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SUSHMA KULSHRESHTHA & ABHA KULSHRESHTHA
SAMBODHI
pride of women. Either quickly bring to me my beloved Urvaśī, or take me, O sweet warbler! to where the charming lady may be.
The female cuckoo is the cleverst and the most efficient amongst the birds. Her first cleverness lies in the fact that she gets her offsprings nurtured by other birds, particularly female crows. Hence, cuckoos are called “parabhrta' or 'anyabhrta.' Her voice is very sweet, hence the address for her ‘kalabhāsini' by Purūravas. The sweet notes rendered by her are so appealing and love-arousing that any high-minded lady will give up her 'māna' all at once. Hence, she is conferred with the title “Kāmadūti'. She is capable of accomplishing the union of the lover and the beloved. Kālidāsa has referred to her expertise of mānabhanga at a number of places in his works.25
A
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Although there is long 7' in 'dūtī', Kālidāsa has used short 'i' many times due to the requirement of the metre.26 Keeping in mind the 'madanadutiva' of the female cuckoo, Purūravas requests her either to bring Urvaśī to him or to take him to her. Purūravas likes the sweet voice of the female cuckoo because it is as sweet as the voice of Urvasī. Therefore, he is not enraged on the female cuckoo, although she has not preformed her job of a love-messenger :
एवंगतेऽपि प्रियेव मे मञ्जुस्वना न कोपोऽस्याम् ।२७ A similar verse is to be found in Kumārasambhava too. When Kāma is reduced to ashes by Siva, Rati laments thus–O Smara ! rise again, recovering thy graceful form. and once more appoint the female cuckoo, naturally clever in sweet (persuasive) talk to the post of a messenger in love :
प्रतिपद्य मनोहरं वपुः पुनरप्यादिश तावदुत्थितः ।
रतिदूतिपदेषु कोकिलां मधुरालापनिसर्गपण्डिताम् ॥८ Here also, the female cuckoo is adorned with the coveted title of 'Ratidūtī or 'Suratadūtī' and 'Madhurālāpanisargapanditā.' 'Madhurālāpa' indicates her sweet-cooing music. In her title 'Madhurālāpanisargapanditā' the musicological term ālāpa' is also used.
The sweet cuckoo-cooings are the troops of the God of Love by which the voluptuous gallants are made subject to the all-pervading sentiment of love for young women :
| SR No. | 520780 |
| Book Title | Sambodhi 2006 Vol 30 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | J B Shah, N M Kansara |
| Publisher | L D Indology Ahmedabad |
| Publication Year | 2006 |
| Total Pages | 256 |
| Language | English, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gujarati |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Sambodhi, & India |
| File Size | 23 MB |