Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/193

152 Ray of Nuddea. It was published first at Serampore in 1808, and then in London in the year 1811. This is, perhaps, the first book of its kind in Bengali in imitation of English biographies. The language is easy and plain, and, at the same time, more developed, though wanting in gracefulness and sweetness. Here is a specimen:—

"তাহাতে পাত্র নিবেদন করিলেন, মহারাজ, আমরা পুরুষানুক্রমে এ রাজ্যের পাত্র, কিন্তু স্বর্গীয় মহারাজারা আর আর প্রকার সুখ্যাতি করিয়াছেন, যজ্ঞ কেহ করেন নাই। মহারাজ এই বাক্য শ্রবণ করিয়া পাত্রকে কহিলেন, আমি অতি বৃহৎ যজ্ঞ করিব, তুমি আয়োজন কর।"

Between this period and the compilation of Vidyasagar's "Vasudeva Charita", appeared Ramjay Tarkalankar's "Sankhyabhasha Sangraha", Lakshmi Narayan Nyayalankar's "Mitakshara-Darpan", Kasinath Tarkapanchanan's "Nyaya-Darsan", "Purusha-Pariksha", "Hitopadesa" "Jnana-Chandrika," "Prabodha-Chandrika," and some other works. Of these, the "Purusha-Pariksha," the "Jnana-Chandrika," the Prabodha-Chandrika, and some other similar books were prescribed as text-books for the Fort William College. The language of these books is a little more developed than that of the "Krishnachandra Charita." The style too is more refined. The use of Sanskrit words