Trailokyanath Sanyal - New Temple

New Temple

On 24 January 1868, Keshub Chunder Sen, laid the foundation stone of his mandir (temple). On that day, he introduced the Vaishnava mode of propagation, namely a singing procession through the streets, called nagar sankirtan. Early in the morning before the glorious sunbeams had scarcely pierced through the dewy vestures of the retreating night, people in the streets heard the voice of the new band of singers. In the hymn composed for the occasion by Trailokyanath Sanyal, they sang:

tora aere bhai!

eto dine dukkho nisi holo abasan, nagare uthilo brohmonam.

karo sabey anandete brohmo-sankirtan,

paap-taap-o dhue jaabe jurabe jibon.

Come, all of you, brothers!

At last the night of sorrows has lifted, Brahma's name rises in town.

Let everybody happily sing Brahmo-sankirtan without hesitation,

Sin and repentance will wash away, life will be filled with satisfaction.

As the young reformers marched towards the site of the contemplated mandir, enthusiastically singing characteristic hymn, many thousands of citizens of all classes flocked to the streets, through which the former passed, to witness the new Brahmo street procession. The hymn and its manner of singing deeply impressed them.

Protap Chunder Mozoomdar has added, “Keshub held his nagar sankirtan with great flags inscribed with theistic mottoes… Vaishnava kirtans had degenerated into mobbish assemblies and it required great moral courage and deep religious compulsion to be able to borrow and reform them.”