________________
OPINIONS AND REVIEWS
PROFESSOR F. OTTO SCHRADER, KIEL, GERMANY.-I perfectly agree with your opinion that Chandogya passage on Krsna Devakiputra and his teaching is to be considered as the first historical record of Bhagavatism. There were, of course, many Krsas, but to conjecture that more than one was also a Devakiputra, is to my mind an unscientific boldness which is the less justifiable as the teachings mentioned in that passage, as you show, perfectly agree with those, e,g., of the Bhagavad-gita and the Rk. quoted with the famous तद्विष्णोः परमं पदं..
679
PROFESSOR GARBE, TUBINGEN, GERMANY.-I have read your book with the greatest interest and perfectly agree with you in the main points, as to the personality of Krsia and the development of Bhagavatism......You have brought together much important material and elucidated the dark early history of Bhagavatism as far as possible.
THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, MAY 12, 1921.The lectures of Mr. Hemchandra Ray Chaudhuri on the early history of the Vaishnava Sect read almost as would a Bampton lecture on the "Historical Christ" to a Christian audience. They are an attempt to disentangle the authentic figure of Krishna from the mass of Puranic legend and gross tradition, from the wild conjectures and mistaken, if reasoned, theories which surround his name. The worship of Krishna is not a superstitious idolatry; it is the expression of the Bhakti, the devotional faith of an intellectual people, and many missionaries, ill-equipped for dealing with a dimly understood creed would do well to study this little volume.....
JOURNAL ASIATIQUE, JANUARY-MARCH, 1923. PARIS,Dans le domaine historique, signalons un travail plein de merite de M. Hemchandra Ray Chaudhuri. Materials for the Study of the Early History of the Vaishnava Sect (Dr. Jules Bloch of Paris).
DR. JULES BLOCH, PARIS.-My Guru, Sylvain Levi. who has come back from his travels, told me also of his esteem for that book.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. The scope of this small book is rightly expressed in its title. The author who is Lecturer in History in the Calcutta University, has collected and discussed statements, references, and allusions from the early literature to throw light on the position and life of Krsna and the growth of Bhagavatism. He deals with the various theories that have been put forward, and with good reasons discredits the views that Krspa Vasudeva was a solar deity or a tribal god
