Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/143

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ISVAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR.

himself on thinking of a novel mode of teaching Grammar. When Raj Krishna Babu called the next morning, he found to his utter astonishment, that a short abridgment of the Sanskrit grammar, Mugdhabodha, in Bengali characters, from the Alphabet to the Inflexion of Verbs, composed by Vidyasagar, was ready for his use. This was the basis of Vidyasagar's Upakramanika, a brief Sanskrit Grammar in Bengali. Upakramanika has opened a new, easy way to the Sanskrit Literature. This single treatise is sufficient to clearly demonstrate Vidyasagar's superior intellect and ingenuity.

With the aid of this manuscript, abridged grammar and an elementary Sanskrit book printed at the Baptist Press, Raj Krishna Babu began to learn Sanskrit. In three months, he acquired a little knowledge of the language, and had some conception of its grammar. At the end of this period, he began to read the Mugdhabodha, which he, by dint of his indefatigable zeal and toil, and unremitting perseverance, and through Vidyasagar's ingenious mode of instruction, mastered in six months. He then applied himself to the study of the Sanskrit Literature. Vidyasagar now urged Raj Krishna Babu to prepare himself for the Junior Scholarship examination of the Sanskrit College. The system of Junior and Senior Scholarship examinations had been introduced into Sanskrit College by Mr. Marshall. Raj Krishna Babu applied himself in right earnest, and was fully prepared for the ex-