Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/281

238 piled from easy Sanskrit prose and poetical works. It is a nice elementary book for beginners.

When these books were published, the new scheme of imparting instruction, suggested in his report, quoted above, was adopted in the Sanskrit College, under orders of the authorities.

Vidyasagar's Rijupatha, Part III appeared in 1853. This is also a selection-book, but the selections are very nice. Most of the pieces have been taken from such easy and plain, old Sanskrit works as the "Panchatantra," the "Hitopadesa", the "Ramayana," and the "Mahabharata." It was, for many years, prescribed as a text-book for the candidates for the Entrance-Examination of the Calcutta University.

In the same year, appeared his Vyakarana-Kaumudi, Parts I and II, and in the next year, Part III of the same book. These three parts of the "Kaumudi" are a step higher than the "Upakramanika." It has been a great help to the students of Sanskrit, though not bringing so sound a knowledge, as the Mugdhabodha, Panini, or other similar grammatical works.

After this, commenced the full working of the scheme, suggested in the report. Referring to it, Pandit Ramgati Nyayratna says:—

'Formerly, English was an optional subject for the students, but henceforth it was made compulsory in the higher classes. As to Sanskrit, the Mugdhabodha was done away with in the lower