by Kalidasa
DHARINI: With your permission, Sister, I want to give Malavika to my husband, for the noble Sumati had already betrothed her to him.
KAUSHIKI: Even now, you’ll be her senior. 109
DHARINI (taking Malavika’s hand): Let my husband accept her as a gift for our good news.
The king is embarrassed and silent.
DHARINI (smiling): What? Would my husband deny me?
GAUTAMA: This is quite common, your highness, all new bridegrooms are quick to feel shy.
The king looks over at Gautama.
Or perhaps his majesty would accept Malavika if Queen Dharini were to honour her with the title of queen.
DHARINI: She is the daughter of a king, and her noble birth gives her the title of queen. What more can be said?
KAUSHIKI: No, not so.
A diamond is unpolished when dug up from a mine,
it’s not ready, noble lady, to be fitted with gold. //18//
DHARINI: Forgive me, Sister, I forgot about that while hearing of the victory. Go, Jayasena, quickly bring her a fine silk veil.
JAYASENA: As the queen commands. (Exits and returns holding a silk veil.) My queen, here it is.
DHARINI (draping Malavika with the veil): May the noble king accept her now.
AGNIMITRA: My queen, I can’t challenge your command.
KAUSHIKI: Oh, she’s been accepted!
GAUTAMA: Ah, the queen is most gracious!
Dharini looks at her attendants.
ATTENDANTS (approaching Malavika): Long live the queen!
Dharini looks closely at Kaushiki.
KAUSHIKI: This shouldn’t be strange for you. For
though rivals,
faithful and devoted wives serve their husbands
just as rivers
bring hundreds of other streams to the ocean. //19//
NIPUNIKA (entering): Long live the king! Iravati says: ‘I displeased the king when I erred and overstepped the bounds of civility. But now that his heart’s desire has been fulfilled, he should treat me with a bit of kindness as well.’
DHARINI: Nipunika, my husband will surely try to oblige.
NIPUNIKA: As the queen commands. (Exits.)
KAUSHIKI: With your permission, my lord, I wish to pay my respects to Madhavasena who has officially 110 become your relative.
DHARINI: Sister, it’s not right for you to leave us.
AGNIMITRA: On your behalf, Sister, I will convey your warm regards 111 to him in my letter.
KAUSHIKI: Your affection makes me your dependent.
DHARINI: Tell me, my husband, what more can I do to please you?
AGNIMITRA: But what could be better than this? May it be just so.
(Benediction) 112
My lady, you always keep a calm and beautiful visage
and the same I seek, for reason of your rival.
For as long as Agnimitra is protector of the people
there shall be no suffering, no desire unfulfilled. //20//
All exit.
END ACT V
Notes
The Mālavikāgnimitram of Kālidāsa: The Making of a Mahākavi
1 Free translation of Bāṇabhaṭṭa’s Harṣa-carita I.16.
2 An archetypal character who speaks in Prakrit and typically represents the mundane and practical aspects of art, in contrast to the director, or sūtra-dhāra, who embodies the high tradition of classicism in Sanskrit.
3 He refers to himself in a similar third person context in the prologues of his other two plays as well.
4 Mālavikāgnimitram I.2.
5 Devadhar, Mālavikāgnimitram of Kālidāsa, p. vii.
6 Abhijñānaśākuntalam I.1 (Miller, Theater of Memory, p. 7).
7 Mālavikāgnimitram I.1. The eighth form in the Abhijñānaśākuntalam verse is interpreted by Miller to be the priest (hotrī), while in Mālavikāgnimitram it is considered to be Paśupati. See n. 1 of translation.
8 There are also other mentions of Puṣyamitra and Chandragupta in Patañjali’s text. The exact reference to the Śuṅgas in Buddhist sources has not been traced. See Houben, ‘Vedic Ritual as Medium in Ancient and Pre-colonial South Asia’, p. 31.
9 See Devadhar, Mālavikāgnimitram of Kālidāsa, p. 303.
10 Miller, Theater of Memory, p. 12.
11 See sarva-jña, nirvāṇa and tathā-gata at I.18+, III.1, V.9+, and nn. 48 and 96 in the translation.
12 See Mālavikāgnimitram IV.4.
13 Mālavikāgnimitram IV.1.
14 Mālavikāgnimitram III.5.
15 Mālavikāgnimitram I.4.
16 Mālavikāgnimitram II.8.
17 See Miller, Theater of Memory, p. 14 for more detailed information.
18 Goodwin, ‘Kālidāsa’s Metadrama’, p. 119.
19 Mālavikāgnimitram III.15.
20 Mitchell, Language, Emotion, and Politics’, p. 120.
21 Mālavikāgnimitram I.15+.
22 Aurobindo, Early Cultural Writings, p. 240.
23 Nakul Krishna, ‘Reading the Small Print’, Caravan, 1 August 2013, http://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/ reading-small-print?page=0,6.
