The Sound of the Kiss

by Pingali Suranna

  Kalabhashini read off the text.

  Control your senses and chant the mantra of the goddess Bhuvanesvari for two full years: she will fulfill all your wishes. For instant results, to see far, pull out your eyes with this pincer. To hear from far, pierce your ears with this needle. To become a poet, cut off your tongue with this knife. The great Sakti will be pleased and will give results. If you are tough enough to cut off your head with this chopper, it will again stick to your neck and you will live to kill whoever tries to kill you. You will be king, free from enemies, ruling a vast country, if you sacrifice a courtesan of perfect beauty who can sing to perfection.

  She read it and knew without doubt that she would be killed. She began to shake but gained control over herself and read on.

  Old people who cannot bring themselves to perform these acts will become young again if they die fearlessly before this goddess, in any other way, and their dying wish will be fulfilled from that moment on.

  When the old woman heard her read out the last part of the inscription, she smiled and said, “That’s why I’m here. They call me Sumukhasatti. I’m the daughter of the Brahmin priest who serves the goddess of learning in the famous center in Kashmir.”

  At this point the Siddha returned with incense and garlands for the goddess. When he saw the old woman, he said to her, “How are you, granny? You’ve been here for a long time in this lonely shrine of the goddess. How do you spend the days?” Then, turning to Kalabhashini: “We have a long ways to go, my dear. It’s getting late. Let’s worship the goddess and move on. Take leave of this woman.”

  Kalabhashini was scared. She turned to the old woman. “I’m afraid of going in alone. Won’t you come with me?”

  The Siddha said, “I’m here. Why do you need anybody else?”

  Then he realized the reason for her fear: the old hag must have told her something. But any delay might ruin it all. In haste he said, “Don’t be a fool. This woman can’t help you.” And with that he grabbed hold of her hair and started to drag her into the temple.

  She was scared to death. “Help!” she cried, trying to hide behind the old woman. “I’m your daughter. Save me!”

  Overcome by pity, the old lady tried to shield Kalabhashini while holding on to the Siddha’s hands, begging him not to hurt her.

  “So what if you keep her out of the temple?” he said. “Even this spot is good enough. It’s directly in front of the goddess.” He twisted the old woman’s hands and pushed her away. Holding Kalabhashini’s long braid in one hand and unsheathing his sword with the other, he cried to the goddess, “Here’s your offering.” Raising the hand with the sword, he bowed to the Sakti and was about to cut off Kalabhashini’s head when the old woman yelled, “In the name of the goddess, I tell you: Don’t kill her!” and stretched out her neck in the path of the sword.

  She held fast to Kalabhashini with both arms, protecting her from the blow. She wouldn’t budge. “You won’t get away with this,” she cried to the Siddha. “I’ve sworn an oath on the goddess.” And to the goddess she pleaded, “Great Sakti! Make my words come true.”

  He was so angry that he cut off the old woman’s head. In a frenzy he lifted the sword to strike again at Kalabhashini’s head, once again grabbing at her hair, when the goddess froze his hand and angrily hurled him a long ways away. That’s what happens when you act against an oath sworn before a goddess.

  Meanwhile, at the touch of the sword, Sumukhasatti’s aged body fell away. Suddenly,

  her face had the brilliance of the moon, and her hair

  was dark as dark can be. Long eyes,

  cheeks soft and shining, breasts taut and full,

  delicate arms, a tremulous waist, all new

  pubic hair, a ravishing behind like golden sands

  emerging from her sari: the enchantment

  was complete.

  She was young again. She raised her eyes—now luminous as open lotus petals—and saw the Siddha flying through the sky under the impact of the blow from the goddess, one hand still clutching Kalabhashini’s hair and the other holding his sword. At first she didn’t waste time thinking about her restored youth, which she had wanted for so long; she was worried about Kalabhashini. Gradually, however, she stopped grieving, as she contemplated the impermanence of life. She voluntarily gave up all sensual desire. Not wanting to waste her newly acquired youthful energy, she decided to spend her time in the discipline of Yoga. She began to practise the self-control that Yoga demands along with various bodily postures and exercises. Her texts were what she’d picked up orally before, and for a guru she had the goddess herself.

