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OF THE HINDUS.
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years, engaging deeply in the worship of Jagannath, to whose festival he seems at least to have communicated great energy and reputed. The rest of his time was spent in tuition and controversy, and in receiving the visits of his disciples, who came annually, particularly the Bengalis, under ADWAITA and NITYÁNAND to Niláchal in the performance of acts of self denial, and in intent meditation on KŘISHảA: by these latter means he seems to have fallen ultimately into a state of imbecility approaching to insanity, which engendered perpetually beatific visions of KŘISHŃA, RÁDHÁ, and the Goris: in one of these, fancying the sea to be the Jamna, and that he saw the celestial cohort sporting in its blue waters, he walked into it, and fainting with ecstasy, would have been drowned, if his emaciated state had not rendered him buoyant on the waves: lie was brought to shore in a fisherman's net, and recovered by his two resident disciples, SVARÚPA and RÁMÁNAND: the story is rendered not improbable by the uncertain close of CHAITANYA'S career: he disappeared; how, is not known: of course
It may be observed, that in the frequent descriptions of the celebration of the Rath Yatra, which occur in the work of KkishŃA Das, no instance is given of self-sacrifice amongst the numerous votaries collected, neither is there any passage that could be interpreted as commendatory of the practice: it is, in fact, very contrary to the spirit of Vaishnara devotion, and is probably a modern graft from Saiva or Sakta superstition. ABULFAZI. does not notice the practice, although he mentions that those who assist in drawing the car think thereby to obtain remission of their sins.
