Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/553

 V.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 517 Vv. The Padas or Songs of the Vaisnavas. The lyrics of the Vaishnava poets, known as Padas, form by far the most important and most interesting page in the history of Vaisnava literature. These Padas are divided into several groups. They all relate events and incidents in the life of Krisna in Vrindavana. The pastoral scenes, and gatherings of shepherd-boys, the playful ways of Krisha in his home,—the manner in which he baffled king Kamsa’s attempts to kill him, by destroying his great demons, who were one by one deputed to kill him,—his love for Radha, the princess, and his final departure from Vrindavana and arrival at Mathura, where he overthrows and kills Karhsa—have all been fully described in the Bhagabata, to which we have already referred on page 220. A short account of Krisna’s life at Vrindavana and Mathura will enable our readers to enter into the spirit of the songs of the Vaisnava poets. Kamsa, King of Mathura, had achieved notoriety by oppressing his people. It was then vouchsafed by Visnu to the goddess of Earth, who groaned under the king’s oppressions, that He would Himself be incarnated in the flesh as ason of Daivaki, sister of Kamsa, with the object of destroying the ruthless monarch, who with his emissaries was devastating the earth. The message of the coming divine incarnation spread throughout heaven and caused great joy amongst the gods, so that Kamsa also heard of it. For Narada, the heavenly sage, came to him and said that the eighth child of Daivaki, his sister, would be that incarnation of The sub- ject of the Padas. Kamsa, King of Mathura.