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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1885.
VIDYAPATI AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES.
BY G. A. GRIERSON, B.C.S. So little is known abont Vidy a pati, the shonld be added that even the genuine hymns most famous of the old Master-singers of Bihar, are in a Bangali recension ; i.e. they are that no excuse is needed for offering the follow. written down as they were recited by the Bangali ing very free translation of an excellent Bar- Chaitanya and his followers, who, not gåll preface to an edition of the Bangali re being acquainted with the Maithili dialect, cension of his works. I have endeavoured to altered the verbal inflections and nominal degive rather the spirit of the original than a clensions to suit the exigencies of Bangali literal translation, and have not scrapled to grammar. It is rarely, however, difficult to make excisions where it appeared necessary. correct the genuine ones, so as to get an As translator I do not consider myself respon- approximately pure text, as Vidyâpati's metre sible for every statement made in the article. is a guide which seldom fails, The Bangali At the same time, I have carefully checked and recension is very incorrect when judged by accept the responsibility for all that directly the rules of Maithili metre. bears upon Vidya pati and Mithila. Except An independent collection of Vidy â pati's where they are followed by my initials, the poems, collected by me in Mithila itself, has been footnotes are portions of the original articles. given in my Maithil Chrestomathy, published
Owing to the influence of Chaitanya, Vidya- by the Asiatic Society of Bengal. These have pati's poems obtained an immense popularity been printed exactly as they were recited by in Bengal, and were speedily compiled into the various singers, who retain a traditional written manuals of devotion, an honour to memory of the songs of their famous countrywhich they did not attain in their native country man. of Bihar. In Bengal too, numerous imitators For further information regarding Vidyasprung up, some using Vidy&pati's language and pati and his times, the student is referred to an name, and others writing under their own name article in the Bangali Magazine called the in Bangall. The result was a great mass of "Banga-Darsana," for 1282 (BS). Vol. IV. p. Vaishṇava poems by various authors, which 75; Mr. Beames' article in the Indian Antiquary, were finally collected, and arranged according Vol. IV. p. 299ff., also contains all that is to subjects in a series of Litanies or Samkir. important, and gives a résumé of the contents tanas, called the Vaishnava-Pada-Kalpataru. of the article in the Banga-Dariana, with his This has been printed at various times, the own valuable criticisms thereon. In another edition referred to in these pages being that of article in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. II. p. 37ff., Bêni Madhava Dé and Co., Saka 1788 Mr. Beames also gives an interesting account of (A.D. 1866).
the Baugali recension of our poet. The introFrom this collection various redactionsduction to the songs of Vidyâpati Thakur in the have been made at different times, in which th3 Maithil Chrestomathy may also be referred to. hymns have been arranged according to their The Vidyápati-Padávali, the introduction authors or supposed anthors. The best known of to which is now translated, is an excellent these is the Práchina-Kávya-Sarigraha, publish- expurgated reprint of the Bangali recension ed at Chunchara(Chinsura) by Akshaya Kumara with explanatory notes. Sarkar, in the Bangali year 1285 (A.D. 1878-79). The volume attributed to Vidya pati in this
TRANSLATION collection is of a very mixed character. While The history of ancient India is enveloped in containing a number of hymns undoubtedly deep obscurity ; none of its details can be written by Vidyapati, it also contains a great distinctly seen: hence it is improbable that any number certainly not written by him, and the
clear account can ever be given of the birth bulk is of very doubtful authenticity. It and childhood of the Bangali language.
Vidy&pati.Pad Avali, edited by Srt SArada Charana Mitrs; Caloutta, 71 Cornwallis Street, Sri Srischandra
Bhattacharya, Printer and Publisher.
