Appointment with Kalidasa

Author(s): G K Bhatt
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 30

Literary Works
Śiva was deep in samadhi. Pärvat! was near by silently watching, offering her worship and salutations to Ślva lost in his meditation. Kama seized an opportunity, as Siva opened his eyes and directed them to Parvati's lips while she was offering a garland of lotus-seeds. Kama fixed the sammohana arrow to his flowery bow. As he was pulling the bow-string Siva saw him; and before the words of warning and appeal were out of the mouths of the gods watching the happening from the sky, a flame of fire issuing from the third eye of Siva reached Madana and reduced him to ashes.
Rati's heart broke; her sorrow was beyond consolation. Her misery at the loss of Madana drove her to end her own life and she would have thrown her body on the pyre of burning wood prepared for her husband. But a heavenly voice assured her that Madana would be brought back to life and asked her to preserve carefully.the ashes of his body. Parvati realised with a shock and amazement that her unparalleled personal beauty, which had put even Rati to shame, and all the blandishments of Kama had no effect on Śiva. There was no way to reach his heart except perhaps penance of which he, as a Yogi, was the master. Bitterly disappointed but firmer in her determination she decided to start severe austerities, against the entreaty of her mother, subjecting her delicate body to fasts, living on fallen leaves, then giving up even these and subsisting on air, standing in cold water in the biting winter, and in summer kindling four fires round her and gazing at the mid-day Sun.
17
Utterly exhausted, yet persevering and hopeful, Pärvati was biding her time, when a young celibate, blazing with Brahmanic lustre, entered the tapovana where Parvati was doing her penance. She received him with due honour and respect. The young ascetic with matted hair asked her about her well-being, her austerities, and complimented her for undertaking a penance which would serve as a model even to seasoned ascetics. He naturally wanted to know its purpose and showed his willingness to give her half the merit of his own austerities so that Parvati could have her wishes fulfilled. What was amazing was that there was no cause for undertaking any penance: Parvati was born in the divine family of Hiranyagarbha; she had the beauty at which all the three worlds were marvelling; splendour, riches and happiness were like hand-maidens in the house of her father; she was in the prime of her youth. What else could any one want to gain by penance? She could not want to gain heaven, because her father ruled over the godly lands. Why did she don then a bark-garment which befits advanced old age, not youth and uncommon beauty ? The ascetic guessed that it was a matter of love and expressed a desire to know about the young man whom Parvati coveted. When he learned from her companion that Parvati had set her heart on Siva, the young ascetic could not check either bis words or the laughter that was about to break the bond of his lips. Love for Śiva ? That Sambhu, who lives on the cemetery grounds, goes about without clothes, besmears his body with ashes from the cemetery, loves to put on an elephant-hide dripping with blood, and serpent coiled as a bracelet round his wrists? Śiva's three eyes
3