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an opportunity for the poet to say, if he wanted to, that their noses met. But the only thing he says is that their 'limbs met' during the close embrace (angenăngam ... usnocchvásam samadhikatarocchväsinā dūravarti sarnkalpais tair visati ... Megha. 99 (108).
The only place where Kālidāsa has actually made a direct mention of the nose, not of a female but of a male, is when, while describing Siva practising austerities, he says that Śiva concentrated his eyes on the nose (netraih ... laksyikrtaghrānam ... Kumāra III. 47; cf. Gitā : saspreksya nāsikāgraṁ svam VI. 13).
Kālidasa's silence on a woman's (or a man's) nose as contributing to the charm of her appearance is strange in view of the fact that in India attention was paid to nose since the Vedic times. The Dasyus are referred to as 'noseless' (anās RV.V.29.10), apparently in disapproval. In Pāṇini's times the nose having a bent was called avațița, avanāța, or avabhrata Pāṇini V. 2.31). A Person having the opposite of it, according to Patañjali, was a tunganāsa (on P. I.3.2) 'having a prominent nose' or kalyānanāsiki or onåsikā (fem.) (on P. IV. 1.55) 'having an agreeable nose'. In the Mahabhārata, Upamanyu describes Ašvină deities as sunasau 'having handsome noses' and Yudhişthira is distinguished as cārughoņa (1.180.20) 'having a pleasing nose'. The commentator Nilakantha assigns first place to the näsikā ‘nose' while giving his idea of the six limbs of Sairandhri (Draupadi) which were 'prominent' (sadunnatā - Mbh. IV.8.10: Bom. Ed. IV.9.10). The epic poet does not fail to call attention to the beautiful nose'even of a fallen hero. Indrajit's falling head is said to be sunāsa (Mbh. III. 273.23) as also of Aparăjita, son of Dhstarășțra (Mbh.V1.84.21), and Nila (Mbh. VII.30.25).
In the light of this information it is not understandable why Kalidasa has totally ignored a woman's nose in his works.
NOTES:
1. 2.
These references are only illustrative and not exhaustive. A. S. Altekar, The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, 1956, pp. 301-303; P.K. Gode, Studies in Indian Cultural History, 1960, Vol.II, P. 153.
Madhu Vidyā/564
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