At dawn, both hands set forth. Composed the verse—Sri Kavikankan.

Tarkabagish Baburam Babu is a stubborn old man; the moment he hears poetry, he flares up and exclaims—"Ah, I die! What poetry—Saraswati herself incarnate—or perhaps Kalidas has been reborn—Kavikankan’s learning is immense—such a boy is a rare find! Even the meter is marvelous. The floor’s mud, stone bowls, cool mats, coconut cuttings—everything is perfect." A Brahmin scholar, always singing the praises of the great and powerful—what a disgraceful habit! Criticizing is not a gentleman’s work—so saying, he stormed off in a huff from the gathering. Everyone cried out, "Oh, wait! Please, sit down!" and with much insistence, they managed to seat him again.

Another professor, eager to smooth things over, quickly changed the subject and began to lavish praise on Baburam Babu and Madhab Babu instead. "Brahmins are often rather thick-headed—never able to grasp the heart of a matter. After all that logic and scripture, all they have is a legalistic mind—no sense for the ways of the world." Tarkabagish, mollified, soon joined in the merriment of the conversation.

12. Benibabu’s Visit to Becharam Babu; The Reason for Ramalal’s Virtuous Character, Brother of Motilal; The Topic of Bardaprasad Babu—A Method for Cleansing the Mind.

Becharam Babu of Bowbazar is seated in his drawing room. Nearby, a few men are singing kirtan. Babu orders one after another—Ghoshti, Daan, Maan, Mathur, Khandita, Utkanthita, Kalahantarita—each in turn. The kirtan singers, with their sweet, honeyed voices, perform in various melodies; hearing these, some listeners are so overcome they fall to the ground, rolling about in ecstasy. Becharam Babu sits motionless, like a painted idol. At this moment, Benibabu of Bali arrives. Becharam Babu immediately halts the kirtan and asks, "Well, tell me, Beni-bhai! Still alive, are you? Baburam’s fire is like a wolf’s—never lets go, even when it seems to. Yet, whatever business we undertake with him ends up in utter ruin. We learned our lesson well from the affair at Monirampur—there’s a saying: the enemy within the house is the first to join the wedding procession."

Beni: Don’t even mention Baburam Babu anymore—he’s become utterly hopeless. Sometimes I feel like leaving this house of sand and walking out the door. “Aparamba king bhavishyati”—who knows what fate still has in store!

Becharam: Well, that’s the state of Baburam—just as he is, so are his ministers, his companions, his sons, and all his affairs. But how is it that his youngest son is turning out well? It’s like a lotus blooming in a heap of dung!

Beni: You might well ask that. It does seem impossible, but there’s a reason behind it. Earlier, I introduced you to Baradaprasad Biswas Babu—you may remember. For some time now, that gentleman has been residing at Baidyabati. I thought to myself, if Baburam Babu’s youngest son, Ramlal, turns out like Motilal, then Baburam’s lineage will surely be wiped out. But this boy has a chance to be good—he’s had a fortunate opportunity. Considering all this, I took Ramlal with