OF THE HINDUS. II7 



premises, for as all men are alike capable of feeling the sentiments of faith and 

 devotion, it follows, that all castes become by such sentiments equally pure. 

 This conclusion indeed is always admitted, and often stoutly maintained in 

 theory, although it may be doubted whether it has ever been acted upon, 

 except by Chaitanya himself and his immediate disciples, at a period when 

 it was their policy to multiply proselytes.* It is so far observed, however, 

 that persons of all castes and occupations are admitted into the sect, and all are 

 at liberty to sink their civil differences in the general condition of mendicant 

 and ascetic devotees, in which character they receive food from any hands, 

 and of course eat and live with each other, without regard to former distinc- 

 tions. As followers of one faith, all individuals are, in like manner, equally 

 entitled to the Prasdd, or food which has been previously presented to the 

 deity, and it is probably the distribution of this, annually, at Jaganndfh, 

 that has given rise to the idea, that at this place all castes of Hindus eat 

 together : any reservation, however, on this head is foreign to the tenets of this 



* Chaitanya admitted amongst his followers five Pat'hdns — who purposed to attack and 

 plunder him, but were stopped by his sanctity, and converted by his arguments : one of these, who 

 was a PiV, he new-named Ram Das; another, their leader, was a young prince (a Rdjdkuindr,) 

 whom he named Bijjili Kh&n. Chaitanya communicated the Upadesa, or initiating Mantra 

 to them, and they all became famous Vaishnavas ; ^t5\^ t^^'^f^t^^lf ^t^-itJtfs li 

 Chaitanya uniformly maintains the pre-eminence of the faith over caste : the mercy of God, he 

 says, regards neither tribe nor family ; V^C?^ ^*11^f% ^e^Sltf^ ^'\Z<^ II Krishna did not 

 disdain to eat in the house of Vidura, a Sudra, fZKZ'^'^ '^C'^ ^3?^ ^f5«1 C^^»r II and he 

 cites Sanscrit texts for his authority — as Ijf^W^f^ t^TTTflj"'. ^T^^^Tt% ^'^ilWl I "^m 

 ^TSf^'^^:W^T •1%'^^TSfq «JTf%^: U " The Chdnddla, whose impurity is consumed by the 

 chastening fire of holy faith, is to be reverenced by the wise, and not the unbelieving expounder 



of the Vedas." Again ; ^ ^ ^^^W^'ft "W^W^ WT^'-f^'^'^ \ fl^ T^ fT^TWlT ^ ^ 

 ^^^ ^^ "^"^ M The teacher of the four Vedas is not my disciple ; the faithful Chanddla enjoys 

 my friendship ; to him be given, and from him be received : let him be reverenced, even as I am 

 reverenced. These passages are from the Chaitanya Charitdmrita, where many others of similar 

 purport may be found. 



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