Acknowledgement

I express my highest sense of gratitude to my guide Dr. Ram Pramol Kumar for his valuable expert guidance, constructive comments, helpful criticism, ineffaceable suggestions and encouragement extended throughout the study. The guide has inspired me so deeply to follow the sense of continuous efforts and dedication to the cause of the nation.

I express my extreme thankfulness to Professor Niranjan Jena, Head of the Department of Sanskrit, Pali Prakrit of Visva-Bharati. I also acknowledge my wholehearted thanks to all my respected teachers of Sanskrit, Pali & Prakrit Department for their unstinted support and
inspiration.

I earnestly express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Dr. Vinay aka Mishra, Dr. Pitas Das, Dr. Paramita Ghosh, Sri. Shankhapradip Ghosh, Sri. Ananta Kumar Sen, Dr. Aziz Ahmed for their valuable assistance.

I am also very much thankful to Mr. Samarpan Das, for his unstinted help by reading the draft copy and helping to bring out the final copy.

I am thankful to the Librarian and the team of Visva-Bharati for providing me the rare original text books when I needed them the most. My thanks are due to the authority and staff of various learned institutions.

I am would like to thank the University Grants Commission for providing me Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship as assistant for my research work.

Finally, I am really grateful to my loving parents, Swapan Kumar Maji and Mamata Maji; and my brother Aloke Nath Maji for their constant inspiration and encouragement. I do also give my special thanks to my dear friends Shahanaz Banu, Pousali Mondal, Rina Biswas, Anonya Das, Hasan Ahmad Khan, Sukanta Roy and Krishna Gopal Bal for their priceless support, love and motivation.

(Laxmi Maji)

Research Scholar