Part 8.11 - Characteristics of Hementa-kāla (dewy season)

After ending the Śarada-kāla begain the Hemanta. It is supposed to be the mine of much virtue. In the Hemanta-kāla (dewy season) can be seen two or three buds flower bloom on Mucukunda, three or four buds on Lavalī and five or six flowers on Phalini. During the days of Hemanta-kāla, sweet ladies adorn their ears with the ornamental flowers of Nāgkesara and laudhra. They are look attractive for the appropriate clothes. The lakes and ponds are covered with frost and swans are noticed only by their notes, the lotuses get faded due to fall or forth. The peacocks are getting rid of its trains and people use to embrace even an ugly only and also enjoy the warmth at night.

In this times the Cuckoos doesn’t sing and young couples stretch beds in the middle-floor to get themselves warmed. We can see in the work of Kālidāsa’s Ṛtusaṃhāra, beautifully intolerably severe cold of the Hemanta-kāla^[1]. Māhākavi Kālidāsa mentions that it is the best time for celebrating sexual inter course.

Because women’s are try to dye their bodies with turmeric and perfume their heads with black Agura and incense.

C.f.

“gātrāṇi kālīyakacarcitāni sapatralekhāni mukhāmbujāni |
śirāṃsi kālāgurudhūpitāni kurvanti nāryaḥ suratotsavāya || ”

- Ṛtusaṃhāra of Kālidāsa: IV/ 5

About the excessive beauty of Hemanta-kāla (dewy season) Kālidāsa says:

“pīnastanoraḥ sthalabhāgaśobhāmāsādya tatpīḍanajātakhedaḥ |
vṛṇāgralagnaistuhinaiḥ patadbhirākrandatīvoṣasi śītakālaḥ || ”

- Ṛtusaṃhāra of Kālidāsa: IV/ 7

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ṛtusaṃhāra of Kālidāsa: IV