Spectacles

The use of optical lenses to correct defects of vision dates back many centuries in South Asia. In fact, a few scholars have made the (highly controversial) claim that eyeglasses were invented in Southern India rather than in Italy, based on a small amount of linguistic and literary evidence. Regardless of whether this claim is true, Indic languages have long had several interesting words for spectacles (see this paper for a short account) including any Sanskrit word for eye such as नेत्र (netra), लोचन (locana), नयन (nayana), or चक्षुस् (cakSus) prefixed with उप- (upa-) which denotes "nearness, . . ., resemblance , [or] relationship, but with the idea of subordination and inferiority" (Monier-Williams). The following is the only example known to me of glasses being used as a metaphor in Sanskrit poetry.

Devanagari text:

दृश्यतेऽणुर्महत्त्वेन महानणुतया त्वया|
दिव्यदृष्टेर्न दोषोऽयं दोषोऽयमुपचक्षुषः||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

dRzyate(a)Nurmahattvena mahAnaNutayA tvayA| 

divyadRSTerna doSo(a)yaM doSo(a)yamupacakSuSaH||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: What is actually small appears large (or great) to you, and what is actually large appears small – this is not a defect of (your) divine vision but the fault of your eyeglasses.

Source: 1993 edition of Purnachandra De Udbhatasagara's anthology Udbhata Sagara (compiled in the late 19th - early 20th century), Part II (द्वितीयप्रवाहः), Verse 228.

Notes: If it was not clear already, the author is addressing a superior or benefactor who, he believes, is favoring someone unworthy ("small") and / or mistreating someone respectable ("large"). Quite cleverly, he starts by describing his addressee's innate perception as flawless with the word दिव्यदृष्टि (divyadRSTi, "divine vision"), and then attributes the latter's temporary indiscretions to the counsels of a trusted (but evil or stupid) underling who is like a lens that alters the sizes of objects in the wearer's field of vision.

I do not think this couplet is very old.  

Ten arms

Having been born and raised in an urban Bengali Shakta Hindu society, I have always envisioned Divinity as a three-eyed multi-armed lion-riding warrior princess impaling a buffalo-demon while rocking the most combat-unfriendly finery in the universe. Although the number of arms as well as the name of the buffalo-slaying form of the Mother Goddess varies across written scriptural sources, oral traditions, and artistic portrayals, her canonical depiction in Bengal has ten arms and is called Durga (based on near-identical descriptions in the Matsya and Kalika Puranas). Moreover, despite their starkly different appearances, Durga is often identified with Shiva's mild-natured wife Uma. But why does Durga have exactly ten arms? Obviously, mythographers and exegetes have come up with interesting answers to this question, but those answers are not what this post is about; this post is about a couple of mildly amusing 'fan theories' on the purpose that her ten arms are actually meant to serve.

(1) Devanagari text:

संगायन् यदशेषकौतुककथाः पञ्चाननः पञ्चभि-
र्वक्त्रैर्वाद्यविशालकैर्डमरुकोत्थानैश्च संनृत्यति|
या तस्मिन् दशबाहुभिर्दशभुजा तालं विधातुं गता
सा दुर्गा दशदिक्षु वः कलयतु श्रेयांसि नः श्रेयसे||

– रायगुणाकरोपाधिकभारतचन्द्र

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

 saMgAyan yadazesAkautukakathAH paJcAnanaH paJcabhi-
rvaktrairvAdyavizAlakairDamarukotthAnaizca saMnRtyati| 

yA tasmin dazabAhubhirdazabhujA tAlaM vidhAtuM gatA
sA durgA dazadikSu vaH kalayatu zreyAMsi naH zreyase||

– Bharat Chandra Ray-Gunakar

Loose translation: As the five-faced Shiva started dancing while singing amusing ballads non-stop to the accompaniment of the loud bangs of his double-headed drum, she appeared on the scene to clap (in appreciation or encouragement, or to keep time) with all ten hands of hers -- may that ten-armed Durga bestow welfare upon you 'in all ten cardinal directions' (i.e. everywhere you go), and hence upon us.

