Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/63

II.] "Heaven and earth were not, all was emptiness.

"The presiding gods of the ten directions were not, nor were there the clouds, nor the stars.

"Life was not, nor death, nor pangs of death.

"The Lord moved in the void, supporting Himself on the void."

From the Lord, says the Çunya Purāṅa, sprang air; and as He drew breath, Ulluk (owl), a bird sacred with the worshippers of Dharma-Thākur, was created. The owl is also sometimes called a Muni (sage). The next creation was tortoise, which is also sacred with the Dharma-worshippers. In the temple, dedicated to Dharma Thākur by Lāu Sen—King of Mainā, in the 11th century, Dharma is still worshipped as a tortoise. The other objects of creation were the serpent Ananta, and the earth; and then from the Lord came Çakti. known as Durgā.

We need not proceed further with this catalogue of theological reveries. The Çunya Purāṅa gives details about the method of worshipping Dharma. We find Çiva, Viṣṅu, Brahmā and a host of Paurānik gods mentioned in this book in a strange way. They discharge functions which have little in common with those attributed to them by the Hindus. Occasionally we come across the word বম্ভনিব্বান, which reminds us of the Nirvana of Buddha.

Çunya Purāṅa, published by the Sāhitya Pariṣad, contains altogether 56 chapters, of which 5 are devoted to an account of the creation of the universe. The rest detail the method of Dharma-worship with occasional references to the sacrifices made by Rājā Hari Chandra and other devout