Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 124

112
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JUNE, 1933
16., Act iii, p. 47. The Vidûşaka says he has seen the king in prison. The scene proceeds :Yaug.-Hanta bhoḥ. Atikrântayogakşemá rátriħ. Divasa idáním prati pályate.
Ahah samuttirya nisa pratiksyate
Subhe prabhâte divaso 'nucintyale Anågatårthâny aśubhani paśyatám
gatan gatan kálam aveksya nirvrtih 11 Rum.--Samyag bhavan aha. Tulye 'pi kalavisese nisaiva bahudoşå bandhanesu. Kuluh,
Vyavaháreşv asádhyanam loke vipratirajyatum
Prabhâte dratadosânám vairināṁ rajani bhayam 11 Tr., I, 25. "Yaug.--Alas! There is no security at night. Now we must wait for the day.
When the day is over, we look for the night : When the dawn is
bright, we look forward to the day. Our satisfaction to see time
ever passing, must see in troubles the advantages that are to come. Rum.-Well said. Though time is all alike, the night is full of obstruc
tions. For The night is a terror to foes who cannot succeed in their enter. prisos, or are unpopular in the world and find out their error in
the morning. The translators suggest that this enigmatic passage is out of place and should come at the end of the act, but there is no obvious place to insert it there, and I think it can be so understood as to fit in here, remembering that it comes after a long passage in which the three djsguised characters have been speaking in elaborate riddles, which were ingeniously explained by Ganapati Sastri, so as not to be understood by casual hearers. The editor's gloss on this passage is far from clear to me, but I accept his interpretation of some of the words. The time is in the early afternoon and the reference to night and day must therefore be understood to be metaphorical; by night'I take Yaugandharayana to refer to the time during which the conspirators have been lying in concealment without seeing the king, who has all the time been in great danger of his life. The compound atikrántayogakşemd is difficult, and I can find no analogy to the translators' construction of it. If the text is not corrupt (e.g., it would be easier to read atikránta sayogakşemam rdtrih), it would seem preferable to take atikranta in the same sense as in atikrantavigraha in Act ii, p. 36, lit. the night has its security in the past,' i.e., 'is safely over.' Similarly the day' is the time for action and pratipályate should be understood as parallel with pratikayate and anucintyate in the verse; that is, the time for action is now awaited' means we must think about action now.' Hanta then can be taken in its ordinary acceptation, not in the rare sense of 'Alas!' To put it in plain language, the minister says, 'Up, my friends; our time of concealment and worst danger is over and the king is still safe. So far so good ; now we must consider our plans of action. This provides the cue for his next speeches, in which he questions Vasantaka about the king's state, in order to ascertain the possibilities of the situation.
If this interpretation is correct, the verse should agree in sentiment. Samutirya implies passing successfully and anucint does not mean 'look forward to,' but ponder on.' The drift of the first hemistich is : after one has passed the day successfully, i.e., had a period of fortune, one expects the night, a time of danger and difficulty; when the dawn comes without the danger having materialised (subha), one takes thought for the day, i.o., as it is the period of action, plans are to be made for action then. In the second half the trouble. some word is anagatartha, where I think artha must mean occasion,' i.e., whose occasions are still in the future.' Translate therefore, 'To those, who foresee evils in the womb of the future, to observe the mere passing of time (without the evils being realised) is in itself bliss.
Rumanrat, who is an honest, thickheaded fighting man, is naturally all at sea with this, hard saving and taking it literally, comments, Quite true. To people in prison, though