Padmani, the ideal of the poet, free and delicate and graceful in bearing, is made to be loved and is herself full of love. Her voice is low and soft, her words are gracious, her expression is sweet and gentle; she is admired by women and her friendship and presence bring heaven on earth to men. When she makes a friend of a man, it is something of a venture or a step, taken as it were out of her own circle; for women are her natural friends, and to them she turns, both out of interest and for protection. In her heart is kept one beloved alone, whom nothing can remove. Her smile for him is as the unveiling of heaven, her kind glance is a lasting impression, her sweet words ring for ever in his heart. And it is clear to all that she looks on him as her king.

She is intelligent and simple, courageous and shy, patient and enduring, constant and firm in thought; and she is moved by all things that are tender and appealing. There is a fittingness in her behavior. She has a love of order, a respect for the aged, patience and constancy in face of difficulty; and she is self-denying and unassuming throughout all. Her affections are deep, and she finds them inexpressible; but her face, her features, her glance, every word and every movement show a picture of beauty and devotion to the ideal. Rarely does one see a Padmani in life; and the man who wins her heart gains the kingdom of Indra Loka, the heaven of the Hindus.

Chitrani

Chitrani is beautiful and brilliant. She is happy amongst women, but prefers the friendship of the opposite sex. She is affectionate by nature, and desires affection. Her voice is music, a song; and there is poetry in her words. She is not so idealistic as Padmani, but she is refined and skilled in manner, and delightful and amusing in expressing her likes and dislikes. She herself loves but one man, though her manner may show another that he might perhaps be able to win her love too. She is vain and she is modest; she is bold and she is exclusive. She plays at hide-and-seek with her lover. Her swift glance, the lift of her eyebrows, her slightest gesture, a movement of a hand or of a shoulder, will convey her thought or mood as no words can. She expresses her love and wins her lover's heart a thousand times over; and one straight look of her eyes draws his soul to the surface. She is controlled by him and yet controls. She is with him and yet apart. She is Maya, the elusive one. She is the pearl of his heart.

Shankari

Shankani is strong, rough, and determined. She is desperate in her likes and dislikes. Her heart is gained in a moment if her passion is touched; and she changes easily from one lover to another. Men are her preoccupation; but the love of any one man does not impress her deeply, nor could she for her part hold any man for ever. She is forward in expressing herself, and she is emotional. She is little inclined to friendship with women, and they find her inconsiderate towards them. She is ungainly in figure. She is unbalanced in mind. One day she will esteem a person highly; the next day her devotion is thrown to the ground like a stone and broken.

Hastini

Hastani is greedy and impulsive. Voice, movement, words, all show that self-indulgence and passion predominate in her. She does not form any deep or serious attachment in life; and she will suddenly break a thread which unites, with a word of anger, or a hasty feeling of displeasure or disagreement. Her actions are untimely; there is an abruptness in her ways that jars peace or friendship. She does not appeal to women, who are on their guard against her and fear her; nor does she prove a pleasant and lasting comrade even to her own mate.

From the ideal of Padmani to the idea of Hastani, there is seen to be increasing force in the power of expressing emotion, but also a lessening of the capability of holding any lasting attachment. In Chitram there is perhaps an equal balance between depth of feeling and beauty in expression of feeling; while in Padmani there is an absorption in the ideal which means selflessness. And this is actually more fruitful in producing the beauty that gives solace and calm and the glow of happiness, than anything else in life.

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Four Types of Women

-ALL-

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Four Types of Women

Padmani

Chitrani

Shankari

Hastini