584 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [Chap, Akhara (lit. alphabet) in the popular language, and Gopal Das was known as ‘*‘ Akharia Gopal ”’ for this innovation — of Batipur (Mursidabad). 23. Gopal Chakravarti ... Of Paraj (Mursidabad). 24. Gopi Babaji ... of Kota (Mursidabad). 25. Nitai Das ive ... of Tantipara (Birbhum). 26. Nanda Das ke ... of Maro (Birbhum). 27. Anuragi Das np ... of Dakhinkhanda Mursidabad. 28. Sujan Mallik a ... Viranpur (Mursidabad). 29. Krishna Kishore Sarkar ..- Kenchotali (Nadia). 30. Rusik Das (living) 501 of Anuragi Das (No. 27) ... of Dakhinkanda Mursidabad. 31.,Sudha Krishna Mitra (living) ... of Maisa Dal (Birbhum). 32. Pandit Adwait Das _ Babaji (living) ey ... Kasimbazar. 33. Siva Kirtaniya (living) ... of Kushthia (Nadia). Of the living kirtaniyas three are admittedly superior to the rest. Their names in order of merit may be thus put. I. Pandit Adwaita Das Babaji of Kasimbazar. II. Civu Kirtaniya of Kusthia. III. Rasika Das of Daksinkhanda (Mursidabad). Civu Kirtaniya. I heard three years ago the £/rtana songs of Civu kirtaniya, one of the three great singers mentioned above. He sang one of those celestial songs which are inspired by deep love. Civu himself was over- powered with emotion when he described Mathur ; his voice with its tender modulations and inimitable wail touched the heart of the audience, as his own heart was touched. We heard the songs in the house of Mr. G. N. Tagore, Calcutta, but the audience felt themselves to be in the Vrinda groves all the while, whither Civu had translated them, by calling up a perfect vision of the deserted scenes of the shrine. Th The kirtana songs were once a madness in e | singers Bengal, and even now they carry great favour with a certain section of our community. The singers are generally acquainted with scholarly Vaisnava
