This part of story is about old time superstitions/traditions...kind of funny to me.
Kamanita And Vasitthi [[Translated ~By KARL GJELLERUP]
THE FAMILY MAN
One day my father came to see me and said "you, dear son, I have sought out a bride for you in advance. She is Sītā, the eldest daughter of our neighbour Sañjaya, the great merchant, and has just recently reached marriageable age. As you can perceive she comes from a family of like standing with our own,respected and very rich, and she has a large number of relatives both on her father’s and mother’s side. Her body is faultless; her hair, of the blackness of the bee; her face like the moon in its beauty; eyes, like a young gazelle’s; a nose like a blossom of the sesame; teeth like pearls; and Bimba lips, from which there comes the voice of the Kokila, so rarely sweet is it. It is not possible, therefore, that you could have anything to object to in her.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr3Chk8Cg8s
I had indeed nothing to find fault with, and I admit that among the details of the wedding ceremony, in the prescribed three nights of renunciation — during which I had to eat no seasoned food, sleep on the floor and keep the hearth‐fire alight —preserving the strictest celibacy in the company of my young wife was, amongst all the others, the least irksome to me. An unloved wife, brother, does not make one’ home dear, nor its four walls attractive, so I took myself on journeys almost more willingly than before and in the intervals concerned myself solely with business matters..
With that happy state of things, as master of a house and father of a family (Sītā had in the meantime borne us two beautiful daughters: Ambā and Tambā) there came the desire to taste the sweets of my riches abundant and especially to make a display of them before my fellow‐citizens. To that end I purchased a large tract of land suburbs and laid out a magnificent pleasure‐garden, in the midst of which I built a spacious mansion with halls white ceilings were borne aloft on marble pillars. This property was reckoned among the marvels of Ujjenī and even the King came to see it.
Within these fair domains I now gave fabulous garden parties and the most luxurious of banquets, for I had now begun to devote myself more and more to the pleasures of the table. The most luscious morsels which were to be had for money were always served, even at ordinary meals. At that time I was not as you see me now,lean and weathered by lone wanderings, by life in the woods and ascetic practices; rather I was of a full endowment of body — indeed, even inclined to be somewhat portly. And it became, O stranger, a proverbial saying in Ujjenī: "His table is like the merchant Kāmanīta's."
THE NEW WIFE
ONE MORNING I WAS walking back and forth in the grounds with my head gardener, considering where improvements could be best introduced, when my father rode into the courtyard on his horse.
I hastened forward and, after helping him to dismount, was about to go into the garden with him as I believed he had come to enjoy the beauty of our flowers. But he preferred to enter the nearest reception room and when I ordered my man to bring some refreshments he declined:— He wished to speak to me without being disturbed.Overcome by a feeling of uneasiness and scenting danger ahead, I sat down on a low seat beside him. "My son," he began, in a tone of deepest earnestness, "your wife has, so far, only borne you two daughters and my brahmins tell me that there is no prospect that she will present you with a son. Now, it is said, and with much truth, that the man dies miserably for whom there is no son to offer the sacrifices proper to the dead. "I don't blame you, son," he added hastily, perhaps observing that I had become somewhat agitated; and,
although I was not aware how in this matter I could have deserved blame, I thanked him with suitable humility for his clemency and kissed his hand. "No, I must blame myself, because in choosing your wife, I allowed myself to be dazzled in too great a degree by worldly considerations, having reference to family and possessions, and did not observe the characteristic marks sufficiently. The girl whom I now have in mind for you comes, it is true, from a family which is by no means distinguished, and far from rich; nor can one praise her for her possession of what the superficial observer might call beauty. But, by way of recompense, she has a navel which sits deep and is turned to the right; both hands and feet bear lotus, urn and wheel marks; her hair is quite smooth, except for on her neck where she has two whorls curling to the right. And of a maiden who possesses such marks, the wise say that she will bear five heroic sons."
I declared myself perfectly satisfied with the prospect, thanked my father for the kindness with which he looked out for me and said I was ready to lead the maiden home at once. For I thought to myself: "Well — if it has to be..."
"At once?!" cried out my father, in accents of horror."My son, moderate your impatience! We are at present in the southern course of the sun. When this deity enters his northern course and we have reached the half of the month in which the moon waxes, then we will choose a favourable day for the joining of hands — but not before— not before, my son! Otherwise what good would all the bride's qualities do for us? I begged my father to have no anxiety:— I would have patience for the time mentioned and would in all things be guided by his wisdom. On which note he praised my dutifulness, gave me his blessing and allowed me to order refreshments.
At last the day approached — in truth I did not ardently long for it but it was the one on which all the propitious signs were found to be united. The ceremonies this time were much more tedious. I needed a full fourteen days of instruction beforehand in order to master all the necessary sentences.The agony of fear I endured during the joining of hands in the house of my father‐in‐law it is hardly possible to put into words. I trembled without intermission — filled with a horrible dread lest I should not recite some verse correctly, or in keeping with the action to which it belonged; for my father would assuredly never have forgiven me for it. And yet, in my anxiety, I had almost forgotten the chief thing, for instead of taking my bride Savitrī's thumb, I reached out to seize her four fingers, as though I wished her to bear me daughters — but luckily she had presence of mind enough to push her thumb into my hand instead.
I was literally bathed in perspiration by the time I was finally able to yoke in the bulls for our departure. Meanwhile my bride inserted into each of the collar‐holes the branch of a fruit‐bearing tree, and I spoke the required couplet with a feeling that the worst was now past. The dangers, however, did not by any means lie behind us yet. It is true that we reached the house without encountering any of the numerous little mishaps which, on such occasions, seem to lie in wait for their unfortunate victims. And at the door Savitrī was lifted from the wagon by three brahmin women of blameless life who had all given birth to boys, and whose husbands yet lived. So far, all had gone well. But now, brother, imagine the shock I received when, on entering the house, my wife's foot all but touched the threshold. To this day, I cannot conceive whence I drew the resolution to lift her high up in my arms, and thereby hinder such contact from possiblytaking place. Nevertheless, even this was an irregularity and, when entering the house, was of itself bad enough; but to add to it I, for my own part, forgot to enter with the right foot first. Fortunately the wedding guests, and especially my father, were so nearly beside themselves at the threatened contact with the threshold, that my false step was all but entirely disregarded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQr2sr2M ... re=related
In the middle of the house I took my station to the left of my wife, on a red bull's hide that lay with the neck towards the east, and with the hairy side uppermost. Now my father had, after a long search, and with endless trouble, come upon a male child that had only brothers and no sisters — not even dead ones — and was the son of a father who had been the same, having had brothers only. Moreover, this was also actually true of his grand‐father and, to the accuracy of the statements in each case, legal testimony was forthcoming. This little boy was to be placed on my bride's knee. Already there stood at her side the copper dish containing lotus flowers, which she was to lay in the folded hands of the child.That hour I solemnly promised myself that, come what may, I would never marry again.
**********************To be continued****************
Edited by yawares
/post it....please please please!!