Kumarasambhava of Kalidasa canto1

 

The legend has it that Kalidasa was an illiterate and ignorant. The
princess Vilasavati of the land was very learned and spurned all suitors
by testing their intelligence and they all tricked her into marrying
this ignorant young man presenting him as a learned one.On the first
night she asked him 'asthi kaSchith vaak viSeshaH, ' meaning , "Is
there any verbal skill for you?" and she came to know that she was
tricked. She told him to go and pray to Goddess Kali and by doing so, he was blessed by Kalimatha and became the greatest poet of Aryavartha.

About the life of Kalidasa all stories such as he being a dull head and married to the princess etc. are only heresy according to the scholars on kalidasa. Prof. Kale remarks that since there is no evidence of his life in any of his works the stories about his early life and he being blessed with Kali etc.  are circulated without any proof. He was a brahmin, by birth and travelled wide which is know from his graphical description of Himalayas ab and the places across the Indian continent in Meghadhutha  and he must be well versed in the vedas and sastras which is also evident from his works. There is a sloka,

Dhanvanthari kshapanako amarasimha Sanku

vethaala ghatakarpara kalidaasaaH

khyaatho varaahamihiro nrpathessabhaayaam

rathnaanivai vararuchirnava vikrmasya

 

Dhanvanthari, kshapaNaka, Amarsimha, Sanku, Vethaala. Ghata karpara, Kalidasa,Varhamihira and Vatraruchi are mentioned as the nine gems in the court of Vikramdhithya.This places Kalidasa in the court of Vikramadhithya but which Vikramadhithya is referred to is a controversial topic among the research scholars. Nothing is conclusive about his connection with Bhojaraja either though there are various legends about his friendship with Bhoja. Hence the question whether a learned princess would be gullible enough to marry a dullard duped by the clever men in the court has to be considered.

He composed three epics starting with each of the three words in her
question, namely, asthi, kaSchith and Vaak. The epic Raghuvamsa begins with the sloka vagarThaaviva samprkthou, containins the word 'vaak.'The other one Meghadhutha which begins with the words 'kaSchith kaanthaavirahaguruNaa' has the word kaSchith and this one Kumarasambhava begins with the word 'asthi.  This is the best of his kavyas and the slokas are full of beauty and grandeur.

 

Canto 1

 

1. asthyuttharasyaam dhiSi dhevathaathmaa

    himaalayo naama nagaaDhiraajaH

    poorvaaparou thoya niDhee avagaahya

    sThithaH prThivyaaH iva maanadhandaH

 

uttharasyaam dhiSi= in the northern direction

 

asthi= there is

 

nagaaDhiraajaH= the king of mountains

 

himaalayaH naama= named Himalayas.

 

dhevathaathma =who is a divine being, or the abode of celestials,

 

sThithaH = who is situated

 

maanadhandaH iva= like the measuring rod

 

prThivyaaH= of the earth

 

avagaahya = by dipping into

 

thoyaniDhee=the two oceans

 

poorvaaparou= in the east and the west.

 

 

Any epic should begin with either a blessing, aaSeeH, or a salutation to a deity, namaskriyaa, or with specifying the subject, vasthu nirdheSaH, according to the kaavya lakshana, aaSeernamaskriyaa vasthu nirdheSo vaapi than mukham. This kavya of kalidasa starts with the direct denotation of the subject matter.

 

First seventeen slokas are the description of Himalayas.  The Himalayas is named as the king of mountains,  situated in the north and extends from the ocean in the east till the ocean in thewest. So the poet imagines that he is standing like a measuring rod with arms extended from east to west.

The word dhevathaathmaa is used in the meaning of being the substratum of divinity since Siva resides there and  Parvati was born there. So Himalayas or Himavan, who is the personification of the mountain is raised to the status of a divine personality and termed as the dhevathaathma.

 

asthi is one of the three words in the question Vilasavati put to kalidasa, asthi kaSchith vaak viSeshaH?

 

In uttharasyaam dhiSi , the word utthara meaning north is the adjective to dhiSi, a feminine noun. Hence it is uttharasyaam in feminine, genitive singular

 

Naga means mountain. na gaccahthi ithi nagaH,that which does not move. nagaanaam aDhiraajaa =nagaaDhiraajaH, the king of mountains.The nakaaraantha word raajan which is declined as raajaa raajaanou raajaanaH  becomes akaaraantha as raajaH at the end of compound as per the rule of Panini ‘raajahaH sakhibhyashtach.’ This means that the words, raajan, ahan and sakhi become akaaraantha at the end of a compound and declined like the akaarantha nouns. For example, mahaan cha asaou raajaa cha maahaarajaH, maruthaH sakhaa maruthsakhaH, utthamam cha thath ahaScha utthamaahaH.

 

Poorvam cha aparam cha pooravaaparou, east and west. Dvandhva samasa.

 

thoyaniDhee- thoyam means water. niDhiH is receptacle. The sea is called thoyaniDhi because it is the reservoir of all waters. thoyaniDhee is the accusative dual of thoyaniDhiH.(like hari sabda)

 

Avgaahya- having dipped, indeclinable past participle of  gaah( to dive, or plunge into) with ava.

 

sThithaH- past participle of the verb sThaa(thishT) meaning stood.

 

prThivyaaH- of the earth, genitive singular of prThivee, feminine.(like nadhee sabda)

 

iva – means like

 

maanadhandaH- maana means  measuring, from maa to measure. dhanda means staff or rod. meeyathe anena ithi maanam that by which something is measured. maanaScha asou dhandaScha maanadhandaH, karamDhaaraya samaasa. The measuring rod.

 

2. yam sarvaSailaaH parikalpya vathsam

     merou sThithe dhogDhari dhohadhakshe

     baasvanthi rathnaani mahoushaDhheScha

     prThoopadhishtaam dhudhuhuH Dharithreem

 

The Himavan, assuming whom  as the calf, all mountains milked the earth, instructed by PrThu, of the precious gems and medicinal herbs with the mount Meru acting as the skilled milkman , saravaSailaaH –all mountains

 

sarvaSailaaH- all the mountains

 

 

yam vatsam parikalpya- assuming whom (Himavan) as the calf

 

dhdhuhuH- milked

 

Dharithreem- the earth

 

prThoopadhishtaam- who was instructed by the king Prthu ( to give what was wanted as a cow)

 

bhaasvanthi rathnaani- lustrous gems

 

mahoushDheeH cha- and great medicinal herbs

 

merou sThithe- Mount Meru acting

 

dhogDhari-as the milkman

 

dhohadhakshe- who is skilled

 

The allusion  here is to the story in Srimagbhagavatham of king Prthu from whom the earth got the name prThivee. The king Anga, the seventh descendent of Dhruva, had a son Vena who was wicked, and was killed by the sages through their yogic power and Prthu, of Narayanaamsa, was produced from the body of Anka. In the meanwhile the earth withheld all the food and treasures due to anger because of the adharmik rule of Vena.  When Prthu wanted to rectiify it the eath took a form of a cow and fled from him. When he was about to fling an arrow on it the earth reconciled and told him to find a milkman and a calf from each species and milk it what they wanted. The mountains appointed Meru as the milkman and Himavan as the calf and milked the earth for ores, precious gems, herbs and other products found in the mountains.

 

Himalayas becoming the calf its importance and fitness of kingship of the mountains is implied as the love of the cow will be overwhelming towards its calf and it will give the best to the calf only.

 

merou sThithe dhogDhari dhohadhakshe- This is an example of sathi sapthami. The word sathi is understood here. The meaning is yadhaa meruH dhohadhakshaH  dhogDhaa sThithah thadha – The words yadha and thadha are omitted by putting the subject and its adjectives together with the past participle in sapthami vibhakthi, seventh case with the word sathi which is of course not mentioned and is understood. That is the form is , merou ( locative singular of meruH) sThithe ( locative singular of the past participle sThithaH) sathi  and the adjectives dhohadhakshaH and dhogDhaa are also put in the locative singular. This is called the sathi sapthami rule.

 

3. anantharathnaprbhavasya yasya

    himam na soubhaagyavilopi jaatham

    eko hi dhosho guNasannipaathe

    nimajjathi indhoH kiranaeshvivaankaH

 

Of whom, who is the source of infinite number of precious gems, the snow does not deter his glory. A single defect sinks among the multitudes of  merits like the mark on the orb of the moon among its rays.

 

Yasya- of whom(Himavan)

ananthrathnaprabhavasya- who is the source of innumerable gems because he was the calf to whom the earth gave all the precious gems as the cow to its calf.

 

 himam – the snow, which is  a defect since it makes the Himalayas inaccessible all over the year.

 

na jaatham- had not been

 

soubhaagyavilopi- a deterrent to its glory.

 

eko hi dhoshaH- Only one defect

 

nimajjathi- sinks

 

guNa sannipaathe- among the multitudes of virtues

 

iva – like

 

ankaH- the mark, which is cited as the kalanka or blemish

 

indhoH –of the moon

 

(nimajjathi- sinks)

 

kiraNeshu- in  its rays.

 

prabhavathi asmaath ithi prabhavaH. That from which something  originates.

 

ananthaanaam rathnaanaam prabhavaH anamtharathnaprabhavaH

 

The source of unlimited or unending, anantha, precious things,rathna, which not only means the gems but all that are found in Himalayas, like the herbs, oars, plants and trees and last but not least the rshis and sages including the greatest sage of all, Lord Siva and His consort Parvathi.

 

Hima, is the perennial snow because of which the mountain got the name Himaalaya, meaning, the abode of snow.

 

soubhaagya means all the blessings or glory due to the mountain being ananthrathna prabhava.

vilumpathi ithi vilopi- from lup(lump) with vi meaning, to destroy or rob. Here it means one that deters or reduces the merits.

 

The upama of Kalidasa comes to play in this sloka as it does through out the epic. indhoH kiraNeshu ankaH iva ,like the mark or blemish of the moon in its rays. The moon is compared to Himalayas and the snow to its kalanka and the multitudes of  rays of the moon  to the  anantharathnaprabhavatva of Himavan, which is his guNa sannipatha, multitudes of merits.

 

The special statement that the snow does not rob Himlayas of its splendour because it has innumerable merits due to being the source of limitless precious things , is substantiated by a general statement,

that only one defect sinks in the numerous good qualities. This is known as arThaantharanyaasa figure of speech in which a special statement is substantiated by a general statement. It is further enhanced in its beauty by an analogy comparing it with the blemish of the moon which disappears in the luminance of its numerous rays.

 

The works of Kalidasa is not so abundant with arThanthara nyasa as with similies  when compared with Bharavi, the author of Kiratharjuneeya. That is why is said ‘upamaa kaalidaasasya bhaaraverarThagouravam.’ Kalidasa excels in upama whereas Bharavi in meaningful statements, which forms the main attraction of Kalidasa.

 

4.  yaSchaapsarovibhramamandanaanaam

     Sampaadhayithreem SikharaiH bibharthi

     valakakacChedhavibhaktharagaam

     akaalasanDhyaam iva Dhaathumatthaam

 

Which(Himalayas) shows with his peaks the red coloured ores, which serve as the beautifying means of the apsaras damsels , and which gets reflectedin the clouds creating an illusion of untimely twilight.

