5.15. The Wife of the Kāyastha Bureaucrat (kāyastha-sundarī)

Kṣemendra also brings into focus the private life of the kāyastha bureaucrat for criticism. Along with the bureaucrat he also satirizes the morally degraded wife of the Kāyastha.

The kāyastha bureaucrat robs the wealth of the common people and hoards in his house. The wife of the bureaucrat behaves in a way as if she is a queen. In the absence of her husband she passes time looking into the mirror and at the street in front of her mansion.^[1] Now she finds it too heavy to wear a gold chain in her neck. She arrogantly says, ‘I don’t like the gold earring. The heavy gold girddle (kanakasūtrikā) will be fit only in the waist of the woman of tradesman’etc.^[2] Kṣemendra bitterly says that earlier she lived a poor life but now with the help of pen and ink of the kāyastha she lives a prosperous life. Once she used to drink liquor begging others but now she drinks musky wine.^[3] The neighbour girls look at the beautiful wife of the Kāyastha from the bottom of her mansion and get surprise thinking of her to be a lady of noble family.^[4] Because of vanity and young age, the wife of the kāyastha not even looks down at the ground.^[5] She engages herself in enjoyments neglecting the advice of her seniors such as her father-in-law.^[6] She exposes herself and looks at people with rambling eyes.^[7] She is easily available to the libertines. Kṣemendra condemns such unchaste woman who is always ready to unite with another man.^[8] Soon, she unites with the libertine. But, when her husband returns home unexpectedly, the notorious woman becomes unhappy, because at present she has many lovers. The characterless woman denies coming close to her husband. She does not allow her husband to touch her and pretends as if she is getting tired and wants to sleep. The next day, the lewd wife of the Kāyastha official complains of pain all over her body.^[9] The physician fails to cure her disease. The astrologer announces that she is afflicted by a desire for sex.^[10] Thus, Kṣemendra observes that the wife of the Kāyastha bureaucrat is not only a licentious woman but also a morally bankrupt woman, who very easily fools her husband.