The Sound of the Kiss

by Pingali Suranna

  “‘At that point you hugged me. Because your heart drove you to it, and because your arms glow like gold, you described this event as Madasaya, My Heart, building a golden wall around Beyond-the-Smooth-Neck Town. Now that your heart and your eyes were locked on to my face, an incessant desire for my lower lip was born in you. What you said was that My Heart and his wife, Love of Beauty, gave birth to a daughter, Madhuralalasa, Craving for Sweetness, through the power of that red jewel. When you said that the four advisors of Madasaya became happy when they touched the jewel, that was a way of saying that your four faces kissed my lips as soon as that craving was born. And since your four faces are the sources of the four Vedas—Rig, Yajus, Sama, and Atharvana—and since they are under your control, you called them Agamas, that is Vedas, One to Four, the Brahmin advisors of Madasaya.

  “‘Just then, as you may recall, I was mad because one of your faces was biting my lips too hard, and I released myself from your embrace. In your narration this turns up as the Brahmin who pressed so hard against the jewel that Kalapurna got angry, drove all of them away, and had the golden wall dismantled. Your eyes and your heart now shifted away from my face toward the parts of my body that were exposed once I pried myself away from the hug. That is, Madasaya and his wife left Kalapurna’s service and went down to Body Land. You also said that on their way down they saw the good omen of two golden pots, and that they were so entranced that they stayed a while in the Middle Country. Isn’t this a way of saying that you were excited by seeing my breasts and lingered a while over the curves of my waist? Now that your desire to kiss me waned a little, you said that Craving for Sweetness lost weight. But soon you turned your eyes and your heart back to my face, and your desire to kiss me intensified and was fulfilled when you did kiss me. These three events were described, respectively, as the return of Madasaya with his wife and child to Kalapurna’s service, the consequent recovery of Craving for Sweetness, and her marriage to Kalapurna when she came of age.

  “‘You have a very artful way of telling the tale of a man’s desire. Tell me if I’m right.’

  “‘Absolutely,’ he said, and smiled.

  “She admired his truthfulness. ‘You never lie even when you’re joking,’ she said, and blessed him: ‘May the lotus growing from Vishnu’s navel, that gave birth to you, stay cool forever.’3

  “Delighted at her words, he embraced her again, wanting more and more.”

  The girl concluded the story that Brahma had privately told Sarasvati, in the words of the parrot. The audience was riveted.

  “Maybe because the god and the goddess were so absorbed in themselves, or maybe because they thought I was only an animal and therefore ignored me, I“—the parrot4 continued—” was able to overhear all this. I was afraid to leave in the middle.

  But then I hopped

  out of my cage, and

  inch by inch

  I moved away.

  ‘My God!’ she said,

  ‘the parrot’s here.

  We didn’t see.’

  A little upset.

  ‘So what?’ God said,

  laughing it off.

  ‘So what if she heard?’

  Some days passed. One day Rambha came along with Indra, who was paying a visit to Brahma. She went into the inner palace to see Sarasvati. Passing through several doors, she came upon me in my cage. I was practicing for my own pleasure (as I had been for some time) that special moan of love that came out of the goddess of words.

  “‘That’s very interesting,’ said Rambha, coming close to me. ‘Is this what the goddess does when she’s with God?’

  “I told her everything, holding nothing back—how that sound emerged, and the story that came after it. She wouldn’t let me stop. She kept coaxing more out of me. You can teach a lot to a parrot, but it never becomes wise.

  “I finished telling the story, and then she asked me to repeat the special sound. I did it, two or three times. That’s when the goddess saw us.

  “She knit her brows as she looked at me. ‘So you’re telling stories, you idiot bird. We didn’t notice. You’re a blabbermouth, gabbing away. Are you crazy? Get out of here. Go live on earth as a whore.’ She was very angry, so it was a heavy curse.

  “As soon as Rambha heard the furious voice of the goddess, she hid herself behind a big jeweled pillar. She was terrified.

  “Brahma came. Gently he asked, ‘I’ve never heard you speak so angrily. What happened?’

  “She smiled a smile that added to the charm of her anger. ‘Have you heard what this parrot has been saying? It’s telling Rambha everything that we said to each other in the lakeside garden, from beginning to end. I heard it myself from behind the door.’

  “‘What does it know? It’s a parrot. How can you curse it so mercilessly?’ He looked at me kindly. I was feeling devastated by that curse, I can tell you. ‘Nobody can say no to a mother’s curse,’ said Brahma. ‘But don’t feel sad. You’ll go through it and then, in one life after that one, you will be born as Madhuralalasa, the daughter of a king named Madasaya. You’ll marry a king called Kalapurna and live a life of incomparable wealth and joy with natural, inborn faithfulness to your husband. You’ll do whatever is right, and you’ll be fulfilled.’

  “‘What is this?’ intervened the goddess. ‘Those same names—Madasaya, Madhuralalasa, Kalapurna—you’re still talking about them. Or dreaming about them. Wake up.’ She laughed.

