Srngaramanjari Katha

Author(s): Bhojdev, Kalpalata K Munshi
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 47

24
ŠRNGĂRAMAÑÍARIKATHA
The tenth tale of a serpent
Vişamaśīlā: Child, there is nothing that a harassed man refrains from doing. Listen to this:
Śrutadhara, a learned Brāhmaṇa, lived in the city of Kauśämbi, He had a son named Vinayadhara. By the time Vinayadhara was sixteen he had completed his education.
Once during the spring festival he had gone to the temple of Kālapriyadeva where he saw Anangavati, a courtesan. He made her acquaintence and started frequenting her place. He passed many happy days in her company. In course of time Vinayadhara was reduced to poverty, but to Anangavati he was dearer than life. The bawd, however, did not like Anangavati's attachment to a pauper so, one day she drove him out. Under some pretext or other Vinayadhara gained entrance to her house. The bawd hated him. again and again drove him out and admonished Anangavati also for allowing him to come.
One day it so happened that while Vinayadhara was coming from his house he saw a serpent recently dead. Thinking that it would serve his purpose he picked it up. Borrowing money from a friend he came to Anangavati's house. At midnight when all were asleep he woke up, went up to the bawd, spread the snake on her body and pinched her nose and lips. When the bawd shrieked he ran up to her and with a stick hit hard the snake lying on her body. When the servants came running and put on the lights, he pointed to the snake, and said the stings should be rubbed off. Fearing that poison would spread in her body the bawd cried out 'cut it off, cut it off' and he quickly cut off her nose as well as the lips. In the morning felicitations were offered for saving the mother's life. But to the poor bawd the congratulatory drum sounded indeed like the heralding of death and she writhed in pain night and day.
Visamaśīlā: Thus, oh daughter, it is difficult to describe how rogues act when harassed. The eleventh tale of Malayasundari
Vişamaśīlā: In my opinion on one should be insulted. There is nothing that the insulted men refrain from doing. To explain:
Pratāpasimha was a feudatory in the court of king Mahendrapāla of Kanyakubja. He was ugly and passionate.
In the same town lived also a bawd by name Dhondā with her daughter Malayasundari. One day Pratāpasimha came to sleep with her. The next morning when he rose to go, he saw a child sleeping with her. It was Malayasundari's sister's child, but when Pratāpasimha enquired whose child it was, she teased him by assert