chitta ranjan as a symbol of neo-hinduism.
the study of western philosophy led chitta ranjan to believe in atheism. this revolting note has found expression in some of his poems. but providentially the light of vaishnava philosophy came to dispel this atheistic gloom from his mind. chitta ranjan gradually understood the lofty ideals of vaishnavism, the sublimity of hindu theism. this religion of love and sacrifice became a part and parcel of chitta ranjan's life. for this transformation in him his mother's teachings were to a great extent responsible, for they had a great deal to do in fostering and developing the germs of excellence with which he was born. he came to believe in the religious rites of hinduism and on the death of his mother he performed the sradh ceremony according to the hindu rites. he is very fond of vaishnava sankirtana which he held now and then in his house. chitta ranjan gradually became a zealous devotee of hinduism and had his name struck off from the role of members of the brahmo samaj.
but vedantism which is the source of the brahmo faith in bengal left its marks on chitta ranjan's mind. the key-note of the vedanta is its doctrine of oneness. one reigns everywhere,—in the rippling of the waters of the ocean,—in the murmuring of the leaves,—in the melody of the birds,—in the charming beauty of blooming flowers,—and in the effulgence of the moon and the sun. this one is the self. there is nothing but this self. for this reason, though a hindu in the true sense of the term,[27] chitta ranjan is an avowed opponent of the caste-distinction prevalent in our society. he has two daughters and a son. his elder daughter was married to a member of the kayastha community and he married his only son to a vaidya girl of western bengal. these marriages he celebrated according to the hindu rites with the sanction of great sanskrit scholars. but as usual the whole orthodox hindu society was in a state of tumult over the inter-caste marriage of chitta ranjan's elder daughter. the bigoted leaders of society who sacrifice even their conscience for the so-called social prestige got very nervous and tried to create a scene but chitta ranjan was firm. he was at first not in favour of even appointing a brahmin priest to conduct the ceremony. he argued as he had no caste-prejudice he should not prefer a brahmin. he should rather select a vaidya scholar deeply versed in the sastras to conduct the marriage ceremony of his daughter. for days together chitta ranjan and his wife had long discussions over this matter but could not arrive at any final conclusion. one evening about a fortnight before the celebration, his wife, who was in favour of appointing a brahmin priest left the room, when she failed to convince her husband. she did not come back till a late hour at night and found her husband alone in the room and in great mental agony tears were rolling down his cheeks. she approached him and said:—"just consider a bit coolly. you want to reform the present hindu society but not to leave it altogether. then you should do it step by step. if you now do not even have a brahmin priest, no one will have the courage to follow you and your purpose will not be served. on the other hand, if you try to introduce inter-caste marriages only and do it now with the sanction of a brahmin priest, many will perhaps follow your lead. so that considering every[28]thing you should now have a brahmin priest to conduct the marriage ceremony of our daughter". chitta ranjan was convinced and exclaimed with deep emotion, "oh! what light have you shown me!" the matter was settled and chitta ranjan was relieved of his mental agony. the marriage ceremony was also smoothly performed according to hindu rites by a brahmin priest. in fact on every critical occasion chitta ranjan has found in his wife a wise counseller and a true friend. many a sastric scholar of india-wide fame approved of this marriage, the list included men like mahamahopadhaya pandit haraprasad sastri, late mahamahopadhaya dr. satish chandra vidyabhusan and mahamahopadhaya pandit yadeveswar tarkaratna. we must mention here to chitta ranjan's credit that this marriage took place long before mr. patel's bill was introduced in the imperial legislative council.
to purge the hindu society of the thorns and thistles that have beset it is a problem very dear to all true hindu patriots. with this end in view chitta ranjan never fails to protest against the degrading customs of our society. once in a table talk he remarked, "what a pity that our society is not even now roused from its eternal sleep. take the instance of the present dowry system. many a snehalata has been sacrificed in its burning flame, yet the parents of bride-grooms are not brought to their senses. they are ever determined to make money by selling their sons even at the cost of social well-being and family happiness. but the parents of brides do never rise up against this degrading custom, fearing lest they mar the future of their girls by losing desirable bride-grooms. the parents should rather educate their girls; if by chance they do not get married, they can earn their own livelihood and may be so many car[29]penters and nightingales in our society". such is the view of chitta ranjan about the present hindu society. generous, large-hearted and magnanimous as chitta ranjan is, there is something in the texture of his mind that is above the ordinary run. few men who battle for the right, have the calm fortitude, the cheerful equanimity with which chitta ranjan battles to fulfil the burning aspirations of his soul. he stands high among those who have been able to display
"one equal temper of hearts, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield".
