1884.] K,. Mitra —■Psychological Tenets of the Vaislinavas. Ill 
the author begins by enquiring what was the doctrine of Chaitanya, the 
founder of the Yaishnava sect of Bengal ? As I have already remarked 
at the beginning, this was a moot point, Chaitanya has not left us any 
record of his philosophical ideas. He was an enthusiastic Bhakta, who 
devoted his entire time to the cultivation of faith, in abstracting himself 
from all carnal wants and worldly attractions, in dedicating himself, 
body and soul, to his maker, and in disseminating the doctrine of faith 
among his followers. It is doubtful if he ever wrote any work or trea¬ 
tise on reliHon. Certain it is that none has come down to our time. 
O 
Kavikarnapiira, a contemporary of Chaitanya and author of great 
eminence among the Yaishnavas, flatly denies that Chaitanya ever wrote 
anything about his doctrine. In the ‘ Chaitanya-chandrodaya ’ of that 
author the question is asked, “ Dear Sir, has this Hari published any 
work explanatory of his principles ?” and the reply given is : “ Though 
it is well-known that the Almighty is the author of the Ye das, yet 
whatever the Knower of the heart teaches, he teaches through agents 
indirectly, and his lessons are not defined by time or space. 
His biographers devoted themselves with Boswellian assiduity to the 
task of recording his sayings and doings, and certainly succeeded in pre¬ 
serving a vivid picture of his life. But their object was to appeal to the mas¬ 
ses, to create a lively interest in their teacher, and anecdotes of benevolence, 
mercy, devotion, self-abnegation, and total disregard of worldly attrac¬ 
tions, were calculated to serve their purpose best, and they selected them. 
Philosophical dogmas and abstruse reasoning about the Unconditioned were 
the least adapted to subserve such a purpose, and they therefore eschewed 
them altogether, or kept them in the back ground. And under the cir¬ 
cumstances it is but natural that there should be considerable difference 
of opinion in regard to the saint’s system of philosophy. The thesis has 
to be worked out by a comparison of the bearings of his casual remarks 
and mode of life, and not proved by the quotation of any positive de¬ 
claration. Our author starts by saying that Chaitanya inculcated the 
same doctrine of Dualistic Aduality which Mmbaditya had taught long 
before him ; and in support of his position combats such objections as, in 
his opinion, might be started against it. 
To the faithful followers of Chaitanya the first objection would natu¬ 
rally be, how can Chaitanya, who was the Supreme Divinity, even Yishnu 
himself, born in flesh, accept the doctrine of a mere mortal, and become his 
follower ? He should teach that which is original, that which none before 
