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MAY, 1893.]
NOTES ON TUL'SI DAS.
123
Other learned men composed commentaries on the six other greater works, and now Bandan, small-minded one that he is, composes, according to his knowledge, commentaries on the six smaller ones.'
Mahadêy Prasad has written a glons on this commentary, and he illustrates Bandan Pathak's statement by remarks, of which the following is an abstract.
That is to say, Tul'si Das wrote twelve works, six greater and six losser, as is proved by the verse of the well-known Pandit Bam GulAm Dvivedi.
“The voice of The Holy Master Tal'si, blissful to the pions, acceptable to the Almighty, delightful to the universe, composed the Ram Lala Nahachhai (1), Birúgasandipini (2) and Bar'we (3) pleasing the heart of the Lord. It sang the sweet mangalas of Parvati (4) and Janaki (5), and composed the Rimágyá (6) charming like the Cow of Plenty. After aniting Dohás adhd-bandh) (7), Kabittas (8) and Gitas (9), it told the tale of Krishna (10), and fixed all subjects, (i.e. omne scibile) in the Ramayan (11) and the Binay (12)."
Bandan Pathak, in his Mánas Sankávali, says that he was a papil of Chộp (or Chopai) Das, who was a pupil of Râm Gulam, and, in another Kabitta, he says that Tal'si Dâs taught the Mánas Rámáyan (i.e., Rúm-charit-mánas) to Ram Das, who taught it to Ram Din Jyotishi, who taught it to Dhani Rim, who taught it to Min Das, who taught it to Râm Gulam, Ram Gulam's authority is therefore of considerable weight.
On the other hand, Pandit Sesh Datt Sarma (alias Phanês Datt), who (according to the Mánasa Mayanku was also a pupil-descendant of Tulst Dâs, and whose authority is of equal weight), not only recognizes the work called the Sat'sas, which is not mentioned in Ram Gulâm's list, as authentic, bat has also written a commentary on it.
There are, in my opinion, only two argaments in favour of the authenticity of the Sat' sai. The first is that mentionod above, that it was commented upon by Sêsh Datts. The second is that it is possible, though improbable, that by, Dóhd-bandh,' Ram Galâm Dvivêdt meant the Sat' sai, which is written throughout in the Doha metre, and not the Dóhábalt. There can be no doubt that the collection of verses commonly known as the Dihábali, is not a poem consisting of one connected whole. It is a patchwork largely composed of dshás extracted from other works of the poet. To show this, I have drawn up the following table, showing where each verse in the Dáhábali, so far as identified, originally came from. It has been done with the help of native friends, especially Babu Ram Dia Singh already mentioned. It is as complete as we could make it in default of fall indexes of all the works of the poet.
1 Bandan Pathak has great authority. It must, however, be noted that Pandit SudhAkar Dvivedl altogether denies this Guru-succession, and that the second Kabitta referred to above, is by him. He says that Tul'st Das had no disciples. If he had, they would have called themselves Tulsidasis, just as we have Kabirpanthis, Dariyadists and the like.
Ram Gulåm Dvivedt belonged to Mirzapur, and was born of a poor and ignorant family. He took service (PATITI) under a cotton merchant and used to delight in studying the writings of Tul'd Dis. At length his ingenions explanations of the Ramdyan so charmed the baniyas who listened to him, that they subscribed together and appointed a place for him, where he could recite the poem to their heart's content. Finally, by hook or crook, they obtained for him old MSS. of the poet's works, from which he compiled a very correct text. He was a great Pandit, and wrote a Kabittabalt and other works. His principal pupils were a blind metal worker (kandra), who was the Chopal DAs above mentioned, and LAIA Chhakkan Lal, whose name is frequently mentioned in this paper. According to other accounts, Chopat Das was a Sannyasi (Giri). Rim Gulam died in Sambat 1898 (1631 A. D.).
? In connexion with this, the following Kubitta by Kodó Rám, a pupil of J&nakl Sarmi, the son of Besh Datt, may be noted.
Manasa (1), gitabalt (2), kabitaball (3) banai, krishnagita-abali (1) gli sataral (5)niramdi hai ! Párabatt-mangala (6) kahi, mangala kahi Janaki ki (), Rimijad (8), nahachla (9) antriya-yukta.
gdi hai Bararot (10), bafrugyasandipank (11) bandi, binai-patteikt (12) bandi j men prema pari chhui hai ! Nami-kal&kNsa-mant Tulast krita tery kävyi Qist nahin kali men bu kabi ké kavita hai Il In this list the Sat'saf is substituted for the Dhabali.
