by Kalidasa
DHARINI (to herself): What’s the way out? (Aloud) A teacher is responsible 33 for every student.
GANADASA: Then my worry is unfounded. (Looking at the king) The queen permits it, so please tell me, your majesty, which aspect of the drama shall I use to demonstrate my teaching?
AGNIMITRA: Whatever Sister Kaushiki suggests.
KAUSHIKI: I think the queen has something in mind.
DHARINI: Speak freely. I only have power over my attendants.
AGNIMITRA: And me, she means!
DHARINI: Speak now, Sister.
KAUSHIKI: Your majesty, they should demonstrate the challenging four-part chalikam dance choreographed by Sharmishta. That way we’ll see their students perform the same thing. It’s the only way we’ll know who’s the better teacher.
GANADASA and HARADATTA: As you command, Sister.
GAUTAMA: In that case, both parties should arrange a dance performance in the theatre. When ready, a message should be sent to his grace, but, in fact, the very sound of the mridangam will inform us!
HARADATTA: So it shall be. (Stands.)
Ganadasa looks at Dharini.
DHARINI (looking at Ganadasa): May you be victorious!
The teachers set out.
KAUSHIKI: Wait, come here.
GANADASA and HARADATTA (turning around): Yes.
KAUSHIKI: I’m speaking as a judge now. Since you’ll be demonstrating various facets of your expertise, your students should take the stage in simple 34 costumes.
GANADASA and HARADATTA: We don’t need such advice. (Both exit.)
DHARINI (looking at Agnimitra): Wouldn’t it be great if the noble king would use such clever tactics in matters of state!
AGNIMITRA: You’ve misunderstood me, clever one.
I didn’t plan this. Then again,
people with similar talents
are usually jealous of each other. //20//
A drum sounds in the theatre, all give ear.
KAUSHIKI: O, the music’s begun!
A beating drum rouses the heart
and like a peacock’s call,
the echoing vibrations rise and harmonize
with the middle note,
while peahens turn their necks upward,
expecting a thundering rain cloud. //21//
AGNIMITRA: My queen, let’s go watch her, ah, it. 35
DHARINI (to herself): Ugh, my husband is shameless!
All rise.
GAUTAMA (secretly): Whoa, we should go slowly. Queen Dharini might get suspicious.
AGNIMITRA: Though calm, I’m excited by that seductive drumbeat.
Sounds drop down, like a path to my heart’s desire. //22//
All exit.
END ACT I
Act II
The orchestra is visible, the king sits with his counsellor,
Dharini, Kaushiki and their respective attendants.
AGNIMITRA: Sister, both noble teachers are here. Which of the two shall we see first?
KAUSHIKI: Though equal in skill, Ganadasa is older, so let him go first.
AGNIMITRA: Maudgalya, relay this to the teachers.
MAUDGALYA: As your majesty commands. (Exits.)
Enter Ganadasa.
GANADASA: Your majesty, Sharmishta’s four-part dance is set to a medium tempo. You should listen carefully to the fourth part.
AGNIMITRA: I’ll be most attentive.
Ganadasa exits.
AGNIMITRA (aside): My friend,
She’s hidden backstage
but my eyes long to see her,
it’s as if my own excitement
was drawing open the curtain. //1//
GAUTAMA (aside): The honey of your eye has come, but the bee is near. Go ahead and look, but don’t be lewd.
Enter Malavika with Ganadasa watching her elegant body.
GAUTAMA (aside): Look, your majesty, she’s no less beautiful than her picture.
AGNIMITRA (aside): My friend,
My heart feared her beauty
might differ from her likeness
but now I’m sure, the painting
was nothing but a cheap imitation. //2//
GANADASA: My dear, let go of your fear and be confident.
AGNIMITRA (to himself): Oh, every part of her body is perfect . . .
Bright eyes, 36 face like the brilliant autumn moon,
and arms like bent bamboo,
soft chest, firm breasts and smooth sides,
a waist that spans but a hand,
her curved hips, feet and arched toes
her body—the ideal image
a dance master embraces in his mind. //3//
MALAVIKA (approaches and sings the four-part composition): Oh, heart! My beloved is hard to get,
don’t long for him.