 

Yah- who, (Himavan)

 

bibharthi- shows

 

SikharaiH – with his peaks

 

Dhaathumatthaam- the presence of the  mountain rocks

 

sampaadhayithreem- serve as

 

apsarovibhrama mandanaanaam- as various cosmetics for the apsara damsels

 

iva -like

 

akaala sanDhyaam- sunset before time

 

valaahakcChedha vibhaktharaagaam- by their colour being reflected by the parting of  clouds

 

sampaadhayithreem - causing

 

(apsaro vibhrama mandanaanaam- the hasty decoration of the apsara damsels.)

 

The red colour rocks in the mountain are seen at the peaks where they are broken here and there. These red coloured rocks serve as the cosmetics, vibhramamandana, such as Tilak for the apsara damsels who live on the mountain. The red colour on the peaks gives them an illusion, vibhrama, that the sandhya, has arrived and it causes their hurried decoration , mandana, to go to their lovers. They mistake the red colour as the redness of the sunset reflected by the splitting of clouds.

 

Vibhramamandanaani can be derived as vibhramaaya mandanaani, the decoration for sport or as vibhrameNa mandanaaNi decoration out of haste. Sampaadhayithreem means causing. The former meaning thus serves as an adjective to the dhaathumatthaam- the presence of the red rocks and the second is an adjective to the sanDhya.

 

Valahaka means both cloud and mountain. So the word valaahakacChedha vibhaktha raagaam also serves as adjective to both Dhaathumatthaam and sanDhyaam. Valaahakaanaam Chedheshu vibhakthaH raagaH, the redness reflected in the split parts of the clouds or in the split parts of the mountain.

 

DhaathvaH asmin santhi ithi Dhaathumaan thasya bhaavaH Dhaathumatthaa- the presence of rocks containing minerals.

 

5.aamekhalam sancharathaam ghanaanaam

   Chaayaam aDhah saanugathaam nishevya

   Udhvejithaa vrshtibhiH aaSrayanthe

   SrngaaNi yasyaathapavanthi sidDhaaH

 

Resorting to the shade in the slopes given by the clouds which move around the middle of which, the siddhas, being affected by the rain reside in the peaks which are hot.

 

nishevya – resorting to

 

Chayaam- the shade

 

saanugathaam-in the slopes

 

ghananaam- of the clouds

 

sancharathaam- moving

 

aDhaH -below

 

aamekhalam- till the middle part

 

yasya – of whom(Himavan)

 

udhvejithaaH – affected

 

vrshtibhiH-by rains

 

sidDhaaH – the siddhas

 

aaSrayanthe- go to dwell

 

srngaaNi- in the peaks

 

aathapavanthi- which are hot ( by the rays of the Sun)

 

The siddhas are those who possess occult powers called the ashta siddhis. They are, aNimaa mahimaa chaiva laghimaa garimaa thaThaa praapthiH praakaamyam eSathvam vaSithvam cha ashtasidDhayaH, the ability to become atomic in size, to become large, to be heavy and light, to get what they want, to assume any form, mastery over elements and other beings and to bring all under their influence. Hanuman in Sundarkanda displayed most of these siddhis which shows that he was a yogi who acquired the siddhis.

 

aamekhalam sancharithaam ghanaanaam- the clouds move around only till the middle part of Himavan, which is mentioned as the place of girdle around the hip, because of his height. Later kalidasa describes Himavan of being even above the path of the Sun.

 

The siddhas wishing to  get under the shade of the clouds go to the slopes around the  middle part of Himalayas, Chaayaam aDhaH saanugathaam nishevya, but they suffer, udhvejithaaH, the rain, vrshtibhiH, due to the clouds moving around, and resort to the peaks, srngaaNi. which are hot, aaathpavanthi.

 

The clouds moving in the lower parts of the mountain, the top, that is, the peaks are always exposed to Sun and hence described as aathapavanthi, possessing heat. aathapah asya asthi ithi aathapavath( neuter since the word srnga is neuter) thaani aathapavanthi ( nominative plural)

 

aamekhalam – aa mekhalaabhyaH aamekhalam, meaning till the place of the girdle , that is the middle part. The particle ‘aa’ is added to denote the limit, lower or higher, inclusive or exclusive. For example aabaalagopaala means from children  to the cowherds, denoting the lower limit while  aabrahma sthambaparyantham, from Brahma to a blade of grass denotes the higher limit. ‘aangmaryaadhaabhiviDhyoH’ is the Panini rule, maryaadha meaning, the limit.

 

6. padham thushaarasruthiDhoutharaktham

    yasmin adhrshtvaapi hatha dhvipaanaam

    vidhanthi maargam nakha ranDhra mukthaiH

    mukthaaphalaiH kesariNaam kiraathaaH

 

In which (Himalayas) hunters know the path of the lions, though their footmarks are not seen because  the blood from them has been washed off by snow, marked by the  pearls from the elephants that were killed by them, dropped by the nails of their feet .

 

yasmin- in which (Himalayas)

 

kiraathaaH- the hunters

 

vidhanthi – know (vidh- to know, present tense third person plural)

 

margam – the path

 

kesariNaam –of the lions (went by the lions)

kesaraH (mane) asya asthi ithi kesarin- genitive plural of kesarin sabda(like karin)

 

mukthaaphalaiH- by the pearls

 

hathadhvipaanaam- of the elephants killed by them

 

hathaaH dhvipaaH yaiH hathadhipaaH, ( the elephants killed by them) theshaam genitive plural

Elephant is named dhvipa as it can drink by its trunk and mouth dhvaabhyaam pibathi ithi dhvipaH.

 

nakha ranDhra mukthaiH- shed from the crevices of their nails

 

ranDhra means holes or crevices ( space between the toe nails)

 

api- even though

 

adhrshtvaa- not seeing, na dhrshtvaa =adhrshtvaa

 

padham- marks of their foot

 

thushaarasruthi Dhoutharaktham- the blood from which had been washed away by the  falling snow.

 

Adjective to padham. thushaarasya sruthiH, thena  Dhoutham raktham yasya.

 

thushaara means snow, thushaara srutha(from sr to flow) is snowfall.  and Dhoutha means washed.

 

 

This sloka mentions the abundance of lions in the mountain. The Lions when struck by the arrows of the hunters escape with blood oozing from their body which marks their foot steps which normally help the hunters  to chase them. But in the mountain due to the heavy  snowfall  the blood on the  footmarks are washed away. But the hunters could see the path tread by the lions by means of the pearls, fallen from the head of the elephants that were killed by the lions, which have slipped through the space between their toenails.

 

It is a mythical belief that pearls are produced from various sources though abundantly from nacre. gajendra jeemootha varaaha Sankha mathsya ahi Sukthi udhbhava veNujaani, the elephant of the best kind, a cloud, a boar, a conch, a fish, a snake, a nacre and a bamboo are the cited sources of pearls.

 

 

7. nyasthaaksharaa Dhaathurasena yathra

    boorjathvachaH kunjarabindhuSoNaaH

    vrajanthi vidhyaadharsundhreeNaam

    anangalekhakriyayopayogam

 

Where, ( in Himalayas) the bark of the boorja trees display their use  as the love letters for the vidhyadhara women by the red letters  on them, written with the juice of the yellow coloured pigment, resembling the red spots on the elephants.

 

yathra- in which mountain

 

boorjathvachaHaH- the barks of the boorja trees

 

 

vrajanthi – serve

 

upayogam- the use(the purpose )

 

nysthaksharaaH- having letters ( alphabets)

 

kunjarabidhuSoNaaH- red like the spots on elephants

 

dhaathurasena- written by the juice of the yellow coloured pigment

 

vidhyaadhara sundhreeNaam- for the vidhyadara women

 

ananglekhakriyayaa- for writing love letters

 

In the word Dhaathurasa, Dhathu usually meaning the red rock of the mountain, here because  of the word rasa and also the colour of the boorja pathra being a sort of red and red letters will not be visible on it, the commentators take it to mean a yellow coloured pigment which in liquid form is the Dhaathurasa. Probably the yellow colour on the boorja pathra looked like the flesh coloured spots seen on the aged elephants.  

 

8. yaH poorayan keechakaranDhrabhaagaan

    dhareemukhotThena sameeraNena

    udhgaasyathaam icChathi kinnaraaNaam

    thaanapradhaayithvam ivopaganthum

 

who (Himavaan) filling the holes of the bamboos by the wind from the mouth of the caves seems to accompany the music of the Kinnaras.

 

The wind rising from the mouth of the caves pass through the holes of the bamboos in the mountain and  it produces sweet sound. The wind from the mouth of the caves is compared to the wind from the mouth of the flautist which passes through the holes of the flute and produces music. The bamboos which have holes naturally are compared to the flutes. The poet imagines that Himavan is trying to play flute as accompaniment of the music  of the Kinnaras, a kind of celestial beings who excel in musical skill.  udhgaasyathaam qualifies the kinnaraanaam, meaning that  their music is in a elevating scale. I tis called gandhara graama as compared with shadjagraama and madhyamagraama, the scale of shadja and madhyama. The humans sing only in the latter scales whereas the celestials sing in the former.

 

Thaanpradhaayithvam means accompaniment as with flute.

yaH- who, Himavan,

 

poorayan- filling

 

keechakaranDhrabhaagaan—the holes of the bamboos

 

sameeraNena –with the wind

 

dhareemukhotthena- that rises from the mouth of the caves

 

icChathi iva–  as though wishes to

 

upaganthum- follow

 

thaanapradhaayithvam –as accompanist

 

udhgaasyathaam- the music in high scale

 

kinnaraaNaam- of the Kinnaras.

 

9.kapolakandooH karibhih vinethum

   vighattithaanaam saraladhrumaaNaam

   yathra sruthaksheerathyaa prasoothaH

   saanooniganDhaH surabheekarothi

 

Where the smell of the sap of the devadaru trees, produced by the rubbing of the elephants to get relief from their itching cheeks and foreheads  fills the whole slopes with fragrance.

 

Sarala trees are known as devadaru whose sap is fragrant. The elephants rub against the trees vigorously to get relief from their itch

Hitting them with their foreheads and sides of their faces which makes the sap from threes flow and it fills the slopes of the mountain with fragrance. This denotes the abundance of elephants as well as the devadaru trees on the Himalayas.

 

Yathra- where (in Himalayas)

 

ganDhaH- the smell

 

prasoothaH- produced

 

sruthaksheerathayaa- because of the flowing of the sap (srutha means flow past participle of sravathi-flows)

 

saraladhrumaaNaam- of the devadarutrees

 

vighattithaanaam- which were rubbed against

 

karibhiH- by the elephants (kari means elephant , karaH, trunk which serves as its hand, asya asthi ithi karee-karin sabda –instrumental plural)

 

vinethum – to remove

 

kapola kandooH- the itching, kandooh, of their foreheads and cheeks,kapola

 

surabheekarothi- renders fragrant .

 

saanooni- the slopes.

 

10. vanecharaaNaam vanithaasakhaanaam

     dhareegrhothsanga nishkthabhaasaH

     bhavanthi yathra oushFhayo rajanyaam

     athailapooraah surthapradheepaaH

 

For the foresters who are with their women, the herbs serve as the lamp when they are with their sweethearts in the cave in the night by shining inside the caves without filled with oil.

 

The foresters are retiring in side the caves with their women in th night and the herbs which have luminosity in the night serve as lamps without  oil for them.

 

yathra – in which (Himalayas)

 

oushaDhyaH -the herbs

 

bhavanthi -become

 

suratha pradheepaaH- night lamps for the love sport

 

athaila pooraah- not filled with oil( not needing any other appliances like oil as they are self luminous)

 

vanecharaaNaam- for the foresters ( who live in caves)

 

vanithaasakhaanaam- who have their women as companions

 

 rajanyaaam- in the night (rajanee-night)

 

dhareegrhothsanganishktha bhaasaH- their light, bhaasaH shining inside , uthsanga, of the cavehouses, dhareegrha.

