harattas of noble family stood round like statues and the holy men listened to his chanting with closed eyes.
It is not only a folk-tradition that shows us the man being made into a myth; we have the testimony of his fellow-poets, and among them Govinda Das. He left a series of notes of Nimāi's career, which have the advantage of giving us real impressions without any attempt to make them fit into a saint's life. He even tells us what kind of food was to be had in Nimāi's house before he turned ascetic. All kinds of fruit and sweet roots; milk, butter, and cream; delicious salads and many kinds of sweetmeats. "I," says Govinda, with perfect frankness, "I, the prince of gluttons, became a willing servant in that house." But the change came, and Nimāi made his stirring declaration: "I shall have my head shaven, cast off the sacred thread, and wander from house to house, preaching the love of Krishna. Young men, children, old men, worldly men, and even the Pariahs will stand round me charmed with the name of God."
In the songs of Nimāi and Govinda Das, and in the poetry Chaitanya inspired, we gain a sense of a country and a people who love poetry,
