202 
[No. 3, 
G. A. Grierson— The Song of Mdnik Chandra. 
the ra'iyats after consulting together, went to S'iva’s (temple). 21. Calling 
him “ S'iva Thakur,” they cried with a loud voice. S'iva Thakur was in 
the temple, and put his foot outside the door. # 22. When they saw Siva, 
all the ra'iyats made obeisance. Tying their clothes round their necks, did 
they make obeisance. 
STva spake. 
23. “ Long may ye live, long may ye live, 0 ra'iyats , may Dkarma 
bless you. May the days of your life be as many as the sands of the sea. 
21. Why, why 0 ra'iyats , have ye all come ?” 
The Ra’iyats spake. 
25. “ What advice shall we adopt, and what course of conduct. The 
king within the kingdom hath become unjust.” 2G. The ancient S’iva 
meditated, and after meditating looked up, and found in the fate of the 
king that the limit of his life was six months distant. 
STva spake. 
27. “ If ye tell this word unto Mayana she will assuredly destroy 
my kingdom of Kailasa.” 
The Ra’iyats spake. 
28. “ One oath, two oaths, three oaths in the name of Hari. If we 
speak thy word, may we die in great sin.” 29. All the ra'iyats , after con¬ 
sulting together, went to Srikala hat. 30. They filled an earthen pot 
with incense and vermilion. They filled a coop with geese and doves. 31. 
They also took a white goat, tying him with a rope. Fasting on a Sunday, 
they took them to a tirtha on the Ganga. f 32. They tied the goat at a 
place sacred to Dharma on the banks of the Ganga, and sacrificed it there. J 
33. They offered several geese at the ghat , and burnt incense and vermilion 
there. 31. They rooted up unblown binna grass and brought it. And then 
wringing out his languti , he (S'iva) gave vent to the curse ; and that curse 
they (the ra'iyats) took up in the corner of their garments. 
35. On the Sunday S'iva gave the people this curse. On the Monday 
the fever seized the king. 36. On the Tuesday the king became weak ; on 
* It is worth noting how entirely the ideas of the author of the poem are circum¬ 
scribed by the incidents of his village life. Every one, God or man, acts and lives as if 
he were a simple Rangpuri villager. This verse is an instance. When one ra'iyat goes 
out to see another, it is the village etiquette, to bawl out to him, “ He ! so-and-so,” 
while the visitor is yet a hundred yards or so from the house of him on whom he is 
about to call. If the latter is “ at home,” he goes outside his door, and greets the 
comer. This latter action is called “ putting one’s foot outside the door.” Compare 
the English expression of “ calling on a person.” 
f By the Ganga, is meant the Brahmaputra. See note to v, 159, 
J bib L U S a b°l e f° r lb- 6 sacrificial post in the same. 