Source: Prefatory benediction of the unfinished multilingual play Chandi Nataka (চণ্ডীনাটক; चण्डीनाटक) by Bharat Chandra Ray-Gunakar (ভারতচন্দ্র রায়গুণাকর), the last medieval (or first modern) poet of Bengali literature. Although mainly remembered for his magnum opus Annada Mangal (অন্নদামঙ্গল), he also dabbled in poetry in multiple languages. Bharat Chandra's dates are 1712-1760, so it is safe to place this composition in the mid-18th century.

Notes: I think the author's import here is that Durga needed her five pairs of hands, one for each face of her husband. 

The last quarter suggests that this benediction was meant specifically for Bharat Chandra's patron Raja Krishnachandra -- the poet wishes the Goddess to be favorable to the unnamed person(s) to whom the snippet is addressed, which would, in turn, be conducive to the poet's own well-being.

(2) Devanagari text:

पशुपतेरखिलेषु गलेषु सा युगपदर्पयितुं कुसुमस्रजम्|
परिणये द्विभुजा हिमशैलजा दशभुजा किमभूदपि लीलया||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

pazupaterakhileSu galeSu sA yugapadarpayituM kusumasrajam| 

pariNaye dvibhujA himazailajA dazabhujA kimabhUdapi lIlayA||

– Anonymous 

Loose translation: Could it be that the two-armed daughter of the Snowy Mountains playfully assumed a ten-armed form on her wedding day just so that she could place a floral garland around each of the (five) necks of the Lord of Creatures (i.e. Shiva) all at once?

Source: 1993 edition of Udbhata Sagara (उद्भटसागर), "an ocean of epigrams", Part II (द्वितीयप्रवाहः) Verse 49: first verse of the chapter entitled zaktilIlA (शक्तिलीला), "the mirabilia of Shakti". This modern anthology was compiled by Purnachandra De Kabyaratna (1857-1946) over his lifetime.

---

Notes: You could view each of the above snippets either as an allegorical tribute to a multitasker who somehow always manages to make things work with the hopeless eccentric she chose to marry, or as the product of a patriarchal society where every aspect of a woman's life must be attributed to or associated with her husband. In either case, the Durga in these snippets appears to me to act completely out of character because, in Bengali folk mythology, almost all stories about the Mother Goddess and her husband revolve around their quarrels which she invariably wins in the end.

Professional eaters 2

Feel free to check these (1, 2) out for some background on today's couplet.

Devanagari text:

अग्र्यो भुक्तिमतां प्रयोगसमये मन्त्रेषु पृष्ठं गतः
पाकागारगतस्तु पाचकमनस्तोषाय वाचस्पतिः|
उच्चायां निरतो रतोऽर्भकगणे पिण्डेषु दत्तादरो
नानाश्राद्धगणैकचालितमना भट्टोत्तमो राजते||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

agryo bhuktimatAM prayogasamaye mantreSu pRSThaM gataH
pAkAgAragatastu pAcakamanastoSAya vAcaspatiH| 

uccAyAM nirato rato(a)rbhakagaNe piNDeSu dattAdaro
nAnAzrAddhagaNaikacAlitamanA bhaTTottamo rAjate||

– Anonymous

A. A. Ramanathan's translation, as quoted in the Mahasubhashitasangraha: The foremost among the eaters, but lagging behind in the use of mantra-s at the proper time, when in the kitchen he is the lord of speech to please the cooks[;] taking delight in the fee, interested in the children (of the donor) and careful in the balls of rice, the best of priests shines with his mind drawn to the various items of the sraddha.

Source: Subhashita Ratnakara Verse 3 of Chapter 109 entited bhikSukaguNAH (भिक्षुकगुणाः), "the qualities of beggars"; Subhashita Sudha Ratna Bhandagara, (सुभाषितसुधारत्नभाण्डागार) Verse 382.3; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara Verse 3 of Chapter 96 entitled bhikSuka (भिक्षुक), "the beggar";  Mahasubhasitasangraha Verse 246.

