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Whence this art to hit heart, no dart

Bewitching Beauty,
Whence hast come this unique skill--
Shooting darts at will--
Thy skill O to hit man’s heart
By sheer merit, not with dart!    
___________________________
Translation (Tanka) | 28.08.2025 | beauty, heart, arrow
Note: Here is a verse (in Anushtubh meter) from Bhartrihari’s Shringaara Shatakam (hundred verses on love and romance). Here the poet wonders from where has she learnt the skill to hit man’s heart, without ever releasing any arrow. Here is the transliteration:

Mugdhe dhanushkata keyam 
Apurva tvayi drshyate |
Yaya vidhyasi chetamsi 
Gunaih eva na sayakaih || 3 ||

Copyright © | Year Posted 2025




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