INTRODUCTION.
XXJl
of a
^^
as well as of a for the tune direction of one and the It is to be noted that a wf'^ has one tune of poetry. recited by the ?tt, and has quite another when sung according
KTJT
same piece
when
to the
from
WT^ and the
ofT^, for
The term Stt does not seem to differ ^tjt. they both relate primarily to the character of the
For the Ragas we get generally classical names of the old musical literature, as ^^ift, ^Tflrft, ^T^rfijw, v^t^, ^x^ etc. even such a name as ai'f *TTf^^[ occurs as the name of a xttjt which is unknown to the Hindu musical literature. An Indian song, we all know, cannot be sung if both xrn and m^ are not indicated for it metre.
the WT^ indicates as a metre, how a line of a song is to be divided following the rule of cadence ; Van! perhaps differs from Vritoa in this that the latter merely indicates a metre, while the former indicates a popular tune as well as a metre; this is what appears to be the case even from the names of the Vanis, for we notice that in naming the Vanis, old-time songs have been named, viz., Rukmini Chautisa, Uddhava Chautifia Bimbadhari Chautisa, Madhupa Chau,
tisa, etc.
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Oopi-Bhasa. The popular lyric, Gopi-Bhasa, seems as old as the old Chautisas like the Kesava Koili it is read in all primary schools, and the popular tradition is that it has been in existence since a remote past no definite date, however, could be assigned.
Early Religious Epics. —l^ookmg to the fact that Balaram Das, Jagannath Das, and Sarala Das, who are the early poets of Orissa, are the authors of the Bamayana, the Bhagabata and the Mahabharata respectively, it has been asserted by some that the first period of Oriya literature was occupied in translating Sanskrit works in Oriya this is not a correct statement. None of these works is a translation the authors have re-told the Ramayana, the Bhagabata Purana and the Mahabharata in their own way, and they may be regarded as the original works of the authors. The literary activity of the time of the Solar kings of Orissa is marked by the composition of Religious Epics, and in the reign of the very first king Kapilendra alias Kapilesvara, Sarala Das composed his Mahabharata. Misled by the opinion of Mr. Monmohan Chakravartty regarding the date of Sarala Das, I have put in the selections from his Mahabharata after having set out the selections from the writings of Balaram Das and Jagannath Das. The paper of Mr. Chakravartty (J.B.A.S., 1898, p. 332, et seq.) in which wrong suggestion has been given regarding the time of Sarala Das, is otherwise excellent, and invaluable to the students of Oriya literature. 1 find that the very introductory chapter (p. 257 of the following selections) gives us the name of Kapilesvara Deva, the reigning king of the poet's time. However, following the order of the selections in the book I notice his work and his life after giving accounts of Balaram Das and Jagannath Das. Balaram Das. What Balaram Das has stated of himself in the colophon portions of his Ramayana, justifies us in holding that he bad composed his epic some time before he was converted to Vaisnavism by Chaitanya Deva of Bengal. He was no doubt devot*^d to Jagannath of the Puri temple, and he says that he was inspired
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