  “‘I’m always dreaming about everything connected to your lovely face,’ said God. ‘But this is no dream. There is going to be a king called Kalapurna—on earth. And this bird will be his wife.’

  “‘That’s a story I’d like to hear,’ said the goddess.

  “‘Dear—it’s not a new story. It’s the same old story you already heard. All the names, nouns, verbs, words, sentences, and meanings that are lexically present in that story also exist in this one. All you have to do is to convert all the past-tense verbs into future tense: for example, “was” becomes “will be,” “did” becomes “will do,” and so on. That’s the only difference. By the way, I like your smile.

  “‘Incidentally, the story will expand a little into branch-stories, depending on the listeners and the context. But the main story is what you already know.’

  “Sarasvati was astonished and thought a little. ‘But you said that this king will have a man for his mother and a woman for his father?’

  “‘Definitely. In fact, you will make this happen.’

  “This astonished her even more. ‘You’re the Creator. You can do whatever you like, and you do do what you like. But don’t make me a party to your lies. And don’t even think of linking what you’re doing with the story that came out of our kiss, not even in your wildest dreams. Down there, if you just scratch the surface, a flood bursts out. This was a story we told each other very privately. It was born right here. You couldn’t leave it at that. Now you’ve made it happen on earth. People will say, “This all came from Brahma to begin with.” They’ll wonder what the reason was and someone will say, “It was the reflection of Sarasvati’s face in the lake.” Then they’ll say, “This particular incident caused all the rest.” I’ll be a laughingstock all over the world, and all because of you. I beg you: Don’t mention this to anyone. If you don’t talk, we can still keep it quiet.’

  “‘You’re just saying that,’ Brahma replied. ‘Is there anyone who doesn’t want to be known as a good lover? If you really mean what you say, touch your nose with your tongue, and I’ll believe you.’ She burst into laughter.

  “With an effort she held it in. ‘No matter what you say, I don’t like it. It isn’t funny. Stop laughing.’ She hit him with the bunch of flowers she was holding, big as her breasts.

  “As you can see,” the parrot continued, “Brahma was insistent, while she was begging him to stop even as she clung to his neck, cheek to cheek, with his chin in her hand and her breasts rubbing against his chest.

  “He said, ‘Why are you so persistent? Whate
ver you say, I know you really want this story to become known. Tell me, don’t you want people everywhere to know this wonderful tale? How else will you become famous?

  “‘Come to think of it, everything is known only through language. And all language is you. This being the case, nothing you disapprove of can ever see the light of day. That story of Kalapurna that came out of your love-game and that was born from my lips is going to be famous all over the world. You can’t tell me you don’t want this. Of course, I can understand what you say. That’s how women are. They like everybody to know how their husbands love them, but they don’t want to tell it all themselves.’

  “The goddess looked at him. ‘If you’re so intent on having your way, why should I object? Anyway, that king is certainly going to be born on earth. He will rule the kingdom. His story will anyway become famous. This much is given. But why should my story become known along with his?’

  “‘That story will happen first, and your story will be known later.’

  “‘In that case, I have to see to the channels through which it will be known. But don’t you talk about it anywhere.’

  “‘I won’t,’ said Brahma. ‘Not me.’

  “Then the goddess looked at me. ‘This parrot is going to be born as a whore. There’s no question of her remembering any of this. But where is that woman Rambha? We have to teach her a lesson.’

  “Rambha emerged, trembling, from behind the pillar and fell at the goddess’s feet.

  “‘Get up,’ said Sarasvati. ‘If you tell this story anywhere, you know what will happen. You know what I can do.’

  “Brahma chuckled. ‘I know—better than anyone. This is how it will be. From now on, whoever tells this story or hears it will have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and live with vast wealth and happiness on earth for a very long time. All this is my blessing.’

  “His wife said, ‘Fine. If that’s how you like it, let it be like that on earth. Nothing need stop it.’ She broke into a big smile. And I, the erstwhile parrot, at her command left that place and began my life as a courtesan in Dvaraka.”

  The baby, who seemed to know everything, narrated all that she had done in her courtesan existence. Then she said to the king, “I lived through the curse of the goddess as someone called Kalabhashini. Afterward, by Brahma’s blessing, I began this life in this body. It was in my previous life, at the temple of the goddess, that I saw this necklace. You heard me tell you about it. That’s why I said, ‘After two long years, I now see this necklace again.’”

  At this point Alaghuvrata, the Malayali Brahmin, stood up politely, bowed down at the feet of the girl, and rose to speak. “I can verify one thing you did in your previous life as Kalabhashini.”

  “What is it you can attest to?” asked the king. So he reported how he had first heard the name Kalapurna from Kalabhashini, how he had prayed so long to hear the whole story, and how he had fallen into this court. Then he folded his hands and said to the girl, “Your words cannot fail. The proof is that you’ve now become Madhuralalasa. When can I see your husband, that great man and king, Kalapurna?”

  “Good Brahmin,” said the child, “it’s not proper for me to answer your question.5 These people here know the answer. Ask them.”

