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smeared the bodies of these women-jewels with beautiful ointment, like gold with ocher.
On their necks, palms, breasts, and cheeks, they drew vines with leaves, like the glorification of Love. On their foreheads they made a beautiful sandal-tilaka like a new circle for the descent of the goddess Rati.187 They decorated their eyes with collyrium so they resembled black bees that had gone to a cluster of blue-lotuses. They bound their coils of hair with wreaths of full-blown flowers, as if an armory had been made by the God of Love for himself. They put wedding clothes on them that had the moon's-rays surpassed by the rows of fringe hanging down. On their heads they put diadems shining with various jewels like the sun and moon of the east and west quarters. They put jeweled ear-rings in their ears, thieves of the wealth of pride of the ground of Meru sprouting with jewels. They also put divine pearl ear-rings resembling new flowerclusters on their ear-creepers. They put on their necks gold ornaments, filling the sky with the light of various jewels, stealing away the beauty of contracted rainbows. On their arms they joined armlets adorned with jewels resembling insignia fastened to the bow of the God of Love. They put necklaces on their high breasts giving the appearance of rivers rising and falling on high ground. Pearl bracelets were put on their wrists, like basins full of water on the ground around creepers. They presented to their hips jeweled girdles that had a row of tinkling bells, like reciters of auspicious things of the goddess Rati. They put jeweled anklets on their feet, that tinkled, tinkled, as if praising their virtues. After the goddesses had prepared them thus, and had lifted them up and led them to the shrine, the Ladies were seated on a golden throne.
The Lord, Vịşabha-marked, begged persistently by Namucidvis, who had come, to be ready for the wedding, reflected, “Customs must be shown to the people; and
186 810. It is customary to draw a circle when invoking a deity.
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