G 
Haris'chandra —On Drista-Tcuta of Sur Das. 
[Jaw. 
“ Two or three clays ago I found quite a new Hindi hook : Dristakuta 
of Sur Das with his own commentary. The book contains at the end a 
sketch of the author’s biography, which differs from the story of his life 
hitherto known. The Varta of 84 Yaishnavas also contains some biography 
of Sur Dasji. It mentions that ho was a Sarasvata Brahman, and was the 
son of poor parents, and had no brothers. His village was Sihi near 
Delhi. This is the idea we Yaishnavas believe. But the poetry at the 
end of this new book says—He was born in Prath Jagat Gotra. The 
founder of his family was Brahma Rao. In the family of Brahma Rao, there 
was a man Bhonchand or Chanel in the time of Prithviraj. The king Pritli- 
viraj gave him Joala Desa. He had four sons. First Naresa, second Guna- 
chancl, third and fourth not told. S'ilachand was Gunachand’s son. From 
him Birchand. In his family Harisckancl was most famous. He lived first 
in Agra, and then in Gopachal, where he got a son, name not told (or if the 
word Bir is a proper name, it must be Birchandra). He had seven sons : 
Krishnachand, Udanckand, Rupchand, Buddhichand, Devachand, Prabo- 
dhachand, and Surajchand. If the word Rupchand be taken as an adjective, 
the name of the fourth son would be Prakaschand. All these were slain in 
the Muhammadan battles, except one, Surajchand, who was blind. (It 
seems that then his family had fallen into a low state.) Surajchand, walk¬ 
ing out, once fell into a well, whence ho was saved by S'rl Krishna. ISTo 
one helping him he was for seven days in that blind well, but STi Krishna 
himself saved his life, and showed him his own beauty—full svarupa. He 
named him Sur, Sur Das and Surasyam. Then he went to Yraj, where Go- 
sainji (son of S'ri Yallabhackarya) made him one of ^JWTq Vaisknavas. 
The Bhaktamal says that Sur Das was a Brahman, no doubt, but he 
was living at Gaughat, a place near Agra, and so all other Vaisknava gran- 
thas say. He was a great poet, as told 
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It is said that the famous poet Behari once, when walking about, saw 
a man very uneasy. Then he asked him— 
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