Buddhidhan’s Family² Navinchandra went into the courtyard. Clouds of smoke billowed out of Murkhdutt’s room. Soon, the creaking and squeaking of carriages and trotting hooves could be heard. Murkhdutt, his hands covered with dough, rushed to the front of his room, craned his neck to look out, tried to arrange his shikha with his wrists, and rubbing his eyes looked in the direction of the gate. Just then, four or five beautiful young women walked in, their anklets tinkling as they climbed up the temple steps with evident effort. Two women led the group. At the front of the train was Buddhidhan’s daughter Alak Kishori, about twenty to twenty-two years old. There was about her an air of unrestrained sensuality. Walking a step behind was a girl of fourteen or fifteen. Her charm was tender, her beauty like the breaking dawn—calm, despite the exhilarating passions suited to her age. Her gait was swan-like. She was Kumud Sundari, the new bride of Buddhidhan’s son, Pramaddhan. Lightning dazzles and brightens a dark night, but when the rain-laden clouds disperse, it is gentle moonlight that illuminates the sky. Likewise, Alak Kishori’s splendour was followed by the soothing beauty of Kumud Sundari. She was shy, restrained, with the hint of a smile on her lips; she illuminated the temple with her radiant beauty.

The differences in appearance, disposition, demeanour and thought between the two sisters-in-law were apparent. This was in large measure due to their respective families, their histories, and education. The seeds of this difference were sown from birth, but their lived contexts had contributed to the growth of these innate dispositions. Alak Kishori was what women would describe as gorgeous. Her golden complexion glowed like the mid-day sun. She attracted and impressed all those who set eyes on her. Her body was proportionate and full: the eyes of the beholder were ‘filled’ by her figure. Her demeanour was restless, forceful and authoritative. Those who faced her experienced the anxiety of facing a large assembly. She spoke as one used to exercising authority; most people felt naturally inferior in her presence. Just as Buddhidhan ruled by the power of his office, Alak Kishori ruled with her captivating gaze. Most people with average intelligence believed that she owed her power to her physical beauty. They were not wrong. Bedazzled in her presence, their judgement was paralysed. However, those capable of more real and detailed analysis, or who thought about her in her absence, found themselves able to think of Alak Kishori’s many shortcomings. But even such persons found themselves helpless before her captivating beauty. And if someone still felt an impulse to rebel, just the presence of this doe- eyed beauty melted their pride and they felt stupefied in the face of her vibrant sensuality. Her unrestrained, passionate youth attracted a large group of admirers, and she wielded over them a power akin to that of a goddess. Alak Kishori’s mother Saubhagya Devi was a woman of average beauty and qualities. Buddhidhan was fond