 

 

vane charathi ithi vanecharaH theshaam vanecharaaNaam

 

vanechara is  a compound called aluksamaasa in which the vibhakthi suffix is not dropped. For example sarasi jaaythi ithi sarojam in which the vibhakthi suffix is dropped, But in the word sarasijam the vibhakthi suffix is not dropped.

 

Vanithaasakhaanaam – vanithaanaam sakhaayaH vanithaasakhaaH, theshaam

In this word the grammatical peculiarity is as in maharajah or nagaaDhirajah as in the first sloka.( Please refer sloka 1.) The word sakhaa ( ikaaraantha as sakhi) changes to sakhaH ( akaaraantha) at the end of compound and hence sakhaanaam instead of sakheenaam ( refer to sakhi sabda in sabdamanjari)

 

dhareegrhothsanganishakthabhaasah

 

dharyaH (plural of dharee, cave, like nadhee) eva grhaaH theshaam uthsange nishakthaah bhaasaH (nominative plural of bhaa sabda) )

 

bhaa means light or luminance. bhaaH bhaasou bhaasaH

 

thailena na pooraah athailapooraah – nanj thathpurusha samasa.

 

surathe pradheepaaH surathapradheepaaH an example of luk samasa where the vibhakthi suffix is dropped. Luk means to omit or drop, a technical term used in grammar by Panini. na luk aluk

 

11. udhvejayathyanglipaarshNibhaagaan

      maarge Sileebhoothahimepi yathra

      na dhurvahaSroNipayoDharaarthaa

     bhindhanthi mandhaam gathim aSvamukhyaH

 

 

Where, ( in Himalyas) though  the hardened snow on their way  affected their feet and toes, the kinnara women do not give up their slow gait due to the weight of their bosoms and hips.

 

Yathra- where (Himalayas)

 

maarge – on their path

 

Sileebhoothahime api- though  hardened, Sileebhootha, with snow, hime,

 

Udhvejayathi- which is hurting,

 

angulipaarshNibhaagaan- their feet and toes, anguli, paarshNi bhaaga means the back of their feet, sole.

 

aSvamukhyaH – the kinnara women, they are called so because they have face like horse.

 

na bhindhanthi- do not break or change

 

mandhaam gathim- their slow, mandhaam, gait, gathim,

 

because they were

 

dhurvahaSroNipayoDharaarthaah- oppressed by the weight of their bosoms, payodharou, and hips, SroNih.

 

SroNiScha payoDharou cha SronipayoDharam

 

An example of samaahara dhavndhva samaasa in which two or more words combine and the resultant word is in neuter irrespective of the individual genders.

 

Kinnaraa and kimpurushas are a kind of celestial beings having face of a  horse.

 

The kinnara women find it very difficult

 

 12. dhivaakaraath rakshathi yo guhaasu

       leenam dhivaabheetham ivaanDhakaaram

       kshudhrepi noonam saraNam prapanne

       mamathvam ucChaiSSirasaam satheeva

 

Who protects from the Sun the darkness which hides inside the caves as though frightened of the day. For the great there is feeling of oneness even with mean creatures who surrender to them as with the good.

 

yaH – who

 

rakshathi- protects

 

dhivaakaraath- from the Sun. dhivam karothi ithi dhivaakaraH, one who makes the day.

 

anDhakaaram- the darkness. anDham karothi ithi anDhakaaraH- one that  makes blindness , that is darkness which hides everything as in blindness.

 

leenam –which is hiding, lee to hide

 

guhaasu- in the caves of Himalayas. guhaa is feminine and guhaasu is the locative singular of guhaa.

 

dhivaabheetham iva- as though afraid of the day-break, dhivaa.

 

noonam –certainly

 

kshudhre api –even in  the mean beings

 

Saranam parapanne- when surrendered to them,

 

kshudhre SaraNam prapanne(sathi) an example of sathi sapthami as in merou sThithe dhogDhari dhohadhakshe in sloka 2.

 

mamathvam- the feeling of belonging ( like saying “you are mine.”)

 

ucChaiH Sirasaam-(is the attitude of the) noble minded.

 

ucChaih means high  and ucChaiH Sirasaam means those who hold their heads high, that is noble minded.

 

Sathi iva- as with the good souls. sathi is the locative singular of sath, good.

 

 The poet imagines that the darkness is taking shelter in the caves of the Himalayas, frightened of the Sun, which are dark even during the day. Himavan is protecting the darkness and the figure of speech in the  second line is arThaantharanyasa in which a special statement is substantiated by a general statement. Here the general statement is ‘the noble-minded look upon  even the mean beings as they do the good once they surrender to them.’

 

13.laangoolavikshepavisarpiSobhaiH

     ithasthathaH chaandhramareechigouraiH

     yasyaarThayuktham giriraaja Sabdham

     kurvanthi vaalavyajanaiH chamaryaH

 

Whose title as the king of the mountains, the chamaree deer make meaningful by spreading and shaking their tails here and there which shine like the rays  of the moon and serve as the chaamaras to the king.

 

The chamara deer which have tails with shining white plumes of hair, run here and there shaking their tails which spread when they doso. This is compared by the poet to the chaamaras that are usually seen waving near the kings which is a sign of regalia. Hence the title of giriraja is made fitting by the action of the chamaree deer.

 

Giriraajasabdham-the word ‘giriraja.’ That is the title as the king of mountains.

 

Yasya- of whom (Himavan)

 

chamaryaH- the chamaree deer

 

kurvanthi- make

 

arThayuktham- meaningful, arThena yuktham- literally , united with meaning.

 

 

laangoolavikshepavisarpiSobhaiH-  by the beauty of the tails spread by shaking.

 

laangoolasya, of the tail, vikshepaH, shaking, thena, by that visarpiNee , spread Sobhaa, beauty yeshaam thaiH.

 

ithasthathaH-here and there, denotes that there are several chamaree deer in the mountain.

 

Chaandhramareechi gouraiH- white, goura, like the rays, mareechi, of the Moon. Chandhraath aagathaaH chaandhraaH, coming from the moon. chaandhraaH ye nareechayaH the rays which come from the moon, thadhvath gouraaH white like them.

 

vaalavyajanaiH- serving as the chaamaras.

 

14. yathraamSukaakshepa vilajjithaanaam

      yadhrcChayaa kimpuraushaanganaanaam

      dhareegrhadhvaaravilambibimbaaH

      thiraskariNyao jaladhaa bhavanthi

 

 

Where in Himalayas the assembly of clouds serve as the curtain for the women of kimpurushas, who are bashful of the removal of their clothes,   clinging to the door of the caves by chance.

 

The clouds which pass by chance outside the caves of Himalayas serve as the curtain for the disrobing of the women of Kimpurushas who are bashful. This denotes the height of the mountain , the clouds passing around its slopes.

 

Yathra – where (Himalayas)

 

jaladhaaH- the clouds

 

dhareegrhadhvaaravilambibimbaaH- clinging to the entrance of the cave houses.

dharee, caves, eva grhaaNi.theshaam dhvaare, entrance,vilambinaH, tarrying, bimbaaH,  forms,yeshaam the

 

bhavanthi- become

 

thiraskariNyaH-  curtains

 

kimpurushaanganaanaam- for the women of Kimpurushas(celestial beings like kinnaras)

 

amSukaakshepa vilajjithaanaam- who were bashful of the disrobing. amSukaa means clothes.

 

yadhrcChayaa- by chance

 

 

15 bhaageeraTheenirjharaSeekaraaNaam

     voDhaa muhurkampithadhevadhaaruH

     yadhvaayuranvishtamrgaiH kiraathaiH

     aasevyathe bhinnaSikhandibarhaH

 

Where the wind which bears the water particles  of the streams of Ganges, which shakes the Devadaru trees and parts the peacock feathers worn by them is being enjoyed by the hunters who hunt for  the deer.

 

yadhvaayuH- The wind of which (Himalayas)

 

voDhaa - which is the carrier of

 

bhaageeraTheenirjgaraSeekaraaNaam- the water particles, Seekara, of the streams, nirjhara,(nirjhara actually means the waterfalls) of the Ganges, bhaageeraThee.( Ganga got the name BhageeraThee because she was brought to the earth  by Bhageeratha.)

 

bhaageeraThyaaH  nirjharaaH theshaam SeekaraaNaam

 

muhuH- often

 

kampitha dhevadhaaruH- shaking, kampitha, devadaru trees.

 

kampithaaH dhevadhaaravaH yena saH adjective to vaayuH.

 

bhinnaSikhandibarhaH- parting the peacock feathers worn on the body. Sikhandeenaam barhaaNi thaani bhinnaani yena.

 

aasevyathe – is enjoyed

 

kiraathaiH- by the hunters

 

anvishtamrgaiH- who hunt for  the deer.

 

mragaah anvishtaaH yaiH – adjective to kiraatha.

 

By the three adjectives the three qualities of the mountain air, namely coolness, fragrance and the softness.

 

The carrying of the water particles of the streams of Ganges denotes the Saithya , coolness. The shaking of Devadaru trees signifies the fragrance of the flowers being brought by the wind, sourabhya.

The parting of the peacock feathers show that the wind is mild, maandhya.

 

16.sapthrshihasthaavachithaavaSeshaaNi

    aDho vivasvaan parivarthamaanaH

    padhmaani yasya agrasaroruhaaNi

    praboDhayathyordhvamukhairmayookhaiH

 

The lotuses, which are remaining after being plucked by the saptharshis in the ponds at the peaks of whom are opened up by the  sun, who is moving in the lower regions, by rays directed upwards.

 

Yasya – Of which mountain

 

Vivasvaan- The Sun

 

parivarthamaanaH- going round

 

aDhaH- below

 

praboDhyathi- opens

 

Padmaani – the lotuses

 

agrasaroruhaaNi- on the top of the peak

 

sapthrshihasthaavachithaavaSeshaaNi- which are remaining after the sapthrshis have plucked them

 

mayookhaiH – by his rays

 

oorDhvamukhaiH- directed upwards.

 

The root buDh with pra, praboDhayathi means awakens but in this context it can be taken to mean  opening.

 

The height of the mountain is extolled here as reaching the saptharshimandala where the saptha rshis are plucking the lotuses for their daily worship. The Sun is said to move along the slopes below which also denotes the loftiness of Himalayas. Hence the Sun has to direct his rays upwards to open the lotuses at the top. A beautiful poetic exaggeration.

 

sapthrshihasthaavachithaavaSeshaaNi

 

saptha cha the rshayaH cha saptharshayaH, the seven rshis, Bhrigu, Atri, Angirasa, Vasishta, Pulastya, Pulalaha and Kratu.according to vedic reference and these form the constellation of Ursa Major astronomically. theshaam hasthaiH avachithebhyaH avaSeshaaNi, those remaining (avaSeshaaNi) from the lotuses plucked, (avachithebhyaH) by the hands of the saptharshis. This denotes the saaphalya the fruitfulness of the lotuses on the top of Himalayas.

 

rohanthi ithi ruhaaNi, those growing, sarasi ruhaNi saroruhaaNi agre yaani saraamsi  theshu ruhaaNi padhmaani- the lotuses on the lakes on the top.

 

vivaH asya asthi ithi vivasvaan- vivaH means thejas or light. Hence Sun is called vivasvaan.

