Hasyarnava (हास्यार्णव), "the ocean of laughter / comedy", a prahasana (प्रहसन) or farce authored by the Bengali playwright Jagadishwara Bhattacharya, is a "severe but grossly indelicate satire"1 of uncertain date (it is placed in the mid-18th century by the scholar Kali Kumar Dutta Shastri). At one point in the play, Kumativarman (कुमतिवर्मन्), the minister of the king Anayasindhu (अनयसिन्धु), is asked by Bandhura (बन्धुरा), an aged madam, in the presence of the king, to describe the queen consort; the minister satisfies her curiosity with the following stanza.
Devanagari text:
Devanagari text:
दर्शेन्दुतुल्यवदनाञ्जनपुञ्जगौरी
मार्जारचारुनयना घटपीनमध्या|
प्रोत्तुङ्गपीनकुचचुम्बितनाभिदेशा
त्रैलोक्यमोहवसतिः खलु कामिनी सा||
मार्जारचारुनयना घटपीनमध्या|
प्रोत्तुङ्गपीनकुचचुम्बितनाभिदेशा
त्रैलोक्यमोहवसतिः खलु कामिनी सा||
– जगदीश्वरभट्टाचार्य
Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:
darzendutulyavadanAJjanapuJjagaurI
mArjAracArunayanA ghaTapInamadhyA|
mArjAracArunayanA ghaTapInamadhyA|
prottuGgapInakucacumbitanAbhidezA
trailokyamohavasatiH khalu kAminI sA||
trailokyamohavasatiH khalu kAminI sA||
– jagadIzvarabhaTTAcArya
Loose translation: That lady, whose face resembles the new moon, who is as 'fair' as a heap of kohl, whose eyes are as 'beautiful' as those of a cat, whose midriff is as bloated as that of a pitcher, and whose 'prominent and plump' breasts (appear to) kiss her navel, is verily a source of 'amazement' for (the inhabitants) of all three worlds.
Notes: Of course, the parts गौरी, चारु, प्रोत्तुङ्गपीन (corresponding to the words in quotes in the above translation) are used ironically. Moreover, मोह can be interpreted as "amazement" or "enchantment" (as I have done above), assuming that the speaker is being sarcastic, or as "fainting / loss of consciousness", if you want to take him literally.
1 Friedrich von Adelung, An Historical Sketch Of Sanscrit Literature: With Copious Bibliographical Notices Of Sanscrit Works And Translations, 1832.↩
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