For this cultural post I am focusing on Sanskrit and Hindu classical poetry. Although Sanskrit is most known to be studied for its purely religious text in the forms of the vedas or epics of the Ramayana or Mahabarata, there is a great repository of Sanskrit poetry that is not purely part of the religious canon. I found a book of Sanskrit poetry in the library and I was really surprised by some of the subject matter and quality of the writing. Much of it is heavy in nature and eroticism. In this post, I’ll focus on the section “spring” which captures a description of the season and a woman’s gaze. The book only gives the English translation, which is a bit disappointing since I’d really like to see the original Sanskrit verses. I’ll copy some of the verses here:
Methinks that fire stole into the flame trees
In guise of winter frost
And it is he who made the forest dark
With smoke of burgeoning twigs.
How else, to tortue the poor hearts
Of absent travelers’ wives
Could he produce in guise of flowers
These blood-red rows of flame?
Bright chains of amaranth about their hips,
Fresh mango blossoms at their ears,
The red ashoka on their breasts
And maadhavii within their hair,
Their bodies rouged all over
With yellow pollen of the baluka:
Such is our lasses’ costume; may its advent bring joy to lusty lads
I’m not that familiar with non-religious Sanskrit poetry, so I found these verses interesting and surprising. The first stanza feels so cross cultural. I’ve read a lot of European renaissance and middle ages poetry, and these lines feel like they could easily fit in by any of those famous poets. The nature imagery and lines about flame, forests, and wives feel very universal. The next stanza was more surprising. There are a few Sanskrit specific words , italicized here. These lines are so sensual and beautiful and I was surprised with the intimate descriptions of women’s bodies. I find it so interesting how erotic Indian/Hindu art often is, but the culture today is still very repressive of the outward expression of women’s bodies or sexuality.
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