1904.] 
Nagendra Nath Gupta —Vidyapati Thalcur. 
23 
ago, lie is spoken of as Dr. Grierson does 
not mention that Vidyapati, besides being the first Maithil poet, 
wrote a great many books in Sanskrit. Of these Purusa ParlJcsd 
is well known, and a Bengali translation of this work was a text¬ 
book in Bengal some time ago. Three other Sanskrit books composed by 
him have been printed—Durgabhakti Tarangini, Likhanabali and 
Danbakyabali. Among the other known books are S'aivasarvaswasar 
Kirti-lata, Kirti Pataka and Gahga Pattal. He also composed some 
Sanskrit poems, in which the influence of Jayadeva is plainly dis¬ 
cernible. In the village of Taraoni, or Taruban, about fourteen miles 
from Darbhanga, there is a large palm-leaf manuscript in Vidyapati’s 
own handwriting containing the whole of the Srimcid Bhagavad- 
gitd , notes and all. It is in the possession of an old lady, a widow 
belonging to a collateral branch of Vidyapati’s family, who refuses 
to part with it on any account. I have seen the book myself and 
there can be no question as regards its authenticity. The concluding 
words are W ^ W VW 
“ L. S. 309, Tuesday, the 15th S'ravan, in the village of Raj 
Banauli. This is the writing of Shi Vidyapati.” 
The year 309 of the Laksman Sen era corresponds with 1416 
A.C. according to the accepted calculation. According to the Maithil 
calculation it corresponds with 1618 A.C. Banauli is a village about 30 
miles north of Darbhanga. The character of the script is Maithil and 
the modern Maithil alphabet bas scarcely undergone any change 
since the days of Vidyapati. There is hardly any room for reasonable 
doubt that the Bengali alphabet, old and modern, is the same as that 
of Mithila. No trace can be found of the poet’s manuscripts of his 
numerous original writings. 
There is a tradition current in Mithila that Raja SAva Simha 
was taken as a prisoner to Delhi. Vidyapati accompanied him and helped 
in obtaining his release from the Emperor. This story would appear 
to be borne out by the following lines in one of Vidyapati’s poems :— 
w fa % fafa 
l 
cn§*T *t*IT I! 
“ Saith Vidyapati,—Vidhata does what he pleases. When the 
bonds of Raja S'iva S'inha were removed, then the good poet lived (felt 
relieved).” 
