4

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

this respect, admitting men of all castes, includ ing Muhammadans, to his sect. Since his time, however, that strange love of caste-distinctions, which seems so ineradicable from the soil of

India, has begun again to creep into Vaishnav ism, and will probably end by establishing its power as firmly in this sect as in any other. Although the institution of love towards the divine nature, and the doctrine that this love

was reciprocated, were certainly a great im provement on the morbid gloom of Śiva-worship, the colourless negativeness of Buddhism, and the childish intricacy of ceremonies which formed

the religion of the mass of ordinary Hindus, still we cannot find much to admire in it.

There

seems to be something almost contradictory in representing the highest and purest emotions of the mind by images drawn from the lowest and most animal passions.

[JANUARy, 1873.

meats. This is called the adhibás. The prin cipal performer then sings one song after another, the others playing the drum and cymbals in time, and joining in the chorus; as the per formance goes on many of them get excited and wildly frantic, and roll about on the ground. When the performance is over the drum is res pectfully sprinkled with chandana or sandal wood paste, and hung up. Several perform

ances go on for days till a whole Sakhā has been sung through, and I believe it is always cus tomary to go through at least one Pallab at a sitting, however long it may be. The Bengali Kirtan in fact resembles very much the Bhajans and Kathâs common in the Marātha country, and each poem in length, and often in subject, is

similar to the Abhangas of Tukarām and others in that province.

So must also Vaishnavism differ from true reli

The first Pallab contains 27 hymns, of these 8 are by Gobind Dás, 8 by Baishnab Dās, 3 by Brindăban Dás, the rest by minor masters. Brin

gion, the flesh from the spirit, the impure from

dāban Dās and Parameshwar Dàs were contem

the pure.

poraries of Chaitanya, the others—including Gobind Dás, who is perhaps the most voluminous

“Ut matrona meretrici dispar erit atque discolor.”

The singing of hymns about Rādhā and Krishna is much older than Chaitanya's age. Not to mention Jayadeva and his beautiful, though sensual, Gitagovinda." Vidyapati, the earliest of Bengali poets, and Chandi Däs both preceded Chaitanya, and he himself is stated to have been fond of singing their verses.

There

was therefore a considerable mass of hymns ready to his hand, and his contemporaries and followers added largely to the number; the poems of the Padakalpataru in consequence are of all ages from the fifteenth century down

wards; moreover, as Vaishnavism aspires to be a religion for the masses, the aim of its support ers has always been to write in the vulgar tongue, a fortunate circumstance which renders this vast body of literature extremely valuable to the philologist, since it can be relied on as representing the spoken language of its day more accurately than those pretentious works whose authors despised everything but Sanskrit. The Padakalpataru, to keep up the metaphor

writer of all—are subsequent to him.

Of the

hymns themselves the first five are invocations of Chaitanya and Nityanand, and one is in

praise of the ceremony of Kirtan. There is no thing very remarkable in any of them. Number 5 may be taken as a specimen, as it is perhaps the best of the batch.

Nanda nandana gopijanaballabha, Rādhānāyaka mägarašyāma : So Šachi nandana Nadiyāpurandara, Suramunigana manamohana dhāma :

Jaya nija käntä käntikalebara, jaya jaya preyasi bhābabinoda : Jaya Brajasahachari lochanamangala, jaya Nadiyābadhū nayana åmoda :

Jaya jaya Śridāma Sudāmasubalārjuna, prema prabandhana nabaghana råpa : Jaya Ramādi sundara priyasahachara, jaya jaya mohana gora antipa : Jaya atibala balarāmapriyānuja, jaya jaya Nityananda finanda :

of its name throughout, is divided into 4 s'akhas or ‘branches,’ and each of these into 8

Jayajaya Sajjanagana bhaya bhanjana

or 10 pallabas or smaller branches, ‘boughs.' It should be explained that the kirtans are is first a consecration both of the performers and

“Nand's son, lover of the Gopis, lord of Rādhā, the playful Syâm : Is he, Sachi's son, the Indra of Nadiya, the heart-charming dwelling of gods and saints;

instruments with flowers, incense, and sweet

victory to him who is love embodied to his own

celebrated with considerable ceremony.

There

Gobinda Dāsa asa anubandha.

• It is many years, now since I read Gitagovinda as a text-book at college, but the impression I still retain is that

it was in many parts far too warm for European taste.