fortunate circumstance which renders this vast body of literature
extremely valuable to the philologist, since it can be relied on as
representing the spoken language of its day more accurately than those
pretentious works whose authors despised everything but Sanskrit.

The _Padakalpataru_, to keep up the metaphor of its name
throughout, is divided into 4 _sakhas_ or 'branches,' and each of
these into 8 or 10 _pallabas_ or smaller branches, 'boughs.' It
should be explained that the kirtans are celebrated with considerable
ceremony. There is first a consecration both of the performers and
instruments with flowers, incense, and sweetmeats. This is called the
_adhibas_. The principal performer then sings one song after
another, the others playing the drum and cymbals in time, and joining
in the chorus; as the performance goes on many of them get excited and
wildly frantic, and roll about on the ground. When the performance is
over the drum is respectfully sprinkled with _chandana_ or
sandalwood paste, and hung up. Several performances go on for days
till a whole Sakha has been sung through, and I believe it is always
customary to go through at least one Pallab at a sitting, however long
it may be. The Bengali Kirtan in fact resembles very much the Bhajans
and Kathas common in the Mara.tha country, and each poem in length, and
often in subject, is similar to the Abhangas of Tukaram and others in
that province.

The first Pallab contains 27 hymns, of these 8 are by Gobind Das, 8 by
Baishnab Das, 3 by Brindaban Das, the rest by minor masters. Brindaban
Das and Parameshwar Das were contemporaries of Chaitanya, the others--
including Gobind Das, who is perhaps the most voluminous writer of all
--are subsequent to him. Of the hymns themselves the first five are
invocations of Chaitanya and Nityanand, and one is in praise of the