Canonical Ref: SL 59
Sanskrit (Devanāgarī)
स्फुरद्गण्डाभोगप्रतिफलितताटङ्कयुगलं
चतुश्चक्रं मन्ये तवमुखमिदं मन्मथरथम् ।
यमारुह्यद्रुह्यत्यवनिरथमर्केन्दुचरणं
महावीरो मारः प्रमथपतये सज्जितवते ॥ ५९॥
चतुश्चक्रं मन्ये तवमुखमिदं मन्मथरथम् ।
यमारुह्यद्रुह्यत्यवनिरथमर्केन्दुचरणं
महावीरो मारः प्रमथपतये सज्जितवते ॥ ५९॥
English Scholarly Translation
This face of yours — with the pair of earrings reflected in the glowing expanse of the cheeks — I
consider to be Manmatha's four-wheeled chariot; mounting which, the great hero Māra (Kāma) attacks Śiva,
the lord of the Pramathas — who uses the earth as his chariot and has the sun and moon as his feet — now
armed and ready.
consider to be Manmatha's four-wheeled chariot; mounting which, the great hero Māra (Kāma) attacks Śiva,
the lord of the Pramathas — who uses the earth as his chariot and has the sun and moon as his feet — now
armed and ready.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
Classical Exegesis
【Title: The Cheeks as Mirrors and the Face as Kāma's Chariot】
The four wheels of Kāma's chariot (catuś-cakra) are identified as the
reflections of two earrings on the two cheeks: the two actual earrings + their two reflections = four
"wheel" images arranged symmetrically on the face. The word pratiphalita (reflected) is the key
— the glowing cheeks function as mirrors. This is a beautiful geometric conceit: a face seen frontally,
with two luminous earrings reflected in the cheeks, presents four equally-spaced bright discs, like the
four wheels of an ancient chariot. The poet "sees" Kāma's chariot in a face-arrangement that any
observer might notice but not interpret.
Padaccheda: स्फुरत्-गण्ड-आभोग-प्रतिफलित-ताटङ्क-युगलम् · चतुश्-चक्रम् · मन्ये · तव · मुखम् · इदम् · मन्मथ-रथम् ·
यम् · आरुह्य · द्रुह्यति · अवनि-रथम् · अर्केन्दु-चरणम् · महावीरः · मारः · प्रमथ-पतये · सज्जितवते
Canonical CTS URN Reference
Saundaryalaharī, SL 59. Poorvam Open Research Engine (PORE) Corpus.