 

17.Yajnaangayonithvam avekshya yasya

     Saaram DharithreeDharaNa kshamam cha

     prajaapathiH kalpithayajnabhaagam

     SailaaDhipathyam svayam anvathishTaTha

 

To whom Brahma by himself  gave  the honour  of the sovereignty of mountains which secured him a part of the offering in the yajnas, by seeing his ability to be the source of the accessories and to bear the earth.

 

yasya –of whom

 

yajnaangayonithvam- yajnasya angaanaam ( the accessories of yajna) yoniH (source) yajnaangayoniH- thasya bhaavah yajnaangayonithvam being the source of the accessories of yajna.

 

avekshya- seeing (that)

 

cha – and (also)

 

saaram -the strength or power (saara) means essence  but here the power)

 

DharithreeDharaNa kshamam- the ability (Kshama) for bearing(DharaNa) of the earth (Dhrithree)

 

prajaapathiH - the creator, Brahma

 

svayameva- by himself

 

kalpithayajnabhaagam- securing a part in the yajna for him,

 

anvathishTath- gave

 

SailaaDhipathyam – the sovereignty over the mountains.

 

18.sa maanaseem merusaKhaH pithRNaam

     kanyaam kulasya sThithye sThithijnaH

     menaam muneenaam api maananeeyaam

     aathmaanuroopaam vidhinopayeme

 

The Himavan, the friend of Meru, and who knows his own status, duly married Mena , the daughter of the pithrs, created from their mind, and who was revewred even by the sages, to propagate his clan.

 

 saH merusakhaH- He (Himavan) who is the friend of mount Meru. The samasa in merusakhaH follows the rule raajaahassakhibhyashtach, ( refer to notes on nagaadhiraajaH sloka 1) meroH sakhaa merusakhaH

 

upayeme- married

 

viDhinaa – according to the rules (of Sasthra)

 

menaam – Mena

 

pithRNaam maanseem kanyaam- the mind-born daughter of the pithrs.

 

maananeeyaam – who was revered

 

muneenaam api- even by the sages.

 

 

 19. kaalakrameNaaTha thyoH pravrtthe

       svaroopayogye surathaprasange

       manoramam youvanam udhvahanthyaa

     garbho abhavath bhooDhararaajapathnyaaH

 

In due course on account of their union fitting to their stature, Mena, who was having attractive youth,  became pregnant.

aTha – then

 

kaalkrameNa – in course of time

 

surathaprasange- in their union

 

svaroopayogye- fitting to their stature 

 

bhooDhararajapathnyaaH- of the wife of the king of mountains

 

garbho abhavath- pregnancy occurred

 

bhoodhara raja pathnyaaH- in the wife of the king of the mountains, Mena,

 

DhaarayanthyaaH- who was having

 

manoramam youvanam – attractive youth.

 

It means that Mena became pregnant on account of which her beauty of youth became attractive.

 

20.asootha saa naagavaDhoopabhogyam

     mainaakam ambhoniDhibadDha sakhyam

     kruddhepi pakshchidhi vrthraSathrou

     avedhanaajnam kuliSakshthaanaam

 

She gave birth to Mainaka , who became the friend of the ocean, and  was enjoyed by the Naga bride, , and who did not know the pain of being hit by the vajrayudha of Indra when he was angry and cut off the wings ( of the mountains)

 

saa asootha- she gave birth

 

mainaakam – to Mainaka

 

naagavaDhoopabhogyam- who was enjoyed, upabhogya, by naagavaDhoo, Naga bride as her husband,

 

ambhoniDhi badDha sakhyam- and who became a friend of the ocean,

ambhasaam niDhiH ambhonidhiH, ocean ( an example of aluk samasa where the vibhakthi suffix is not dropped.) ambhoniDhinaa badDham sakhyam yena ambhoniDhibadDha sakhyaH tham , one who was befriended by the ocean,

 

avedhanaajnam – who did not know the pain,

vedhanaa is pain, vedhanam jaanaathi ithi vedhanaajnaH saH na bhavathi ithi avedhanaajnaH, one who did not know, ajnaH of the pain, vedhanaa.

 

kuliSa kshathaanaam- of the attack from vajrayuDha( kuliSa is vajrayuDha)

 

api- even

 

vrthraSathrou- when Indra, ( sapthamee ekavachanam of vrthraSathruH)

Indra  killed Vrthra and hence he is referred to as vrthraSathru, that too with the vajrayuDha , which he got from sage dhadheechi for the specific purpose.

 

pakshacChidhi- who was cutting the wings

 

krudDhe - becoming angry.

 

vrhrasathrou krudDhe pakshacChidhi-

 

 An example of sathi sapthami prayoga. ‘yadhi vrthraSathruH krudDhaH pakshacChith tharhi thadhaa’

 

This is converted into sathi sapthami form as the above putting all the words in sapthami thus omitting ‘yadhi’ and ‘tharhi .’

 

The allusion is to the time when all the mountains had wings and used to fly in the air. The people afraid that they may land anywhere they like thus destroying them appealed to Indra who cut off their wings with his vajrayudha. Mainaka was helped by Vayu who pushed him in the sea and thus he escaped. This was one of the reasons Mainaka wanted to help Hanuman when he flew over the ocean as Mainaka was indebted to Vayu, the father of Hanuman.

 

21. aThaavamaanena pithuH prayukthaa

dhakshasyakanyaa bhava[poorvapathnee

sathee sathee yogavisrshtadhehaa

thaam janmane SailavaDhoom prapedhe

 

Then Sathee, the daughter of Dhaksha, who was the chaste wife of Siva in her previous life, who left her body through yoga  provoked by the disrespect shown by her father (to Siva) came into the womb of Mena to be born again.

 

Sathee- the name of Parvathi in her earlier life as

 

dhakshasya kanyaa- the daughter of dhakshaprajapathi

 

bhavapoorvapathnee- who was the wife of Siva, earlier, bhavasya (siva) poorvaa pathnee ithi.

 

sathee- and who was chaste, meaning pathivratha, dedicated to her husband.

 

yogavisrshtadhehaa- who had given up her body through yoga, yogena visrshtaH dhehaH yayaa saa visrshtadhehaa. Visrshta  is the past participle of srj with vi, meaning to abandon

 

prayukthaa- instigated by, past participle of yuj with pra.

 

pithuH avamaanena-   insulted by her father

 

prapedhe – attained ( the womb of ) The perfect , lit, form of the verb padh with pra, to attain something or somewhere.

 

thaam SailavaDhoom- the wife of the mountain, Mena.

 

janmane – to be born (again.) dative, chathurthee vibakthi, singular of janma, meaning for birth.

 

This sloka is about Mena conceiving again and Sathee, by which name Parvati was known as earlier when she was born as the daughter of dhaksha prajapati, entering the womb of Mena to be born as Parvati.

 

The story alluded here is that when dhakshaprajapathi entered the scene of yajna done by prajapathis, All got up out of respect since he was the head of prajapathis, but Siva did not. Dhaksha got angry since Siva was his son in law and should have shown respect to him. Dhaksha abused Siva and there was a commotion between the followers of both and Siva left the scene. When Dhaksha himself conducted a yajna later he invites all but ignored Siva. Sathee went to the yajna, against the wish of Siva, to make her father see reason. But he insulted her and Siva and Sathee said she wanted to abandon the body which Dhaksha gave her and entered the flames through her yogic power. Dhaksha was punished by Siva who got angry and was born again later when the 27 stars became his daughters and were married to Moon.

 

22. saa bhooDhraaNaam aDhipena thasyaam

      samaaDhimathyaam udhapaadhi bhavyaa

      samyag prayogaath aparikshathaayaam

      neethou ivothsaahaguNena sampath

 

The pure one, Sathee was produced by the king of mountains in Menaa, who was observing the austerities for the sake of progeny, like the prosperity that is produced in case of a state policy, well managed and without defects.

 

Saa bhavyaa- that pure one

 

udhapaadhi- originated (impregnated) aorist form of padh with uth to originate

 

thasyaam – in Mena

 

samaaDhimathyaam – who was with austere conduct,

 

bhooDharaaNaam aDhipena- by the king of mountains, Himavan,

 

iva- like

 

sampath- prosperity

 

neethou – in a state with policy

 

aparikshathaayaam- which is free from defects.

 

samyagprayogaath- through  good, samyak, administration, prayoga (practice)

 

   In a state or kingdom which is governed with good policy free from defects, the prosperity is produced naturally. Here Sathee . like prosperity, chose Mena who is like a policy free from defects and she was created by Himavan who is compared to a good administration.     

        

 

23. prasannadhik paamsuvivikthavaatham

      Sankhasvanaananthara pushpavrshti

      SareeriNaam sthavarajagmaanaam

      Sukhaaya thajjanmadhinam babhoova

 

The directions were clear, the wind was bereft of dust and there was a shower of flowers after the sound of conch, the day of birth of Parvathi was one that gave  joy to all beings  movable and immovable.

 

prasannadhik- the directions were clear and visibility was the highest. prasannaa dhiSaH yathra that , adjective to janmadhinam

 

  paamsuvivikthavaatham- the wind, vaatha, was devoid, viviktha of dust, paamsu.  The word viviktha means empty.  paamsubhiH vivikthaH vaathaH yathra.

 

Sankhasvanaananthara pushpavrshti - shower of flowers  after, ananthara, the sound conch, Sankhasvana, which is auspicious announcing the birth of the daughter of the king of mountains or by the devas.

 

thath janmadhinam- that day of birth

 

babhoova- became

 

sukhaaya- a source of joy

 

sThaavarajangamaanaam-  for movable and immovable beings.

 

This is explained as follows:

The directions were clear ensuring good vision. The wind was without dust which gave joy to the body by its touch. The shower of flowers caused pleasant smell. The sound of the conch was pleasing to the ear. Thus the day of birth of Parvati was giving happiness to all the senses of all beings as even the immovable entities like trees and rocks could enjoy the wind and light.

 

 

24. thayaa dhuhithraa sutharaam savithree

      Sphurathprabhaamandalayaa chakaase

    vidhoorabhoomiH navameghaSabdhaath

    udhbhinnat yaa rathnaSalaakayaa iva

 

Mena the mother shone with bright circle of light with her daughter like the distant land which shines by the gem which breaks  out due to the force of thunder.

 

savithree- the mother

 

chakaaSe- shone

 

sphurath prabhaa mandalayaa- with sparkling circle of light

 

thaya dhuhithraa- by that daughter. When Paravti was born a divine light enveloped  the whole place.

 

iva –like

 

vidhoora bhoomiH – distant land on the mountain (which shines with)

 

rathna Salaakayaa – slab of gem

 

udhbhinnayaa- which was brought out

 

megha sabdhaath- By the thunder of the clouds.

 

Vidhoora bhoomi also means the mountain from where the precious gem lapis lazuli , vaidoorya is brought. Parvati is compared to the precious gem and Mena to the land or mountain from which the gem is brought out. To say that the thunder made the slab containing the gem break out must be poetic imagination. The thunder is known to cause birth of young animals by its sound. But whether it would cuase the rocks of gem to burst open from its source is not definite unless by megha Sabdha denotes the falling of the thunder on the rocks.

 

25.dhine dhine saa parivarDhamaanaa

    labDhodhayaa chaandhramaseeva rekhaa

    puposha laavaNyamayaan viseshaan

    jyothsanaantharaaNeeva kalaantharaaNi

 

 

Growing every day after her birth, Parvati increased her special features of beauty like the crescent moon growing in parts contained within the moonlight.

