Read the previous part here…
Even the evening sun sank slowly into the horizon, red, as if inflamed by the sinking passions in the young merchant’s heart. And the moon, that was easily surpassed by her beauty, rose slowly upwards, comforted that she had retired for the night. Dharmadatta went home and lay on his bed, tossing and turning in the moonlight, which he thought was a poor substitute for the beauty of the maiden that he had witnessed earlier.
तावद् गत्वा गृहं तां स धर्मदत्तो ऽनुचिन्तयन् ।
तस्थौ निपत्य शयने चन्द्रपादाहतो लुठन् ॥ १२,१७.१४ ॥
यत्नेन पृच्छ्यमानो ऽपि सखिभिर् बन्धुभिस् तथा ।
न किंचित् कथयाम् आस स्मरग्रहविमोहितः ॥ १२,१७.१५ ॥
निशि कृच्छ्राच् च संप्राप्तनिद्रः स्वप्ने तथैव ताम् ।
पश्यन्न् अनुनयन् कान्तां किं किं चक्रे न सोत्सुकः ॥ १२,१७.१६ ॥
प्रातः प्रबुद्धो गत्वा च ददर्शैकाकिनीं रहः ।
सखीं प्रतीक्षमानां तां तत्रोद्यानस्थितां पुनः ॥ १२,१७.१७ ॥
उपेत्य च परिष्वङ्गलालसः प्रेमपेशलैः ।
ताम् उपच्छन्दयामास वचोभिश् चरणानतः ॥ १२,१७.१८ ॥
कन्याहं परदाराश् च न तवास्मीह संप्रतम् ।
पित्रा समुद्रदत्ताय दत्ताहं वणिजे यतः ॥ १२,१७.१९ ॥
दिनैः कतिपयैर् एव विवाहो भविता च मे ।
तद् गच्छ तूष्णीं मा कश्चित् पश्येद् दोषो भवेत् ततः ॥ १२,१७.२० ॥
इत्य् उक्तः स तयात्य् अर्थं धर्मदत्तो जगाद ताम् ।
यद् अस्तु मे न जीवेयं विना हि भवतीम् अहम् ॥ १२,१७.२१ ॥
तच् छ्रुत्वा सा वणिक्कन्या बलात्कारभयाकुला ।
तम् उवाच विवाहो मे तावत् संपद्यताम् इह ॥ १२,१७.२२ ॥
कन्यादानफलं तातः प्राप्नोतु चिरकाङ्क्षितम् ।
ततो ऽहं त्वाम् उपैष्यामि निश्चितं प्रणयार्जिता ॥ १२,१७.२३ ॥
श्रुत्वैतत् सो ऽब्रवीन् नेष्टा ह्य् अन्यपूर्वा मम प्रिया ।
परभुक्ते हि कमले किम् अलेर् जायते रतिः ॥ १२,१७.२४ ॥
His relatives and friends questioned him a lot, but he was unable to give them an answer, since he had been bitten by the bug of love. And after a long time, when he finally managed to fall asleep, he saw her in his dreams as well, such was his longing for her!
The next morning, when he woke up, he rushed back to the garden, and saw her standing there alone, waiting for her friends.
He approached her, and controlling his urge to embrace her there and then, fell at her feet in an attempt to please her and show her the affection that he had towards her.
Madanasenā smiled and said…
“I am a maiden, but I belong to someone else now. I cannot be yours, since my father has fixed my marriage to a merchant named Samudradatta, and I will be married in a few days. So please go away from here, else I will be in trouble…”
Madanasenā started to get apprehensive, thinking that Dharmadatta may end up forcing her. And so she said “Let me get married first, so that my family is not accused of not giving away a virgin daughter. That would spoil the reputation of my family and would cause them pain. However, once I am married, I will come and visit you to spend time with you, since you have managed to win my heart with your relentless love.”
Dharmadatta didn’t give up. “My dear, there is no way I can live without you. I will have to end my life, right here and now, if you are not mine.”
“How can I love a woman who has been enjoyed by another man?”, said Dharmadatta. “A bee does not visit a lotus flower, that has been enjoyed by another bee beforehand.”
इत्य् उक्ता तेन सावादीत् कृतोद्वाहैव तर्ह्य् अहम् ।
पूर्वं त्वाम् उपयास्यामि ततो ऽभ्येष्यामि तं पतिम् ॥ १२,१७.२५ ॥
एवम् उक्तवतीं तस्मिन् नोज्झति प्रत्ययं विना ।
वणिक्पुत्रे सशपथं सत्यवाचं बबन्ध सा ॥ १२,१७.२६ ॥
ततस् तेनोज्झता विग्ना सा विवेश स्वमन्दिरम् ।
प्राप्ते च लग्नदिवसे निर्वृत्तोद्वाहमङ्गला ॥ १२,१७.२७ ॥
गत्वा पतिगृहं नीत्वा सोत्सवेन च तद्दिनम् ।
सा पत्या समम् अध्यास्त शयनीयगृहं निशि ॥ १२,१७.२८ ॥
तत्र शय्यानिषण्णापि न तस्य प्रत्यपद्यत ।
पत्युः समुद्रदत्तस्य परिष्वङ्गम् असंमुखी ॥ १२,१७.२९ ॥
तेनानुनीयमानापि यद् उदश्रुर् बभूव सा ।
तत् स नाभिमतो ऽस्म्य् अस्या नूनम् इत्य् अकरोद् धृदि ॥ १२,१७.३० ॥
जगाद चानभिमतो यद्य् अहं तव सुन्दरि ।
तन् मे नार्थस् त्वया गच्छ यः प्रियस् तव तं प्रति ॥ १२,१७.३१ ॥
तच् छ्रुत्वा सा नतमुखी शनैर् एवम् उवाच तम् ।
त्वं मे प्राणाधिकः प्रेयान् विज्ञप्तिं किं तु मे शृणु ॥ १२,१७.३२ ॥
अनुतिष्ठ सहर्षं च प्रयच्छ च ममाभयम् ।
कुरुष्व शपथं यावद् आर्यपुत्र वदामि ते ॥ १२,१७.३३ ॥
एवम् उक्तवती कृच्छ्रात् तथा तेन कृते पुनः ।
सलज्जं सविषादं च सभयं च जगाद सा ॥ १२,१७.३४ ॥
“In that case, I will first come to you once I am married, and only after you are satisfied, will I go to my husband”, replied Madanasenā.
Even though she told him this, Dharmadatta was not convinced. She had to promise him and give him her word, and only then did he let her go. Madanasenā went back home, dejected with what had happened.
The wedding daya arrived soon. The marriage was conducted at the auspicious muhurata, and after the festivities at the bride’s place, the newly-weds went back to the groom’s house, where they spent the rest of the day with the guests, and then retired into their well-decorated room at night.
The groom then tried to get close, but every time he tried to embrace her, she resisted. She then burst into tears when he persisted, and the groom wondered if she didn’t like him in the first place, or worse still, if she loved someone else.
“My dear, if you do not love me, and I don’t want to force you. If you love someone else, you are free to go to him, I will not hold you back…” he said.
When she heard this, she wiped her tears and said softly “I love you more than I love myself, but please hear what I have to say to you. I have a request though – promise me that you will not punish me or think low of me, once I tell you what I have to say.
Her husband replied…
to be continued…