536 PANDANACE^. 



for all its defects, is a great favourite with Vislinu and Krishna, 

 and its flower-leaves are much worn by women in their hair. 

 The poets also celebrate its perfume. In the play of Malati 

 and Madhava, the latter says: 



The slowly rising breezes spread around 

 The grateful fragrance of the Ketaka. 



A strophe quoted by Bohtlingk [Indische 8priiche, i., 2083) 

 savs : — The drunken bee mistakes the ffolden flowers of the 



Ketaka for a lotus, and blinded by desire rushes into the flower 

 and leaves his wings behind him. In the Gita Govinda, the 

 bracts are likened to a lance fit to pierce the hearts of lovers, 

 and the opening buds of the Jasmine are supposed to be im- 

 pregnated by its pollen. 



The defects of this plant are described as its crookedness, 

 abundance of thoras (suchi-pushpa), and the desert places which 

 it selects for a habitation. The Ketaka is obnoxious to Siva, 



and the following stoiy is told to account for his hatred of the 

 tree : Gambling with Parvati he is said to have lost every- 

 thing he possessed, even to down the clothes upon his back. In 

 a fit of repentance he wandered away and was lost, to his 

 friends, who afterwards discovered that he had retired into a 

 forest of Ketaka trees and had become an ascetic. Parvati, 

 having assumed the form of a Bhil damsel with Ketaka in her 

 hair, followed him into the forest, and havintr succeeded in 

 making him break his vow afterwards upbraided him for incon- 

 stancy ; whereupon he cursed the Ketaka and any one who 

 should offer its flowers at his shrine. This episode is the sub- 

 ject of a well-known Marathi laoni : 



Siva sathi jhali bhilina 



Jaga mohini Girja jliali udasa. 



Unhappy Girje, erst the world's ador'd 



A gipsy maid now, seeks for Shiv her lord. 



According to the Nighantas, the plant has bitter, sweet, 

 light, and pungent properties, and removes phlegmatic humors. 



In Persia it is called Kadi, Gulkiri, and Gul-i-kahadi : the 

 Arabs call it Kadi and Kadar. Razi recommends it in leprosy 



