Devadas

BY: SUN STAFF - 13.11 2024

A transcendental novel in 21 chapters, by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the dear residents of Bengal with faith and devotion. I pray that they thoroughly read this book.

The author
March 1910

Introduction

To hanker for happiness is the natural characteristic of the human being. Happiness is the state of mental pleasure. According to the samskara of the mind human beings are trying to obtain happiness in different ways. For the sake of happiness one man is killing another man and again for the sake of happiness one man is helping another man. For the sake of happiness, to conquer a kingdom or to accumulate wealth people are engaging in fierce battle with one another. Again for the sake of happiness people are giving up the desires for kingdom and wealth without any agitation and accepting the renounced order of life. In other words they are trying to keep their life and soul together with the alms that they receive through begging and persue for their desired happiness.

There are two kinds of happiness namely material happiness and spiritual happiness. Most of the man and women of this illusory material world are always trying only for material happiness. Only a few people endeavour for spiritual happiness . Those who have volunteered to undergo hardships in order to achieve spiritual happiness are actually following the path of attaining eternal peace. Among the later only some rare fortunate souls attain eternal peace. Attachment for material happiness is the cause of all our miseries. It is the duty of every living entity to act in such a way that this attachment may not develop. The amount of success one achieves in this endeavour, will determine the amount of lamentations and miseries that he will be freed from.

In this world the more a person will contemplate in his mind the activities of the supreme lord , the more he will clearly realise the temporary nature of material happiness and distress. Such contemplation on the lords activities within ones heart will gradually and firmly help him realise the temporary nature of happiness and distress. Then a living entity progress towards eternal piece living aside the lamentation and miseries. There is no other alternatives besides this to achieve peace. Those who wish to see this fact clearly manifested in a human life should read the life of Devadas in this book.

Chapter 1

There is a prosperous village called Ramakrishnapur in the district of 24 paraganas. Long long ago the sacred river Ganges flowed by this village. Now that flow of the ganges totally obstructed. The land on which the river Ganges previously flowed is now turned into a vast tract of plain land. This whole tract of land is filled with many huge lakes. Some people say that although the Ganges is no longer flowing on the surface of this land nevertheless it is flowing below the surface of the earth even today. The waters from the ponds that are situated within this tract of land is popularly accepted as the water of the Ganges and it is used for all kinds of worship and religious performances. There are many brahmins, rich ksatriyas and other casts live in this village.

This village is decorated with many gardens full of beautiful fruits and flowers. Many opulent palaces are situated in this village and are increasing the beauty of the village. The wide roads of this village are filled with particles of bricks and resembles the colour of blood. There is a market place at the middle of this village; various fruits, roots, and other eatable are regularly brought and sold here. Since there is a charitable hospital, an English Medium High School, a Bengali School and a Girls School is situated in this village, the villagers are greatly benefited and comfortable.

Two brothers named Krishna and Shiv Krishna lived in this village. They are kshtriyas and their surname was Dutta. Shiv Krishna married the daughter of a rich man of Calcutta. Except this daughter his father-in-law had no other heirs. Therefore before his death he gave away his house and its homestead to his son-in-law Shiv Krishna and his accumulated wealth and other imm [?] and offered Him obeisances. [?] movable assets to his daughter.

Shiv Krishna Babu gave his share of ancestral property of the village Ramakrishnapur to his elder brotheKrishna Babu and shifted to Calcutta and began to live in the house of his father-in-law. Krishna Babu was well known in the village as the religious minded person. However he could not make much progress in the field of education. He was conversant with a little bit of English and Sanskrit languages. He had full knowledge of Bengali language. Krishna Babu was a teacher in the English Medium High School at Ramkrishnapur village. He drew a meager salary.

Devadas is the son of this Krishna Babu. Devadas had no brothers or sisters. In the family of Krishna Babu there were three people. Shrikrishna Babu, his wife and his son Devadas. Therefore though Devadas's father had very little income still he managed to fulfill all the necessities of the family. Like Devadas's father, Devadas's mother also had firm faith and devotion for religious activity. That is why Krishna Babu was not harassed in trying to fulfill the demand of ornaments etc., of his wife like a present day householder.

In his childhood Devadas was very attached to his parents. They had no other children, therefore both of them were very affectionate towards him. Devdasa was very naughty when he was a child. In one hand he was very eager to make friends with the neighbourhood boys and girls, on the other hand he was very expert in disturbing them. Whenever his parents chastised him, he would quietly tolerate it. Gradually Devadas became five years old. Most of the time Krishna Babu kept Devadas with him. He often explained to Devadas about what happens if one steals, what is the fault in telling lie and one should be merciful to everyone by narrating easily comprehensible stories. On hearing the stories the son would ask various questions and he would reply accordingly. Factually by hearing such stories Devadas gradually became attracted to his father and often contemplated on the subject matter of the stories.

Through such endeavour of his father an wonderful mood began to create in the mind of child Devadas. When the father understood that Devadas has realized the purport of those stories within his heart and he is also acting accordingly than he began to narrate stories about the lives of those people who have become prosperous in this world through proper education. Devadas gradually understood that these stories are written in the books and that by reading books these subject matters are easily understood, therefore he soon expressed his desire to read book. The father also gradually help him study appropriate book.

Devadas's father always endeavoured in such a way that his son develops eagerness for education and it was his special aim to create eagerness in his tender heart. The more Devadas developed eagerness for education the more he pursued the act of learning.

As the guide, it is the duty of the parents and the [?] who is the parents do not keep any track about their children's education. They simply make a formality of admitting their children in the school. They firmly believe whatever they hear from their children. When they hear that their children have passed in the annual examination they become very happy. And if they hear that they have failed they immediately come to the school and request the teacher to promote them to the higher class as well as assure the teacher that the children will certainly bare in the next examination. In this way they persuade the teacher. The teacher reluctantly promote them to the higher classes and get relief.

Devadas: Father! Then what is their alternative? Father: Now they should come back to the lower class and study carefully then they can become good student.

After hearing these words from the father Devadas contemplated within his mind for some time for a while. Then he asked. -- Father! Why doesn't the teacher put them back in the lower class? Father: The Headmaster has already written letter to the parents of those students about putting them in the lower classes. But so far he has not received any reply from any achers to direct the tender hearts of the children towards proper education. There are always two kinds of students in the school. Some are good students and some are bad students. A teacher should take special care of the bad students than the good students. It is often found that with proper care and guidance a bad student ultimately becomes a good student .

In the hearts of those students wherein acquiring proper education is deeply rooted, they carefully give up the association of students with bad character; because they don't derive any happiness in their association. Nevertheless the parents and the teacher should always protect them from bad association. When students who are genius and have good character study together then it is often found that they develop inquisitiveness and they sufficiently help each other in education. If one specially consider this fact then one will understand that it is always beneficial to send the boys to the school for study. Anyway Devadas father thought him lessons at home for some time and then considering his own and his son's convenience he admitted Devadas into a English High School in his own village. Needless to say that Shrikrishna Babu was a teacher of this school.

(To be continued…)

[Editor's Note: Manuscript has been slightly edited, correcting what appear to be errors made during digitization.]