पृष्ठ:पदुमावति.djvu/४०

24 PADUMĀWATI. [48-49. by day, blaze like luminants. The very sun, moon and stars hide themselves before the glory of the palace. As we have heard tales of the seven heavens, so were arranged the seven stovies, each separately, one above the other. 49. I would tell of the women's quarter of the palace, like Kailāsa 2 filled with nymphs. Sixteen thousand queens, all Padminis, & are there, each more beauteous than the other. Very lovely are they and very, tender, living on betel and on flowers. Above them all is Queen Campāvati, the chief queen of exquisite loveliness. She sitteth upon her throne in all her grace, reverenced by all the queens. Ever varying in her moods and brilliant is she, --in her first prime," without a rival. Chosen from all lands was she, amongst them all a perfect sun.. Maidens with all the thirty-two points of excellence are there, and amongst them all is she matchless. Every one in Simhala telleth the tale of her beauty 1 See v. i, 5. 2 Again, it is Indra's heaven, not Çiva's which is filled with houris. 3 'See v. xxv, p. 1. 4 According to Hindu rhetoricians heroines are of three kinds, the mugdhā or the Artless, the madhya or the Adolescent, and the praudhā or pragalbhà, the Matare, perfect in form, and experient in all the arts of love. Campavati was a praudha. 6 The 12 kinds, refer to the twelve digits (kala) of the sun. She was the sun in all its twelve digits, i.e., complete. 8 The thirty-two points of a woman will be found described in the commentary. Some of them will not bear translation into English.