________________
INTRODUCTION
XXV
That he had studied the Vedas and mastered the Upanisads as well as the Sankhya and Yoga systems of philosophy he himself tells us in Māl. I 10 The passage Utt V. 23 may also be a reflection of his own opinion about himself. But even without his own outspoken testimony as to his varied learning, we have sufficient indications of his mastery of Sanskrit literature. His knowledge of Yoga is evident from Vasistha's speech in Mv, pp. 64, 65, from Māl. V 1, 2, 3, and the prose passage yat satyam adhunā, &c, in Mal v 9, 10 His acquaintance with Nitróāstra, or Science of Polity, is clear from the discussions of the various schemes against Rama by Mālyavān and Surpanakha in the Interludes to Mv, Acts II and IV. His study of Vedānta is proved by his reference to the Vivarta doctrine in Utt. II. 5, 6 (sabda-brahmanas tādrsam vivartam trhāsam), III. 47, VI 6, in Māl III 42, 43, and in Mv V 57. Hisundhatāmisrõ hy asūryā nāma te lokās', &c., in Utt IV. 3, 4, reminds one of Tsopanısad 3. That he was widely read in the Dharmaśāstras and the Sūtra works would be evident from (a) yatah prāyaścıttam, &c, in Mv., p 100, 1. 9, (b) sa māmso madhuparka atz, &c, in Utt IV. 2, (c) na rathinah, &c, in Utt. V 20, 21, and gitas cāyam artho, &c, Māl. II. 2, 3 His knowledge of Vātsyāyana's Kāma-sūtra is proved beyond doubt through his quotation from that 1 work in his Māl VII 0/1 (Kusuma-sadharmāno hr, &c ) In Māl I 6 the words āyopita-kāma-sūtram further suggest (by the vyañjanavrtta) that he has followed the principles laid down in the Kāma-sūtras in the development of the incidents alluded to Thus, eg, we read in Kāma-sūtra 2 (Part III, Chapter V) When a girl cannot meet her lover frequently in private, she should send the daughter of her nurse to him, it being understood that she has confidence in her, and had previously gained her over to her interests On seeing the man, the daughter of the nurse should, in the course of conversation, describe to him the noble birth, the good disposition, the beauty, talent, skıll, knowledge of human nature and affection of the girl in such a way as not to let him suppose that she had been sent by the girl, and should thus create affection for the girl in the heart of the man To the girl also she should speak about the excellent qualities of the man, especially of those qualities which she knows are pleasing to the girl She should, moreover, speak with disparagement of the other lovers of the girl, and talk about the avarice and indiscretion of their parents, and the fickleness of their relatives. She should also quote examples of many girls of ancient times, such as Sakuntalā and others, who, having united themselves with lovers of their own caste and their own
Vätsyāyana-pranitam Kāma sūtram With Yasodhara's commentary Bombay, 1891. (III 2, p 199)
? Kāma-sūtra of Vātsyäyana. Translated from the Sanskrit. Printed for the Hindoo Kāma Shastra Society, Benares, 1883,
