Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/580

 542 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap, royal swan; her arms rest on the shoulders of her maids. Poet Ananta Das says they arrived at the bowers to the delight of Krisna.” The kasturi mark, or ¢7/ak, is a holy sign referred to in the above song, and this is another feature that reminds us of the spiritual significance of the song. The foot- prints bear the light red mark of the a/ta dye and hence they are mistaken for lotuses. So without in- juring the poetic beauty of the description or intro- ducing anything to jar on the ear of the unsuspecting lay reader, the songs are fraught with a deep re- ligious significance which true Vaishavas only are privileged to enjoy. The references are so clear that to those versed in Chaitanya literature, Radha the princess portrayed in the songs will pass away and the personality of a handsome Brahmin youth maddened by God’s love, bewailing his separation from Krisna and holding communion in a trance with the clouds of heaven, the trees of the woods, and the waves of the Jumna as though they were real friends who could tell him of the God he sought for, will appear as the only reality investing the songs with the significance and beauty of a higher plane. চলইতে চরণের, সঙ্গে চলে মধুকর, মকরন্দ পানকি লোভে । মৌরতে উনমত, ধরণী চুন্বয়ে কত, Tat ধাঁহা পদচিহ্ শোতে ॥ কনক লতা গিনি, জিনি সৌদামিনী, বিধির অবধি রূপ সাজে । রাজহংস জিনি, গমন সুলাবণী, অবলম্বন সখী কাধে । অনন্ত দাস ভণে, মিলন নিকুপ্ত বনে, পুরাইতে শ্যাম মনসাধে ॥'' Padas No. 308-9 Chapter X, Padakalpataru.