12 परमार्थ सोपान [Part II the Chaupais that precede and the Chaupais that follow in the progress of the narrative. The word Doha thus signifies by a sort of a not merely a metre, but also the 'churned or condensed milk' of the narra- tive fully expounded in the Chaupais. Elsewhere, as in other Hindi writers of Doha literature, the Dohas become symbols of highly ethical, spiritual, and even worldly-wise bon mots. The present writer thinks that scarcely in any other provincial literature of India there is this peculiar combination of epigram, wit, humour, sarcasm, love, devotion, service and general advice to humanity, which we find in the Dohas. There are only two parallels which we can think of in connection with the Dohas. In Marathi literature we have the Abhangas, and in Kannada we have the Vacha- which may offer a parallel to the Dohas in Hindi literature. Just as the Dohas can rise to the highest spiritual experience, so the Abhangas and the Vachanas can also rise to the same level. The Dohas are smaller than the Abhangas and poetic instead of prose, as is the case with the Vachanas. Moreover, every writer of Vachana literature does not write at the highest level. The only author in Kannada literature who may be compared with Kabir is the epigrammatic Saint nas, The Abhangas in Marathi literature are more sentimental as in Tukaram and more expressive of spiritual experience as in Jnaneshwar; but the entire Abhanga literature of Maharashtra does not come up to the level attained by Jnaneshwar or Tukaram, just as the Dohas of writers in Hindi literature do not always come up to the level attained by Kabir.
