to co nti nu e sir

.
,

S ha mpooer M adam he w as so compassiona te and so gene rou s that

.
,

Vasa nt asena H is riches ha ve v anished

.
?

S ha mpooer I did nt say it H o w did yo u gu ess it mada m ?

’
. .
,

Vasa nt asena Wha t wa s there to gu ess Vi rtu e and mo ney seldom

.
?

keep compa ny I n the pools from which m e n cannot dri nk there

.

is so m u ch the more w ater .

M ada nika B u t sir wha t is his na me ?

.
,
88 A C T TH E S E C ON D
Sha mpooer M ada m who does no t know the na me o f this moon
.
,

of the whole world ? H e lives inthe mercha nts q u arte r H e w hose ’

.

name is worthy o f all ho nor is na med C haru dat t a .

Vasa nt ase na [ Jo y/idly risin gf

. r om her sea t ] S ir this ho u se is yo u r ,

o wn Give him a seat girl an

. d ta ke this fan The ge ntleman is
, , .

we ary [ M a da nika does as she is bid]

.

Sha mpooer [ A side ] What ! so m u ch honor beca u se I mentioned

.

C haru dat t a s name ? H ea ven bless yo u C haru da t t a ! Yo u a re t h e

’

only m an inthe world who really li ves All others merely brea the . .

H f ll V n n f ] E n n
’

[ e a s a t asa t ase d s eet o u gh m a d a m e o u gh P ra y , , .

be sea t ed mada m, .

Vasa nt ase nd [ S ea tin g he f

rse l ] Where is he w h o is so richly yo u r
.

W ra
p The good
. m ans wealth con sist s in ki nd
’
l y deeds ;
All other w ea lth is vain and qu ickly flies .

The m an who honors no t his neighbor s needs

'

D oes tha t m a n know what honor signifies ?

Vasant asena B u t to conti nu e .

Sh a mpooe r So I beca me a serv ant in his employ A nd w hen his

. .

wealth w as red u ced to his vi rtu e I beganto live by gambling B u t , .

fate w as cru el and I lost t e n gold pieces

,
-
.

M athu r a I am ru i ned ! I am robbed !

.

Sha mpooer There are the ga m b ling master and the ga mble r look
.
-
,

ing fo r me Y o u have heard my story m ada m The rest is yo u r

.
, .

Vasa nt asena M ada nika the birds fly everywhith e r when the tree
.
,

is shaken in which they h ave their ne sts Go girl and give the .
, ,

gambling master and the gambler t his bracelet And tell them tha t
-
.

this gentlemansends it [ She r emoves a br ac elet fr o m he r a r m a nd

. ,

i e i M d k
'

g v s t t o a a m a]
M ada nika [ Rec eiving t he br a c ele t] Yes m istress [ S he g oes o u t ]
. , .
 TH E S H AM POO E R WH O G AM B LE D 39

M athu r a . ined ! I am robbed !

I am ru

M ada nika I nasm u ch as these t w o are looking u p to heaven and

.
,

sighi ng and chatte ri ng and faste ni ng the ir eyes o n the door I

, , ,

concl u de tha t they m u st be the gambling master and the ga mbler -

.

A
[ pp r oac hing] I sa l u te yo u sir , .

M at hu ra M ay ha ppiness be yo u rs
. .

M ada nika S ir which o f yo u is the gambling master ?

.
,
-

M ath O ma iden fa ir b u t somet hi ng less th a n shy

.
, ,

With re d lip wou nded in love s ardent pla y ’

O n whom is bent th at sweet coq u ettish eye ?

,

F o r whom th at lisp that ste als the heart a way ?

I have nt got any money Y o u 11 ha ve to look somewhere else
’ ’
. .

M a da nika Y o u are certa inly no gambler if yo u ta l k tha t w ay

.
, .

Is there any o ne who owes yo u money ?

M athu ra There is H e owes t e ngold pieces What o f him ?

. .
-
.

M a da nika I nhi s beha lf my m istress sends yo u this bracelet No

. .
,

no ! H e sends it himself .

M at hu ra [ S eizi ng it j oyfully] Well well yo u m ay tell the noble

.
, ,

you th tha t his acco u nt is sq u ared Let him come and seek delight .

[ E xe u nt M athu r a a nd t he g a mb le r .

M ada nika [ R et u r nin

.
g t o Va sa nt asena ] M ist r ess the , gam b ling
m aster and the gambler h ave gone away we ll plea sed -
.

Vasa nt asena G o .
, sir, an
comfort yo u r kinsfolkd .

Sha mpoo er A h mad a m if it m a y be these ha nds w ou ld gladly

.
, , ,

practise their art in yo u r service .

Vasa nt ase na B u t sir he fo r whose sake yo u mastered the art

.
, ,

w ho first received yo u r service he sho u ld ha ve you r service still , .

Sha mpooer [ A side] A ve ry pretty w ay to decline my ser vices

. .

H o w sha ll I repa y h e r ki nd ness ? [ A lo u d] M ad am th u s dishon ,

ore d as a gambler I sha ll become a B u ddhist monk And so

, .
,
40 A C T TH E S E C ON D s .

madam treasu re these words in you r memory : H e was a sha m

,
“

”
o o e r a gambler a B u ddhist mon k
p , , .

Vasa nt asena S ir yo u m u st no t ac t too precipita tely

.
, .

Sha mpooer M ada m my mind is made u p [ H e wa lks ab o u t ]

.
, .

I ga mbled and in gambling I did fa ll

, ,

No w I sha ll show my honest face to all ,

A nd wa lk abroad u po n the king s highway

’

[ T u m u lt u o u s c r ie s behi nd t he s c en es]
Sha mpooer [ L isteni n.
g] Wh a t is th is ? Wh a t is this ?
[ A dd r essing
so me o n e behin d t he scenes] Wha t did yo u say ? Post bre ak er “ -
,

”
Vasa nt a se na s rogu e eleph ant is at li b erty ! H u rrah ! I m u st go
’

an d see the la dy s best elephant No no ! Wh at ha ve I to do with

’
.
,

these things ? I mu st hold to my re solu tion .

[ T h en e n t e r ha sti ly K a m a
p nr a ka hi hl
g y de lig h ted w
, e a r in g g
a o r ,

g eo n s m an t le ]
K a r napu r aka Where is she ? Whe re is my mistress
.
?

M ada nika I nsolent ! Wh at c an it be that so excite s yo u Y o u do

.
?

no t see you r mistress before you r very eyes .

yo u .

Vasa nt asena K am apu raka. yo u r face is beaming What is it ?

, .

K a rnap u r aka [ P r ou dly] Oh mistress ! Y o u missed it ! Y o u did nt

’
.
,

see K am apuraka s heroism to day ! ’

-

Vasa nt asena Wha t K arnapu raka wh at ?

.
, ,

K a r napu r aka Listen Post b reaker my mistress rogu e elepha nt

’
-
. .
, ,

broke the stake he w as tied to killed his keeper and ran into the , ,

street ma king a terrible commotion Y o u shou ld h ave heard the

, .

people shriek ,

Take care of the babies as qu ick as yo u c an , ,

And cl imb u p a ro o f o r a t ree !

 P nu ]
. TH E S H A M POO E R WH O G A M BLE D 41

The elepha nt rogu e wa nts the blood of a m an .

E sca pe ! R u n a wa y ! C a nt yo u see ?
’

they lose their ankle rings !

Ho w -

G irdles set with gems a nd things , ,

B re a k away from fasteni ngs !

As they stu mble trip and bl u nder , , ,

See the bracelets snap as u nder ,

E a ch a ta ngled pe arly wonde r ! 19 ,

And that rogu e of a n eleph ant di ves with his tru nk a nd his feet
and his t u sks into the city of U jjayini as if it were a lotu s po nd ,
-

in fu ll flower At last he comes u pon a B u ddhist monk And

.
l
.

while the mans staff and his water jar and his beggi ng bowl fly
’
- -

every which w ay he drizzles water over him and gets him b e

,

tween his t u sks The people see him and begin t o sh riek again
.
,

”
crying Oh o h the monk is killed !
“
, ,

ness !
K ar be frightened Ju st listen mistress Then
napu r aka D o nt .
’
.
, .
,

w ith a b ig piece of the brokenchaindangling a bou t him he picked ,

him u p picked u p the monk betwee n his tu sks and j u st the n

, ,

K arnapurak a sa w him I saw him no no ! the sla ve wh o grows , , ,

fa t o n my mistress rice ca kes sa w him stu mbled with his left

’
-
,

foot over a gambler s score grabbed u p an ironpole o u t o f a shop

’

, ,

an d challenged the m ad eleph ant

Vasa nt ase na Go o n! Go o n!.

K ar nap I hit him . in a fit o f p assion too —

H e rea lly looked like some grea t mo u nta i n peak .

And from betwee n those tu sks o f his I drew

The sa cred hermit meek .

Vasa nt asena Splendid sple ndid ! B u t go o n!

.
,

K ar naptzr a ka Then mistress all U jjayini tipped over t o o ne side

.
, , ,

1 The shu npo o e r who o e t n nsfo rm at io n is u t o niahingly

. su dde n
.
42 A C T TH E S E C ON D

like a ship loaded u nevenl y and yo u co u ld hear no thing b u t H u r

,

”
ra h h u rra h fo r K a m a irraka l Then mistress a m a n to u ched the
'

, p , ,

places where he o u ght to h ave ornaments a nd finding t hat he , ,

had nt a ny looked u p hea ved a long sigh and th rew this mantle
’

, , ,

Vasa nt ase na Fi nd o u t K am apt rraka whet her the mantle is p

.
, , er»

fu med with j asmine o r no t .

K ar n a u r aka M istress the eleph an t pe rfu me is so stron g th at I

p .
,

cant tell fo r su re
’
.

Vasa nt asena Then look at the na me

. .

K ar napu r aka H e re is the name Y o u m ay rea d it mistress [ H e

. .
, .

ha nds her t he m a nt le ]
Vasa nt asend [ R ea ds] C haru dat t a [ She seizes t he ma nt le eag er ly
. .

an d wr aps it abou t he r ]
M ada nika The ma ntle is very becomi ng to h er K a m apfiraka
.
, .

K a r nap flrak a Oh yes the m ant le is becoming eno u gh

.
, , .

Vasa nt asena H ere is yo u r reward K a m apuraka [ S he g ives him

.
, .

a M ]
K a rnapu r aka [ Takin g.it an
d b ow in g lo w ] N o w the m an tl e is

Vasant asena K a rnapfiraka

. where is C h aru dat t a no w ?
,

K a r nap ur aka H e started to go home alo ng this very st reet

. .

Vasa nt asena C ome girl ! Le t u s go to the u pper balco ny and see

.
,

[ E r c u nt o m nes .
44 AC T TH E T H I R D s
.

M ait r eya Th e re are j u st two things th at a lways ma ke me la u gh

. .

O ne is a wom an ta lking S anskri t and the other is a m anwho tr ies ,

to sing soft and lo w No w whena wom anta lks Sa nsk rit she is like
.
,

a heifer with a n e w rope thro u gh h e r nose ; all yo u hea r is soo “

,

soo , A nd when a m an tries to sing soft a nd lo w he reminds ,

me of anold priest m u tt ering texts while t he flowers inhis cha p let ,

No I don t l ike it !
’

dry p u .
,

Char u dat t a M y fri end M aste r

.
, R e b hila sang most wonderft

The not e s o f love pea ce sw eetness cou ld I trace

, , , ,

The note that t hrills the note of passion too

, ,

The not e of womans loveline ss and grace ’

Ah my poor words add nothing nothing

, ,

B u t as the not es in sweetest ca dence rang ,

I thou ght it w as my hidden love who sang .

The melody of song the stricken strings ,

I n u ndertone that h alf u nco nsciou s clings -

,

M o re clearly sou nding when the p assions rise ,

B u t ever sweeter as the mu sic dies .

Words that strong passionfain wo uld say again ,

Yet checks their second u tterance in v ain; —

F o r m u sic sweet as this liv e s o n u ntil ,

I wa lk as hearing sweetest m u sic still 5 .

M ait r eya B u t see my friend ! The very dogs are sou nd asleep in
.
,

the shops that look o u t o nthe market Le t u s go home [ H e looks . .

bdo re him ] Look look ! The blessed moon seems to give place to
’

darkne ss as she de sce nds from h e r pala ce in hea ven

, .

The moon gives pla ce to darkness as she dips

Beh ind the western mo u nta in; and the tips
Of he r u plift ed ho rns alone appea r ,

Like t w o sh arp pointed tu sks u plift ed clear

-
,
 TH E H OL E I N TH E W A LL 45

Where bathes an elephant in w aters cool ,

Who shows nau ght else a bove the j u ngle pool 6 .

M ait r eya Well here is o u r ho u se Vardh am ana ka Vardh am anaka

.
, .
, ,

Va r dha manaka I hear M aitreya s voice C har u dat t a has ret u rned
’

. . .

I m u st Openthe door fo r him [ H e do es so ] M aster I sa l u te yo u.

, .

M aitrey a I sal u te yo u t o o The cou ch is ready Pra y be se ated

, . . .

M ait r eya Vardh am anak a ca ll Ra danik a to wash

. , feet our .

Char u da t t a [ Co ngrassio
. nat e ly] She sl eeps D o no t w ake h e r . .

Va r dha m ana ka I will bring the wate r M aitreya and yo u

.
, , m ay

M ait r eya [ A ngr ily] Look m an H e a cts like the so n o f a sla ve

.
, .

that he is fo r he is bri ngi ng wa ter B u t he m akes me wash you r

, .

feet , a nd B ra hma n
I am a .

Char u da t t a Good M aitr eya do yo u bri ng the wa ter and Vardha

.
, ,

mana ka sh a ll wash my feet .

Va r dha m anaka Yes M aitrey a D o yo u bring the w a ter [ M a itr eya

.
, . .

Char a da t t a Let water be brou ght fo r the B rahmans feet

.
’
.

M ait r eya What good does water do my feet ? I sh all h ave to roll
.

in the dirt aga in like a beate nass , .

Va r dha manaka M a itreya yo u are a B rahman

.
, .

M ait r eya Yes like a slow worm amo ng all the other snakes so
.
,
-
,

a m I a Bra hma n a mo n g all the other B rahm ans .

Var dha md naka M aitreya I will w ash yo u r feet aft er all [ H e does
.
, .

so ] M aitr eya this golde n casket I w as to keep by da y yo u by

, ,

night T ake it
. .
[ H e g i ves it t o M a it r ey a the n e xi t , .

M ait r eya [ R eceivin h k t ] The thing is he e sti ll Is n the e ’

.
g t e c as e r t r .

a si ngle thief in U jjayini to stea l the wretch th at robs me of my

sleep List en I am going to take it into the inner cou rt
? . .
46 AC T TH E T H I R D s
.

Char u d S u ch la x att e ntion we c an ill a fford

. .

If we are tru sted by a co u rt ezan ,

Then B rahma n prove yo u r self a n honest m an

, , ,

And gu a rd it safely till it be restored , 7 .

[ H e n o d s r ep
, ea ting t he sta nza The melody o f so ng the
“
st rick e n ,

”
st rin gs z a e 44]
p g
M ait r eya A re yo u goi ng to sleep ?
.

C har ada t t a Yes so it seems

.
, .

F o r conqu eri ng sleep descending o n mi ne eyes , ,

First s m ites the brow with u nresisted blow ;

U nsee n el u sive like old age she tries
, , ,

To gather st rength by weakening he r foe .

M ait r eya Then let s go to sleep [ H e does so ]

’
. .

S ha r v I made an entrance fo r my body s rou nd

.
’

By for ce o f art and arms a p ath to deeds ! ,

I ski nned my sides by crawli ng o nthe grou nd ,

Like a snake tha t slo u ghs the skin no longer so u nd

And no w I go where my p rofession lea ds 9 .

[ H e g az es a t t he sk
y J o t ll
yfi y] See ! The. blessed moo n is set ti ng .

F o r w ell I k now ,

M y trade wo u ld fa in from w at c h m e ns eyes be shrou ded

’

Valiant I force the dwelli ng of another

, .

B u t see the sta rs in deepest d ark a re clou ded

, ,

And the night shields me l ike a carefu l mother 10 .

I made a brea ch in the orch ard wall and e ntered And no w I .

m u st force my w ay i nto the i nner cou rt as well .

Yes let m e n call it v u lgar if they will

, , ,

The t rade th at th rives while sleeps the sleepyhead ;

Yes k naver y no t bra very call it still
, , , ,

To overre a ch c o nfiding folk a bed -

.

‘ The fo llo wing sc e ne u tifim t h e Hindu lo ve o f syst c m a nd c lu fl

sl c a t lo n .
P . TH E H OL E IN TH E W A LL 47

better bla me and hissi ng fa irly w o n

F ar , ,

Than the pa y o f ge nu fle c t ing u nderli ngs ;

This antiqu e pa th wa s trod by D ro na s so n ’

Wh o slew the sleeping u nsu specting kings , .

B u t w here sha ll I make the b rea ch ?

Where is the spot which falling drops dec ayed ?

F o r ea ch betraying sou nd is deadened the re .

No ya wning breach sho u ld in the walls be m ade ,

So trea tises o nrobbe ry declare

Where does the palace cru mble ? Where the pla ce
.

Tha t niter eaten bricks false so u ndness wear

- ?

Where sha ll I scape the sight o f wom ans face ?

’ ’

F u lfilment of my wishes waits m e there 12 .

[ H e f eel s t he wa ll ] H ere is a spot wea k ened by co nsta n t su n an d

sprinkling and ea ten by saltpeter ro t And h e re is a pile o f dirt .

thr own u p by a mou se N o w hea ven b e praised ! M y ventu re pro

.

spe rs This is the first signof s u ccess fo r S kan da s so ns Now first

l ’

. / .

o f a ll how sh a ll I m a ke the bre a ch ? 1 t

‘

, Bearer of the
”
Golden Lance ha s p rescribed fou r varieties o f b reach th u s : if ,

the bricks are baked p u ll them o u t ; if they are u nbaked c u t

, ,

them ; if they are made of ea rth wet t hem ; if they a re m ade of ,

wood split them H ere we ha ve baked b ricks ; ergo pu ll o u t the

, .
,

br icks .

No w wha t sh all b e the sha pe I give the b reach ?

” ”
A lot u s “
cistern crescent moo n o r su n
,
“
,
“
,
“

” ” ”
Oblong o r cross o r bu lging pot fo r ea ch
,
“ ?
,
“

The treatises per mit Which o ne which o ne

? ? .

And where sh all I displa y my sovereign skill ,

Tha t inthe mo rning m en m ay wond e r still ? 18

I nthis wa ll o f baked brick s the bu lgi ng pot wo u l d be e fl

” '

ec t ive
“
, .

I will ma ke that .

1 Thc pat ro nu lnt o f t h ie ve s.

‘ Ane ptt h c t o f S kanda .
48 A C T TH E T H I R D

At othe r walls that I ha ve pier ced by night ,

And at my less s u ccessfu l ventu res too ,

The crowd of neighbors gazed by morning light ,

Assigning praise o r bl ame as w as my du e , . 14

Pra ise to the boon conferring go d to S kanda o f immorta l you t h !

-
,

Praise to him the B earer of the Golden L ance the B rahmans

'

, ,

o d the pio u s ! Pra ise to him t h e C hild of the S u n! P ra ise to him

g , , ,

the tea cher o f m agic whose fi rst pu pil I am ! F o r he fou nd ple a

,

su re in m e and ga ve me m agic ointment ,

With which so I anointed be ,

No watchmans eye my form sh all see ; ’

And edged sword th at fa lls o n me

F rom cru el wo u nds sha ll lea ve me free 15 .

[ H e a n oin t s bi m e fi
lf] A l as I ha ve forgotte
, n my mea s u r in g li ne .

[ d
R e c fin g ] A h a ! Th is s a cr ed co rd 1
sha ll be my me a s u rin g li ne .

Yes the sacred cord is a grea t blessing to a B rahma n especia lly to

, ,

on e like me F o r yo u see
.
, ,

With this he mea su res e re he pierce a wall , ,

And picks the lock whenjewels are at sta ke , .

It serves as key to bolted door and h all ,

As to u rniq u et fo r bite of worm and sna ke 16 .

The m ea su ring is do ne I begin my t ask [ H e do es so t Ize nta Ires a

. .
,

lo o /a ] M y breach la cks bu t a single b rick Ala s I a m bitten by a .

,

snake [ H e binds hisfing er with t he sac red c o rd a nd ma mfc ats t he

.
,

wo rkin g fp
s o o iso n ] I h a ve
. a pp li ed the reme d y and n o w I a m re ,

stored [ H e c ontinu es his wor k thenga zes ] Ah there bu rns a c an

.
, ,

dle See !
.

Thou gh jealo u s d ark ness hems it rou nd ,

The golden yellow ca ndle from it s place

-

Shi nes th ro u gh the b rea ch u po n the grou nd ,

Like a streak of gold u po n the tou chstone s face 17 ’

.

l The m i fic m m ' hlc h pasc a o ve r t h e k flaho u lde r m d u nde r t h e rigb t m h wo rnc o n

st a nt ly b y rnc rnbc fl o f t h c t h re e u ppe r c u t ea .
P . TH E H OLE IN TH E W AL L 49

[ H e etu r ns t o his wo rk ] The brea ch is finished Good ! I ente r

r . .

B u t no I will no t enter yet I will shove a d u mmy in [ H e does

, . .

so ]A h no o n
. e is the re Praise be to Skan
, d a ! [ H e e nters a nd looks
.

a b o u t ] See ! Two m e n asleep C ome f o r my o w n p rotection I will

.
,

open the door B u t the hou se is old and the door sq u ea ks I m u st

. .

look fo r wa te r No w where might water be [ H e looks ab o u t finds

.
?
,

wa ter a n d spri nkles t he do or A aai o u sly] I hope it will no t fall

, .

u po n the floor and m ake a n oise C ome this is the w ay [H e p u ts .

, .

his bac k agai n st t he do o r a nd opens it c a u tiou sly] Good ! So m u ch

fo r tha t Now I m u st discover w hether these t w o are feigning

.

sleep o r whethe r they are asleep in the fu llest meaning o f the

,

be asleep in the fu llest mea ning of the te rm F o r see ! .

Their breath first ca lmly rises ere it sink ; ,

Its regu l arity all fear defies .

Unmoving in their socket holes the eye s -

,

Are tightly cl osed and nev er seem to wi nk , .

The limbs rela xed at ease the bodies lie , ,

I see thei r feet beyond the bedstead peep ,

The lighted candl e vexes no t the eye ;

It wou ld if they , 18

[ H e looks a b ou t him ] Wh a t ! a dr u m ? And her e is a fl u te A nd .

here a snare dru m And here a l u te And reed pipes A nd yo n

,
-
. , .
-
.

de r ma nu scripts Is this the hou se of a d ancing master B u t no !

, .
? -

When I entered I w as convinced that this w as a pal atial reside nce

, .

Now the n is this m a n poor in t he fu llest meaning of the term o r

, , ,

from fear of the king o r of thieves does he keep his property ,

bu ried ? Well my o w n property is bu ried too B u t I will scatter

, , .

the seeds that betray s u bterra nean gold [ H e does so ]The sca t . .

t e re d seeds n o where swell u p Ah he is poor in the fu llest mea n .

,

ing of the te rm Good ! I go . .

M aitr eya [ Talking m his sle ep ] Look m an I see somethi ng lik e

. , .
50 AC T TH E T H I R D

a hole in the wa ll I see something like a thief Y o u had b etter

. .

ta ke this golden casket .

S ha m ilaka I wonder if the m a n h as discove red th at I ha ve e n

.

t e re d and is showing o ff his poverty in order to ma ke fu nof me

, .

Sh all I kill him o r is the poor devil ta lking in his sleep [ H e tak es
,
?

a look ] B u t see ! This thin g wrapped ina ragged bath clou t no w -

,

that I inspect it by the light o f my candle is in tru th a jewel ,

casket S u ppose I take it B u t no ! It is hardly p roper to ro b a

. .

m a n o f go o d b irt h w h o is as po o r as I am I go
, . .

M ait r eya M y friend by the wishes o f cows and B rahmans I c o n

.
,
1

j u re yo u to ta ke this golden casket .

S ha r vila ka One m ay no t dis regard the sa c red wish of a c o w and

.

the wish of a B rahman I will ta ke it B u t look ! The re bu rns the

. .

ca ndle I keep ab ou t me a moth fo r the exp ress pu rpose of e xt in

.

g u ishi ng can dles I w ill le t him en.te r the fla me This is his pla ce .

an d ho u r M ay this moth which I here release depart to fl u tter

.
,

a bove the fl ame in v aryin g circles The b re eze from the insect s ’

wings h as transl ated t he fla me i nto accu rsed d arkness O r sha ll I .

no t rather cu rse the darkness bro u ght by me u pon my B rahmanic

family ? F o r my father w as a m an who knew the fou r Vedas w h o ,

wou ld no t a ccept a gilt ; and I Sharvilaka his so n and a B ra h

, , ,

m an I am committing a crime fo r the sa ke o f t h at c o u rt e san girl

,

M adanik a N o w I will grant the B ra hmans wish [ H e r ea c hes o u t

’
. .

o r t he c asket ]
f
M a itr eya H o w cold you r fingers a re m an!
.
,

Sh a rmla lra Wh at ca relessness ! M y fingers are cold from tou ch

'

ing wa ter Well I will pu t my h and in my armp it [ H e wa r ms

.
, .

his left ha nd a nd tak es t he c asket ]

M ait r eya H a ve yo u got it ?
Sha w ila lca I cou ld no t refu se a B rahmans req u est I h a ve it
’

. . .

l sm e d c rc at m e s.
'
52 A C T TH E T H I RD

look ] Wh at ! a woman Good ! I go? .

R ada nika .
[ R ec oiling in terOh oh a thief h as c u t a hole in
r or ] , ,

the wall o f o u r ho u se and is escapi ng I m u st go and wake M ai .

t re ya [ S he appr oa c he s M aitr eya ] Oh M aitreya ge t u p get u p !

.
, , ,

A thief has c u t a hole in the wall o f o u r ho u se and h as escaped .

M aitr eya [ R ising ] Wh at do yo u mea n we nch ? A hole in the

.
,
“

wall has c u t a t hie f and ha s e sc a pe d ?

R ada n iloa Poor fool ! Stop yo u r joking D ont yo u see it

’
.
? .

M ait r eya What do yo u mean wench ? It looks as if a second

.
,
“

”
door ha d beenthrown open Get u p friend C haru dat t a get u p !
?
, ,

A thief has made a hole in the w all of o u r hou se and ha s esca ped .

Char ada t t a Yes yes ! A tru ce to yo u r jests !

.
,

M aitr eya B u t it is nt a jest Look !

’
. .

Char a da t t a Whe re
.
?

M ait r eya Why here

.
, .

Cham da t t a [ Gazin.
g ] Wh at a ve ry remark a ble hole !
The bricks are drawn away below a bove ,

The top is na rrow b u t the ce nte r wide ;

,

As if the grea t hou se hea rt h ad b u rst with p ride

-
,

Fea ri ng lest the u nworthy share its love .

To think that science shou ld be expended o na task like this !

M a it r eya M y friend this hole m u st ha ve been made by o ne o f
.
,

two m en; either by a stra nger o r else fo r p ra ctice by a stu dent

,

of the sc ience of robbery F o r what m an here in U jjayini does

.

no t k now ho w m u ch wea lth there is in o u r ho u se ?

Char u d Stranger he m u st ha ve been who made t h e brea ch
.
,

H is c u stomed har vest in my hou se t o rea p ;

H e h as no t lea rned that v anished riches teach
A ca lm u ntro u bled sleep
, .
P .
TH E H OL E IN TH E WA LL 53

He the sometime greatness of my home

sa w

And forced an e ntra nce ; fo r his heart did leap

With short lived hope ; no w he m u st elsewhere roam
-
,

And over b roken hopes m u st sorely weep 23 .

Ju st think o f the poo r fellow telli ng his friend s: I e ntered the “

”
ho u se of a merch ant s so n and fou nd nothing
’

,
—
.

D o yo u mean to say th at yo u pity the rascally robber ?

H e re s a great ho u se H ere s the pla ce to ca rry o ff

’ ’
—
“
.

”
o r a gold ca sket [ H e r e
-
m emb er s t he c as
.ket D e .

th at golde n casket ? [ H e r em emb e r s

nig ht A lo u d ] Look m a n! Y o u are always say
.
,

”
a fool M a itrey a is n ,o schola r B u t I certainly .

ha ndi ng over th at golden ca sket to yo u If I .

o f a sl a ve wou ld h a ve ca rried it o ff .

tru ce to you r je st s l
beca u se I m a fool do yo u su ppose I dont even
’

,
’

an d time fo r a jest ?

t when did this h appen ?

you r fingers w ere cold .

My friend I have something pl ea sant to tell yo u

, .

M ait r eya Wh at Was nt it stolen?

’
.
?

Charu da t t a Yes . .

M aitr eya Wh at is the pleasant news then

.
?
,

Char u da t t a The fact tha t he did no t go away disappoi nted

. .

M ait r eya B u t it w as only entru sted t o o u r care

. .

Cham da t t a Wh at ! e ntru sted to o u r care ? [ H e m o o ns ]

.

M a it r eya C ome to you rself m an Is the fa ct th at a thief stole what

.
, .

was e ntru sted to yo u any reaso n why yo u shou ld sw oon

,
?

Cham da t t a [ Coming t o himself]Ah my friend

.
, ,
54 AC T TH E T H I R D 3 .

