Abhisara – The Tryst

Q&A
“Graciously come to my house. The dusty earth
is not fit bed for you.”
The young ascetic answered, “Woman,
go on your way;
When the time is ripe I will come to you.”

What did the dancing girl ask the ascetic to do? Why do you think he declined her
invitation? What did he promise her?
a) The dancing girl asked the ascetic to come to her house
b) She felt that the dusty earth was not a fitting bed for him. In fact, she was attracted by his
beauty. But the ascetic had already given up all the worldly pleasures. So he declined her
invitation
c) He promised that he would visit her when the right time had come.

Do you think ‘your way’ has any special meaning? What was ‘her’ way? What was ‘his’
A. a) It has a special meaning ‘your way’ means the way the dancing girl is leading the life – a
life of enjoying bodily pleasures, a worldly way (or earthly pleasures)
b) Her way was the way of enjoying worldly pleasures.
c) Upagupta was an ascetic. An ascetic is one who follows the principle of self-denial. His way is
spiritual the one of renunciation and meditation.

“The ascetic sat by her side, taking her head on his knees,
and moistened her lips with water and smeared her body with balm.
“Who are you, merciful one?” asked the woman.
“The time, at last, has come to visit you, and I am here,” replied the young ascetic.”

Who was the young ascetic? Who was the woman he was treating?
Why did the woman call him ‘the merciful one’?
Why did the ascetic tell the woman that the time to visit her had come at last?

a) The young ascetic was Upagupta.

b) The woman was the dancing girl who met him at the temple gate long ago when she was
young. She was very proud of her youth when they first met.
c) When she was attacked by a dreadful disease, she has driven away from the town. Nobody
cared for her. Then he was the only one who pitied her and helped her the young ascetic sat by
her. He took her head on his knees, put some water on her lips and applied balm to her body.
So she called him ‘the merciful one’.
d) When the woman lay down suffering from a dreadful disease, who was really in need of
somebody’s help. So the ascetic said that the time, at last, had come to visit her and serve her. It
was the time she needed him the most to soothe her in sorrow, nurse her and lead her on the
right path.

Who is asking the question? Who is the ‘merciful one’? When had the woman met him
first?
a) The dancing girl is asking the question. She is now stricken by a dreadful disease and driven
away from the town. The merciful one is Upagupta, the young ascetic. The woman had first met
him when she was in her youthful pride.

Who is the ‘I’ in the poem? Who is ‘you’ in what sense has the time come?
a) ‘I’ in the poem is Upagupta.
b) ‘You’ is the dancing girl.
c) The time has come for the ascetic to come to her in order to attend on her, when she is really
in need of his help.

‘And I am here’, what is the significance of these words spoken by the ascetic?

When Upagupta first met the dancing girl, she welcomed him to her house. But he did not
accept her invitation. He told her that he would come when the time was ripe. But not who was
suffering from a dreadful disease. She was driven away by the people from the town. So the
ascetic decided to cure her and put her on the proper path. He tells her that the time has come
to visit her.

Two kinds of lives are depicted in the poem Upagupta. What are “They”?
⇒ Two kinds of lives are depicted in the poem Upagupta by the two main characters –
Upagupta and the dancing girl. Upagupta is a disciple of Buddha and depicts a life of
renunciation and spiritual pursuit.
The dancing girl is drunk with the wine of their youth and depicts a life of worldly pleasures and
material pursuit.

What did Upagupta mean when he said to the young woman that he would come to her
when the time was ripe?

⇒ When Upagupta said to the young woman that he would come to her when the time was
ripe, means that his way was one of renunciation, meditation and helping others in time of need.
So he came to help her when she needed it most.

What happened as soon as the young ascetic had spoken his words?

⇒ Suddenly the black night showed its teeth in a flash of lightning. The storm growled from the
corner of the sky and the woman trembled in fear.
1. Why was the dancing girl up and about at that time of the night? The girl touched
Upagupta with her feet. Why? What had happened?
A. a) The dancing girl was on her way back home from the royal court at that time of the
night. She approached the city wall.
b) Whe touched Upagupta with her feet because she could not see him in the darkness
of the night.
c) So she begged his pardon. She invited him to her hous saying that the dustry earth
was not the proper place for him to sleep.