  [ Kalabhashini Returns ]

  One day Kalabhashini returned and, seeing this young woman, asked, “Who are you? Where are you from?” The woman said, “I’m the same Sumukhasatti, the old woman who stuck her neck out for you and was killed by the Siddha. The goddess gave me this young body and a new life. But tell me, Kalabhashini: When the goddess hurled you and the Siddha far away, where did you land? It’s amazing you weren’t hurt.”

  “What’s more surprising is how you became young. What’s so shocking in my return, when I had your kindness to support me? I’ll tell you my story.”

  As Kalabhashini was about to begin, Manikandhara turned up. He had the vina on his shoulder and gems in his long hair that imparted dignity to his presence. Astonished, Kalabhashini bowed to him, but he was no less astonished. “When I see you, my dear friend, I feel as if all my relatives had gathered here,” he said. “Do you ever think of me? How did you come here? You never even wanted to leave Dvaraka. You never went anywhere. Is everything safe at home—your friends, your house, and all the precious things around you? Have you seen Lord Krishna recently? Does he still hold court in the diamond hall like in those days? Does he ask you to sing for him? Did they ever finish building the diamond entranceway that Indra wanted to present to Krishna? Do you ever go to those deep blue porches where our vinas seemed to be swallowed up in the darkness? What about that golden gymnasium they were getting ready for Krishna’s sons, since the old one was too small? Is it still there?

  “Remember that time you took me to see that new gambling house. We thought none of Krishna’s women would be there, so I went in and came right out, because I heard people talking—“Doubles! Twelve! Jackpot!”—but as it turned out, it was only the parrots chattering.

  “And that time I happened upon a wall made of crystal. I had no idea that the court was in session. I saw Krishna’s image clearly in front of me, so I thought it was Krishna and bowed, when a hundred voices behind me called out in amusement, ‘Turn around. He’s over here!’ Is that wall still there?”

  She answered, “Everything is just as beautiful as it used to be. Even Indra’s entranceway has been completed.”

  “Do you ever think of me when you’re discussing music? Did you ever sing for anyone the daṇḍaka song I composed for Krishna? Has Narada been coming to visit Krishna as he used to? Whatever happened to that vina that Krishna’s wives chose for you? You don’t have it here, do you? I heard that you had a certain desire in your mind.3 I hope you haven’t given up vina because you were so engrossed in that thought.”

  She was a little embarrassed and bent her head. “What can I say? It’s because of that that I left all my friends behind and came to this godforsaken land.”

  She told him everything that had happened from the time she completed her musical education: how Manistambha came to her garden, how he used his distant vision and hearing to impress her, how he took her to the temple of the Lion-Rider, how he attempted to sacrifice her there and how Sumukhasatti saved her. “This is that very woman,” she said. “Now tell me about you. I’ve already told you what Manistambha told me—about your affair with Rambha, and how your discipline was ruined. What did you do after that?”

  At this point Manistambha himself turned up. “This is the Siddha who tried to kill me!” she said, pointing at him.

  “Him?” asked Manikandhara, smilin
g, welcoming him respectfully.

  Manistambha was quite amazed to find Manikandhara there. “How did you get here?” he asked politely. Then he looked at Kalabhashini. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said. “I was surprised that I couldn’t find you. Where have you been, and how did you come here?” He turned to Sumukhasatti. “Who are you? Where are you from?”

  He heard her story from her. Astonished, he bowed to her. She was also shocked at his presence. “Siddha—where did you land when the goddess cast you away with Kalabhashini? How did you both come back without being hurt? Tell me all.”

