250 
[No. 2, 
J. N. Rae —Baiswdri Folk Songs. 
II II ^ I 
I 
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^ JIT^r IJ3T ftjf, ^Ct ST ^ JT^fT BW 
BST BST HW fsiTfT^ IKTETfs; <T3, TTTKcT C%T % 5i’*T ^IT lfl%T 
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Translation. 
The boatman took hold of the feet of Ram (who was standing) 
before him,—he had seen him coming from afar,—(and said) “ the blessed 
Lord has given me good luck to-day ; undismayed in my heart I ha-v e 
made a great vow that I will not let Thee get on my boat without wasliin^j; 
Thy feet.” Griidiir (the author) exclaims, “ Oh twice blessed is the luck 
of the Nishad on the banks of the Sur’sari who has spent his whole life in 
killing the fish. Oh Lord ! thon art great, save me as thou hast saved the 
outcast fisherman.” 
The following history is connected with this song :— 
Ahalya was the wife of the venerable sage Gantam. Attracted by 
her beauty, Ind’r the god of the heavens and the disciple of Gantam, 
impersonated the form of his prece^Dtor and ravished her in his absence. 
It was at last discovered and Gantam in his rage cnrsed both, and doomed 
* 
Ahalya to tnrn into a stone, till she was restored to life by the tonch 
of the sacred feet of Ram. The redemption of Ahalya is thns narrated 
in the Ramayari: Ram and Lakshman were going to Janak in the 
company of the sage Yiswamit’r, and in the way, advised by the sage. 
Ram placed his feet on the stone, and Ahalya was immediately restored 
to life. This news spread all over the vicinity, and hence when Ram 
wanted to cross the river Snr’sari, the fisherman was afraid lest his boat 
shonld tnrn into a hnman being, and he be thns deprived of his livelihood. 
II ^8 II ’firl I 
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