Devendra Nath Tagore began with a compromise; at his father’s funeral he omitted to offer pindas (oblations to the names of the dead) but performed the dansagar (gifts). “Many Brahman Brahmos used to take off their sacred threads at prayer, and immediately afterwards resume them!” (P. 63.) True, in 1850, a step forward was taken: the revealed origin of the Vedas was publicly denied. But it required all Raj Narain’s exertions at Midnapur to “make some Brahmos give up idolatrous rites at their domestic ceremonies” (p. 77). Even Raj Narain defended caste: “I argued, —As every country and community has and will have class distinctions in some form or other, why blame the Indian caste system? Can you dine with your servant? Ramtanu Lahiri replied, —Yes, if he washes himself clean with soap” (p. 114). The fallacy of Raj Narain’s analogy between European classes and Indian castes must be obvious to every thoughtful man. But he, with other early Brahmos, clung desparately to Hindu society and gloried in being called a Hindu Brahmo (P. 89). “Babu Dakshina Ranjan Mukherji (of Lucknow) was a
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গ্রাম্য উপাখ্যান