  Manistambha replied to Sumukhasatti, “I’ll tell you—that and even more remarkable things. I’ve been dying to tell the story to someone, and I might as well tell you, since you clearly deserve to know. After I had chopped off your head, still blind with conceit and heedless of the oath you had sworn on the goddess, I lifted my sword to strike at Kalabhashini, whom I was holding by the hair. The goddess caught my hand and threw me far into the air. I was still holding fast to Kalabhashini.”

  Sumukhasatti said, “You don’t have to tell me that. I saw up to that point in this new body of mine. I saw you flying through the air, still holding her hair with a tight fist and your sword in the other hand. Tell me what happened after that.”

  “It was like being hurled from a sling.4 We came down in the forest where Manikandhara was working on self-control. This woman and I fell on a soft bed of leaves. Through the kindness of the goddess, we did not die.

  “Kalabhashini was still trembling from fear. She could see that I was still holding on to the sword and to her hair. I looked at her and was aroused by her beauty—her face pale as the moon dipped in honey, her long eyes wide with terror, a few strands of hair sticking to her cheeks that were wet with sweat, her breasts heaving, shaking off her bodice. Terror had intensified her allure. She was irresistible. In shock. And I had won her as my prize.

  “I threw myself on her. I confess. She screamed. ‘Help! Help! This hooligan is attacking me. Isn’t there anybody around?’

  “Her yelling was unbearable.

  “A voice was heard. ‘Don’t be afraid. I’m coming now. Help is here. Who is attacking a woman? Whoever you are, I’ll get you. You won’t escape. I’ll pluck your head off your shoulders.’ It was Nalakubara, very angry, emerging from the bushes. I was so scared that I left her there and ran away. He, however, chased me and caught me.

  “‘Who are you? Who is that woman you’re attacking? You can’t get away with such things in my presence. Show her to me. Afterward I’ll see to your punishment.’ He was already dragging me back to that place.

  “Meanwhile, Rambha appeared, tracing the same path. With one hand she was fixing her hair that had come undone. With the other she was wrapping the end of her sari around her breasts and shoulders and trying to knot it at her waist. Some hairs had fallen over her forehead; she was tucking them back into the parting. She kept raising a shoulder to hold back the flowers slipping off her ears. A little worried, she was also feeling for the blades of grass that stuck to her body; someone might think they were nailmarks.

  “She said, ‘Some hero you are. You come with empty hands, no weapon, no nothing. I had to wear myself out looking for you. I just love your style, my dear.’

  “Then she looked at me,” Manistambha went on to say. “‘So this is the great man who tried to molest that woman, whoever she is? Desire can reduce a man to anything. There’s no controlling it. But where did that girl disappear to?’

  “‘That’s exactly why I dragged this fellow here, to show us,’ said Nalakubara, still twisting my hand. She took pity on me.

  “‘Where can he run away to now? Why don’t you release your grip on him?’

  “She got her lover to release me, and I led them in search of Kalabhashini to the bed of leaves that we’d landed on. This woman, however, wasn’t there.

  “Nalakubara said dryly, ‘But this is where you and I were sleeping, isn’t it? This supercharged Siddha deserves a high-voltage bed.’

  “Then Nalakubara saw my sword lying there and picked it up with a sardonic smile. ‘This man is no Yogi. He’s a soldier if I ever saw one.’

  “‘Some soldier!’ said Rambha. ‘He leaves his sword behind and runs away.’

  “Nalakubara turned to me, sternly. ‘What did you do to that woman? Where is she?’ he asked, insistent. He was pressing me, very angrily, but Rambha said, ‘Why waste time on him? Let him go. When he ran away from her, she must have found some place to hide. How can he show her to us? We’ll search for her ourselves.’

  “She led him far down the path that I had run before. One of her breasts was brushing against his arm, and her arm was wound around his shoulder. Step by step, she became more excited. I followed them, hoping that in their absorption with each other, Nalakubara would inadvertently set down my sword somewhere or other. My guru had, after all, given it to me with the blessing that it would never fail.