Notes: Showing an interest in the patrons' children is perhaps just a ploy to ingratiate oneself with the parents -- I do not think the poet is insinuating anything more sinister than that.

Some of the words used in this verse deserve special comments.

• vAcaspati (वाचस्पति), translated above as "the lord of speech": This is, in fact, the literal meaning of the word which occurs as a name repeatedly in the Rigveda. And, as is the case with most Rigvedic names, it is difficult to ascertain whom or what this word actually refers to. But, since the Puranic age, it has mostly been used as an appellation of Brihaspati.
• uccA (उच्चा), translated above as "fee": It literally means "high / tall", "loud" or "intense" (feminine), and its occurrence in this context would be utterly baffling in the absence of a gloss. Fortunately, the editors of Subhashita Ratnakara and Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara both comment that उच्चा is a code word (सांकेतिकः शब्दः) for dakSiNA (दक्षिणा), "a priest's remuneration", that is used and understood exclusively by vaidikas (वैदिक), i.e. priests adept in Vedic ceremonies. I have no way of verifying this claim.
• bhaTTottama (भट्टोत्तम), translated above as "the best of priests": Obviously, it is used sarcastically here. For a detailed exposition of the honorific bhaTTa (भट्ट), see this post.

Professional eaters 1

The job description of a Brahmin includes being treated to ritual meals as part of socio-religious ceremonies such as shraaddhas (श्राद्ध: solemnities honoring deceased ancestors), as hinted at in my previous post. There have always been men, Brahmin by birth but lacking any scholarly virtue, whose sole professional skill is to partake of such meals. In Bengali, there is a slightly pejorative term for an individual of this type: pholaare baamun (ফলারে বামুন​) where baamun is a modification of brAhmaNa (ब्राह्मण), and the adjective pholaare comes from pholaar (ফলার), "a (lacto-)vegetarian meal devoid of rice, ritually served to a Brahmin", which in turn derives from Sanskrit phalAhAra (फलाहार), "fruit-meal". Needless to say, these people were / are not held in high esteem by most of their peers, which brings us to today's quote.

This verse needs some background to be fully appreciated. While describing a skilled warrior wreaking havoc on enemy troops, it is quite common for a poet to compare him or her to a wildfire decimating a forest, or Indra's thunderbolt ripping mountains apart (perhaps an allusion to the well-known myth which states that every mountain could fly until Indra lopped their wings off with his weapon of choice to prevent these flying rocky behemoths from ruthlessly crushing lesser creatures whenever and wherever they alighted), or sometimes the rishi Agastya (अगस्त्य), also called Agasti (अगस्ति), drinking the ocean dry (in order to uncover demons who had taken refuge in its murky depths -- this legend might be based on the "calming of the waters" of the Indian Ocean with the rise of the star Agastya). 

Another point worth mentioning here is the use of two words that sound very similar:  (1) bhaTTa (भट्ट), a respectful term of address for, and an honorific often affixed to the name of, a learned Brahmin (or sometimes a prince), and the origin of present-day surnames like Bhattacharya (भट्टाचार्य) and perhaps Bhat; (2) bhaTa (भट): a soldier or hero (or, more appropriately, a mercenary, according to Monier-Williams). 

 Devanagari text:

अगस्तितुल्याश्च घृताब्धिशोषणे दम्भोलितुल्या वटकाद्रिभेदने|
शाकावलीकाननवह्निरूपास्त एव भट्टा इतरे भटाश्च||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

agastitulyAzca ghRtAbdhizoSaNe dambholitulyA vaTakAdribhedane| 

zAkAvalIkAnanavahnirUpAsta eva bhaTTA itare bhaTAzca||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: Those who are comparable to Agasti in sucking up oceans of ghee, to the thunderbolt in obliterating mountains of vadas, and to a conflagration in consuming forests of vegetables are truly bhaTTas, the rest are merely bhaTas.

