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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
son of Dêvâditya, the son of Karmâditya."
In the year A.D. 1400 he was presented with the village of Bisapi," and to the present day this village is in possession of his descendants."5
Vidyapati died an old man, and was the author of many works, amongst them the Purusha-Pariksha." This work was translated into Bangâlî for the use of the students at Fort William College in Calcutta. The Durgabhakti-Tarangini, the Dánavákyávali, the Viváda-Sára, the Gaya-Pattana, and other works are said to have been composed by him. The Purusha-Pariksha was written during the reign of Siva-Simha, i.e. between A.D. 1446 and 1450." The Durgabhakti-Tarangini was written during the reign of Nara Simha Dêva," that is to say after A. D. 1472.
In the commencement of the DurgabhaktiTarangini it is stated that Vidyapati wrote the work during the reign of Nara Simha Deva, at the request of the prince Rupa Narayana. Nara Simha came to the throne in A. D. 1470 and as the grant of Bisapi was made in the year A. D. 1400, this work must have been written in the poet's old age."
The celebrated Vachaspati-Misra was writing at this time in Mithilà the Tattva
33 [The original gives Dharmaditya, which according to the Páñj is incorrect. Karmaditya's father was Hark ditys, the son of Vishnusarman, who is called the founder of the family, and who lived in the village called Bisap!, modern Bispht.-G.A.G.]
King Siva Simha gave him this village at a time when he was heir apparent to the throne. [The original here gives some untranslated extracts from the deed of endowment. I give the whole, with a translation in Appendix No. I. p. 190.-G. A. G.]
[Nand Thakur and Phani Lal Thakur, both 12th in descent from Vidyapatí. The latter of these two has lately died.-G. A. G.]
Vidyapati in the commencement and conclusion of this work, states that it was made during the lifetime of, and at the request of, Siva Sitha. [I give the opening and concluding lines with a translation in Appendix No.II. p. 191.-G. A. G.]
[Not the fact. It was written during the reign of Deva Siraha.-G. A. G.]
[Alias Hara Deva Narayana (Drabya Narayana.) -G. A. G.]
[Mr. Beames doubts if Vidyapati could have lived to such an age; and I myself am not by any means certain that these dates (which, with the exception of the date of the grant, which is certain, depend entirely on the authority of Ayodhya Prasida), are correct. I may point out, however, that one of the best Paplits in Mithila is over 80, and is now translating the Hitopada into Maithill for me. I give the opening lines of the Durgabhakti-Taramgint in Appendix No. III. p. 192.-G. A. G.]
[JULY, 1885.
Kaumudi, the Viváda-Chintamani, and other works. He was therefore a contemporary of Vidyapati, and an attendant at the court of Siva-Simba.
30 It is quite certain that Chandi Disa dwelt in Birbhum. The village of Nannûr is shown as his abode, where an image and temple of his patron_goddess Barneuli Thakurant is still shown, and where there are many legends concerning him. There are several poems concerning the interview of the two poets.-[The original
We have already stated that Chandi Dasa was a contemporary of Vidyapati, and had also made his name famous by writing songs describing the sports of Krishna. Each hearing of the other's fame, they had an interview which has been celebrated in several poems. The legend runs that the interview took place on the banks of the Bhagirathi. Chandi Dâsa lived in the village of Nannûr in Birbhûm; which gave rise to the tradition that Vidyapati was also born either in Birbhum or Bâmkura.
80
The collection of Vaishnava songs called the Pada-Kalpataru contains several songs by one Rapa Nârây ana, and it is most likely that he and Śiva-Simha were not the same person; although Vidyapati in many of the Bhanitás of his songs gives Śiva-Simha the title of Rapa Narayana. That the word Rapa Narayana was used as a title there can be no doubt, and there is not a single song of Vidyapati's from which it be gathered that they were two different persons. In one place the poet
can
here gives some extracts from poems in the VaishnavaPada-Katpataru. The whole of the poems, with a translation, are given in Appendix. IV. p. 193.-G. A. G.] 32 चीरजीव बहु पंचगौडेश्वर कवि विद्यापति भाण ॥ [but this is only found in the Bangali recension of Vidyapati, and is not known in Mithila.
I have collected most of the songs of Vidyapati current in Mithila, and they have been published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in my Maithil Chrestomathy. In these the following are the Bhanitas in which Vidyapati's patrons are mentioned:
(1.) (Vid. 6, 14, and 41.)
राजा सब सिंघ रूप नरायन
लखिमा दई प्रति भाने ||
(Vidyapati) sings in the presence of king Siva Simha Rapa Narayana, and his queen Lakhima. (2.) (Vid. 24, and 82.)
रसमय विद्यापति कबि गाव ।
राजा सब सिंध बुझ रस भाव ॥
Vidyapati the poet sings a song of love, and king Siva Simha understands it.
(8.) (Vid. 30, and 73.) भनी विद्यापति प्रहो रस जान
राय सिब सिंघ लखिमा विरमान
Vidyapati says king Siva Simha, and Lakhim his queen, know this love.
(4.) राजा सिव सिंघ रूप नरायण
प्राणवती कंठहार
