344 Liabu Rajendralala Mitra — A Picnic in Ancient India. [No. 4, 
feast, must have carved the meat before offering it to the guests, in the same 
way as is done in Persia, Arabia and other Moslim countries. It was in 
fact tire French custom of carving' cn the side-hoard, which is so fast 
gaining ground in England. The idea of such carving just before serving, is 
horrifying in India in the present day, and no meat food is dressed in 
larger pieces than what can be served to one person* Sweetmeats and 
cakes, when intended for offerings to gods, are sometimes made very bulky, 
but when prepared for man, they are seldom made larger than what would 
suffice for one individual. 
Of cakes, the text does not afford a good list, nor does it mention 
their constituents in any detail. Sugar and cheese are the only substantial 
materials named, and salt, ginger, saffron, and glii as adjuncts. The only 
three kinds of made cakes I can recognize are cirdra, a cake made of sugar 
and cocoanut gratings spiced with ginger, now called adraki ; candied sugar 
coated with tila seed — khandaka, now known as virakhandi ; and glirita- 
pwrnaJca a compound of flour, sugar, and ghi, common in the present day in 
the North-West under the name of ghewar. These were partaken along 
with wine, as dessert, after the lirst course of meat had been finished. 
It is not distinctly mentioned whether the ladies joined the party at 
the first meal, hilt as they were present at the dessert and regaled themselves 
with spirits, roasted birds, and sweetmeats ; and the elders, who did not 
partake of flesh meat and spirits, remained in the company, and made 
their repast on vegetables, fruits, curds, milk, whey, cream and the like, the 
inference becomes inevitable that the woman-kind did sit with their lords 
at the first course, and partake of the meat food. This may appear 
shocking to modern Hindu ideas of propriety, but where the whole course of 
life and rules of social relationship were entirely different, this departure 
from strict etiquette, even when opposed to the maxims and canons of the 
S astras, cannot be taken to be such as not to be probable. 
The descriptions of dancing, singing, music, and dramatic exhibitions 
speak for themselves and call for no remark. In danciDg, the practice seems 
to have been for each man to take his wife for his partner, and accordingly 
we see Baladava dancing with his wife Revati, Krishna with Satyabahma, 
and Arjuna with Subhadra. Those who had no wives with them, danced 
with public women ; but they all danced and sang together, in the same arena 
without any sort of restraint. Those who were so unfortunate as not to get 
partners danced by themselves, and often became the butt of their neighbours’ 
wit and humour. The part which the sage Niirada takes in dancing, gesticula- 
tion and mimicry, and as the butt of every practical joke, is worthy of 
particular note, as showing that the saintly character of ancient Indian sages, 
was by no means a bar to their joining in fun and frolic, and partaking of 
the pleasures of the world. Dancing with one’s own wife will doubtless 
