Re: [INDOLOGY] gajagāminī and other elephant similes in early kāvya

[Howard Resnick]

We also have Bhagavata-purana 4.25.24: gaja-gAmiNI.

Best,
Howard



On Aug 14, 2013, at 6:16 AM, James Hartzell <james.hartzell at gmail.com> wrote:

> HI Jim
> 
> Thought perhaps not directly relevant, Apte's Dictionary lists under Hastini a quote from the Ratimanjari, a text from the Kamashastra tradition which includes a description of the classic types of women lovers.  Ratimanjari 8 describes the 'elephant-like' woman.  Here's a possible translation of the quote:  "With thick womb, thick buttocks and lips, thick fingers, thick breasts, amiable, eager for love, delighting in intense sexual passion, a tremendous eater, (unusually short), indeed the hastini is, she is considered the female elephant."
> The other three classic Kamashastra types are Shankini, Citrini and Rupini.  
> 
> These same typologies appear in some of the Buddhist tantras, with sometimes amusing, relatively unflattering male yogi versions to match.  See for example Kalacakratantra/Vimalaprabha, Abhishekapatala vss 138-144, wherein the 'Elephant' yogi is described as a passionate lover who also moves slowly, is extremely foolish, and has a putrid smell.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 2:45 PM, Klaus Karttunen <klaus.karttunen at helsinki.fi> wrote:
> Dear Jim,
> according to my notes, some early references about female gait resembling that of an elephant include Bhavabhūti MM 9, 27, Dhūrtaviṭasaṁvāda after 16, Pādatāḍitaka 88, Kumāradāsa Jānakīh. 1, 29, and Manu 3, 10. For male, princely gait already in the Rāmāyaṇa (e.g. 1, 47, 2 and 2, 38, 6). In 3, 44, 18f.  Sītā’s thigh is smooth as an elephant’s trunk.  
> 
> Best,
> Klaus
> 
> Klaus Karttunen
> South Asian and Indoeuropean Studies Asian and African Studies, Department of World CulturesPL 59 (Unioninkatu 38 B) 00014 University of Helsinki, FINLANDTel +358-(0)9-191 22674 Fax +358-(0)9-191 22094
> Klaus.Karttunen at helsinki.fi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Aug 14, 2013, at 3:21 PM, Jim Mallinson wrote:
> 
>> Dear All,
>> 
>> A colleague not on the list has asked me to post the following:
>> 
>> The comparison of a woman's walk to that of an elephant was celebrated in MF Husain's film 'Gajagamini'.  The expression is usually thought to come from Kalidasa but I've not found it in a cursory search of his work.  The earliest occurrences seem to be in the Mahabharata.  Any confirmation of texts using gajagamini and details of elephant similes in kavya would be welcome e.g.  women's thighs like elephant trunks, breasts like elephants' bosses.
>> 
>> Yours, with best wishes,
>> 
>> Jim Mallinson
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> 
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> 
> -- 
> James Hartzell, PhD
> Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC)
> The University of Trento, Italy
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