Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/444

 Chaitanya advanced a step further, Bornina pious family. 408 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Cha pared by Buddhism, came Chaitanya Deva into this historic land of religion, to advance a step further and teach love to God. He taught it unmistakably. The family 09. which he belonged had for many generations past been Vaisnavas—which means that they had abs- ; tained from all kinds of meat. No fish or flesh could cross the threshold of a Vaisnava family. The word killing is not to be found in their voca-_ bulary ; to speak of ‘cutting’ even a vegetable, for food, was unholy with them. They called it বানান or dressing (lit. preparing). The older phraseology current in the country had been changed by the Vaisnavas. The idea of kindness to animals had reached perfection with them and how can this be explained, except as the result of Buddhism which — long predominated here ? The family of Chaitanya” Deva were of an unworldly character. His father Jagannath Mi¢ra, was very poor. His wife Cachi Devi asked him one day why he did not worship Chandi—for the avocation of such a priest would bring him more money. Jagannath Micra smiled and said he did not care to have it. It was a family that cared only for the grace of God,—God who was real to the Hindus of that period, and not a mere matter of speculation as he is to so many modern Bengalis. The life of Chaitanya proves that all the tender emotions of love,—the yearnings of a mother for her child all that friendship of man or woman may inspire in the soul, do not represent a tithe of what a man | can feel or suffer when he realises the love of God. But it requires the clear vision of one in whom