1898.] M. M. Cbakravarti— Language and literature of Orissa. 345 
Ramayana slightly preceded the Bhagabata and will have to he placed 
in the 1st quarter of the 16th century. 
Balarama Dasa came of a respectable family. He was a son of an 
Oriya minister named Somanatha Mahapatra. 
HT^TXH^T I 
cTT^T^ ^ II 
MS. No. 2, Fol. 308. 
“ Cri-Somanatha Mahapatra is the chief of ministers. His son is 
Balarama Dasa.” 
He became a devout Vaisnava and came to reside in Puri. In the 
closing passages of each Kanda he expresses his humility and prays to 
Jagannatha for his deliverance. His Ramayana is simple in style and 
is generally written in one form of versification. He sometimes uses 
grammatical forms not now in existence, e.g .— 
tot ll 
MS. No. 1, Fol. 447. 
“ With the eye of flesh have I seen Lord Jagannatha; hence have I 
been able to expound the work Adikanda.” 
Here “ nayanena ” contains an instrumental form of “ ena ” which 
was derived from Sanskrit but is not now in use. Similar grammatical 
variations are also to be found in the Oriya Mahabharata. It is a pity 
that neither of these works has yet been printed. The influence of this 
Ramayana is perceptible in several later works, such as Baidehisabijasa 
of Upendra Bhanja, Bicitra Ramayana of Bisvanatha Khunti-a, the 
Bicitra Ramayana of Harihara Dasa and Ramalila of Sadasiba Dasa. 1 
The Ramalila Jatras of the mofussil are mostly based on this work. 
Krsna Simha of Dharakota translated another version of the Rama- 
• • • 
yana, which though literally more correct has failed to catch the public 
car. 
1 This author is not mentioned in Hunter’s list. The manuscript consists of 
92 folios with 5 lines on each page. The work describes in verse the story of 
Rama from his birth to his abhiseka (crowning). The manuscript was copied in 1229 
sana or 1820 A.D. and ends thus— 
<TH II 121st Canto, 14th coaplet. 
“(Oh God!) Always do this favour to Sadasiba, that his mind may not go 
elsewhere except towards Rama and Sita.” 
J. i. 44 
