1876,] F. S. Growse— The Prologue to tie Bdmdyana of Ttdsi Bds, 18 



SoratJia 2. 

 I reverence the lotus-feet of the great sage who composed the Bamaya- 

 na, smooth strains on rough topics and faultless though a story of the 

 faulty.* I reverence the four Vedas, which are like a boat in which to 

 cross the ocean of exist ence, without ever dreaming of weariness, while 

 recounting Rama's excellent glory. I reverence the dust on the feet of 

 Brahma, creator of this ocean-like world, from which have been produced 

 men, good and bad ; as of old from the same source came at once ambrosia, 

 the moon, and the cow Kamadhenu, and also poison and intoxicating 

 liquor. 



Doha 20. 



Eeverencing with clasped hands gods, Brahmans, philosophers and sages, 

 I pray : ' Be gracious to me and accomplish all my fair desire.' 



Chaupdi. 



Again, I reverence the Sarasvati and the Ganges, both holy and beauti- 

 ful streams, cleansing sin by a single draught or immersion, whose name 

 as soon as uttered or heard at once removes error. I adore as I would my 

 guru, or my natural parents, Siva and Parvati, protectors of the humble, daily 

 benefactors, servants and courtiers in attendance on Sita's Lord, and in every 

 way Tulsi's true friends ; who in their benevolence and considering the 

 degeneracy of the times have themselves composed many spells in a barbarous 

 language, incoherent syllables and unintelligible mutterings, mysterious 

 revelations of the great Siva.f By his patronage I may make my story an 

 agreeable one, and by meditating on Siva and Parvati may relate Rama's 

 adventures in a way that will give pleasure. It is only by his favour that 

 my verse can be beautified, as a dark night by the moon and stars. Who- 

 ever in a devout spirit, with intelligence and attention, hears or repeats this 

 lay of mine, he shall become full of true love for Rama, and cleansed from 

 worldly stains shall enjoy heavenly felicity. 



equal correctness be rendered : Hearing my childish supplication, seeing their excellent 

 beauty, be compassionate towards me. It is sufficient to note this peculiarity once for 

 all ; but there are an immense number of lines, in which, though the meaning which I 

 have adopted seems to me on the whole the one most appropriate to the context, it by 

 no means follows that other interpretations are not, from the grammarian's point of 

 view, equally correct. 



* A literal rendering would be — Eough, soft, beautiful, faultless, full of faults. But 

 there are two plays upon words ; for sakhar, ordinarily ' rough' and therefore contrasted 

 with sakomal soft, is also intended to bear the meaning — i relating to the demon Khar ' ; 

 and similarly diishan sahit ' full of faults' can be forced into meaning ' with the demon 

 Dushan. 



t The allusion is to the magic spells and mystical formularies of the Tantras, which 

 are for the most part mere strings of uncouth and utterly unmeaning words, They all 

 purport to have been revealed by Siva himself to Parvati. 



M 



