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[Full title: Royal Entertainments (2) Diversion during moon-lit nights]

The description which comes under the aforesaid caption, provides an opportunity to the readers to come closer to one of the most intimate facets of a king's personality, i.e. his love life. We have seen that a king is projected as the master of sixtyfour arts which include anangakala (erotic arts) as one of the categories. While describing the escapades of love of an expert in the field a king, our author appears to observe a word of caution he does not indulge in exaggeration. Thus, his description sounds a bit matter-of-fact and earthly, nevertheless, artistic. The environs : In the first place, the author tries to build up a congenial environment. The bright and cool night bathed in moon-beams, the crystal-bedecked floor of

463 the balcony, the exciting company of beautiful ladies, a leisurely stroll in pleasure-garden with its shady groves, hills and pools of water, sweet-chats and above all, sighting of the slow-paced moon-all the se factors which are recognised as excitants and ensuants of the erotic sentiment by poeticians, combinedly work to arouse in the king, the sentiment of 'love in union' (sambhoga), (81.4-6). Assuaging the thirst for Carnal pleasure : Thus excited and laden with a desire for Carnal pleasure, he approaches the abodes of some of the inmates of the harem who in their turn, wistfully a-wait for his arrival. The greater part of the night, the king spends in the warmth of their exciting company enjoying a variety of love sports till he retires to his bed-chamber (samvesa sadana) (7-40). The graphic description that follows in the text about the amor and dalliance of the king with more than one lady of the harem is remniscent of the freedom, in matters of love, enjoyed by kings and rulers of the time and also is suggestive of the fact that polygamy as a practice was the exclusive privilege of the elite and the powerful, which had not ceased to exist in the society then.