More on napumsaka

[madhav.deshpande at um.cc.umich.edu]

    In several contexts, I have noticed the use of napumsaka and kliiba to
refer to an unmanly person.  This seems to be a suggestion in the following
verse:  napumsakam iti jnaatvaa priyaayai prezitam manaH.  Tat tu tatraiva
ramate hataaH paaNininaa vayam.  We should note that such 'unmanly'
characters were appointed to guard women.  Here is a list from the Subhaazita-ratnabhaaNDaagaaram (Nirnayasagara edn. 1952, p. 144):  kaaNaaH kubjaaS ca
zaNDhaaS ca tathaa vRddhaaS ca pangavaH / ete caantaHpure nityam niyoktavyaaH
kzamaabhRtaa.  The usage of kliiba in the sense of 'unmanly person' becomes
especially commonplace in the Dharma literature relating to marriage: 
nazTe mRte pravrajite kliibe ca patite patau / pancasv aapatsu naariiNaam
patir anyo vidhiiyate (Dharmakoza, SamskaarakaaNDa, p. 574ff.).  These
terms are not used to refer to women in the Dharma literature.
     As you can figure out, I have used 'z' for retroflex s.
     Madhav Deshpande