2025-04-20 14:32:02 by ambuda-bot
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१०
अमरुशतकम्
she could win him in the art of love, the more so, as Sankara
had become a recluse without marrying and without leading
the life of a householder. The great Acarya found himself on
the horns of a dilemma; for if he did not answer her ques-
tions it would betray his ignorance; but if he were to answer
them it would expose him to the ridicule of the people who
naturally expected that as a celibate from his very child-
hood, he should know nothing of love. He therefore, asked
for a postponement for a month, and Maṇḍanamiśra's wife,
who was no other than Saraswati, the Goddess of Speech,
consented. He then arrived in a city whose king, Amaru by
name, had just died and already lay upon the funeral pile
to be soon incinerated. Sankara then asked his disciples to
guard his body for some time, during which, he said, it
would remain lifeless, and separating himself from his own
body, entered the dead body of Amaru. The ministers and
the ladies of the king's household, seeing the dead body
become alive again, rejoiced very much and returned home
with the king. The ladies were much pleased with the event
and thought the king himself was resuscitated by divine
power. He lived in the new body for some time, enjoying the
company of beautiful women and acquired great proficiency
in the art of love. He then suddenly quit the body of Amaru
and entered again his lifeless body carefully guarded by his
disciples. Then he went to Saraswati, and began a debate
with her on a most abstruse point of the art of love and
thoroughly vanquished her. The poet Madhava says that
having very carefully studied the Kāmasūtras of Vätsyayana
and the commentary thereon, Sankara, while dwelling in the
body of the king, composed a novel treatise on the art of
love. The Amaruśataka is said to have been that work,
7 वात्स्यायनप्रोदितसूत्रजातं तदीयभाप्यं च विलोक्य सम्यक् । स्वयं
व्यवसाभिनवार्थगर्भ निबन्धमेकं नृपवेषधारी ॥
अमरुशतकम्
she could win him in the art of love, the more so, as Sankara
had become a recluse without marrying and without leading
the life of a householder. The great Acarya found himself on
the horns of a dilemma; for if he did not answer her ques-
tions it would betray his ignorance; but if he were to answer
them it would expose him to the ridicule of the people who
naturally expected that as a celibate from his very child-
hood, he should know nothing of love. He therefore, asked
for a postponement for a month, and Maṇḍanamiśra's wife,
who was no other than Saraswati, the Goddess of Speech,
consented. He then arrived in a city whose king, Amaru by
name, had just died and already lay upon the funeral pile
to be soon incinerated. Sankara then asked his disciples to
guard his body for some time, during which, he said, it
would remain lifeless, and separating himself from his own
body, entered the dead body of Amaru. The ministers and
the ladies of the king's household, seeing the dead body
become alive again, rejoiced very much and returned home
with the king. The ladies were much pleased with the event
and thought the king himself was resuscitated by divine
power. He lived in the new body for some time, enjoying the
company of beautiful women and acquired great proficiency
in the art of love. He then suddenly quit the body of Amaru
and entered again his lifeless body carefully guarded by his
disciples. Then he went to Saraswati, and began a debate
with her on a most abstruse point of the art of love and
thoroughly vanquished her. The poet Madhava says that
having very carefully studied the Kāmasūtras of Vätsyayana
and the commentary thereon, Sankara, while dwelling in the
body of the king, composed a novel treatise on the art of
love. The Amaruśataka is said to have been that work,
7 वात्स्यायनप्रोदितसूत्रजातं तदीयभाप्यं च विलोक्य सम्यक् । स्वयं
व्यवसाभिनवार्थगर्भ निबन्धमेकं नृपवेषधारी ॥