The Institutes of Akbar 133.9

133.9

The emperor also learned from some Hindus formulæ, to reduce the influence of the sun to his subjection, and commenced to read them mornings and evenings as a religious exercise. He also believed that it was wrong to kill cows, which the Hindus worship ; he looked upon cow-dung as pure, interdicted the use of beef; and killed beautiful men (?) instead of cows. The doctors confirmed the emperor in his opinion, and told him, it was written in their books that beef was productive of all sorts of diseases, and was very indigestible. Fire-worshippers also had come from Nausárí in Gujrát, and proved to His Majesty the truth of Zoroaster’s doctrines. They called fire-worship ‘the great worship,’ and impressed the emperor so favorably, that he learned from them the religious terms and rites of the old Pársís, and ordered Abulfazl to make arrangements, that sacred fire should be kept burning at court by day and by night, according to the custom of the ancient Persian kings, in whose fire-temples it had been continually burning; for fire was one of the manifestations of God, and ‘a ray of His rays.’ His Majesty, from his youth, had also been accustomed to celebrate the Hóm (a kind of fire-worship), from his affection towards the Hindu princesses of his Harem.