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BALBIR 1 Prakrit Riddle Poetry
671
In the following prose, Uddyotanasüri gives the contextual elements which are necessary for the understanding of the different meanings and points out to them in a rather abrupt manner. Yet, to some extent, his ways remind us of Hāla's commentators :
“Some ( nāyaka ) has sent a lady-messenger with a request (for rendezvous ). The angry beloved gives the answer : Indeed because of sexual intercourse with the wife of another man, he will be thrown into a hell having the form of a wood of salmali-trees.' But on the other hand she has given him a rendez-vous. • The other person' (para-loo ), viz. the lady-messenger, Therefore you must go there, to the śā mali-woods. And at what time ? At the time of deep darkness. O, man, you must come). I shall go there.' So much for the samvihāna "46
The emphasis of Uddyotanasūri's commentary seems to be on the nāyikā's rather complex state of feelings. At a superficial level, the feeling of anger prevails. The lady has understood for herself that her messenger has been treacherous. As usual in this case, she expresses this knowledge indirectly.47 Therefore the stanza first appears as a kind of moral subhāṣita emphasizing the law of karman: a bad action implies a bad rebirth.
“Dear girl, tell that shameless one : “ Something which is against the other world has been done. The place where to go is the hell (narae : Sk! narake ) full of sālmali-woods ( immersed ) in deep darkness.”
The skilful poet has underlined the general character of the verse by using an impersonal verbal form (gantavvam ), with no agent explicitly mentioned. The beloved's anger and reproach directed towards her lover are thus suggested and can be understood only by him. As for the messenger she will understand that the lady refuses the nāyaka's proposal to meet and will think she can go on having him for herself alone.
On the other hand, the nāyikā materializes her deep feeling of love through the appointment given to her lover in spite of his disloyalty. He will
46
kena vi dui pesiya pattheum. näiyā kuviyā padivayanam dei. kira paradāragamanena narae (kuda-simbali-vane chubbhai tti io tāe puna tassa samkeyam dinnam paraloo esa dui. iminä kuijena gantavvam tae ettha sambali-vane. käe puna velae ? ghore tamammi. are purisa e tae tti. aham tatta vaccināmi tti, ettio samvihāno tti, KM 176. 27-29. See, for instance, An Anthology of Sanskrit Court Poetry. Vidyākara's “Subhaşitaratnakosa" translated by Daniel H. H. Ingalls. Cambridge, Mass., 1965: Harvard Oriental Series 44 : section 25 “The lady's expression of anger at her messenger.'
