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ŚṚNGARAMANJARIKATHA
red mukuras «buds, mirrors in the form of the mango-blossoms for her to see herself; when the groves of lotuses smiled on seeing the glory of its friend, the Sun, increasingly day by day; when slowly the flowers of raja-campaka, possessing the radiance of molten gold, burst forth, enkindling the fire of love of the lovers resembling in complexion the kunkuma-rubbed breasts of their sweethearts; (74) when Makaraketu inspired the world as if it was agitated, unsteady, eager and drunk by the humming of the bees which seemed to be the sweet songs of the sylvan deity anxious at the advent of spring, as if they were the twangings of the bows of the archer Madana, as if they were jinglings of the jewelled armlets of the Forest Glory engaged in preparing the implements of Madhu; when the mādhavi creepers decked with dark leaves, covered by the Malaya wind enkindled the fire of passion even in the dull, which (wind) was very cool due to its close proximity to the sandal trees, which gave rise to the sport of Madana even when the lovers were nearby, uprooting the pride of the haughty women and which though southerly is uncharitable to the separated ones; when the Malaya wind straightened the puffed up minds of the Kerala women as also their curls of hair; when it fanned the anger in the hearts of the Cola women as also the borders of their gar ments; when it ruffled the mind of the Kuntala women affected by the faults of the lovers as also their wreaths in the braids of hair; when the bunches of madhūka flowers increased in palor as if competing with the cheeks of the separated ladies; when clusters of kurabakas, blue, yellow and red, shone like colourful gems in the crown of the king of spring; when the intoxicated notes of the cuckoos, sharper due to eating the fresh blossoms of mango reached far though issuing falteringly as the throats were choked, and which seemed to be the commands of Smara causing anguish to the minds of the travellers; when the aśoka trees joyously bloomed on experiencing the pleasure of the striking of the feet of the women; when the buds of kesara bloomed into flowers on receiving mouthfuls of the wine from the women; when the tilaka trees flowered out of joy on coming into contact with the much-desired glances of the lotus-eyed ones and which turned white due to the lustre of the eyes; when the kurabaka trees possessed the splendour of variegated bunches of flowers having obtained the long-desired embraces of the women with drowsy eyes, and which (trees) could not contain within themselves their excessive joy and therefore emitted it out through the buds; thus in the spring the trees yearned to fulfil their desires like the lovers; when the madhavi creepers decked with dark leaves, covered by swarms of bees and with the cooing of the intoxicated cuckoos incited passion in the paramours like the abhisārikās, anointed with
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