 

Saa – that Parvati,

 

labDha udhayaa -after being born

 

 

parivarDhamaanaa- growing, the verb varDh to grow with pari

 

dhine dhine- everyday or day by day

 

 

chaandhramasee iva rekhaa- like the crescent moon, chaandhramasee means of the moon,chandhramaaH, rekha means the crescent,

 

puposha- increased, the verb push –posh means to mourish and here it means to increase ( cf. upachitha gurubhaktheH –Vedanta Desika in Sristhuthi meaning by the increased devotion towards guru)

 

viSeshaan – special features

 

laavaNya mayaan – of beauty

 

kalaanthraaNi iva- like the hidden parts of the Moon

 

jyothsnaantharaaNi- which are contained in the moonlight.

 

As the parts of the Moon are already there in the moonlight but hidden at the beginning of the bright fortnight and they are displayed day by day till the full moon day, so too the beauty of Parvati, which was inherent in her,  grew day by day, displayed as she grew up.

 

26.thaam parvatheeithyabhijanena naamana

     banDhupriyaam banDhujano juhaava

     umethi maathraa thapasah nishidDhaa

     paSchaath umaakhyo sumukhee jagaama

 

 

The relatives ( Himavan and others) called her who is dear to them by the name Parvathi, denoting her descent. By her mother who was trying to stop her from going to do penance she acquired the name Uma by which she came to be called later.

 

banDhujanaH- her close relatives, meaning her family,

 

juhaava – called her

 

banDhupriyaam – who is dear to her relatives,

 

paravathi ithi- as Paravathi,

 

abhijanena- by her descent or clan.

 

paSchaath – later

 

jagaama – got

 

umaa aakhyaam -the name  Umaa,

 

nishidDha- when she was being prevented

 

thapasaH- from doing penance

 

The reference here is the incident when Parvati wanted to do Thapas to attain Siva. after Manmatha was burnt. Her mother out of concern tried to prevent her. ‘u’ is a way of  addressing  a child. The mother addressed Parvati as ‘U’ and said ‘maa’   meaning, “don’t.” hence she got the name Uma.

 

27.  maheebhrthaH puthravatho api dhrshtiH

       thasmin apathye na jagaama thrpthim

       ananthapushpasya maDhorhi choothe

       dhvirephamaalaa saviseshasangaa  

 

Even though the mountain had a son he never got satisfaction looking at this child of his. The row of bees are specially attracted to the mango tree though there are many flowers in springtime.

 

maheebrthasya – for Himavan, a mountain is called maheebrth because the mountains are mythologically supposed to support the earth instead of vice versa. maheebrth also means a king. The epithet applies to Himavaan in both sense of the word. maheem biBhrathi ithi maheebrth.

 

puthravathaH api- even though he had a son,or even though heada more than one child, because puthraaH is derived as puthraaH cha dhuhitharaH cha puthraaH , meaning sons and daughters. puthraaH asthi asya  ithi puthravaan, one who has both sons and daughters, that is , many children. thasya puthravathaH, of him.

 

na jagaama thrpthim- did not have enough satisfaction

 

dhrshtiH- by his looking

 

thasmin apathye- in that child of his.

 

This is affirmed with a beautiful analogy by the poet which proves the saying ‘upamaa kaalidaasasya,’  though we are yet to see much more beautiful similes in the kavya later.

 

ananthapushpasya- of the various flowers

 

maDhoH- of the spring,

 

dhvirephamaalaa- the rows of bees described as a garland by the poet,

 

savaiSeshasangaa- have special attachment

 

choothe- in mango, that is mango flower.

 

Himavan looking at the child , Paravthi, again and again, is compared to the row of bees going to and fro from the mango flower.

 

28. prabhaamahathyaa Sikhayaiva dheepaH

      thrimaargayeva thridhivasya  maargaH

      samskaravathyaiva giraa maneeshee

      thayaa sa poothaScha vibhooshiothaScha

 

Himavaan was purified and beautified as with ornaments  by her as a lamp with the luminance of its flame, like the path of the devaloka with  the river Ganga and like the learned with scholarly speech.

 

saH – that Himavan

 

poothaH – was purified

 

vibhooshithaH – and adorned

thayaa- by that parvathi,

 

iva- like

 

dheepaH –a lamp,

 

Sikhayaa- by the flame

 

mahathyaa – which is luminous,

 

A lamp is auslicious when it is lit and the fame is luminous which is the adornment of the lamp.

 

iva- like

 

maargaH- the path

 

thridhivasya- of heaven, the devaloka or svarga is mentioned as the third world, bhooH, bhuvaH, suvaH, earth, the sky, where celestial beings like gandharvas, siddhas charanas abide,  and the svargaloka beyond that.

 

thrimaargayaa- with Ganga, who is known as thripaThagaa, as the river flows in heaven , earth and pathala, since she was brought down from Bhagiratha.

 

iva –like

 

maneeshee- a learned man,

 

giraa- with speech

 

samskaaravathyaa- which is scholarly through the study of sastras and grammar.

 

The sign of a learned  man is the well mannered, well defined and well spoken. It could be so only when one swell versed in sastras and grammar etc.

 

In Valmiki Ramayana Rama praises the speech of Hanuman saying that it was samskaarakrama sampanna, defines a good speech thus.

 

‘With sweet voice, enunciated syllables, properly parting the words, quick and confident, and rhythm included are the six best qualities of best speaker.’ Rama further says that only the one who has learnt the vedasa and sastras could speak like that.

 

 

Himavan was purified by Parvathi since she was the incarnation of Sathee, the consort of Siva. Due to her beauty and other qualities he was adorned by her.

 

 

29. mandhaakineesaikathavedhikaabhiH

     saa kandhukaiH krthrimaputhrakaiH cha

     reme muhuH maDhyagathaa sakheenaam

     kreedaarasam nirviSatheeva baalye

 

Parvati played often with balls and dolls on the sand banks of Ganges along with her friends as though she wanted to enjoy the essence of play in her childhood.

 

Saa- that Parvati,

 

reme – enjoyed, played, perfect tense of the verb ramathi, plays,

 

baalye – in her childhood

 

muhuH- often (indeclinable)

 

maDhyagathaa- among , maDhye gathaa, getting in the middle of,

 

sakheenaam- her friends

 

kandhukaiH-with balls

 

krthrimaputhrakaiH cha- and dolls, krthrima means artificially made, puthraka means little child , or a puppet. She played with the dolls made of thread or other materials is the meaning. As little girls play with dolls imagining them as their own children, the word puthraka is used. krthrimaiH, vasthradhravyaadhi nirmithaiH ( made of cloth etc.) puthrakaiH

 

mandhaakinee saikatha vedhikaabhiH- with the sand dunes on the bank of Ganges, mandhaakinee is a name of Ganges and saikatha (sikathaa=sandy soil always plural feminine) means sandy, vedhikaaa is a dune.

 

nirviSathi iva -as though she wanted to experience, from the verb viS with nis, meaning to enjoy

 

kreedaarasam- the essence of play.

 

Why should the poet say that it was as though Parvati wanted to experience the essence rasa, of playing, kreedaa, in her childhood? Perhaps she wanted to enjoy fully the playing in her childhood because  when she becomes a young girl she was not going to play anymore and will go on penance.

 

Also the word krthrima puthraka suggests that Parvati who was going to become the mother of the Universe by marrying Siva, was practising  the role of the mother to her children, meaning all beings, later.

 

30. thaam hamsamaalaaH Saradheeva gangaam

      mahoushDhim naktham ivaathma bhaasaH

      sThiropadheSaam upadhesakaale

      prapedhire praakthanjanmavidhyaaH

 

At the time of instruction by guru all the learning which she has acquired in her previous janma came to her, who was with learning already, like the swans reaching the river Ganga in autumn and the lustre coming to the herbs in the night.

 

praakthana janma vidhyaaH- all the learning acquired in her previous life, praakthana janma,

 

thaam prapedhire- came to her, from the verb padh with pra to reach,

 

sThiropadheSaam – who is steady with learning ( meaning that she already had the knowledge)

 

upadhesakaale – at the time of instruction by her guru

 

iva –like

 

hamsamaalaaH- row of swans ( flying like a garland)

 

gangaam- ( arrive) at the Ganges

 

Saradhi – in autumn

 

And

 

iva like

 

aathmabhaasaH – the inner lustre

 

mahoushaDhim- ( comes) to the great herbs. mahaan cha asou oshdhiH cha mahoushaDhiH tham. KarmaDhaaraya samaasa.

 

naktham- in the night.( indeclinable)

 

Parvati did not have to learn anything new as being the incarnation of Sathi she had all the knowledge from her previous birth. Hence the instruction by the guru only served as sign for the knowledge to come back to her.

 

Krishna and Balarama seemed to have learnt all the 64 sastras in 64 days from their guru, meaning that for those of divine birth the learning  from the guru is only a formality which should be observed as a protocol. Even in our times there are those who are called born-genius, or prodigy, which only means that they get the knowledge which they have already acquired in their previous birth.

 

This is poetically described by Kalidasa by means of two analogies.

 

The swans fly in rows like a garland at the advent of the autumn season and go to Ganges. It means that the Ganges is their natural abode to which they return in autumn. Similarly the knowledge of Paravati reached her who was their natural abode.

 

The medicinal herbs gather lustre only in the night through the moonlight. That is why the medicos of ancient times used to go in the night to search for them. Here the lustre is a natural quality of the herbs but they become visible when the night falls. Similarly the inherent knowledge of Parvati came to the forefront at the time of the instruction by her guru.

.

 

31. asambhrtham mandanam angayashteH

      anaasavaakhyam karaNam madhasya

      kaamasyapushpavyathiriktham asthram

      baalyaath param saaTha vayaH prapedhe

 

Parvati attained youth, the next to child hood, which is an ornament to the limbs without effort, the cause of intoxication without liquor and the flowerless arrow of Cupid.

 

Saa -that Parvathi

 

aTha - then

 

prapedhe - attained

 

vayaH -  the age

 

baalyaath param- the one after childhood(youth) Param means higher.

 

mandanam- which is an ornament

 

angayashteH - to the limbs ( yashti is the upamaa for beautiful limbs , meaning , like bamboo, slim and tender)

 

asambrtham – without effort, meaning , without any effort for beautifying  like putting on ornaments, the youth itself serving as the ornament.

 

Karanam – the cause

 

madhasya- of intoxication

 

anaasavaakhyam- with out liquor, aasava.

 

asthram – the weapon or arrow

 

kaamasya- of ManmaTha

 

pushpavyathiriktham- other than flower.

 

The youth beautifies the limbs without ornaments , causes intoxication to an onlooker ( madha can also mean arrogance) without liquor, and serves as weapon in the hands of the god of love other than his usual weapons of flowers. The poetic imagination with the stamp of Kalidasa.

 

32. unmeelitham thoolikayaiva chithram

      sooryaamSubhirbhinnmivaaravindham

      babhoova thsyaaschathurasra Sobhi

     vapurvibhaktham nava you vannena

 

 

Her form with limbs well marked by youth became beautiful all around like a portrait revealed by the artist’s brush and like the lotus opened up by the rays of the sun.

 

thasyaaH vapuH – her body

 

babhoova – became

 

chathurasra Sobhi- beautiful from all angles, sra added to chathur means four faces or dierections.

 

vibhaktham- being made distinct

 

navayouvanena- by the fresh youth

 

iva –like

 

chithram – aportrait

 

unmeelitham- revealed, unmeelana is opening or uncovering

 

throorikayaa- by the brush ( of an artist)

 

iva – and like

 

aravindham- a lotus

 

bhinnam – split up (of petals)

 

sooryaamSubhiH- by the rays , amsu, of the sun.

