[1] Kings, in Bengali folk-tales, have invariably two queens--the
elder is called duo, that is, not loved; and the younger is called suo,
that is, loved.
[2] Dalim or dadimba means a pomegranate, and kumara son.
[3] Bidhata-Purusha is the deity that predetermines all the events
of the life of man or woman, and writes on the forehead of the child,
on the sixth day of its birth, a brief precis of them.
[4] There are eight forms of marriage spoken of in the Hindu Sastras,
of which the Gandharva is one, consisting in the exchange of garlands.
[5] Alakta is leaves or flimsy paper saturated with lac.
[6] A sort of open Palki, used generally for carrying the bridegroom
and bride in marriage processions.
[7] Handi is an earthen pot, generally used in cooking food.
[8] Mudki, fried paddy boiled dry in treacle or sugar.
[9] A sort of sweetmeat made of curds and sugar.
[10] Rakshasas and Rakshasis (male and female) are in Hindu mythology
huge giants and giantesses, or rather demons. The word means literally
raw-eaters; they were probably the chiefs of the aborigines whom the
Aryans overthrew on their first settlement in the country.
[11] Dasi is a general name for all maid-servants.
[12] Sphatika is crystal, and sthambha pillar.
[13] Bathing-place, either in a tank or on the bank of a river,
generally furnished with flights of steps.
[14] Professional match-makers.
[15] Manik, or rather manikya, is a fabulous precious stone of
incredible value. It is found on the head of some species of snakes,
and is equal in value to the wealth of seven kings.
[16] Venus, the Morning Star.
[17] The seat on the back of an elephant.
[18] Sri is another name of Lakshmi, and batsa means child; so that
Sribatsa is literally the "child of fortune."
[19] Shells used as money, one hundred and sixty of which could have
been got a few years ago for one pice.
[20] Fried paddy.
[21] This story is not my own. It was recited to me by a story-teller
of the other sex who rejoices in the nom de plume "An Inmate of the
Calcutta Lunatic Asylum."
[22] A holy sage.
[23] The tutelary goddess of a king's household.
[24] A vessel, made generally of brass, for keeping the pan leaf
together with betel-nut and other spices.
[25] A towel used in bathing.
[26] A sort of bed made of rope, supported by posts of wood.
[27] The sacred basil.
[28] Zenana is not the name of a province in India, as the good people
of Scotland the other day took it to be, but the innermost department
of a Hindu or Mohammedan house which the women occupy.
[29] A religious mendicant.
[30] Sankchinnis or Sankhachurnis are female ghosts of white
complexion. They usually stand at the dead of night at the foot of
trees, and look like sheets of white cloth.
[31] An exorcist, one who drives away ghosts from possessed persons.
[32] The ghost of a Brahman who dies unmarried.
[33] A bigha is about the third part of an acre.
[34] The chariot of Kuvera, the Hindu god of riches.
[35] "Hiraman (from harit, green, and mani, a gem), the name of
a beautiful species of parrot, a native of the Molucca Islands
(Psittacus sinensis)."--Carey's Dictionary of the Bengalee Language,
vol. ii. part iii. p. 1537.
[36] Winged horse, literally, the king of birds.
[37] Khai is fried paddy.
[38] A name for a jackal, not unlike Reynard in Europe.
[39] The god who presides over marriages.
[40] Calotropis gigantea.
[41] Literally the king of birds, a fabulous species of horse
remarkable for their swiftness.
[42] Arum fornicatum.
[43] Religious devotee.
[44] Eighth part of twenty-four hours, that is, three hours.
[45] Charm or incantation.
[46] A yojana is nearly eight miles.
[47] Ten thousand pounds sterling.