Page:The history of the Bengali language (1920).pdf/266

244 edited by Babu Basanta Ranjan Ray, but I have no hesitation to say that the book was composed during the early years of Mahomedan influence in Bengal. There are a very small number of words of Persian or Arabic origin, but we must notice at the same time, that though it is a Vaisnavite work, it has not been composed in that artificial language, and non-Bengali metres which the early Vaisnava poets, including our popularly known চণ্ডীদাস, resorted to in the composition of the Vaisnava lyrics or পদাবলীs.

The archaic grammatical forms as occur in this book, will be noticed in the subsequent lecture; I should only mention here, that we get in these forms a few connecting links between the late Māgadhi and modern Bengali forms. A few examples will only do here: (1) The pronominal forms মই, তই, etc., are intermediate between the late Māgadhi and modern Bengali; (2) The final হসন্ত 'ত' was formerly pronounced almost like 'তে' and this is still the case with the Oriyas who pronounce যাবৎ, তাবৎ, etc. as যাবতে, তাবতে, etc. Thus it was that the ablative case-ending of বৃক্ষাৎ became রুক্-কতে, or রুখঁতে, or রুক্-হন্তে in old Prākṛta; we get pure হঁতে in this book as ablative ease-ending, and this is what has become হতে in Bengali; it has no connection with the verb হইতে = 'to be'; in Hindi, we get for it the ending হুঁ and the corresponding Oriya form is উঁ; compare তবহুঁ of Hindi and ঘরুঁ (from the house) of Oriya. (3) The emphasis indicating 'হি' of Prākṛta, as in সেহি (He it is) is found as সি in this book as in সেসি; সে-সেন্ of Eastern Bengal and সে সিনা of Oriya may be compared. তেঁসি in this book is equivalent to modern তাইতে or তাইত (for that reason). (4) Many idiomatic expressions now obsolete in Bengali but current even now in Oriya are met with in this book; "হাট উখুড়িবে" (the market will disperse) is in use in Sambalpur, বাট কড়াইল (guided or showed the way) is idiomatic throughout