Question

अधोलिखितम् गद्यांशं आङ्गलभाषया अनुवादं कुरुत।

अथ महाश्वेता कादम्बरीम्‌ अनामयं पप्रच्च्छ। सा तु सखीप्रेम्णा गृहनिवासेन कृतापराधेव लज्जमाना कृच्छ्रादिव कुशलम्‌ आचचक्षे। मुहुर्तापगमे च महाश्वेता ताम्बूलदानोदयतां ताम्‌ षत्‌-“सखि कादम्बरि, सर्वाभिरस्माभिः अयम्‌ अभिनवागतः चन्द्रापीडः आराधनीयः। तदस्मै तावत्‌ दीयताम्‌!” इति। इत्युक्ता सा शनैः अव्यक्तमिव “सखि, लज्जेहऽम्‌ अनुपजातपरिचया गलम्येनानेन। गृहाण त्वमेव अस्मै प्रयच्छ, इत्युवाच। पुनः पुनः अभिधीयमाना च तया ग्राम्येव चिरात्‌ दानाभिमुखं मनश्चक्रे। चन्द्रापीडस्तु स्वभावपटलं धनुर्गुणाकर्षणकृतकिणश्यामलं पाणिं प्रसार्य ताम्बूलं प्रतिजग्राह। 

Answer 1

“Then, Mahashweta asked Kadambari about her well-being. She (Kadambari), however, feeling ashamed out of love for her friend, as if she had committed an offense by staying comfortably at home, narrated her welfare with great difficulty, as it were.

After a short while, Mahashweta spoke to Kadambari, who was preparing to offer a betel-leaf (tambula) ‘Friend Kadambari, this newly arrived Chandrapida deserves to be honoured by all of us. Therefore, give this (tambula) to him first!’.

Being told this, she slowly and somewhat indistinctly said, ‘Friend, I feel ashamed because I am unfamiliar with him and cannot talk to him. You take it and give it to him yourself.’

But being urged repeatedly by Mahashweta, Kadambari, like an uncultured village girl, finally turned her mind toward offering it after a long time. Chandrapida, extending his hand which was naturally beautiful and darkened with scars caused by pulling the bowstring, received the betel-leaf.”