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18
ŚRNGÁRAMANJARĪKATHA
of lovers; from her naturally fragrant lotus-like face, beautiful with the leaves in the form of the red lips, and shining bright with the pollen in the form of the lustre of the teeth, the rows of bees in the form of the eyes of the young men with steady lotus-like eyelashes did not move even a step as if intoxicated with drinking the honey of her beauty; she has two bowls in the form of breasts, big and plump, and filled with the water of loveliness for extinguishing the fire of passion burning in the hearts of the lovers.
It seems, for a study in creating her beauty, the Creator first created young-damsels like Lakşmi, Rati and other apsarases, other wise, how would it have been possible to create such loveliness which needs distinguished skill in production, and which conquers by its feminine beauty all the three worlds! Who are the persons who love her not? What are they? Who are not deceived? Who are not cheated? Who have not given their all to her? Where are the brāhmaṇas, kings, princes, merchants, kāyasthas and familymen who have not become her slaves? He who knows her thinks that he alone is dear to her, and that she loves him only. She sometimes receives herds of elephants, sometimes teams of horses, sometimes heaps of gold, and sometimes curious and gorgeous jewels and clothes. Thus her riches which daily augment become plenteous. Even then she does not give up harlotry. She gives a promise only for five-hundred gold pieces, and because of the splendour of her unrivalled beauty, she never sleeps alone.
DESCRIPTION OF ŚRNGÄRAMANJARI'S MOTHER
Her mother's name is VIŞAMASILĀ, who is respected by all the wanton women of the king's retinue; whose figure is out due to old age; whose hair look like the flowers of Kāśa and Kuśa grass; who has a face broad as a dry, three-days old, hundred petalled lotus, which (face) lengthens everyday with the desire to devour the Vițas who come there remembering her bygone glory: who has a pale wrinkled forehead closely resembling the fruit of Śrīparnī; who has a pair of eyebrows resembling the horns of an old buffalo .............., who has two eyes, slightly sunk in due to old age, looking like two dark pits for the men blinded with love to fall in; who has a flat, thick and big nose which can be compared to the root of an Alābu; whose lips have the shape of the upturned Mallikā leaves; whose ear-lobes are like cords for tying the paramours; whose naturally broad cheeks have become all the more broad due to the looseness (of skin) in old age; (15) who, because her teeth had fallen, contracted frequently her long lower lip as if to devour the world, whose two-three teeth were visible like those of a dangerous poisonous snake; whose limp, thickset and broad neck resembles the neck of a young wild buffalo; whose joint of the neck is chained by
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