which Jagannath Das has conferred upon his countryimmense how the moral ideas preached by him in the book has moulded and is still moulding the character of many The selections from his million of men can be easily appreciated. work will show what poetic faculties and moral powers he possessed. The poet is also regarded to be the author of two small books, namely, the Gupta Bhagabata and the Tulabhina. I give some extracts from these two books though in my opinion the books do not show the hand of the poet of the Bhagabata. In the Tulabhina high philosophical thoughts have been tried to be explained in easy language, and hence the title of the book signifies " spinThough the small booklet Tulabhina ning or carding cotton." does not disclose any mystic cult of important nature, it is significant to note that there is a religious sect in Orissa, which goes by the name Tulabhina, and the persons initiated into the faith perform some mystic practices in secret, which are believed to be
The
men
benefit is
tantric in character.
Hunter and Chakravartty do not mention the booklets Artha Koiliand Mriguni Stuti composed by Jagannath Das perhaps the last named work on account of its being identical in title with Balaram Das's Mriguni Stuti, escaped the notice of the learned The booklet, Aitha Koili, is interesting for many reasons scholars. I have already said that this work, as a commentary on the
Kesava
Koili, establishes the antiquity of
the latter work
the
colophon portion again discloses that this work (the remarks are applicable to Mriguni Stuti as well) was composed, when the poet did not renounce his Brahmanism by coming under the influence Mriguni Stuti and a portion of Artha Koili appear of Chaitanya. in this
work
of typical selections.
—
have already remarked that Sarala Das Das and composed his Mahabharata in the He was not so much a reign of Kapilendra Deva (1435-1469). Vaisnava as he was a devout worshipper of the goddess Sarala Chandi of his village Jhankerpur. Sarala Chandi is stated by the poet to be the same as Hingula Devi we must note that Hingula is a goddess of the aboriginal tribes, and the name itself is a variant of the Mundari word Shengel which signifies fire. Hingula is worshipped in Talcher, Bamra and in their neighbourhood; coal-gas coming out through chinks and burning in the open air Sarala Das. preceded Balaram
I
with a blazing hght becomes the object of worship, and offerings That Sarala is are made to this fire as the Hingula goddess. identical with Hingula is what occurs in a colophon in the
Mahabharata
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" II
are inclined to infer from the name of the goddess that the name of the poet Sarala Das only denotes that the poet was devoted to the service of the goddess Sarala. He was a Sudra and belonged to Odra tribe of old. These Odras are now known by the general name Od-Chaaa or simply by the name Chasa or
