1876,] F. S. Growse—The Prologue to the Bamdyana of Tulsi Das. 3 



absence both of a Dictionary and a Grammar. The former want is in 

 course of being supplied by Dr. Fallon ; and the latter by Mr. Kellogg of 

 the Allahabad Mission, who has nearly completed a work that promises 

 from the pages I have seen, to be in a remarkable degree both lucid and 

 exhaustive. 



It will, I think, be admitted that a poem of such manifold interest 

 should no longer be withheld from the English reader ; and the advantages 

 in the way of criticisms and suggestions which I hope to secure from its being 

 generally known that a translation is in progress will, I trust, be a sufficient 

 excuse for occupying so many pages with the following specimen. The notes 

 that I have added are more explanatory than would be required by the mem- 

 bers of a learned Society, but they may be found useful by the general public, 

 and I have therefore retained them in their place ; since I would have the 

 specimen represent as closely as possible the exact form which it is intended 

 the complete work should assume. 



Book I. — Childhood. 

 Sanskrit Invocation. 

 I reverence the Goddess of Speech and the Divine Guide,* who are the 

 inventors of the alphabet ; of multiform expression ; of the poetic modes and 

 of metre. I reverence Bhavani and Sankara, the incarnation of Faith and 

 Hope, without whom not even the just can see God the great Spirit. I re- 

 verence as the incarnation of Sankara the all wise Guru, through whom even 

 the crescent moon is everywhere honoured.! I reverence the king of Bards J 

 and the Monkey-king, of pure intelligence, who ever lingered with delight in 

 the holy forest land of Bama and Sita's infinite perfection. I bow before 

 Sita, the beloved of Bama ; the queen of birth, of life and death ; the de- 

 stroyer of sorrow ; the cause of happiness. I reverence, under his name of 

 Bama, the Lord Hari ; supreme over all causes ; to whose illusive power are 

 subject the whole universe and every supernatural being from Brahma 

 downwards ; by whose light truth is made manifest, as when what appeared 

 to be a snake turns out a rope ; and by whose feet as by a bark those who 



* By Vdni, the goddess of speech and Vindi/aka, the guide, are certainly in- 

 tended the divinities ordinarily so designated, viz. Sarasvati and Ganesa. The trans- 

 lation, however, leaves it open ; since some of the Hindu commentators conceive that 

 in this particular passage the reference is rather to Sita and Lakshman. 



t The crescent moon, being one of Sankara' s (i. e. Siva's) constant symbols, is 

 honoured on his account, though in itself imperfect ; while the full moon is honour- 

 ed for its own sake. 



% The king of bards is Valmiki, the reputed author of the Sanskrit Ramayana. 

 The monkey king is of course Hanuman, and the two are brought together more on 

 account of the close similarity of name than for any other reason ; Kaviswara and 

 Kapisvara differing only by a single letter. 



