Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/754

Life of Rama Pra- sada Sen. 712 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap, If life is a truth, death is no less so. If one realises this, and turns his back upon the sweets of life, saying that they are not worth caring for, since they are so transitory and because they are held in the same cup with poison, what can a material- istic civilisation offer to such a soul ? The mind turns naturally from the horror of death to God. - The soul, that has the power to revel inthe permanent delights of god-realisation, becomes the all engrossing matter of attention. Though confined in 15 temporary shed, it may free itself from its “ fleshy vesture of decay ”’ and by the process of Yoga reach a state of permanent bliss. This is realised by the Indian aspirant of a spiritual life, and all the religious songs of Bengal have this burden. (c) Rama Prasada Sen and poets of hls school. Amongst those who have composed religious songs, there is no higher name than that of Rama Prasada Sen. Born in the quiet village of Kumara- hatta, near a station on the East Bengal Railway, in 1718, he was at first influenced by the depraved taste of the court of Raja Krishna Chandra of Navadwipa. It may have been owing to satisfy the Raja or his own youthful poetic vanity, that he wrote the indecent poem of Vidya Sundara which was very soon after its composition, outdone by the more brilliant Vidya Sundara by Bharata Chandra. Soon after this Rama Prasada retired to his native village, where the Panchamundi or seat on which he sat day and night to practise Yoga, is still to be seen. Rama Prasada was the son of Rama Rama Sen, a Vaidya by caste. By the machinations of his