8 Further Notes on the Prithirtij-rdyasa. [No. 1, 



Rajputana is a title most applicable to Chand, in a sense beyond that 

 wbicb was originally intended. On comparing tbe above extracts, 

 it will be seen, that each is largely explanatory of the other. The 

 short Mainpuri MS., in several places, presents the preferable reading, 

 and besides supplying the missing half of one couplet, gives ten addi- 

 tional lines which obviate an awkward break in the narrative. There 

 can be little doubt that every district in the North -West, if carefully 

 searched, would yield some three or four similar fragments ; and it is 

 obviously desirable that as many of these as possible should be collated, 

 before the Society commits itself to the adoption of a standard text. 

 In all cases, the actual transcript will be of modern date, but it may 

 often have been taken from an older original than that which is re- 

 presented by the complete copies of the poem. The settlement officer 

 of an adjoining district has been, I believe, engaged for some time 

 past in collecting such fragments of the Alha-Khand, as are popularly 

 current amongst the people in that neighbourhood, and proposes to 

 give an English abstract of their contents. His main object is to 

 illustrate the tone of local traditions ; but there can be little doubt that 

 the result of his enquiries will have large philological interest as well. 

 A variety of causes combine to render it likely that many years 

 will elapse before a satisfactory edition of the Prithiraj-rayasa can be 

 prepared, Meanwhile, I propose to forward from time to time for 

 insertion in the Society's Journal, translations of such portions of the 

 poem as seem to possess most intrinsic interest, That such a course 

 will not be unacceptable to the small world of Oriental scholars, 

 I infer from the remarks made by the learned and most observant 

 censor of Indian literary progress, M. G-arcin de Tassy, who in his 

 interesting and exhaustive review for 1868, speaks of the Prithiraj- 

 rayasa, in connexion with my proposal for its publication, as ' ouvrage 

 d'une inestimable valeur, non seulement pour l'histoire, mais pour la 

 philologie,' and concludes by expressing a hope ' que ce poeme sera 

 enfin edite, et cm'on songera aussi a en donner une traduction com- 

 plete accompagnee d'eclaircissements satisfaisants,' The completion 

 of such a translation may be facilitated by my series of selections. 



As Alha and Udal are far the most famous characters in the Mahoba 

 war, I proceed to translate the close of the second canto wherein they 

 are first brought upon the stage. 



