Mallikamakarandanatakam

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

Page 18

Introduction
says “Here I abduct this damsel' and asks the damsel not to be sorry at all as she will be made a Vidyadhara queen. Mallika cries belplessly as she is being abducted in a mysterious way. Her abduction comes as a rude shock to Makaranda. He faints. Regaining consciousness he decides to leave by the back-door and do what befits his deep love for Mallikā.
Prelude (to Act 111) : Before the third act proper commences we have a Viskambhaka containing a dialogue between Ceți (a female servant) and Devalaka (an attendant upon an idol, who subsists on the offerings made to it). This dialogue informs us that Mallika is not prepared at all to accept Citrāngada, a Vidyadhara prince as her husband as she has already fallen in love with a man (called Makaranda). Citrāngada every day tries to please Mallika with diverse acts of courtesy, courting and offering of various means of decoration, gifts and promises of his love but in vain. Candralekha, the mother of Mallikā would rather kill her daughter than marry her to some one else (other than Citrāngada). Mallika too is firm who would prefer death to marrying someone else (other than Makaranda). Devalaka gives the Ceți a wonderful news that in the morning he saw at the Siddhāyatana (a Jain temple) a man. The Ceți is intere. sted in knowing about him as she has been directed by Candralekha to get his whereabouts. Devalaka asks her to go to the Siddhayatana where he is resting and he himself proceeds to meet Mallikā and give her divine fruits.
Act III : The main scene opens with Makaranda, who has fainted on account of a sudden fall from high above. After recovering consciousness he wonders where he is. From the various indications he infers that he is in heavenly region. In front of him he sees the everlasting idol of Jina and pays homage. From behind the scenes a voice resembling that of Mallikā is heard by Makaranda. He wants to ascertain whether his guess is correct. He comes across Tapasa-Kumāra and Manorama, seated in an arbour. Makaranda is simply struck with wonder at the striking resemblance between Tapasakumāra and Mallikā. He bows down to Tāpasakumāra. Tāpasakumāra wants to know how he happened to come to this celestial region (the mountain Meru). He pleads ignorance. Makaranda desires to know about Tāpasakumāra's family and why in the prime of life with such a handsome form he has taken to this hard ascetic life. Thereupon he narrates his account : “This mountain Meru is a part of the Vaitadhya Mountain. Once, Candralekhā, the wife of the Vidyādhara King Vainateya, who was ruling over Rathanapura, transgressed the top of this Siddhāyatana. As a result of this violation she forgot altogether her lore of flying through the sky and fell down here. She then practised austerities lasting for six months with a view to regaining her lost lore. At