  “Not only that. I was carefully searching for Kalabhashini all over the forest, but even with my telescopic eyes I couldn’t find her anywhere. This was very surprising. ‘There’s some mystery here,’ I thought. ‘I wonder if they’ll find her.’ I kept on following them from a distance. Soon they were melting into one another’s body and playing all the games of love. I stood there, a little way off.”

  [ Rambha Meets Rambha ]

  “At the end, while they were busy fixing one another’s clothes and makeup, entirely immersed in one another, another Rambha appeared, carefully tracing their footsteps.

  “She was struck dumb. So was Nalakubara. Seeing two Rambhas,” Manistambha continued, “I was also a bit surprised.

  “Nalakubara looked at this new woman and at his woman, over and over. This went on for a little while. He was studying every detail, and he could find no difference between them. It was astonishing.

  “‘Why do you keep looking at her and at me? What are you thinking?’ asked his woman.

  “‘Are you her double or is she your double?’ he asked. ‘I can’t tell you apart. That’s why I keep staring. If you move away even a little, I won’t be able to tell without error which one of you is you.’

  “Now she was really agitated. ‘In that case, I’ll keep holding your hand. She probably came here in this shape to break us apart. They say that a demoness5 once came in Sita’s form to separate Sita from Rama. So don’t let her stay around here. Don’t be polite.’ She started yelling at the woman. ‘Get out of here!’ Meanwhile, she was holding tight to Nalakubara.

  “The new Rambha saw all this. With a disapproving finger on her nose, shaking her head, she let out a long sigh. Nalakubara addressed her, ‘Where did you come from? Why this sigh? Why are you so surprised? How could you take the shape of my woman? Are you a demoness, a spirit, or something else?’

  “‘How can I explain?’ she replied. ‘Whatever you say will stand—until I find a way of showing what is true and what is false. If you say I’m a demoness—yes, I am. A spirit? Right again, until the moment everyone finds out that this charming lady, who has so skillfully assumed my shape, is herself a demoness. Listen. The distinction between us will become clear. It will happen by itself. Truth exists, and god exists. If they didn’t, how could the world go on? As for me, you are my god. Only you. And only you can distinguish between us, if you want to.

  “‘A little while ago, you and I were walking through the forest when you spotted a lovely suraponna tree and wanted to make love to me under it. In the middle, you heard a woman crying for help somewhere to the west, and you got up and left me. I started to follow you when a deer passed me to the right; at this bad omen I stopped and waited. This woman must have seen me then, and seen her opportunity. That’s when somehow or other she managed to duplicate me. Anyway, think it all over without rushing. Gradually you will see truth separate itself from falsehood.’

  “But his woman, the first Rambha, was still hanging on to his neck. She looked him straight in the fa
ce and said with a smile, ‘She’s telling our story, just as it happened. She must have been watching us from the beginning. What a nice story she tells. Everything fits. She makes it seem that she was the woman who slept with you under the tree, and she was the one who followed when you left. But she’s no woman. She’s a witch. She took my shape in order to separate you from me and get you. This scheming bitch will tell a lot of fancy lies without a slip. She can steal the pupil right out of your eye without touching the eyeball. She’s crafty and sly. Let’s get out of here. If anything happens, we can take care of it later.’

  She was trying her best to get Nalakubara out of that place. The other Rambha was getting angry and said acidly, ‘Arrogant, aren’t you? Cut it out. You can’t declare a holiday just because you’ve decorated the house. You behave as if you are your husband’s true love, and I’m a stranger to be driven away. Let my husband cut off my head with the sword he’s holding—I still won’t donate my man to you. He’s all the love I have. I can’t stand to see you falling all over him. Let go of him. Your tricks won’t work here. A thief like you won’t stop stealing things just because they belong to a god. How did I get mixed up with a demoness like you?’

  “‘Don’t be an idiot.’

  “‘Don’t you be an idiot.”

  “‘I’ll break your neck.’

  “‘I’ll break yours.’

  “‘Stop screaming at me.’