2023-02-23 18:49:35 by ambuda-bot
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THE CANDĪŠATAKA OF BĀṆA
313
kurvatyä 'bhyadhikam kṛte pratikṛtam muktena māulāu muhur
bāṣpeṇā "hitakajjalena likhitam svam nāma candre yayā
The jealous Candika (Candi) caused her husband (Siva), by
whom she had been formerly humiliated through his burn-
ing up of Kāma,¹
To fall at her feet with prostrations at the three twilights;
And, having [thus] exacted excessive retribution for [his] ac-
tion, she wrote her own name on the moon³
With the tears mixed with collyrium that were repeatedly shed
upon his diadem."
May Caṇḍikā (Candi) protect youⓇ!
Notes. 1. As is well known, Kāma was reduced to ashes by Siva's third
eye, because he interrupted Siva's meditations and called his attention to
Pärvati (Candi); cf. Süryafataka, stanza 55, note 9. 2. Lit. 'causing
an excessive counter-deed in his deed.' 3. Siva wore the moon on his
diadem (cf. Süryaśataka, stanza 42, note 10), and perhaps we have here a
fanciful Hindu explanation of the darkish blotch visible on the full orb
of the moon. I have, however, been unable to find any allusions in Hindu
mythology to support such a view. 4. Lit. 'tears in which collyrium has
been placed.' 5. We must imagine Siva kneeling at Candi's feet, and
her tears dropping on his head, and so on the moon-diadem with which
his head was adorned. The collyrium, which was lampblack, when washed
from her eyelids by the tears, formed with the tears a dark fluid akin
to ink, with which Candi could write her name. Just why Candi wept is
not apparent, but the fact that she was humiliating the mighty Siva may
have been too much for her emotions. It will be remembered that, as
Kāli, she is often represented with her tongue out-a sign of overwhelm-
ing shame because on one occasion she found herself dancing on her
husband's (Siva's) body; cf. Wilkins, Hindu Mythology, p. 309 and 311.
6. Note in this stanza the absence of any reference to the demon Mahişa;
stanza itself is cited in the Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa, 5. 633, as an example
of the mṛdvika ('grape') variety of paka ('consequence'); cf. ed. of
Jivānanda Vidyāsāgara, p. 752-3. The commentary on this stanza in the
Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa authorizes the following rendering for the first
two padas:
Candikā, jealous because her husband Siva, by whom she had been
formerly humiliated through his burning up of Kāma,
Was bowing before Samdhyā, caused him to fall at her feet.
V.L. (a) trisamdhyanateḥ. (d) likhitam nameva candre. The text as
given in the Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa (see note 6) shows the following
313
kurvatyä 'bhyadhikam kṛte pratikṛtam muktena māulāu muhur
bāṣpeṇā "hitakajjalena likhitam svam nāma candre yayā
The jealous Candika (Candi) caused her husband (Siva), by
whom she had been formerly humiliated through his burn-
ing up of Kāma,¹
To fall at her feet with prostrations at the three twilights;
And, having [thus] exacted excessive retribution for [his] ac-
tion, she wrote her own name on the moon³
With the tears mixed with collyrium that were repeatedly shed
upon his diadem."
May Caṇḍikā (Candi) protect youⓇ!
Notes. 1. As is well known, Kāma was reduced to ashes by Siva's third
eye, because he interrupted Siva's meditations and called his attention to
Pärvati (Candi); cf. Süryafataka, stanza 55, note 9. 2. Lit. 'causing
an excessive counter-deed in his deed.' 3. Siva wore the moon on his
diadem (cf. Süryaśataka, stanza 42, note 10), and perhaps we have here a
fanciful Hindu explanation of the darkish blotch visible on the full orb
of the moon. I have, however, been unable to find any allusions in Hindu
mythology to support such a view. 4. Lit. 'tears in which collyrium has
been placed.' 5. We must imagine Siva kneeling at Candi's feet, and
her tears dropping on his head, and so on the moon-diadem with which
his head was adorned. The collyrium, which was lampblack, when washed
from her eyelids by the tears, formed with the tears a dark fluid akin
to ink, with which Candi could write her name. Just why Candi wept is
not apparent, but the fact that she was humiliating the mighty Siva may
have been too much for her emotions. It will be remembered that, as
Kāli, she is often represented with her tongue out-a sign of overwhelm-
ing shame because on one occasion she found herself dancing on her
husband's (Siva's) body; cf. Wilkins, Hindu Mythology, p. 309 and 311.
6. Note in this stanza the absence of any reference to the demon Mahişa;
stanza itself is cited in the Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa, 5. 633, as an example
of the mṛdvika ('grape') variety of paka ('consequence'); cf. ed. of
Jivānanda Vidyāsāgara, p. 752-3. The commentary on this stanza in the
Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa authorizes the following rendering for the first
two padas:
Candikā, jealous because her husband Siva, by whom she had been
formerly humiliated through his burning up of Kāma,
Was bowing before Samdhyā, caused him to fall at her feet.
V.L. (a) trisamdhyanateḥ. (d) likhitam nameva candre. The text as
given in the Sarasvatikanthabharaṇa (see note 6) shows the following