464 Notes on the u Mahapurushyas." [No. 6. 



store of knowledge, and resigning his mantle to Madhab finished his 

 career in Cooch Behar in the one hundred and fourth year of his age. 



Sankar and Madhab between them translated into Asamese the 

 Bhagavat, Ramayana, Namamala, and other Granthas. They taught 

 their disciples choruses of spiritual songs and several hymns from a 

 work called the Kirttan Grantha. They gave instruction on the 

 names and attributes of God from the books called the Namaghosa, 

 Gunamala, Lilamala, &c. and compiled or translated, I do not know 

 which, the Bhakti Ratnabali, selections from the Bhagavat and the 

 Purans. 



The doctrines taught by these divines appear clearly the same as 

 those ascribed to Chaitanya, and perhaps the most essential differ- 

 ence between the Mahapurushyas and the Vaishnavas of Bengal is that 

 the former more rigidly observe and preserve in greater purity what 

 they have received. 



They instructed their disciples to acknowledge the existence of only 

 one God, Vishnu the supreme, and prohibited their engaging in the 

 worship of any other deity. They do not ignore the existence of the 

 rival or minor gods of the Hindu Pantheon, but consider that in 

 adoring Vishnu they obtain the favor of them all. They were instructed 

 to acknowledge all the Avatars of Vishnu, but were to regard his appear- 

 ance as Krishna as the manifestation of most importance to mortals, 

 and to seek salvation by the repetition of his name and contemplation 

 of his attributes. Amongst his other titles he was to be acknowledged 

 as Radha Vallabha, or lord of Radha, but Radha was to be regarded as 

 inseparably connected with this incarnation of the God, not as a dis- 

 tinct object of worship. In regard to a future state, the doctrines, if I 

 am correctly informed of them, are simple enough. Elevation to Vai- 

 kant'ha, the heaven of Vishnu, as the reward of the virtuous, an eternity 

 of * Narak' hell, as the lot of the wicked. 



Those amongst them who were " Grihis," laymen, were permitted to 

 worship the images of Vishnu and Krishna in the form of the Salagram 

 but all other idol worship was interdicted, and though images of 

 Krishna, Rama, &c. are set up in some of the places of worship belong- 

 ing to the Mahapurushyas, no adoration is paid to them except by 

 Brahmaos. To the Salagram and image of Krishna, offerings of un- 

 cooked food are, however, made by the Pujari, a Brahman, in the name 

 and in behalf of the community. The ' Udasins' are absolutely inter- 



