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)

BHARATJ CHANDRA RAI. 159

I

that noble feeling been painted 1 It is a sensual carnal
passion of the most offensive description that the -writer
has painted. For this the heroine forgets her duiy to her
parents and family, forgets all regard for her cwn reputa-
tion, and in spite of her so-called learning and acquire-
ments yields herself up to an unknown adventurer who,'
for aught(she knew to the contrary, might be the greatest
villain on,the earth. He visits her nightly, and we are
presented with descriptions such as have perhaps never
disgraced the literature of any other age <?r county; At
last the young offender is detected by the girl's father,
Raja Bir Sinha Rai, who orders his execution, and Sandar
the hero is saved from this but too well-merited punish-
ment by divine interference. ,The goddes^ Kali saves
her votary. Such is the sum and substance of the story
of Bidya Sundar. That this work should generally,
we might almost say universally, be considered to be the
best work in the language, that the descriptions'should
be universally admired by our countrymen and learnt
by rote, that Bharat Chandra should still be considered
as the greatest poet *of Bengal, and should be spoken of
with rapture, afford a curious index to the education
and taste of our countrymen. It is because such is the
general opinion that we have considered it our duty to
remark somewhat strongly on the drawbacks of Bharat
Chandra's p'oetry.

That Bharat Chaudra has his beauties, however, none
will deny, and we shall now turn to the palatable task
of pointing them out. His three principal works Annadd,..
Mangal, Bidya Sandar and Maminha form one conti-