Who will believe the tru t h ?

S u spicion no w is s u re .

This world will show no ru th

To the inglo rio u s poor .

I f enviou s fate before

H as wooed my wealth alone ,

Wh y shou l d she seek my store

Of virtu e as her o w n ? 25

M ait r eya I intend to deny the whole thing Who gave a nybody
. .

anythi ng w ho received anythi ng from anybody w ho was a wit

? ?

ness ?

Char u da t t a And sh all I tell a falsehood no w

.
?

No l I w ill b e g u nt il l e ar n
The wherewithal my debt to pay .

Ignoble fa lsehood I will spt nn '

Th at stea ls the character a way .

Ra da nika . I w ill go a nd t e ll his go o d wife [ S he g o es o u t .

, r et u r ni ng

Wife .
[ A nxi ou sly] Oh ! Is it tru e tha t my lord is u ninj u red and ,

R a da nika It is tru e mistre ss B u t the gems which belong to the

.
, .

c o u rt esanha ve beenstolen [ Char u da t t a s wi e m oon

f O my good ’
s ]
.

mistress ! C ome to yo u rself !

Wife [ R ecovering ] Girl how c a nyo u say tha t my lord is u nin
.
-
.
,

j u red ? Better th at he were inj u red in body th an in chara cter F o r .

no w the people of U jjayini will say th at my lord co m mitted this

crime becau se o f his poverty [ She lo oks up and sighs ]Ah mighty
.
,

Fate ! The destinies of the poor u nce rta inas the wa ter drops which ,
-

fall u po na lot u s lea f seem to thee b u t pla ythings There

-
, .

to me this o ne neckla ce which I bro u ght with me from my m o

,

t he r s hou se B u t my lord wo u l d b e too p ro u d to accept it G irl

’

. .
,

ca ll M ait reya hither .

new ] TH E H OL E IN TH E W A LL 55

my lady su mmo ns yo u .

M a itr eya Wh e re is she

.
?

R ada nika H e re C ome ! . .

M ait r eya [ Approa c hin

.
g ] H ea ve n bless yo u !
lVife I sa lu te yo u sir S ir will yo u look stra ight in front o f yo u
.
, .
,
?

M ait r eya M ad am here sta nds a m an who looks straight in fro nt

.
,

o f him .

Wfei . m u st accept this

S ir , yo u .

M a it r eya Why ? .

Wife I ha ve observ ed the C eremony of the Gems And o n this

’
. .

occa sion o ne m u st make as grea t a prese nt as o ne m ay t o a B rah

m a n This I ha ve no t done therefore pra y a ccept this neckla ce
.
, .

M a it r eya [ R eceiving t he nec kla c e ] H ea ven bless yo u ! I will go

.

an d tell my frie nd .

Wife Y o u m u st no t do it in s u ch a w ay as to make me blu sh

.
,

M aitrey a .

Char u da t t a H o w M aitr eya lingers ! I

. tru st his grief is no t le ading
him to do wha t he ou ght no t . M aitreya M aitre ya !
,

Cham da t t a .Wh at is this ?

M ait r eya . Why tha t is the reward

, yo u ge t fo r marrying s u ch a

Wh a t ! my wife ta kes pity o n me ? Alas no w ,

Wh n fat e so ro b s him o f his all

e ,

That o n he r pity he m u st ca ll ,

The m a n to womans sta te doth fa ll ’

The woman is the m a n .

56 A C T TH E T H I R D

B u t no , I no t
poor F o r I h ave a wife
am .

Whose love o u tlasts my wea lthy day ;

I n thee a fri e nd th ro u gh good a nd ill
And tru th th at nau ght co u ld ta ke awa y
Ah this the poo r m an lacketh still
, 28 .

M aitreya ta ke the ne ckl ace and go to V asant a se na Tell h er in

, .

my na me th at we ha ve ga mbled away the golden casket forget ,

ting tha t it w as no t o u r o w n; that we tru st she will a ccept this

neckla ce in its pla ce .

M ait r eya B u t yo u m u st no t give a way this neckla ce the pri de o f

.
,

the fo u r seas fo r th at cheap thing th at w as stolen before w e h ad

,

a bite o r a dr in k o u t of it .

Charu da t t a N o t so my friend
.
, .

She sho wed h er tru st in lea ving u s her treasu re

The price of confidence has no less measu re 29 .

F riend I conj u re yo u by this gest u re no t to retu rn u ntil yo u

, ,

ha ve delivered it int o h e r ha nds Vardham anaka do yo u speedily .

,

F ill u p the opening with the selfsame bricks ;

Th u s will I thwart the p rocess of the la w ,

F o r the b lemish o f so grea t a s c anda l sticks 30 .

And fri end M aitreya yo u mu st show you r p ride by no t spe aking

, ,

too de spondently .

Poor I am no t my friend F o r I have a wife

Char a da t t a .
, .

Whose lov e ou tlasts my wealthy day ;

I nthee a friend throu gh good and ill
And tru th that nau ght co u ld ta ke a way
Ah this the poor m an lacketh still
, ( )
2 8 .

Go then and aft er performing rites o f pu rifi c ation I will o fle r

,
’
,

[ E xe u nt om ne s .
 A C T TH E FO UR T H

M ADANI KA AN D SHAR VI LAK A

AM entru st e d with a m e ssage fo r my mistress by he r mother .

H ere is m y m ist re ss S he is gazing at a pic t u re and is t a lking

.

wit h M adanika I will go to h e r [ S he wa lks abou t The n e nt er

. . .

Vasa nt ase na , as desc r ibe d, a nd M ada nika ]

Vasa nt a sena M adanika . girl is this portrait reall y
, like C ham
da tta ?
M a da m ka Very
'

like
. .

Vasa nt asena H o w do yo u know ?

.

M ada nika Beca u se my mistress eyes

.
’
are fast ened so lovingly
u po n it .

cou rtesy dema nds it ?

M ada nika B u t mistress is the co u rtesy of a girl w ho live s in a

. ,

cou rt ezans hou se necessarily false ?

’

Vasa nt asena G irl co u rtezans meet so many kinds o f m e n that

.
,

they do learn a false co u rtesy .

M a da t rike B u t whenthe eyes o f my mistress find su ch delight in

/ .

a thin g and h e r h e art too wha t need is there to ask the reason?
, ,

Vasa nt ase na B u t I shou l d no t like to h ave my fri ends la u gh at me

. .

M a da n ika Yo u need no t b e a frai d Women u nderst a nd wome n

. . .

M aid [ App roac hing ] M istress you r mot her sends word th at a
.
,

covered cart is waiting at the side door and that yo u are to ta ke -

,

Vasa nt asena Tell me is it C haru dat t a who invites me ?

.
,

M aid . M istress the m anwho sent ornaments w orth t e n thou sand

,
58 AC T TH E FO UR T H (sa s s .

Vasa nt asena Is who ? .

M aid Is the king s brot her in la w Sanst hanaka

’
- -
.
, .

Vasa nt asena [ I ndigna nt ly ] Go ! and never come again o n su ch

.

an errand .

M aid D o no t be angry mistress I w as only sent with the message

.
, . .

Vasa nt asena B u t it is the m essage w hich makes me angry

. .

M aid B u t wh at shall I tell you r mother

.
?

Vasa nt ase na Tell my mot her never to send me another su ch

.

message u nless she wishes to kill me

, .

[ E nter S ha r vihzka ]
S ha r v Blame fo r my sin I laid u pon the night ;
.

I conqu ered sleep and watchme no f the king

B u t d arkness wanes and in the s u ns clear light
’

M y light is like the moons a fa ded thing

’
—
.

And again:
Whoever ca st at me a passing look ,

Or neared me anxiou s as they qu ickly ran

, , ,

All su ch my laden sou l fo r foes mistook

F o r sin it w as wherein mans fear bega n
’
.

Well it w as fo r M adanika s sake that I did the deed of sin

,
’
.

I pa id no heed to any o ne who ta lked with ser ving m e n; -

The ho u ses ru led by womenfolk these I a voided most ; - —

And when policemen seemed to ha ve me a lmost in their ke n ,

I stood stock still and acted j u st exa ctly lik e a post

-
.

A h u ndred su ch manoe u vre s did I constantly essay ,

And by s u ch mea ns su ccee ded in tu rning night to da y .

[ H e w alks a bou t ]
Vasa nt asena Gi rl la y this pictu re o n my sofa and come ba ck at
.
,

once with a fa n .

M ada nika Yes mistress

.
, .

fi a r vila ka T h is is Vasant a se na s hou se I will e nter [ H e does ao ]

’
. . . .
60 AC T TH E FO U R T H

my timid maid last night

F o r yo u , ,

I did the deed of sin . 5

Vasa nt ase na H is fa ce is tranqu il It wou ld b e tro u b led

. .
, if he had

M a da nika .Oh S harvilaka ! F o r a mere nothing fo r a w oman

,
—

y o u ha ve ris k ed both things !

S ha r vilaka Wha t things ?
.

M ada nika Yo u r life and you r characte r

. .

Sha nn la ka M y foolish girl fort u ne favors the brave

.
, .

M a da nika Oh S harvilaka ! Yo u r c haracter w as wi t hou t a sta in

.
, .

Yo u did nt do anythi ng very b ad did yo u w henfo r my sake yo u

’

, ,

did the deed of sin?

S ho r v The gems th at m agnify a womans ch arm
’
.
,

As flowers the creepi ng plant I do no t h arm , .

I do no t ro b t h e B rahman of his pelf ,

No r seize the sacrifici al gold myself .

I do no t stea l the baby from the nu rse ,

Simply bec a u se I need to fill my p urse .

E venas a thief I strive with ma in and might

,

F o r j u st d ist inction tw ixt the wrong and right

’
.

And so yo u m ay tell Vasant a se na th is :

These ornaments were made fo r yo u to do n ,

Or so it seems to me ;
B u t as yo u love me never pu t them o n ,

Where other folks m a y see . 7

M ada/nika B u t S harvilaka or na ments that nob ody m ay see and
.
, ,

a cou rtezan the two things do no t hang together G ive me t h e

—
.

jewels I want t o see them

. .

Sha r vilaka H ere they are [ H e g ives the m t o he r with some u n

. .

t hese b efore . Tell me Where

. did yo u ge t t he m ?
P . M AD AN I K A A ND S H A R VI LA K A 61

S ha rv ila ka .What does tha t ma tte r to yo u M adan T ake them

, ika ? .

M ada nika [ A ng r ily] If yo u cant tru st me why do yo u wish t o

’
.
,

b u y my freedom ?
Sha rvilak a Well this morning I h eard in the merchants q u arter
’
. ,

that the merch ant C h aru dat t a

[ V a sa nt a se na and M a da n ika sw oo n]
M lak a M adanika! C ome to you r self ! Why is it th at no w
.

You r figu re seems to melt in limp despa ir ,

You r eyes are wildly rolling here and there ?

That when I come sweet girl to make yo u fre e

, , ,

Y o u fall to trembli ng no t to pitying me ?, 8

M ada nika [ Co min t h e rself] O yo u reckless m an! When o u

.
g o y
did what yo u ou ght no t to ha ve done fo r my sake yo u did nt kill ,
’

an ybody o r h u rt anybody intha t hou se ?

Sha r vilaka M adanika S harvilaka does no t strike a terrified m an
.
,

o r a m a n a sleep I did n. o t kill a nybody no r h u rt anybody .

S ha r vilaka Re ally
. .

Vasa nt ase na .
[ R ec ove ri n
g c onsciou sness] Ah I breathe again
, .

M
”
laka [Jeal ou sly] Wha t does this
.
“
T hank hea ven mean ,

M a danik a?
I sinned fo r yo u when love had made me pine
, ,

Alt hou gh my ho u se w as good since time began;

Love took my virtu e b u t my pride is mine , .

Yo u ca ll me fri end and love anothe r m an?

[ M ea n
i n l
g y] A noble yo u th is like a goo dly tree ;
H is wea lth the fru it so fai r ;
,

The cou rtezan is like a bird ; fo r sh e

P ee ks h im and le a ves him bare .

Love is a fire whose fl ame is l u st, ,

Whose fu el is ga lla ntry ,

62 A C T TH E FO U R T H (sa ws
.

Where in o u r yo u th a nd riches m u st
Th u s sa c rificed be .

Vasa nt asena [ Wit h a smile ] H is excitement is a little

. out

pla ce .

S ha rvila ka Yes !
.

Those m e nare fools it seems to me , ,

Who tru st to women o r to gold ;

F o r gold and girls t is pla in to see
’

, ,

Are false as vi rgi n snakes and cold .

Love no t a woma n; if yo u ev er do ,

She mocks a t yo u and pla ys the gay deceiver

,

Yet if she loves yo u yo u m ay love her too ;

,

B u t if she does nt lea ve h e r

’

, .

To o tru e it is that
A cou rtezan will la u gh and c ry fo r gold
She tru st s yo u no t b u t w aits yo u r tru stfu l ho u r
, .

If virtu e a nd a na me a re you rs the n hold ! ,

Avoid h e r as yo u wou ld a gra veya rd flower .

And again .

As fickl e as the billows of the sea ,

Glowing no longe r th an the eve ning sky ,

A woman takes yo u r gold then lea ves yo u free,

Y o u re w orthless like cosmetics whe n yo u t e

’ ’

, ,

Yes wome n a re indeed fickle

, .

O ne m an per ha ps m ay hold h e r heart in tru st ,

She lu res another with coqu ettish eyes ,

Sports with another in u nseeml y l u st ,

A nother yet h e r body sa tisfies .

As some o ne has well said

O nmou nta i n tops no lot u ses are grown
-

The horse s yoke no ass will ever he ar ;

’

R ice never sp rings from seeds o f ba rley so wn

A co u rte zan is no t an honest fa ir .
P . M AD AN I K A A ND S H A R V I LA K A 63

A cc u rsed C haru dat t a yo u shall no t live ! [ H e ta kes a fe w steps]

,

M a da nikd [ S eizi ng t he he m of his g a rment ] O yo u foolish m an!

.

You r anger is so ridicu lou s .

n
S ha n la ka R idic u lou s
.
? ho w so ?

M ada nika . Beca u se these jew els belong to my mistress .

S ha r vila ka . And wh at then?

M a da nika . A nd she le ft them w ith that gentleman .

M a da nika [ . Wip ers ] Th a t ’

s why .

The su nw as hot o ne su mmer day

I so u ght the sh adow there to sta y ,

Poor fool ! the kindly branch to pay ,

I st ole its shel te ring leaves away .

Vasa nt ase na H o w sorry he seems S u rely he did this

. .
,

ignorance .

S ha m rila ka Wh at is to b e done no w M ada n

. ika ?
,

M ada nika Yo u r o wn wit shou ld tell yo u that

. .

S ha r vila ka No F o r yo u m u st remember
. .
,

N atu re herself gives women w it ;

M e n learn from books a little bit .

M ada nika S ha rvilak a if yo u w ill ta ke my advice restore

.
, ,

S ha r vila ka B u t M ada nika

. wh at if he shou ld prosecu te me
,
?

M a da nika No cru el hea t comes from the moo n

. .

Vasa nt ase na Good M adanika good !

.
, ,

S ha r vilaka M adanikfi, .

what I did I feel no grief no r fea r

Fo r ,

Why tell me of this good mans virtu es high ? ’

Shame fo r my base ness to u ches me more near ;

What c an this ki ng do to su ch rogu es as l ?
64 A C T TH E FO U R T H (u re a

Neverthel ess yo u r su ggestion is inco nsistent with pr u dence Y o u

, .

m u st discover some other plan .

M ada nika Yes there is another pla n

.
, .

Vasa nt asena I wonder wh at it wi ll be

. .

M ada nika P retend to be a serv ant of th at gentleman and give

.
,

the jewels to my mistress .

S hm ila ka A nd what then

.
?

M ada nika Then yo u are no thief C h aru dat t a has discharged his
.
,

obligation and my mistress has h e r jewels

, .

S ha r vila ka B u t is nt this co u rse too reckless

’
.
?

M ada n ika I tell yo u give them to h er Any other cou rse is too
.
, .

reckless .

Vasa nt ase na Good M adan .ika good ! Spoken like a free woman
, , .

S ha rvilaka R ise nat l ast is wisdom s light

’
.
,

Becau se I followed aft er yo u ;

Wh en clou ds obscu re the moon by night ,

T is ha rd t o find id
’
a gu e so t ru e . 21

M ada nika Thenyo u m u st w ait here a moment in K ama s shrine

.
’

while I tell my mistr ess th at yo u h a ve come .

S ha rv ilaka I wi ll . .

M ada nika [ Appr oac hes Vasa nt asena] M istress a B rahma n h a s

.
,

come from C haru dat t a to see yo u .

Vasa nt asena B u t girl how do yo u know that he comes from

.
,

C h aru da t t a ?

M ada nika Shou ld I no t k now my o wn mist ress

.
,
?

Vasa nt asena .
[ S ha ki ng he r hea d a nd smili ng . A side ] Splendi d !
[ A lo u dBid him enter
] .

M a da nika Yes mistress [ App r oac hi n

.
g
, S ha r vilak a ]E n te r S h ar
.
,

vil ak a.

Sha rvilaka [ Am m a c hes lVit h so me emb a rr assme n

. t ] M y gre et
ings to yo u .
P . M AD AN I K A A N D S H AR V I LA K A 65

Vasa nt asena I salu te yo u sir Pray be sea ted

. , . .

S ha rv ilaka The mercha nt sends this message : M y hou se is so

.
“

”
old tha t it is ha rd to keep t h is casket sa fe Pra y ta ke it ba ck . .

[ H e g ive s it t o M ad a nika a nd st ar ts t o le a,ve]

Vasa nt asena S ir will yo u u ndertake a retu rncomm issionof mine
.
,
?

S ha r vila ka [ A side ] Who w ill ca rry it ? [ A lo u d] And this com

.

rm ss1o n 1s
Vasa nt asena Y o u will be good eno u gh to accept M adanika
. .

S ha r vila ka M adam I do no t qu ite u ndersta nd

.
, .

Vasa nt asena B u t I do . .

S ha r vila ka H o w so ?
.

Va sa nt asena C h aru dat t a told me th at I was to give M adanika to

.

the m a n who shou ld retu rn these jewels Yo u are therefore to .

un dersta nd th at he makes yo u a present o f h e r .

S ha rvilaka [ Aside ] Ah she sees th rou gh me [ A lou d] Good

.
, .
,

C haru dat t a good ! ,

O n virt u e only set yo u r heart s desi re ;

’

The righteou s poor atta into heights whereto

The wicked wealthy never m ay aspire .

let the h u m an heart be set

O n virtu e
To v irtu e nothing serves as check o r let .

The moon atta ining u na tt ai nable is led

, ,

By virtu e to he r seat o n Shiva s hea d 23

’
.

Vasa nt asend Is my d river there [ E nt er a serva nt wit h a bu llo c k

.
?

c a r t]

S e rvant M ist ress the cart is rea dy

.
, .

Vasa nt asen a M adan i ka gi rl yo u m u st show me a ha ppy fa ce

.
, .

Y o u are free E nter the bu llock cart B u t do no t forget me

.
-
. .

M ada nika [ Weeping ] M y mist ress d rives me a wa y [ S he fa lls a t

. .

he r feet]
Va sa nt asena Y o u are no w the o ne to whom honor shou ld be
.
66 AC T TH E FO U R T H
paid Go then e nte r the cart B u t do no t forget me
.
‘
, . .

Sha r vilaka H e a ven bless yo u ! a nd yo u M adanika

.
, ,

T u rn u pon h e r a happy face ,

And ha il with bended head the grace

Tha t gives yo u no w the name o f wife ,

As a ve il t o ke e p yo u safe t h ro u gh life .

A oic e behind t he sc enes M e n! M en! We have the following

v .

orders from the chief o f police A soothsayer has declared tha t .

“

a you n g herdsmannamed A ryaka 15 to become king Tru sting to .

this p rophecy and alarmed thereat King Palaka has tak e n him
, ,

from his h amlet and thrown him i nto strict confinement There
, .

”
fore be wa tch fu l and every m an at his post , .

S ha rvila ka [ L istenin g ].Wh a t ! Ki ng P al ak a h as imp riso ned my

good friend Aryaka And here I am a married m an C onfou nd it !
?
, .

B u t no ,
things alone his friend his wife
Two —

D eser ve ma ns love below ;

’

A h u nd red brides m ay forfeit life

E re he shou ld su fle r so
’

Good ! I will get o u t [ H e do es so ] .

M ada nika [ F olding her ha nds Tea ifu lly] M y lord if yo u m u st

. .
, ,

at l e ast brin g me first to you r parents .

S ha w ila ka Yes my love I wil l I had the sa me thou ght in mind

.
, , . .

[ To t he se r va nt M
] y good fellow do y o u k now the ho u se of the ,

merch ant R e b hila ?

Sha n la ka n . B ring my w ife thither .

M a da nika If yo u desi re it dear B u t d ear yo u m u st be very

.
, .
,

carefu l .

1 Tha t ia t o say , Yo n are no w a le gal

-
wif
e, w h ilc l a m st ill a c o u rt c u n
.
68 AC T TH E FO U R T H 8 .

they fl u tter in the breeze and seem to invite me to enter B oth .

sides are decorated with holida y wa te r j ars o f cryst a l which a re -

,

charming with their bright gre en mango twigs and are set at the -
,

foot of the pillars th at s u sta in the porta l The doors are o f gold .
,

thickly set with dia monds as hard to pi e rce as a gia nt s breast ’

.

It actu ally wearies a poor devil s e nvy Yes Vasant ase na s hou se ’
.
,
’

door is a bea u tifu l thing Re a lly it forcibly challenges the atten

. ,

tion of a m a n wh o does nt care abou t s u ch things ’

.

M aid C ome sir and ente r the first cou rt

.
, , b y h . .

M ait r eya [ E nt ers a nd looks abou t ]

. H ere inthe first co u r t
are rows o f ba lco n ies brilliant as the moo n o r as sea shells o r as ,
-
,

lotu s st alks ; whitened by handfu ls of powder strewn over them ;

-

gleaming with goldensta irwa ys i nla id with all sorts of gems : they
seem to gaz e down o nU jjayini with their ro u nd fa ces the cryst a l
’

windows from which strings o f pearls are dangli ng The porte r sits
, .

there and s noozes as comfort ably as a professor The crows wh ich .

they tempt with rice gru el and c u rdled m ilk will no t e a t the
-

offering bec au se they cant distingu ish it from the morta r Show
,
’

me the way madam ,

M a id C ome sir and enter the second co u rt

.
, , .

M ait r eya [ E nte rs a nd looks a bou t ]

. H ere in the seco nd
cou rt the cart b u llocks are tied They grow fat o n mou thfu ls o f
- .

grass and p u lse sta lks which are brou ght them right and le ft by
-
, ,

everybody Their horns are smeared with o il And here is another

. .
,

a bufl alo snorting like a ge ntlem an insu lted And he re is a ram

’
‘
.
,

ha ving his neck ru bbed like a prize fight e r after the fight A nd
,
-
.

here are others horses h aving their m anes pu t insha pe And h e re

, .

in a sta ll is another a monkey tied fa st like a thief [ H e looks in

, ,

an othe r dir ec t ion]A nd he re is aneleph ant ta king from his drive rs ,

a ca ke of rice a n d d rippings and o il Show me the w ay ma da m .

, .

M a id C ome sir a nd enter the third co u rt

.
, , .

M ait reya [ E nt e rs a nd lo oks abou t]

. H ere inthe third co u rt
“
R m in I ndi
a c mm nly t in d t fight W
a are o o ra e o .
”
ru o u .
P . M AD ANI K A A ND S H A R V I LAK A 69

are th e se seats p repa red fo r you ng gentlemen to sit o n A h al f

, .

rea d book is lyi n g o n the ga ming ta ble And the ta ble itself has -
.

its o w ndice mad e o u t of gem s And here agai n are cou rt ezans
, .
, ,

an d o ld ha ngers o u at cou rt pa st ma ste rs inthe w ar and pea ce o f

-
,

love w andering ab ou t and holdi ng intheir fi ngers pictu res painted

,

in many colors Show me the w ay ma dam .

, .

M aid C ome sir and enter the fou rth cou rt

.
, , .

M a it r eya [ E nters a nd looks a bo u t ] Well ! H ere in the fou rth

.

co u rt the dru ms th at ma iden fingers beat are b ooming like the

th u nder ; the cymba ls are falling as the sta rs fall from hea venwhen ,

their merit is exh au st e d ; the pipe is disco u rsing m u sic as sweet

1

as the h u mmin g of bees A nd here again is a l u te th a t somebody

.
, ,

is holding o n his la p like a girl who is excited by jea lou sy and

love and he is stroking it with his fingers A nd here again are
, .
, ,

cou rtezan girls th at sing as cha rmingly as honey dr u nken bees -

,

an d they a re mad e to da nce and recite a dram a with love in it .

And water coolers are h anging in the w indows so as to ca t ch the

-

breeze Show me the w ay madam

.
, .

M ai d C ome sir and enter the fift h cou rt

. , , .

M ait r eya [ E nt ers a nd lo oks a bou t] Well ! H ere in t he fift h cou rt

.

the ove rpoweri ng smell of asafet ida and oil is attract ive enou gh
t o m ake a poo r devil s mou th water The kitchen is kept h o t all
’
.

the ti m e and the gu sts of steam laden with all sorts o f go o d

, ,

sme lls seem like sighs issu ing from its mou th like doors The
,
-
.

smell of the p repara tiono f all kinds o f foods an d sau ces mak e s me
sma ck my lips And here agai n is a bu tcher s boy washing a mess
.
, ,
’

of chitterlings as if it were an old loin clot h The cook is prepar -

.

ing every kind o f food Sweetmea ts are being constru cted ca kes
.
,

are be in g baked [ To himselfi]I w o nder if I am t o get a c hanc e to

.

wash my feet and a n invitation to e at wh a t I c a n hold [ H e looks

in a nother dir ec tion] There are cou rte zan
.

s and bastard pages ,

1 Virt u m m fl de a t h m a y b e c o m e st a ra ; b u t w he n t hd r
so r a aft e r st e llar ha ppinm u lm h t h e

su m d t b c ir ac q u ire d m e rit , t he y fall t o ea rt h again .

70 A C T TH E FO UR T H

ad ro ned with any nu mber of jewels j u st like G an an d , dharvas l

A psarases R ea lly this hou se is hea ven Tell me who

2
.
,
yo u .
,

b asta rds anyway ?

P ag es Why we are ba sta rd p ag es
.
,

Pett ed in a strange r s cou rt ’

Fed o n stranger s food ’

S tranger s money makes u s sport

’

Not so very good .

S trange r womenga ve u s birth ,

Stranger m e n b egot
B aby elepha nts in mirth ,

We t e a bastard lot ’
.

M ait r eya Show me the w ay ma dam

.
, .

M aid C ome sir and enter the sixth co u rt

.
, , .

M ait r eya [ E nt er s a nd lo oks abo u t] Well ! H ere in the

.

cou rt they are worki ng in gold and jewels The arc hes set w ith .

sapphires look as if they were the h ome of t h e rainbow The jew .

e le rs are testing the la pis lazu li the pearls the cora ls the topazes , , , ,

the sapp h ire s the cat s eyes “ the ru b ie s the emeralds and all the
’
-
, , ,

other kinds o f gems R u bies are bei ng set in gold Golde n orna
. .

ments are being fashioned Pearls are bei ng stru ng o na re d co rd . .

Pieces of lap is lazu li are being cleverly polished Shells are being .

p ierced C orals are being grou nd Wet bu ndl e s of saffronare b e

. .

ing dried M u sk is b eing moistened Sand alwood is b eing gro u nd

. .

t o make sandal water Perfu mes are being compo u nded Betel
-
. .

leaves and ca mphor are being givent o co u rtezans and their love rs .

C oqu ettish glance s are be ing exch anged La u ghte r is going o n . .

Wine is being dm nk incessantly with so u nds o f glee H ere are .

m e n servants here a re maid serv ants and here are m e n who fo r

-
,
-
,

get child and wife and money When the cou rtezans wh o ha ve .
,

dru nk the wi ne from the liqu or j ars give them the mitten they -
, ,

d rink Show me the w ay mada m

.
, .

1 The ch o rist e rs o f h vn
ea e . The ny m ph s o f h vnea e .
72 A C T TH E FO U R T H

[ H e looks in a not he r dir ec t ion

] B u t mad am who is that in the ,

expansive garment sitting o n the th rone She has shoes o n h e r

?
,

greasy feet .

M aid S ir tha t is my mistress mother

’
.
, .

M ait r eya Lord ! Wh at an exte nsive belly the dirty o ld witch ha s

.

got ! I s u ppose they co u ld nt pu t th at s u perb po rtal o n the hou se

’

till aft e r they had bro u ght the idol in ?

M aid Ra sca l ! Y o u m u st no t make fu n o f o u r mot her so She t s

. .

pining awa y u nder a q u arta nagu e .

M ait r eya [ B u r sts o u t la u g hing ] O thou blessed q u artan agu e !

.

Look thou u pon a B rahman even u pon me with this thy fa vor ! , ,

M aid Ra sca l ! M ay death strike yo u

. .

M ait r eya [ B u r sts o u t la u g hing ] Why wench a po t b elly like

.
, ,
-

that is bet ter dead .

D ri nking brandy ru m and wine , , ,

M other fell extremely ill .

If mother no w shou ld peak and pi ne ,

A j ack al pack wo u ld ha ve it s fill -

.

