Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/64

34 followers of Dharma, for the sake of religion. There are several passages in prose in the book which furnish curious specimens of very old Bengali mixed with later interpolations. Our readers will admit from the antique forms of words in the following lines that they formed a part of the original writings of Rāmāi Pandit.

"হে ভগবান বার ভাই বার আদিত্ত হাথ পাতি নেহ সেবকর অর্ঘ পুপ্প পানি সেবক হব সুখি ধামাৎ কন্নি গুরু পণ্ডিত দেউলা দান পতি সাংসুর ভোক্তা আমনি সন্ন্যাসী গতি জাইতি।" p. 70.

"কাঞ্চন বাঁধিআ মেজে করিল কাট ডাল মণ্ডপে ফটিকর থাম লাগে চন্দন নাদন আর সাত ডকে লাগিল গজান। ইলা মণ্ডপে দপ্পন সভাকরে।"

The book contains many passages of this nature, and the learned editor has, in an apologetic tone, avowed his inability to explain many of them.

The last chapter, which is headed "নিরঞ্জনের রুষ্মা" (the anger of Niranjan) and was evidently annexed, at least three centuries after the composition of the original work, refers to the revival of Hinduism,—the downfall of the followers of Sat-Dharma or pure religion (Buddhism), and to a free fight between the Mahammadans and the Brāhmins at Jājpur,—the Mahammadans being described as the incarnations of gods and goddesses who are said to have come down for wreaking vengeance on the Brāhmins for oppressing the Sat-Dharmis. We give a free and abridged translation of the curious passage