1878.] 
G-. A. Grierson— The Song of Manik Chandra. 
201 
Translation of the Song of Ma'nik Chandra. 
1. Think on the name o£ Rama, meditate on him with a single mind. 
If thou utterest the name of Rama what can Yama do. 2. The wicked 
man did not utter the name of Rama in the sloth of his tongue : and eyen 
though it was a receptacle of ambrosia, his body was devoured by poison. 
3. Who walketh uttering the name of Rama, along with him goeth a ser¬ 
vant of Rama armed with bow and arrow. 4. The ship that is called by 
the name of Rama, hath for its pilot the Holy Master himself. Opening 
out his arms he crieth out “ Come, I will ferry thee across.” 5. I have 
placed the worship of Rama upon my head. I pause awhile from consider¬ 
ing his virtues, and sing the virtues of one who hath accomplished (his path 
of holiness). By praising him I obtain the accomplishment of my desires. 
6. Manik Chandra was a very pious king in Banga. Each month he 
used to collect a tax on each plough of seven and a half gandas * of kdoris. 
7. The people paid a tax of seven and a half gandas of kdoris , and on 
the day of the Ashtami pujd used to bring him a herd of goats. 8. The 
fuel-seller, who supplied him with fuel, had six months’ taxes remitted to 
him in consideration thereof. 9. The leaf-seller, who supplied him with 
bundles of leaves, had six months’ taxes remitted to him in that consider¬ 
ation. 10. Such a king was Manik Chandra that his rah ig at s’ fences were 
built simply of thin reeds ; the man who lived at hap-hazard, even he had 
a horse at his door. So proud were they, that not even the maid-servants 
wore saris made of jute. 11. ~No one had need to use the foot-path of 
another, and no one had to drink the water of another’s tank.f 
12. From the south there came a Bangdld with a long beard ; and 
that Bangdld, when he came, made money from the country. 13. Where 
the tax had formerly been 7\ gandas he took 15 gandas. 14. They sold 
their ploughs, they sold their yokes, and some sold their ploughshares ; 
through the distress caused by the taxation, some even sold their children 
at the breast. 15. The misery of the poor unhappy widows became very 
lamentable ; all through the country the villages became broken up. 16. The 
little rahiyats said to the big ra'iyats “ Brothers, let us all go to the 
pradhdns.”% 17. Saying, “ What advice will all the pradhans give,” all the 
raHyats after consulting together, went to the house of the pradhdns. 18. 
“ What advice shall we adopt, brothers, and what course of conduct P The 
king within the kingdom hath become unjust.” 19. The Bradhdns said 
to all the ra'iyats , “This advice I have no power to give ; come to Siva. 
Let us see what command the mighty Bholanatha will give us.” 20. All 
* A budi is five gandas or twenty. 
f i. e., every one had his own private path to the hat, and his own private tank. 
i The Rang purl term for the village head-man. 