Well I ha ve seen Vasant a se na s pa lace with its many

,
’

an d its eight cou rt s and rea lly it seems as if I had seen the triple
, ,

heaven m a nu t shell I h ave nt the eloq u ence to p raise 1t [I

-
.
’

M a piece o f K u b e ra s pd a ce Where s
’ ’
l ?

you r mist ress ?

M aid She is here in the orchard E nter sir

. .
, .

M ait r eya [ E nters a nd looks a bou t] Well ! Wh at a bea u tifu l o r

.

ch ard ! There are any nu mber o f trees pl anted here and they are ,

covered with the most wond e rfu l flowers Silken swings are h u ng .

un der the thi ck set trees j u st big enou gh fo r a girl to sit in Th e

-
, .

goldenj asmine the she phalika the white j asmine the jessa mi ne
, , , ,

the navam all ika the amaranth the spring creepe r and all the other
, , ,

flow ers h ave fall enof themsel ves and really it m akes I ndra s he a , ,
'

Th e go d o f w ea lt h .
P . M A D AN I K A A ND S H A R V I LAK A 73

ve di ngy [ H e looks ina nothe r dir ectio n] And the pond here
nlook .

looks like the morning tw ilight fo r the lilies and re d lotu ses are ,

as sp le ndid as the rising su n And again .

The ashoka tree whose twigs so merry -

,

And c rimso n flowers ha ve j u st appea re d ,

Seems like a battling m ercenary ,

With clotting crimso ngore besmeared .

Good ! No w whe re s you r mistress ? ’

M aid If yo u wou ld stop st a ngazing sir yo u wou l d see he r

. , , .

y o u !
Vasa nt ase na [ Speakin
g
. in S ansk ri t ] A h M ait rey a ! [ R ising , ]Yo u

are ver y we lcome H e re is a sea t Pray b e se a ted

. . .

M a it r eya . When yo u are seated mada m [ They both

, . sent the m
s lv s
e e]
Vasa nt asena Is the merch ant s so nw el l ?
’

M ait r eya Well ma da m

.
, .

Vasa nt ase na Tell me go od M aitreya

.
, ,

D o friends like birds ye t se ek a shelter fre e

, ,

Benea th the modest bou ghs o f this fa ir tree ,

Whose lea ves are virtu es confidence its root , ,

Its blossoms honor good its precio u s fru it ? 32 ,

M a it r eya [ A side ] A good description by a na u ghty woman

. .

[ A lo u d ] They do indeed , .

Vasant asena Tell me wh at is the pu rpose of you r coming ?

.
,

M ait r eya Listen m adam The excell e nt Charu dat t a folds his
.
, .

h ands and requ ests

2

Vasamt asena [ F oldin .

g he r ha n
d s] An d comm a nds
M ait r eya H e says he ima gined tha t th at golden casket w as his
.

o wna n d gambled it away And no b ody knows where the gambli ng

.
74 AC T TH E FO UR T H

master has gone fo r he is employed in the king s bu siness ’

, .

M aid . M istress I co ngrat u late yo u The gentleman has tu r ned

, .

Vasa nt asena [ A side ] It w as stole n by

. thief and he is so pro u d a ,

th at he sa ys he gambled it away I love him fo r that . .

M ait reya H e requ ests tha t yo u will therefore be good enou gh to

.

a ccept in its pla ce this neckla ce of pearls .

Vasant asena [Aside ] S ha ll I show him the jew els [ R gleet ing ]
.
?

No no t yet
, .

M ait r eya Why dont yo u take this neckla ce ?

'

Vasa nt asena [ La ug hs a nd looks at her fr iend] Why shou ld I no t

.

take the neckla ce M ait reya ? [ S he takes it a nd la ys it a wa y A side]

, .

H o w is it possible that drops o f honey fall from the m ango tree -

,

evenaft er it s blossoms are gone ? [ A lo u d] Sir pray tell the worthy ,

gambler C haru dat t a inmy name that I sha ll pay him a visit this

M a it r eya [A side ] Wh at else does she expect to ge t o u t of a visit

.

to o u r hou se ? [ A lo u d] M adam I w ill tell him [aside ] to ha ve

,
—

nothing more to do with th is co u rtezan .

Vasa nt asena . Take these jewels girl Let , . us go and bring cheer
to C h aru dat t a .

M aid B u t m ist ress see ! An u ntimely storm is gather ing

.
, .

Vasa ntThe clo u ds m a y come the rain m ay fall forever

.
, ,

The night m a y bl acken in the sky above ;

F o r this I ca re no t no r I wi ll no t wa ver ; ,

M y hea rt is jo u rneying to him I love 88 .

Take the neckla ce girl and co me qu ickly , [

, E we u n
t om nes . .
76 A C T TH E F I FT H
forms the t u mbling cl ou ds embrace
I n thou sand ,

Thou gh torn by winds they gather interlace , , ,

And p aint the ample canvas of the sky .

The sky is bla ck as D hrita rashtra s fa ce ; ’

P rou d as the champio nof K u ru s race ’

The hau ghty peacock shrills his joy ab road ;

The cu ckoo inY u dhisht h ira s sad ca se
,
’

Is forced to wander if he wou ld no t die ;

The swa ns m u st lea ve thei r forest homes and fly -
,

Like P andu s sons to seek an u nknown p la ce

’

, 6 .

[ M
R ] It is lo ng s ince M a itrey a went to visit Va san t a se na .

And even yet he does no t come .

M ait r eya C onfo u nd the co u rtezans a varice and h e r inc ivilit y l To

’
.

think of he r making so short a st o ry of it ! Over a nd over she

more ado she pocket s the necklace She is rich e no u gh so tha t .

she might at least ha ve said : Good M aitreya rest a little Yo u “

, .

”
m u st no t go u nt il yo u ha ve ha d a c u p to d rink C o nfo u nd the .

cou rtezan! I hope I 11 never set eyes o n h e r again [ Wea r ily]

’
.

The proverb is right It is ha rd to find a lotu s pla nt withou t a

.
“ -

root a merch an
, t who never ch eats a goldsmith who never stea ls , ,

a vill a ge gatherin
-
g withou t a fight a nd a co u rtezan withou t a va ,

”
rice . Well I ll find my fri end and persu ade him to have noth ing
,
'

more to do with this cou rte zan [ H e walks abou t u ntil he disc over s
.

Char u dat t a ] Ah my good frie nd is sitting in the orcha rd I ll

’

, .

go t o him [ Am ro a c hing ] H ea ven bless yo u ! M ay h appiness be

.

you rs .

Char u dat t a [ Looking up] Ah my frie nd M a itreya h as ret u rned

.
, .

Y o u are ve ry welcome my fri end P ra y be seated , . .

M aitr eya Tha nk yo u. .

Char u da t t a Tell me of you r errand my fri end

.
, .

M ait r eya M y errand went all wro ng

. .
P wa s]
. TH E STO R M 77

Char udat t a What ! did she no t ac cept the neckl ace ?

.

M ait r eya H o w co u ld we expect su ch a piece o f l u ck ? She pu t

.

h e r lot u s tender ha nds to h er brow and took it

- ‘
, .

C f

Then w hy do yo u say went wrong

u r ? “ ”

M (at r eya Why no t when we lost a neckla ce th at w as the pri de

.
,

of the fou r fo r a cheap gol den ca sket th at w as stolen be fore

i
,

we h ad a bite o r a o u t o f it ?
’

She showed her mu st in lea ving u s h er treasu re ;

The price of confidence has no less meas u re 7 .

M ait r eya No w look here ! I ha ve a second gri ev ance She tipped

. .

h e r fri e nd the wink covered h e r face with the hem of h e r dress

, ,

an d lau ghed at me And so B rahman t hou gh I am I . b y fall , ,

a

o n my fa ce before yo u an d beg yo u no t to h a ve anyt hi ng more

to do with t his That sort of society do m any amou nt i

of da mage A . is like a pebble in you r shoe It hu rt s

.a
.

before yo u get rid of it And o ne t hing more my fii e nd A co u r.

, .

tezan an elephant a scribe a mendi

, fri ar a sw indl er and an
, , , ,

where these dwell no t even rogu e s are born

-
, .

Char u da t t a Oh my fri end a tru ce to all you r det raction! M y

.
, ,

povert y o f itself p revent s me F o r .

The horse wou ld gladly hasten here and t here ,

B u t his legs fail him fo r his brea th departs , .

So mens vain wishes wander everywhere

’

Then weary grown retu rn into their hearts

, , .

Then t o o my fri end : ,

If wea lth is thine the maid is thine , ,

F o r mw da are w o n by go ld ;
'

A id An d n by vi rtu e col d A lou d]

[ s e o t .

B u t wea lth is no w no longe r m i ne ,

And h e r I m ay no t hold .

‘ A ge st nrc o f ru pe rt .
78 AC T TH E F I FT H s .

sighs I co ncl u de tha t my effort to distract him has simply in

,

crea sed his longing The p roverb is right Y o u cant reaso n wit h
. .
“
’

”
a lover [
. A lo u d ] We ll she told me to tell yo u
, tha t she wo u ld
ha ve to co me here this evening I su ppose she is nt satisfied with .
’

Char u da t t a Le t he r fii end S he sh al no t depart

come my
l
.
, . um

The more it ra ins in sheet s ,

The more
The more the cold wind beat s ,

The more I shak e and fre t .

I make the sweet fl u te speak from seven hole s ,

I m ke t he lou d l u te spea k o n sev en st rings

a
N og o d can match my mu sic when he sings . ll

a sa id to me “
K u m b hflflka , 80 te ll

H lk b and , as he ent e r s disc overs

’

ru dat t a shou se .
[ e wa s a o u t , ,
I

r u da t t a ] H ere is C haru dat t a in the orch ard An d here is tha t .

wre tche d j ackana pes t o o Well I ll go u p to them Wh a t ! the

’

, .
, .

orchar d gate is sh u t ? Good ! I ll give this j ac kana pe s a hint [ H e

-
'
.

M ait r eya Well ! Who is this pelting me with m u d as if I we re

.
,

an a pple tr ee i n-
side of a fence ?

Cha r u da t t a D o u b t less the pigeo ns th at p la y o n the ro of of the

.

garden hou se
-
.

M ait r eya Wait a minu te yo u co nfou nded pigeo n! W it h this

.
,

St i ck I ll bring yo u down from the roof to the gro u nd like an

'

over ripe mango [ H e r aises his st ic k a nd sta rts t o r u n]

-
.
80 A C T TH E FI FT H
Char u da t t a Yo u . fool in spri ng in vasa nt a
, , .

M a it r eya [ R etu rns

. to K u mbhilak a ] Y o u fool in sp ring in o u
, ,

K u mb hila lra No w I 11 give nothe r Who gu ards thriving

'
.
yo u a .

M ait r eya . Why the gu a rd

, .

M aitr eya Well I m stu ck [ R gle c t in Good I ll k C h d

’ ’

g]
‘
.
, ! as ar
.u a t t a

agai n [ H e r et u r n
. s and pu ts t he q u estion t o Char u da t t a ]
Char u da t t a . The army my fri end the send , , .

M ait r eya [ Com b k t K nb h l k ]The my j acka ss the

‘

. e s a c o u r i a a a r , yo u ,

K u mb hila ka No w pu t the
. two together and say em fast ’

M a it r eya . Sena vasant a -

.

K u mbhi la ka it tu rned aro u nd

. S ay .

M a it r eya [ Tu r n
. s a r ou n d] Se na v asa nt a -
.

K u mb hila ka Y o u fool ! yo u j ack ana pes ! T u rnthe parts o fthe thing

.

aro u n d!
M ait r eya [ Tu r ns hisfeet ar ou nd] S e nfi wasant a
. .

K uh nbhila ka Y o u fool ! T u rn the p arts o f the word a ro u nd !

.

M a it r eya [ Afl .er r gie c t io a ] Vasant a sen a -

.

K u mbhila ka She s here

’
. .

M ait r eya Then I m u st tell C haru dat t a [ Approa c hing ] Well

. . ,

C haru dat t a you r credito r is here

, .

Char u da t t a H o w sho u l d a creditor come i nto my fa mily ?

.

M a it r eya No t inthe family perh aps b u t at the door Vasant ase na

. , .

is here .

Charu da t t a Why do yo u deceive me my fri end ?

.
,

M ait r eya If yo u cant tru st me t hen ask K u m b hi laka here

’

. , .

K u m b hilaka yo u j a ck ass come here

, , .
P . TH E STO R M 81

K u mb hila ka . A
[ m m ac hing] I sa l u te
yo u , sir .

Chd r u da t t a Y o u . are wel come my good fe llow Tell me is

, . ,
Va
sant a se nar ae lly here ?

K u mbhila ha Yes she s here Vasa nt a se na is here

‘ ’

. . .
,

Char u da t t a [Joyfu lly] M y good fellow I h a ve never let the

.
,

bea rer of wel come ne ws go u nrewarded Take this as you r re c o m .

pense [ H e g ives him his ma nt le ]

.

K u mb hila /ca [ Ta kes it a nd bows G le q u lly] I 11 t ell my mistress

‘ ’

. . .

B ai t
[
M ait r eya D o yo u see why she comes in a storm like this
.
?

Char u da t t a I do no t qu ite u nde rstand my friend

.
, .

M a it r eya I know She h as an idea that the pearl neckla ce is

. .

cheap and the golden casket expe nsive She is nt satisfied and
, .
’

sh e h as come to look fo r somethin g more .

Char u da t t a [ A side ] She sha ll no t dep art u nsatisfied

. .

[ T hen ente r t he lo ve to r n Va sa nt ase na in a s

p lend id g a r
-
m ent fi t , ,

o r a woma n w ho h r love r a ma id with a n u m br ella

f g o e s t o m eet e , ,

Co znt ie r '
.
[ ef
R e r ri ng t o Vasa nt ase na]
Lakshmi withou t the lotu s flo we r is sh e
‘ -
,

Loveliest arrow o f go d K ama s ho w ” ’

The sweetest blossom o n love s magic tree ’

See ho w she moves so gra cefu lly a nd slow ! ,

I n passions ho u r she still loves modesty ;

’

I n h e r good wives the ir dea rest sorrow k now

, .

When passions drama shall enacte d be ’

When o n love s stage appears the passing show ’

A host of wa ndere rs sh all bend them lo w ,

Glad to be slaves in s u ch ca ptivity .

l The go ddc ss o f v e nlt h a nd b c -u t y , y

u su a ll re prese nt e d wit h a lo t u s .

Ki m
’
s (C u pid s) arr
’
o w s are flo we rs .
82 AC T TH E FI FT H (se ns .

See , Vasant a se na
see ! ,

The clo u ds h ang d rooping to the mou nt a in pea ks ,

Like a maidens hea rt th at dista nt lover seeks :

’

The peacocks startle when the th u nder booms , ,

And fan the heaven with all thei r jew eled pl u mes .

And again:
M u d sta ined and pelted by the strea ming rai n
-
, ,

To dri nk the fa lling d rops the frogs are fa in;

Fu ll throated peacocks love s sh rill pa ssion show
-
’

And nip a flowers like brilliant candles glow ;

U nfa ithfu l clou ds obsc u re the hostage moon ,

Like kna ves u nworthy o f so dear a boon;

,

L ike some poor maid o f bet ter breeding bare ,

The impatient lightni ng rests no t anywhere .

Vasa nta sena S ir what yo u say is most tru e F o r

1
.
, .

The night an angry riv al bars my w ay ;

, ,

H e r th u nders fai n wou ld chec k and hinder me

Fond fool ! with him I love tho u shalt no t sta y ,

”
T is I t is I he loves she seems to say
’ ’

, , , ,

No r from my swelling bosom sh a ll he flee .

Cou rtier Yes yes Tha t is right Scold the night

.
, . . .

Vasant asena And yet sir why scold o ne who is so ignora nt of

.
, ,

womans natu re ? F o r yo u m u st remember :

’

The clou ds m ay ra i n m a y th u nder ne er so bold ,

’

M ay flash the lightni ng from the sky a bove ;

Th at woma n little re e ks o f hea t o r cold ,

Wh o jou rneys to her love .

Cou rt ie r B u t see Vasant ase na ! Anothe r clou d

.
, ,

Sped by the fickle fu ry o f the a ir

A flood of a rrows in his ru shi ng strea ms ,

H is dru m the roa ring th u nder s mighty blare

’

, ,

H is banner living lightning s a wfu l gl eams

’

Th ro u gho u t t h ia sc e ne , Vau ntn c nl inSa nskr it Co m pa re no t e l n pa gc m

’
1 s vc rse s arc
-
. o .
84 AC T TH E FI FT H
At I ndra s bid ding po u r their streams
’

, ,

Until with silver cords it seems

Th at ea rth is linked with sky .

And look yonder !

A s herds of bu ffaloes the cl ou ds are black ;
The winds deny them ease ;
They fly o n lightning w ings and little lack
Of seeming tro u bled seas .

Smitt en with falling drOps the fragrant so d

, ,

U ponwhose bosom greene st grasses no d ,

Seem s pierced with pearls ea ch pearl an arrowy

, ro d.

Vasant ase n a And here is yet another clou d

. .

The pea cock s shrill voiced c ry

’
-

I mplores it to draw nigh ;

And ardent cranes o n high
E mbra ce it lovi ngly .

The wistfu l swans espy

The lotu s sweete r sky ;
-

The d arkest colors lie

O n heaven clingingly .

Co u r tie r T ru e F o r see !
. .

A thou sand lotu ses that bloom b y night ,

A thou sand bloomi ng when the day is bright ,

No r close no r ope their ey e s to hea vens s ight

’

There is no night no r day .

The face of hea ven th u s shro u ded in the night

, ,

Is only fo r a single insta nt bright ,

When mome ntary lightning gives u s sight ;

E lse is it d ark alway .

No wsleeps the wo rld as sti ll as in the night

Withinthe ho u se of rain where nau ght is bright ,
P . TH E STO R M 85

Where hosts of swollen clou ds seem to o u r sight

O ne coveri ng veil o f gray .

Vasa nt ase nd Tru e And see !

. .

The sta rs are lost like mercies given

To m en of evil heart ;
Like lonel y pa rted wives the heaven
-
,

Sees all h e r ch arms depart .

And molte n in the cru el hea t

,

Of I ndra s bolt it seems

’

As if the sky fell at o u r feet

I n liqu id flowing strea ms
, .

A nd yet again
The clou ds first d arkly rise then darkly fa ll
, ,

Send forth their floods o f rain and th u nder all,

Assu ming postu res strange a nd m anifold ,

Like m e n b u t newly blest with wea lth u ntol d .

The hea ven is radiant w ith the lightning s glare ; ’

Its lau ghter is the c ry o f myriad cranes ;

I ts voice the bolts that whistle throu gh the air ;
,

Its dance th at ho w whose arrows are the rains

, .

It staggers at the winds and seems to smoke

,

With clo u ds which form its black and snaky cloa k

, .

Vasa nt asena O sha meless sh amele ss sky !

.
,

To th u nder th u s while I
,

To him I love draw nigh .

Why do thy th u nders fri ghten me a nd pain?

Why a m I seized u pon by hands o f rain?
O I ndra mighty I nd ra !
,

D id I then give thee o f my love b efore ,

Tha t no w thy clou ds like mighty lions roar ?

Ah no ! Tho u sho u ldst no t send thy strea ming rain ,

To fill my jo u rney to my love with pa in .

86 A C T THE FI FT H [ sa ss s
.

F o r A ha lya s sweetsa ke tho u once didst lie ;

’

Thou knowest love r s pa in '

As thou didst s u ffer then no w s u ffer I ; ,

O cru el cease thy

,

A nd yet
Th u nder and rai n and lighten h u nd redfold
Forth from thy sky above ;
The woman canst thou no t delay no r hold
Who jou rneys to he r love .

th u nders roar fo r m e n were c ru el ever ;

Le t ,

B u t oh tho u maiden lightning ! didst thou never

,

Know pains th at ma idens know ? 82

Co u r tier B u t mistress do no t scold the lightning She is yo u r

.
, .

This golden cord that trembles o n the breast

Of great Airavat a ; u pon the crest
‘

Of ro c ky hills this banne r all a blaze

This lamp in I ndra s pala ce ; b u t most blest ’

As telling where yo u r most belov ed sta ys .

Vasa nt asm d And here sir is his hou se

.
, , .

Cou r t ier Yo u know all the arts and need no instru ct ion no w
.
, .

Yet love bids me prattle When yo u enter here yo u m u st no t

.
,

Where anger is there love is no t ,

Or no ! except fo r anger hot ,

Be angry ! make him angry then!

Be kind ! and make him kind again
The m an yo u love .

So m u ch fo r th at Who is there ? Le t C ham dat t a

.

I The e le pho nt o f l u dra I ndn h t hc go d o f t he t hu ndm t o r m

. .
88 A C T TH E F I FT H
”
M aid Gam bl er w ha t lu ck this evening
.
“
,
?

Vasa nt asm a Sha ll I dare to say it ?

.

M a id When the time comes it wi ll sa y itsel f , .

M aitr eya E nter mad am

.
, .

fl
t heo w e r s mlzic h siz
e ho lds ]Well gambl er wh at l u ck this eveni ng ? , ,

Char u da t t a [D isc ove rs he n] Ah Vasanm e na is here [H e ri ses

.
, .

M y evenings
pass in watching ever ,

M y nights
from sighs are never free
ca nnot else than sever
This evening
I nbringing yo u m y grief and me —
.

Yo u are very very welcome H ere is a seat Pray be sea ted

, . . .

M ait r eya H ere is a sea t Be seated mada m [ Vasa nt ase na sit s

. .
, .
,

then t he o t her s ]
d m da t t a B u t see my fri end
.
, ,

The dripping flower that decks h e r e ar droops down , ,

And o ne sw eet brea st

A nointed is like a prince w ho wears the crown
, ,

With ointment blest 88 .

M y friend Vasant ase na s garments are w e t Let other and most

’

, .
,

bea u tifu l garments be bro u ght

, .

M ait reya Yes sir .

, .

M aid Good M aitreya do yo u sta y here I will wait u ponmy mis

.
, .

tress [S he do es so ]
.

M ait r eya [ A side t o Ckar u da t t d ] M y friend I d j u st like to ask

' ’
.
,

the lady a q u estion .

Char uda t t a The n do so . .

M ait r eya [ A lou d ] M adam wh at m ade yo u come here whe n it

.
, ,

is so stormy and d ark that yo u cant see the moo n ?

’

M aid M istress the B rahm an is ver y pla in spoken

.
,
-
.
P. TH E STO R M 89

Vascm t ase na Yo u . might better call him clever .

M a id M y . mist ress came to ask ho w mu ch tha t pearl necklace is

wort h .

M a it r eya [ A side t o Cham dat t a ]There ! I told yo u so She thinks

. .

t he pearl neckl a ce is cheap and the golde n casket is expe nsive

, .

She is nt sa tisfied She has come to look fo r somet hing more

’
. .

M a id F o r my mistre ss imagined tha t it w as he r o w n and gambled

.
,

it a way A nd nobody knows where the gam b ling master has gone
.
-
,

is employed inthe king s b u siness

’
fo r he .

M a id . While we are looking fo r

him pray ta ke this goldenc as ,

ket [ S he dispkzys t he c asket M ait reya hesitat es ]S ir yo u examine

. .
,

it very closely D id yo u ever see it b efore

.
?

M ait r eya No mad am b u t the skil fu l w orkmanship captivates

.
, ,

the eye .

M aid You r eyes deceive yo u sir This is the golde n casket

.
, . .

M ait r eya [Jo yfirfl y] .Well my frie nd her e is the,go lde n cask et , ,

the very o ne th at thieves stole from o u r ho u se .

Chan da t t a M y friend .
,

The artifice we tried before ,

H e r stolen treasu re to resto re ,

Is p ractised no w o n u s B u t no .
,

I cannot think t is rea lly so ’

.

M ait r eya B u t it is so I swear it o n my B rahm anhood

. . .

Cham da t t a This is welcome news . .

M a t r eya [ A side t o Char a da t t a J I m go ing to ask where they

i ’
.

fou nd it .

C har u dat t a I see no harm in th at

. .

M aitr eya [ W hi s
p ers in t he ma id s ea r ] The re !
. .

M aid [ W hispe rs in M ait reya s ea r ] So there !

' ’
. .
90 A C T TH E FI FT H

Cham dat t a . What is it ? and why

we left o u t ? are

M aitr eya [ W sp ers in Char u da t t a s ear ] So there !

’
. .

Chara da t t a M y good girl is this really the same golden casket ?

.
,

M a id Yes sir the very same

.
, , .

Char ada t t a M y good girl I h ave never let t h e bea rer o f wel come
.
,

news go u nrewarded T ake this ring as you r recompe nse [ H e

. .

emba r rassment ]
Vasant asena .
[ To he r se i
y] I love yo u fo r that .

When in this wo ld his all

r a m an has lost ,

Why shou l d he se t his heart o nlonger life ?

H is angers and his fa vors fru itless fa ll ,

H is p u rposes and powers are all at strife .

Like Wi ngless birds dry pools o r withered trees , , ,

Like fangless snakes the poo r a re like to these —

.

Like m an dese rted hou ses blasted trees

-
, ,

Like empty w ells the poor are like to these —

.

F o r them no pleasant ho u rs serve happy e nds ;

They are forgotten of their somet ime fri e nds 42 .

M ait r eya B u t yo u mu st no t grieve th u s beyond reaso n [ H e

. .

bu r sts o u t la ug hm g A lo ad ] M ada m pl ease give me ba ck my

.
,

ba th clou t
-
.

Vasa nt ase na Charu dat t a it w as no t right tha t yo u shou ld show

.
,

you r distru st of me by sending me this pearl neck la ce .

Char adat ta [ W
-
i th a nemb a rr assed smile ]B u t rememb er Vasan
. ta ,

Wh o w ill b elieve
the tru th ?

S u spicionno w is s u re .

This world will show no ru th

To the ingloriou s poor .
92 A C T TH E F I FT H

Char ada t t a D o no t
. ebu ke the st orm my fri end
r , .

Let ceaseless rain a h u ndred years end u re ,

The lightning q u iver a nd the th u nder pea !

,

F o r wh at I deemed im mssib le is s u re :
H er dear loved arms a bo u t my neck I feel
-
.

And oh my frie nd
, ,

H e only knows wha t riches are ,

Whose love comes to him from afar ,

Whose arms th at dearest form e nfold ,

While yet with rain t is we t and cold ’

.

Vasant ase na my beloved

, ,

The maso nry is shaken; and so o ld

The a wning that t will no t m u ch longer hold
,
’
.

H ea vy with wa ter is the p a inted wa ll ,

From which dissolving bits of morta r fall .

[ H e looks up] The ra i nb ow ! See my b el ov ed see

, ! ,

See ho w they yawn the clou dy j aws of hea ven

, ,

As by a tongu e by forked lightning riven;

,

And to the sky gre at I ndra s fiery b o w

’

I n lie u of high u plift ed a rms is gi ven

-
.

C ome let u s seek a shelter [ H e r ises a nd wa lks abou t ]

, .

O np alm trees shrill

-
,

O n thi ckets still ,

On bou lde rs da shi ng ,

O n waters sp lashi ng ,

Like a lu te th at smit ten sings , , ,

Th e ra iny m u sic rings .

 AC T TH E S I XT H

[ E nt e r a ma id ]
M aid
S N T my mistress awake yet Well I m u st go in and wake
’
?
,

h er [ She walks a bou t Vascm t asend am ear s dr essed bu t still

. .
, ,

asle ep The m aid discover s he r ] It is time to get 11 m istress The

.
p .
, .

Vasa nt asena .
[ A wa kening ] Wha t ! is the night over ? is it mom
ing ?
M aid F o r. us it is morning . B u t fo r my mist ress it appe ars t o be

Vasa nt ase na B u t . girl , w here is you r gambler ?

M aid M istress
. giving Va rdh am anaka his orders C ham
, af
t er ,

datta went to the o ld garden P u shpakaranda .

Vasa nt asena Wha t orders ?

.

M aid To ha ve the bu ll ock cart ready b efore daylight ; fo r he

.
-
,

said Vasant a se na w as to come

,

Vasa nt ase na Whe re gi rl ?

.
,

M aid Where C h aru dat t a is

. .

Vasa nt ase na [ E mbr a c es t he m aid ] I did no t ha ve a good look at

.

him in the evening B u t to day I sh all see him fa ce to fa ce Tell

.
-
.

me girl H a ve I fou nd my w ay into the inner cou rt

, .
?

M aid Y o u ha ve fo u nd yo u r w ay no t only into the i nner co urt

.
,

bu t into the heart of every o ne who lives here .

Vasa nt asena Tell me are C h aru dat t a s ser vants ve xed ?

’
.
,

M aid They will be

. .

Vasa nt ase na When? .

M aid When my mist ress goes a wa y

. .

Vasa/nt ase na B u t no t so m u ch as I sh all b e [P ersu asively ] H ere

. . ,
94 AC T TH E SI XT H

gir l ta ke this pearl ne ckla ce Y o u m u st go and give it to my la dy

, .

sister his good wife And give he r this message : Worthy C haru
, .
“

da tt a s virtu es ha ve w o nme mad e me his sla ve and t herefore you r

’

, ,

”
sla ve also And so I hope that these pearls m a y adornyou r neck
. .

M aid B u t mistress C haru dat t a will be angry wi t h yo u

.
, .

Vasa nt ase na Go H e will no t be angry

. . .

