266 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIII, 



Queen. I want her very much to be married. But to part 

 with her is so hard. To whom will she be given ? 



Mahasena. We have not yet arrived at any decision. • 



Queen. Not yet ? 



Mahasena (aside). That's just the trouble : 



1 Tis shameful if the child remains a spinster ; 

 And if she leaves her mother's arms, it's tears. 

 Thus love and duty wring a mother's heart ; 

 Whate'er she does it's misery for her. 



(Aloud). Anyhow our Vasavadatta has attained the age 

 when she should attend to her father-in-law. To-day another 

 embassy has arrived, Jaivanti, the teacher of the Maharajah of 

 Benares. I must say this suit rather attracts me. All I have 

 heard about the prince is very much to his advantage. (Aside) 

 She does not say anything. Of course how can she speak when 

 she is crying. Well I shall tell her every thing in detail. (Aloud) 

 Now listen my dear, I want to tell you which princes wish to 

 marry into our family. 



Queen. What is the good of going into all these details ? 

 Give her to a good man with whom she won't be unhappy after- 

 wards. 



Mahasena. Oh no, this won't do. It's easy for you now to 

 say, Chose a husband. But who will have to bear the blame 

 if things go wrong ? Kindly choose yourself, my queen. Listen 

 now. There are several princes who wish to marry into our 

 family ; the King of Magadha, the princes of Benares and 

 Bengal, the Lords of Surashtra and Mithili and the prince of 

 Shurasena. All are very eligible suitors. Each of them has 

 highly attractive qualities. Now whom do you want to become 

 our daughter's husband ? 



(Enter chamberlain in great hurry). 



Chamberlain. The King of Vatsa. 



With this dramatic effect— the chamberlain merely wants 

 to announce the capture of Udayana, but anticipates without 

 knowing it the final result— ends this scene. It is a pretty 

 example of our poet's power to draw a life-like picture with a 

 few deft dashes. 



Here we have the loving and worried father, the courteous 

 husband, patient and full of understanding for his wife's 

 troubles ; on the other hand, the mother led onlv by instincts 



i u h !i f ° rCe ° f custorn f even the flattering courtier is clearh 

 sketched with a few words. Mahasena is a man of impulses. 

 He is quick to hate and as quick to forgive. In his first joy 

 over the capture of Udayana he orders that the prisoner should 

 be shown to all the people " like a lion captured for sacrifice. 

 Kut as soon as he hears that the prisoner is severely wounded 

 his generosity, which is very often a marked feature of quick- 