24 Aurobindo, Early Cultural Writings, p. 240.
The Dancer and the King
1 The ‘eight forms’ are: the five elements (water, earth, fire, air and space); the sun and moon; and Śiva’s form as paśupati, Lord of Animals.
2 Translation based on the edited text of Mālavikāgnimitram by Devadhar (1986).
3 ‘production’ is saṅgītam, a composite term referring to dance, song and instrumental music.
4 Reading grastam (with) rather than viśrāntam (without) as the qualifier of viveka (judgement).
5 ‘players’ are attendants (parijanaḥ), employed here to highlight the verse’s reference to the actors in the forthcoming play.
6 chalikam or calita is a particular dance form that includes a four-part song recited with gesticulation. See Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 719.
7 ‘that comment’ is tava upalambha, literally ‘your reproach’.
8 The verb here is tiṣṭhati, literally she stands.
9 ‘family knowledge’ is kula-vidyā, traditional forms of knowledge passed down through family lineages.
10 ‘living’ is cākṣuṣa, literally ‘visible’.
11 The two forms of dance are lāsyam, the delicate, graceful dance of Pārvatī, and tāṇdavam, the vigorous dance of Śiva.
12 The designation here is varṇa avara, literally of inferior caste, implying that he was born to a low-caste mother.
13 ‘birth’ is vastukām, relating to one’s nature.
14 abhinaya, from the root ni to lead, is a technical term that refers to the art of expression. Often it is divided into four categories: acting conveyed through the body (āṅ gika), speech (vācika), accessories (āhārya) and emotions (sāttvika). Other classifications include the five types of acting: nṛtta, kaivāra, dharmara, vāgada and gīta; or the five-limbed acting that utilizes the mind, eyes, eyebrows, hands and feet. See Devadhar, Mālavikāgnimitram of Kālidāsa, p. 185.
15 ‘Interlude’ is miśra-viṣkambhaka, a mixed or extended passage that connects sections of a play.
16 No verb is supplied here so ‘he has sealed’ has been added. The English pun is not evident in the original.
17 pitṛvya-putraḥ is the son of a paternal uncle.
18 This initial portion of the letter is framed by the Vidarbha king as a quote from Agnimitra’s previous letter. I have rephrased it for more clarity.
19 ‘policy’ is śāstram.
20 Kauṭilya, referred to here as tantra-kāra, is the celebrated author of the Artha-śāstra, a seminal Sanskrit treatise on political science and just governance. The author is also known as Cāṇakya, the brilliant adviser who led Candragupta Maurya to power.
21 ‘clever eye’ is prajñā-cakṣuḥ, a possible pun as this term also means a blind man, literally and figuratively; literally one whose knowledge is limited to what is seen.
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22 Literally ‘the tree of your clever plan’.
23 Sister Kauśikī is referred to as a parivrājikā, a wandering renouncer, in this case a nun of unknown denomination; also, ‘reverend’.
24 ‘favour’ is here parigraha, also a wife, a pun that is doubled in the following verse.
25 Technically ‘the title of queen’, rajñī-śabda.
26 Alternative rendering by reading parigraha as queen: A queen enhances the great splendour of a king, for as the sun grows in brilliance, the moon is enveloped by night.
27 ‘companion’ is pīṭham-ardikā, ‘a lady who assists the heroine in securing her lover’, see Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 124.
28 maṅgalā here refers to ornaments related to her wifehood.
29 ‘embarrassment’ is actually upālambha, a taunt or censure.
30 ‘impartial’ is paṇḍita, elsewhere translated as ‘learned’.
31 Literally urabhra-saṃvādam, a debate between rams.
32 Sweet ritual offerings are modaka.
33 ‘responsible’ is prabhavati, literally to have control or power over. See also, Dhāriṇī’s repetition of this verb next.
34 ‘simple’ is virala meaning thin, referring to basic undergarments perhaps.
