1839.] Notice of Inscriptions in Behar. 355 



The Sungskrit inscription at the Kothoutiga gate of the fort, al- 

 luded to by Buchanan, page 432, was, I believe, brought to Chuprah 

 by Mr. Walter Ewer, and is at present in the grounds of Mr. Luke's 

 house. I shall endeavour either to forward the original, or a copy to 

 the Asiatic Society. 



I have the honor to be, 

 Sir, 

 Your most obedient servant, 

 Chuprah, E. L. RAVENSHAW. 



21 st April, 1839. 



P. S. — Since writing the above Mr. Luke has promised to forward 

 the slab by a boat which is about to start for Calcutta. 



Art. II. — The " Mahimnastava" or a Hymn to Shiva; with an 

 English translation. By the Rev. Krishna Mohana Banerji. 



The well-known invocation to Shiva, of which an English transla- 

 tion is presented to the public, together with the original, in the follow- 

 ing lines, is held in high repute among the Hindus. It purports 

 to be written by Pushpadanta, chief of the Gandharvas, who was 

 in the habit of stealing flowers, for the purpose of worshipping Shiva 

 with them, from the garden of king Va'hu, unseen by the keepers of 

 the garden. As he was gifted with the power of walking in the air he 

 baffled for a long time all the efforts of the keepers to catch him, who 

 observed every morning large quantities of flowers stolen away, but 

 could not ascertain how the thief got into the garden by night, in spite 

 of all their watchful vigilance. They suspected at last that it was a 

 being capable of flying that committed the robbery night by night, 

 and left in several places some holy flowers sacred to Shiva, with the 

 hope that the thief might tread upon them in the dark and be depriv- 

 ed of his supernatural powers, in consequence of the curse which such 

 an insult to those sacred mysteries would necessarily bring upon him. 

 The plan had the desired effect. The Gandharva trod upon the sa- 

 cred flowers, and lost his power of riding on the wind. He was ac- 

 cordingly caught and taken into custody, when, through fear of the 

 king whom he had offended by stealing his flowers, he offered the fol- 

 lowing supplication to Shiva. 



In the translation of this composition I have consulted the scholia 

 of a learned commentator, as well a version in the Bengalee language, 

 both of which have been printed with the text. As all classes of the 



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