The adbuction of the lotus-flower by the king of elephants

[Jean FEZAS]

The simile appears in the kumAra-saMbhava in the last verse of the third canto, where the mountain (himAlaya) carries home his daughter (umA) after the destruction of kAma by ziva. 
3.76a    sapadi mukulitAkSIM rudrasaMrambhabhItyA
3.76b     duhitaram anukampyAm adrir AdAya dorbhyAm /
3.76c     suragaja iva bibhrat padminIM dantalagnAM
3.76d     pratipathagatir AsId vegadIrghIkRtAGgaH //

"Just then the Mountain, having taken into his arms his daughter who deserved to be sympathized with and who had closed her eyes in fear of the anger of S'iva, went along his path, as does the elephant of the gods holding a lotus sticking to his tusk, with his body stretched to its full length on account of his great speed" (Kale's translation). Mallinatha says nothing about the suragaja and gives nalinIm as an equivalent of padminIm...

It is difficult to suppose that later poets could have ignored this verse...
J. Fezas (Langue et littérature sanskrite, Paris-3)

> Message du 14/09/05 21:23
> De : "Christophe Vielle" 
> A : INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
> Copie à : 
> Objet : The adbuction of the lotus-flower by the king of elephants
> 
> Dear List,
> 
> about a king abducting a princess, I come across the following simile:
> 
> jahaara raajatanayaaM gajaraa.d iva padminiim
> 
> I do not know any mythological story about a king of elephants abducting a
> lotus-flower (of course, a possible meaning of padminii is "female
> elephant", but the male elephant usually do not abduct the female).
> Has somebody already come across this simile in kaavya, or such a story in
> any kathaa?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Dr. Christophe Vielle
> Centre d'Etudes de l'Inde et de l'Asie du Sud
> Institut orientaliste
> Place Blaise Pascal 1
> B - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
> BELGIUM
> Tel. +32-(0)10-47 49 54 (office)/ -(0)2-640 62 66 (home)
> E-mail: vielle at ori.ucl.ac.be
> 
>