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Dak (literally, a man well-versed in mantra or scripture; dakini, a woman similarly skilled) a soothsayer of ancient Bengal, the originator of the maxims contained in Dakarnava. According to Bengali tradition, Dak was a gop or milkman, but Assamese tradition describes him as a potter. However, haraprasad
shastri, who discovered the manuscript of Dakarnava in the royal puthi collection of Nepal, believed that Dak and Dakini were Buddhist scholar ascetics. According to the Assamese writer Burunzi, Dak lived in Lohi Dangora of Barapeta subdivision in the northeastern Indian district of
Kamarupa. Other scholars, however, believe that the maxims attributed to Dak were not created by a single individual, but were composed by a number of people over a period of time.
On the basis of their content and language, scholars
date the maxims between the 8th and 12th centuries. However, because many
of the sayings were transmitted orally, they underwent considerable linguistic
changes. Nevertheless, some of Dak's maxims have retained their original
linguistic quality as in the following example: Buddha bujhiya ediba
lunda/ Agale haile nibariba tunda.
Dak's maxims reflect the lifestyle of the people of Bengal
as well as of human nature in general, suggesting that their composer
or composers were men of this land and knew the ways of life here quite
well. One maxim says that a husband who spends his time elsewhere and
peers furtively at other women makes his wife miserable. Another maxim
talks of the transient nature of life and advises people to eat the best
things today and, if necessary, cure with medicine the ill effects of
overeating. [Azhar Islam]
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