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CAMDALEHA
behind the curtain. At queen's suggestion, king retires, to the
terrace.
III. After a little discussion with the king on some aspects of love, Vidūṣaka informs him how the queen is strictly guarding the heroine, and how even Vasantatilaka's movements are restrained, lest she might bring about a meeting between king and heroine. Still Vidūṣaka managed to see Vasantatilaka. He learnt from her that the heroine is terribly suffering from separation; and every cooling measure is having an adverse effect on her. She is almost ready to end her life in order to get rid of this anguish of passion by hanging herself with a creeper-rope. To save her, she has been assured of a meeting with the king under the Madhavi bower. She is living on that hope; and the king, if he is sincere, should kindly save her. Seeing that pradosa is announced, Viduşaka requests the king to go to that spot and save her. Both of them proceed thither, describing various scenes, It is getting late at night, and they are wending their uneven way in thick darkness. They reach the rendezvous. There enters Śṛngāramañjarī with a blue veil and accompanied by Vasantatilakä: they are chatting about darkness in which the heroine's face is a moon indeed. The king is happy to hear their sound. With auspicious omens they reach the appointed spot. The king catches the opportunity, goes ahead, and leads the heroine to the bower; and they are left to themselves. The bashful heroine is patronisingly consoled by him; and he solemnly assures his whole-hearted love to her, and further confirms it by falling at her feet. As she is ready to go, the king requests her to continue her love: Vasantatilaka expects the same from him. The king assures that for him, as for a bee, she is a lotus in preference to all other flowers.
IV. The king remembers his meeting with the heroine and thinks about her beautiful limbs. He feels sorry at the cruel behaviour of the queen who has, by this time, imprisoned Vidūṣaka and Vasantatilaka and kept S.-mañjarī in a guarded dark room, under solitary confinement. Vidūşaka enters lamenting over his lot especially in the prison. He approaches the anxious king and tells him how he has been luckily free. Inquired about the heroine, he narrates the following details: To-day the queen went to worship Pārvati; immediately after the jubilations, a divine voice discoursed to the queen about the duties of a devoted wife; taking the hint, she decided to bring together S.-mañjarī and the king; and she
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