THE PREM SAGUR Translated into English. BY CAPTAIN W. HOLLINGS, XLVII. REGIMENT BENGAL N. I. CALCUTTA: W. RIDSDALE, MILITARY ORPHAN PRESS. 1848. TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES I. Captain Hollings’ transliteration of Hindi uses _ù_/_u_/_ú_ for _a_, _ee_ for _i_, and _oo_ for _u_. So, for _Shree Krishnù Chund_ read _Sri Krishna Chand_, _Luchmee_ _Lachmi_ (Lakshmi), _Hustinapoor_ _Hastinapur_, etc. In lieu of footnotes the translator has placed brief notes in parentheses inside the text. Some foreign terms the translator didn’t define: _bhang_, an intoxicant made from hemp. _bhangee_ (banghy), a yoke placed on the shoulders for carrying baskets or boxes. _Bys_, Vaishya (caste). _choupur_ (chaupur), a board game similar to pachisi. _Chundal_ (chandal or chandala), a person of low caste. _Chutree_, Kshatriya (caste). _coss_/_koss_, a unit of distance, varying between about 1¼ and 2½ English miles. _dhobee_, a person of low caste employed as a washerman. _eight principal parts the body_, the forehead, body, arms, knees, and feet. To “touch the ground with the eight principal parts of the body” implies the person is lying flat on the ground. _five elements of nature_, air, earth, ether, fire, and water. _ghaut_ (ghat), a path or stairway that descends to a river. _ghuree_ (ghari or ghurry), a unit of time. This book figures sixty-four gharis in a twenty-four-hour day (or 1 ghari = 22½ minutes). Note: it is more common to define sixty gharis in a day (1 ghari = 24 minutes). _goonja_ (gunja) seed, _Abrus precatorius_, a flowering plant whose colorful seeds are used as beads or in percussive instruments. _holee_ powder, colorful powder (gulal) used in the Holi festival. _jogee_ (yogi), a devotee who practices the Yoga philosophy. _jowar_, millet. _kudum_ (kadam) tree, a tropical evergreen. “_must_” elephant(s), the Eastwick translation uses _furious_ elephant(s). _palkee_ (palki), a palanquin. _puhur_ (pahar), unit of time equal to three hours. _roolee_ (roli), mixture of alum, rice, turmeric, and acid, used to paint sectarial marks on the forehead. _ruth_ (rath), a carriage or chariot. _six flavours_, acrid, astringent, bitter, salt, sour, and sweet. _Soodrú_, Shudra (caste). _The three worlds_, Heaven, Earth, and Hell. _tiluk_ (tilak), a sectarial mark on the forehead. _toolsee_ (tulsi), _Ocimum Sanctum_, or holy basil. PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION OF THE PREM SAGUR. The object of this translation is to render the work easily intelligible to the young Student: in fact, to assist the beginner from the commencement of his study of the Prem Sagur, in understanding what he is reading about, and the explanations of his Pundit. With this view, I have endeavoured to make the translation a tolerably literal one, keeping close to what I considered to be the meaning of the text, without, however, wishing to translate every sentence exactly literally.