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J V.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. — 425 people and the ring of his merry laughter resound- ed once more through the air as he came _ near his home. His companions left him and he went to his home in haste and threw himself at the feet of his mother, who began to weep as she saw_ her dear son come back. Her tears were inexplicable to him, for he had The death expected glad looks and blessings from _ his of his wife. mother on his return home. He, soon, however, dis- covered with sorrow that his wife Laksmi Devi had died of snake-bite. The merry and joyous young scholar collected himself in a moment and betraying no outward signs of grief, sweetly dis- coursed on the inevitableness of the course of na- ture, and tried to console his mother. A month or two passed, but the poor woman was always sor- rowful; she insisted on his marrying again and Nimai to please his mother married Visnupriya, Takes a Temas second daughter of Sanatan, a famous scholar of Nadia. wate: He was only twenty-one at the time. His mother seemed to be once more happy, but there came a change over the spirit of her son. A deep feeling seemed to weigh upon his soul and his mirth was gone; he shewed signs of a deeper nature growing in him. He asked his mother’s permission = রর A deeper to go to Gaya to offer Pinda or offerings of food nature . ০ in and water at the feet of Visnu there, by which ae the spirit of a deceased person is freed from sins and his passage to heaven is insured. When Nimai wanted permission to go to Gaya to offer Pinda for the spirit of his father, @achi Devi could not withhold it though she longed to keep her son at her side, ministering to her own comfort, old and feeble as she now was. 54