  So he looked to the king. “Did you hear what this girl has said, O king? Please tell me your names, what you do, and who all these people are. What world am I in? What city? Who are you? Who is this girl? I’m in a daze. I have no idea about any of these things, and there was no time to ask because of the arresting way the girl was telling her story.”

  “True,” said the king, “there was no time to ask. I also had no time to ask you about yourself. It was one story after another until now. We heard only a little about you. Anyway, let me tell you about us. My name is Kalapurna. Here are the jewel, bow and arrows that Svabhava gave me. These four are Agamas One through Four. That man over there is Satvadatma. Next to him is Madasaya and his wife, Rupanubhuti. This amazing girl is her daughter.

  “Her father, Madasaya, used to serve me, but he went away. Now’s he come back, saying that his daughter, who had become weak, has revived upon seeing me. He and his wife placed the child before me in this golden cradle. Her name is Madhuralalasa.

  “This country is called Angadesha. We are in Kramukakanthottara City, but I was born in Kasarapura. It’s not far from here. But the point is the following.

  “All the names and events in the story that Brahma told Sarasvati are, without exception, exactly the same as our names and our lives. But Brahma was only making up a story with names invented to explain the reflection of Sarasvati’s face and the games they were playing. How does all this fit so perfectly with our lives? There’s no disparity whatsoever. We were wondering about it all the time, but we didn’t want to interrupt the narration. Only when she came to the end of the story were our questions resolved.”

  Alaghuvrata asked the king, “Then tell me, king, is your father really a woman and your mother a man, like in the story Brahma told? I’m curious.”

  “I’m curious, too,” he answered. “This little girl seems to know everything. Let’s ask her. There are two things that remain unclear from her story. One is this matter. The other is the question of what will happen when this child comes of age. That one lies in the future and can be imagined. The other one is past and must be told.”

  So Alaghuvrata begged the girl. “You know everything. Would you please tell us how this king was born? You first mentioned the power of his story to me, and you told the whole story here, just as I had hoped. Furthermore, I got to see the hero of the story. Now tell me the events of his birth.”

  [ Manistambha and Sumukhasatti Exchange Genders ]

  “You know,” she began, “that when you arrived at the temple of the Lion-Rider, two people were talking to me—the Siddha called Manistambha and a woman called Sumukhasatti. You also know that they spent a long time in the temple, disciplining their senses through Yoga. Then they left the temple and made love in a grove. Suddenly the Siddha, wanting the upside-down position, said to his wife, ‘I want you to be a man, and I’ll be the woman.’ She obediently replied, ‘You become the woman, and I’ll become the man.’ Instantly their genders were transposed.”

  Somehow, at once the Siddha became a woman. A thin waist, full breasts and buttocks, languid eyes, a certain gracefulness, a pretty face framed by thick black hair—all these made up his now delicate body. His wife, in turn, took on his form, losing nothing—including his sparse mustache and reddish matted hair. Sometimes in couples, one becomes more attractive than the other—or less so—but a total exchange of genders is totally unheard of.

  “Since at the moment they were changing they were deeply engrossed in one another, taking one another in through the eyes, each acquired the other’s exact form. What you have in your mind is what really counts.

  “It was surprising even to them—seeing their appearances precisely transposed. They couldn’t quite understand why it happened.

  “Sumukhasatti thought back and found the reason (she was staring at her husband’s face). ‘This is the power of the words I just uttered. It can’t be any other reason. Some time ago, when I was surrendering my old body in the presence of the Lion-Rider Goddess, I asked her to make my words come true.6 And if you remember what the inscription on the temple pillar said, you know that my last wish had to come true.’

  “‘Don’t say more,’ Manistambha cried. ‘You never know what might happen.’ He was under the sway of the future. ‘Remember, Sarasvati has blessed us both. She promised me that you will never become pregnant, and you that you will have a son by me. We don’t know how this will unfold. We shouldn’t say anything too hastily.

  “‘And one more thing. They say that women have more fun than men in sex and in what precedes and follows it. I want to find out for myself. So I want us to stay as we are for some time. You can enjoy being the man.’

  “Sumukhasatti agreed. ‘You can ask me to take wha
tever form you like, and I’ll treat your words as God’s command. I’ll do as you say.’ She stayed a man. Manistambha kept on making love as a woman. They also began calling one another by the other’s name, to conform to the change in gender.

  “After a while, the artificial woman wanted to take his new husband for a ride on the lion, to visit faraway fields and forests. He called the lion over, and they mounted it and flew away, enjoying the speed. As they were looking down from the sky, they noticed a city, and he said to his dear husband: ‘Look at this fine city with its high towers, a treasury of delights. The wall that circles it could be an anklet on the foot of a beautiful woman.

  “‘Geese, cranes, and herons

  are calling out from the lilies and lotuses in the moat

  that holy Manasa, Lake of the Gods

  far to the north, is nothing remotely

  like this paradise.

  “‘Even the wall inside the moat has the shape of a lotus. They call this place on the lakeshore Kasarapura, Lake Town. Dear husband—you can smell the delicious betel mixed with camphor that women chew as they play on the roofs of their jeweled palaces.