Why does my left eye throb so?
Seeing him again, after so long,
how do I receive him?
My lord, know that I long for you in pain. //4// 37
Then she depicts the sentiment.
GAUTAMA (aside): Ha! I think she’s using this song to enter your heart!
AGNIMITRA: My heart is open, 38 my friend. Surely when
singing the words ‘My lord, I long for you in pain . . .’
directing her expressions to her own body,
seeing no other way to show her affection
with Dharini so near, she addresses me,
while feigning pursuit of a young prince. //5//
At the end of the song, Malavika starts to exit.
GAUTAMA: Wait a minute, my lady! You’ve forgotten the order of things. 39 Let me ask you . . .
GANADASA: My dear, you may go only when the performance is deemed complete.
Malavika turns and stands still.
AGNIMITRA (to himself): Oh, her beauty reveals an inner elegance in every stance.
Her left hand rests on her hip,
the bangle motionless at her wrist
while the other arm falls freely like a fig branch.
Lowering her eyes to the tiled floor,
where her big toecaresses a flower,
her curved body
is more beautiful than her dance. //6//
DHARINI: It seems Master Ganadasa takes Gautama’s words to heart.
GANADASA: Not so, my queen. Gautama’s subtle observation is the king’s influence.
Even fools become wise
by keeping company with the learned,
just as touching the clearing-nut fruit 40
purifies muddy water. //7//
(Looking at Gautama) Let’s listen to what he has to say.
GAUTAMA (looking at Ganadasa): First ask Sister Kaushiki. After that I’ll describe the error 41 that I noticed.
GANADASA: Sister, please describe what you observed, both merits and flaws.
KAUSHIKI: Whatever I saw was faultless.
Her body expressed deep meanings
concealed in words,
her footfalls in rhythm
merged into feelings,
while her graceful arms flowed
in line with her imagination
as emotion displaced emotion
in a display of passion. //8//
GANADASA: And what do you think, my king?
AGNIMITRA: I’ve lost confidence in my favourite.
GANADASA: So I’m still a dance master.
The wise know when a teacher’s instruction is pure—
like gold in fire, it doesn’t tarnish in their presence. //9//
DHARINI: Allow me to congratulate you, sir, for pleasing the judges.
GANADASA: The queen’s favour is the source of my fortune. (Looking at Gautama) Gautama! Now tell us what you were thinking.
GAUTAMA: A prayer for a brahmin should have been offered before presenting the first performance. She seems to have forgotten that.
KAUSHIKI: Oh, what a dramatic observation! 42
All laugh, even Malavika smiles. 43
AGNIMITRA (to himself): My eyes sei
ze the essence of my desire, by
admiring her bright eyes, and her smiling face,
scarcely revealing her teeth
like a blooming lotus flower
with only a few filaments visible. //10//
GANADASA: Great brahmin, isn’t this just a rehearsal? For, otherwise, how could we not honour those who are to be honoured?
GAUTAMA: Silly me, like a chataka bird 44 thirsty for water in a sky of parched thunderclouds.
KAUSHIKI: That’s it?
GAUTAMA: Of course, fools like me depend on the opinions of the learned. Since Sister Kaushiki spoke well of her, I too would offer my congratulations. (So saying, he pulls a bracelet from the king’s wrist.)
DHARINI: Wait! How can you give the bracelet away without considering the other’s talents?
GAUTAMA: Because it belongs to another.
DHARINI (looking at the teacher): Master Ganadasa, your student exemplifies your training.
GANADASA: My dear, you may go now.
Malavika exits along with her teacher.
GAUTAMA (aside): My clever mind can only help your majesty so much.
AGNIMITRA: Enough with your analysis.
I feel my eye’s fortune fade,
the festival of my heart end
and the door of pleasure close
when she disappears behind the curtain. //11//
GAUTAMA (aside): You’re a sick man in need of treatment.