Source: Verse 176 of the Mahasubhasitasangraha (महासुभाषितसङ्ग्रह), "the great collection of good sayings", edited by Ludwik Sternbach and published in 1974. It is also available in many modern anthologies including Subhashita Ratnakara as verse 164 of the chapter on miscellaneous verses (मिश्रप्रकरण); Subhashita Sudha Ratna Bhandagara, (सुभाषितसुधारत्नभाण्डागार) compiled and annotated by Pandit S. Kaviratna and published in c. 1928 (samvat 1985), as verse 382.2;  Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara as verse 2 of the chapter  entitled bhikSuka (भिक्षुक), "the beggar".

Notes:  The (synonymous) reading वटिकाद्रि instead of वटकाद्रि in the second quarter is also found. For additional notes on South Asian savory cakes, please refer to this post.

The juxtaposition of the words bhaTTa and bhaTa deserves a few remarks. Although bhaTa primarily refers to a (hired) soldier, it does have a plethora of derogatory meanings recorded by lexicographers, such as "slave" and "a degraded tribe" (म्लेच्छभेद, नीचभेद, पामरविशेष, रजनीचर). It has also been postulated that bhaTTa and bhaTa are cognate, via the Prakrit languages, with bhartR (भर्तृ: "sustainer", hence "master" or "benefactor") and bhRta (भृत: "sustained", hence "servant" or "beneficiary") respectively. Moreover, perhaps in the poet's mind, the repetition of the hard consonant T (ट्) in bhaTTa connotes a greater weight (hence, greater importance) than the single occurrence of the same in bhaTa. Whatever the rationale, it is a safe guess that the poet uses "the rest" (इतरे) in the last quarter of the verse to refer to 'other' individuals whose destructive abilities might be described using similes similar to those in the first three quarters, i.e. actual warriors, and suggests that these warriors are inferior (bhaTas) to 'destroyers' of food (bhaTTas). And, of course, all this is pure sarcasm. This multi-level wordplay would be completely lost in translation.

It would be very remiss of me if I did not mention the other important meaning of the word bhaTTa: "a mixed caste of hereditary panegyrists" (Monier-Williams), called bhaats (भाट) in many North Indian languages and often mentioned along with the chaarans (चारण). However, I do not think this meaning is applicable here since I have never found any references to these bards being treated to lavish feasts or being gluttonous in general.

A. A. Ramanathan's translation of this distich, as recorded in the Mahasubhasitasangraha: "They only are Bhatta-s [a class of good eaters] who are similar to the sage Agastya in drying up the ocean of ghee, and thunderbolt in breaking [munching] the mountain of Vataka-s [savowries [sic]] and of the form of fire in burning [consuming] the forest of vegetable [dishes]. Others are merely Bhata-s [common fighters]." I do not know the basis for translating "Bhatta-s" as "a class of good eaters".

The Fortnight of Obsequies

In many parts of South Asia, the dark fortnight over which the monsoon season gives way to early autumn is dedicated to ancestral spirits who are said to roam the earth at this time of the year. It has many names including pitripaksha (पितृपक्ष), "the fortnight of the manes", and shraaddhapaksha (श्राद्धपक्ष), "the fortnight of obsequies". During this period, ritual offerings consisting mainly of food and water are made to the deceased; Brahmins, men of the priestly caste who solemnize these ceremonies and are thus the only individuals who can make sure that those poor hungry souls get their dues before they are obliged to return to the afterworld, are also treated to lavish feasts and showered generously with gifts. The solemnities culminate on the new moon night called mahalayA amavasyA (महालया अमावस्या), which is followed by the great autumnal festival in honor of the Goddess -- feeding Brahmins is not an integral part of the latter festival.

