________________
SÃNGĀRAMANJARIKATHA
Then, by them who had thus heard their king's words, he was again spoken to-—"Sire knows that we are not like that. It has been said by all writers on poetics that, there is no blame in speaking of one's own merits if (one) records only facts', thus sages like VÄLMIKI, PARAŚARA, and VYASA, and poets like GUNADHYA, BHASA, BHAVABHŪTI and BANA have made known their merits. The narration of virtues one does not possess is a fault, but not the narration of one's true merits."
Thus being addressed (by them), (he) spoke to them:-"You are not ignorant; therefore if this (narration) seems uncensurable to you, then I shall tell you. Listen (2):-"
DESCRIPTION OF DHARA Here is a city named Dhārā, the one ornament of the whole world, which has by its own wondrous splendour put aside the glory of the city of the gods; which as it were laughs at the single disc of the moon by thousands of moons in the form of the faces of the city dames moving every night in the candraśālās of the high mansions; which, by the mass of the rays arising from the pure crystal mansions brightening the sky and the network of flashing rays issuing forth from the emerald palaces, brings about a friendship of sale and exchange between the naturally opposite darkness and moonlight; which, on every mansion removes as it were the perspiration of the horses of the sun whose bodies are tired due to the fatigue caused by traversing the vast expanse of the sky, by fanning with the fringes of the banners waving in the wind; which is, as it were, the life of the earth; the essence as it were of the world; the summum bonum as it were of the Universe; the place of trust as it were of all wealth; the residence as it were of Grace; the ornament as it were of the world; the resort as it were of the three goals of life (viz. dharma, artha and kāma); the house of creation of the naturally charming women; the chief resort as it were of loveliness, and the stream of nectar to the eyes of all the people.
Wherein, the spreading mass of white lustre of the crystal mansions makes the circle of directions white and blissfully pleasant; wherein, every night, darkness is multiplied by the emerald floors, is split up by the floorings of the crystal palaces, is reduced to pieces by the golden roofs of the mansions, is drunk in by the moonlight moons in the form of the faces of the ladies of the town, is augmented by columns of smoke of the Aguru incense issuing from the windows, is collected as it were by the gardens, is destroyed as it were by the spread of the rays from the tusks of the elephant in the form of victory and is stored up, as it were, in the underground chambers made of sapphire. Wherein, every night, on the top of the houses, the rays
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
