332 



REVIEW OF THE NISHADHA CHARITA, 



The night and his bed were witnesses of his wakeful distress, ^if^jj^ witness and 

 l^Wl'^TiT^T soft a hare's breast, or beautiful by Avhat has a hare in its bosom, apply to both 

 t^STT and TH^x 



Then the King entered the pleasure ground with a desire to compose himself as Haki entered 

 tlae overshaded deep. Here the adjective If ^T^'?;! J I f^ZcT applies to ^X*l«r the wood and 

 ^'R^'Eltf'Tf^ the deep : signifying for the first, variegated with new leaves, and for the second, 

 variegated with coral. 



The similarity between the Moon and Garuda being seen by Vishnu, they were both properly 

 engaged in his service. Xp^J^TW applying to the former signifies having phases ; to the latter 

 having wings. So f^'SflfV*!!'^ applying to the former means Lord of the Kshatriyas ; to the 

 latter Lord of birds. So '^fi^amf^srcf having on it a deer, or having on it Vishnu. And so 

 t^^TSiT «Rr«Tf^niT^T appointed for an eye* or for carrying. 



To such an extent is this play upon words sometimes carried that 

 in the Thirteenth Book, where Saraswati, the goddess of speech, is des- 

 cribing the character of individuals of very opposite qualities, one being 

 human and the other divine, she is exhibited as possessing such power 

 over language as to make each verse tell alike upon the character of one 

 and all, and hence though several are spoken of, each one supposes him- 

 self the person intended. This of course could be effected only by a choice 

 of such nouns and adjectives as have several different meanings, and such 

 it is by no means difficult either to find, or manufacture in Sanscrit. 



* The Moon is regarded as one of Vishnu's eyes. 



