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THE MUGHAL COURT & HINDI LITERATURE 39 Taking food in another's house, dwelling in dog-kennels, travelling in the rainy season — these things, says Kesav Das, give a lot of trouble. Keeping company with sinners, a woman under the control of Cupid, a son of ill-fame — these are hurtful to the mind. Folly, old age, sickness, poverty, falsehood, anxiety — these things, says Kesav, are a hell upon earth. Some Contemporaries offKesav Das.— The brother of Ke^av Das, whose name was Balbhadra San- adhya Misra, wrote several works which include a commentary on the Bhagavata Purana. His most famous poem is a Nakhsikh, which is recognized as a standard work. This is a form of literature which is common amongst Hindi writers, and is closely connected with works on the art of poetry. In a Nakhiikh every part of the body of a hero or heroine from the toe-nail (nakh) to the top-knot of the hair ( Hkh) is described with illustrative verses. Such a work was intended to be used by other poets in want of ideas. A similar kind of work is a work on lovers, or a Ndyak-Ndyiki Bhed, in which various kinds of heroes and heroines are described and classified with a minuteness which is often pedantic and absurd. Other writers on the art of poetry of this period were Bdl Krishna Tripdthl (fi. 1600) and Kdsx Ndth (fl. 1600), the former of whom wrote a good prosody called Ras Chandrikd. Artistic Poets of the time of Jahangir and Shah Jahan.— The effects of the encouragement given to Hindi literature by Akbar lasted long after his death. Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1627-1658) very largely continued Akbar's policy of encouraging poets. Dara Shukoh, the son of Shah Jahan, was a great patron of learning and literature with a strong leaning towards Hinduism. Even in the time of Aurangzeb (1658-1707), although he was unfavourable to Hindu learning, the title of Kavi Rdy continued to be given to deserving poets. Su7idar (fl. 1631) was a Brahman who held the title of Kavi Rdy at the court of Shah Jahan. He wrote a work on poetical composition called Sundar Sringdr, and was also the author of a Braj Bhasha-