Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/982

 Raja Rama Mohana Roy, A born fighter. 936 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [Chap. At this juncture stepped forward Rama Mohana Roy, born at the village of Radhanagar in the dis- trict of Hughli in the year 1774,—the year in which the great Rama Prasada Sen died at Halisahara. (b) A comprehensive review of his life and work. As | look upon the portrait of Raja Rama Mohana, with his huge turban on his head, his loose flowing garments, his dark eye brows bent in seri- ous thought and his brilliant eyes with their medi- tative look,—a voluminous book held tightly in his right hand and lips which display determination and the power of persuasive eloquence, ~the high forehead beaming with intellectuality,—his _ tall robust figure erect to its full height,—he appears to me rather as a warrior bound for the battle field, than as a pious religious man—the part he chose to play in life. He was in fact a born fighter. The combative element is not only found throughout his stupend- ous writings in English, Bengali, Sanskrit and Persian, but even in the hymns he offered to God. He could not forget the fighting and controversial spirit even when he was addressing praises to the Deity. Referring to the rite of Prana pratistha 9) 01 ** 01700517011 01 01711721101) '? 20 11721 01 5111)56- quently throwing the clay image in the water after the puja is over, Rama Mohana sings in one of his hymns ‘‘O deluded mind, whom do you invoke, and whom do you cast away.” Again, dealing with the swinging ceremony inthe Dolotsava he sings: ‘“ You want to swing him who moves the sun, the moon andthe stars! How vain your efforts are! He