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40 Translating Medieval Orissaan introduction to his translation. In deference to the rituals ofSmarta Brahmins, he pays his obeisance to five sacred deities beforeembarking upon translational activity and the slokas begin with aprayer not to Krishna, but to Ganesha the auspicious hurdleremovingdeity invoked at the beginnings of events. Like JagannathDas who used both Vyasa’s text and Sridhar Swami’s commentaryin his translation of Bhagabata, Mishra writes his Sanskritcommentary to Jayadeva’s text and translates the text along with itscommentary into Oriya. It is simultaneously a critical elucidatoryand translated text, demonstrating Jagannath Mishra’s scholarshipand ability to use the genre of Oriya prose at a time when it was in anascent form. This was completed on 6 August 1598 but could becited as a precursor to standard modern translational practiceanywhere in the world.It is obvious that Mishra’s work was not meant for acommon audience. However, Dharnidhara Das’s translation,produced around the same time, became extremely popular becauseof its musical quality, and because of the absence of intellectualpretensions. That it was the earliest printed text in Oriya is a proof ofits continuing popularity. Though it is a classic example of the iconictranslation, the translator claims that it is actually a commentaryupon the Sanskrit original. It is significant that this text exemplifiesthe stabilization of the process of commentary as translationalpractice in Oriya language. The traditional desire of an Oriyatranslator to elevate, excise or expand the text, however, can bediscerned at places in Dharanidhara’s attempt, despite the iconicnature of his translation. For example, the first canto has beendivided into three, while the seventh and eleventh have been dividedinto two each. This has been done often to maintain continuity or tomark a thematic wholeness.After such texts like Dharanidhara’s, it would be natural toexpect that the entire translational practice in Orissa would settle