 

The comparison with the portrait revealed of its beauty with the brush of the artist and the lotus opening up with the rays of the Sun is to denote that the beauty lying dormant is made explicit. The lotus bud contains all its colour and splendour and the rays of the Sun only opens it up to show the beauty within. The portrait is the creation of the artist in his mind and is made explicit by the colours using the brush. So too, the beauty of Parvathi was dormant in her child hood which came to surface by the youth which acted like the Sun or the artist’s brush in making it manifest. Here the rays of the Sun and the brush of the artist are compared to the youth which brought the beauty lying within. 

 

33. abhyunnathaangushTa nakhaprabhaabhiH

      nikshepaNaath raagam ivodhgiranthou

      aajahrathuH thaccharaNou prThivyaam

      sThalaaravindhaSriyam avayavasThaam

 

Her feet, with the lustre of the nails on the elevated big  toes, emitting red colour by being placed on the ground endowed it the beauty of moving lotuses on earth

thaccharaNou- her two feet

 

abhyunnathaangushTa nakhaprabhaabhiH -with the luster, prabhaa, of the nails, nakha,  of the elevated , abhyunnathau, big toes, angushtau

 

iva- as though

 

udhgiranthou- emitting, from the verb gir with udh meaning to emit.Gir alone would mean falling.

 

raagam- red colour

 

nikshepaNaath- by placing them, nikshepaNa -  placing from the verb kship with ni  to place, kship by itself means to throw.

 

prThivyaam- on earth, that is the ground,

 

aajahrathuH- endowed it , hr with aa , to give

 

sThalaaravindhaSriyam- with the beauty, sree, of the lotuses grown on earth, sThalaaravindham

 

avyavasThaam- moving  

 

When Parvathi walked, her two feet moving on the ground, endowed it the beauty of the lotuses on earth by the lustre of her nails of the big toes  on her elevated feet as though emitting red colour. It looked as though red lotuses were moving on earth. By this the poet describes her feet resembling lotuses.According to the saamudhrikaalakshaNa, feet with red hue, with raised toes is a sign of a royal woman.

 

34. saa raajahamsairiva sannathaangee

     gatheshu leelaanchitha vikrameshu

   Vyaneeyatha prathyupadhesalubdhaiH

   aadhithsubhirnoopuraSinchithaani   

 

She whose shoulders were a little bent (rounded), appeared as though  she was taught   the manner of walking with a playful gait, by the royal swans which were eager to  learn in return the sound of her anklets.

 

Saa – she , Parvati,

 

Sannathaangee- who was bent a little,  may also mean rounded shoulders as per the sloka on lakshaNa of beauty sannathaamsaaH sthriyah poojyaah unnathaamsaasthu poorushaaH, women should have rounded shoulders while men must have raised shoulders. The commentators like Mallinatha give the meaning that she had bent shoulders due to the weight of her breasts  but it makes her a hunchback and rounded shoulders seems to be more appropriate.

 

gatheshu – in her walking

 

leelaanchitha vikrameshu- by  playful gaits, vikrama means roaming, bhramaNam. leelayaa anchitham , placed playfully

 

vyaneeyatha iva- (appeared) as though taught by, from the verb nee with vi. meaning was taught passive voice

 

raajahamsaiH- by the royal swans

 

prathypadheSa lubdhaiH- desirous of learning in turn, lubDha means very eager or greedy. prthyupadheras is teaching in return.

 

aadhithsubhiH-and acquire. adhaathum icchathi ithi  aadhithsuH thaiH aadhithsubhiH. To acquire

 

noopurasinjithaani- the sound of the anklets. sinjana is the sweet sound of the anklets.

 

In describing Parvati, Kalidasa excels himself in each sloka. In this he describes her walking which resembles that of royal swans and it is the poetic imagination that the swans taught her the gait on order to learn in turn the sound made by her anklets which forms sweet music.

 

35. vrtthaanupoorve na cha athidheerghe

   Janghe Subhe srshtavathaH thedheeye

   Seshaanga nirmaaNaviDhou viDhaathuH

   laavNya uthpaadhya iva aasa yathnaH

 

When her shanks which were good , rounded and shapely and not very long but moderate,  were created  the creator faced a difficulty in creating her other limbs to match them.

 

vidhaathuH – for the creator, Brahma, ( genetive cas singular of viDhaathr)

 

srshtavathaH – who had created ,( srshtaH anena ithi srshtavaan, thasya srshtavathaa)

 

janghe- the shanks

 

vrtthe- round

 

anupoorve –shapely, in the form known as gopuccha, broader at the top and gradually becoming narrower like the tail of a cow

 

na athi dheerghe- not very long , meaning proportional to the rest of the body,

 

thadheeye- of her

 

aasa –there was  ( aasa perfect of the verb as to be)

 

yathnaH – effort

 

iva -as it were

 

nirmaaNa viDhou- in creating

 

Seshaanga- rest of her limbs.

 

There is a beautiful poetic exaggeration here that the creator seemed to have exhausted all ingradients of beauty in creating the shanks of Parvathi which were round and shapely and not very long but proportional to the rest of the body, that he was at a loss to create her other limbs to match them and had to make lot of effort to do so.

 

36. naagendhrahasthaaH thavachi karkaSathvaath

     ekaanthaSaithyaath kadhalee viSeshaaH

 

    labDhvaapi loke pariNaahi roopam

    jaathaaH thadhoorvoH upamaan baahyaaH

 

The trunk of the royal elephants  because of the roughness of skin, and the stems of special kind of plaintain trees due to their  very cold touch, even though they were widely known  in the world as standards of comparison, became out of the pale of being compared to her thighs.

 

naagendhrahasthaaH- the trunks of royal elephants

 

karkaSathvaath- due to the roughness

 

thvachi – of the skin

 

kadhaleeviseshaaH- the plaintain trees of a special trees that have uniformly shaped stem

 

ekaanth Saithyaath- due to their permanent cold touch

 

labDhvaa api- even though they attained

 

loke – in the world

 

roopam -  the form ( to be known)

 

pariNaahi- for their being wide

 

jaathaa- became

 

upamaana baahyaa- out of the pale of standards of comparison

 

thadhoorvoH- of her thighs.

 

Usually the thighs of a beautiful woman are compared with either the trunk of an elephant of high breed or to the stem of the plaintain tree. But here Kalidasa, who is known by the pithet’upamaakalidaasasya,’ could find no upama, comparison for the thighs of Parvathi because the first was lacking in softess of her thighs, being hard to touch and the second in warmth, being cold to touch.

 

37. ethavatha nanvanumeyaSobhi

      kaancheeguNasThaanam anindhithaayaaH

     aaropitham yath giriSena paschaath

     ananyanaareekamaneeyam ankam

 

 The extent of glory of the  hips of the faultless  Parvathi, which was the place of  golden girdle, could be inferred from the fact that later found a place on the lap of Siva, which was unattainable by other women.

 

kaancheeguNa sThaanam- the place of golden girdle, meaning the hips,

 

anindhithaayaaH – of faultless Parvathi

 

anumeyaSobhi-was of glory which could be inferred

 

ethavathaa- as such

 

yath- by which fact that

 

aaropitham- it was elevated

 

ankam –to  the lap

 

giriSena- of Siva

 

ananyanareekamaneeyam- which could not be aspired by any other woman.

 

paSchath- later.

 

The meaning is that the glory of the hips of parvati could very well be surmised from the fact that they found a place on the lap of Siva, which no other woman could have hoped for.

 

38. thasyaaH pravishtaa nathanaabhiranDhram

      raraaja thanvee navaromaraajiH

      neeveem athikramya sithetharasya

      thanmekhalaamaDhya manerivaarchiH

 

The slender row of hair on her stomach which entered the deep cavity of her navel crossing the knot of her cloth shone like the rays of the blue sapphire on her girdle.

 

navaroma raajiH- the youthful row of hair

thasyaaH – of that Parvati

 

thanvee- which was slender, thanu means slim, here slender

 

pravishta – and which entered

 

natha naabhiranDhram- the deep cavity of her navel, natha means here going down, deep and ranDhram means a cavity

 

neeveem athikramya- crossing the knot of her cloth

 

raraaja- shone, from raaj to shine

 

iva-like

 

archiH- the rays, archis , neuter meaning light or rays.

 

thanmekhalaamaDhyamaNeH- of the central gem on her waistband, mekhalaa

 

sithetharasya- which was of blue sapphire, sitha means white sithethara means other than white, dark.

 

40.anyonyam uthpeedayath uthpalaakshyaaH

    sthanadhvayam paandu thaThaa pravrdDham

    maDhye yaTha Syaamamukhasya thasya

    mrNaalasoothraantharam ithyalabhyam

 

The pair of breasts  of Parvathi who had eyes like  lotuses,were close, white and well devoloped and in the middle of which with black tips, even a tender thread of lotus stalk could not pass through.

 

Sthandhvayam- The pair of breasts 

 

uthpalaakshyaaH- who had eyes like  lotuses

 

anyonyam uthpeedayath- were close,

 

paandu thaThaa pravrdDham- white and well devoloped

 

maDhye yaTha Syaamamukhasya thasya- in the middle of which with black tips

 

mrNaalasoothraantharam ithyalabhyam- even a tender thread of lotus stalk could not pass through.

 

Then Kalidasa decribes Parvathi neck upwards which is more aesthetic!

 

41. SireeshapushpaaDhikasoukumaaryou

       baahoothadheeyou ithi me vitharakaH

       paraajithenaapi krthou harasya

       you kantapaaSaou makaraDhvajena

 

The arms of Parvathi are softer than the Sireesha flower in my opinion, which are used by the god of love as the binding rope for the neck of Siva by whom he was burnt earlier.

 

baahoo- her two arms ( baahoo is the dvitheeya vibhakthi of bahu sabda like guru)

 

thadheeyou- of that Parvathi, thsyaaH ime thadheeyou

 

Sireeshapushpa aDhika soukumaaryou- softer than the Sireesha flower. Sukumaarasya bhaavaH soukumaaryam- softness and beauty.Sireeshapushpaath aDhikam soukumaaryam- even more soft and beautiful than the Sreesha flower.

 

ithi me vitharkaH- this my surmise. The poet further expalins the reason for this opinion.

 

You- which

 

Krthou- were made

 

kanTapaaSou- the rope around the neck

 

harasya- of Siva

 

makaraDhvajena- by Manmatha, who is called makardhvaja, as he is supposed to have fish on his flag.

 

paraajithena api- even though he was defeated, burnt by Siva earlier.

 

Manmatha is known for his flower-arrows which are soft and beautiful but they could not succed in binding Siva as he was burnt in the process. He is called pancha baaNa as he has five flowers as his arrows. ‘aravindam aSokam cha chootham cha navamallikaa neelothpalam cha panchaithe pancha baaNasya saayakaaH.’ Lotus, asoka flower, mango flower, jasmin and blue lotus are the five arrows of Cupid.

 

 

 

42. kanTasya thasyaaH sthanbamDhurasya

     mukthaakalaapasya cha nisthalasya

     anyonyaSobhaajananaath babhoova

     saaDhaaraNo bhooshaNa bhooshyabhaavaH

 

Her neck which is elevated by her chest, and the pearl necklace around it, were equal in being the ornamental to each other by their beauty.

