Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/265

Rh I cannot pick up examples for insertion in this book, for that will be besides my purpose; I must however, say that in some songs, Bengali elements predominate. Our very late forms occur in one and the same piece along with many archaic Bengali forms as well as Oriya and Maithili forms. This can be noticed by the students by merely glancing at the texts. The very first song with which the book begins, contains 'বি' (অপি) and 'পইঠো' in the opening lines, which are presumably Hindi. I fear দুখেতেঁ and পাটের have been wrongly interpreted by dis­regarding the commentary. In song No. 33 along with the pure Bengali form 'হাঁড়িতে ভাত নাই,' occurs the line which is either Oriya or Hindi in form, namely 'দুহিলা দুধু কি বেণ্টেষামায়'; the word 'ষামায়' was no doubt in use in Bengali, but its use is now only confined to the district of Sambalpur; the form 'দুহিলা দুধ' (the milk that has been drawn) is either Oriya or Behari. We cannot fail to notice that the very late Bengali form 'এতকাল' is in company with Hindi অইসে, কইসে, কইসন্, জইসা, তইসে, etc., and Oriya জঁহি, তঁহি, এৎথু, এঠু, etc.; the special Oriya grammatical forms চান্দরে, বিষয়রে (in locative) and অছ, কএলা (archaic), ফিটিলি (verbs in different tenses), etc., occur side by side with modern Bengali forms আইল, করিবে, চলিল, যাইব, etc. We cannot also overlook such special Oriya words as ঘড়িএ (in a moment), চিখিল (slippery), ডুলী (cultivated plot of land) and বেনি (two) as occur in the text; of these words I notice particularly (1) বেনি as a special অপভ্রংশ form of দ্বি or দ্বে (বেবি in old Prākṛta and in old Guzrati) and (2) ঘড়িএ formed as adverb according to the rule of Oriya Grammar. We can see that it is a hopeless state of things, which the সন্ধ্যা ভাষা or the mystic language of the অবধূতs discloses.

No matter which Chaṇḍīdāsa of exactly what time is the author of the Sri Kriṣṇa-kīrtan, which has been very ably