The Seduction of Shiva: Tales of Life and Love (13 page)

1
A.B. Keith,
A History of Sanskrit Literature
, London, 1920; M.Winternitz,
History of Indian Literature
, vol. 3, Delhi, 1963; A.K. Warder,
Indian Kavya Literature
, vols. 3–7, Delhi, 1977–2004.

2
Sahitya-ratna-kośa
, vol. 2, (An Anthology of the Epics and the Purāṇas), eds. S.K. De and R.C. Hazra, New Delhi, 1959.

1
A scriptural text on health and longevity.
Dhanvantari is the deity of medicine.

2
Another name of the god Vishnu, the deity associated with the world’s preservation, for which he appeared in numerous incarnations.

3
Another great god, comprising with Brahma and Vishnu a divine trinity, and often depicted with a bull as his mount.

1
A reference to the nine openings of the human body. The two below are those for defecation and urination. The seven above are two each of the eyes, the ears and the nose, and one of the mouth.

2
Another allegorical reference to the human body. See the story’s epilogue.

1
Traditionally identified with the northern part of the present state of Bihar.

2
Mukti and moksha are two Sanskrit nouns with the same general meaning but different genders: the first being feminine and the second masculine. The interplay of such words is also used in classical Sanskrit as a literary embellishment for creating an effect.

3
See above note. The reference in the next sentence to Viveka serves a similar purpose by using the word both as an abstract noun and a proper noun.

1
This practice was scripturally permissibe, e.g.,
Manusmriti
, 9.22, and known as
niyoga.

An Appointment with Upakosha

1
This may refer to a king of the dynasty which preceded the Mauryan rulers in Pataliputra, fourth century
BCE
.

1
He also appears in the earlier tale ‘The Sons of Vichitra Virya’.

1
A city long known in Indian history and identified with present Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

2
Another ancient city near Rajgir in the present state of Bihar.

3
Refers to a well-known episode in the Mahābhārata in which the warrior-sage Drona is slain after being demoralized with false information that his son Ashvatthama has been killed.

4
A sea-trading city in ancient eastern India, site of Tamluk in present-day West Bengal.

5
The great god was often depicted with an entourage of half-human creatures.

6
The river in Ujjain still bears this name, as does the temple mentioned in the next sentence.

7
A sect of ascetics who carried a skull (
kapala
) and bones as a part of their distinctive garb.

8
A divine incarnation and sage whose legendary life includes this episode.

1
The story of Sita’s abduction by Ravana and rescue by Rama is well known.

2
Names of various gods.

1
Its site is considered as being near present-day Delhi.

2
The word, literally ‘Being of Wisdom’, was initially used to denote a previous incarnation of the Buddha. Later it came to mean a being destined for Buddhahood through practice of
virtue in innumerable previous lives. The deeds of the Bodhisattva are recounted in various Buddhist texts.

3
A category of semi-divine beings.

4
The Buddha, who here recounts this story of a previous birth.

1
How Indra begot the Pandava prince Arjuna on his mother Kunti is among the many stories in the Mahābhārata.

2
When the Pandava princes lost their kingdom to their opponents and cousins the Kauravas. The epic also recounts this episode in which Shakuni and Duhshasana played a leading role as the villains.

3
This refers to another legend in which Urvashi was the consort of Pururava, the forefather of the line from which both the Pandavas and the Kauravas sprang.

1
The foster-father of Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu and the main figure in the
Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa
.

2
Krishna’s divine consort, mostly depicted as his sweetheart when he was a cowherd.

3
A sage who features in this and other purāṇa texts.

4
A divine jewel worn by the god Vishnu.

5
The god of creation in the divine trinity, with Vishnu as the god of preservation and Shiva, the god of dissolution.

1
The words dharma, artha and kama have various shades of meaning. Here they broadly denote virtue, wealth and pleasure respectively, the three pursuits or objectives of worldly life, further explained in subsequent paragraphs of this story. A fourth, moksha, is a spiritual pursuit.

2
All examples from ancient mythology.

3
See the story ‘The Sons of Vichitra Viriya’.

1
The god of creation.

1
A class of demigods.

1
By mutual consent. One of the eight forms of scripturally recognized marriage.

Bhagavata Purana
, H.P. Poddar and C.L. Goswami (eds), Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Srimad Bhagavatam
(18 vols.), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (tr. and ed.), Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles, 1976.

Brhatkathaslokasamgraha, The Emperor of Sorcerers
(vol. 2), J. Mallinson (ed.), JLC Foundation, New York, 2005.

Brahmavaivarta Purana
(vols 1 and 2), Parimal Publications, Delhi.

Dasa Kumara Charitam
, N.B. Godbole and V.L.S. Pansikar (eds), Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay, 1936.

Harivamsha
, Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Jaiminiya Asvamedha Parva
, S.K. Sen (tr.),
P. Bhattacharya (ed.), Writers Workshop, Kolkata, 2008.

Kathasaritsagara, Ocean of the Rivers of Story
(vol. 1), J. Mallinson (tr.), JLC Foundation, New York, 2009.

Mahabharata
, Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Mahabharata,
Vana Parva, Book 3 (vol. 4), W. Johnson (tr. and ed.), JLC Foundation, New York, 2005.

Mahabharata,
Shalya Parva, Book 9 (vol. 2), J. Meiland (tr. and ed.), JLC Foundation, New York, 2007.

Markandeya Mahapurana
, K.N. Seth (ed.), Eastern Book Linkers, Delhi, 2005.

Matsya Mahapurana
, Parimal Sanskrit Series no. 93, Parimal Publications, Delhi, 2007.

Ramayana
, Srimad Valmikiya, Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Shuka Saptati
, R. Tripathi (ed.), Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, Varanasi, 1996.

The Heavenly Exploits—Buddhist Biographies from the Divyavadana
, J. Tatalman (ed. and tr.), JLC Foundation, New York, 2005.

Kama Sutra
Vatsyayana

Translated by A.N.D. Haksar

‘A fine new translation’—
Guardian

‘A clear and elegant new translation’

—
New York Times

Treating pleasure as an art,
Kama Sutra
is a handbook covering every aspect of love and relationships. This new edition highlights the work’s historical importance as a sophisticated guide to living well. Conveying all the original flavour and feel of this elegant, intimate and hugely enjoyable work, Haksar’s clear, accurate translation is a masterpiece of pithy description and a wry account of human desires and foibles.

The Courtesan’s Keeper / Samaya Mātrikā
Kshemendra

Translated by A.N.D. Haksar

‘A brilliant, funny, naughty translation’ —Lee Seigel

This feast of smiles was put together

giving the secret strategies

and all the tricks of courtesans

One of Kshemendra’s finest satires,
The Courtesan’s Keeper
is a delightful and rambunctious rendition of the life and times of the courtesan Kankali as she teaches the ways of the world to her ward Kalavati. From the attractive courtesan and her shrewd keeper, to the experienced barber and the avaricious trader, the book brings to life the vibrant society of Kashmir Valley a thousand years ago through a host of characters, each drawn in vivid detail. With its terse narrative, directness and economy of style and fast-paced action, the book is fully suited for the twenty-first-century reader.

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First published by Penguin Books India 2014

Copyright © A.N.D. Haksar 2014

Cover: Illustration by Finn Dean

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-0-143-41540-4

This digital edition published in 2014.
e-ISBN: 978-9-351-18624-3