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Somadeva's Yasastilaka, composed in prose and verse, is entirely different from the other versions of the story of Yasodhara inasmuch as it is also a great socio-political study and a learned compendium of philosophy, theology and religion. Even in the treatment of the story proper, Somadeva is not without some originality, following as he does his own method in dealing with some of the principal episodes. But his most important contribution to the narrative is his portrayal of Amritamati's character. He, of course, regards her as a sinner, but takes care to analyse her motives, explain her conduct, and exhibit her point of view. Thus Yasodhara, 1 See Chapter I. 2 Vaidya: Introduction to Jasaharacariu, p. 18. 3 Ibid., p. 25. 4 Now edited by Dr. A. N. Upadhye (Singh Jaina Series, 17, Bombay 1943) who kindly supplied these details. See Intro. pp. 117-18.

in the course of his long and bitter tirade against women, tries to discover the cause of the queen's strange infatuation with the deformed elephant- "The precepdriver, and attributes it to his melodious singing. He says: tors declare singing to be the greatest of the arts. A well-sung song makes even a man, wretched by nature, the resort of the eyes of young women as of their minds. A singer, though ugly in appearance, is more beautiful in the eyes of women than even the god of love. Even women, not easily visible, are deeply attracted by song, as if dragged by a halter. Singing done by expert singers does away with the obstinate pride of proud women, and produces in them an anguish that cannot be remedied by others." This at least partially explains the queen's undignified passion for a paramour of humble station. "1 Further, it is apparent from the words put in the mouth of Amrtamati, after the discovery of her infidelity, that her married life was an unhappy one, and she had come to Yasodhara as an unwilling bride. This seems to be the meaning of her assertion that Yasodhara and others like him can only be the masters of the bodies of their wives, sold to them by their parents in the presence of the gods, the Brahmanas, and the Fire, but not of their hearts: the lord of one's heart is he who is the object of one's undivided love, 'the haven of confidence." Less cogent is her appeal to the example of certain wives of legend, who, it is hinted, acted like her, the reference being to the relations of Ganga with Siva, of Radha with Krsna, of Tara, wife of Brhaspati, with the Moon-god, and of Tara, wife of Sugriva, with Vali. The appeal to antiquity reminds one of that in the nurse's speech in the Hippolytus of Euripides (vv. 451 sq.), and does not improve Amrtamati's case; it is rather an admission of her moral weakness. It is, however, certain that Amrtamati was thoroughly disgusted with her married life with Yasodhara. As she says, there is nothing in the world which men of fortitude cannot do except the reawakening of love in a heart filled with disgust: who can, indeed, unite two hearts that are like two iron balls, the one hot and the other 1 'grnanti ca kalasu gitasyaiva param mahimanamupadhyayah | suprayuktam hi gitam svabhavadurbhagamapi naram karoti yuvatinam nayanamanovisramasthanam | bhavati kurupo'pi gayanah kamadevadapi kamininam priyadarsanah | ganena hi durdarsa api yositah pasenakrsta iva sutaram samgacchante | kusalaih krtaprayogam hi geyamapaniya managrahamaparameva kamcidananyajanasadhya fagafa' Book IV, p. 55. The idea goes as far back as the Yajurveda. Cf. Taittiriyasamhita VI. 1. 6: 2 'kulavadhunam hyayamanyasca devadvijagnisamaksam matapitrvikritasya kayasyaiva bhavatisvarah na manasah | tasya punah sa eva svami yatrayamasadharanah pravartate param visrambhavisramasrayah pranayah | ' Ibid., p. 141. 3 'mahasattvesu hi jagati na kimcidduskaramasti anyatra virakte cetasi ragapratyanayanat | ko hi namayahpinda iva taptatapte manasi samdhatumarhati | ' Ibid., p. 142.

cold? Further, she accuses Yasodhara of jealousy when she says that only an intelligent person, free from jealousy, can be happy with women; one who behaves otherwise runs the risk of losing his life, like a worshipper of the evil spirit Krtya, or at least incurs a woman's hatred." Amrtamati's plea for reciprocity of love as an essential condition of conjugal harmony cannot, of course, absolve her from moral responsibility as wife and mother. But she says enough to convince us of the misery of her married life, and we may feel inclined to look upon her failure as a wife as a domestic tragedy rather than as an inveterate case of moral depravity. 3 The next episode, the murder of Yasodhara, can be regarded only as a premeditated crime without any redeeming feature; but even here, as already pointed out, Somadeva represents Amritamati as acting in self-defence. She regards the story of Yasodhara's dream and his plan to renounce the world as a feint, that is, as a device to take her unawares, and resolves to act quickly: 'Before he lets loose the poison of his wrath on me, I will let it loose on him!" She opines that a person who is honest in his dealings with cheats and villains, the wily and the selfish, and those who lack in self-respect, is a fool and becomes the dupe of all. So she decides to follow 'the policy of deceit for deceit' (sathaprati sathanyaya), and pay Yasodhara in his own coin. The plea of self-defence is, however, hardly convincing, as there is nothing in Yasodhara's attitude to justify any suspicion of revengeful action on his part. Somadeva is well aware of this, and does not, in fact, try to palliate Amrtamati's crime. But he depicts her as a weakling who cannot help her instincts, and lacks the moral strength to resist their power over her life. He analyses her motives and examines her conduct from different points of view, and seeks to preserve to some extent our sympathy for the guilty woman. In the succeeding portion of the story Somadeva does not add anything important to the traditional presentation of Amrtamati's career, and seems rather to lose interest in her and lets her appear according to the exigencies of the story. But, on the whole, Amrtamati in Somadeva's romance is a remarkable piece of characterization showing originality and skill, and reveals an aspect of the author's genius all but obscured by the wealth of scholarship and learning exhibited in the work. 1 'kimca paramakuhana eva puramdhrisu buddhimanavapnoti svasreyamam | anyatha krtyaradhaka iva dhruvam pancajanah pancatamacet | bhavedvavasyamaksigatah | p. 142. Srutasagara says param kevalamakuhana eva irsyarahita eva | Ibid. 2 ' na khalu me yaminisamacaritasahasadasya vasumatipateraparamevamvidhakutakapatanusthanamasti | Ibid. p. 141. 3 ' tadesa yavanna mayi rosavisam varsa te tavadahamevasya tadvarsami | ' Ibid, p. 142. 4 dhurtesu mayavisu durjanesu svarthaikanisthesu vimanitesu | varteta yah sadhutaya sa loke pratarthate mugdhamatirna kena || Ibid., p. 145.