“Flower of my life, lotus bud of the parent stem, you must preserve our line and keep fat our ancestral spirits lest they be found withered like bats, as is said in the Mahabharata. And for this purpose you will doubtless marry a virgin of your own caste and acquire a legal posterity and a good reputation. Still the usage of women is not for one purpose only, for what purpose is the usage of women?” “The use of women,” answered the boy, “is for generation and pleasure.” “There is also a third use,” said his father, “yet with certain women you must not mingle. Who are the prohibited women?” The boy answered, “We should not practise dalliance with the women of higher caste, or with those whom another has had for his pleasure, even though they are of our own caste. But the practise of dalliance with women of lower caste, and with women expelled from their own caste, and with public women, and with women who have been twice married is neither commanded us nor forbidden.” “With such women,” said Jodindranath, “dalliance has no object save pleasure. But there are seasons in life when one should think broadly. There are circumstances when you should not merely parrot a text or think only as you have been told by your tutor. As in dalliance itself there is no text to be followed verbatim, for a man should trust in part to the whim of the moment and not govern himself wholly by rules, so in making your career and position, you should think of more things than generation and pleasure. “You need not say merely: ‘The woman is willing’ or ‘She has been two times married, what harm can there be in this business?’ These are mere thoughts of the senses, impractical fancies. But you have your life before you, and perchance a time will come when you may say, ‘This woman has gained the heart of a very great husband, and rules him, and he is a friend of my enemy, if I can gain favor with her, she will persuade him to give up my enemy.’ My son, you must manage your rudder. And again, if her husband have some evil design against you, she may divert him, or again you may say, ‘If I gain her favor I may then make an end of her husband and we shall have all his great riches’. Or if you should fall into misfortune and say, ‘A liaison with this woman is in no way beset with danger, she will bring me a very large treasure, of which I am greatly in need considering my pestilent poverty and my inability to make a good living.’ “Or again: ‘This woman knows my weak points, and if I refuse her she will blab them abroad and tarnish my reputation. And she will set her husband against me.’ “Or again: ‘This woman’s husband has violated my women, I will give him his own with good interest.’ “Or again: ‘With this woman’s aid I may kill the enemy of Raja, whom I have been ordered to kill, and she hides him.’ “Or again: ‘The woman I love is under this female’s influence, I will use one as the road to the other.’