2. “He woke up started and the light from a woman’s lamp struck his forgiving eyes”.
What woke up Upagupta? Why was he started? Would any one have liked it? Why
his eyes are described as ‘forgiving’?
A. a) The touch of the dancing girl woke him up.
b) He was started because he was suddenly woken up and also he saw a beautiful
woman in front of him.
c) No one would have liked a strong light striking ones eyes when one opened.
d) His eyes are described as ‘forgiving’ because there were no signs of anger in them.

3. ‘Forgive me, young ascetic’, said the woman. Why did she ask him for his
forgiveness? What had she done?
A. a) The dancing girl touched the ascetic with her feet because she could not see him in
the darkness of the night. So she asked him for his forgiveness.
b) She invited him to her house.

4. Suddenly the black night showed its teeth in a flash of lighting

The storm growled from the corner of the sky and the woman trembled in fear
Who shows teeth when angry? Who growls? What is nature compared to? Do you
think fate was indicating what was to come? How did the woman react?
A. a) A monkey shows its teeth when angry.
b) A tiger growls.
c) Nature is compared to a tiger
d) Fate was indicating what was to come.
e) The woman trembled with fear.

5. Why was the street lonely and the town silent? What was happening to the woman,
while the whole world was rejoicing? What had the people done to her? Why do
 you think she was driven away hurriedly?
A. a) The street was lonely and the town silent because it was midnight.
b) While the whole world was rejoicing, the woman was suffering from a dreadful
disease.
c) The people had driven her away from the town
d) The people were afraid that her disease would spread fast in the town.

6. What did the ascetic do?

A. The ascetic sat by the side of the woman and took her head on his knees. He
moistened her lips with warm water and daubed her body with balm.

Extras :-

Question 1.
Why did Upagupta wake up started?
Answer:
Upagupta woke up, because Vasavadatta, a dancing girl stumbled over his body.
Question 2.
“The dancing girl was rich.” Do you agree with this opinion? Justify your answer
by quoting the text.
Answer:
“The dancing girl was rich.” We agree with this opinion because she was proud of her
beauty and wealth. Her feet were those thinking with anklets. This means her chains
around the anklets were making a pleasant metallic sound. She was starred with jewels.
This means precious ornaments were on her body. They were shining like stars.
Question 3.
“Why do you think the ascetic did not accept the invitation of the dancing girl?
Answer:
‘The ascetic was the disciple of Buddha. His name was Upagupta. According to Buddhist
principles, he was leading simple and strict ways of living. He had sacrificed the material
world. On the other hand the dancing girl was proud of her youth and wealth. She was
to lead her life splendidly. But the ascetic did not want such a life. Therefore he did not
accept the invitation of the dancing girl.
Question 4.
How is the spring season described in the poem?
Answer:
The spring was warm. The branches of the trees on the wayside were full of beautiful
flowers. Gay notes (light heartening notes) of the flute carhe floating in the warm spring
of air from far away distance. Thus the spring is described in the poem.
Question 5.
“The time, at last, has come to visit you” What do you understand by this?
Answer:
“These are the words of Upagupta. He told these words to the dancing girl who he had
promised her that he would visit her when the time was ripe. She was lying on the
ground. Her body was spotted with sores of smallpox. Upagupta sat by her side and
took her head on his knees. He gave her water and made her lips wet. He applied her
body with sandal balm. The dancing girl asked who he was, the merciful one. He replied
The time, at last, has come to visit you, I am here”. This means he was true to his words.
Question 6.
Read the lines last stanza Does the description suggest anything about the ascetic?
Answer:
The lines 38 to 41 are the description of Upagupta, the ascetic. The disruption suggests
that how he nursed the dancing girl who was struck with black deadly epidemic disease.
He sat by her side and took her head on his knees. He gave her water and made her lips
wet. He applied her body with sandal balm.