TARA CHARAN.
The Poet Kalidas was supplied with flowers by a _Malini_ (flower-girl).
He, being a poor Brahmin, could not pay for the flowers, but in place
of that he used to read some of his own verses to the _Malini_. One day
there bloomed in the _Malini's_ tank a lily of unparalleled beauty.
Plucking it, the _Malini_ offered it to Kalidas. As a reward the poet
read to her some verses from the _Megha Duta_ (Cloud Messenger). That
poem is an ocean of wit, but every one knows that its opening lines
are tasteless. The _Malini_ did not relish them, and being annoyed she
rose to go.
The poet asked: "Oh! friend _Malini_, are you going?"
"Your verses have no flavour," replied the _Malini_.
"_Malini_! you will never reach heaven."
"Why so?"
"There is a staircase to heaven. By ascending millions of steps heaven
is reached. My poem has also a staircase; these tasteless verses are
the steps. If you can't climb these few steps, how will you ascend the
heavenly ladder?"
The _Malini_ then, in fear of losing heaven through the Brahmin's
curse, listened to the _Megha Duta_ from beginning to end. She admired
the poem; and next day, binding a wreath of flowers in the name of
Cupid, she crowned the poet's temples therewith.
This ordinary poem of mine is not heaven; neither has it a staircase
of a million steps. Its flavour is faint and the steps are few. These
few tasteless chapters are the staircase. If among my readers there is
one of the _Malini's_ disposition, I warn him that without climbing
these steps he will not arrive at the pith of the story.
Surja Mukhi's father's house was in Konnagar. Her father was a
_Kaystha_ of good position. He was cashier in some house at Calcutta.
Surja Mukhi was his only child. In her infancy a _Kaystha_ widow named
Srimati lived in her father's house as a servant, and looked after
Surja Mukhi. Srimati had one child named Tara Charan, of the same age
as Surja Mukhi. With him Surja Mukhi had played, and on account of
this childish association she felt towards him the affection of a
sister.
Srimati was a beautiful woman, and therefore soon fell into trouble. A
wealthy man of the village, of evil character, having cast his eyes
upon her, she forsook the house of Surja Mukhi's father. Whither she
went no one exactly knew, but she did not return. Tara Charan,
forsaken by his mother, remained in the house of Surja Mukhi's father,
who was a very kind-hearted man, and brought up this deserted boy as
his own child; not keeping him in slavery as an unpaid servant, but
having him taught to read and write. Tara Charan learned English at a
free mission-school. Afterwards Surja Mukhi was married, and some
years later her father died. By this time Tara Charan had learned
English after a clumsy fashion, but he was not qualified for any
business. Rendered homeless by the death of Surja Mukhi's father, he
went to her house. At her instigation Nagendra opened a school in the
village, and Tara Charan was appointed master. Nowadays, by means of
the grant-in-aid system in many villages, sleek-haired, song-singing,
harmless Master Babus appear; but at that time such a being as a
Master Babu was scarcely to be seen. Consequently, Tara Charan
appeared as one of the village gods; especially as it was known in the
bazaar that he had read the _Citizen of the World_, the _Spectator_,
and three books of _Euclid_. On account of these gifts he was received
into the _Brahmo Samaj_ of Debendra Babu, the zemindar of Debipur, and
reckoned as one of that Babu's retinue.
Tara Charan wrote many essays on widow-marriage, on the education of
women, and against idol-worship; read them weekly in the _Samaj_, and
delivered many discourses beginning with "Oh, most merciful God!"
Some of these he took from the _Tattwa Bodhini_,[3] and some he caused
to be written for him by the school _pandit_. He was forever
preaching: "Abandon idol-worship, give choice in marriage, give women
education; why do you keep them shut up in a cage? let women come
out." There was a special cause for this liberality on the subject of
women, inasmuch as in his own house there was no woman. Up to this
time he had not married. Surja Mukhi had made great efforts to get him
married, but as his mother's story was known in Govindpur, no
respectable _Kaystha_ consented to give him his daughter. Many a
common, disreputable _Kaystha_ girl he might have had; but Surja
Mukhi, regarding Tara Charan as a brother, would not give her consent,
since she did not choose to call such a girl sister-in-law. While she
was seeking for a respectable _Kaystha_ girl, Nagendra's letter came,
describing Kunda Nandini's gifts and beauty. She resolved to give her
to Tara Charan in marriage.
[Footnote 3: A religious periodical published in Calcutta.]