Mallikamakarandanatakam

Author(s): Ramchandra Mahakavi, Punyavijay
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 16

Introduction
7
She sends both of them away under some pretext. She then attempts to commit suicide by hanging herself. Makaranda however comes out of his hiding, shouts loudly for her maid and attendant to rush up as their mistress is about to kill herself. He takes the initiative, cuts off the noose with his sword. The maiden falls down in a swoon. Makaranda tries to fan her with the end of his garment and shampooes her breast. The maid and the attendant both greatly excited return to the scene of action. The attendant takes him to be a thief. The maid appeals to him to take the ornaments but spare her mistress's life. Makaranda informs them that he is neither a thief nor a paramour. The maiden and Makaranda deeply fall in love with each other. As a token of their first meeting the maiden presents him her pair of ear-rings. Makaranda gladly accepts it. The maid and the attendant disapprove of this act. The attendant angrily depricates her action saying that it is against the code of conduct for a trader's daughter to offer her pair of ear-rings as present to a stranger. He threatens to bring policemen and get back by force the ear-rings from the stranger. He leaves the scene of action. Bandhula is afraid that he might act on his threat and therefore her mistress should tell the stranger of her impending calamity. Just at that moment gamblers arrive there in search of Makaranda, their debtor. He advises the maiden to go home by the back-door and to to see him at that very place the next day at midnight. The maiden with the maid leaves the stage. Makaranda, realising that he has been seen by the gamblers with the help of a lamp nowhid es himself in the hinder part of the temple
Act II: The conversation between Lavangika, a female servant of Mallika, and Koraka, an attendant of the merchant Brahmadatta (the foster-father of Mallika) informs us that Mallika has been suffering for the last eight days from love's fever. At his master's behest Koraka gets an announcement made by the beating of drum that the person who would protect Mallika from being (mysteriously) abducted would be paid five hundred dināras. A rogue (Kitava, in the present case, a gambler) has taken upon himself to protect Mallika. Koraka informs the merchant Brahmadatta and his wife Bandhumati, the foster-parents of Mallika, that they have succeeded in finding a 'rescuer of Mallika. The merchant asks another. servant of his, Sundaraka by name, to bring in his presence the rogue (gambler) who is a debtor and other gamblers, his creditors who are holding him up. The merchant promises the creditors that he would pay off the debts to them the next morning. The Creditors, satisfied with his. assurance free the debtor and leave the merchant's residence. He learns from the gambler that his name is Makaranda. The merchant and his wife try to dissuade this young, handsome man from his resolve to protect Mallika from being abducted by some unknown agency but he