Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 53

(xxxvi) Pandit observes, 'the refusal to narrate the story of the slaying of the Gauda king in the evening and not till next morning, is merely a contrivance to get an opportunity to describe the circumstances under which the evening (the night) and the morning present themselves to the eye of a poet, such as our Poet is ". He, therefore, describes first the beauty of the sunset" with the expanse of the sun's orb reeling down (in the west), the forest outskirts looking pleasant with flocks of pigeons returning to the trees (for rest)” (1076), “ the white cows, their udders pluinp and oozing milk, coming back from the forests lazily on account of their heavy haunches ” (1080) and “ the directions, darkened by dust at the end of the day, collecting together, as it were, drawn by their curiosity (to hear) the life-story of the King” (1106).
And now the moon-rise. “Look at the moon's orb, reddish like a big lump of candied sugar” (1114). “Flushed red with (erotic) excitement, because of his companionship with Cupid, the moon steps out with his curved bow, now fully stretched (to form) a circle under the guise of his halo-ring” (1116). "The moon's orb, reddish like the interior, navel-like cavity of a conch, bursts ( on the horizon), the red colour having been imbibed, as it were, from the offerings of wine-filled glasses, made by lovers at that time" (1118). “The moon heaves upward in a state of flickering rays, appearing as if he is holding up, suspended (in his hands), clusters of lotus-fibres, uprooted impetuously with the idea of destroying day lotuses” (1119).
After these descriptions," he reposes on his bed and surrenders himself to sleep, finding himself unable, as it were, to do the narration of His Majesty's exploits (1120), because the glories of the great just devitalise, if incorrectly narrated " (1121).