M aid [ Ta kes t he nec kla ce ] Ye s mistress [ fi re go es o u t the nr e

. , . ,

tur ns ] M istress his lady wife says th at h e r lord ma de yo u a pre

,

sent of it and it wou ld no t be right fo r h er to accept it And fur

, .

ther th at yo u are to k now that he r lord and h u sband is her most

,

excellent adornment .

n nik d a s lit tle so rt ]

'

[ E t er R a da a w it h C har a a t t ,

R a da nika C ome dear let s play with you r little cart

’
.
.
, ,

Give me my gold cart .

R ada m ka [ S ig hing wea nly] H o w shou ld w e h a ve anyt hing to do

' '

with gold no w my child Whenyou r papa is rich again thenyo u

?
, ,

sh all ha ve a gold cart to play with B u t I ll am u se him by ta king .

'

him to see Vasant ase na [ S he approac hes Vasa a t ase na] M istress
. ,

my ser vice to yo u .

Vasa nt asena I am glad to see yo u R a danika B u t whose little

.
, .

boy is this H e wears no ornament s yet his dear little fa ce m a kes

?
,

my heart happy .

Rada nika This is C haru dat t a s so n Ro hase na

’
. .
,

Vasa nt ase n a [ S t r et ches o u t he r a rms ] C ome my b o y and pu t

. , ,

you r lit t le arms aro u nd me [ S he takes him o n he r lap ] H e looks .

R ada m ka M ore than looks like him he is like him At least I

'

. .
,

think so H is father is perfectly devoted to him

. .

Vasa nt ase na B u t w ha t is he crying a bou t ?

.

R a da nika H e u sed t o pla y with a gold cart that belongs to the

.

so n o f a neigh b or B u t tha t w as taken away and whe n he asked

.
,
96 A C T TH E SI XT H
Vasant ase na . B ring me my things girl I mu st mak e myself re ady , . .

[ S he do es so ]

[ E a t e ndr iving ca rt S t hava raka servant t o S a nst hanaka j

a bu llo c k -
, ,

S t hava r aka S anst h anaka the king s brother in law said to me

’
- -
.
, ,

“
Take a bu llock ca rt St havaraka and come as qu ick as yo u c an
-
, ,

”
to the old garden P u shpa karanda Wel l I m o nmy w ay there .
,
’
.

Get u p bu llocks get u p! [H e drives abou t a nd lo oks a r o u nd ]

, ,

Why the ro ad is blocked with villagers carts What am I to do

,
’
.

no w ? [ H au g htily ] Get o u t o f my w ay yo u ! Get o u t of my w ay ! ,

H li ten Wh t th t w n t to kn ow whose c t this is

’

[ e s s ] a s a ? yo u a a r ?
This cart belongs to Sanst hanaka the king s brother in la w So ,
’
- -
.

get o u t of my w ay and this minu te too ! [ H e looks a bou t ]Wh y , ,

h e re s a m an go ing in t h e o t h e r dire c t io n as fast as h e c a n H e is

’
.

trying to hide like a ru naway gambl er and he looks at me as if I ,

w er e the gambl ing mast e r I wonder wh o he is B u t then what

-
. .
,

f m ine ? I m u st ge t t h e re as so o n as I c a n G e t o u t
b u sine ss is it o .

of my w ay, yo u villagers , get o u t of my w ay ! h at s th at yo u ? W ’

w ant me to wa it a minu t e and pu t a shou lde r to you r wheel Co n?

fou nd yo u ! A brave m an like me that ser ves Sanst h anaka t he , ,

king s brother ih la w pu t a shou lder to you r wheel ? Aft er all the

’
- -
, ,

poor fellow is qu ite alone I ll do it I l l stop my cart at the side .

’
.
’

door to Ch aru dat t a s orch ard [H e do es so ] I m coming ! [ E mit

’
. .
’

M aid M istress I think I hear the sou nd of wheels The cart

.
, .

m u st b e here .

Vasa nt asena C ome girl M y heart grows impatient Go with me

.
, . .

to the side door -

.

M aid Follow me mistress

.
, .

Va sa nt asena [ W a lks a bou t

.
] Y o u ha ve ear ned a rest gi rl , .

M aid Thank yo u mistress

.
, .

Vasa nt asena [ F eels he r r ig ht eye t wit c h as she enters t he c a r t ]

.
l

‘ A bad o m c m int he c l sc o f a wo m a n .
P. S WAPP I NG TH E B U LLO C K -
C AR TS 97

Wh y sho ld my right eye twitch no w ? B u t the sight of C h am

u

datta will smoot h a w ay the b ad omen [ E nte r S t hava r alc a

] .

S t hava r aka I ve clea red the car ts o u t of the w ay and no w I 11

’ ’
.
,

go ahea d [ H e m o u nt s a nd dr ives a wa y To himself] The cart h as

. . .

grown hea vy B u t I s u ppose it only seems so becau se I go t tired

.
,

helping them with tha t wheel Well I ll go along Get u p b u l . ,

’
.
,

locks get u p!
,

A voic e behind t he sc enes Police ! Police ! E ver y m an at his post !

.

The yo u ng herdsman has j u st broken j ai l kill ed the j ailer b ro , ,

k e n his fette rs esca ped and ru n a wa y C a tch him ! C atch him !

, , .

[ E nt e r i
,n ea c it e d hast
'
e A r ya ka a nir o nc
, h a in o n o ne f oot, C o v e r .

ing hisf ac e he walks a bou t ] , .

S t ha va r a ka [ To himselfi]There is grea t excitement in the c ity I

. .

m u st get o u t of the w ay as fast as I possibly c a n .

A ryak a I lea ve behi nd me that a ccu rsed se a

.

Of h u ma n woe and h u man misery ,

The p rison of the king .

Like elepha nts tha t break their chains and flee ,

I drag a fettered foot most p ainfu lly

I n flight and w andering 1.

King Pala ka w as frightened by a prophecy took me from the ,

ha mlet where I lived fette red me and th ru st me into a solitary

, ,

cell there t o await my dea th B u t with the h elp o f my good friend

, .

S harvilaka I esca ped [ H e sheds tea r s ] .

If s u ch my fate no sin is m ine at le ast , ,

That he shou ld cage me like a sa v age beast .

A m an m a y fight with kings thou gh no t with fat e ,

And yet c a n helpless m e n conte nd with grea t

,
? 2

“ hit h e r shall I go with my wretchedness [ H e lo oks ab ou t ]H ere

f ?

is the hou se of some good m a n who has nt locked the si de door ’

-
.

The hou se is o ld the door withou t a lock , ,

The hinge s all a wry .

98 A C T TH E S IXT H
Some m an, no dou bt who feels misfor tu ne s shock '

A s cru elly as I .

A oic e behind t he sc enes Get u p b u ll ocks get u p!

v .
, ,

A ryaka [L istening ] A h 9 b u llock ca rt is coming this way

.
, .
-
.

If this shou ld prove to be a picnic rig ,

Its occ u pants no t peevishly inclined

So me noble l ady s wa iting ca rriage tr ig ;
’

Or rich ma ns coa ch th at lea ves the town b e hind

’

A nd if it empty be fate proving kind , ,

T wou ld seem a godsend to my anxiou s mind

’
.

[ E nt er Va r dha m ana ka with t he bu lloc k c a r t ] -

Var dha mana ka There I ve got the c u shion Ra danika tell m is

’
.
, .
,

tress Vasant a sena that the cart is ready and w aiting fo r h e r to get
inand drive to the old garden P u shpa karanda .

A ryaka [ Li stening ] This is a cou rt e zans cart goi ng o u t of t h e

’
. ,

Va rdha m an
a ka .
[oming ] A h the ti nkli ng of ankl e
H ea r s hi m c ,

r ings ! The lady is here M istress the nose rope ma kes the b u l
.
,
-

locks skittish Y o u h ad better climb in behind [A ryaka do es so ]

. . .

The ankl e rings tinkle only when the feet are movi ng and the
-
,

sou nd has ceased Besides the cart has grownheavy I am su re the

.
, .

lady m u st h a ve climbed in by this time I ll go ahead Get u p .

'
.
,

bu llocks get u p ! [H e drives ab ou t E nter Vt r ains]

, .

V ir aka C ome come ! Jaya Ja ya m ana C ha nda naka M anga la

.
, , , , ,

P h u lla b h adra and the rest of yo u !

,

So ca lm when the herdsman slipping his tether

, , ,

B reaks j ail and the heart of the king together ? 5

H ere ! Yo u sta nd at the east gate of the m a in str eet yo u at the ,

west yo u at the so u th yo u at the north I ll climb u p the broken

, , .
'

wall here with C h anda naka and take a look C ome o n C h anda» .
,

na ka come o n! This w ay ! [ E nt er Cha nda na ka in exciteme nt ]

, ,
100 A C T TH E S I XT H s .

Vir a ka O n whose
. au thority ?
Cha nda na ka On C h aru dat t a
’
. s
.

Vir aka Who is C haru da t t a o r w ho is Vasa nt ase na th at the cart

.
, ,

sho u ld pass witho u t inspection?

Cha nda na /ca D ont yo u know C ham dat t a m an no r Vasa nt a se na ?
’
?
.
,

If yo u dont know C haru dat t a no r Vasant a se na then yo u do nt

’

, ,
’

know the moon in hea ve n no r the moonl ight , .

Who does nt k now this moo n of goodness virt u e s lot u s

’ '

This gem f fo u r broa d sea s this sa vior in mans l u ckless

’

o ,

These wholl y worshipfu l o u r city s orna ments

’

t wo a re , ,

Vasant ase na C h aru da t t a se a of excelle nce

, , .

Ver a/c a Well well C ha nda nak a ! C haru dat t a ? Vasant a se n

.
, , a ?

I k now them perfectly as w ell as I k now anythi ng ; ,

B u t I do no t know my fathe r when I m serving of my king 1 5

’
.

A r yaka [ To himself ] I n a forme r existe nce the o ne m u st h ave

.

been my enemy the ot her my ki nsman F o r see !

, .

Their bu si ness is the same ; their ways

U nlike and their desire ,

Like fl ames tha t gladden wedding days ,

A nd flames u po n the pyre 16 .

Cha nda na ka Y o u are a most c arefu l ca ptai n whom the king

.

tru sts I am holding the bu llocks M ake you r inspection

. . .

Vir aka Yo u t o o are a c o rpo ral whom t h e k ing t ru st s M ake the

. .

i nspection you rself .

Cha nda naka If I make the inspection th at s j u st the same as if

’

. ,

o u h ad m ad e it ?
y
Vim /ca I f yo u m ake the inspectio n th at s j u st the sa me as if
’
. ,

King Pal ak a had made it .

P . S WAP P I NG TH E B U LLO C K -
C AR TS 10 1

Cha nda na ka . Lift the pole , m an! [ Va r dha mana ka does so .

]
A ryaka [ To himsel/I] Are the policemen a bou t
. to inspect me ?
And I ha ve no sword wo rse lu ck ! B u t at least , ,

Bold Bhim a s spi rit I will show ;

'

M y arm shall be my sword .

Better a warrior s death than woe ’

Tha t cells and chains a fford 17 .

B u t the time to u se force h as no t yet come [ Cha nda naka enter s .

t he c ar t a nd lo oks a bo u t ] I seek you r p rotectio n .

Cha nda naka [ Speakin .

g i n S a n s/ofit ] H e who seeks p rot ection .

sha ll be safe .

A r ya ka Whene er he fight that m an will s u ffer h u rts

’
.
, ,

Will be a ba ndoned of his friends and kin ,

Becomes a mock forever who deserts ,

One seeking a id ; t is anu npa rdo ned sin

’

18 .

C ha n da naka What ! the herdsmanAryaka ? Like a bird that flees

.

from a ha wk he has fa llen i nto the h and o f the fowler [ R gle c t

, .

in g ] H e is no sinn e r this m an who seeks my protectio n an

, d sits
in C h aru dat t a s cart Besides he is the fri end o f good S harvilaka
’

.
, ,

who sa ved my life On the ot he r hand there are the king s orders
.
,
’
.

What is a m a nt o do ina case like this ? Well what mu st he mu st , ,

be I pro m ised him my protectionj u st no w

. .

H e who gives aid to fri ghtened m e n ,

A nd joys his neighbo r s i lls to c u re

’

If he m u st die he dies ; b u t then , ,

H is rep u ta tion is secu re 19 .

[ H e g ets d ow n u ne a sily] I sa w the ge ntlema n [ c orr ect ing hi m —

self] I mea n the lady Vasan

, t a se na and she says Is it proper is, ,

it ge ntlemanly wh e n I am go ing to visit C ham dat t a to insu l t me

, ,

”
o n the highw ay ?

Vir aka C handanaka I h ave my su spicions

.
, .

Cha nda na ka S u spic io u s? H o w so ?

.
10 2 A C T TH E S I XT H
Vir Y o u . gu rgled in you r cra ven throat ; it seems a tri fle sh ady .

”
Y o u sa id I saw the gentlema n and then I saw t h e lady
“
,
“
.

That s why I m no t satisfied

’ ’
.

Cha nda naka Wha t s the ma tter with yo u m a n We sou therner s

’
?
. ,

dont speak pla in We know a thou sand di alects of the barbari

’
.

an s —
the K h ash as the Kha ttis the Kadas the K adat t h o b ilas the
, , , ,

K arnat as the K arnas the P rava ranas the D ravid as the C hola s
, , , , ,

the C hinas the B arbaras the K h e ras the Kh anas the M u kh as the
, , , , ,

M ad h u ghat a s and all the rest of em and it all depends o nthe w a y

’

, ,

” ” ” ”
we feel w h e t h m w e sa y he o r she gentleman o r lady
' “ “
,
“ “
.

Vzr aka C ant I ha ve a look too It s the k ing s orders And the
‘ ’ ’ ’
?
.
, .

ki ng tru st s me .

Cha nda n aka I su ppose the kin g does nt tru st me ! ’

Vir aka Is nt it H is M aj e sty s comma nd

’ ’
.
?

Cha nda naka [ Aside ] If people knew th at the good herdsman e s

.

caped inC haru da t t a s cart thenthe ki ng w o u ld ma ke C haru dat t a

’

fe r fo r it Wha t s to b e done ? [ Refl ec ting ] I ll stir u p a q u arrel

’ ’
su f .

the w ay they do do wn in the C a m at ic [ A lou d ] Well Viraka I .

, ,

made o ne inspection myself m y na me is C handanaka and yo u — —

want to do it over again Wh o a re yo u ? .

Vtr aka C onfou nd it ! Who are yo u anyway

.
?
,

Cha nda na ka Anhonorable and highly respect a ble pe rson and yo u

. ,

dont remember you r o w n fa mily

’

Vt r nka [A ngr ily ] C onfou nd yo u ! Wh at is my family ?

. .

Cha nda n a ka Who spea ks of su ch thin

. gs ?

Vir aka S pe ak ! .

Cha nda n a ka I think I d bette r no t ’

. .

I know you r fa mily b u t I wont say ,

’

T wou ld no t be modest s u ch things to betray

’

Wha t good s a rottenapple anyway ?

’
21

Vir aka Speak speak ! [ Cha nda naka makes a signific a nt g est u r e ]
.
,

C onfou nd yo u ! Wha t does tha t mean?

10 4 A C T TH E S I XT H S
.

A r yak a [ Takes it Joyfu lly t o hi mself ]

. .

A sword a sword ! M y right eye tw itches fa st

, .
‘

N o w all is w e ll and I am safe at la st , .

As I ha ve give n yo u a passage free ,

So m ay I live within you r memo ry .

To u tter this no selfish tho u ghts co u l d move ;

,

Ah no I spea k in ple nitu de o f love

, .

A ryaka C h anda nak a is rich in virtu es pu re ;

.

M y fri end is h e Fate wi lled it tru e and — —

tri ed .

I 11 no t forget C h andanak a be s u re
’

, ,

What time the oracle is j u stified .

M ay Shiva Vish nu B rahm a Three in O ne

, , , ,

Protect thee and the M oo n and blessed S im ;

, ,

Slay all thy foes , as mighty Parvati

Slew Sh u m b h a and Nish u m b h a fearfu ll y —
.

wa r d t he ba ck of t he
t ]A h a ! A s he goes w y
s ag e
a a my good frie nd ,

Sharvilaka is following him Well I ve m ade ane nemy o f Vi raka

’
.
, ,

the chief consta ble and the king s fa vorite ; so I think I t o o ha d ’

better be foll owing him w ith all my sons a nd brothers , .

l A go o d na
or e t hc c nsc o t a m an .
 AC T TH E S E VE NT H

W be
H
O au tifu l the old garden P u shpaka randa is .

The tre e s like merchants show their wares ;

, ,

E a ch several tree his blossoms be ars ,

W hile bees h ke o fl ic e rs are flitti ng

'

, , ,

To take from ea ch wh at to ll is fitting 1 .

M ait r eya This simple sto ne is very attractive Pray be seat ed

. . .

Char ada t t a [ S ea t s himself]H o w Vardh am ana ka lingers my friend !

.
,

M aitr eya I tol d Vardham anaka to bring Vasant ase na and come
as qu ickly as he cou ld .

Char ada t t a Why then does he linger ?

.

Is b e del ayed by some sl ow moving load ? -

H a s he ret u rned with broken wheel o r traces ?

Obstru ctions bid him seek another road ?

His b u llocks o r h imse lf choose these slow pa ces

, ,
? 2

[ E nter V a r dha m a n a ka wit h t he bu llo c k car t in whic h A r aka lies

y
-
,

hidde n]
Va rdha manaka Get u p bu llocks get u p!
/ .
, ,

Ar yaka [ A side ]
.

And still I fear the spies th at serve the king

E sca pe is eve n yet a dou btfu l thing ,

While to my foot these cu rsed fetters cl ing .

Some good m an t is within whose ca rt I lie

'

, ,

Like c u ckoo chicks whose heart less mothers fly

, ,

And c rows m u st rear the fl e d lin s o r they die

g g 8 , .

I h ave come a long dista nce from the city Sh a ll I get o u t of the .
1 06 AC T TH E S E VE NT H

c art nd
a see k a hiding plac e in t h e g
-
ro ve ? o r sha ll l w a it t o se e

the owner of I will no t hide m y

the c art ? O n second tho u ghts ,
self ln the grove ; fo r m e n say that the noble C haru dat t a is e ver
helpfu l t o them that seek his protection I will no t go u ntil I have .

seen him face to fa ce .

T w ill bring conte ntment t o that good mans hear t

’ ’

To see me rescu ed from misfort u ne s sea

’
.

This body in its su ffering pain and smart

, , , ,

Is sa ved thro u gh his sweet magnanimity 4 .

Va r dha m anaka H ere is the garde n I !I drive in [H e does so ]

’
. . . .

news my friend It is Vardh am anaka s voi ce

’

.
, .

Vasa nt a se na m u stha ve come .

Char u da t t a Good new s i ndeed

.
, .

M ait r eya Y o u so n of a slave wh at mak e s

. , y ou so late ?

that I had forgotten the cu shion and I , h ad to go b a ck fo r it , a nd

tha t is why I am late .

fri end help Vasant a se na to get o u t

, .

M ait r eya H as she go t fetters o n he r feet so that she cant ge t

’
.
,

o u t by herself? [ H e rises a n d lifts t he cu rtain of t he c a r t ] Wh y ,

this is nt mistress Vasant a se na this is M ister Vasant a se na

'
—
.

Char u da t t a A tru ce to you r jests my friend Love cannot w a it

.
, . .

I will help h er to get o u t myself [H e ri ses ] .

A rya ka [ D iscovers him ] Ah the owner o f the bu llock a rt ! H e

.
,
-

is at t ractive no t only to the ea rs of m en b u t also to their eyes , .

Thank hea ven! I am safe .

Char u da t t a [ E nt e rs t he bu llo ck c a rt a nd discovers A ryaka ]Wh o

.
-

then is this ?

As tru nk of elephant his arms are long ,

H is chest is fu ll his sho u lders broad and stro ng

, ,
10 8 A C T TH E S E VE NT H
where m e n seek p leas u re a b u llock cart will e xcite no su spi c ion
,
-
.

C o ntinu e yo u r jo u rney then in the cart .

A ryaka I th ank yo u sir

.
, .

Charu d Seek no w thy ki nsmen H appiness be thine !

. .

A ryaka Ah I ha ve fou nd thee b lessed kinsmanmine !

. , ,

Char ud R emember me when thou hast cau se to spea k

.
, .

A ryaka Thy na me and no t mine o wn my wo rds sh all seek

. , , .

Char red M ay the immortal go ds protect thy ways !

.

A ryaka Thou di dst p rotect me in most perilou s days

.
, .

Char ud Nay it was fate that s weet protection lent

.
, .

A ryaka B u t thou wast chosenas fa te s inst ru ment

'

. .

difl
ic u lt . m u st depart at once
Yo u .

A ryaka U ntil we meet again farewell

.
, .

Charu d From royal wrath I no w h ave mu ch to fear ;

It were u nwise fo r me to linger here .

Then th row the fetters in the well ; fo r spies

Serve to their king as k e en far seeing eyes , 8 -
.

[ H is le t
f y e e t w it che s ]M aitrey a my fr ien d I lo ng to
, see V as an t a ,

se na F o r no w b eca u se
.
,

I h ave no t seenwhom I love best ,

M y left eye twitches ; and my breast

Is cau seless anxio u s and dist ressed -
9 .

C ome le t u s go [ H e wo fl
, cs ab o u t ] See ! a B u d dhist mon
. k ap
p ro a c h e s an d the
, sight bodes ill [ fl g]
R e e c tin L e t him en
. te r by
tha t path w hil e we depart b y this
, .
 A C T TH E E I G H T H

THE STRAN G LING OF VASANTASE NA

[ E nter a monk , wit h a wet g a r me nt in his hand ]

M onk
ignorant lay by a sto re o f virtu e !
E ,

R est ra in the bel ly ; wa tch eterna lly ,

H eeding the bea t o f contempla tions dru m

’
‘
.

F o r else the senses fearfu l thieves they b e —

Will stea l away all virtu e s b o arded su m ’

.

And fu rther : I h a ve seentha t all things are transito ry so tha t no w ,

I am become the abode o f v irtu es alone .

Who sla ys the Five M e n and the Fema le B ane

13 3
, ,

By whom prot ection to the Town is give n

‘
,

By whom the O u tca ste impote nt is sla in

’s
,

H e cannot fail to enter into hea ve n .

Thou gh head h e shorn and face he shom ,

The heart u nshorn why shou ld m a n sh ave him ?

,

B u t he whose inmost hea rt is shorn

Needs no t the sh a ve n hea d to sa ve him 8 .

I ha ve dyed this robe o f mine yellow And no w I will go into the .

garden of the king s brother in law w ash it in the po nd and go

’
- -
, ,

a way as soon as I c an [ H e wa lks a bou t . washes t he r obe ]

A voic e behind t he sc e nes Sht o p yo u confou nded monk sh t o p!

.
, ,

M onk [D iscover s t he speaker F ea rfullyj H ea ven help me ! H ere

. .

is the ki ng s brother in law Sa nst h anaka Ju st beca u se o ne monk

’
- -
, .

co m mitt ed an offense no w wherever he sees a monk whet her it

, , ,

is the sa me o ne o r no t he bore s a hole in his nose and drives him

,

aro u nd like a bu llock Where sha ll a defenseless m an find a de

.

fender B u t afte r all t h e ble ssed Lo rd B u ddha is my defender

?
, .

1 An d h d o n m t h e prw fic e b y whic h t he 8 addh ist s mdu c ed a st at e o f re hgio m m y .

’ The five se nse s .

‘ I gno ra n e ‘ Th e c
b o d
.
y
“ Th e m . c e it o f individm lit y .
1 10 AC T TH E E IG H T H

S an st hana ka S h t o , o u co nfo nded mo nk h ! I ll po nd ’

p y. u s t o
p u ,

yo u r head like a re d radish at a drinking party [ H e st rikes hint ]

‘
.

j a ckass yo u shou ld no t strike a monk w ho wears

Co u r t ie r Y o u.
,

the yell ow robes o f renu nciation Why heed h im Look rather

? .

u pon this garden which o f fers itself to pleas u re

, .

To creat u res else forlorn the fo rest tre es ,

D o works o f mercy granti ng jo y and ease ; ,

Lik e a sinner s hea rt the park u ngu arded lies

’

, ,

Like some ne w fou nded rea lm an easy prize -

4 ,

M o nk H ea ven bless yo u ! Be mercifu l ser v ant of the Blessed

.
,

O ne !
S a nst han
a ka D id yo u hear tha t shir ? H e s insh u l t ing me ’
.
, .

Co u rtier Wh at does he say ?

.

S a nst ha naka S hays I m a sh hrva nt Wh at do yo u tak e me fo r ?

’
. .

a ba rber ?

Co u r tier A serv ant of the Blessed O ne he ca lls yo u and this is

.
,

Sanst hana ka Praise me shome more monk !

.
,

M onk Y o u are virt u ou s ! Y o u are a brick !

.

Sa n st han a ka S hee ? H e sha ys I m v irt u ou s H e sha ys I m a brick

’ ’
. . .

What do yo u think I am ? a materi alistic philosopher ? o r a water

ing tro u gh o r a pot ma ke r ?
- ? 9 -

Co u rtier Yo u j ackass he p ra ises yo u when he sa ys tha t yo u are

.
,

virt u o u s t h at yo u are a brick

, .

S a nst hanak a Well shir w h at did he come here fo r ?

.
, ,

M onk To wash this robe

. .

S a nst hana ka C onfou nd the monk ! M y shisht e r s h u sband gave me

‘

the fine sh t garden there is the garden P u shpakaranda D ogs and , .

j ackals d rink the water int h ish pond No w I m anarisht o c rat I m .

’

,
’

l U sed as a nappe t h e r
.

‘ Thc d a b o nt e pu ns o f t his passage ca nhu dly b e re pro duc e d lna m nslaflo n .

112 A C T TH E E I G H T H 8 .

S a nst hanak a . Well , o n o ne condition .

Cou rtie r And wh a t is th at ?

.

S an st han ak a H e m u sht sh lin

.
g m u d in wit hou t making the w a ter ,

dir t y Or bet ter yet he m u sht make the water into a ball and
.
, ,

shl in g it i nto the m ud .

Cou r tier Wh at incredible folly !

.
.

The pat ient earth is bu rdened by

So many a fool so many a dro ne , ,

Whose thou ghts and deeds are all awry

These tre e s o f flesh these forms of stone , .

[ T h e m o nk m a k es ac es a t S a n
f s t ha na ka ]

S a nst hanak a Wh at does he mean?

.

Cou r tier H e p raises yo u

. .

Sa n st han ak a P raise me shome mo re ! Praise me a ain! [ The mo n k

.
g
does so the n ea t ]
,

Cou rtie r See h o w bea u tifu l the garden is yo u j a cka ss

.
, .

See yonder trees adorned with fru it and flowers , ,

O e r which the clinging c reepers interla ce ;

’

The w atchmen gu ard them with the roya l pow ers ;

They seem like m e n whom loving wives embrace .

Sa n st han a ka A good de sh c ri t io n shir

.
p , .

The grou nd is mottled with a lot of flowers ;

The b lo ssh o m freight bends down the loft y t rees ;
And ha ngi ng from the lea fy tree t o p bowers
,
-
,

The monkeys bob like breadfru it inthe breeze , 8 .

Co u r tier Will yo u b e se ated o n this st one bench yo u j a cka ss ?

.
,

S anst hana ka I a m sh e a t e d [ The y sea t themselves ] D o yo u know

. . ,

shi r I remember that Vasa nt ase na evenyet S he is like aninsh u lt

, . .

I ca nt get h er o u t o f my m i nd
’

Cou r tier [ A side ] H e remembers h er even aft e r su ch a rep u lse

. .

F o r indeed ,
P . ST R ANGLI NG OF VA S A N TA S E NA 1 18

The mean m an whom a wom a n sp u rns , ,

B u t loves the mo re ;
The w ise ma ns pa ssion gentler b u rns ’

O r pa sses o e r
’
9 .

S anst hana k a Shome time has passh e d shi r shinc e I told my sher
.
, ,

vant S t havaraka to ta ke the bu llock cart a nd come as q u ick as -

he co u ld A nd even yet he is no t he re I ve been h u ngry a long

. .
’

time and at noona m an c ant go a foot F o r shee !

,
’
-
.

The sh u n is inthe middl e o f the shky ,

And ha rd t o lo o k at as a n angry ape ;

Like Gandhari whose , die h u ndred sh o ns did ,

The ea rth is hard dish t re sshe d and cant e sh c a pe ’

.

The cattle all their c u ds let fall

—

Lie d rowsing inthe shade ;

I n heated pool their lips to cool ,

D eer throng the woodl and gl ade ;

A prey to hea t the city street ,

M akes wanderers afraid ;

The ca rt m u st sh u n the midda y su n ,

A nd th u s has b een dela yed .

Sa nst hana ka Ye sshir .

,

to my head the heated sh u n beam clings ;

F ash t -

Birds flyi ng cre atu re s alsbo winged things

, ,

R e sht in the branches of the trees while m e n , ,

People and pe rsho ns shigh and shigh agai n;

,

A t home they ta rry in thei r hou ses sh t a y , ,

To bea r the heat and b u rden o f the day 12 .

W e ll shir th at she rvant is nt here yet I m going to shing shome

, ,
’
.
’

thi ng to pa ssh the time [ H e sing s ] There sh ir did yo u hear

.
, ,

wh at I sha ng ?

Cou r t ier What sh all I sa y Ah h o w melodio u s !

