Ashta-nayika -2, Abhisarika, On way to meet her love

________________ The nayika (heroine) sets out to meet her beloved against all odds ___________________ Dreams in mind, hope in heart, On the way am I to meet my sweetheart, My mind in turmoil, tumult of passion Seeking fruition, to end long separation, None can stop whose mind’s made, Of no one and none whoso afraid, My heart feels free from all masked plight, Naught can stop me from meeting him tonight, And embrace him despite it all, Notso can my made-up-mind stall, Abhisarika I’m, let all world know, No Vyabhicharika, on wayward go. ____________________ Natya Shastra | 02.02.2025 | Free verse, Note: This is second of Ashta-Nayikas, eight heroine types, as classified in a Sanskrit treatise on performing arts in Bharata’s Natya-Shastra. The state (avastha) of the eight romantic heroines widely themed in Indian paintings, literature, sculpture, classical dance forms and music. Abhisarika is the second of the eight such heroines depicted here in poetic form. Vyabhichar refers to adultery, extramarital sex, infidelity, or betrayal in marriage.