Satisfaction, and a question…

Read the previous part here

This time, Buddhiśarīra didn’t wait for VajraMukuta to question him, instead, he took the prince aside and said “Don’t despair once again, my friend. By marking the old lady with three fingers dipped in red dye, she has conveyed that she has her period for the next three days, and hence cannot meet with you.”

On the fourth day, Buddhiśarīra again sent the old woman to Padmāvatī.

Illustration by the renowned Karatholuvu Chandrasekaran Shivashankaran

एवम् उक्त्वा नृपसुतं मन्त्रिपुत्रस् त्र्यहे गते ।
पद्मावत्यै पुनस् तस्यै वृद्धां तां प्रजिघाय सः ॥ १२,८.११४ ॥

सा गता मन्दिरं तस्यास् तया संमान्य भोजिता ।
प्रीत्या पानादिलीलाभिर् दिनं चात्र विनोदिता ॥ १२,८.११५ ॥

सायं च यावत् सा वृद्धा गृहम् आगन्तुम् इच्छति ।
उदभूद् भयकृत् तावत् तत्र कोलाहलो बहिः ॥ १२,८.११६ ॥

हा हा भ्रष्टो ऽयम् आलानाज् जनान् मथ्नन् प्रधावति ।
मत्तहस्तीति लोकस्य तत्राक्रन्दो ऽथ शुश्रुवे ॥ १२,८.११७ ॥

ततः पद्मावती सा तां वृद्धाम् एवम् अभाषत ।
स्पष्टेन हस्तिरुद्धेन गन्तुं युक्तं न ते पथा ॥ १२,८.११८ ॥

तत् पीठिकां समारोप्य बद्धालम्बनरज्जुकाम् ।
बृहद्गवाक्षेणानेन त्वाम् अत्र प्रक्षिपामहे ॥ १२,८.११९ ॥

गृहोद्याने ततो वृक्षम् आरुह्यामुं विलङ्घ्य च ।
प्राकारम् अवरुह्यान्यवृक्षेण स्वगृहं व्रज ॥ १२,८.१२० ॥

इत्य् उक्त्वा सा गवाक्षेण क्षेपयामास तत्र ताम् ।
वृद्धां चेटीभिर् उद्याने रज्जुपीठिकया ततः ॥ १२,८.१२१ ॥

This time, Padmāvatī welcomed the old woman lovingly, served her good food to eat, and entertained her with sweet talk and refreshments. By evening, as the old woman was preparing to go back home, they heard a big commotion outside.

People were running helter-skelter screaming “Run! Run! There is a mad elephant on the loose, and he is running about trampling men to death!”

Padmāvatī said to the old woman “The public roads are unsafe now, because that elephant is on the loose. But don’t you worry. I have a solution. I have a seat here, with a rope fastened to it; you can sit on it and I will let you down slowly through this big window here onto the garden, and you can then cross the dense shrubbery that leads directly to your backyard.”

The old woman agreed, and Padmāvatī, with the help of her maids, lowered her to the garden.

साथ गत्वा यथोक्तेन पथा सर्वं शशंस तत् ।
यथावद् राजपुत्राय तस्मै मन्त्रिसुताय च ॥ १२,८.१२२ ॥

ततः स मन्त्रिपुत्रस् तं राजपुत्रम् अभाषत ।
सिद्धं तवेष्टं मार्गो हि युक्त्या ते दर्शितस् तया ॥ १२,८.१२३ ॥

तद् गच्छाद्यैव तत्र त्वं प्रदोषे ऽस्मिन् नृपागते ।
एतेनैव पथा तस्याः प्रियाया मन्दिरं विश ॥ १२,८.१२४ ॥

इत्य् उक्तस् तेन तद्युक्तो राजपुत्रो ययौ स तत् ।
उद्यानं वृद्धयोक्तेन तेन प्राकारवर्त्मना ॥ १२,८.१२५ ॥

तत्रापश्यच् च रज्जुं तां लम्बमानां सपीठिकाम् ।
मार्गोन्मुखाभिश् चेटीभिर् उपरिष्टाद् अधिष्ठिताम् ॥ १२,८.१२६ ॥

आरूढस् तां च दृष्ट्वैव दासीभिस् ताभिर् आशु सः ।
रज्जूत्क्षिप्तो गवाक्षेण प्रविवेश प्रियान्तिकम् ॥ १२,८.१२७ ॥

तस्मिन् प्रविष्टे स ययौ मन्त्रिपुत्रः स्वम् आस्पदम् ।
राजपुत्रस् तु तां पद्मावतीं तत्र ददर्श सः ॥ १२,८.१२८ ॥

पूर्णामृतांशुवदनां प्रसरत्कान्तिचन्द्रकाम् ।
कृष्णपक्षभयाद् गुप्तस्थितां राकानिशाम् इव ॥ १२,८.१२९ ॥

सापि दृष्ट्वा तम् उत्थाय चिरौत्सुक्योचितैस् ततः ।
कण्ठग्रहादिभिस् तैस् तैर् उपचारैर् अमानयत् ॥ १२,८.१३० ॥

ततस् तया स गान्धर्वविधिनोदूढया सह ।
गुप्तं राजसुतस् तस्थौ पूर्णेच्छस् तत्र कान्तया ॥ १२,८.१३१ ॥

The old lady went through the shrubs, and reached her hut safely. Once there, she narrated the incident, exactly as it happened, to VajraMukuta and Buddhiśarīra, who turned to the prince and gave him a broad smile.

“What you desired is now accomplished, my friend. Padmāvatī has shown you the way though which you can meet her in secret! Go the same way as soon as night sets in, and meet your beloved…”

As night set in, Buddhiśarīra and VajraMukuta took the route of the shrubs to the garden, and there they saw a seat dangling from a thick rope. They glanced upwards, and saw a group of maids giggling and whispering, seemingly waiting for the prince to sit on the seat, so that he could be pulled up through the window. Buddhiśarīra hugged his friend and returned the way from where they had come, and the prince made his way up, pulled ably by the maids.

As soon as he entered through the window, he saw Padmāvatī. Her face, radiant like the full moon, shining as if it had finally been uncovered after a long eclipse.

As soon as she saw him, she rose and rushed to him, embracing him tightly, never to let go again. The lovers could not wait for social sanction – they had a gāndharva marriage and were inseparable for many days and nights.

स्थित्वा चाहानि कतिचिद् रात्रौ ताम् अवदत् प्रियाम् ।
सखा मम सहायातो मन्त्रिपुत्र इति स्थितः ॥ १२,८.१३२ ॥

स चात्र तिष्ठत्य् एकाकी त्वज्ज्येष्ठतरिकागृहे ।
गत्वा संभाव्य तं तन्वि पुन एष्यामि ते ऽन्तिकम् ॥ १२,८.१३३ ॥

तच् छ्रुत्वा तम् अवोचत् सा धूर्ता पद्मावती प्रियम् ।
हन्तार्यपुत्र पृच्छामि ताः संज्ञा मत्कृतास् त्वया ॥ १२,८.१३४ ॥

One night, VajraMukuta told Padmāvatī “My love, as you are aware, I did not come here alone. My friend Buddhiśarīra, who is the son of a minister, had accompanied me, and is presently staying at the old woman’s house. I must pay him a visit, and a quick one, for I cannot bear separation from you.”

When the cunning Padmāvatī heard this, she replied sweetly “My love, I have a question to ask you. Were you the one to guess correctly the subtle signs that I had made, or was it your friend Buddhiśarīra?

The prince replied…

to be continued…