Enter Haradatta.
HARADATTA: Your majesty, grant me favour and watch my performance.
AGNIMITRA (to himself): The point of watching has passed. (Maintaining an appearance of politeness) Well, of course. We’re very excited.
HARADATTA: I’m honoured.
Backstage.
VAITALIKA: Victory, victory to the king! It’s almost midday . . .
Swans close their eyes
in the leafy shade of lotus lakes,
and doves avoid their favourite mansion eaves
due to the extreme heat.
Thirsty peacocks flock around revolving waterwheels
to drink the splashing water drops,
and the Seven Horses 45 blaze
with all their rays together,
just like you with your royal virtues! //12//
GAUTAMA: Yes, yes! It’s time for our lunch. Doctors advise that it’s unhealthy to miss regular mealtimes. What do you say?
HARADATTA: There’s no need to say another word.
AGNIMITRA: Well then, we’ll watch your performance tomorrow. Take some rest now, Master Haradatta.
HARADATTA: As your majesty commands. (Exits.)
DHARINI: Have my husband take a bath.
GAUTAMA: Yes, but first a quick lunch!
KAUSHIKI (standing up): Good health to the king. (Exits with the queen and her attendants.)
GAUTAMA: So, my friend, not only in beauty, but talent as well, Malavika is second to none.
AGNIMITRA: Friend,
The Creator made a poison-tipped arrow of love
when he joined natural beauty with charming skill. //13//
Now what? You must think of something for me, my friend.
GAUTAMA: And for me too, my lord! The inside of my belly burns like an oven in the market.
AGNIMITRA: Of course, but be quick for the sake of your dear friend.
GAUTAMA: I’ll seize the moment. But like moonlight veiled by gathering clouds, seeing her depends on the will of another. As for you, my lord, you’re like a bird hovering over a butcher shop—hungry for flesh but timid. It would help if you were patient while I work this out.
AGNIMITRA: How can I remain calm when
my heart is disenchanted
with every woman in the harem
and the fair-eyed one
is the sole object of my affections. //14//
All exit.
END ACT II
Act III
Enter Kaushiki’s attendant.
PARABHRITIKA: Sister Kaushiki ordered me, ‘Go and fetch some sweet limes 46 so I can present them to the queen.’ I’ll find Madhukarika, keeper of the royal garden. (Moving around and looking.) There she is, staring at a golden ashoka tree. I’ll go to her . . .
Enter Madhukarika.
PARABHRITIKA: Madhukarika, are you happy tending the garden?
MADHUKARIKA: Oh, Parabhritika, welcome, my friend!
PARABHRITIKA: Friend, the Sister said, ‘People like me shouldn’t greet the noble queen with empty hands. I should bring her some sweet limes.’
MADHUKARIKA: Of course, the sweet limes are right here. Tell me, after seeing the performance of the competing dance masters, which one did Sister Kaushiki like?
PARABHRITIKA: Both were scholarly and skilled in performance, but Ganadasa was judged better. It was his student’s special talents.
MADHUKARIKA: So what’s this gossip I hear about Malavika?
PARABHRITIKA: Well, the king is totally in love with her, but to spare the queen’s feelings he doesn’t come out with it. And now poor Malavika looks like a garland of withering jasmine, put on and rejected. That’s all I know. I should go.
MADHUKARIKA: Take this ripe sweet lime hanging from the branch.
PARABHRITIKA (gesturing to take it): Ah, I hope you get a nicer fruit than this for helping a nun. (Starts to go.)
MADHUKARIKA: We’ll go together, friend. I have to ask the queen about the needs 47 of this golden ashoka tree which is late to bloom.
PARABHRITIKA: Right, that’s your duty.
Exit.
END INTRODUCTORY SCENE
Enter the love-struck king, and his counsellor.
AGNIMITRA (looking at himself): The body may thin
without the pleasure of a beloved’s embrace,
eyes may fill with tears
when they fail to see her for a moment
but my dear heart, you’re never separated
from her deer-like eyes.
