পাতা:Vanga Sahitya Parichaya Part 1.djvu/৩১

INTRODUCTION. 23 harlot sought his love shows that he had not made a vain promise to his queen. (p. 72). 7. The Song of the Sun-god. On pp. 164-171 a very early song of the Son-god is given. This song I have collected from Backerganj in Eastern Bengal. It possesses unique value. The Sun-god was the original hero of our nursery songs, and many of those attributes which have been latterly ascribed to Shiva and Krisna, originally belonged to the God of the Day as is proved by this song. It acquired its present form probably in the 10th century A.D. or even later. But it embodies the traditions of a much earlier age. Gauri, the reputed spouse of Shiva, is here described as the bride of the Sun-god. Krisna figures latterly as a boatman, and The historial aspects of the song. the milkmaids are described as taking refuge in Him when His boat is overtaken by storm in the Jumna. Here we find that the Sun-god is in the boat, and Vishwakarmā is the boatman trying to create false alarm by pretending to sink the boat (p. 167.) This recalls the incidents of Shri Krisna’s boat-trips with the Gopis. The Gopis again instead of being described as companions and lovers of Shri Krisna seem to stand in a similar relation to Shiva (p. 167). It also appears from the songs that at one time the Sun-god was worshipped in every important village of Bengal, where songs in his honour used to be sung by the rural people (p. 167). We are far away from the times when the Sun-god was the central figure in the pantheon of our mythological deities. A large number of most artistically finished images of this god are now being unearthed in different parts of the country, attesting to the age not very much later than the 10th century, when the country people sang songs in his honour. The worship of the image of the Sun-god wearing boots and standing in a chariot drawn by seven horses has completely passed away from the country, though at one time temples possessed of far-famed artistic and sculptural beauty like that of Kanārak were dedicated to him. The song posseses the happy inspiration of its rustic bard. The pathos The bride’s fears. of ಇಲ್ಲ! rural * has been preserved in he unassuming simplicity of its descriptions. The heroine of the song is a girl less than twelve years old. Separated from the home of her parents she sets out with her husband for her new home, in a boat. In vain did she implore her mother not to send her away. The mother regrets her helplessness in the matter with tears in her eyes, saying that as she is a wife now, she must go to her husband's home. Deserted by her parents and other