.
?
,
1 14 AC T TH E E IG H T H

Sanst hana ka Why shou ld nt it be ma lodoro u s ? ’

Of nu t grass and cu min I m ake u p a pickle

-
,

Of devil s d u ng ginger and orris and tre a cle ;

’
-
, , ,

That s the mixt u re of perfu mes I ea ge rly e at

’

Why shou ld nt my voice be remarka bly shw e e t ’

? 18

Well Shit I m ju sh t going to shing again [H e does cc ] There

, ,
’
. .
,

shir did yo u hear what I sh ang

,
?

Cou rtier Wha t sh a ll I say ? A h h o w melodio u s !

.
,

San st han a ka Why sho u ld nt it b e ma lodoro u s ?

’
.

Of the flesh of the c u ckoo I make u p a chowder ,

With devil s d u ng added and black pepper powder ;

’
-
,

With o il and with bu tt e r I sh prinkle the meat :

Why shou ld nt my voice be remarka bly shw ee t '
?

B u t shir the sh e rvant is nt her e yet

’
.
,

Co u r tie r Be ea sy in yo u r mind H e will be here p rese ntly

. . .

E n e V n n in h b ll k c rt a nd S h a r aka
[ t r asa t ase a t e u o c a t a v ] -
,

S t hava raka I m frightened It is alrea dy noon I hope S anst h a

’
~
. . .

naka the king s broth e r ln law will no t be angry I mu st drive

’
- -
.
, ,

faster G e t u p bu llocks get u p!

.
, ,

Vasa nt asena Alas ! Tha t is no t Vardham anaka s voice Wh at does

’
. .

it m ea n? I wonder if C haru da t t a w as afiaid that the bu llocks '

might become weary and so sent another m an with another ca rt , .

M y ri ght eye twitches M y heart is all a tremble There is no o ne .

-
.

in sight E ver ything seems t o da nce before my eyes

. .

S a nst hanaka [ H ear in g t h.e s o un d of w hee l s]The c a rt is he re shi r , .

Cou rtie r H o w do yo u know ?

.

S anst hana ka C ant yo u shee ? It shq u e aks like an old hog

’
. .

Cou rtie r [ P er ceives t he car t ] Q u ite tru e It is her e

. . .

San st han a ka S t havaraka my littl e shon my shla ve are yo u here ?

.
, , ,

Sa n
st hana ka . Is the ca rt here ?
1 16 AC T TH E E IG H T H

S a nst hana ka E ve nif . I do shay sho , yo u ou ght to be polite enou gh

”
to sh ay Aft e r yo u m asht e r
“
, .

Co u r tier Aft e r yo u then

.
, .

S an st han ak a No w I ll e nter St havarak a my little shon my

’
. .
, ,

shla ve tu rn the c art aro u nd

, .

S t hava r aka [D oes so ] E nte r mast er

. .
, .

S a nst hanaka [ E nt er s a nd lo oks a bou t then hast ily g ets o u t in t e r

.
,

ro r a n d fa ll s o n t he c ou rtie r s nec k ] Oh oh o h ! Yo u re a dea d

’ ’

, , ,

m an! Ther e s a witch o r a thief that s sitting and living in my

’ ’

, ,

bu llock ca rt If it s a witch we 11 both be robbed If it s a thief

-
.
’

,
’
.
'

we 11 bot h be ea ten alive

’
.

Cou rtier D o nt be frighte ned H o w co u ld a witch tra vel in a

’

. .

bu llock cart ? I hope th at the hea t o f the midday su n has no t

-

blinded yo u so tha t yo u beca me the victim of an h all u cina tion

,

when yo u saw the shadow of St havaraka with the smock o n it .

S an st han a ka St h avaraka my litt le shon my shla ve are yo u

.
, , ,

a live ?

Sa nst hanaka B u t shi r there s a woman sitting and livi ng in the ’

.
,

bu llock cart Look and shee !

-
.

Cou r tier A woman .

?

Then let u s b o w o u r heads a t once a nd go ,

Like steers whose eyes the falli ng raindrops daze

I n p u blic spo t s my dignity I show ;
O n high bo rn d a mes I hesitate to gaze
-
15 .

Vasa nt asend [ I n a ma zem en t A side ] Oh o h ! It is tha t thorn in

. .
,

my eye the king s brother ln law Alas ! the danger is great Poo r
,
’
- -
. .

woman! M y coming hith e r proves as fru itless as the sowing o f a

ha ndfu l of seeds o n salty soil Wh at sh all I do no w ? .

Sa nst hana ka Thish old she rvant is a fra id a nd he wont look into
’
.

t he ca rt Will yo u look i nto the cart shir

.
?
,

Co u rtier I see no harm in tha t Yes I will do it

. .
, .
P . ST R ANGLI NG OF VA S AN TA S E NA 117

Sa nst han
a ka A re those things j acka ls that I shee flying into the
.

air and are those things crows tha t walk o n all fou rs While the
,
?

witch is chewi ng him with he r eyes and looki ng at h im with he r ,

teeth I ll make my e sh c ape

,
’
.

The gazelle follow s the tiger A la s ! .

H er ma te is lovely as the a u tu mn moon ,

Wh o waits fo r he r u pon the sandy d u ne ;

And yet the swan will lea ve him and will go
?

To d ance a tte nd ance o na common crow ? 16

[ A side t o V asa nt asend ] A h V a sant a se na ! This is neithe r,right ,

no r worthy of yo u .

Yo u r pride rejected him before ,

Yet no w fo r go ld and fo r you r mother s wi ll ,

’

Vasa nt asend No ! [ fi e shakes he r hea d ]

.

You r natu re k nows you r pride

Yo u honor him a common woman st ilL , 17

D id I no t tell yo u to ser ve the m an yo u love and him

‘ “
, yo u
”
hat e ?
Vasa nt ase na I made a mistake in the cart and th u s I came
.
,

hither I throw mysel f u pon you r p rot ection

. .

Cou rt ier D o no t fea r C ome I m u st deceive him [ H e r etu rns t o

W
. .
.
,

] J a cka ss t he re is i ndeed a witch

, who m akes h er

home inthe c art .

Sa n st hana ka B u t shir if a w itch is livin

. g there why are nt yo u
, ,
’

robb ed ? A n d if it s a thief why are nt yo u ea te n alive

’ ’
?
,

Co u rtier Why t ry to determine that ? B u t if w e shou ld go ba ck

.

o nfoot thro u gh the garde n s u ntil we ca me to the city to U jjayini , ,

what h arm wou ld tha t do ?

S a nst hanaka A nd if we did what then?

. ,

1 See page 13 .
1 18 AC T TH E E IG H T H

Cou r tier Then we sho u ld ha ve some e xercise and sho u ld a void

. ,

tiring the bu llocks .

Sa n st hana ka All right St h avaraka my shlave drive o n B u t n

. o !
.
, , .

S ht o p sh t Op ! I go o nfoot before gods and B rahmans Not m u c h !

,
?

I ll go in my cart sho that people sha ll shee me a long w ay o ff

’

, ,

”
an d shay There he goes o u r m ash t e r the king s brother in la w
’
“ - -
, , .

Cou rtier [ Aside ] It is hard to co nvert poiso n into medicine So

. .

be it then [ A lou d ] Jackass this is Vasa nt ase na come to visit

, .
, ,

yo u .

Va sa nt asena . H eaven forbid !

Sa nst hana ka [ G le ull
ef y ] . Oh oh ! To visit me , , n arisht o c rat
a , a

m a n, a regu lar Vas u deva ?

Sa nst hana ka Th is is an u nh e ard o f piece o f l u ck That other time

.
-
.

I made her angry sho no w I ll fa ll at he r feet and beg he r pardon

,
’
.

Cou r t ier C apital !

.

S a nst hanak a I ll fa ll at h e r feet m ysh e lf [ H e appr oa ch es Vasa nt a

’
. .

sen d ] Little mother ma m m a dear lisht e n to my p rayer , , .

I fold my ha nds and fall before thy feet

Th ine eyes are large thy teeth are clean and neat , ,

Thy finge r na ils are t e n forgive thy sh la ve - —

Wha t love tormented b e offe nded sh w ee t

,
-
18 , , .

Vasa nt a se na [ A n g y]
r il Le a ve
. me ! Yo u r wo rds are a n. ins u lt ! [ fi e

rn hi i h h
sp u s m w t e r
f ]
. oo t

Sa n st han a ka [ W r u t h u lly ]
f .

Thish hea d tha t mothe r and that ma mm a kissed ,

That never bent to worship god I wist , ,

Upont hish head she dared t o plant he r feet ,

Like j ack als o n the carrio n they meet .

S t h ava raka yo u shla ve where did yo u pick he r u p

,
?
,

S t hava raka M aste r the highwa y w as blocked by villagers wago ns

’
. .
,

So I stopped my c art near C h aru dat t a s orch a rd and got o u t And ’

, .
120 A C T TH E E IG H T H 8 .

Cou rtie r C ert a inl y Anyt hing

. .
, u nless it be a sin .

S a nst hanaka Ther e no t a sh m e ll o f a shin in it shir Not

’
. s , . a
pe r

fu me !

S anst hana ka M u rder Vasan

. t ase na .

A tender lady gem o f t his o u r cit y , ,

A cou rte zan w hose lov e was sta inl ess ever
If I sh ou l d kill h e r sinless withou t pity , , ,

W ha t b oat wo u ld bear me o n the gloomy river ? 28

S anst hanaka boa t And b e sh ide s in t hish deserted

I 11 give yo u
’
. a .
,

garden w h o 11 shee yo u m u rdering h er ?

,
’

Cou r tier The regio ns t e n the forest gods the sky

.
‘
, , ,

The wi nd the moon the su n whose rays are ligh t

, , ,

Virt u e my co nscience these I ca nnot fly

,
—

24

S a nst hdna ka Well then pu t yo u r cloak over h er and m u rder h e r

.
, .

Co u rtier Y o u fool ! Y o u scou ndrel !

.

fi m t hd n a ka The o ld hog is a frai d of a shin Never mind I 1 1 per

’
. . .

sh u a de S t havaraka my shla ve St havaraka my little shon my

, .
, ,

”
shlave I 11 give yo u golden bra celet s
, .

S t havar aka And I ll w ear t hem

’
. .

S a nst hana ka I 11 ha ve a golde n sheat m ade fo r yo u

’
. .

S t hava r aka And I ll sit o n it

'
. .

Sa nst hanak a I 11 give yo u all my lea vi ngs

’
. .

S t hava r aka And I 11 e at them

’
. .

S an st hanak a I 1] m a ke yo u the chief o f all my sh e rvan

. ts .

S t hdva r aka M aster I ll be the chief

’
. .
,

Sa nst hanaka Y o u onl y h a ve t o a tte nd to wh at I sha y

. .

S t hava r aka M aster I w ill do anythi ng u nless it be a sin

.
, , .

t m m m m m m m mm m m m m m u mm m m m .
P. STR A NGL ING OF VA S A NTA SE NA 12 1

S a nst hana k aThere s no t a sh m e ll of a shin in it

.
’
.

S t havaraka Then speak maste r

.
, .

Sa n st hanak a M u rder Vasa n

. t ase na .

S t havar aka Oh ma ster b e mercifu l ! Unworthy as I am I bro u ght

.
, , ,

this wort hy lady hither b ecau se she mistook this b u ll ock ca rt fo r

,
-

st han
Sa n a ka Y o u . int I yo u r m ash te r ?
shla ve , a
’

S t havar aka M aste r of my body no t of my chara cter Be mercifu l

.
, .
,

ma ster be mercifu l ! I am afraid

, .

S a nst hana ka Yo u re my shla ve Wh o are yo u a fraid of ?

’
. .

S t hava r aka Of the other world mast e r

.
, .

S a nst hanaka Who is t hish othe r world

.
“

S t hd va ra ka M aster it is a rewarder of righteou sness and sin

.
, .

S an st han a ka Wha t is the reward of ri h t eo u shn e ss?

.
g
S t havaraka To be like my master with ple nty of golden orna
.
,

ments .

Sa n st hana ka Wha t is the reward of shin

.
?

S t hava r aka To be like me eating another ma ns b read Th at is

’
. .
,

w hy I will do no sin .

S a nst han a ka Sho yo u wo nt m u rder h e r ? [ H e beats him with a ll

’
.

his mig ht ]
S t hava r aka Y o u m ay be at me master Y o u m ay kill me mast e r
.
, .
, .

I will do no sin .

A lu ckless lifelong sla ve am I , ,

A sla ve I li ve a sla ve I die ; ,

B u t fu rther w o e I will no t b u y ,

I will no t will no t sin , .

Vasa nt ase na S ir I throw myself u pon you r p rotection

.
, .

Cou rtie r Pardonh im j ackass ! Well done St h avaraka !

.
, ,

D oes this poor m isera ble sla ve ,

Seek virtu e s meed beyond the gra ve ? ’

122 AC T TH E E I G H T H 8 .

And is his lord indifferent ?

Then why are no t s u ch crea tu re s sent
To i nsta nt hell whose si nfu l store
,

G rows great who know no t virtu e more ?

,

And again
Ah cru el cru el is
, , o ur fate ,

S ince he is sla ve and yo u a re lord , ,

Since he does no t enjoy you r hoard ,

Since yo u do no t obey his word 27 .

[ A side ] The old j ac kal is a fraid o f a shin and the ,

”
lifel ong shla ve is afraid of the other w orld Who am I afrai d of .
,

I the king s brother in law anarisht o c r at a m an? [ A lo u d ]Well

,
’
- -
, , ,

”
sh ervant yo u lifelong shla ve yo u c a ngo Go to you r room and
,
“
, .

resht an d keep o u t of my w ay .

St lzava r alca Yes master [ To Vasan

.
, t asena ] M ada m I ha ve no
.
,

fu rther pow er .

S a nst hanaka [ Gir ds up his loins ] Wait a minu te Vasant a se na

. .
, ,

wait a minu te I want to m u rder yo u

. .

Cou rtier Y o u will kill he r before my eye s ? [ H e seizes hi m by t he

.

S am t hdna lca ll h o n d S hi m u rderi ng you r

’

[ F.a s t o t e g r u ] r, y o u re

m ash t e r .
[ H e l oses co n sc iou sn e ss, bu t r ec o ve r s ]
I always fed him fat with mea t ,

And gave h im bu tter too t o eat ; ,

No w fo r the friend in need I se arch

Why does he lea ve me in the lu rch ? 28

A
[ fi e r r
gle c t io ra
] Good ! I ha ve an idea The o l d j ackal ga ve h e r .

a hin t by shaking his head at h e r Sho I ll shend him away and .

‘

then I ll mu rder Vasant a se na Th at s the idea [A lo u d ] Shir I

’
.
’
.
,

w as bornin a noble family as great as a wine gla ss H o w cou ld I -

.

do th at shin I shpo ke a bo u t ? I ju sh t shaid it to ma ke he r love me .

12 4 A C T TH E E IG H T H

Sanst hana ka gold I ll c all yo u shw e e t ;

I 11 give yo u
’ ’
.
,

M y tu rbaned head adores you r feet .

Why no t love me my clea n toot hed girl ? ,

-

Why worship s u ch a pa u per ch u rl ? 31

Va sa nt asena H o w c a n yo u ask [ S he bows he r he a d a nd r ec it es

.
?

t he followin g v e rses ]

0 ba se a nd vile ! O wretch ! Wh at more ?

Why tempt me no w with gold and power ?

The honey loving b e enadore -

The p u re and sta inless lotu s flower .

Thou gh poverty m a y strike a good m an lo w ,

Pec u liar honor waits u pon his woe ;

And t is the glory o f a co u rtezan
’

To set h e r love u ponan honest m an 88 .

And I who ha ve loved the m ango tree I cannot cling t o the

,
-
,

S a nst ban Wench yo u make th at poor littl e C haru da t t a int o

a lc a .
,

a man go tree and me yo u call a lo c u sht tree no t even an aca cia !

-
,
-
,

Tha t s the way yo u a bu se me and eve n yet yo u remember C ha

’

ru dat t a .

Vasant ase na Why shou ld I no t remember him who dwells in my

.

heart ?

S a nst lzanalca Thish very mi nu te I m go ing to sht rangle him ’

“
. .

”
who dwell s in you r heart and yo u too Shta nd sht ill yo u poor
, .
,

merc ha nt ma ns lover !-
’

Vasa nt asena Oh spe ak oh speak aga in these words tha t do me

.
,

honor !
Sa nst hana lc a J u sh t let poor C haru dat t a
. the shonof a shlave —

re sh c u e you no w !
Vasa nt ase na . He wou ld rescu e me if he sa w me , .

S a nst bana lc a . Is he the king of gods the royal ape ?

?

Shon of a nymph o r wears a demons sh ape ?

?
’
 STR ANGLI NG OF VA S A NTAS E NA 12 5

The kingly deity of Wi nd and rain ?

The o ffsh pring of the P andu pri nces bane ? -

’

A p rophet o r a vu lt u re known afar

? ?

A sh t a t e sm an? o r a beetle o r a shtar

? ?

Bu t even if he w as, he cou ld nt t esbene yo u

’
.

As S ita in the Bharata

Was killed by good o l d C hanakya ,

Sho I intend to throttle thee ,

A s did Jatay u D rau padi .

H i e h is a rm t o st r ike he n]
[ e r a s s

Vasant ase na M other ! where are yo u ? Oh C h aru dat t a ! my heart s

’

. ,

longing is u nfu lfilled and no w I die ! I will screa m fo r h e lp No !

, .

It wou ld bring sha me o nVasant a se na shou l d she scream fo r help

, .

H ea ven bless C haru da t t a !

S a nst hanak a D oes the wench shpeak th at rash c al s na me even
’
.

y e t ?
[ H e seiz es h e r by t he thr o a t ]R emembe r him wench remem , ,

b e r him !
Vasa nt ase na H ea ven bless C haru da t t a !
.

Thish bashke t fu l o f shin t hish

wench
, ,

Thish fo u l a bode o f im p u dence

She ca me to love she sh t a ye d to bl ench
, ,

F o r D e ath s embra ce took every sense

’
.

B u t why b o ash t I o f v alorou s arms and sh t o u t ?

She sh im ply died beca u se h e r brea th gave o u t .

Like S ita in the Bh arata she lie s , .

Ah mother mine ! h o w p rett il y she dies

, .

S hewou ld no t love me thou gh I loved the

, w ench ;
I sha w the empty ga rden set the shnare , ,
12 6 A C T TH E E IG H T H

And frightened he r and made the poo r gir l blench , .

M y brothe r ! Oh my fa ther ! Thish is where ,

Y o u m issh e d shigh t o f
heroism sht o u t ;
the
You r brother a nd yo u r sh on here b lo ssh o m e d o u t
I nto a m an; like M other D ra u padi ,

Y o u were no t there my bravery to shee , 37 .

Good ! The o ld j acka l will be here in a m inu te I ll sht e p ashide .

’

an d wait [ H e does so ]
.
[ E nter t he c ou
. r tier wit h S t havar alra
] ,

Cou r tier I h a ve persu aded the se rva nt S t havarak a to come ba ck

.
,

an d no w I will look fo r the j a cka ss [ H e wa lk s a bou t a nd lo o ks .

ar ou n d him ] B u t see ! A tree has fa llenby the roadside and killed ,

a w oma n in its fa ll 0 c ru el ! H o w co u l dst thou do this deed of

.

shame And when I see th at a woman w as sla in by thy fata l fa ll

?
,

I too am felled to the earth T ru ly my heart s fear fo r Vasanta .

,
’

se n s was anev il omen Oh hea ve n grant th at all m a y yet be well !

.
,

H r oa ches S a n h n a lea ]Jacka ss I h a ve pe rs u aded yo u r se r

[ e a
pp st a ,

v ant S t havaraka to retu rn .

Sa n st han a lra H o w do yo u do . shir ? S t h avaraka my li t tle sho n , , ,

my shla ve ho w do yo u do ,
?

S t hava raka Well tha nk yo u .

, .

Cou rtier Give me my pledge

. .

S a nst ha n a lca What pledge ? .

Cou rtier Vasant ase na

. .

S an st han a h a She s go n e ’
. .

Sa nst hana ha R ight ft e r yo u

‘
. a .

Cou r t ier [ D o u b tfidly ] No sh e did no t go in

.
, direction .

Sa n st hana ka I n wh at directio ndid .

yo u go ?

Cou r t ier Toward the east

. .

S a nst hana ka Well she we nt sh o u t h

.
‘
, .

Cour tier So did I . .

‘ Thc re g id M gM o f de a t h .
128 A C T TH E E I G H T H

Co u r t ie r Y o u
. cc u rsed sco u nd rel !
are an a

S a nst h I 11 give yo u cou ntless wealth a piece o f gold

'
.
, ,

A copper and a c ap to ha ve and hold

, , .

And sho the fame o f t hish great deed sh all be

A commonp roperty and sha nt to u ch me
’

, 40 .

Cour tier A cu rse u ponyo u ! Yo u rs and yo u rs only b e the deed

.
, , .

S t hava r aha H ea ven a vert the ome n! [ S a nst han

. a ha bu rsts o u t

la u g hing 1 -

Co u rtier B e enmity b etw eenu s! C ease yo u r mirt h !

.

D amned be a fri endship th at so sh ames my w orth !

Never m ay I set eyes o n o ne so lo w !
I fling yo u o ff anu nstru ng brokenho w
, 41 , .

S an st hana lra D ont b e an gry C ome let s go and play inthe pond
’ ’
. .
, .

Cou r tier U nst a ined r ny life a nd yet it seems to me

’

.
,

You r friendship sta ins and mocks my si nl ess ness , .

Y o u woman m u rderer ! H o w cou ld I be

-

A fri end to o ne whom women ev e r see

With eyes ha lf closed inapprehe nsions stress ?
-
’

When thou sweet maid art b ornagain

, , ,

Be no t a cou rtezan reborn ,

B u t in a ho u se w hich sinl ess m e n ,

48

Sa n st hanalca F irsh t yo u
. m u rder Vasant asena in my old garden
P u shpakaranda , and no w where will yo u ru n to C ome defend
?
,

lf n re my sh ish t e r s h u sban ! H h ld hi
’

yo u rsh e i co u rt b efo d [ e o s m

Cou rtie r E nou gh yo u

. , cc u rsed scou ndrel ! [ H e dr aws his swor d ]
a

S a nst hanalc a .
[ R ec alling in terr or ] Shea red a re.
yo u ? Go a lo ng , ,

then .

Cou rtie r [ A side ] It wo u ld b e folly to rema in here Well I w ill

. . ,

go and joinmyself t o S ha rvilaka C ha ndanaka and the re st [ E xit , , .

P . ST R A NGLI NG OF VA S A NTA SE NA 129

Sa nst hana lra G o to hell Well my little shon S t havaraka what

. .
, ,

ki nd o f a thing is t h ish tha t I ve done ? ’

S t hava r ah a M aster yo u h a ve co m mitte d a terrible crime

.
, .

San st han aka S hl ave ! Wha t do yo u meanby ta lki n

. g abou t a crime ?

Well I 11 do it t hish w ay [H e takes va r io u s or na ment sfr om his

’

.
,

er son T ake these gems I give em to Whe n eve I w n t to ’

p ] yo u r a . .

wear them I ll ta ke them ba ck agai n b u t the resht o f the time

,
’

they are yo u r s .

S t hava r aha They shou l d be worn only by my master Wh a t h a ve

. .

I to do with s u ch things ?

Sa n st han a h a Go a lon g ! Take these b u ll ocks and wa it inthe tower

'
.
,

of my palace u ntil I come .

S t hdva r a ka Yes master .

, [ E x i
.t

Sa n st han a ka The gentleman has made h im she lf invisible H e

. .

wa nted to sa ve him sh e lf And the shla ve I ll pu t inirons inthe pal .

’

ac e tower an d keep him there And sho the sh e c re t will be sha fe

, . .

I ll go along b u t firsht I ll ta ke a look a t h e r Is she dead o r sh all

’

,
’
.
,

I m u rder he r again [ H e lo oks at Vasa nt asend ] D ead as a doo r

?

nail ! Good ! I 11 cover h e r with t hish cloa k No it has my name

’
.
,

o nit Shome h o n
. e sh t m a nmight recogn ize it Well here are shome .
,

dry lea ves tha t the wind has blo wn into a h eap I ll cove r h e r
’
.

with them [ H e does so then p a u ses t o refl

. e c t ] Good ! I ll do it
,
’

t hish w a y I ll go to co u rt at once a nd there I ll lodge a compla i nt

’ ’

.
, .

I ll shay th at the merchant C haru dat t a e nticed Vasant ase na into

’

my o ld garden P u shpaka randa and killed her fo r h e r money , .

Ye sh C haru dat t a m u sht be shla u gh t e re d no w

, ,

And I ll i nvent the plan forgetting pity ;

’

The shac rific ing o f a sinless c o w

Is cru el in the kinde sh t he arted city 44 -
.

No w I m read y to go [ H e st a rts t o g o a wa y bu t pe rc eives som e

’
.
,

thin g tha t ri h t en
f g s him ] G o o dne ssh g ra c io u s h me ! Whe reve r I
go t hish damned monk comes with his yellow robes I bored a hole
, .
130 AC T TH E E IG H T H s
.

in his nose o nce and d rove him aro u nd and he h ates me Perha ps , .

he ll shee me and will tell pe ople that I m u rdered h e r H o w shall

’
, .

I e sh c a pe [ H e looks abo u t ] Aha ! I 11 j u mp over the wa ll where

?
’

it is half fallen down and e sh c ape that w ay

, .

I ru n I ru n I go , , ,

I n hea ve n o n ea rth below , ,

I n hell and in C eylon , ,

H aniu nat s peaks u pon

‘ ’

Like I nd ra s self I go [ E xi
’

t ] 4 5 , .

[ E nter hu r r ie dly t he B ud dhist m o nk , ex-

sha mpooer .
]
M o nk . I washed these rags of mi ne Shall I let them dry o n a
’

ve .

branch ? no the monkeys wou ld stea l them On the grou nd the

,
? .

d u st wou ld m ake them dirty aga i n Well then where sh a ll I Sprea d .

,

them o u t t o dry [ H e looks a bou t ]Ah here is a pile of dry lea ves
?
,

which the Wind h as blown into a hea p I ll sprea d them o u t o n .

’

th at [ H e do es ao ] B u ddh a be praised ! [H e sits do wn] Now I will

. .

repe at a hymn of the faith .

Who slays the Five M e n a nd the Female Bane , ,

By whom protection to the Town is given ,

By whom the O u tcaste im wt e nt is sla in ,

H e ca nnot fa il to enter into hea ven ( )

2 .

Aft er all wh at h a ve I to do with hea ven before I h ave pa id my

, ,

debt to Vasa nt a se na my sister in B u ddha She bou ght my free

,
?

dom fo r t e n gold pieces from the ga mblers and since th at day I

-
,

regard myself as h er p roperty [ H e lo oks ab ou t ] Wha t w as that

.
?

a sigh th a t arose from the lea ves ? It ca nnot be .

The hea ted breezes hea t the leaves ,

The wet ted garment wets the lea ves ,

A nd so I gu ess the sca ttered lea ves

, ,

C u rl u p l ike any other lea ve s 46 .

[ V as a nt ase na beg i ns t o r ec ove r co nsci o u sness and st r etc he s o u t he r ,

ha n
d ]
 AC T TH E N I NT H

THE TR IAL

[ E nt er a bea dle .
]
HE magistrat es said to me C om e b eadle go to the co u rt “
, ,

”
room an d ma ke rea dy the sea ts So no w I am o n my w ay
, .

to set the cou rt room in order [ H e walks abou t a nd looks ar ou nd

- .

him ]H ere is the co u rt room I will enter [ H e ente rs sweeps a n

.
-
. d .
, ,

u ts a sea t in it s pla c e ] There ! I h a ve ti died u the co t oom

p p u r r -

and pu t the seats in rea di ness and no w I will go and tell the m a ,

gistrates [ H e wa lks abo u t and looks a r ou nd him ] B u t see ! H ere

. .

comes that a rrant knave the king s brother in la w I w ill go away

,
’
- -
.

withou t attracting his attention [ H e sta nds apa rt E nt er S a n . .

Sa n
st h . I bathed where water ru ns and flows and p u rls
I sh at withina garden park and grove , ,

With women and with females and with gi rls

, , ,

Whose lovely limbs w ith grace angelic move .

M y ha ir is sho m et im e s done u p t ight yo u shee ,

I n locks o r cu rls it ha ngs my forehea d o er ;

’

, ,

S ho m e t im e s t is matt ed sh o m e t im e s h anging free

’

And then again I wea r a pompa do u r , .

I am a wonder I m a wondrou s thing

,
’

And the h u sband of my shish t e r is the king . 2

And b e shide s I ve fo u nd a big hole like a worm th at has crawled

’

, ,

into the knot o f a lo t u sh root and is looki ng fo r a hole t o cre ep

-
,

o u t at No w who w as I goin
. g to a ccu se of t hish wicked deed [ H e
?

r ec all s som ething ] Oh yeah ! I remembe, r I w as going to acc u se .

poor C haru dat t a o ft hish wicked deed B e shides he s poor They 11 .

,
’
.

believe a nything a bou t him Good ! I ll go to the cou rt room and

.
’
-

lodge a pu blic complaint against C ham dat t a h o w he sht rangle d ,

P. TH E T R I AL 133

Vasant a se na and m u rdered h er S ho no w I m o n my way to the

.
’
.

cou rt room [ H e wa lks abou t a nd looks a r o u nd him ] H ere is the

-
. .

cou rt room I 11 go in [H e ent ers a nd looks a bou t ]Well here

-
.
’
.

the shea t s all arranged While I m waiti ng fo r the m agisht rat e s

, .
’

I ll ju sht sit down a minu te o n the gra ss [H e does so ]

’

. .

