Text 10.192

क्रमेणोदाहरणम्,

krameṇodāharaṇam,

Examples are shown in order. [This illustrates a hint conveyed by a drawing:]

rādhāyāḥ kara-kamale śikhaṇḍa-dala-pakṣma-lagnam ālokya |
prātaḥ sakhī vidagdhā lilekha tatraiva kārmukaṃ sa-śaram ||

rādhāyāḥ—of Rādhā; kara-kamale—on the lotus hand; śikhaṇḍa—of a peacock’s tail; dala—on the feather; pakṣma—eyelashes^[1]; lagnam—adhering; ālokya—having seen; prātaḥ—in the morning; sakhī—a confidante (i.e. priya-narma-sakhī or nitya-sakhī); vidagdhā—clever; lilekha—wrote (drew); tatra—in that; eva—only; kārmukam—a bow; sa-śaram—which has an arrow.

Seeing the eyelashes of a peacock’s tail feather adhering on Rādhā’s lotus hand in the early morning, a clever confidante drew a sketch of a bow and arrow on Rādhā’s hand. (Alaṅkāra-kaustubha 8.246)

atra kara-lagnāc candrakāt sakhyāḥ puruṣāyitaṃ jñātvā tatra puruṣa-dhāryayoḥ dhanur-bāṇayor likhanena tāṃ prati tat prakāśitam.

Understanding that Rādhā held the manly position, since the feather was adhering to Rādhā’s hand, the confidante subtly let Her know about her witty insight by drawing a sketch of a bow and arrow, which symbolize a man.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A peacock’s tail feather appears to have one eye, and the edges of the feather look like eyelashes.