A History of the Mahrattas v1.c5.s4.42

v1.c5.s4.42

Contemporary with Moropant was Amratrāo, who wrote the Dāmāji Pant Rasīd—a eulogy of the Pandharpur shrine, and various other stray poems in the katav or katibandha metre, ‘in which most of the Pavadas or historical ballads of the Marāthās are composed.’³ After him comes Mahīpati, a Brahman of Tārabād, near Paithan, who wrote four large works, the Bhakti Vijaya, Santa Līlāmrita Sāra, Bhakti Līlāmrita, and Katha-sārāmrita, which celebrate the lives and achievements of the devotees and saints of Mahārāshtra and also various shorter poems including the Tukārāmcharitra or ‘Life of Tukārām.’ The last conspicuous poet of the eighteenth century was Raghunāth Pandit, whose one surviving poem is the Svayamvār, describing the marriage of Nala and Damayanti. ‘The episode,’ writes Acworth, ‘is taken from the Sanskrit, but the composition shows great originality and power.’ The lesser poets of this period include Ananta Tanaya, Madhu Munēshvar, Shivadnia Kēsari, who are not well known; Dēvidās, author of a rhapsody entitled Vyankatēsh-Stōtra; Vishvanāth, author of Nauka Krīdan; Anant or Ānand Phandi, who wrote songs in praise of the Pēshwā Bājī Rāo II and Bāpu Gōkhalē; Narāyan, author of Ānand Sāgar; and several others.