 

Kantasya – of the neck

 

thasyaaH- of  Parvathi

 

sthanabanDhurasya- which was elevated by her breasts, sthanaabhyaam banDhuraH (raised)

 

mukthaa kalaapasya cha- and of the pearl necklace

 

nisthulasya- which was round, worn around her neck,

 

bhooshaNabhooshya bhaavaH- the character of being the adornment and the adorned

 

babhoova- became

 

saaDhaaraNaH- common to both

 

anyonya Sobhaa jananaath- because they beautified one another.

 

Here it is interesting to compare the devotee- poet Vedantadesika when he describes in Yadhavabhyudhaya, the ornaments on the Lord Narayana when he appeared before the devas, who were praying to Him to relieve the burden of the earth by incarnating.

 

Desika says,

 

angaiH amitha saoundharyaih anukampithabhooshaNam

That is, the Lord appeared decorated with all ornaments which were simply reflecting the beauty of His limbs.

 

43. chandhram gathaa padhmaguNaan na bunkthe

      padhmaasrithaa chaandhramaseem abhikhyaam

      umaamukham thu prathipadhya lolaa

      dhvisamSrayaam preethim avaapa lakshmeeH

 

Lakshmi, who is fickle, who resorts to the Moon does not enjoy the qualirties of the lotuas and going to the lotus does not enjoy those of the Moon, But abiding in the face of Parvathi she is able to enjoy both making her doubly happy.

 

lakshmeeH – Lakshmi

 

lolaa- who is usually fickle

 

chandhram gathaa – resorting to the Moon

 

na bhunkthe- does not enjoy 

 

padhmaguNaan- the qualities of lotus like fragrance etc.

 

padhmaaSrithaa- by resorting to  the lotus

 

(na bhunkthe-does not enjoy)

 

abhikhyaam- that known as

 

chaandhramaseem- the qualities of the Moon like the light and nectarine nature etc.,chandhramasaH iyam chaandhramsee.

 

prthipadhya thu- but abiding in

 

umaamukham- the face of parvathi,

 

avaapa- Lakshmi got

 

preethim- joy

 

dhvisamSrayaam – doubled due to both.

 

Here lakshmi is not the Lakshmeedevi but the beauty and lustre is personified as LakshmeeH. She is said to be fickle as beauty and lustre do not stay for ever.  In the Moon the luminance and the nectarine nature is there but not the fragrance and colour etc. which are found in the lotus while the lotus lacks the above mentioned  qualities of the Moon. But the face of Parvati has all the qualities of both and hence the goddess of beauty has found a permanent abode there giving up her fickleness. The Moon disappears in the day while the lotus closes in the night but the face of Parvathi shines with beauty both day and night. Hence the goddess Lakshmi who used to change her residence from Moon in the night and the lotus in the day has found apermanent residence, is the idea expressed by the poet here.The face of Parvati is compared to the Moon as wellas the lotus.

 

44.pushpam pravaalopahitham yadhi syaath

    mukthaaphalam vaa sphutavidhrumasTham

    thatho anukuryaath visadhasya thasyaaH

    thaamroushTaparyasthruchaH smithasya

 

If a flower is found on a tender sprout or a pearl is placed on a pure coral then they would resemble the  white smile spread on her red lips.

 

yadhi – if

 

pushpam- a flower (white)

 

pravaalopahitham- found on a tender sprout

 

vaa -or

 

mukthaaphalam- a pearl

 

sphutavidhrumasTham- placed on a pure coral

 

thathaH- then

 

anukuryaath- will resemble

 

smithasya-the smile

 

visadhasya- which is white

 

thaamroshTaparyastharuchaH- which shines in the red lips

 

thasyaaH- of her (Parvati)

 

The pearls, or white flower like kundha  are compared to the white teeth normally and the red lips are likened to corals or red sprouts. But Kalidasa says  that they , which are normally used for comparison will do so only if they satisfy some condition. The white flower should be found on a red sprout, which is not possible as the tender spri out appear first, and then the leaf and then only the flower and hence a flower cannot be found on a sprout. Similarly the peot says that a pearl should be placed on a coral, sphuta may also mean a coral which is split sporting a pearl inside which is an impossibility. Thus Kalidasa extols the beauty of the smile of Parvati which shines white between her red lips.

 

 

45. svareNa thasyaam amrthasrutheva

     prajalpithaayaam abhijaatha vaachi

     apyanayapushtaa prathikoolaSabdhaa

     Srothurvithanthreeriva thaadyamaanaa

    

 

When Parvathi started to speak sweetly with a voice oozing nectar, even the sound of cuckoo was annoying like the sound of the strings of veena played out of tune to the listener.

 

thasyaam –when  Parvathi

 

prajalpithaayaam- spoke

 

abhijaathavaachi- sweetly

 

svareNa –with her voice

 

amrthasruthaa iva- like a flow of nectar,

 

anyapusjtaaH api- even the cuckoos

 

prathikoola SabdhaaH – sounded annoying

 

SrothuH – to the listener

 

Vithanthree iva – like the strings of veena out of tune

 

thaadyamaanaa- when struck.

 

The voice of Parvathi is so sweet that it puts  a cuckoo to shame so that it sounds like that of a veena when the strings are struck forcibly. The standard of comparison for sweet voice is a cuckoo usually but here not only it is cited as having the opposite effect but also compared to another sweet sound which also sounds the opposite.

 

46.pravaatha neelothphala nirviSesham

   aDheera viprekshitham aayathaakshyaa

   thyaagrheetham nu mrgaanganaabhyaH

   thatho grheetham nu mrgaanaganaabhiH

 

Whether the  bashful glance of Parvathi, who has long eyes, non-different from a blue lotus agitated by the wind, was acquired by her from the female deer or vice versa?

 

aDheera Viprekshitham – the bashful glance

 

aayathaaksshyaaH-  of the long eyed Parvathi

 

pravaathaneelothpala nirviSesham –non-different from the blue lotus

 

grheetham nu- was it acquired

 

thayaa – by her

 

mrgaanganaabhyaH- from the female deer

 

grheetham nu- or cquired

 

mrgaanganaabhiH-  by the female deer

 

thathaH – from her ?

 

 

The glances of Parvathi which were continuously moving due to youthful bashfulness or playfulness is compared with the blue lotus in strong wind. It is also likened to the glances of the female deer by way of creating a doubt as to whether the deer acquired the glances from her or she acquired it from them.

 

This sloka forms a beautiful contrast from the previous one in as much as in the former the sweet voice of Parvati is described as being in noway comparable to that of a cuckoo , being much more superior y to it while in this one the glances of Parvati are compared with that of the deer only that the poet raise a doubt as to who got it from whom.

 

47. thasyaaH Salaakaanjananirmitheva

      kaanthirbhruvoraayathalekhayoryaa

      thaam veekshya leelaachathuraam ananghaH

      svachaapasoundharyamadham mumocha

 

Seeing the lustre of the eyebrows of Parvati which looked as though painted by a brush, with long line and enchanting the god of love gave up the pride of his bow.

 

 

kanthiH – the lustre

 

yaa – that which was

 

bhruvoh – of the two eyebrows

 

thasyaaH- of her(Parvathi)

 

aayathalekhayoH – which were thin and long ( aayatha means long lekha means a line hence long  line)

 

Salaakaanjananirmithaa iva- as though painted with the brush

 

leelaachathuraam-   enchanting and attractive

 

veekshya –seeing

 

thaam – that (lustre)

 

anangaH- god of Love

 

mumocha- gave up

 

svachaapasoundharyamadham – the pride of the beauty of his bow. Chapa , means bow. 

 

 

. Sankara says in Soundarya lahari that the brow of the Devi is like the bow of Manmatha and the space between them is compared to the fist of him in the middle. Kalidasa goes one step further and says that the bow of Manmatha is not comparable to the brow of Parvathi, being inferior in beauty.

 

 

48. lajjaa thiraSchaam yadhi chethasi syaath

      asamSayam parvatharaajaputhrayaaH

      tham kesapaasam prasmeekshya kuryuH

      vaalapriyathvam SiThilam chamaryaH

 

If there is any shame in the mind of the animals, surely the chamaree deer would have ceased to love their tails seeing the tresses of the daughter of the king of the mountains (Parvathi).

 

yadhi – if

 

syaath- there should be

 

lajjaa- shame

 

chethasi- in the mind

 

thiraSchaam- of the animals ( that is, if the animals are capable of feeling ashamed)

 

chamaryaH- the chamaree deer

 

SiThilam kurvuH- should demolish

 

Vaalapriyathvam- their love for their tails

 

asamsayam- without doubt

 

prasameekshya – on seeing

 

tham kesapaaSam- that tresses

 

parvatharajaputjhryaaH- of the daughter of the king of mountains.(Parvathi)

 

The chamree deer are supposed to be proud of their tails which is thick and hairy and it is said that they will die if any hair loss occurs from their tail. Kalidasa says seeing the luxurious tresses of Parvathi they should feel ashamed and relinquish their love for the tail.

 

 

 

49. sarvopamaadhravyasamucchayena

       yaThaapradheSam viniveSithena

       saa nirmithaa viSvasrjaa prayathnaath

       ekasThasoundharya dhidhrkshayaiva

 

By fitting all things of comparison gathered in their proper places, she was fashioned by the creator with effort as though wishing to see all beauty in one place.

 

 Sarvopamaadhravya samucchayena-by gathering all things of comparison

 

yaThaapradheSam viniveSithena- and placing them where it is appropriate

 

saa nirmithaa- she was made

 

viSvasrjaa- by the creator

 

prayathnaath –with effort

 

ekasTha soundharya dhidhrkshayaa iva- as though wishing to see all beauty in one place.

 

Kalidasa in the last sloka of the description of Parvathi says that the creator must have gathered all the things that stand as the standards of comparison and taking the special quality of each one of them and fitting them in their right place he has created Parvathi. It was with prayathna , effort this  was accomplished because the upamanadhravya, the things normally taken as comparison, like lotus for the eyes, plantain stalk for the thighs etc. fell far below the standard of the beauty of Parvathi. The creator must have strived to achieve perfection which was lacking in his creations normally as kalidasa made out in the sloka36 'nagendhrahasthaath'. The reason for the creator to take so much trouble was says the poet, to see all beauty in one place. A very beautiful and fitting conclusion to the description of Parvathi.

 

50.thaam naaradhaH kaamacharaH kadhaachith

      Kanyaam kila prekshya pithuH sameepe

      Samaadhidhesaika vaDhoom Bhavithreem

      premNaa SareeraarDhaharaam harasya

Once Narada who had the ability to go wherever he wished, seeing the girl(Parvati) near her father, declared that she was going to be the only wife of Siva occupying half of his body through love.

 

naaradhaH- the sage Narada,

 

kaamacharaH- who could go wherever he wished  at will,

 

prekshya – seeing

 

kanyam – the girl parvathi

 

pithuH sameepe- nher father Himavan

 

samssdhidheSa- proclaimed

 

thaam –her

 

ekavaDhoom- the only wife

 

bhavithreem-to be in future

 

harasya – of Lord Siva

 

sareeraarDha haraam- who took over half his body.

 

premNaa- out of love.

 

 

Narada came to see Himavan and told him that Parvati was destined to marry Siva and would  acquire half his body given by him out of love.Narada never visits anyone buy chance but only to do some ggod for those whom he visited and by divine will. Kalidasa in his mangala sloka of raghuvamsa says vaagarThaaviva samprkthou referring to Siva and Parvati, It means that they were united as wth word and its meaning denoting that they are inseparable. This implies the arDhanaareesvara , half Siva , half Parvati.