B ea dle [ W . a lks a b o u t in a n other dir ec t ion a nd looks befor e him ] , .

H ere come the m agistrates I will go to them [ H e do es ao ]. . .

[ E nt e r t he j g
u d e a cc o m p a
, nied by g
a ild w a r den a c lerk and oth
-
e rs ] , ,

Judg e Gil d warden and clerk !

.
-

Gild war de n a nd Cle rk We await yo u r bidding

-
. .

Ju dg e A trial depends to su ch anext e nt u ponoth e rs th at the ta sk

.

o f the magistrates the rea ding o f another s thou ghts is most

—
’
—

difficu lt
M e n oft enspea k o f deeds that no m an saw ,

M atters beyond the p rovince o f the law ;

Passion so ru les the pa rties tha t their li e s
H ide their o ffenses from j u dicial eyes ;
T h is side and tha t e xaggerate a thing ,

Until at last it implica tes the king ;

To su m it u p: false bl ame is easy w o n ,

A tru e j u dge little praised o r praised by none , .

And again
M e n oft en po int to sins t hat no m an saw ,

A nd intheir anger scorn the pa tient la w ;

I n cou rt rooms even the righteou s with their lies
-

H ide their o fl en
'

se s from j u dici al eyes ;

And those who did the deed are lost to view ,

Who si nned with pl aintiff and defendant too ;

To su m it u p: false bla me is easy w o n ,

A tru e j u dge little p ra ised o r praised by none , .

F o r the j u dge m u st be
Learned and sk illed in tra cing frau d s sly pa th
,
’

An d eloq u ent insensible to wra th ;,

134 AC T TH E N INT H

To friend fo e kinsman showing equ al grace

, , ,

R e se rving j u dgment till he k now the case ;

U nt ou ched by avarice in virtu e so u nd , ,

The weak he m u st defend t he kna ve co nfou nd ; ,

Anope n doo r to tru th his h eart m u st c ling ,

To others inte rests yet sh u n each th ing

’

Tha t might a wa ke the anger of the king 5 .

G ild wa r de n a nd Cle rk And do m e n spe ak of defects in yo u r

- .

virt u e If so then they spe ak o f darkness in the moonlight

?
, .

Ju dg e M y good beadl e cond u ct me to the c ou rt room

.
,
-
.

B ea dle Follow me You r H onor [ The y wa lk a bou t ]H er e is the

. , .

co u rt room M ay the magistrates be plea sed to enter [A ll ent e r ]

-
. . .

Ju dg e M y go od beadl e do yo u go ou tside and learn who d e sires

.
,

t o p rese nt a ca se .

B eadle Y e s sir [ H e go es o u t ] Ge ntlemen the m agistra tes ask if

.
, .
,

there is any here who desires to present a case .

Sa nst han ll H
'

a ka [ G le d u]
u . The m a
gish t rat e s a re here [ e str u t s .

a bou t ] I desire to p resen t a cashe I an arisht o c rat a m an a Va , , , ,

.

su dev a the royal b rother in la w the b rother in la w o f the k in

,
-
g -
,
- -
.

B ea dle [ I na la r m ]Goodne ss ! The king s b rothe r in la w is the first

’
- -
.

who desi res to present a ca se Well ! W ait a moment sir I will in . , .

t le m en, here is the king s brother ia law who has come to co u rt’
- -
,

desi ring to present a case .

Ju dg e What ! the king s brothe r ih law is the first w ho desire s to

’
- -
.

p resent a ca se Like an eclipse at s u nrise this betokens the ru in

?
,

of some great m an Beadle the cou rt will dou btless be very b u sy

.
,

tod a y Go forth my good m an and say Lea ve u s fo r tod ay

.
, ,
“
.

”
You r su it cannot be considere d .

B eadle Yes You r H onor [ H e go es o u t a nd appr oac hes S a n

.
, .
,

st han a ka ] S ir the m agistra tes sen

, d word th at yo u are to lea ve
them fo r to day ; that yo u r su it ca nnot be co nsidered
-
.
1 36 A C T TH E NINT H 8 .

And
I am br other to the ki ng in la w ; —

the h u sba nd of my shish t e r is the king

And .

Ju dg e A ll this we know
. .

Why sho u ld yo u boast of this you r noble bir th ?

T is ch ara cter tha t m akes the m ano f worth ;
’

B u t thorns and weeds gro w rank in fertile earth .

Sta te yo u r ca se .

Sa n st hanaka I w ill b u t even if I w as gu ilty he wo u ld nt do ’

.
, ,

an ything to me Well my shisht e r s h u sband liked me and gave

.
,
’

me the besht garden there is the old garden P u sh pakaranda to , ,

play inand look aft er And there I go every day to look at it to.
,

keep it dry to keep it clean to keep it b lo ssho m ing to k e ep it

, , ,

trimmed B u t fate decreed th at I shaw o r ra ther I did nt shee

.
—

,
’

—
the pro sht rat e body o f a wom an .

Ju dg e D o yo u know who the u nfortu nate woman w as?

.

Sa n st hana ka H ello m agish t rat e s! Why sho u ld nt I k now ? A

’
.
,

woman like tha t ! the pearl o f the city ! adorned with a h u ndred
go lden orna ments ! S h o m e b o dy s u nworthy shon enticed he r into ’

the old garde n P u shpakaranda when it w as empty and fo r a ,

mere t rifle fo r h e r m o ne y l sht rangle d Vasant a se na a nd killed

— —

he r B u t I did nt H b e k of ; nd t hi h nd hi
’

.
[ e r a s a p u —
s s a o ve r s

m ou t h ]

Ju dg e Wha t carel ess ness o n the part of the city poli ce ! G ild
.

”
warden and clerk write down the words I did nt as the first
,
“ ’

art icle in the case .

Ck r k Yes sir [ H e do es so ] Sir it is wri t t e n

.
, . .
, .

S a nst hana ka [ A side ] G o o dnessh ! Now I ve ru ined m ysh e lf like

’
.
,

a m an tha t sh w all o w s a cake o f rice an d milk in a h u rry Well . ,

I 11 get o u t of it t hish w ay [A lo u d ] Well well m agisht ra t es! I

’
. , ,

w as ju sh t rema rking th at I did nt shee it h appe n Wha t are yo u

’
.

making thiab h u lla baloo abou t ? [ H e wipes o u t t he wr itten wo r ds

wit h hisfoot ]
P m
. a] TH E T R I AL 137

Ju dg e H o w . do yo u know t hat she w as strangled —

a nd fo r he r
money
Sanst hanaka H ello ! Why shou ld nt I thi nk sho whe n h e r neck ’
. ,

w as shw o lle n and bare and the pla ces where yo u wear jewels,

did nt ha ve any gold o nthem ?

’

S a nst hana ka[ A side ] Th ank hea ve n!.I b rea the again H ooray ! .

Gi ld wa rde n a nd Cle rk Upon whom does the cond u ct o f this

-
.

c ase depend?
Ju dg e . The case spect has a tw ofold a .

Gild wa r de na nd Cle rk H o w so
- ? .

Ju dg e We ha ve to co nside r the a llegations the n the fa ct s No w

.
, .

the investigationof the a llegations depends u ponp laintiff and de

fendant B u t the investigationof the facts m u st be ca rried o u t by
.

the wisdom of the j u dge .

G ild wa rden a nd Cle rk Then the co ndu ct of the ca se

-
.

u po n the p resen ce o f Vasant a se na s mother ?

’

Ju dg e Pre cisely M y good bea dle s u mmonVasant ase na s mothe r

’

.
.
, ,

witho u t how ever givi ng he r cau se fo r anxiety

, , .

B ea dle Yes Yo u r H ono r [H e g oes o u t a nd r etu r n

.
, s with t he .
,

m other of t he c ou r teza n] Follow me mada m , .

M othe r M y da u ghter went to the ho u se of a fri end to enjoy h e r

.

you th B u t no w comes this gentlema n long life to him ! and

.
—

sa ys C ome ! The j u dge su mmons yo u I find myself q uite b e

“
.

wildered M y heart is palpitati ng S ir will yo u cond u ct me to the

. .
,

co u rt room ?
-

B ea dle Follow me m adam [ They walk abou t ] H ere is the cou rt

.
, .

room P ray e n. te r madam [ They ea t en] , .

M other [ Am a t c hing ] H appiness be you rs most worthy gentle

.
,

m en .

Ju dge M y . good woman yo u , are very welcome P ray . be sea ted

.
138 A C T TH E N INT H
M ot her Thank yo u [ S he seats he rselt ]
. .

S a nst hana ka [ A bu sively ] Y o u re here are yo u yo u ld b awd ?

’
. .
, , o

Ju dg e Tell me Are yo u Vasant ase na s mot her ?

’
. .

Ju dg e W hither has Vasant a se na gone at this moment ?

.

M other To the ho u se of a fri end

. .

Ju dg e Wh at is the name of her friend

.
?

M other [ A side ] D ear me ! R ea lly this is very emba rrassing

.
, .

[ A lo u d A
] y n o ne el se m ight ask me this b u t no t a j u dge , .

Ju dg e P ray do no t b e emb arrassed The cond u ct of the case p u ts

.

the q u estion .

G ild war den and Clerk The cond u ct o f the case p u ts the q u es
-
.

tion Y o u incu r no fa u lt Spea k

. . .

M other Wh at ! the cond u ct of the ca se ? If th at is so t hen lis

.
,

t e n worthy gentlemen There lives in the merchan

’

, . t s qu arter the
grandson of the merch ant Vinayadat t a the so n of Sagaradat t a , ,

a m an whose n ame is a good omen in itself th at na me is C ha —

ru dat t a I n his hou se my dau ghter en

. joys he r you th .

S an st hana ka D id o u hear tha t ? W ite t hose wo rds down M

y . r y .

contention is w ith C haru dat t a .

Gild wa r den a nd Cle r k It is no sin fo r C h aru dat t a to b e her

-
.

friend .

Ju dg e The condu ct o f this ca se demands the p resence o f C ham

.

datta .

G ild war de n a nd Cle rk E xactly

-
. .

Ju dg e D ha nadat t a wr i t e as the first art icl e inthe c a se Vasant a

.
,
“

”
sena went to the hou se o f C haru dat t a B u t m u st we su mmonthe .

w orthy C h aru dat t a a lso No the co nd u ct of the case su mmons

?
,

him Go my good beadle su mmonC haru dat t e

.
, b u t gently wi t h
,
—
,

o u t h aste withou t giv in g him ca u se fo r anxiety re spect fu lly as it

, , ,

”
were i ncidentally with the words The j u dge wish e s t o see yo u
,
—
“
.
140 AC T TH E N I NT H

H is long
tongu e qu ivers ; fou r white fa ngs appear
H is belly swells and coils H e sl u mbered here .
,

This prince o f serpents till I crossed his pat h, ,

And no w he darts u po n me in his wrath .

And more than this

I slip a lthou gh the gro u nd has felt no rain;
,

M y left eye and my left arm throb aga in;

,

Another bird is scre a ming overhead ;

A ll bodes a cru el dea th and hope is fled , .

S u rely the gods will grant th at all m a y yet be well

, .

B ea dle Follow me sir H e re is the co u rt room Pray e nter

.
, .
-
. .

Char ada t t a [E nt ers a nd looks abou t ] H o w wonderfu lly splendid

.

is the co u rt room F o r it seems an ocean

-
.
,

Whose w aters are the king s advisers deep ’

I n thou ght ; as wa ves and shells it seems to keep

The attorneys ; and as sha rks and crocodiles
It h as its spi es tha t stand in wait ing files ;
Its eleph ants and horses rep rese nt
‘

The cru el ocean fish o n m u rder bent -

As if with herons o f the se a it shines ,

With screa mi ng pet tifoggers nu merou s lines ; ’

While in the gu ise of serpents scribes are creeping ,

U pon its st at ec rafi trodde nshore : the cou rt

-

The likeness of an ocean still is keeping ,

To which all harmfu l c ru el bea s t s resort -

14 .

C ome ! [ As he enters he st rikes his hea d ag ain

, fl
st t he doo r R e e c .

t ively ] Ala s ! This also ?

.

M y left eye throbs ; a ra ven cries ;

A serpe nt coils a thwart my path .

M y safety no w with hea ven lie s .

B ut I m u st enter [ H e does so ]
. .

1 Ele phant s we re e m plo ye d n e xe c nt io ne rs ; M ac c o rdi ng t o w i dik ah lt g t h e ho rm m ed

t he sam e pu rpo sc .
P m m]
. TH E T R IA L 14 1

Ju dg e .This is C h aru da t ta .

A cou ntena nce like his with clear c u t nose ,

-
,

Whose grea t wide opened eye frank candor shows

,
-
,

Is no t the home o f wantonness ;

With elephants with horses and with kine , , ,

The o u te r form is inner ha bit s sign; ’

W ith m e nno less . 16

Charu da t t a M y greeti ngs to the officers of j u st ice Officials I sa

. .
,

l u te yo u .

Ju dg e [B etr aying his agita tion] Y o u are very w elcome sir M y

.
, .

ood be adle give the gentlema n a seat

g , .

B ea dle [B r ings a sea t ]H ere is a seat Pra y be sea ted sir [ Cho ru .
, .

st han
Sa n aka A n
[ g yJ il n
’
r Yo u re he
. re are yo u
yo u wom a m u r , ,
-

derer ? Well ! Thiab is a fine tri al t hish is a ju sht tria l where they , ,

give a shea t to t hish woman m u rderer [ H a ug ht ily ] B u t it s all -

.
’

right They c a n give it to him

. .

Judg e . h a ve yo u any atta chment o r affection o r

C haru dat t a, , ,

friendship with this lady s da u ghter ?

,
’

Char u da t t a Wha t la dy ? .

Ju dg e This l ady [ H e indic ates Vasa nt asena s mo the r ]

’
. . .

Char u da t t a [ R ising ] M ada m I sa l u te yo u

.
, .

M other Long life to yo u my so n! [ Aside ] So this is C haru dat t a

.
, .

M y da u ghter s yo u th is in good h ands

’

Ju dg e S ir is the cou rtezan yo u r frie nd [ Char ada t t a betr a ys his

.
,
?

e mbarr assmen t ]

Sa nst han a ka H e tries to hide the deed he did ;

.

H e lies from sh ame o r fear ; ,

H e m u rdered h e r o f h e r got rid ,

F o r gold and thi nks the deed is hid

,

No t sho his m a sh t e r here .

14 2 A C T TH E N I NT H
Gild wa r de n and Cle r k Speak C haru dat t a D o no t be asham e d
-
.
, . .

This is a laws u it .

Char u da t t a [ I n emb a rr a ssment ] Officia ls ho w c an I testify tha t

.
,

a co u rt ezan is my frie n d B u t at worst it is yo u th that b ears the

?
,

bla me no t character
, .

The ca se is hard ; then ba nish sha me ,

Thou gh it oppre ss yo u r h eart ;

S peak tr u th with fortitu de and aim ,

To set deceit apa rt 18 .

D o no t be embarrassed The co nd u ct o f the case pu ts the qu e stion

. .

Char u da t t a Office r with whom ha ve I a la wsu it

.
,
?

S a nst hana ka [A rroga ntly ] With me !

. .

Char u dat t a A la ws u it with yo u is u nend u rable !

.

Sa n st hana ka Well well woman m u rdere r ! Y o u m u rde r a w oma n

. , ,
-

like Vasant ase na w ho u sed to wear a h u ndred gems and no w yo u ,

t ry deceitfu l deceivi ngs to hide it !

Ju dg e E no u gh
. of him good C h am dat t a Spea k the tru th Is the
, . .

cou rt ezan you r friend ?

Chd r u da t t a She is
. .

Ju dg e S ir wher e is Vasant ase na

.
,
?

Char u da t t a She ha s gone home

. .

Gild wa r de na nd Cle rk H o w did she go When did she go ? Who

- ? .

a ccompa n ied h e r ?

Char u dat t a [ A side ] Shall I say th at she w ent u no b m rve d ?

.

G ild wa r de n a nd Clerk Spea k sir

-
.
, .

Char u da t t a She went home Wha t more sh a ll I say ?

. .

S a nst hana ka She w as enticed i nto my old garde nP u shpakaranda

. ,

an d w as sh t rangle d fo r h e r money No w wil l yo u shay that she .

went home ?
Char u da t t a M an yo u are crazy
.
, .
14 4 AC T TH E N I NT H
with him as a pledge w as st olen by thieves at night he gave in ,

pla ce o f it a pea rl neckla ce th at was t h e pride o f the fo u r se as .

And he shou ld no w fo r a mere t rifl

, e fo r h er m o ne y l do this — —

sin Oh my child come ba ck to me my da u ghter ! [ S iz

?
, , e we eps ] ,

Ju dg e No b le C h aru dat t a did she go o n foot o r in a bu ll ock

.
, ,

I did no t see he r whenshe went Therefore I do no t

Clzam da t t a . .

know whether she went o n foot o r in a bu llock cart ,

-
.

Vi raka in ang er ]
[ E nt er ,

M y anger w as so prodded to the qu i ck

By that dishonoring ins u lting kick , ,

And so I brooded till at last the night ,

U nwilling yielded to the d a wni ng light 28 .

So no w I will go to the cou rt roo m [ H e ent er s ] M ay h appiness -

.

be the lo t of these honorable gentlemen .

Ju dg e Ah it is Vi raka the capta in o f the gu ard Virak a wha t

.
, , .
,

is the pu rpose of you r coming ?

Vi m /ca Well ! I w as looki ng fo r Aryaka in all the excitement

.
,

a bou t his esc a pe from p riso n I had my s u spicions a bo u t a covered

.

bu llock c art that w as coming and wanted to look in You ve

-
, .
“
’

”
made o ne i nspection m an I m u st make another said I and then
, , , ,

I w as kicked by the highl y respecta ble C ha ndanaka Y o u h ave .

hea rd the matter gentlemen The rest is yo u r a ffair

, . .

Ju dg e M y good m an do yo u know to whom the bu llock ca rt

.
,
-

Vt r u ka To this gentlema n here C h am dat t a And the d river said

.
, .

tha t Vasant ase na w as in it and w as o n he r way to ha ve a good

,

time in the old garden P u shpaka randa .

S a nst kana lca Lish t e n to th at too !

.
,

Ju dge This moon al as tho u gh spotless bright

, ,
-
,

Is no w eclipsed and robbed o f light ; ,

P w
. e) TH E T R IA L 1 4-5

The ba nk is fa llen; the waves appea r

B efou led that o nce were bright and clear
, 24 .

Viraka we will investigate yo u r case here la te r M o u nt the ho rse

, .

that sta nds before the co u rt room doo r go t o the garden P u sh

-
,

ak arand a an d see whethe r a woman h as per ished there o r n ot

p , .

Vi r aka Yes sir [ H e g oes o u t the n r et u r ns ] I ha ve b een the re

.
, .
, .

And I saw the body of a wom an to rn by wild beasts , .

Gill i wa r den a nd Clerk H o w do yo u know that it w as the b ody

-
.

o f a woman ?

VI r a ka That I perceived from t h e tra ces of hair and a rms and

.

h ands a nd feet .

Ju dg e Ala s fo r the diffic u lties which are cau sed b y the

.

of m e n!
The more o ne m ay apply h is skill ,

The harder is the ma tter still ;

Plai nare indeed the l aw s demands ’

Yet j u dgme nt insecu r ely sta nds

As some poor c o w o nshift ing sands .

whenflow ers begin to blow

A s bee s , ,

Gather to sip the honey so ,

When m a n is m arked by adverse fate ,

M isfortu nes e nter every gate .

Ju dg e Noble C haru dat t a spea k tru th !

. ,

Char u dat t a A mea nand jea lo u s c reatu re p assion blind

.
,
-
,

Sets all his sou l some fatal means to fi nd,

To slay the m a n he e nvies ; sh all his lies

By evil natu re prompt ed win the p rize ? ,

No ! he is u nre garded by the wise .

And mo re th an this
The creeper s bea u ty wo u ld I never blight
’

No r pl u ck its flowers ; shou ld I no t be a fraid

14 6 AC T TH E N I NT H (w u ss
.

To seize h e r h ai r so lov ely long and br ight -

,

A s w ings of bees and sla y a weepi ng maid

,
? 28

S a nst ba na ka H ello m agish t rat e s ! H o w c a nyo u inve sh t igat e the

.
,

ca she with su ch pa rtialit y ? Why evenno w yo u let t hish shec un

,

drel C haru da t t a abta y o n his shea t .

Ju dg e M y go o d b e adl e , so b e it [ The be adle o ll o ws

f Sa nst ha

Char u dat t a C onsider,

. magistrates co nsider what yo u are doing !
,

[ H e l e a ve s his seat a,nd sits o n Me fl ]

o m z

S a nst hana ka [ D a nc in
.
g a bo u t l
g ef y
e u ll A side ] Fi ne ! The shi n .

that I did fa lls o n another m ans hea d Sho I ll sit where C ham
’
.
’

da tta w as [ H e do es so ] Look at me C haru dat t a and

. .
, ,

tha t yo u m u rdered her .

Char udat t a M agistrate s !

.

A mean and jea lo u s creatu re pa ssion blind ,

-
,

Set s all his so u l some fa ta l mea ns to find

,

To sl ay the m a n he envies ; sha ll his lies ,

By evil na tu re prompt ed w in the p rize ?

,

No ! he is u nre garded by the wise .

M y friend M aitreya ! Oh this cru el blow ! ,

M y w ife thou issu e o f a spotless strain!

,

M y R o hase na ! H ere am I la id lo w ,

By sternest fa te ; and thou thou dost no t know ,

Tha t all thy childish games are played in vain .

Thou pla ye st heedless o f another s pa in!

,
’
29

B u t M aitrey aI sent to Vasant ase na th at he might bring me tid ,

ings of h er and might restore t he jewels which she gave my child

, ,

to b u y him a toy cart Why thendoes he linger ?

.

M ait reya Charu dat t a bade

. me go to Vasa nt a se na, t o etu rn her
r
14 8 AC T TH E N I NT H s .

M ait r eya [ Aside t o C har u da t t a ] Why do nt simpl y

'

you say that

she w ent home ?
Char u da t t a . Thou gh I say it it is no t
, b e lieved , so u nfortu nate is
my condition .

M ait reya B u t gentlemen! H e adorned the city of U jjayini wit h

.

mansions cloisters parks temples pools and fou nta ins and he
, , , , , ,

sho ul d be m ad enou gh to commit s u ch a crime and fo r a mere —

trifle [ Wr a t hfidly ]Y o u offspring of a loose wench yo u brothe r

? .
,

ih la w of the king Sanst h anaka yo u li b er tine yo u sla nder e r yo u

-
, , , ,

bu ffoon yo u gil ded monkey say it b efore me ! T his friend o f mine

, ,

does nt even draw a flowering j asmine cre eper to himself to ga

’

ther the blossoms fo r fea r tha t a twig might perhaps be inj u red
, .

H o w shou ld he commit a c rime like this w hich hea ve nand earth ,

ca ll accu rsed Ju st wait yo u so no f a ba wd ! Wait till I split you r

?
,

head into a h u ndred pieces with this st aflo f mine as crooked as

'

Sa nst ha naka . A
[ g y]
u l i l Lish t -
e n to th a t gentleme n! I h a ve , a

qu arrel o r a la wsh u it with C haru da t t a What right has

, , . a m an
with a pate th at looks like a caret to shplit my head into , a hu n

Look gentlemen look ! These are the poor gir l s jew els ! [ P oint ing
, ,
’

t o Cham da t t a ] F o r a tr ifle like t hiab he m u rdered h e r and kil led ,

he r too [ The ma gist r a t es a H bo w the ir hea ds ]

.

th u s my fate wou ld vent its gall

’
T is ,

That at this moment they shou ld fall ,

These gems and with them I —

, .

M ait r eya B u t why dont yo u simply tell the tru th

’
.
?
P . TH E T R I AL 14 9

Char uda t t a M y . friend ,

The ki ng perceives with blinded eye ,

No r o n the tru th that eye will b end ;

Tho u gh telling all I ca nnot fly ,

A wretched and ingloriou s e nd .

With M ars stri ves Ju piter and dies ; ,

Beside them both there seems to rise

A comet pla net in the skies
1 -
.

mother ] p ray ex amine this goldenc asket attentively to

M ada m , ,

see whether it be the same o r no t .

M ot her [ E r a mining t he c asket ] It is simila r b u t no t the same

. .
, .

Sa n st hana ka Oh yo u o ld ba wd ! Yo u c o n
. fe ssh it w ith yo u r eyes
, ,

and deny it with yo u r lips .

M othe r Away yo u scou ndrel !

.
,

Gi ld wa r de na nd Clerk S pea k ca refu lly Is it the same o r no t .

? .

M o the r Sir the craft sm ans skill ca ptivates the eye B u t it is no t

’
.
, .

the sa me .

Ju dg e M y good wom an do yo u know th w e jewels

.
?
,

M ot he r No I sa id N o ! I dont recognize them ; b u t perhaps they

’
.
, .

were made by the sa me craft sman .

Gems oft en seem alike in m any ways ,

When the artist s mind o n form and b eau ty pla ys ; ’

F o r cr aft smen imita te wh at they ha ve see n ,

And skilfu l hands rem ake what once has been 34 .

Gild -
wa r de n a nd Cle rk D o these jewels belon g to C haru dat t a
.
?

Gild wa r deu
-
a nd Cle r k . To whom the n?

1 This re fe rs t o t he fa lle nje w

e s.l
150 A C T TH E N INT H
Char u da t t a
’

To this lady s da u ghter

. .

Gild wa r de n a nd Cle rk H o w did she lose them ?

-
.

Char u da t t a She lost them Yes so m u ch is tru e

. .
, .

G ill i wa r de n a nd Cle rk C haru dat t a Spea k the tru th in this m at

-
.
,

t e r F o r yo u m u st remember
.
,

T ru th brings well being in it s t ram -

Th rou gh spe aking tru th no evils rise ; ,

T ru th preciou s sylla b le l R efrain

,
—

From hiding tru th m lies 85 .

Char uda t t a The jewels the jew els ! I do no t know B u t I do know

. , .

that they w ere taken from my ho u se .

S a nst hanaka F irsht yo u t ake he r int o the garden and m u rde r

.

he r And no w yo u hide it by tricky t ric kine ssh

. .

Ju dg e Noble C haru dat t a spea k the tru th !

.
,

M erciless lashes wait to smite

This moment o n thy tender flesh
And w e we c an b u t think it right
—
.

Charu da t t a Of si nless sires I boast my birth

. ,

And sinin me w as never fo u nd ;

Yet if suspi cion tai nts my worth ,

What boots it thou gh my hea rt be so u nd ? 87

[ A sid e ] A nd yet I kn ow no t wha t to do with life so I be robbe d ,

o f Vasan t ase na [ A lo u d ]Ah wh y w aste words

.
?
,

A scou ndrel I who bea r the bla me , ,

No r think o f earth no r hea ve n blest ; ,

That sweet e st maid inpass ions fl am e ,

’

B u t he will say the rest .

S a u st han a ka Killed he r ! C ome yo u sh ay it too

. I kill ed he r , .
“
.

Chanrda t t a Yo u h ave said it

. .

Sa n st han a ka Lish t e n my m ash t ers lisht e n! H e m u rdered her ! No

.
, ,

on e b u t h im ! D o u bt is over Let p u n ishment b e inflicte d o n the

.

b ody of t hish poor C haru dat t a .

152 A C T TH E N INT H
They who pervert the king s tru e b ent ’

The white c row s part who pla y

’

H ave slain their thou sands innocent ,

And slay and sla y and sla y, 41 , .

M y friend M aitreya go greet the mother of my so n inmy name

, ,

fo r the last time And keep my so n R o h ase na free from harm

. .

M a itr eya Whenthe root is c u t away how c a nthe tree b e saved

.
?
,

Charu da t t a No no t so
.
, .

Whenm an departs to worlds ab ove ,

I nliving so n yet livet h he ;

B estow o n R o hase na love
No less than that thou gavest me .

M ait r eya Oh my friend ! I will p rove myself you r friend by

.
,

t inu ing the life th at

y o u lea ve u n fi nished .

Cham da t t a And let me see R o h ase na fo r a single moment

. .

M ait r eya I will It is b u t fitti ng

. . .

Ju dg e M y good bea d le remove this m an [ The beadle do es so ]

.
, .

Wh o is there ? Let t h e h ead smenreceive their orders [ The gu a r ds»

.

men lo o se t heir ho ld o n Charu da t t a a nd alq t he m g o o u t ] , .

B eadle C ome w ith me sir

.
, .

”
M y friend M aitreya ! The n if e t o on e n o t p r ese nt
, ]as s
p a king
If yo u h ad proved my cond u ct by the fire ,

By wat er poison sc ale s and th u s had known

, , ,

Th at I deserved tha t sa ws sho u ld bite my bone ,

M y B rahma ns frame more co u ld I no t desire

’

, .

Y o u tru st a foeman sla y me th u s T is well

’
?
, .

With sons and sons sons no w yo u pl u nge to hell ! 4 8

,
’

I come ! I come ! [ E r e u nt o m ne s
 A C T TH E T E NT H

second yo u ll be sla in
I nju st a
'
.

We u ndersta nd the fashions ne w

To fette r yo u and k ill yo u too .

I n chopping heads w e never fail ,

No r when the victim w e impa le .

Ou t of the w ay gentlemen o u t of the way ! This is the

, ,

C haru dat t a .

