1897.] M. V. Pandia —The Antiquity of the poet N&gari Das . 
63 
The Antiquity of the poet Nagari Das and his concubine Rasik Bihari alias 
Bani Thant .— By Pandit MShanlal Yishnulal Pandia, M.A.S.B., 
M.R.A.S., M.G.Y.S., &c. Late Brime Minister of the Partdbgarh 
State in Rdjputand. 
(Read February 1897.) 
It is generally believed by the native vernacular scholars of our 
country, that there lived in Braj four Bhasha poets bearing the name 
Nagari Das. The first of them is said to be a disciple of Yallabhacarya, 
the second, the successor of Svami Hari-das, the third, the follower of the 
Go svami Hit Harbans sect, and the fourth is one who is noticed by Dr. 
Grierson in his well-known work ‘the Modern Yernacular Literature of 
Hindustan ’ and Qivasimh in his ‘ Saroj ’ and Babu Radha-kysna Das of 
Benares in his little brochure the 4 Life of Nagari Das.’ 
Leaving the first three Nagari Das for some other occasion, I take 
this opportunity to give a more extended notice of the fourth, who 
is well-known as a good poet, and also of his concubine, poetess Rasik 
Bihari alias Bani Thani, who is still known to the public as some male 
poet. In the present paper, I have to endeavour to establish satisfac¬ 
torily the antiquity of this couple of poetic talents. 
For the sake of easy reference, I give the following summary of the 
enquiries of the previous researchers :— 
(I) Dr. Grierson has the following notice in his work ‘ the Modern 
Yernacular Literature of Hindustan,’ at Nos. 95 and 638, pages 33 and 
138: — “The poet Nagar, b. 1591 A.D. Haj. Possibly the same as a 
Nagari Das mentioned in the preface to Rag.” 
And in the same work at Nos. 405 and 638, pages 101 and 138, he 
says :—“ Rasik Bihari, b. 1723 A.D. Rag.” 
Both notices are taken from f ivasimh’s work, as quoted below. 
(II) pivasimh, in his Hindi work ‘Saroj,’ has the following 
notices at pages 441 and 491 respectively :— 
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