Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/42

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BIRTH AND ANCESTRY.
5

ours, had settled in Calcutta. His son, Jaganmohan Nayalankar,[1] had been a pupil of the famous professor, Chaturbhuj Nyayratna,[1] and had been in great favour with him. Consequently, through highly favourable recommendations of the professor, he soon rose to eminence, and became, in his turn, a distinguished professor of the Nyay School of philosophy. Thakurdas presented himself before this near kinsman, and, with tearful eyes, explained the reason of his sudden appearance in Calcutta, and besought his shelter. Jaganmohan Nyayalankar was now well-off, and he generously fed and helped the needy. It was not, therefore, strange that he easily and gladly yielded to the requests of a young boy of his ancestral blood, and consented to give him food and shelter.

"Before leaving his mother, brother, and sisters, Thakurdas had read the Sankshiptasar Vyakaran (a Sanskrit grammar) first at Banamalipur, his paternal home, and then at Birsingha, the birthplace of his mother. When he thus found shelter in the house of his near kinsman, who was a famous Sanskrit scholar and professor, it was at first arranged that he should apply himself to the study of that ancient language (Sanskrit), and his own inclinations too were in favour of Sanskrit education. But the difficulty was that it would not easily fulfil the ends for which he had come to Calcutta. The recollection of his mother, brother, and sisters,


  1. 1.0 1.1 A title of profound Sanskrit education.