Page:The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors Vol 6.djvu/15

Rh himself to the situation. As the first preparation for domestic life he built a hut for his spouse, set up an idol in it, and applied himself to its worship. He then began the composition of the celebrated poem the Gitgovind. This is believed to have been his second composition, his first being a drama called Rasana Raghava. A third work attributed to him is Chandralok, an essay on the graces of style. The fact appears to be that the mantling fire of Jaidev's genius sought for an outlet, that with experience of life a change came over his religious opinions, that he resolved no longer to play the hermit, but accept the wife offered him, distinguish himself, and seek for worldly fame and its pleasures. God has been introduced ex machinâ into the narrative to save Jaidev from the charges of inconsistency and submission to human passion. The Gitgovind is well known in both hemispheres. It has been translated into English prose and paraphrased in English verse. It is perhaps a solitary instance of a great popular poem composed in a dead language. In the twelfth century of the Christian era Sanskrit was, it is true, used as Latin was at the same time in Europe, but the great age had passed away when Sanskrit was a living language the only recognized Indian vehicle of men's thoughts and aspirations. The Gitgovind is still not only remembered, but nightly chanted in the Karnatik countries and other parts of India, because it is ostensibly a love song and its strains are sweet and find a responsive echo in the human heart. During the composition of the Gitgovind Jaidev