Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/187

Rh thee? Golden garlands, robes, ear-rings of gold, whitest and handsome pearls from various countries, golden coins, finest carpets, I shall present thee this very day. Let the whole of my kingdom be thine today. O beautiful one! Come to me, O timid one, wedding me, O beautiful one, according to the Gandharva form! O thou of tapering thighs, of all forms of marriage, the Gandharva one is regarded as the first.“

"Sakuntala, hearing this, said,-"O king, my father hath gone away from this asylum to bring fruit. Wait but a moment he will bestow me on thee I

"Dushmanta replied,-'O beautiful and faultless one, I desire that thou shouldst be companion. Know thou that I exist for thee, and my heart is in thee. One is certainly one's own friend, and one certainly may depend upon one's own self. Therefore, according to the ordinance, thou canst certainly bestow thyself. There are, in all, eight kinds of marriage. These are Brahma, Daiva, Arsha, Prajapatya, Asura, Gandhar. va, Rakshasa, and Paisacha, the eighth. Manu, the son of the selfcreate, hath spoken of the appropiateness of all these forms according to their order. Know, O faultless one, that the first four of these are fit for Brahmanas, and the first six for Kshattriyas. As regards kings, even the Rakshasa form is permissible. The Asura form is permitted to Vaisyas and Sudras. Of the first five the three are proper, the other two being improper. The Pisacha and the Asura forms should never be practised. These are the institutes of religion, and one should act according to them. The Gandharva and the Rakshasa form are consistent with the practices of Kshattriyas. Thou needst not entertain the least feat. There is not the least doubt that either according to any one of these last-mentioned forms, or according to a union of both of them, our wedding may take place. O thou of the fairest complexion. full of desire as I am, thou also in a similar mood mayst become my wife according to the Gandharva form!'"

"Sakuntala, having listened to all this, answered, -'If this be the course sanctioned by religion, if, indeed. I am My own disposer, hear, O thou foremost one of Puru's race, what my terms are I Promise truly to give me what I ask thee amongst ourselves alone. The son that shall be begotten on me shall become thy heir-apparent. This, o king, is my fixed resolve. O Dush manta, if thou grant this, then let our union take place !'"

Vaisampayana continued, "The monarch, without taking time to consider at once told her,-'Let it be so 1 I will even take thee, O thou of agreeable smiles, with me to my capital ! I tell thee truly. O beautiful one, thou deservest all this 1' And so saying, that first of