Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

1

THE PERIOD OP LYRICAL POETRY. 5
I

it seems, iiad degenerated into lewdness and debauchery,
called forth a vigorous protest from the followers of
Krishna, and Chaitanya began his work of reformation.
It is not possible in the present day to realize the vehe-
mence of the tide of reformation and zeal which deluged
the land from* one snd to the other. Bhakti or illimitable
faith in Krishna, ijt was preached, was the one means of
salvation and purification. All external rites and cere-
monies were ignored and declared useless, true virtue
aud true piety lay in the heart, in an overwhelming
faltji in Krishna. Up to this time the religion of
Krishna was a part aud parcel of Hinduism, just as
the religion of Sakti or the religion of Siva. But
Chaitanya, in the vehemence of his convictions, ventured
to declare open war against Hinduism ^self, and questioned
some of its most fundamental^tenets. iThe utility of rites
1 and ceremonies was ignored; the system of caste inequa-
lities boldly questioned; the* Chaudala who had faith,
in Krishna was declared superior to the unbelieving
Brahman though versed in the Vedas; and a strong tide
of love and faith in Krishna found expression in loud
and* sincere SanTcirtans which rang from all parts of
Bengal, and "the sound of Harinam reached the skies."

The distinctive feature then of the work of Chaitanya
lay, not-in founding the Vaishnava religion, as some
imagine, ft>r the Vaishnava religion, we have already
seeu, existed for centuries before the advent of the great
Reformer, but in effectively declaring that Vaishnavism
was not a part and parcel of Hinduism, bat was opposed
to Hinduism. From the time of Chaitanya onwardr, ^