Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/248

 218 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. His elder brother Krishna Das wrote a poem des- cribing the events of Krisna’s life. The third brother, Gadadhara, wrote a very elegant book in honour of Jagannath of Puri in 1645 “A.D. and named it “ Jagat Mangala.’’ Froma reference to the Mahabharata by Kaciram Da&s in the above poem, we conclude that the former work was written before 1645 A.D.; and in fact we have further evidences of this, which will be dealt with here- after. Kaciram D&s’s adopted son Nandaram Das (a son of the poets’ brother Gadadhar) wrote the Drona Parva, which we find incorporated with Kagiram’s Mahabharata, though the authorship of that Parva is popularly ascribed to Kagiram. There is a saying current in the country to the effect that Kaciram Das died after having finished the Adi, Sabha, Bana and portions of the Virata Parvas. The easy flow of verses characterised by its Sanskritic expressions, which indicate the poetic The latter individuality of Kaciram Das is traceable in those portion of =cantos which are ascribed to him in the saying; and the Maha- : : bharata we believe that the latter part of the Mahabharata 2 consists mostly of Nityananda Ghos’s writings revised and incorporated into the work, a few more chapters having been added by Nanda Ram, the son of Kaciram Das. Inthese we miss the genial flow of Kaci D&s’s style and that sprinkling of choice Sanskritic expressions which abound in his compositions.* point. In an old MS. of this Mah&bharata, Nandar&m says that his uncle and father Kaci Dds at the hour of his death regretted the circumstance of not being permitted to live to complete the great work he had undertaken, and piteously asked Nandar&m to do the task left unfinished by him.
 * Evidences have quite recently been found to substantiate this