35 tasyīḥ , included in some recensions, is a double entendre that can refer to Mālavikā or the play.
36 ‘bright eyes’ is the stock phrase dīrghākṣa, literally meaning long or wide eyes.
37 This song is written in Prakrit and is the only instance in the play of a non-Sanskrit verse form.
38 Literally ‘And so too my own heart’.
39 ‘order of things’ is krama-bheda, technically the division or sequence of steps.
40 paṅkacchidaḥ phalasya is the fruit of the clearing-nut tree that has the special ability to clarify turbid water.
41 ‘error’ is krama-bhedah, earlier translated as ‘order of things’. See n. 39 above.
42 ‘dramatic observation’ is Kauśikī’s sarcastic prayoga-abhyantaraḥ praśnaḥ, literally a question critical to the performance.
43 Gautama has a line here that has been omitted in some manuscripts. It is a humorous though critical retort at Kauśikī that evidences some of the underlying religious tensions at court and is likely a later interpolation. The dialogue reads: ai paṇḍitammaṇṇe kim aṇṇam. modakhaṇḍaṇe vi asamatthā tumam kim jāṇāsi. pasaṇṇcandapādasarisehim kesapāsehim edāṇam bhīsiasi. ‘Oh, of course, you think you’re a pandit! What would you know? You can’t even have ritual offerings. You just scare people with your thick white hair, bright as moonlight!’ See n. 32.
44 The cātaka bird is believed to live only on raindrops.
45 ‘Seven Horses’ is sapta-saptiḥ, an epithet of the Sun.
46 ‘sweet lime’ is bīja-pūraka, a citron plant.
47 dohada is ‘the desire of plants at budding time (as, for instance, of the Ashoka to be kicked by young ladies)’: Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 839.
48 ‘ultimate happiness’ is nirvāṇa, reinforcing the Buddhist elements in the work.
49 ‘sure-fire’ is viśvasanīyam, that which inspires confidence.
50 ‘taking it in’ is avalokayāmi. ‘with wonder’ has been omitted.
51 kurabaka is a type of citrus fruit/amaranth bush.
52 ‘simply’ is na atiparyāpta ‘not very fully’.
53 ucchvasitam, literally ‘breathless’.
54 taru-vṛtam is surrounded by trees in regard to the water.
55 ‘bright eyes’ is atyāyatam nayanoḥ, literally very big eyes.
56 The Malaya mountains in south India are believed to be filled with fragrant flora, and poets often describe the scented breeze that wafts from their peaks.
57 yogyatayā literally ‘on account of fitness’.
58 Literally ‘maybe this (anklet) will adorn my dead body’.
59 Hara or Lord Śiva once burnt to death Kāma the god of love who tried to shoot him with an arrow of love. The scene is powerfully depicted in Kālidāsa’s mahākāvya Kumārasaṃbhavam.
60 ‘plainly’ is madhya-sthatām gṛhītvā, literally ‘having embraced a neutral position’.
61 ‘fidgeting’ is avasthā sadṛśam parikramya, literally moving around in accordance with her condition.
62 ‘isn’t allowed here’ is abhūmiḥ, literally a ‘non-land’ or restricted area for Mālavikā.
63 ‘rewards of teaching’ is guru-dakṣiṇā, the customary offering given to a teacher after the completion of a student’s education.
64 Actually a breath, mukha-mārutah, literally the wind from the mouth.
65 ‘king’s heart’ is bhartur-aṅka, a conventional phrase literally meaning the king’s lap.
66 anantaram (without break) has been omitted.
67 ‘union of lovers’ is samāgamena ratiḥ, literally sexual union.
68 ‘unhealthy’ is nirguṇa or low-quality.
69 ‘beautiful’ here is vāmoru, literally having voluptuous thighs, possibly in contrast to the tree trunk, which, in the case of a banana tree, is a stock metaphor used for women’s thighs. The verse ends with the sound-play vāmasya vāmoru.
70 These stage notes have been supplied.
71 The actual term used here is the stock phrase kuṭila-keśi, one with curly locks.
72 ‘Mars in retrograde’ is the Prakrit aṅgāro rāsim via sā aṇuvakkam ṇa karei.
73 ‘pits’ is sāra-bhāṇḍa-bhūmi-gṛhe, literally a storage vessel kept in a hole in the ground.
74 ‘fiery-eyed’ is piṅgalākṣi, an epithet of Lord Śiva but here a reference to the angry queen.