 

 

 

51.guruH pragalbhe api vayasyatho asyaaH

    thayaa nivrtthaanyavaraabhilaashaH

    rthe krSaanornahi manthra pootham

    arhanthi thejaamsyaparaaNi havyam

 

 

Even though she reached marriageable age her father did not seek any other bridegroom for her ( except Siva) being informed by Narada. The luminous bodies other than the fire do not deserve the havya purified by manthra.

 

athaH- therefore (by the words of narada)

 

asyaaH vayasi- her age

 

pragalbe api- though marriageable (pragalba means youth)

 

guruH – her father (guruh means elder, here, means father.)

 

nivrttha anyavaraabhilaashaH- never wished to look for oyther bridegroom (except Siva)- nivrttha means turned away from

 

aparaaNi thejaamsi- other luminous bodies

 

na hi arhanthi- do not deserve

 

havyam – the offering made in the sacro ifice

 

manthrapootham – which is purified by manthra

 

rthe krsaanoH- except the fire (of the sacrificial altar)

 

The implication is when Parvati is declared by the sage to become the wifre of Siva, no other suitor deserves her as the sacred havis should be offered only to agni and not to other luminous bodies like the Sun etc.

 

 

52.ayachithaaram na hi dheva dhevam

   adhriH suthaam graahayithum SaSaaka

   abhyarThanaabhangabhayena saaDhuH

   maaDhyasthyam ishepyavalambathe arThe

 

Without being asked  Himavan was not able to offer his daughter to Siva. A noble man remains aloof towards something, even though desired, for fear of being rejected.

 

adhriH – the mountain, Himavaan

na SaSaaka- was not able to make

 

dhevadhevam- The Lord Siva

 

ayaachithaatram- who did not ask

 

suthaam -his daughter

 

graahayithum- to accept her.

 

saadhuH- a noble person

 

avalambathe –maintains

 

maaDhyasThyam – aloofness

 

ishte api arThe- even in something desired

 

abhyarThanaabhangabhayena- out of the fear of beiing rejected. (abhyarThanaa means praarThanaa- request)

 

Himavan did not approach Siva to give his daughter in marriage because Siva did not ask for her hand.In ancient days the bridegroom should ask for the hand of the girl he wanted to marry and  not vice versa as it is now! Being a noble soul; he did not want to be rejected and hence remained aloof waiting for the time Siva would approach him. Why Siva did not approach him is explained in the next sloka.

 

 

53. yadheva poorve jvalane Sareeram

      saa dhaksharoshaath sudhathee sasarja

      thadhaa prbhrthyeva vimukthasangaH

      pathiH paSoonaam aparigraho abhooth

 

When Sathee gave up her body to fire out of anger towards Dhaksha, from that time onwards Siva, the lord of all beings, remained without wife, being detached.

 

Yadheva – when indeed

 

saa – Parvati ( who wasd Sati)

 

sudhathee-  who had beautiful set of teeth,

 

sasarja – gave up

 

Sareeram- her body

 

Jvalane- in the fire

 

dhaksharoshaath- out of anger for Dhaksha her father

 

poorve- in her previous birth

 

thadhaa prabhrthyeva–then onwards

 

vimukthasangaH- becoming detached  (sanga attachment , vimuktha=muktha=giving up)

 

paSoonaam pathiH- Lord Pasupathi, Siva ( paSu means all beings and pathi is the Lord of all)

 

abhooth- became

 

aparigrahaH- without wife.

 

 

Siva gave up his attachments and remained without wife after Sati has burnt herself at the dhakshayajna.

 

54. sa krtthivaasaaH thapase yathaathmaa

      gangaapravaahokshitha dhevadhaaru

      prasTham himaadhreH mrganaabhiganDhi

      kimchith kvaNath kinnaram aDhyuvaasa

 

That Siva intent on doing penance and who has controlled himself , resided on the top of Himalayas, where the devadaru trees were watered by the Ganges, fragrant with the musk from the muskdeer, where the kinnaras were singing softly.

 

Sa krtthivaaSaH- that Siva( described in the previous sloka)

The word krtthivasa means Siva, wearing elephant skin.

 

yathaathmaa- who was self controlled

 

thapase- for doing penance

 

aDhyuvaasa- resided

prasTHam – at the top ( table land )

 

himaadhreH- of the Himalayas

 

gangaapravaahokshitha dhevadhaaru- where the devadaru trees were watered , ukshithaaH, by the flow, pravaaha , of the Ganges.Since the Gnages comes from the head of Siva naturally he should be at the top of the mountain.

 

mrganaabhiganDhi- which place was fragrant with the musk from the navel of the musk deer. The musk is supposed to come from the navel of the musk deer

 

kvaNathkinnaram- where the kinnaras were singing

 

kimchith- a little , inorder notto disturb Siva.

 

55. gaNaa nameruprasavaavathamsaa

       boorjathvachaH sparSvatheerdhaDhaanaaH

       manaSSilaavicChurithaa nishevuH

       Saileyanaddheshu Silaathaleshu

 

The attendents  of Siva resided in the rocky parts of the mountain rich wirh herbs,applying the red due from the ores and wearing the flowers of Nameru,( known as surapunnaga) as ear ornaments.

 

gaNaaH – the attendents of Siva, bhoothaganas.

 

nishevuH – resided

 

Silaathaleshu – in the rocky parts

 

SaileyanadDheshu- abounding in the herbs

 

manaSSilaavicChurithaaH- applying the red dye from the ores. manaSSila is a kind of red stone containing the ore and which is used by the mountain people for marking their foreheads etc. (Seetha tells Hanuman the marking her forehead with manSSilaa by rama as a sign for rama to know that Hanuman has met her.)

 

nameruprasava avathamsaa- having as their ear ornaments the flowers of nameru ( surapunnaaga), avathamsa meaning ear ornament.

 

dhaDhaanaaH – wearing

 

boorjathvachaH- barks of boorja trees

 

sparsavatheeH- soft to touch

 

 

56. thushaarasanghaathaSilaaH khuraagraiH 

      samullikhan dharpakalaH kakudhmaan

      dhrshtaH kaThamchith gavayaiH vivignaiH

      asoDasimhaDhavaniH unnanaadha

 

The bull ( of Siva), making sweet sound with pride, tearing off the rocks with solid snow with his hoofs and was looked at by the gavayas, (animals similar to cows) with fear, roared not able to bear the sound of the lions.

 

kakudhamaan – the bull of Siva , kakudham means the bulge on the back of a bull. Kakudham asya sathi ithi kakudhmaan.

 

dharpakalaH- making sweet sound with pride, kala meanssweet sound, expressed as 'kalakala dhvani manoharam' to describe the chirping of the birds.

 

samullikhan- tearing  off , or marking as though writing on it playfully.

 

khuraagraiH – with the tip of its hoofs

 

thushaara sanghaatha SilaaH-the rocks hardened by snow. thushaara means snow , sanghaatha is contact . Silaah means that they were hardened like rocks.

 

dhrshtaH – was seen

 

kaThamchith- somehow ( with difficulty)

 

gavayaiH – mountain animals resembling cows

 

vivignaiH – with fear , they wanted to look at him but afraid to so due to his massive form

 

unnanaadha- roared

 

asoDasimhaDHvaniH- not able to bear the sound made by the lion. He was mightier than the lion and could not stand the roar of the lion and roared iin return to strike fear in the heart of the lion.

 

57.thathraagnim aadhaaya  samith samidDham

    svameva moorthyantharam ashtamoorthiH

    svayam viDhaathaa thapasaH phalaanaam

    kenaapi kaamena thapaSchachaara

 

There Siva who has eight forms, (namely, the five elements, Sun, Moon and the sacrificer, ) brought the fire, which is is own form, blazing on the fuel ( for the homa) and did thapas for some unknown reason because he himself was the giver of all fruits of penance to all

 

 

thathra- there

 

ashtamoorthiH- Lord Siva who has eight forms

 

aadhaaya – brought

 

agnim- fire

 

svam eva- which is himself

 

moothyantharam- in another form

 

samith samidDham- blazing on the fuel

 

chachaara- and did thapas

 

kenaapi kamena- for some reason unknown (because)

 

svayam – he himself

 

viDhaatha- is the giver

 

phalaanaam- of the fruits

 

thapasaH- of penance.

 

Here the poet expresses his wonder that the Lord Siva who gives the fruits of all penance and who himself is all the elements, the Sun and the Moon and the one who sacrifices, did thapas as though he wanted to get some object of desire propitiating fire which is his own form. The implication is that all was the leela of the Lord Siva.

 

58.anarghyam arghyeNa tham adhrinaathaH

     Svargoukasaam architham archayithvaa

     aaraaDhanaayaasya sakheesamethaam

     samadhidheSa prayathaam thanoojaam

 

Himavan after worshipping  Siva who is of immeasurable worth and who is worshipped by the devas, appointed his self restrained daughter along with her friends for the service of Siva.

 

adhrinaaThaH- the king of mountains, Himavan

 

archayithvaa- after worshipping

 

tham- that Siva

 

anarghyam- of priceless worth

 

architham- who was the object of worship

 

svargoukasdaam- of the devas

 

samaadhidheSa- appointed

 

thanoojaam- his daughter , Parvati

 

prayathaam – who was self restrained (not frivolous and hence quite suitable to serve Siva who was doing penance)

 

sakheesamethaam- along with her friends

 

aaraaDhanaaya- for the service

 

asya – of him. (Siva)

 

 

 

 

59. prathyarThibhoothaam api thaam samaaDheH

      SuSrrooshamaaNaam giriSo anumene

       Vikaarahethou sathi vikriyanthe

       Yeshaam na chathaamsi sa eva DheeraaH

 

Even though she was an obstacle for meditation, Lord Siva allowed her to serve him.They alone are firm minded whose mind is not agitated in the presence of disturbing influences.

 

prathyarThibhoothaam api-even though she may be an obstacle

 

samaaDheH-for his meditation (being a young girl who might distract him)

 

giriSaH- Siva

 

anumene- allowed

 

thaam-her

 

(because)

 

the eva- they alone

 

DheeraaH- are firm minded

 

chethaamsi – the minds

 

yeshaam- of whom

 

na vikriyanthe- do not  agitate

 

sathi- while having

 

vikaarahethoH- the cause of disturbance.

 

 

60.avachithavalipushpaa vedhisammaargadhakshaa

     niyamaviDhijalaanaam barhishaam chopanethree

     giriSam upachachaara prathyaham saa sukeSee

     niyamitha parikhedhaa thacChiraSchandhrapaadhaiH

   

Parvati, who had beautiful tresses, served Siva everyday by picking flowers for his worship,preparing the yaga dais,bringing water and darbha grass  collected as ordained by sastras and her fatigue was removed by the cool rays of the crescent moon on the head of Siva.

 

saa-Parvati

 

sukeSee- who had beautiful tresses

 

upachachaara- served

 

giriSam- Siva

 

prathyaham- everyday

 

avachithavalipushpaa- by picking flowers for his worship,

 

vedhisammaargadhakshaa- preparing the yaga dais

 

upanethree- bringing

 

niyamaviDhijalaanaam –water in the manner prescribed by the sastras ( so that the purity of it is maintained)

 

barhishaam cha- and dharbha grass

 

niyamitha parikhedhaa- her fatigue being removed

 

thacChiraSchandhrapaadhaiH- by the cool rays of the crescent moon on the head of Siva.

 

Thus ends the first chapter of Kumarasambhava