Note 7 — Chapter XII

There is in this country a city named Mathurá, the birthplace of Kṛishṇa, in it there was a hetæra known by the name of Rúpiṇiká; she had for a mother an old kuṭṭiní named Makaradanshṭrá, who seemed a lump of poison in the eyes of the young men attracted by her daughter’s charms. One day Rúpiṇiká went at the time of worship to the temple to perform her duty,7 and beheld from a distance a young man. When she saw that handsome young fellow, he made such an impression upon her heart, that all her mother’s instructions vanished from it. Then she said to her maid, “Go and tell this man from me, that he is to come to my house to-day.” The maid said, “So I will,” and immediately went and told him. Then the man thought a little and said to her; “I am a Bráhman named Lohajangha8; I have no wealth; then what business have I in the house of Rúpiṇiká which is only to be entered by the rich.” The maid said,—“My mistress does not desire wealth from you,”—whereupon Lohajangha consented to do as she wished. When she heard that from the maid, Rúpiṇiká went home in a state of excitement, and remained with her eyes fixed on the path by which he would come. And soon Lohajangha came to her house, while the kuṭṭiní Makaradanshṭrá looked at him, and wondered where he came from. Rúpiṇiká, for her part, when she saw him, rose up to meet him herself with the utmost respect, and clinging to his neck in her joy, led him to her own private apartments. Then she was captivated with Lohajangha’s wealth of accomplishments, and considered that she had been only born to love him. So she avoided the society of other men, and that young fellow lived with her in her house in great comfort. Rúpiṇiká’s mother, Makaradanshṭrá, who had trained up many hetæræ, was annoyed when she saw this, and said to her in private; “My daughter, why do you associate with a poor man? Hetæræ of good taste embrace a corpse in preference to a poor man. What business has a hetæra like you with affection? How have you come to forget that great principle? The light of a red9 sunset lasts but a short time, and so does the splendour of a hetæra who gives way to affection. A hetæra, like an actress, should exhibit an assumed affection in order to get wealth; so forsake this pauper, do not ruin yourself.” When she heard this speech of her mother’s, Rúpiṇiká said in a rage, “Do not talk in this way, for I love him more than my life. And as for wealth, I have plenty, what do I want with more? So you must not speak to me again, mother, in this way.” When she heard this, Makaradanshṭrá was in a rage, and she remained thinking over some device for getting rid of this Lohajangha. Then she saw coming along the road a certain Rájpút, who had spent all his wealth, surrounded by retainers with swords in their hands. So she went up to him quickly and taking him aside, said—“My house is beset by a certain poor lover. So come there yourself to-day, and take such order with him that he shall depart from my house, and do you possess my daughter.” “Agreed,” said the Rájpút, and entered that house. At that precise moment Rúpiṇiká was in the temple, and Lohajangha meanwhile was absent somewhere, and suspecting nothing, he returned to the house a moment afterwards. Immediately the retainers of the Rájpút ran upon him, and gave him severe kicks and blows on all his limbs, and then they threw him into a ditch full of all kinds of impurities, and Lohajangha with difficulty escaped from it. Then Rúpiṇiká returned to the house, and when she heard what had taken place, she was distracted with grief, so the Rájpút, seeing that, returned as he came.