Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/209

 i ] ] ] } IV.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. — 179 hands of Vaisnavas as well'as Caktas—followers of those two different cults who shewed such bitter animosity towards each other for so many cen- turies. The work being, as I have said, the most popular in Bengal, different religious sects missed no opportunity to introduce their own various doctrines, and pass them on in the name of Krittivasa. These are like the advertisements on the cover of a shilling-novel, There could not be a better method for propagating a religious creed, and Krittivasa not only helped the circula- tion, but his name added weight to the doctrines themselves. Krittivasa’s Ramayana at the present day is a curious medley, in which the different elements of Pauranic religion have found a place, and it does not follow Va4lmiki’s original poem very closely. As far as Krittivasa was concerned, he was _ pro- bably faithful to Valmiki, though he abridged him. We come to this conclusion on comparing the earlier manuscripts; the older the Ms., the nearer it is to Valmiki’s Epic. The story of Ram’s exile which forms the main theme of the Ramayana is briefly this:—Ram Is to ascend the throne by the wish of his father King Dagaratha. He is dressed gorgeously, his person decked with jewels, his rich apparel diffusing the sweet scent of sandal: he is delighted with the prospect of his coronation ; the people applaud his Phe ae virtues and look forward to his being crowned a king. exile. Ram is talking gaily about his good fortune with his beautiful bride Sita, when he is suddenly called, at dawn of day, to the appartments of his