75 ‘gift’ is ācāra, a customary offering.
76 Literally ‘placed in my hand’.
77 candrikā is also moonlight and hence the pun.
78 There is double usage of vadana and suvadana that I was unable to carry over.
79 ‘unfaithful’ and ‘fickle’ are both aviśvasanīya, spoken by both Agnimitra and Gautama in Sanskrit and Prakrit respectively.
80 pañca-bāṇa, an epithet of the god of love who carries five passion-inducing arrows.
81 anugṛhītāsmi, literally ‘I am beholden’.
82 There is a play on the word bimba, a fruit used as a conventional metaphor to describe full, red lips, and baimbika, here as a reference to Agnimitra as a descendant of King Bimbaka.
83 A special bull let loose at funeral time.
84 ‘who’s afraid of snakes’ has been omitted.
85 kim ṇu khu daddurā vāharantitti devo puḍhavim visumaredi is a Prakrit saying used to compliment Irāvatī. The idea is that frogs croak as a call to Lord Indra to give them rain, but in doing so he would naturally shower the earth. Mālavikā and Bakulāvalikā are the frogs, Agnimitra is Indra and Irāvatī is the earth.
86 ‘accepted terms’ is upāyanī-kṛtya, employing one of the four types of strategies used in war: sāman (conciliation), dānam (bribery), bheda (sowing dissension) or daṇḍa (punishment); see Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 474.
87 ‘in private’ is a reading of sakāśam meaning near or in the presence of.
88 ‘busy making pronouncements’ is a loose translation of dharmāsana-gatam, literally ‘gone to the seat of dharma’, that is, engaged with adjudicating on state and other matters.
89 daṇḍa, one of the four stratagems of warfare; see n. 86 above.
90 varadā, play on vara-da, one who bestows boons/favours.
91 kratha-kaiśika refers to Vidarbha; see Devadhar, Mālavikāgnimitram of Kālidāsa, p. 291 for more information.
92 jāla as in a net or lattice (of fruit) has been omitted.
93 ‘uncommon’ is ananya-sādhārana, common to no other.
94 kautukālaṅkāra is decorations for engagement ceremony, can also apply to her special dress.
95 ‘draped’ is anati-lambi, not hanging down low.
96 ‘suffer
ed much’ is a unique phrase tathā-gataḥ, literally ‘thus gone’ in reference to the fateful condition of Mādhavasena; the term is also a common appellation for Buddha.
97 The phrase śāntam pāpam (‘pacified sin’) is often repeated, as it is here, and means ‘oh no!’, ‘how can it be’, ‘God forbid such an untoward or unlucky event’; see Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 1544.
98 ‘in my presence’ has been omitted.
99 ‘excuse the interruption’ is translating katha antareṇa antaritam which actually means the minister’s order was delayed because of another matter.
100 ‘elders’ is guru-jana, here in reference to Pusyamitra, Dhāriṇī’s father-in-law.
101 ‘mighty’ is āyuṣmantam, literally long-lived or full of life.
102 The rājasūya-yajña is a famous Vedic rite carried out by kings to establish their universal sovereignty. A royal steed is released to wander freely, claiming all the land it traverses for the king. If an enemy king should impede or seize the horse, it would mean he was challenging the king’s suzerainty. Both King Yudhiṣṭhira and Lord Rāma consecrated this rite during their reigns.
103 Greek is yavana as in Ionian.
104 Lord Rāma’s ancestor King Sagara also consecrated the rājasūya rite and dispatched his grandson Aṃśuman to retrieve the sacrificial horse. These events led to the famous story of Bhagīratha and the descent of the river Gaṅgā.
105 There is a hint here of the reportedly strained relationship between Puṣyamitra and his son Agnimitra. See the introduction for more historical information.
106 The comparison here is between vīra-patnī and vīra-sūḥ, the wife versus mother of a hero.
107 ‘mighty’ is a-pradhṛṣya, literally ‘unassailable’ and ‘maker’ is prabhava, a source or origin. The mythological reference here is to Aurva who was born from his mother’s thigh, hence the epithet used in the verse: uru-janmā. ‘Beholding him, the sons of Kārtavirya were struck with blindness, and his wrath gave rise to a flame which threatened to consume the whole world, had he not, at the desire of his Pitṛis, the Bhārgavas, cast it into the ocean, where it remained concealed with the face of a horse; cf. Vaḍavāgni’: see Apte, Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 512.