,48
- ು
worship were contained, had become obsolete, and intelligible only to the learned few, who in their turn had neglected the pure monothoistic faith of their ancestors. It was in this state of religious and siterary degeneracy that Raja Ram Mohun Roy established the Brahmo Samaj (then called Brahma Sabha). It was then that the necessity of a vernaeular liturgy, and a book of divine songs was urgently felt, for the service of the Church. The former was then coinposed in the Pengali language under the title of Avata, tika with occasional quotations of a few select passages from the Sastras, for the use of the congrega tion, which for the most part was coinposed of the inhabitants of Bengal. It was "xt thought necessary to compose a song book in Bengali with a little Sanskrit, adapted to the capacities of the audience But the problem presented a diffi ulty in regard to the mode or stvle of music in which tie hymns were to be composed; tıor being so many different kinds in vogue among different sects and worshippers even in Bengal, as the Gans, Kabis, Kirtans &ea. As all these styles however wool, reckoned sectarian, and others were considered unsuited for religious purposes, it was at last thought fit to adopt what was decrued the best :ırıd in genera | usw amoug ail classcs for the service of tie Church ; and thus the Kalavasi or the Barthaki, the mode of music according to Rags arol Raginis of ancient India, came to be chosen as the established style of Brahmo Sangita, or divine sougs in the original Brabino Sainaj of India. It is principally this kind of song which is trea od of in old Sanskrit works on that art, as the earliest form of music invented by the Goddess Sarasvati, and comununicated to Nara. da, Tumburu, and other Rishis who Hung their song $ to the classica] Vina or i lindu lyre. its modern name is Baithaki, because sung in unison, with musical instruments, in a sitting posture, either singly or in a choir, before ton audience. This mode of music has since existed not only among the Hindus. and at the courts of their greatest monarchs and lasterly adopted with chiefs; but was তত্ত্ববোধিনী পত্রিকা
productions of the like kind,in the
- कब्र ७ זין שס
refinements of their own by their Moslem conquerors, at the splendid court of the great Mogul, where a Tansen, a Khosru and others lived and sung. But the elevated and refined lyric muse of Tansen underwent many changes unler successive masters of the art, suffice it however to say that the lyric muse differs in different provinces of India and that it has been much lowered in tone in the Devipads and Ꭲn 體 of Bengal. Roja Ram Mohun Roy and his colleagues audopted the ancient style of music in gotteral use among their fellow country inen in Bengal. Many of the songs were composed by the Raja himself, but others vere contributed by his friends, whose initials were placed at the bottom of each song. They were published in small tracts under the title of 13rahma Sangita ( vulgo: Brahmo Samajergan ), and distributvd gratis to the public at lange,which caused an extensive and rapid circulation, through the province, These songs, or rather hymns, which were the compositions of the greatest men of the ago, and which were set to music by the cleverest masters of that art, are considered the nost inimitable patterns of the kind that have yet appeared. They were the first compositious of that nature in the Pengali language, and still stand unrivalled by any subsequent
- stages of the Samaj or in the vernacular psalmodies of any Church in India. They surpass every praise that can be lavished upon them.
Their style is grand"and sublime, but at the same time unpedantic and unaffected. The diction is pure and chaste and the thoughts are elevated and noble, exciting the highest veneration and piety. and instilling into the soul an ardour of holy devotion and godliness never felt before. Their greatest merit consists in their adaptation to the capacities of all classes of men, from the sage to the ignorant, from the saint to the most ungodly, from the highest exalted grandee to the meanest pleasant, a merit which has led to their popularity among all orders of the people, and gained the esteem and admiration of the whole Hindu population of Bengal, . They are replete with thoughts and هافي