In today's quote, a Brahmin waxes wistful about the pitripaksha after it is over, and in doing so gives us a valuable insight into what he truly cares about in life, as someone who is supposed to be a paragon of virtue, dignity, and scholarship.

Devanagari text:

भोः श्राद्धपक्ष सकलद्विजकल्पवृक्ष
क्वास्मान् विहाय गतवानसि यच्छ वाचम्|
डिण्डीरपिण्डपरिपाण्डुरपायसानि
को दास्यति त्वयि गते घृतलड्डुकानि||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

bhoH zrAddhapakSa sakaladvijakalpavRkSa
kvAsmAn vihAya gatavAnasi yaccha vAcam| 

DiNDIrapiNDaparipANDurapAyasAni
ko dAsyati tvayi gate ghRtalaDDukAni||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: O Fortnight of Obsequies! You are verily a divine wish-granting tree to all twice-born men (i.e. Brahmins)! Pray tell, where have you gone, leaving us behind? With you gone, who will now treat us to rice-and-milk pudding, as thoroughly white as cuttlebone, and laddoos prepared with clarified butter?

Source: Verse 195 of Subhashita Manjusha (सुभाषित-मंजूषा), "a box of good sayings", a multilingual (Sanskrit, various Hindustani dialects, Farsi) anthology compiled by Chaudhari Ram Singh, member of the Punjab Legislative Council, and published in 1924 CE: the first quote in the chapter titled मनोरञ्जन, "entertainment".

Notes: DiNDIra (डिण्डीर) or hiNDIra (हिण्डीर) refers to the white oval internal shell of a cuttlefish that often washes up on the shore and is used as a dietary supplement for pets. In both India and China, it has long been believed to have curative properties (for humans). In Sanskrit literature, it is frequently used in similes to describe something white. Another name for it is samudraphena (समुद्रफेन), presumably because it was thought to be congealed sea-foam.

The above anthology Subhashita Manjusha also quotes a pair of Hindi couplets in the same vein:

गये कनागत फूले कांस| ब्राह्मण रोवें चूल्हे पास||

श्राद्ध गये आये नौराते| ब्राह्मण बैठे चुप चपाते||

These roughly translate to "The fortnight of the forefathers is gone, wild sugarcanes are all abloom, Brahmins are weeping next to their (fireless) ovens. The obsequies are over, the nine-night festival is upon us, Brahmins are sulking." The common Hindustani name for this fortnight, kanaagat (कनागत), derives from Sanskrit kanyAgata (कन्यागत) - an allusion to the fact that the Sun is in the zodiac sign kanyA or Virgo during this period.

The Subhashita Ratnakara records a slight variant of today's quoted verse (verse 131 0f the chapter on miscellaneous verses):

भोः भाद्रपक्ष सकलद्विजकल्पवृक्ष क्वास्मान् विहाय गतवानसि देहि वाचम्|

डिण्डीरपिण्डपरिपाण्डुरवर्णभाजां लाभः कथं त्वयि गते घृतपायसानाम्||

This is, I think, a better version from a grammatical or stylistic point of view, although it does not mention laddoos :)

Auditory pareidolia 1: Cock-a-doodle-doo

This series is a tribute to those highly imaginative minds that have found "hidden messages" in sounds produced by both non-human life-forms and inanimate objects. Some of these onomatopoeic constructs have become part of popular culture, folklore or mythology; others were just lying in wait to be discovered and disseminated by yours truly :) 

My first offering in this series is a couple of stanzas written centuries apart in different languages but describing the same familiar sound: the crow of a rooster which, in most cultures practicing poultry farming, is synonymous with daybreak (although the bird 'can and will crow at any time of the day'). And daybreak itself means many different things to different people. 

