Yayati: A Classic Tale of Lust Read Online Free PDF Page A

town, the court and the festive celebrations. She was a maid’s daughter and hung back. She ran little errands in the palace. I was destined to be a king and a world renowned warrior. She was destined to be a maid in eternal service of somebody. That is why our ways parted.
    A heavenly fragrance intoxicated me. My eyes were still closed. I slowly lifted my right hand. Alaka was bending over and carefully pouring the drops of medicine. One of her tresses was rubbing against my cheek. I felt that lock of hair with my hand and that soft touch sent a thrill through my whole body. I knew that Alaka would suddenly move away from embarrassment if I opened my eyes. Eyes closed, I said, ‘Alaka, where is this delicious fragrance coming from?’
    ‘It comes from the jasmine flowers in my braid.’
    ‘Let me smell them where they are,’ I said. Alaka did not reply. I added, ‘If you do not let me smell them in your hair, I shall scream. Then, they will all wake up and ...’
    ‘If you scream, they will all rush in panic and Mother will take me to task saying, “You wretch, can’t you even make a good attendant?” She will hang me for it.’
    ‘Don’t you think,’ I said, ‘it would be better to let me smell the flowers in your hair than be hanged? They say a good deed should be done on time.’
    All the flowers in the garden of Eden must have contributed their share of fragrance to those jasmine flowers. I was intoxicated by the fragrance of Alaka’s hair. Apart from the flowers, the feel of her hair on my nose and cheeks was the height of pleasure.
    I forgot myself when I realised that Alaka was withdrawing. I opened my eyes. She was moving away. I said, ‘I have not had enough. I must have more ... much more still.’
    Before I realised what I was doing, my arms were round her and our lips met. Delicious is not the word — her lips were full of nectar. Like the traveller in the desert, my lips were dry. I was dying with thirst. I drank deep of that nectar. I kept demanding for more and more of it. I was only conscious of one fact. I was swimming in happiness but its waters were not deep enough.
    The nectar of which I had drunk deep was burning me like poison. 1 had to have more nectar to quench it.
    I was struggling to my feet. There was a shooting pain in my right leg and like a bird shot down, I screamed in agony and fell back on my bed.
    It took me three or four months to get over my accident. But my piercing scream of that night brought joy to the palace. Everyone was heartened that I had regained consciousness and had practically come to life from dead. The old physician, in fact, rushed into my room and wept with emotion like a child.
    I was soon rid of my fever. But, the injury to the bone was more intractable. The physician had, however, imported from East Aryavarta a tribal known for his skill in bone setting. He set it well and there was no defect left, but those three or four months were very difficult for me. I was irritated with my disability when I saw birds flitting outside the window. I felt like going out of the window in the manner of a bird without caring for the consequences.My hands itched at the sound of a horse and the thighs strained for a mount. I did not know where to wreak my irritation at the disability. In annoyance, I would gaze at my limbs. I had spent every day of ten long years to cultivate a strong and beautiful body but it had failed me. There is no limit to a man’s love of his body but the body does not reciprocate. Indeed, on occasion, it lets him down.
    Lying in bed, I tried to discover what was it that the body was antagonistic to, but never succeeded. I often thought there was a Yayati in me, different and distinct from the body. But how was one to understand the nature of that other Yayati? I knew that mind, heart and intellect were not parts of the body but had their separate identity. In the eight days of my unconsciousness, when with the rare drugs given to me, I would have