Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/354

 Khullana worships Chandi. Lahana’s fears. 318 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chag Ts famished, worn-out, and fatigued as she was, shal could no longer walk. The shades of evening spread over the earth. It was all so cool! There was a cansolation in the very darkness of the night—a healing breath in the breeze and Khullang thought she was safe from the sight of men and began to weep in silence, resigning herself to — Chandi, when suddenly she saw at a little distance, lights kindled by five beautiful damsels. They were | doing some thing which she could not understand. With slow pace she came up to them and intro- duced herself to these damsels, who were no other than five nymphs of Indra’s heaven. They | were grieved to hear of the miseries of Khullanag, © and asked her to worship Chandi as they were there doing, giving her every assurance that the cause of her grief would be removed thereby. There, with heart cleansed of all sin by her mani- fold sufferings,—with the resignation and faith of one who is helpless,—she offered flowers to ChandI, and a feeling of pure satisfaction and complacency stole over her which she had never known before. She felt contented with her lot and now cared not what might befal her. She slept at night with the five nymphs and had a quiet and undisturbed rest. Next morning she looked prettier than she had ever done before. As Kbullana did not return home at night, Laha- na felt great anxiety about her safety. ‘Has any evil,’ she thought, ‘befallen Khullang ? Who knows what has come upon her, she may have been killed by some wild beast, or which would be worse, she may have been taken away by wicked men, young and beautiful as she is! My husband will