Of convincing and relenting…

Read the previous part here

“Father, don’t speak this way. A man’s house is empty, without a wife. Have you not heard what Mūladeva said? When there is no woman waiting for you eagerly when you return home, you don’t have a house – it is in reality a prison, just that the chains are missing.”

“And so, promise me on my life, that you will take the other lady as your wife…”

Illustration by the renowned Karatholuvu Chandrasekaran Shivashankaran

एतत् पुत्रवचः श्रुत्वा प्रतिपद्य च तत्सखः ।
स चण्डसिंहो ऽनुसरन् पदपङ्क्तिं शनैर् ययौ ॥ १२,३१.३४ ॥

प्राप्य तच् च सरःस्थानं मुक्तातारौघमण्डिताम् ।
श्यामां चन्द्रवतीं राज्ञीं तां ददर्शावभासिताम् ॥ १२,३१.३५ ॥

लावण्यवत्या सुतया ज्योत्स्नयेवावदातया ।
नैशीं द्याम् इव मध्याह्ने तरुच्छायाम् उपाश्रिताम् ॥ १२,३१.३६ ॥

उपाययौ च पुत्रेण साकं तां स सकौतुकः ।
सापि दृष्ट्वा तम् उत्तस्थौ वित्रस्ता चौरशङ्किनी ॥ १२,३१.३७ ॥

अलं त्रासेन नाम्बैतौ चौरौ सौम्याकृती इमौ ।
सुवेषौ कौचिद् आखेटकृते नूनम् इहागतौ ॥ १२,३१.३८ ॥

इत्य् उक्ता सुतया राज्ञी यावद् दोलायते ऽत्र सा ।
तावद् अश्वावतीर्णस् ते चण्डसिंहो ऽब्रवीद् उभे ॥ १२,३१.३९ ॥

किं संभ्रमेण वाम् आवां प्रणयाद् द्रष्टुम् आगतौ ।
तद् विस्वस्य निरातङ्के वदतं के युवाम् इति ॥ १२,३१.४० ॥

Hearing his son, Caṇḍasiṃha finally relented and agreed to the proposal.

They then continued to follow the footsteps, until they reached the lake. There they saw Queen Candravatī, adorned in jewels, sitting under the shade of a tree.

She looked like the midnight sky in the middle of the day, and her daughter Lāvaṇyavatī, looked like the pure while moonlight, shining over her.

Caṇḍasiṃha and his son approached the women, but they stood up quickly, fearing that these were thieves.

Lāvaṇyavatī took a good look at the two men and said to her mother,

“Mother, I don’t think we should be afraid. They are well-dressed and seem to be well-mannered, and so don’t seem to be thieves. It may be that they came to the forest just to hunt…”

Candravatī however, continued to be apprehensive, and seeing that, Caṇḍasiṃha got down from his horse, and said to her…

हरनेत्रानलज्वालादग्धमन्मथदुःस्थिते ।
रतिप्रीती इवारण्यम् इदम् एवम् उपागते ॥ १२,३१.४१ ॥

प्रविष्टे स्थः कथं चेह बत निर्मानुषे वने ।
रत्नप्रासादवासार्हम् इदं हि युवयोर् वपुः ॥ १२,३१.४२ ॥

कथं वराङ्गनोत्सङ्गयोग्यौ कण्टकिनीम् इमाम् ।
भुवं वां चरणौ भ्रान्ताव् इति नौ मनसि व्यथा ॥ १२,३१.४३ ॥

एषा च चित्रं युवयोः पतन्ती धूलिर् आनने ।
वातोद्धूता हतच्छायम् आवयोः कुरुते मुखम् ॥ १२,३१.४४ ॥

भवत्योर् एष चाङ्गे ऽस्मिन् निपतन् पुष्पपेशले ।
किरणोष्मा दहत्य् अस्मान् उच्चण्डश् चण्डदीधितेः ॥ १२,३१.४५ ॥

तद् ब्रूतम् आत्मवृत्तान्तं दूयते हृदयं हि नः ।
द्रष्टुं न शक्नुमो ऽरण्ये स्थितिं वां स्वापदावृते ॥ १२,३१.४६ ॥

“Lady, do not be frightened. We have come here following your footsteps, out of love, so do tell us who you are…”

“You both look like Rati (attraction) and Prīti (love), the two wives of Manmatha, who have possibly come to this dense forest because of him being consumed by the fiery wrath of Śiva’.”

“And why have you come to this desolate forest? Your beauty deserves palaces, not dark woods.”

“My mind is tortured at the thought of your feet, that deserve to walk on flowers, walking on thorns instead. It seems strange that the dust raised by the wind and falling on your faces, makes us pale instead, and the fury of the fierce sun, that falls on your soft bodies, burns us instead…”

“So tell us why you both are here, for we are unable to bear the distress of seeing you in this pitiful condition!”

The queen replied…

to be continued…