Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/51

14 twenty-four years old. My grandfather considering this a marriageable age, married him to Bhagavati Devi, secpnd daughter of Ramkanta Tarkavagis pf Goghat. This Bhagavati Devi was my mother. In her childhood, she had been brought up with the family of her maternal grandfather."

Ramkanta Tarkavagis had, in the prime of his youth, lost the sanity of his mind. His father-in-law, Panchanan Vidyavagis of village Patul, therefore, took him with his wife and children to his own house, and housed them there. In spite of medical treatment of different kinds, for a long time, by experts, Ramkanta did not recover from his malady, and he died quite insane. It was for this reason that Vidyasagar's mother, Bhagavati Pevi, had been brought up in the house of her maternal grandfather. Ramkanta Tarkavagis had two daughters, of whom Bhagavati Devi was the younger. Her mother's name was Ganga Devi, who again was the eldest daughter of Panchanan Vidyavagis. He had five other children, four sons and one daughter, besides Garga Devi.

Vidyasagar was famous for his spiritedness, truthfulness, frankness and love of independence. It appears that he imbibed these virtues from his father and grandfather. Ramjay Tarkabhushan, his grandfather, was a man of independent spirit. He never flattered anybody, nor was he ever daunted