Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts Asiatic Society Vol 09

SR No.: 020276
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Prafullachandra Pal
Publisher: Asiatic Society
Publication Year: 1952
Total Pages: 128
Language: English, Sanskrit
Classification: Catalogue
File Size: 7 MB

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Carey. We get rare specimens of early 19th century Bengali prose from the above two manuscripts.
The few Bengali Manuscripts which I have catalogued from the Indian Museum Collection are not of less importance. The author of some of the works represented in the collection is Kaśīdāśā Mitra. These works are śānti-Gītā, Kāśi-Māhātmya, Bangālāgita-Samgraha and others, of which the first two are translations from Sanskrit. The first one is the speech of Srīkrsna as his message of peace to Arjuna in his greatest affliction after the tragic death of Abhimanyu. Its language and its philosophy would place the work in the front rank in our religious literature. Kasidasa Mitra translated this work for the use of Raja Gangā Nārāyaṇa Sāhaśa, Rāja Bāhadur of Lālgur. The second one is the translation of a part of the Brahmavaivarta Purāna. From the concluding verses it appears that he had travelled far and wide and finally settled at Benares. He wrote many books in Sanskrit and Bengali both in prose and verse. These manuscripts clearly show how a man from Bengal in those days did not forget to cultivate their own vernacular in other provinces.
It is to be noted here that the 12 Assamese manuscripts noticed in this volume were presented by Lt. Neufuille to this Society on January, 1825. It is stated on a slip of paper pasted on a manuscript (No. As. 12) that the Lieutenant had forwarded a box to this Society containing manuscripts on religions and of sacred nature, which was found by him in Assam in course of the first British invasion of Assam. Of these, Sankaradeva's Kirtana and Baragita are very important. Besides these there are a few Assamese texts on indigenous medicine and mystical incantations for curing diseases. There are further two works on history(1) Kāmrupa Itihāsa, (2) Cāhābara guņa-barñana. The former gives a chronological list of Kings beginning from the mythological Kings Sambarasura and Narakāsura up to Visvasimha, the Koch King. It is mentioned in this work how Damodardeva the Vaişņava preacher in Assam met Sri Caitanyadeva at Maricota (N. Gauhati) and was initiated by him. The second one is a eulogy of Europeans