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146
Minoru Hara
Makaranda
"The essence of the essenceless world of transmigration is the house of one's father-in-law. Śiva reposes in the Himalaya and Visnu in the Ocean."
(4-1-2) The second sounds erotic, sära being "woman." In his reflections, king Vikramaditya says:
tan mahat kastam kṛtvāpi saṁsāra-sāra-bhūtam stri-sukham eva bhoktavyam, uktam ca
Asăre khalu samsäre säraṁ säranga-locană
tad-artham dhanam icchanti tat-tyäge tu dhanena kim 16
asara-bhūte saṁsăre săra-bhūtā nitambini
iti samcintya vai sambhur ardhānge kāminīm dadhau ||"
tad Vikramarko rājātra samāgatah tam ekam agrahāram yācayitvā kam cana kanyām vivahya samsära-sukham anubhaviṣyämi ||
(Vikramacarita 6 Story Southern Recension) (p. 74, lines 5-12)
"Therefore even at the expense of great trouble one should certainly enjoy the pleasure of (the love of) women, a happiness which is the cream of this round of existence. And it is said:
'In this unprofitable round of existence, the best thing of all is a gazelleyed woman. For her sake men seek after wealth, and without her what is the use of wealth? In this unprofitable round of existence, the best thing of all is a fair hipped woman. It was with this thought in mind, I ween, that Sambhu took his beloved upon his lap."
Now King Vikramärka has come hither. So I will beg of him a donation of land, marry some girl, and engage in worldly pleasure..."
(Edgerton)
(4-1-3) Gamblers consider gambling as sära. A gambler addresses king Vikrama as follows,
Tasmād asăre samṁsāre säraṁ dyüta-sukham, yato 'sya layaprarthanam yogino 'pi kurvanti (Vikramacarita Jainistic Recension of 27, 4 prose, p. 200)
"Therefore in this unprofitable round of existence, the cream of all is
