________________
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
371
inquired about the health of Kamalagupta a fact most suited to the limits of decorum.
"Nobleman : Is it all well with Kamalagupta, the great friend (of mine) a veritable ocean of ambrosia in the form of virtuous demeanour shining with unprecedented' amity?" And he as meet with his status, approached him like a servant and presented the billet after offering his homage accompanied by the expressions" He is all right today by seeing through my eyes the good health in the body of the affluent one."
Harivāhana's first meeting with Malayasundarī staying as a hermit-maid (Tāpasakanyā) is again full of observance of mutual etiquettes. Harivāhana is narrating the account of Samaraketu come to him through Gandharvaka. Even though a hermit maid at that time she had taken to the usual way of a host offering the honour fit for a guest accompanied by 'Argha' and other materials with the help of water deposited in a water gourd with both of her hands and feet washed accordingly. Sat on a seat made of cloth she inquired from him about his particulars whereupon he took upon himself to narrate the same. After performing her religious preliminaries she sat close to him and as her intuition worked there she took him to be one who was previously seen by her who was as though one brought up along with her and as if one who had affection mounted to heights for her and one who was like a kinsman of desires approaching her after a long time. She looked at him quite affectionately.
The reply of Harivāhana is full of etiquettes that suit the temperament of a civilized being, a cultured man about the town. On seeing her he spoke
"Noble lady! I cannot keep silent brought to pertness (i.e. made frivolous) by this etiquette of yours that has seen its favourable disposition that creates gratification in the heart of a lover or a devotee and that bespeaks of its inner purity by itself (lit. by inner instinct or by nature) in so for as I have taken myself to the task of making queries from you even when knowing fully well "that by a person wishing his êclat a stranger lass being in this early youth of your class of matchless qualities should normally not be talked to particularly when she is in her prime of puberty taking stand upon a vow, a source of transformation born of infatuation for
1. आदरप्रहितनयनयुगलो गुरुमिव स्वामिनमिवराध्यमिव जीवितप्रदभिवैष्टदैवतामिव सुचिरमवलोक्य तं पुरुषमाहूय
संभाव्य चासनदानवचनेन भद्रमुख। भद्रमसदृषसांहादडशालिशीलामृतमहोदघे परमसुहुदः कमलगुप्तस्य। अथसतेन संभ्रमवता तस्य संभाबाणेन कृत कृत्यामात्मामन्यमानो भृत्यवत् समुपसृत्य सत्वरकृतप्रणामः। अय भद्रं मच्चुक्षुषा
ETYTTGERTRET ratta ga Hd Chri aferurgia de 1971 TM. Vol.
I, p. 51. 2. Ibid. p. 51.
