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let’s go watch her, ah, it. 35
    DHARINI
(
to herself
): Ugh, my husband is shameless!
    All rise.
    GAUTAMA
(
secretly
): Whoa, we should go slowly. Queen Dharini might get suspicious.
    AGNIMITRA : Though calm, I’m excited by that seductive drumbeat.
Sounds drop down, like a path to my heart’s desire. //22//
    All exit.
    END ACT I

Act II
    The orchestra is visible, the king sits with his counsellor,

Dharini, Kaushiki and their respective attendants.
    AGNIMITRA : Sister, both noble teachers are here. Which of the two shall we see first?
    KAUSHIKI : Though equal in skill, Ganadasa is older, so let him go first.
    AGNIMITRA : Maudgalya, relay this to the teachers.
    MAUDGALYA : As your majesty commands.
(
Exits.
)
    Enter Ganadasa.
    GANADASA : Your majesty, Sharmishta’s four-part dance is set to a medium tempo. You should listen carefully to the fourth part.
    AGNIMITRA : I’ll be most attentive.
    Ganadasa exits.
    AGNIMITRA
(
aside
): My friend,
    She’s hidden backstage
but my eyes long to see her,
it’s as if my own excitement
was drawing open the curtain. //1//
    GAUTAMA
(
aside
): The honey of your eye has come, but the bee is near. Go ahead and look, but don’t be lewd.
    Enter Malavika with Ganadasa watching her elegant body.
    GAUTAMA
(
aside
): Look, your majesty, she’s no less beautiful than her picture.
    AGNIMITRA
(
aside
): My friend,
    My heart feared her beauty
might differ from her likeness
but now I’m sure, the painting
was nothing but a cheap imitation. //2//
    GANADASA : My dear, let go of your fear and be confident.
    AGNIMITRA
(
to himself
): Oh, every part of her body is perfect . . .
    Bright eyes, 36 face like the brilliant autumn moon,
and arms like bent bamboo,
soft chest, firm breasts and smooth sides,
a waist that spans but a hand,
her curved hips, feet and arched toes
her body—the ideal image
a dance master embraces in his mind. //3//
    MALAVIKA
(
approaches and sings the four-part composition
): Oh, heart! My beloved is hard to get,
don’t long for him.
Why does my left eye throb so?
Seeing him again, after so long,
how do I receive him?
My lord, know that I long for you in pain. //4// 37
    Then she depicts the sentiment.
    GAUTAMA
(
aside
): Ha! I think she’s using this song to enter your heart!
    AGNIMITRA : My heart is open, 38 my friend. Surely when
    singing the words ‘My lord, I long for you in pain . . .’
directing her expressions to her own body,
seeing no other way to show her affection
with Dharini so near, she addresses me,
while feigning pursuit of a young prince. //5//
    At the end of the song, Malavika starts to exit.
    GAUTAMA : Wait a minute, my lady! You’ve forgotten the order of things. 39 Let me ask you . . .
    GANADASA : My dear, you may go only when the performance is deemed complete.
    Malavika turns and stands still.
    AGNIMITRA
(
to himself
): Oh, her beauty reveals an inner elegance in every stance.
    Her left hand rests on her hip,
the bangle motionless at her wrist
while the other arm falls freely like a fig branch.
Lowering her eyes to the tiled floor,
where her big toecaresses a flower,
her curved body
is more beautiful than her dance. //6//
    DHARINI : It seems Master Ganadasa takes Gautama’s words to heart.
    GANADASA : Not so, my queen. Gautama’s subtle observation is the king’s influence.
    Even fools become wise
by keeping company with the learned,
just as touching the clearing-nut fruit 40
purifies muddy water. //7//
    (
Looking at Gautama
) Let’s listen to what he has to say.
    GAUTAMA
(
looking at Ganadasa
): First ask Sister Kaushiki. After that I’ll describe the error 41 that I noticed.
    GANADASA : Sister, please describe what you observed, both merits and flaws.
    KAUSHIKI : Whatever I saw was faultless.
    Her body expressed deep meanings
concealed in words,
her footfalls in rhythm
merged into feelings,
while her graceful arms flowed
in line with her imagination
as emotion displaced emotion
in a display of passion. //8//
    GANADASA : And what do