(1)  Maharashtri Prakrit text in the Devanagari script:

चोराण कामुयाण य पामरपहियाण कुक्कुडो रडइ|
रे पलह रमह वाहयह वहह तणुइज्जए रयणी||
(चौराणां कामुकानां च कर्षकाणां पथिकानां च कुक्कुटो रटति| रे पलायत रमध्वं वाहयत (क्षेत्राणि) वहत (मार्गे) तनूभवति रजनी|| - रत्नदेव;
चौराणां कामुकानां पामरपथिकानां च कुक्कुटो रटति| रे पलायध्वं रमध्वं वाहयत वहत तनूभवति रजनी|| - विश्वनाथपाठक)

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

corANa kAmuyANa ya pAmarapahiyANa kukkuDo raDa-i| 

re palaha ramaha vAhayaha vahaha taNuijjae rayaNI||

Loose translation: The rooster says to thieves, lovers, peasants, and travelers (respectively), "Hey! Run away! Keep making love! Start drawing (your plough over the field)! Continue on your course! The night is drawing to a close!" 

Source: Vajjalaggam Verse 658.

Notes: Evidently, to our unnamed poet, a cock's crow sounded like the Prakrit words "re-palaha-ramaha-vAhayaha-vahaha!", which led him to imagine that it was a sequence of instructions for different groups of people. 

The word pAmara (पामर) usually denotes a lowly, uncultured or foolish person, but is sometimes used for "peasant". Indeed, there are words for farm workers in many languages (including "peasant" itself) that carry negative connotations. 

What seems problematic to me in this couplet is that lovers are being urged to carry on with their business although it is dawn. Lovemaking during sunrise has historically been frowned upon in many South Asian communities. Perhaps, it means that they should speed things up and "finish" before it is officially daytime? However, the above interpretation is based on the Hindi translation by Vishwanath Pathak. The verbal root √ram (√रम्) can also mean "to stop" which might be the correct interpretation in this context.

For some reason, the anthologist Jayavallabha has placed this quote in the chapter on winter (सिसिरवज्जा/शिशिरव्रज्या)!

A variant of this verse is recorded in the Anyokti Muktaavali as follows (Verse 135):

रमियाण पन्थियाण य पामरचोराण कुक्कुडो कहइ| रे रमह वहह वाहह पलायह पलयं गया रयणी||

ramiyANa panthiyANa ya pAmaracorANa kukkuDo kaha-i|  re ramaha vahaha vAhaha palAyaha palayaM gayA rayaNI||

(2) Devanagari text:

तनुजीवनयोरभेदभावं ब्रुवतोः किञ्चन कान्तयोः क्रमेण|
स्फुटमाह यमोपमस्तदानीं ककरे के चरणायुधस्य नादः||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

tanujIvanayorabhedabhAvaM bruvatoH kiJcana kAntayoH krameNa| 

sphuTamAha yamopamastadAniM kakare ke caraNAyudhasya nAdaH||

Loose translation: As the lovers were taking turns talking about (i.e., presumably, comparing their mutual attachment to) the inseparability of life and the body, the deathlike cry of the cock declared clearly "Who belongs to whom?".

Source: Vidyakara Sahasrakam Verse 698.

Notes: The (presumably) Maithili-speaking author of the above couplet heard the cock's crow as "kakare-ke?". I have interpreted this as kakara ke? (Devanagari: ककर के?) which is the (modern) Maithili equivalent of Sanskrit kasya kaH? (कस्य कः?), "Who belongs to whom?". Disclaimer: My knowledge of the Maithili language, especially of its poetic or archaic varieties, is highly limited and questionable. 

The ear-piercing call of the cockerel is likened to Yama, the Lord of Death, since it signals the end of the lovers' nocturnal escapade; the use of the well-known kenning caraNAyudha, "one who uses his foot as a weapon", to refer to the sharp-clawed fowl often used in blood sports also evokes brutality. As such, one might say that the quote is meant to convey nothing but pathos. But I prefer to think that our author is jeering at the vacuity of the sweet nothings uttered by these lovebirds engaging in a clandestine affair: They spent the night pledging their undying love and commitment to each other but, now that it is morning, they are eager to go their separate ways for fear of being caught and shamed. Or perhaps I am just being too cynical :)

The ultimate terrorist

Today's offerings come to you from poets who have definitively solved the mystery of why most Indic deities choose peculiar abodes and retreats far removed from human habitation.

