There are several plays upon words in this concluding passage of the book: in this particular passage the word ‘Pani’ is used both for ’Hand‘ and for ‘Wife’: it came to be used in the latter secondary sense because one of the ceremonies, rendering a Hindu marriage legitimate, is the ceremony in which the bridegroom takes the bride by the hand. The use of words and phrases capable of a double meaning, is very common in Sanskrit writings.

[81]

According to a not uncommon custom of ending stories in Bengal, the author ends his story with the first lines of a song, which in full is:—

“Thus my story endeth,”
“The Natiya thorn withereth:”
“Why, oh Natiya thorn, dost wither?”
“Why does thy cow on me browse?”
“Why, O cow, dost thou browse?”
“Why does thy neat herd not tend me?”
“Why, O neat herd does not tend the cow?”
“Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice?”
“Why, O daughter-in-law, dost not give rice?”
“Why does my child cry?”
“Why, O child, dost thou cry?”
“Why, O ant, dost thou bite?”
“Koot, koot, koot.”

GLOSSARY.

Amlah. A name for the whole establishment of an office; sometimes simply for a clerk.
Arjuna. His story is told in the Bhagavad Gita.
Ashar. The month corresponding to the English June-July:— The first month of the rainy season.
Astrologer. An important person in Hindu households, where his chief duty is to cast horoscopes on the birth of children.
Bael. A Egle Marmelos. The fruit of this tree has a very hard rind, almost as hard as the cocoanut.
Bhagirathi. A name given to that branch of the Ganges which lower down becomes the Hooghly. Sometimes used for the Ganges proper.
Baya. A drum played with the left hand only.
Begun. Brinjal/Egg-plant.
Bhima. A great warrior of the Lunar Race, whose story is told in the Sanscrit Epic— Mahabharata.
Bidri. The name given to finely-chased metal ware, which was originally made at Bidri in the Deccan.
Budgerow. The name given to a large house-boat used on the rivers of Bengal.
Champac. Michelia Champaka. A flowering tree that flowers in the rains: it bears large and yellow fragrant flowers, and is a very popular tree..
Chowkidar. A kind of rural policeman.
Dampati Baran. A form of Shraddha.
Dan Sagar. Literally “Ocean of Gifts.” A form of funeral ceremony where every guest receives some present.
Darogah. An Inspector of Police.
Dewan. A government official, minister, or ruler.
Druva. A boy of four years old, who went in search of Vishnu and received a sacred mantra of twelve letters from Narad. Upon the repetition of this mystic mantra Vishnu appeared to the boy.
Durga Poojah. The great Autumn festival in honour of the goddess Durga, wife of Siva, during which all business is suspended in Bengal for ten days: it affords an opportunity for a re-union of families.
Durwan. A gate-keeper.
Durryodhan. One of the heroes of the Mahabharata who was obliged to hide in a Lake called the Dvaipana Lake, to avoid capture; he was the eldest of the hundred sons of Dhritarastra.
Eed. A Mahomedan Festival.
Ghât. The name given to a landing or bathing-place on the bank of a river, also to a place for burning the dead..
Gosain. A class of Hindu religious mendicants..
Gariwan. Hackney coachman.
Guddee. Literally— Couch. The principal seat at an assembly of notables. “To attain the guddee” is a synonym for succeeding to a title or to estates.
Golden Age. The first of the four Hindu Ages. Literally—The Age of Truth.
Gharry. Carriage.
Ghee. Melted butter specially prepared for household cooking purposes.
Gomashtha. A land agent, or steward, the headman of the employees on an estate, or in a factory.
Ganga. The river Ganges.
Hanuman. The monkey-god, a great favourite with Hindus. His story is told in the great epic— the Ramayana, which, in its Hindi version by Tulsi Dass, is annually acted in Northern India.
Hom. An offering of ghee, barley-meal, sandal and rice, fried over a fire.
Hori Bol. A cry to Vishnu, as “The Saviour.”
Jelabhi. A sweetmeat made in twists.
Jemadar. Originally an armed official of a zemindar in charge of fighting and conducting warfare, mostly against the rebellious peasants and common people who lived on the zemindar's land. Later, a rank in the Company's military forces.
Kabiraj. A Hindu physician.
Kalidas. The Author of the popular Sanscrit Drama, “Sakuntala. ”
Kodàli. A kind of bread hoe, used for breaking up the ground.
Kayasth. A man of the writer caste.
Krishna. The favourite Incarnation of Vishnu.
Lanka. A name for Ceylon in the Ramayana.
Lakshmi. Goddess of fortune and good luck.
Lathial. One armed with a heavy stick, often employed by landlords in disputes with neighbours.
Mohurrir. A clerk.
Mantra. A verse from the sacred hymns of the Vedas.
Mahadeva. A name of Siva.
Mahajan. A money-lender.
Machan. A platform of bamboo, raised on piles above the ground.
Mallika. A species of Jessamine.
Muktar. An agent, or broker.
Moulvi. A Mahomedan title of respect meaning ‘Learned.‘
Nala Raja. The hero of the Sanskrit Drama, “Nala and Damayanti.”
Naib. An agent, or deputy of the landlord of an estate.
Pandit. A learned Brahman, learned in Sanskrit literature. Regular titles are conferred on Pandits according to the extent of their knowledge, as tested from time to time by an assembly of Pandits; one of these meets at the old Sanskrit University of Nuddea, or Navadwip.
Phalgun. The month corresponding from February to March.
Paik. Originally “a runner”:— Men employed by landlords as messengers.
Ryot. A cultivator.
Radha. The wife of Krishna.
Ramzan. The name given to the Mahomedan Lenten Fast.
Shravan. The month corresponding to July-August, the second month of the rainy season, when the rainfall is heaviest.
Shástras. The name given to some of the Hindu Sacred Books especially to the Philosophical works.
Sari. The usual dress of women, made of cotton, or silk, or muslin.
Suttee. A woman who threw herself on her husband’s funeral pile was known as Suttee, "The Chaste One." Suttee was abolished under Lord Bentinck.
Satya Pir. A Hindu deity regarded by Mahomedans as one of their saints.
Saraswati. The Hindu goddess of learning.
Shorash. A kind of funeral ceremony where sixteen different kinds of presents are distributed, six kinds being of silver.
Sephalika. Nyctantes Arbor Tristis, flowering only at night.
Shraddha. The Hindu funeral ceremony; see Wilkins’ “Modern Hinduism.”
Shal Fish. A fish used in religious ceremonies; it is first roasted.
Sheristadar. The Head Clerk in charge of the records of an office.
Tol. The name of the indigenous Sanskrit schools.
Tulsi. Ocymum Sanctum. The basil honoured by all Hindus.
Tauba. The Mahomedan cry of grief meaning, “I repent me of my sins.”
Tabala. The name for the drum that is played with the right hand only.
Taluk. A portion of an estate, consisting of several villages.
Udjog Parba. One of the cantos of the Mahabharat, giving the preliminary incidents of the Kurukshetra Battle.
Veda. The name given to the oldest sacred books of the Hindus meaning "Revelation."
Vaishnava. A follower of Vishnu; see Wilkins’ “Modern Hinduism.”
Yudishthira. Surnamed “The Incarnation of Virtue.” One of the heroes of the Mahabharata.
Yama. The Hindu god of Death.
Zemindar. A landholder.
Zenana. The part of a Hindu or Muslim dwelling that is reserved for the women of the household.