Why do you suffer
when you have this ultimate happiness? 48 //1//
GAUTAMA: Don’t lose strength and whine, your majesty. I saw Malavika’s favourite maid Bakulavalika and gave her your message.
AGNIMITRA: And what did she say?
GAUTAMA: She said, ‘Tell the king I’m honoured, but the queen watches over the poor girl like a snake protecting its treasure. It won’t be easy, but I’ll try my best.’
AGNIMITRA: Oh, great God of Love, you’ve bound me to an unattainable object! You cause me such pain, I cannot bear this longing. (Astonished)
O Manmatha, what a difference there is
between the tortures of my heart
and your sure-fire 49 bow.
I see in you what is both gentle and cruel. //2//
GAUTAMA: But I’ve laid out a plan, my lord, so rest easy.
AGNIMITRA: But how do I pass the rest of the day when my mind ignores official duty?
GAUTAMA: My lord, earlier today Iravati offered you a gift of red ashoka blossoms as a token of spring’s arrival, and sent a message through Nipunika about her wishes for the new spring: ‘I want to enjoy relaxing on a swing with my lord.’ You promised her the same, so let’s go to the pleasure garden.
AGNIMITRA: This isn’t right.
GAUTAMA: But why?
AGNIMITRA: Women are naturally intuitive, my friend. Even with all my caressing, how will she not see that my heart is given to another?
Though it’s a genuine request,
it’s best to refuse her.
Rather than pretending to be polite,
I can find many reasons
to reject such vain women,
for whom I have even less affection than before! //3//
GAUTAMA: My lord, you shouldn’t dispense with all the women of the harem in one go.
AGNIMITRA (thinking): Then lead the way to the pleasure garden.
GAUTAMA: This way, this way, my lord. Both move around.
GAUTAMA: Here is the pleasure garden, my lord. Blossom-tips swaying in the breeze invite y
ou in. Do enter, my lord.
AGNIMITRA (gesturing the pleasure of touch): He’s so sympathetic. Look, my friend . . .
With the sweet call of cuckoos in love
Spring tenderly bids me
to endure the pains of passion.
The southern breeze on my arm,
fragrant with mango blossoms,
like the soft touch of his palms. //4//
GAUTAMA: Come, come in and relax.
Both enter.
Take a good look, my friend. Clearly the lady of this place wants to seduce you, my lord. She wears spring blossoms that shame even a young girl’s dress.
AGNIMITRA: Indeed, I’m taking it all in . . . 50
The bright red ashoka outshines the crimson lac
on their full red lips like bimba fruit.
The green, yellow and orange hues of the kurabaka, 51
and the black bees
hovering around tilaka flowers
surpass their decorated brows
and collyrium-painted eyes—
as if nature’s bounty was mocking these women
as they try to adorn their faces. //4//
Both enjoy the garden’s splendour. Enter Malavika in despair.
MALAVIKA: I’m so embarrassed with myself. I love the king, but who knows his heart? How do I find the courage to tell my friend about this? How long will Love subject me to this incurable agony? (Taking a few steps) But oh, where am I going? (Thinking) Oh yes, the queen said: ‘Malavika, it’s Gautama’s fault I fell from the swing and hurt my foot. You must take care of the golden ashoka. If it blooms in five nights (sighing heavily) then I’ll give you a gift that will fulfil your desire.’ First, I’ll go to the exact spot. And Bakulavalika will follow behind with ornaments for my feet. Until then, let me take a shameless moment to be sad. (Walks around.)
GAUTAMA (watching): Ah ha! Here’s some molasses for those rum-drinking woes!
AGNIMITRA: Oh, what’s this?
GAUTAMA: Why, it’s Malavika! She’s not far off, all alone, simply 52 dressed and looking sad.
AGNIMITRA (with excitement): Are you sure it’s Malavika?
GAUTAMA: Absolutely!
AGNIMITRA: And so my soul finds sustenance.
My dejected heart skipped a beat 53
when I heard my precious was near,