OF THE HINDUS. 49 



and the good natured monarcli, who probably thought his collector more 

 fool than knave, set him at liberty. He retired to Viindaban and there con- 

 tinued to lead a religious and ascetic life. 



The account of Tulasi Das in the BhaJcta Maid, represents him as having 

 been incited to the peculiar adoration of Rama by the remonstrances of his 

 wife, to whom he was passionately attached : he adopted a vagrant life, visited 

 Benares, and afterwards went to Chiirakuta, where he had a personal interview 

 with Hanumdn, from whom he received his poetical inspiration, and the power 

 of working miracles : his fame reached DeJiU, where Shah Jehan was emperor : 

 the monarch sent for him, and desired him to produce the person of Rama, 

 which Tulasi Das refusing to do, the king threw him into confinement ; the 

 people of the vicinity, however, speedily petitioned for his liberation, as they 

 were alarmed for their own security : myriads of monkies having collected 

 about the prison, and begun to demolish it, and the adjacent buildings. Shah 

 Jehan set the poet at liberty, and desired him to solicit some favour as a 

 reparation for the indignity he had suffered: Tulasi Das, accordingly requested 

 him to quit ancient Dehli, which was the abode of Rama, and in compliance 

 with this request the emperor left it, and founded the ne\v city, thence nam- 

 ed Shah Jehdndbdd. After this, Tulasi Das went to Bindt^abmi, where he had 

 an interview with Nabhaji : he settled there ; and strenuously advocated the 

 worship of Ska Rama, in preference to that of Rddhd Krishna. 



Besides these legendary tales of this celebrated writer, whose works exer- 

 cise more influence upon the great body of Hindu population, than the whole 

 voluminous series of Sanscrit composition, we have other notices of him collect- 

 ed from his own works, or preserved by tradition, that differ in some respects 

 from the above. From these it appears, that Tulasi Das was a Brahman of the 

 Serwariah branch, and a native of Hdjapury near Chiirakuta ; when arrived at 

 maturity, he settled at Benares^ and held the office of Dewan to the Raja of 



o 



