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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
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ever genius baffled by poverty of the language? Bunkim created a new language for him and began to bring forth his immortal creations. During the latter days of his life he devoted himself to religion and religious literature, the inevitable denouement of an oriental’s life story. He wrote the life of Krishna, the Hindu incarnation of the Deity, and also other religious books. His task done in this vale of tears the spirit of Bunkim winged its flight for its eternal home, and India was less by one of her noblest sons in May 1894. But the East had blended with the West and lo and behold! Bunkim standing forth against the intellectual horizon of India, a towering figure shedding its enlivening beams on the literature of Bengal for a grateful posterity to draw its life, inspiration and hope.

Chandrashekhar was first published in successive issues of his periodical “The Bangadarshan,” mentioned above. The main historical incidents have been taken from a book in Persian entitled Seir Mutaqherin. Little need be said about Bunkim's style. It is gorgeous, rich, and vigorous. His powers of description remain yet unsurpassed by any Bengali author, and as regards the delineation of character the book will speak for itself. It will be an act of supererogation on my part to speak further on the merits of the book, as the reader will be able to judge for himself.

The work of translation is always difficult. The difficulty in the present instance is all the