Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 144

132
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(July, 1930
crimson flowers, the other with white, and both blossom during the rainy 36ason and the winter. Some authorities consider the kuravaka a red variety of Barleria.
5. Sirişa.-"Sirisha blossoms deck the tender ear." The large, fluffy, ball-like flowers, with globular heads of greenish-white, fragrant.corollets are often wom so asto droop gracefully from the ears, as though a jewel of some sort. This is the flower of the common tree, Albizzia Lebbek, the Mimosa Sirised of Roxburgh, which flourishes all over India and is much valued in gardens because of its dense shade. It puts forth its blossom during grigma--the hot season. 6. Kadamba.-" Or new Cadambas, with thy coming bom,
The parted locks and polished front adorn." This points to the fact that the large tree known as kadamba, or nipathe Naucleo Cadamba of Roxburgh-puts forth its blossoms at the coming of the refreshing rains. This tree is common in India, is very ornamental and furnishes dense, close shade. Its flowers are celebrated in Indian literature as among the beauties of the hot season, and as having a fragrance similar to that of new wine. No doubt the name Halipriya, by which it is known, refers to this fragrance, as Hali was the Bacchus of India. These fragrant blossoms are used by the women as graceful hair ornaments suspended down the central parted portion of the hair and allowed to rest on the forehead as indicated in the words "the parted locks and polished front," eto. Stanza 73
"The Lord of Love, remembering former woe, Wields not in Alaca his bee-strung bow: Yet still he triumphs, for each maid supplies
The fatal bow with love-inspiring eyes." Here we have once more the idea of the bee-strung bow of Kama, the god of love. Kama of the Hindus is the Grecian Eros or the Roman Cupid. He was the son of Vişnu and Maya, and his bogom friend was Vasanta. He is represented as a beautiful youth, spending much of his time in gardens or temples, with his mother, or his companions. Sometimes by moonlight he rides on a lory or a parrot, surrounded by dancing nymphs, one of whom, the leader, carries a banner, on which is a fish on a red ground. This refers to a marine monster called makara, which he is said to have subdued. His favorite haunt is near the region of Krsna's loves with the Gopis-the forest of brindavan, the modern Brindiban. Kama is armed with a bow made of sugarcane. His bowstring is made of bees and his five arrows are pointed with flowers. According to Sâyana, the names of the five flowers are the lotus, asoka, sirisa, âmra, and the blue lotus, and each arrow has a name supposed to indicate the quality possessed by the flower. According to Sir William Jones, these flowers are campaka, ámra, kesara, ketaka, and vilva. Still otiser lists are given in the Gita-govinda.
The " former woe " cefers to the story of Kandarpa or Kâma, given in the Ramayana, L. 25, 10. There he is said to have sent one of his darts towards Siva, while the latter was practising austerities, whereupon the enraged deity cursed him with a terrible voice and, flashing his wrathful eye upon him, consumed his bodily nature. From that time on, he is said to have had power over the minds of mortals only and is called Anaiga (bodiless). (See "Hymn to Kama Deva" in the works of Sir William Jones.) Stanza 74
"Where on rich boughs the clustering flower depends,
And low to earth the tall mandara bends." The mandara is a splendid and fairly lofty tree (Erythrina indica), commonly known as the Indian coral tree. The flowers are in clusters like great branches of coral, and each single flower has a peculiar arrangement of keels and wings which makes it bear a marked resemblance to the parrot, hence the Indian children call it the tota, or parrot, flowe.. The flowers bloom in great profusion in March and April, long before the leaves appear. In some parts of the East the tree is used to support the black pepper vines. See Marsden's History of Sumatra for the extensive use of the tree for that purpose. The rapid growth