(1) Devanagari text:

कमले कमला शेते हरः शेते हिमालये|
क्षीराब्धौ च हरिः शेते मन्ये मत्कुणशङ्कया||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

kamale kamalA zete haraH zete himAlaye| 

kSIrAbdhau ca hariH zete manye matkuNazaGkayA||

Loose translation: Lakshmi sleeps on a lotus, Shiva in the Himalayas, and Vishnu on the Ocean of Milk – I think it is because they are all afraid of bedbugs. 

Source: Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara, Verse 13 of the chapter on comedy; Subhashita Ratnakara, Verse 177 of the chapter on miscellaneous verses (मिश्रप्रकरण).

(2) Devanagari text:

मन्ये मत्कुणशङ्कया जलनिधौ गत्वा हरिः सुप्तवां-
स्तन्नाभ्यम्बुरुहे प्रजापतिरभूल्लक्ष्मीश्च तद्वक्षसि|
कैलासाचलमाश्रितः पशुपतिर्गौरी तदुत्सङ्गगा 
नक्षत्रग्रहमण्डलं च सकलं येषां भयाद् भ्राम्यति||
शशिदिनकरौ व्योम्नि स्वर्गे शचीहृदयेश्वरो 
धनपतिरसौ कैलासाद्रौ हरिर्मकराकरे|
शतधृतिरयं नाभौ शम्भुः श्मशानभुवं गतो 
भुजगरमणोऽधो मन्येऽहं द्रुतं किल मत्कुणात्|| 

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

manye matkuNazaGkayA jalanidhau gatvA hariH suptavAM-
stannAbhyamburuhe prajApatirabhUllakSmIzca tadvakSasi| 

kailAsAcalamAzritaH pazupatirgaurI tadutsaGgagA
nakSatragrahamaNDalaM ca sakalaM yeSAM bhayAD bhrAmyati||
zazidinakarau vyomni svarge zacIhRdayeszvaro
dhanapatirasau kailAsAdrau harirmakarAkare|
zatadhRitirayaM nAbhau zambhuH zmazAnabhuvaM gato
bhujagaramaNo(a)dho manye(a)haM drutaM kila matkuNAt||

Loose translation: I think that it is the fear of bedbugs that has forced Vishnu to make for the ocean to catch some sleep; for the same reason, Brahma dwells in the lotus that springs from Vishnu's navel, and Lakshmi on his chest (or in his heart); Shiva has taken refuge on Mount Kailasa and Gauri on Shiva's lap. (Indeed,) it is the same fear that keeps all the stars and planets moving round and round!

The Moon and the Sun reside in the sky, the lord of Shachi's heart (i.e. Indra, King of the Devas) dwells in paradise, the lord of wealth (i.e. Kubera) on Mount Kailasa, Vishnu in the abode of aquatic monsters (i.e. the ocean), Brahma on (the lotus shooting up from) Vishnu's navel, Shiva at cremation grounds, and the lord of serpents (i.e. Ananta) in the netherworld – I think it is because they were all trying to get away from bedbugs as fast as possible.

Source: Anyokti Muktaavali (अन्योक्तिमुक्तावली), "a pearl-string of allegorical writings", compiled in the 17th century (completed in 1679 CE) by the Jain scholar Hamsavijaya Gani (हंसविजयगणि), Chapter 4, Verses 20-21.

Notes: In the 18th century, Ali Muheeb Khan 'Pritam' (अली मुहीब खाँ 'प्रीतम') wrote his magnum opus Khatmal baisi (खटमल बाईसी), "twenty-two odes to the bedbug", with the same theme as the above verses, in an early Hindustani dialect. This is sometimes regarded as the first specimen of a purely comedic composition in Hindi literature; you can find some excerpts here.

Also, feel free to check this post out.