Indian Antiquary Vol 59

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

Page 145

Jury, 19:30
NATURE STUDY IN THE SANSKRIT POEM MEGTADI'TA
133
of these trees makes them very suitable for this, and they are easily grown from cuttings. Their firm, strong, smooth bark, which never shales off, affords a strong hold for the vine, while the dense shade of its abundant leafage during the hottest months, not only affords protection from too much heat, but also keeps the ground moist. During the cold season, the leaves fall and expose the vines to the beneficial effects of the winter sun and rain, which renders them even more productive. For the purposes of this cultivation of the pepper vine, the young trees are topped, and the lateral branches trimmed so as to render pepper gathering easier. The tree is very ornamental and the lowers, being rich in nectar, attract many birds during florescence. The wood is valuable as it does not warp or split, and hence, is much nised for fine lacquered work in various parts of India.
Stanza 77:
1. Madhavi." Soe where the clustering Madhavi entwines." This is a creeper known as Gaertnera racemosa (Roxb.), or Banisteria bengalensis (Linn.). It is the Hiptage Madablota of Gaertner. It is referred to by Hindu poets because of the superior appearance of its rugged vine and leaf, and the remarkable beauty and fragrance of its rich white blossoms.
2. Kuruvaka. This is probably the same as the kuravaka of stanza 67, the crimson Amaranth, though it is possible that this may refer to the Barleria cristata, with its purplish blue and white flowers, as this, too, is called kuravaka.
3. Asoka.-" Profuse, Asoka sheds its radiant flower .... " well expresses the wonderful beauty of tho Asoka blossom. The Saraca indica (Jonesia Asoka, Roxb.) is & middle-sized tree with dense foliage and shapely form. The branches are very numerous and spread in all directions, so as to form a very large, symmetrical, compact tree head.
When fresh new leaves come out, they are tinted with a rich wine color, and the edges are slightly crinkled. The flowers, which are very numerous, appear at the beginning of the hot season, but the sceds do not ripen until the rains. When the flowers first open, they are of a beautiful, deep, orange-scarlet, striped with yellow. These gradually change from day to day, through a variety of rich shades, to deep red. The rare fragrance of these blossoms is given off at night, after sunset and before sunrise, when they are covered with the morning and evening dews. This tree, when in full bloom, with its rich leafy foliage. is one of the most beautiful objects in the plant world. A poetic thought of the Hindu mind is that the Asoka tree blossoms at the touch of the face or the foot of a woman who is in love.
Stanza 82—"And budding Cesara adorns the bower."-The plant called kesara, or vakula, in Sanskrit is a large tree (Mimusops Elengi, Linn.), commonly cultivated in the packs and gardens of India. The flowers, neither very large nor very small, droop on the tree and are very fragrant, pure white, blossoms. When the flowering season is over, the fruit appears as an oval, smooth, yellow berry, with a central seed, and is eaten by man. Stanza 83
"These are my rivals; for the one would greet,
As I would willingly, my charmer's feet, And with my fondness, would the other sip,
The grateful hestar of her honey'd lip." This refers to the belief of the Hindus that the kesara tree blossoms at the touch of a woman's lips, and the asolea at the touch of her foot or her lips. Stanza 98
"For when the Sun withdraws his cheering rays,
Faint are the charms the Kamala displays." The kamala is the lotus, which opens at the touch of tho rising sun and closes again at sunset. Here the Yakşa's separation from his wife is likened to the separation of the sun from the lotus,