Text 15
taila-gorasa-gandhoda-
haridrā-sāndra-kuṅkumaiḥ
pumbhir liptāḥ pralimpantyo
vijahrur vāra-yoṣitaḥ
taila — with vegetable oil; go-rasa — yogurt; gandha-uda — perfumed water; haridrā — turmeric; sāndra — plentiful; kuṅkumaiḥ — and with vermilion powder; pumbhiḥ — by the men; liptāḥ — smeared; pralimpantyaḥ — smearing them in turn; vijahruḥ — played; vāra-yoṣitaḥ — the courtesans.
The men smeared the courtesans with plentiful oil, yogurt, perfumed water, turmeric and kuṅkuma powder, and the courtesans playfully smeared the men with the same substances.
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this scene as follows: “The men and women of Indraprastha, their bodies smeared with scents and floral oils, were nicely dressed in colorful garments and decorated with garlands, jewels and ornaments. They were all enjoying the ceremony, and they threw on each other liquid substances like water, oil, milk, butter and yogurt. Some even smeared these on each other’s bodies. In this way, they were enjoying the occasion. The professional prostitutes were also engaged by jubilantly smearing these liquid substances on the bodies of the men, and the men reciprocated in the same way. All the liquid substances had been mixed with turmeric and saffron, and their color was a lustrous yellow.”