annoyance, ‘I must have some wine.’
She hung her head and said, ‘Prince, the Queen has directed that wine may not be kept here.’
Is woman naturally intuitive? Or is it that she is very conscious of the power of her beauty?
Her eyes were cast down. How then did she know that I was devouring her with greedy eyes? For a moment she looked up. It felt like lightning in a clear sky. The enchanting smile and the dimple on her cheeks — I saw for an instant all this in the intoxicating golden glow.
I looked again. Mukulika was looking down. She was very near my bed. I had not taken wine but intoxication was coursing through my body. The next moment Father’s words. ‘Yayu, hold me. I want to live,’ were humming in my ears. I said, ‘Has Mother directed that wine is not to be kept here?’
‘This is a peaceful retreat far from the town. All the visiting rishis and ascetics are lodged here. There should not be on the premises things which are impure to them.’
Those piteous cries of Father were humming in my ears again. I was trembling all over. I was frightened of being alone. I wanted support. I turned on my side and held Mukulika’s hand.
That night!
Again and again I say to myself — I should be reticent about that night! Nothing at all should be said.
But I am going to bare my heart. It would be wrong if some parts of it remained in darkness when laying it bare. Coyness is the ornament of beauty, not of truth. Truth is naked like a new born babe. It must always be so.
That night I lay in Mukulika’s arms — No!
Mukulika lay in mine. No!
Even the God of Love himself would not be able to tell who was in whose arms that night.
I had only to take her hand in mine! That was enough to snap the bonds of the world! I was no longer prince nor she a maid. We were just two lovers. Two birds, two stars —
As soon as I put my lips to Mukulika’s my fear of death vanished.
That night, how often must we have kissed each other! Can one count the number of stars in the sky?
I had read poems of the beauty of women and I had been vaguely attracted by it for some years. The mad excitement of union with a beautiful young maiden and the spray of heavenly bliss which emanated from every part of her being, I experienced for the first time that night. I was wildly intoxicated with it.
I was woken up from the reverie by the twittering of birds. I looked out of the window. The chariot of the Sun was fast rolling up the Eastern Gateway. The golden dust raised by its wheels was very enchanting.
I sat up in bed. In utter dejection had I come to this bed last night. It was the same room, the same walls, the same bed and the same trees outside the window — but in that one night they had apparently been reborn. Now everything added to the happy mood gushing out of my limbs. The trees looked more green, the song of the birds sounded sweeter, even the walls of the room seemed to be winking at each other pleased that they had been witness to the greatest mystery on earth.
Mukulika came in to see if I had got up. She came near and said, ‘Did you sleep well?’
What a superb actress Mukulika was! Last night she had played the role of a lover to perfection. And now she was acting a maid just as well.
Unconsciously, I called Mukulika. She stopped and looked back. Then she quickly came to the bed saying, ‘Did you call for me, Prince?’
I had called to her, but why? I myself do not know. I kept quiet.
On this, she folded her hands and said softly. ‘Have I done anything wrong?’
‘You have done nothing wrong ... I have.’ I wanted to say some such thing but that was only in my mind. In fact, I said nothing. Just then one of her assistants entered in a hurry. The maid handed a letter sent by the Prime Minister and went out.
It was a letter from Kacha. It said:
Prince, I am also having to leave here after you. We saw the sacrifice for peace through. War between the gods and demons has flared up. You may recall that
She hung her head and said, ‘Prince, the Queen has directed that wine may not be kept here.’
Is woman naturally intuitive? Or is it that she is very conscious of the power of her beauty?
Her eyes were cast down. How then did she know that I was devouring her with greedy eyes? For a moment she looked up. It felt like lightning in a clear sky. The enchanting smile and the dimple on her cheeks — I saw for an instant all this in the intoxicating golden glow.
I looked again. Mukulika was looking down. She was very near my bed. I had not taken wine but intoxication was coursing through my body. The next moment Father’s words. ‘Yayu, hold me. I want to live,’ were humming in my ears. I said, ‘Has Mother directed that wine is not to be kept here?’
‘This is a peaceful retreat far from the town. All the visiting rishis and ascetics are lodged here. There should not be on the premises things which are impure to them.’
Those piteous cries of Father were humming in my ears again. I was trembling all over. I was frightened of being alone. I wanted support. I turned on my side and held Mukulika’s hand.
That night!
Again and again I say to myself — I should be reticent about that night! Nothing at all should be said.
But I am going to bare my heart. It would be wrong if some parts of it remained in darkness when laying it bare. Coyness is the ornament of beauty, not of truth. Truth is naked like a new born babe. It must always be so.
That night I lay in Mukulika’s arms — No!
Mukulika lay in mine. No!
Even the God of Love himself would not be able to tell who was in whose arms that night.
I had only to take her hand in mine! That was enough to snap the bonds of the world! I was no longer prince nor she a maid. We were just two lovers. Two birds, two stars —
As soon as I put my lips to Mukulika’s my fear of death vanished.
That night, how often must we have kissed each other! Can one count the number of stars in the sky?
I had read poems of the beauty of women and I had been vaguely attracted by it for some years. The mad excitement of union with a beautiful young maiden and the spray of heavenly bliss which emanated from every part of her being, I experienced for the first time that night. I was wildly intoxicated with it.
I was woken up from the reverie by the twittering of birds. I looked out of the window. The chariot of the Sun was fast rolling up the Eastern Gateway. The golden dust raised by its wheels was very enchanting.
I sat up in bed. In utter dejection had I come to this bed last night. It was the same room, the same walls, the same bed and the same trees outside the window — but in that one night they had apparently been reborn. Now everything added to the happy mood gushing out of my limbs. The trees looked more green, the song of the birds sounded sweeter, even the walls of the room seemed to be winking at each other pleased that they had been witness to the greatest mystery on earth.
Mukulika came in to see if I had got up. She came near and said, ‘Did you sleep well?’
What a superb actress Mukulika was! Last night she had played the role of a lover to perfection. And now she was acting a maid just as well.
Unconsciously, I called Mukulika. She stopped and looked back. Then she quickly came to the bed saying, ‘Did you call for me, Prince?’
I had called to her, but why? I myself do not know. I kept quiet.
On this, she folded her hands and said softly. ‘Have I done anything wrong?’
‘You have done nothing wrong ... I have.’ I wanted to say some such thing but that was only in my mind. In fact, I said nothing. Just then one of her assistants entered in a hurry. The maid handed a letter sent by the Prime Minister and went out.
It was a letter from Kacha. It said:
Prince, I am also having to leave here after you. We saw the sacrifice for peace through. War between the gods and demons has flared up. You may recall that
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