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Notes
143
are numerous. His third eye has been very destructive. With it He reduced to ashes Kāma, the god of love, for daring to inspire amorous thoughts of His consort Pārvati, while He was engaged in penance and the god and all created beings were destroyed by its glance at one of the periodical destructions of the universe. His heaven is on Mount Kailāsa.
The Poet fancies that the bony skull round his neck felt thirsty and drank the water of the Gangetic stream overhead, using the crescent moon as a shell to drink with. For a similar idea compare:
ईसारोसप्पसाअप्पणइसु बहुसो सग्गगंगाजलेहि आमूलं पूरिआए तुहिणकरकलारुप्पसिप्पीअ रुद्दो । जोण्हामुत्ताहलिल्ल णअमउलिणिहित्तग्गहत्थेहिं दोहिं अग्धं सिग्घं व देतो जअइ गिरिसुआपाअपंकेरुहाणं ॥
44CHERT. I.4. 42. “Kumāra or better known as Skanda or Kārtikeya is the son of Siva, born without the direct intervention of a woman. He was reared by six Křttikās, hence the name Kārtikeya. He is the Mars or god of war of Indian mythology. He was the commander of the army of gods in their fight with Tāraka, whom he vanquished and slew. He is represented as riding a peacock. He is supposed to have remained celibate, having developed aversion for women. The Poet fancies that Ananga or the god of love would not discharge his arrows at him for fear that he, too, like any one of Siva's family, would make short work of him even now.
43. Mahisāsura is a demon who, in a fight, was slain by Durgā or Pārvati. He was kicked to death on his shoulder ba her. The blood flowing therefrom is represented as a cluster of red flowers of the Asoka tree, which conventionally blooms when kicked by a fairlady.
44. Āryā is a name of Pārvati. When Śiva embraced her for the first time, her eyes, tinged red as a result of her blushing, became discoloured and powerless, as they mingled with the darkblue lustre of Siva's throat.
45. “As the sakti or female energy of Siva, she has two characters, one mild and the other fierce; and it is under the latter
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