Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/692

 সর টি... 652 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. Sadagara repeats itself here. Sundara prays to Kali invoking her by names which begin with each of the 34 letters of the Bengali alphabet. He receives the never failing help of the mother; a great army of ghosts come and bind the king’s army with chains. In the court of the Raja the bird cuka com- municated a strange story. It told the Raja that the thief was no other than the far-famed prince of kkanchi, Sundara, whose learning, handsome appear- ance and martial acquirements were the pride of Southern India. The Raja asked cuka as to why he did not give an account of who he was, though he was repeatedly asked to do so. The bird said, it was not the custom with a prince to give an account of himself, the royal ambassador introduced him to Rajas of those countries which he might happen to visit. The ambassador Gangabhata had been sent to Kanchi to proclaim the challenge of Vidya in that city and he was called in. After The story এনে বর told by making obeisence to the Raja he said in reply to Cuka con- ;. si. firmed by the query put to him about the prince,—" The prince Ganga রি : 7 ৯৪118 hav Bhata, ©: ‘sanchi has the titie of Mahakavi or great poet, because he possesses poetical powers In an uncom- mon degree. I saw him at Kanchi; than him a more handsome prince does not exist in the world ; when he heard of the beauty of Vidya and of the challenge she had offered, he suddenly disappeared from the city and since then nothing is known of him. His royal parents in great distress sent messengers everywhere to make enquiries about his whereabouts. But so long as I was there he did not return. It is not unlikely that he has come to Burdwan.”