The ol eander o n his bro w ,

I n h e a dsm e ns h ands yo u see him no w ;

’

L ike a M p whose o il runs nearly dry ,

H is light fade s ge ntly ere it die, .

Char u da t t a [ G loomily ]
.

M y body w e t by te ard rops falling falling ; ,

M y limbs po ll u ted by the clinging m u d

Flowers fro m the graveyard t orn my wreath appalling
,

F o r gha stly sa c rifice hoarse ra vens ca lli ng ,

And fo r the fl a gra nt incense o f my blood .

H eadsmen Ou t of the w ay gentlemen o u t o f the way !

-
.
, ,

Why gaze u pon the good m a n so ?

The ax of death soo nla ys him lo w .

Yet good m e n once sou ght shelter free ,

Like birds u po nthis kindly tree

, .

C ome C haru dat t a come !

, ,

Char u da t t a I nca lc u la ble a re the ways of h u man destiny

.
,

am come to s u ch a plight !

R e d marks o f s in sa ndal paste

O e r all my body h a ve bee n pla ced ;
’
15 4 A C T TH E TE NT H
The m an with meal and powder strewn
, ,

Is no w to beast o f o ffering grown . 5

[ H e g aze s int e nt l b
y efor e him ] Al as fo r h u man dif
f er
.e nces !
[ M o u r nf y]
u ll
F o r when they see the fa te that I m u st bra ve ,

With tears fo r d eath s poo r vict im freely given

’

”
The citizens c ry sh ame yet cannot save , ,

C an o nly p ray tha t I att a in t o hea ven .

H eadsmen O u t o f the w ay gentlemen o u t of the way ! Wh y

.
, ,

o u gaze u po n him ?
y
G o d I ndra moving t h rou gh t he sky ‘
,

The cal v ing c o w the falling sta r , ,

The good m an whenhe needs m u st die ,

These fou r behold no t from afar .

G oha Look A hinta ! Look m an!

.
, ,

While he o f citizens the be st

, ,

Goes t o his death at fat e s behest ’

D oes h ea ven th u s weep th at he m u st die ?

D oes light ni ng pa int the clou dle ss sky ?

A hi nt a Goha m an
.
, ,

The hea ven weeps no t that he m u st die ,

No r lightni ng pa ints the clou dless sky ;

Yet strea ms are falling co nstantly
F rom many a womans clou ded eye ’
.

And again
While this poor victim to his dea th is led ,

No m anno r woman here b u t sorely weeps

And so the d u st by cou ntless te ar drops fe d
, ,

Th u s pea cefu lly u pon the highway sleeps .

These women in their pala ces w ho st ay

, ,

F rom h alf sh u t windows peering th u s lament

-
, ,

1 That la, t he light ning .

1 56 A C T TH E TE NT H
Whom fortu ne fa vors find ,

Th at all the world is kind ;

Whose happy da ys are ended ,

Are ra rely th u s b efri ended .

They st a nd afar whom once I cou nted friends

,

E v e n foes ha ve smil es fo r m e n with Fortu ne h iding ;

B u t fri e nds prove fa ithl e ss when good fortu ne ends .

H ea dm en They are o u t of t h e w ay The street is cleared

. . .

o n the co n demned criminal .

My friend M aitreya ! Oh this cru el blow ! ,

M y wife thou iss u e of a spotless strain!

,

M y R o ha se na ! H ere a m I la id low ,

By sternest fa te ; and tho u thou dost no t know ,

That all thy childish games are played in vai n .

Thou playe st heedless of another s pa i n!

, (ix ’
. 29 )

Voic es behind t he s cene s M y father ! Oh my fri end ! ,

ca ste I wou l d beg a fa vor at yo u r hands

. .

H ea dsme n F rom o u r ha nds yo u wou ld receive a favor

.
?

Chdr u da t t a H ea venforbid ! Yet a hea dsman is neither so wa nto n

.

no r so cru el as King P al ak a Th at I m ay be h appy in the other

.

world I ask to see the fa ce of my so n

, .

H ea dsmen S o be it
. .

A voic e behind t he sc enes M y fa ther ! oh my fa ther ! [ Char uda t t a

.
,

hea rs t he wor ds a n d m ou r n
, f u lly r epeats his r eq u est ]

H ea dsme n C itizens m ake w ay a moment Let the noble C ham

-
.
, .

d att a look u pon the fa ce of his so n [ Tu r ning t o t he ba c k of t he

.

stag e ] This w ay sir ! C ome o n little b o y !

, ,
P . TH E E ND 15 7

E n er M ait r e a wit h R o hasen ]

[ t y a ,

M ait r eya M ake . haste my boy make h aste ! You r father is b eing
, ,

led to his death .

R o ha sena M y father ! oh my fathe r !

.
,

M a it r eya Oh my fri end ! Where m u st I behold yo u no w

.
,
?

Char u da t t a [ P e rc eives has so na nd hisfrie nd ]Alas my so n! Alas

. , ,

M aitreya ! [ M o u rn u lly ] Ah w o e is me !
f ,

Throu gh all my sojo u rn d read ;

This vessel sma ll will no t conta in
‘

The water fo r the dead . 17

Wh a tI give my so n? [ H e looks at hu nsef a nd perceives t he

m ay
sw ifi ci al c or d ] Ah this at lea st 13 mi n e , .

The preciou s cord that B rahmans hold

Is u nadorned with pearls and gold ;
Yet girt therewith they sa crifice , ,

To gods a bove and fathers o ld

3
.

[ H e g i ve s R o ha se n
a t he c or d ]
G oha C ome C haru dat t a ! C ome m an!
.
, ,

A ht nt a M an do yo u name the noble C haru dat t a s name

’
.
, ,

get the tit le ? R emembe r :

I n ha ppy ho u rs in death by night by day , , , ,

R oving as free as a yet u nbroken colt ,

F ate wanders o nh e r u nrestri ct e d w ay .

And again:
Life will d e part his body soon;
S hall o u r rep roa ches ho w his head ?
Althou gh eclipse m ay seize the moon ,

We worship while it seems b u t dea d .

R o hasen a Oh h e adsmen where are yo u leadi ng my father

.
,
?
,

l Ro hu eo a h himad f co nc d ve d u t he m e ph de of t h e wa t e r wh ic h a so nm u st po u r u a

drink o fie rin
‘

g t o h ia de ad f
a t h e r .
’ Th e Mane s o r spirit s o f t h e b le ase d de ad
-
.
158 A C T THE TE NT H

A bo u t
my neck I needs m u st wear
The oleander wrea th ; -

U po n my sho u lder I m u st he ar
The stake and in my h e art the care
,

Of near approaching death -

.

I go tod ay t o meet a dastard s ending ’

A victim at the fata l altar be nding

, .

G oha .

we t h e hea dsmenare
No t ,

Thou gh born o f he adsma nrace ;

’
Thy father s life who m ar ,

These these are he adsmen ba se

, .

R o hasena Then why do yo u m u rder my fat her ?

.

Goha Bless yo u t is the king s orders m u st b e ar the bla me

.
,
’ ’

R o hasena Kill me and le t father go fre e

. , .

G oha B less yo u m ay yo u live long fo r sa ying that !

.
,

Char adat t a [ Tea rfu lly e mbr ac in

.
g his so n] .

This treasu re love this ta ste of hea ven — —

To rich and poor alike is given;

To soothe the heart and give it cairn .

A bou t my neck I nee ds m u st wear

The ole ander wrea th -
,

Upon my shou lder I mu st hear

The st ake and in my he art the
,

I go t o day t o m e et a dast ard s e nding

-
’

A victim at the fatal alta r b ending

, .

Their face s with t heir garments hem no w hiding ’

They stand afar whom once I co u nted fri ends

,
1 60 A C T TH E TE NTH
ca rried Vasant ase na to the old garden P u shpakaranda beca u se ,

she mistook my b u llock c art fo r another And then my master

-
.
,

S anst h anaka fo u nd tha t she wou ld no t love him and it w as he

, , ,

no t this gentle m an who m u rdered he r by strangling

, B u t they —

ar e so far a w ay th at no one hears me Wha t sha ll I do Shall I ca st

? .

myself down? [ H e r Qle c ts ] I f I do then the noble C haru da t t a ,

will no t be pu t to death Yes throu gh th is b rok enwindow I will

.
,

throw myself down from the pa lace tower Bet ter that I shou ld .

meet my e nd than that the noble C haru dat t a shou ld perish this
, ,

tree o f life fo r nobl e you ths And if I die in su ch a ca u se I h ave

.
,

atta in ed hea ven [H e thr ows himself down]Wonderfu l ! I did no t

.

meet my e nd and my fetters are b roken So I will follow the

, .

so u nd of the headsm ans voices [H e disc overs t he headsm en a nd

’
.
,

ha sten sfo r wa r d ] H eadsmen hea dsmen ma ke w ay ! , ,

H eadsme n F o r whom shall we make w ay ?

.

S t havar aka L isten good gentleme n listen! It w as I wretch th at

.
, , ,

I am who carried Vasant ase na to the o ld gardenP u sh pakaranda

, ,

b ecau se she mistook my bu llock cart fo r a nother And then my -

.

master Sanst hanaka fou nd that she wo u ld no t love him and it

, , ,

w as he no t this gentlema n who m u rdered h e r by strangling

, , .

Char ada t t a Thank hea ven!

.

B u t who th u s gladdens this my la test morn ,

When in Time s snare I stru ggle all forlorn

’

A streaming clou d a bove the ra inle ss co rn?

List en! do yo u hea r w hat I sa y ?

D eath ha ve I never feared b u t bla ckened fame ; ,

M y dea th were welcome coming free fr om shame , ,

As were a so n ne w bor n to he ar my name

,
-
.

And again:
That small weak fool whom I h ave never hated
, , ,

S tai ned me with sin wherewith himself w as m ated ,

H ea dsme n Are yo u
. telli ng the tru th , S t h avaraka ?
P . TH E E ND 16 1

S t hava r aka And to keep me from telli ng anybody b e cast

. I am . ,

me into chains and imprisoned me in the tower o f his pa lace

, .

[ E nte r S a nst hd naka j

I a t e a shou r and bitter dish

Of meat and herbs and sho u p and fish ;
I tried at home my tongu e to tickl e
With rice ca kes pla in and rice with treacl e
-
, 29 .

H n n i n n
’

h The h d vo ces ! They h d like b oke

’

[ e st e s ] e a sm e s s o u a r

b rass cymb a l I hear the m u sic o f the fata l dru m and the ket tle
.

dru ms and sho I shu ppo se th at th at poor m a n C haru da t t a is

, , ,

being led to the place o f execu tion I m u sht go and shee it It is . .

a grea t delight to shee my en emy die B e shide s I ve heard th at ’

.
,

a m a nwho shee s h is e n emy being killed is su re no t to h ave shore ,

eyes in his next birth I acte d like a worm that had c rept i nto the
.

k not of a lo t u sh root I looked fo r a hole t o cra wl o u t at and

-
.
,

bro u ght a bou t the dea t h of t hish poor m an C haru dat t a Now I ll , .
’

clim b u p the tower o f my o w n pala ce and ha ve a look at my ,

o w n heroic deeds [ H e does so a n d looks ab o u t ] Wonderfu l w hat

.

a c rowd there is t o shee th at poor m an led to his dea th ! Wh at

,

wo u ld it be whe n an arisht o c rat a big m an like me w as b eing , ,

led to his death [H e ga zes ] Look ! The re he goes toward the

?

sho u t h adorn ed like a yo u ng sht ee r B u t why w as the procla ma

, .

tion made ne a r my pa lace tower and why w as it sht o ppe d [ H e ,

?

looks ab o u t ] Why my shla ve S t havaraka is gone too I hope he

, , .

has nt ru na way and betrayed the sh e c r e t I m u sht go and look fo r

’
.

him [ H e desc ends a nd appr oac hes t he c rowd ]

.

S t hava r aka [ U seove rs him ] The re he comes good m aste rs !

-
. .
,

H eadsmen Give w ay ! M ake room ! And sh u t the doo r !

.

Be silent and say nothing more ! ,

H ere comes a m ad bu ll throu gh the pre ss ,

Whose horns are sh arp with wicked ness .

16 2 A C T TH E T E NT H

ra k a my little shon my sh lave come let s go home

, , , ,
’
.

S t hava r aka Y o u scou ndr el ! Are yo u no t conte nt with the m u rder

.

o f Vasan t ase na M u st yo u t r y no w to m u rder the noble C ham

?

d atta th at tree of life to all w ho lov e d him

,
?

S an st hana ka I am bea u tifu l as a pot o f jewel s I k ill n

. o woma n! .

B ysta nde rs Oho ! yo u m u rder ed h e r no t the noble C haru dat t a , .

S a nst hana ka Who sh ays tha t .

?

B ysta nders [P ointin o S t hava r a ka ] This hon est an

'

g t m .

Sa n st hana ka [ F e a d
rfi y l A d M e cif l he ve n s ! Why did n
’
. si e ] r u a t
I ch ain that shla ve S t h avaraka fa sh t Why b e w as a w it ne ssh of
?
,

my crime [ H e r gle c t sJ I 11 do it t hish w ay [A lou d ] Lies l ie s

.
'
.
, ,

good gentlem en Why I ca u ght the shla ve sht e aling gold and I
.
, ,

po u nded him and mu rdered him and pu t him incha ins H e h ates
, , .

me Wh at he sh ays cant be tru e [ H e sec r etly ha nds S t hava r aka

.
’
.

a br ac ele t a n, d whiq m s ] S t h ava raka my little shon my shla ve

'

, , ,

ta ke t hish and shay sho m e t hing different .

S t hava r aka [ Takes it ] Look gentlemen look ! Wh y b e is trying

.
, , ,

to b ribe me with gold .

S a nst hanaka [ S n a tches t he b r a c ele t r om hi m

f Th at s the gol d tha t
’
. .

I pu t him in chains fo r [ A ng rily ] Look here headsmen! I pu t

. ,

him 1n ch arge o f my go ld chest and when he tu rned thief I m u r

-
, ,

dered h im and pou nded him If yo u do nt b elieve it ju sht look

’

.
,

at his ba ck .

H eadsmen [D o ing so ] Yes ye s Whena serv ant is branded tha t

. . , .

w ay no wonder he tell s ta les

, .

S t hava raka A cu rse o n sl avery ! A sla ve co nvinces nobody

. .

[ M o u n ull
y y] Noble C haru da t t a I h a ve no fu rt he r powe r [H e
, .

a lls a t Chd r u da t t a s eet

f f ]
’

Cha ru da t t a [ M o u r n f
.u lly ] .

R ise rise ! Kind so u l to good m e n fallen o n pai n!

,

B rave fri e nd who le nde st su ch u nselfish aid !

164 AC T TH E T E NT H 8
.

Sa nst hana ka [ A id ] B the citizens do nt belie e i A lo d

’
s e . u t v t [ u ] .

C haru da t t a yo u j ackana pes the citize ns dont believe it Sha y it

’

, , .

”
with you r o w ntongu e I m u rdered Vasant ase na [ Char u da t t a r e
, .

ma in s silen t ] Look here he adsmen! The m an wont sh pe ak t h e

.
,
’

j ack ana pes C haru da t t a Ju sht make him sh pe ak Bea t him a

. .

times with t hish ragged ba mboo o r with a cha in , .

G oha [ R a ises his a r m t o stri ke ] C ome C h aru da t t a spea k !

.
, ,

Now am I s u nk so deep in sorrow s se a ’

I know no fear I know no sad ness more ; ,

Yet evenno w o ne fla me still tortu res me ,

That m e n shou ld say I slew whom I ado re .

[ S a nst hana k a r e ea ts his wo r ds ]

p
Char uda t t a M e n o f my o wncity !
.

A sco u nd rel I who h e ar the bla me , ,

N o r seek in hea ve nto be blest ;

A ma id o r goddess t is the sa me
’
— —

B u t he wi ll say the rest .

S a nst hana ka Kil led h er !.

Char u da t t a So be it
. .

Go ha It s you r tu rn to kill him m an

.
’

, .

A hi nta No you rs
.
, .

Go ha Well let s reckonit o u t [ H e does so at gr ea t le ngt h ]Well

.
,
’
. ,

if it s my t u rnto kill h im we will j u st let it wait a minu te

’
.
,

A hi nta Why .
?

G oha Wel l when my father w as going to heave n he said t o me

.
, , ,

S o n Goha if it s you r tu rnto kill him dont kill the sinner too
’ ’
“
, ,

qu ick .

A hi nta B u t why
.
?

Goha Perh aps said b e some good m anmight give the money
.
“
, ,
“

to set him free Perhaps a so n might be born to t he king and t o

. ,

celebra te the event all the p risoners might be set free Perh aps
, .
P . TH E E ND 16 5

a n eleph ant might brea k loose and the priso ner might escape in ,

the excitement Perh aps there might be a change o f kings and all
.
,

”
t h e p riso ners might be set fr ee .

S a nst hana ka Wha t What A change o f ki ngs ?

.
? ?

Goha Well let s reckon it o u t whose tu rn it is

.
,
’

, .

S anst hanak a Oh come ! Kil l C haru dat t a at o nce [ H e ta kes S t ha

.
, .

va r a ka a n
, d wit hd r aws a little ]
H eadsmen Noble C h aru dat t a it is the king s commandment th at
’

.
,

bears the blame no t we hea dsmen Think then o f what yo u needs

, .

m u st think .

Char u da t t a Thou gh slandered by a cru el fat e

.
,

And sta ined by m e n o f high estate ,

I f th at my virtu e yet regarded be ,

Then she who dwells with gods a bove

Or whe resoever else m y love —

B y h e r sweet nat u re wipe the st a in from me !

Tell me Whither wou ld yo u ha ve me go ?
.

G oha [ P o intin
.
g ah e a d ] Why he re is the sou thern b u ryi ng ,

grou nd a nd when a criminal sees that he says good b y to life m

, ,
-

a mi n u te F o r look !
.

O ne h alf the corpse ga u nt j ack als re nd and shake ,

And ply their ho rrid ta sk ;

One h alf still h angs impa led u pon the sta ke ,

Lou d la u ghte r s grinning mask

’

85 .

Char u da t t a Alas ! Ah w o e is me ! [I n his ag it a tionhe sits dow n]

.
,

Sa n st han a ka I wont go yet I ll u sh t shee C haru da t t a killed [ H e

j
’ ’
. . .

walks ab o u t ga zin g ] Well

, well ! H e sh at dow n , .

Goha Are yo u frightened C haru dat t a ?

.
,

Char u da t t a [ R isin g h
. a stil
y] Foo l !
D eath h ave I ne ver feared b u t bla ckened fame ; ,

M y death were welcome com ing free from sh ame , ,

A s were a so n ne w born to be ar my name ,

-
.
16 6 A C T THE TE NT H

Goha Noble C haru dat t a the moonand the su ndwell inthe va u lt

.
,

of hea ven yet even they are overta ken by disast er H o w m u ch

, .

more death fearing cr eatu re s and m e n! I n this world o ne rises

,
-
, ,

only to fal l another falls onl y to rise again B u t h o m him who h as

, .
'

risen and fa lls his body drops like a garment Lay these tho u gh t s
, .

to heart and be strong [ To A hi nta ] H ere is the fo u rth pla ce o f

, .

procla ma tion Let u s proclaim the se ntence [ The y do so onc e

. .

a ainJ
g -

Charu da t t a Vasant a se na! Oh my beloved !

.
,

F rom thy dear lips that vied with coral s re d ,

’

Betraying teeth more bright than moonb eams fair ,

M y sou l with hea vens nect ar once w as fed

’
.

H o w c an I helpless taste that poiso n dread , , ,

To drink sha me s poiso ned c u p ho w c an I he ar ?

’

( )
18

M onk Strange ! M y monkish life did me yeoman service when it

.

proved necessary to comfort Vasant ase na so u ntimel y we aried and , ,

t o l e a d h er o nh e r w ay Sist e r inB u ddh a whither shall I lea d yo u ?

.
,

Vasa nt ase na To the noble C haru dat t a s hou se R evive me w ith

’
. .

the sight o f him as the night blo o m ing water lily is revived by
,
~ -

the sight o f the moon .

M onk [ Aside ] By which road shall I enter ? [ H e r q le c tsj The

.

king s high way I ll enter by th at C ome sister in B u ddha !

’ ’
.
,

H ere is the king s high w ay [ L isten in wh t is this g e t

’

g ] B u t a r a .

tu mu lt t h at I hear o n the king s highway ? ’

Vasa nt asena [ L ookin b

g ef . o r e he r ] Why ther e is a gre at c rowd .
,

of people b efore u s Pray find o u t sir what it means All U jjayini

.
, , .

tips t o o ne side as if the ea rth bo re an u neven loa d

, .

Goha And here is the last pla ce o f procla ma tion Bea t the dru m !
. .

P rocla im the sente nce ! [ The y do so ] Now C h aru dat t a wait ! .

, ,

D ont be frightened Y o u will be killed ve ry q u ickly

’
. .
16 8 A C T TH E TE NT H
Char u d . Thou gh slandered by a cru el fate ,

And st ained by m e no f high est a te ,

If that my virtu e yet regarded be ,

Then she who dwells with gods above

Or wheresoever else m y love —

B y her sweet natu re wipe the sta in from ( )

34

M onk a nd Vasa nt asena [ P erc eivin

g w ha t is bein don
g . e ] Good
ge ntlem en! H old hold ! ,

he is p ut to dea th .

Who is the woman with the streaming ha ir

Tha t smites h e r shou lder loosened from its bands ?
,

S he lo u dly call s u pon u s to forbea r ,

And h astens hither with u plift ed hands . 37

Vasa nt a sena Ob C haru dat t a ! Wh at does it mean? [ She fags

.
,

M onk Oh C haru da t t a ! What does it me

.
, an?
[ H e falls a t hisf ]
ee t

G oha .
[ A na io u sly wi
'
t hdr a wing ]Vasa nt a se na ? —
At lea st we did
,

no t ki ll an innocent m an .

M o nk [ Rising ] Thank hea ven! C haru dat t a lives

. .

G oha And sha ll live a h u nd red years !

.

Vasa nt asena [Jo g/fi lly] And I t o o am bro u ght back to life aga in
. .

Go ha The king is at the place of sacrifice Le t u s report to him

. .

wh at has taken pla ce [ The t wo he adsmen start t o go a wa y]

.

brou ght the shla ve ba ck to life Thish is the e nd ? o f me

. Good !

Goha [ R et u rning ] Well did nt we ha ve orders from the king to

.
,
’

u t the m an to dea th who m u rder ed Vasan t s n a ? Let u s hu nt

p a e

fo r the ki ng s brother in law n h hea dsme n

’

[ E we u -
t-
t e t w o. .
P . THE E ND 16 9

Wh saves me from the u plift ed weapo ns scorn

o
’

When in D eath s j aws I stru ggled all forlorn

’

A streaming clo u d above the rai nless co rn ?

[ H e g a zes a t he r ] .

Is t his Vasant ase na s cou nterfeit ? ’

O r she he rself from heave n a bove descended

,
?

Or do I b u t in madness see my swee t ?

O r h as he r preciou s life no t yet been ended ?

Or aga in D id she ret u rn from hea ven ,

Tha t I m ight rescu ed be ?

Was her form to another given?

Is this th at other she ? 40

Vasa nt ase na [Rises tea rfu lly a nd fa ll s a t his feet ] 0 noble C ha

.

ru dat t a, I am indeed the wret ch fo r whose sake yo u are fa llen

u pon this u n wor thy plight .

Th b tand e e h o d ]
[ e ys e r s r
p a t t e w r s

a nd c loses his eyes I n a . vo ic e t r emblin

g with em ot ion] M y love !

Cham da t t a [
. G a zes up on he r Jo u l
gf y]l C an it . be ? Vasant a se na
herself ? [ I n u t ter haw inm ]
bosom ba thed in streaming tears
Her ,

When inD eath s power I fell ’

Whence is she come to sla y my fears ,

Like h e a venly m agic s spell ?

’

Vasant ase na ! Oh my beloved !

,

U nto my body w hence the life was fleeting

, ,

A nd all fo r thee thou k newest life to give

, .

Oh magic w onderfu l in love rs meeting !

,
’

Wh at power besides cou ld ma ke the dead m an live ? 42

1 70 A C T TH E TE NT H
Bu t see my beloved !
,

M y blood re d garment seems a bridegroom s cloak

'
-
,

D ea th s garla nd seems to me a bri da l wreath ;

'

M y love is near .

And marri age m u sic seems the fata l stroke

Of dru ms th at heralded my insta nt dea th ;
F o r she is he re 48 .

Vasa nt a sena Yo u with you r u tter kindliness w ha t c anit b e tha t

.
,

o u ha ve don e ?
y
Chdm da t t a M y b eloved he sai d th at I ha d killed yo u
.
, .

F o r a ncient h atred s sake my mighty foe

’

, ,

H ell s victim no w had almost laid me low

’

, 44 .

Vasant asena [ S t oppin .

n
ea r s ] H ea ven a vert the omen! It was .

he the king s bro ther in la w who killed me

,
’
- -
, .

Cham da t t a [ P e r c eivin
.
g t he m o nk ] B u t who is this ?

Va sa nt ase na Whe n th at u nwort hy wretc h had killed me this

.
,

worthy m an brou ght me back to life .

Char u da t t a Who are yo u u nselfish friend ?

.
,

M onk Y o u do no t remember me sir I am t hat sha mpooer who

.
, .
,

once w as happy to ru b you r feet When I fell into the hands of .

been you r se rvant bou ght my freedom with h e r jewels There

, .

u po n I grew ti red o f the gambler s life an d beca me a B u ddhist

'

monk No w this lady made a mistake in h e r b u llock ca rt and so

.
-
,

came to the o ld garden P u shpakaranda B u t when that u nworthy .

wretch lea rned th at she wo u ld no t love him b e m u rdered her by ,

strangli ng And I fo u nd her t h

.

L ou d voic es behind t he scene s .

U nending victory to Shiva be ,

Who D aksh a s offeri ng foil ed ’

A nd victory m ay K arttikeya see ,

Who K ra u nc ha smote and spoiled

1 72 AC T TH E T E NT H [ wu ss

Sho w ila ka I forced yo u r ho u se in manner base

.
,

And stole the gems there left behind

B u t thou gh this sin oppress my mind ,

I throw myself u ponyou r grace .

Char u dat t a Not so my friend Thereby yo u showed

. , .

in me [ H e em br a c es him ]
. .

S ha r vila ka And o ne thing more

.

The very noble Aryaka ,

To save his family and name ,

H as slain the wretc hed Palaka ,

A victim at the altar s fla me

’
.

Cham da t t a Wh at say yo u
.
?

S ha w ila ka T w as you r ca rt helped him o n his w ay

’
.
,

Who sou ght the shelter of you r na me ;

H e slew K ing Palaka tod a y ,

A victim at the alta r s fl ame

’
51 .

Char u da tt a S h arvila ka did yo u se t free th at A ryaka whom P a

.
, ,

la k a took from his haml et and co nfined withou t ca u se inthe to wer ?

,

S ha r vilaka I did . .

S ha w ilaka Scarcely w as you r friend Aryaka est a blished in U jja

.

in i whe n he best owed u po n yo u the thro ne of K u shavat i o n

y , ,

the bank o f the Vena M ay yo u gra ciou sly receive this first token
.

of his love [ H e t u r ns a rou nd ]C ome lead hit her that rascal th at

.
, ,

villa in the brother in law of the king !

,
- -

Voic es behind t he sce n e s We wil l S h arvilaka .

, .

S har vila ka S ir King Aryaka decla re s th at he w o n th is kingdom

.
,

thro u gh you r virtu es and that yo u are therefore to ha ve some

,

benefit from it .

Cham dat t a The kingdom w o nth ro u gh my virtu es

.
?

Vo ic es behind t he sc enes . C ome o n brot her inlaw

,
- -
of the k ing , a nd
 TH E E ND 173

S a nst han
a ka G o o dne ssh
. gra cio u s !
It ca me to pa ss I ran away ,

Like any ass and had my day , .

They drag me ro u nd a prish o ner , ,

As if they d fo u nd a na u ghty c u r
’

52 .

[ H l oo k b hi ] They c owd o nd me tho gh I m el ’

e s a o u t m . r ar u u a r a ,

tive of the ki ng s To whom sha ll I go fo r help in my he lple ssh

’
.

ne ssh ? [ H e r dle c tsj Good ! I ll go to the m anwho gives help a nd

’

shows mercy to the sh u ppliant [ H e am o e c hesJNoble C h am .

datt a protect me p rotect me ! [ H e falls at hisfeet ]

, ,

Vo ic es behind t he scenes Noble C h aru dat t a lea ve him t o u s! let

.
,

u s kill him !

S a nst han a ka [ To Chavz. t dat t d ] O helpe r o f the he l le ssh protect

'

p ,

me !
Char u dat t a [M er c z ufl H n
.
f y] Yes ye s e w h o
, seeks . p rotectio sh a ll
be safe .

S ha nfila ka [ I i n
.
p a t ie nt ly] C o nfo u nd him ! T ake him a w ay from
C haru dat t a ! [ To Char n da t t a j Tell me What shall b e done with .

Sha ll b e be bo u nd and dragge d u ntil he dies ?

Shall dogs devo u r the sco u nd rel as he lies ?

If he shou l d be impa led t wou ld be no blu nder ,

’

No r if we h ad the rasca l sa wn as u nder .

Char u da t t a Will yo u do as I say ?

.

Sha r vila k a H o w c a n yo u do u bt it ?
.

