Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/318

Rh শূদ্রেষু দাসগোপালকুল মিত্রার্দ্ধসীরিণাম্। ভোজ্যান্নতা গৃহস্থস্য । এতানি লোকগুপ্ত্যংর্থ কলেরাদৌ মহাত্মভিঃ। নিবর্ত্তিতানি কর্ম্মাণি ব্যবস্থাপূর্ব্বকং বুধৈঃ॥

He interprets the passage as follows:—'Wise pundits, after the commencement of the Kali Yuga, have carefully interdicted, for protection of Society, the under-mentioned acts,—viz., Brahmacharyya for a long period, the procreation of a son by husband's younger brother, re-marriage of a married woman, marriage of the Dvija (twice-born) with girls of different castes, acceptance of a child as one's son save one's own begotten son or a lawfully adopted son, eating of rice touched or prepared by a menial servant, Gopala, Kulamitra, or Arddhasiri, of the Sudra class.'

Besides these Sastric discussions, the public, ignorant of the Sastras, both educated and uneducated, joined in these controversies. Most of these people were against the innovation. The rich, the poor; the old, the young; all discussed the matter, The vernacular periodicals of the time filled their columns with controversies on the subject, only a few of them being in favour of, but most of them against, the innovation. The "Tattva-Bodhini," one of the best magazines of the day, published Vidyasagar's first paper in full. The poets and bards of the day composed and published various poems and songs. These songs