S a nst hana ka C haru da t t a ! M ash t e r ! I shee k you r protection P ro

. .

tect me p rotect me ! D o sh o m et hing worthy of yo u rshe lf I 11

, .
'

never do it agai n!
Voic es of citizen s behind t he scen e s Kil l him ! Why sho u ld the .

wretch be all owed to live ?

174 AC T TH E TE NT H

V n n ta kes t he g a rla nd of de ath fr om Char ndat t a s nec k ’

[ a sa t ase d ,

an d t hr ows it upon S a nst hanaka ]

Sa n st ha naka Yo u shla ve we nch b e merc ifu l b e merc ifu l ! I ll
'
-
.
, ,

never m u rder yo u aga in Protect me ! .

fi a r vila ka C ome ta ke him a way ! Noble C haru dat t a say wha t

.
, ,

sh all be done with the wretch .

Chd ru da t t a Will yo u do a s I say ?

.

Sha r vila ka H o w c an yo u do u bt it ?
.

Charnda t t a . Then let him be immediately

S ha r vila ka . What fo r ?

Cham d The h u mbled fo e w h o seeks thi ne aid ,

Thou ma yst no t smite with steely blade

Sha rvila ka . All right We will ha ve the dogs ea t him a live
. .

Cham da t t a . No no !,

Be cru elty with kindness pa id .

Sha r vila ka . Wonderfu l ! What sh all I do ? Tell me sir , .

Cham da t t a . Why set him free

, .

fi a rv aiI ka . It shall be done .

Sha rvila ka M istress Vasa nt ase na

.
, the king is pleased to b a t ow
”
upo nyo u the title wedded wife “
.

Vasa nt asena S ir I desire no mo re

.
, .

S ir,wh at sh all be do ne fo r this monk ?

Cham da t t a M onk wh at do yo u most desire ?

.
,

M onk When I see this exa mple of the u ncerta inty

. o f all things ,

1A t k n f h n bl m
o e o i g C mp
o p g 68
o ra e a rr a e . o are a e .
176 A C T TH E TE NT H

E PILOG U E

M AY kin eyie ld st ream ing milk t he eart h h e r grain

, ,

A nd m ay t h e h e ave n give ne v e r failing rain

-
,

Th e winds waft h appine ss t o all t h at bre at h e s ,

And all t h at liv e s liv e free from e v e ry pain

, .

I n pat h s of right e ou sne ss m ay B rahmans t rea d ,

And high e st ee m t he ir high de se rving w e d ;

M ay kings inj u st ice ways he e ve r le d
’

And eart h su bmissiv e be nd h e r grat e fu l he ad

, , .

[ E a eu n
'
t n ]
om es .
 A L I S T OF PA SSA G E S
m WH I C H T H E TRA N S LA TI O N DE PA RTS F ROM PA RA B S
’
T EXT

He re nir m it éh is a ppare nt ly a m e re m is pri nt fo r ni1j 1t 6h

Th e ad dit i o n o f u tt he dha t t i see m s alm o st ne c essary .

I n t hese passag s I e ha ve bst it u t ed sha m

su
“

”
p o o er
”
fo r “
gam ble r , to pre ve nt co nfu sio n o f t he sha m po o e r wi t h t he u n

nam e d gam ble r .

I ha ve add ed t he st a g d ire c t io ndy fit a ka

e- ra ma ndal irh krt vii .

Re a d lead: fo r kirk .

W e sh o u l d pro bably read bihac c ha rh (bibha t sa m ) fo r viha tt ha n

i
'

The wo rds c ikit stin

z kr t vii see m t o be part o f t he t e xt , no t o f t he
di re c t io n .

I re
g ard nayasy a as o ne wo r d , no t t wo (na g asgo ) .

1 2 : Re a d r aks
a n fo r r ak s
y ii n .

Re a d na a ra nii ri fo r na r anafi
’

—
11 The se li ne s I ha ve o i d
m tte .

Re ad ek fo r c hii a

Re ad vaddha md n ao fo r vad dha m ii n

a a .

Re ad a (c a ) fo ka r .

5 Wh at e ve r fa vo dia nz m ay b e I ha v e t ranslat e d d nc e
'

: , ac c o r a

Lalladi ksit a l sa vest ika m

’
s o ss,
g .

A ppare nt ly khala i
is a m spr nt fo r kha na i
Re ad m e ir a m fo r -
r ac it am .

Re a d -
bhqia na m fo r bhoj ana m
'

-
.

d
Re a pa dic c hida np
z ra t ist a m ) fo r padic c h idm iz .

Re a d t vay a fo r ma y a .

Th e d
wo r s at ha plai nly belo ng t o t he t e xt , no t t o t he st age direc t i o n
v6 - .

I ta ke pa u r é h a s pa rt o f t h e st age dire c t i o n -
.

288 8 292 9
—
: Th is passage I ha ve o m it t e d : co m pare page x11 .
m Bu ddhind ne m d w nc ernt b e m d vu ru pe c fivd y wit h th e phih so phia l w nc e pfim
ma t m da he me Bu ddhh t rd ig im m syM fi t h t he d ne d K a m a m a m d vfl h
t he m h m e o f ad vafio nfm m u aa y C b apt e r i gi m t he w c o u n n t o f t he pnflo m eflst en
. cu .

Of G Oh m a Bo ddh a m d o f his hfe m t h e h st a ist e n c e u p m t h e at t d n mw t o a ddh n hip :

while t h e sc c t io ns o f c ha pt e r v are a b o o t 8 u ddhist m o n a at ic life
. .

VOLU M E I V Karp ura ma n

.
—
Raj a c e kh ara s
j ari a dra ma by the
-
’
-
,

I ndia n po e t Raja ce khara (a bo u t 900 c ri ti c a lly e di t e d in t he

- ri i n
g al o

Prakr i t wi t h a glo ssari al inde x and a n e ssay o n t he life and wri t i ngs Of t he
,

po e t by Dr STEN KONOW Of t he Unive rsi t y o f Chr ist iania No r way ; and t rans
, .
, ,

la te d int o E ngl ish wi t h no tes by Pro fesso r LAN MAN 1901 Ro yal 8 O bu c k . . v ,

ram xxviii , page s pric e ,

Here fo r t he first t im e int h e hist o ry o f l ndianph fl o lo gy we ha ve t h e t ext o f a Pri krit play

prea c nt e d t o u s in a t r ic t ly c o rre c t Pr i krit D r K o no w ia a p p

u il o f Pro fe
. as o r P
. h c h e l o f Be rh n .

w ho se Pri k flt gnm m a r hu m a de h is a nt h o fit y u po n t his m bje c t o d t he very h igh e e t l he

'

w h ha n ha d t h e b e n e fit o m m r Piac hd s m fi aio n Th e im p o rh n c e d t h e p
'
l ay h pfi o

VOLU M E S V The B rhad D evata attribu te d to Cau naka

. AN D V I .
— -
, ,

a su mm a ry O f t he de i ti e s and m yt h s O f t h e Rig Veda : c ri t ic ally e dit d in t h e -

e

o rigi nal San skri t wi th an in tro du c ti o n and se v en appendi c e s and transla t e d ,

into Engli sh wi t h c ri ti c a l and ill u st rati v e no t es by ARTHU R A M A ODONE LL , .

,

Bo de n Pro fe mo r Of Sanskr i t in t he U niversi ty o f O xfo rd and Fe llo w o f Ba lli l , o

Co lle ge 1904 Ro yal 8vo bu c kram xxxvi + 198 and xvi + 884 pages pri c e pe r
. .
, , ,

vo l u m e
Vo lu m e V (o r Pa t t i ) c o nt ains t he inb o du c t io nand t e xt and appe ndic es Vo lu m e Vl (Or Part
. . . .

11 ) c o nt aina t he t ran
. ala t io nandn o t e a The arran ge m e nt o f t h e m a t er ia l. in t w o vo lu m ea is au c h
t hat t h e sN de nt m nha n t he t ext o f m y give a g e t ha wit h t he M a h fio n d t hu
pa ssage a nd t he nd t h e illast rat i ve no t c s t he re t o apprrrt e nant all o pe ne d
c rit ic a l a ppa rat m a

o u t b e fo re hia e yes at o ne t im e wit ho nt ha ving c o nst ant ly t o t u rnfro m o ae part o f t he vo lu m e

t o ano t he r as ia ne c e asary v it h t he u su al arrange m e nt o f m c h m a t t e r
, .

VO LU M ES V I I . AN D VI I I .
—
At harva Veda S amhita transla ted
-
, ,

w i th i t ic al and e xege tic al c o m m enta ry by Wi LLrAM Dwrc H r WHI TN EY la t e

a cr ,
'

Pr fesso r Of Sanskrit inYal U niversi t y Re vi se d and bro u ght neare r t o

o e m . co

ple t i n an d o e di t e d by CHAR L ES R OC KWE LL L AN MA N Pro fe sso r f Sansk rit in ,

o

H v ard Unive sity 1905 Ro yal 8 bu c kram c lxii + 104 4

ar r . . page vo , ,
s,

pri f t he t w o vo lu m s
ce o e

M wo rk h d a dm m t h e fim t ph c e c fific d n o t u u po nt he t ext g lfl ng fire vaflw a ru ding s

o f t h e rn an u sc ript s an d no t a lo ne o f t ho se m Ha t e d b y
. hit ne y m Enm pe b u t alao o f t ho ae W
o f t he a pparat u s u sc d b y S P Pan dit int he gre a t Bo m b a y e dit io o Se c o nd. t he rc adln
. .
g l o f .

v
t he Pa ippa li da o r Cashm ere e rsio n. fu rnis e d y t h e la t e Pro fe sso r Ro t h Fu rt e r. n h h o t ic e o f . h
m m m w m m m m e m v w e m m o f m vm m m p m .

h ch
Fu rt e r. t h e dat a Of t h e H indu s o liast re spe t ing au t o rship, di init y , and m e t e r o f e a h c h v c
verse M ad . rd a e nc ea w t h e a n d Uary ht e rat m e espe d a Hy M t h e we fl e dit d Kau c ih m d
Vait i na SfiM wit h ac c o u nt o f t b e rit nalist ic u se fl re re inm ade o f t h e hy m n s o r pa rt s o fhym n a.

so fa r as t his a ppe a ra to c a st an l
y gi h t u po n t h e ir m e a ning A lso . e x t ra c t a fim n t h e p r in t e d .

c mm
o en t a ry And, finall y a sim ple lit era l t ransla t io n, it h in
. . t ro d u t io na n d indi e s Pre fixc d w c c .

t o t h e wo rk pro pe r is ane lab o rat e c rific a l an d hist o fic al int m du c t lo n .

[ 9 ]
VOLU M E IX The Little C la y C art (M rc c h aka t ika ) a H ind u
.
—

dram a at tribu t e d t o King Sh fidraka transla t e d fr m t he rigina l Sa nsk rit a nd , o o

Prakrit s i nto Engli sh pr se and ve rse by ARTH U R W I LL I AM R YDER Ph D o , . .

,

I nst ruc t o r in Sa nskri t in Harvard U niversi t y 1905 Ro y al 8vc bu c kram xxx . .

, ,

+ 177 page s pri c e ,

VOLU M E X .
—
A Vedic C oncordance : be i ng a n alpha betic i ndex
to very l in o f e very st anza o f e very h ym n f t he pu bli sh ed Vedic li te rat u re
e e o ,

and t e v e ry sac rific ial and ritu a l fo rm u la the reo f By M AU R I C E B LOO MP IE LD

o .
,

Pr f ss Of Sanskrit and Co m pa rative Phil o l o gy inJ hns Ho pki ns U niv ersi ty

o e or o .

I he wo rk, wit h w hic h Bb o mfl e ld ha s b e e n b u sy fo r o m a do ae n yw m will f

' '
o rm a l o yal

q n a rt o o f a b o u t 1 100 p g
a e s 0 f t h e ae , fu lly 800 a re alre
. a d y p rin t e d (Ju ne , 190 5 ) ; t h e c o m .

p lat e ly re vis c d m a n u ac ript o f t he re m a in d e r ia a t th e pr e as : a nd it ia ho pe d t ha t t h e p rin t ing

of t h is Se rie s The Co n co .
- v
nc e will se r e aa a re g ist e r o f t h c o o r io t aa lo et io aia fo r t he t e xt a
c da

o f t h e Ve dic lit e rat u re a n d t h u s pro ve t o b e ana rniliary o f t he ve ry first tm po rt anc e tnt h e

ww k d m ah n n d n f t d d b ld h t fi dd d
’

g e w c ifi o s o t e ic t exu : m mm y su s ry u m o o m s c
c
le t io ns will au gge at t he m ae lvea t o ac ho lars .

I N PR EP ARATI ON
No pm m iu o
f a definit e fim fw the m mpk fim and appearm q g qf t he
fd b wia
g
m rh rd flm de r an d m md an
y m be
given; t hey m ne m t hela s inm h a rb k qf ad~

B u ddh a -
gh o sa
’
s Wy
Pu rity (Visu ddhi magga ) a systematic a o f -
,

t re a t ise o f B u ddh i st d o c t ri ne by Bu ddha gh o sa (a bo u t 400 A c ri t ic a ll y - .

e di t e d in t he o rigi na l Pali by t he la t e H ENR Y C LAR KE WARREN O f Ca m bridge , ,

Th e “
Wy a Of Pu rit y , which has be e n fo r flft e e n ce nt u rie s o ne o f t he “
bo o ks o f po wer "
in

in g a m m d o u s gm sp o f t he m bje c t Mr am npu bhah e d m e h b o m t e a n

"
W
d ysis o f t he e w
.

t ire t rc at ise tnt he l o u n a l of t he P é li Tm So c ia y fo r 189 1 98, pa ge a 76 164 His pla nwas t o - -

.

inm a w h o h fl y e difi m o f t he P i h t a t o f t h e m h w it h firfl b M W e B -sifie d a ific d a

ppam m
a c o m plc t e En glish t ransla t io n, an inda o f nam e a and o t h e r u se fn l appe ndic ea, an d t o t rac e
b ac k t o t he ir so u rc es all t he q u o t a t ic ns wh ic h Bu ddha gho sa c o n st an t l y m ak e s fro m t he writ e

mga d hh pre dm m m l h e t a t h h ho pd m ay b e pu b hshc d wit h m t t w m o c h fu rfiwr

la b o r o nt h e part o f t he e dit o r o f t h e Se riea
W
.

Mr arre ndie d inJan u ary, 189 9 , int h e fo rt y-fifih yw o f his age Ac c o u n t a o t hia life and
‘
.

wo rk m a y b e fm m d in t h e (Ne w Yo rk ) N a t io n fo r Jan 12, 1899 : int he Hana rd Gr adu a m

’
-
.

M aganm fo r Marc h , 1899 g in t he Jo u r n a l of t ho Ro ya l Am t oM y f o r ApriL1899 (wit h a

'

list o fhia writ inga) : in t he (Ch ic ago ) Opea Oo m t fo r Ju ne , 1899 : o r int he Jo u n o l o/ l ha d m

-

ic a n Orim t o l So c iot y, vo l xx , se c o nd half . . .

B u ddh a gho sa s Way Of P u rity a system atic trea tise Of B u ddhist

-
’

do c trine translate d i nt o Engli sh fro m t he rigina l Pali Of H C Warre ns

’

, o . .

e di t i n by t h e la t e H EN R Y C L A R K E WA RR EN a n
o , d CH A R L ES ROC KWE LL LAN MAN .

M W nh d m d
r. arre l g p t ( b t n t hi d) f t h t n l t i n Wit h t hI p t
a a e a ar e ar a ou o e r o e ra aa o . S aI
-
as a

[ 3 ]
hd p m d g d de t he e dimr d t h e S e fies ho pe s m m m ple u t h e ve rsio n m d w pnhhah it u m n
“ infe asible Th e t ext and t ran ala t io o w ill pe rhapa t ak e t h rc e o r fo n
. r vo lnme a .

The Pa nch a tantra according to the recensionOf the Jaina mo nk

-
,

a b hadr a (abo u t 12 00
Par n c ri t ic a ll y e di te d in t h e o ri ina l Sa nsk i t by
g r
o

Dr JO HA NNES H ERTEI o f t he Ro yal G ym nasi u m o f Do e be ln in Sa xo ny and

.
, ,

Dr RI C HAR D SC HM I DT Of t he Univ e rsi ty o f H all e

.
, .

The b aais o w mr Sc hm idt io no f t h e c ha-h a

c c Ue nt a t u t pnpa nd b
’
a a m vm
y
n
him fro m w ve rd Eu m pu nm w u sc pu 1nt h e m e a nfim e , Do c t o r H e rt e l hu pw c u nd a va y .

h rg e am o u nt o f m a nu m fipt m a t e fid fm m l ndig c h ie fl y fi o m nd haa m bje c t ed t he u m e

t o ac a rc h ln g c r it ic a l st nd y . a n d h m b o d in
y g ’ h h m u h so f
a r as t h e y c o nc e rn t h e ac h nl
m din g a h a t h a m rg b re v isio n o f t h e prin t a a w py o t fl re t e xt T h e o flra m du o l h h
m a ve m p b
u m mm m w m m w m m
Gou l h c ha do r fl WW
ha c a fo r April. l fl d in rw w t vo lu m a o f t h e Z M
-
flfi dor
'

M M m ym
- haa Gm llc c ha fl
MS , nu m b e nd viiL —
.

14 5 in t h e Ca t al o gu e o t t h e Dw m nCo lle ge MSS an d c o nt ainin T n

’

g t h e a t r a-
i kh i
y y t ka o r
Kashm irian re c em io n o f t he Pm c haf t a nh a haa pro ve d t o b e o f au c h great im po rt a nc e fo r
me hlat o ry d mh b m nc h o f Sanak t ht e rat m t hat Do c mr Ha t d hn pnb hah e d h (AbMn
k ayo
a ut um -
n h c
ist o ri al invest igatio n an d aa o ne o f t he c u e nt ial pre lim lnariea fo r t h e e dit io n o f
Pfir a t n dra s re c e naio n t o b e isau e d in t h e Harvard Seriea 1t a ppe an t hat t h e M nu ne d
'
-
.

re c e nsio nh a firsio no ft he Tm U v i kh y i yih an d t he w c d le d Ta M Simphd o r o f t he Pan a ch

Sanskrit o f t he rec e nsio n Of Pat n

a bhadra by PA U L E LI I E R M O RE so m e t im -
, , e

Assist ant inSansk ri t in H arvard Unive rsity no w Of t he Edit o r ia l St aflo f t he

'

M io m m parc d u ve rd yu n ago fio m lh c t o r Sc hm idt s m nm fipt w py b y Mr Mm

’
vm .

haa ye t t o b e ao re vise d as t o b ring it int o c o nfo rm lt y wit h t h e m e antim e t bo ro u ghly re vie e d

t e xt o f Pfi n b hadra s rec e naio n Apa rt fro m t he int r insie int ereat and m e rit o f t h e at o rie a o f
'
r a -
.

whic h t h e Pa n c hm n b a c o nd at aJ h ia b an ah fio n m ak u m e spe d d appa l M de o u o f

In dia nanfl q a it ie a o f f
o lk -
lo ra a n d o f t h e hiat o ry o f o
p pu lar t a lc a .

H istory Of the Beast fa ble Of I ndia with especial refe rence to the -
,

Panc ha ta ntra and t o t he re la t e d li t e rature o f So u th west e rnAsia and o f M e

—

di e val E u ro pe by Dr JO HA NN ES H ERTEL o f t he Ro yal G y m nasi u m o f Do e beln

, .

inSa x o ny .

Alt ho u gh t hia vo l u m e ia mi m ri ly deaigne d t o b e anint ro dnc t io o t o Pfirna b ha dra s Panc h a

’
- p

nu t m iu w o pe h nm rt h e lu a m c h t h at tt m y wit h pm prb t y b e e nfit le d a flismry d t he

Bm t Jab le o f l n dia The de finifive am nge m e nt o f t h e m at e fid ia n o t ye t ae t t le d b u t t he ge n .

a al plan m a y b e glve nn nde r aix he adln g a .

1 Bfie f o u t hne o f t he mc ide nt a o f a c h am mge t ha wit h a nfe nm e fo r eac h c t m y m tu

.
,

p re c ise plac e in t h e o fl g ind Sa nsk fi t t c xt t h e m e t ho d o f c ita tio n t o b e au c h t h a t t h e aam e

re fe re n c e will apply wit h e q ua l f ac il it y t o e it h er t h e t e xt o r t h e t ran ala t io nc r t he appa rat u a

c rit ic m o r t he c o mm e n t a ry .

11 Ta b u h r m nspe c t u s o f sh o phe s m d c t o d e a m nu ine d in fo rm a o f fl

. re c hu h n tn

111 Appant na c ri t ic u a 1 Ac c o u nt o f t he MSS o llat e d 9 A piec e o f t he t ext print e d in

. . . . c . .

v
se e ra l pa ralle l fo r m s side by side (Ta n t ra- akh y i yika. S im plic io r, Orna t io r ) as a spe i e n cm .

v v
t o ill u st rat e t h e re la t i e a lu e o f t he se e ra l MSS and Pri r a b adra i wa y o f o nv st ru c tin
. g hil '

n h -
’
c
c
re e n sio n 8 Re a din . gs o f t h e MSS Bh b h, A, P p. e t c
. . , . .
dam e nt al do c t rine s I t is also t h e o ldest ; G ar be re fe rs it t o t h e se e nt
. ent u ry o f o u r era, and v hc
v c c
t h e e iden e addu e d by Taka k u su o f To kyo m a y pro e it t o b e o nside rably e arlier v c .

I nt h e pre parat io no f h is t ranslat io n, Dr o o ds h as had t h e be n efi t o f De u sse ns rit i is ;

’
. W c c m
an v w
d h e has re ise d his o rk u nde r t h e o e rsight o f G ang adh ara S h ast rinand o f his pu pils in v
c
Be a m ; and h e has o nst ant ly o nsu lt e d Vfic h aspat im ic ra s su b -c o c ent o nt h e Yo ga—b hi
’
mm
sh ya , an c
d, as o c asio n re q u ire d, t h e Yo ga - v art t ika o f Viiii ana b ikshu and o t her o rks o f -
h w
m o re m c
o de rns ho liast s I t is ho pe d t at t is o rk. h
ill t h ro w light u po n t h e e arly ist o ry o f h w w h
t h e M ah fr y an a s ho o l o f Bu ddh is c m .

Th e Talavak ara B rahman Jaim iniya

s of t h e S am e Ve da : c rit i
or

c all y edit e d in t h e o riginal Sa n skri t wit h a t ran slat io ni n t o Engli sh by H a rm s , ,

O E RTE L Pro fe sso r o f Li ngu i st ic s and Co m parat ive Ph il o lo gy inY ale Unive rsit y
, .

I n 1877 A C B n ll b ght t his B h m n t t h n t ic f E p nsch l

ur e ro u S n ft ra a s o e o e o u ro ea o ars oo a e r,

d m n c ipt nd t n d t h m v t P f ss Whit n y Wit h t h id f p pils

, . . .

h p c
e ro u re a us r s, a ur e e o er o ro e or e . e a o u ,

Whit n y m d t n lit t d c py f n nd him lf c ll t d t h c py wit h t h t h s

e a e a ra s e ra e o o o e, a se o a e e o e o er .

Sinc 189 1 f nd n O t l h b n t w k p nt h
e , o a o , t t i n fth c
er e as pt t xt fth is
ee a or u o e res o ra o o e o rru e o
B ah m n nd h p bli h d c n id bl p t f it int h J n ! f t h A m i nO i nt l
r a s, a as u s e o s e ra e ar s o e oa a o e er c a r e a

S i ty (v l s xv x i xviii xix xxiii nd xxvi ) nd l wh I t i h i int nt i nt dd

’
oc e o .
, v .
, .
, .
, . , a . a e se e re . s s e o o a
t hi t nsl t i nsyst m t ic
o s ra af nc s t t h p
o ll l p
e g f m t h t h B ahm n
a re ere e o e ara e assa e s ro e o er r a “ .
 Bo o ks fo r t h e St u dy o f I ndo I rania n Langu age s -

(S ansk rit Prak rit P ali A vesta n), , ,

Lit e rat u re s Re ligio ns , , a nd Ant iq u it ie s

P u b lished by M essrs Ginn 8: . C ompany
Bo st o n, Ne w Yo rk , Ch ic ago , a nd Lo ndo n

W hitney s S anskrit G rammar A S anskri t G rammar inclu ding

’
.
,

bo t h t he c la ssic al la ngu age a nd t h o lde r dia le c t s o f V d and Brahm a n

, a B
y e , e a

W1LLI AM Dwo r WHI TNE Y [lat e ]Pro fesso r f Sa nskrit and Co m parat ive Phi
'

, o

l lo gy in Yale U niversi
o

t e nde d) e di ti o n 1896 8vo xv i . page s Clo t h Ma ili ng pric e

. . . : ,

Pa pe r :
C appe lle r s S anskr it E nglish D ictiona ry A S anskrit E nglish D ic
’
- -
.

t io nary Ba se d u po nt he St Pet e rsbu rg Lexi c o ns By C A a t C AP PKLLE I Pro fe sso r

. . . .
,

a t t he U n i versi ty o f Jena Ro yal 8 o Cl o t h viii pa ge s By m a il

. v . . .
,

Lanm a ns Sa nskrit R ea der A S anskr it R eade r : with Voca b u lary

’
.

an d N t es By CHA R LES Ro c xwe u LAN M AN Pro f ss

o . f S nskrit in H ar ard .
, e or o a v

Unive rsit y F r u se in c o ll e ge s a nd fo r p riva t e st u dy Ro yal 8 vo Co mple t e

. o . . :

Te x t No tes and Vo c a bu la ry xxiv + 405 pa ge s Cl t h M a il ing pric e

, , , . o : ,

Tar t a lo ne fo r u se ine xam inati o ns 106 pa ges Cl o t h M aili ng pric e 85 c e nt s

, , . : , .

N o t es al o ne vii i pages Cl o t h : M a ili ng pric e 85 c e nt s

, .
, .

This Re ade r is c o nst rnc t e d wit h spe c ial nc e t o t h e ne e ds o t t ho se wh o b a ve t o u se it wit h

re fe re
'
-

o u t a t e ac he r The t e xt is in Orie n
. t al c h arac t e rs The se le c t io n s are fro t e ahi b h fi a t a . m h M — '
,

h
Hit o pade c a , Ka t i -sarit si gara, Laws o f N anu t e Rig e da t h e Brah an
-
“ , an d t h e S fit ras h v . m .

Th e Sa nskrit wo rds o f t he No t e s and Vo c ab u la ry are in Engfish le t t a a Th e No t e s re nde r

a m ple assist a n c e int he in t erpre t at io no f dific u lt passage s .

S anskri t Text inE nglish Letters Parts of N ala and H it o pade ca .

in E nglish Le t t ers Pre pare d by CH A R LE S R LAN MAN Ro ya l 8vo Pa pe r vi + 44

. . . . .

pages Mail ing pric e 80 c e nt s

.
, .

The Sa nakrit te no f t he first fo rt y fo u r pa ge s o f l l a nm ans Re ader -

’
, re pri nt e d in Eng lish c har

Primer A S anskri t Primer : ba sed o n the L eit

Sansk rit
’

Perry s .

fade nfl d e n Elr
e me nt ar vwrsu s de s S a nskri t o f Pro f G e o rg B iihl er o f Vie nna . .

By E m m a !) DHLA AN Paa a v Pro fe sso r o f G ree k in Co lu m bi a Uni ve rsi ty Ne w

v , ,

Yo rk 1885 S W xii + 230 page s M ail i ng pr ic e

. . . .
,

l 7 l
K asgi sR igve da Th e R igve da Olde st Lit e rat u re of t h e I ndians
. t he .

By Ano n r K AE G I Pro fe sso r int h e U n ive rsit y o f Z iiric h Au t h o ri ze d t ranslat io n

, .

ro m t h e G e rm an wit h addi t io n s t o t he n o t e s by ROBE RT Aa so wsu rm

[ f ] , P h D , , . .

1886 8vo Clo t h viii + 198 page s M a il ing pric e

. . . .
,

H opk ins s R e ligions of I nd ia Th e R e ligions of I ndia By E DWA RD

’
. .

WASH su aN H OPKI NS Pro fesso r o f Sanskrit in Yale Universit y 1895 12m o

, . . .

Cl o t h xvi + 612 pa ge s M ail i ng pri c e

. .
,

Thi i t h fi t fP f
s s eM i J st w S i f H ndb k nt h Hi t y f R ligi n
rs o ro e sso r o rr s a ro
’
s e r es o a oo so e s or o e o s .

Th b k giv
e oo n cc nt f t h ligi n f I ndi int h ch n l gi l
es a a ou o d f th i d v l
e re o so a e ro o o ca o r er o e r e e

O pm nt
e Ex t c t s
. giv n f m V d ic
ra B hmarenic J in
e B dd hi
rost ic nd l t s c
et i n l
,it ra a , a , u , a a er e ar a

e rat u re s .

Ja cksons A v e st a R e a d e r A ve st a R ea d e r : First S e ri e s E asi e r t e xt s

’
. .
,

no t e s, and v o c abu l ary By A V W I LLI A M S JAc xso N 1898 8vo Clo t h vi ii 112
. . . . . . .

pages . M aili ng pric e ,

Th e se le ct i o c
passage s fro m Yasna Visparad Yashts and Ve ndidad
ns in lu de , , , , a nd t h e te t x
is base d o nG e ldner s e dit io n Th e bo o k is int e nde d fo r be g inne rs
’
. .