Muntakhab al-tawarikh 79.18
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 79.18
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79.18.1
On the fifth of the month Zi-hajjah Râwal Pindi, which is a town between Atak Banaras and Rohtas, became the Emperor’s halting-place. And Mansingh brought with him the children and servants of Mirzâ Muhammad Hakim. And the Emperor ordered for each of them gifts and assistance in money, and proper pensions. And from the confines of Atak Banaras he sent Mirza Shahrukh, and Rajah Bhagwân Das and Shah Quli Mahram, with 5,000 horse to conquer the country of Kashmir. And in these days he appointed Isma'il Quli Khan, and Rai Singh Darbari, against the Baluchis ; and Zin Khan Kokah he appointed with a well-appointed army against the Afghans of Sawad and Bijor.
79.18.2
On the eleventh of Muharram of the year nine hundred and ninety-four (994) Atak became the Emperor’s camping-place. Some twenty-five years before this a Hindustani soldier had made himself a religious teacher, with the name of Roshânâi, as has been mentioned above. He came among the Afghans and made many fools his disciples, and set up an heretical sect, and gave it currency and lustre. He wrote a work called the Khair-ul-bayan in which he set forth his pernicious tenets. When he went headlong to his own place, his son, Jalâlah by name, who was forty years old, came in the year nine hundred and eighty-nine (989), when the imperial army was returning from Kabul, to pay his respects to the Emperor, and was favourably received by him. But through his constitutional impudence both hereditary and acquired he fled, and returned to the Afghans, and becoming a bandit ; he collected many men around him, and blocked up the roads between Hindustan and Kabul : — “If the egg of a black-natured crow You put under a pea-hen of Paradise ; If at the time of sitting on that egg, You give it its millet from the figs of Paradise ; If you give it its water from the fountain of Salsabil, If Gabriel breathe his breath over that egg ; In the end the young of a crow is a crow, And the Pea-hen will spend her trouble in vain.
79.18.3
Consequently with a view to repressing this rustic band of Roshanâis (who are in very truth utter darkness, and hereafter will find their interpretation in darkness) he appointed Kabul as the jagir of Mânsingh, that he might extirpate those rebels. In the month of Çafar of this year the Emperor sent Sa‘id Khán Gakkh’har, and the accursed Birbar, and Shaikh Faizi, and Fath-ullah Sharbati, and others, in the train of Zîn Khan (P. 350). And afterward some days he sent Hakim Abu-l-fath and another body of men after the first. And these armies having joined Zîn Khan spoiled the Afgháns, and showed no remissness in making prisoners of their women and children. And when they came down to a Pass called Karakar, a person brought news to Birbar, that the Afgháns intended that night to make a sudden attack, and that if they could pass out of that narrow valley, into which they had descended, and which was not more that three or four cosses in extent, their minds might be at ease. Night was coming on, when Birbar through his wilfulness and stupidity and arrogance, without taking counsel with Zîn Khan made an ill-timed march, and resolved to pass through the defile. And the whole of this head-less army followed in his track. And, when at evening-tide they reached the narrowest part, the Afghans appearing in crowds, like ants and locusts, from all sides of the mountains showered down stones and arrows like rain.
79.18.4
And in that defile of the district of the cave of death through the narrowness of the way, and the darkness of the night the people lost their way, and in the pits they traversed the valley of death. And being perfectly helpless and separated one from the other, they sustained a great defeat. About 8,000 persons or more were killed. And Birbar through fear of his life betook himself to flight, and was killed, and so entered the pack of the hell-hounds, and received a portion of the reward of his base deeds. And some of the Amirs and chiefs, such as Hasan Khan Pani, and Khwajah ‘Arab, the Khwajah Jahan's pay-master, and Mulla Shiri the poet, and a great multitude were killed in that night. And who can number the captives. And the date was found to be given by "Alas for Khwajah 'Arab," with one unit too little. Hakim Abu-l-fath and Zain Khan were defeated on the fifth of Rabi'ul-awwal of this year, and with great difficulty escaped to the fortress of Attak. And since they had dared to come after having basely betrayed such a prime favorite as Birbar, and their treacheries became confirmed, and proved, for some time they were excluded from the Emperor's sight, but afterwards they attained their former rank, nay rather they rose higher than before. He never experienced such grief at the death of any Amir as he did at that of Birbar. He used to say "Alas, that they could not bring his body out of that defile, that it might have been committed to the flames"!
79.18.5
But afterwards they comforted him with these words: "Since he is freed and delivered from all the bonds of mortality, the light of the sun is sufficient purifier for him, although indeed he did not require any purification." And when a rumour arose that the Afghans were coming against Attak, he sent the prince Murad the next day across the river Indus, and appointed Rajah Todar Mal to accompany him in driving back those rebels. But eventually he recalled his son, and appointed the Rajah to that duty. In that mountain district he built many forts. In the other direction Mansingh, who had been appointed to go against the Roshanais, slew and took prisoners a large body of them. At this time news arrived that Mir Quraish, the ambassador of 'Abd-ullah Khan, had arrived with a letter, and that Nazar Bey Uzbek, governor of Balkh, with his three sons had come to do pay homage to the Emperor, because they had quarrelled with the Khan. Consequently he sent Shaikh Farid Bakhshi, and a body of the Ahadis to meet that caravan. And this body of men on their return conducted them through the Khaibur Pass. The Roshanais seized the road, and attacked them, but were defeated.
79.18.6
On the 25th of Rabi'ul-awwal of this year, the sun entered Aries, and the thirty-first year of the reign began; but according to Nizami's reckoning the thirty-second year. And having arranged the public audience-room at Attak the Emperor received on that day Mir Quraish. And Mansingh came and did homage at that festival. And Shaikh Faizi composed a qasidah of welcome, of which the initial couplet is the following:— “May the beginning of the second cycle, O Lord! Come from the Source of Vicegerency a propitious era for fresh conquest.” And let it not be concealed that at this juncture a doubt entered into my mind as to the proper settling of the beginning of the year from the Accession, and the excuse for it has been related above. As a matter of fact the son of the Mirza, named Muhammad Sharif, who investigated the dates in the Tabaqat-i-Akbari after the death of his father Mirza Nizam ud-din Ahmad must here be acknowledged as the remover of the error.
79.18.7
At this time Mirza Shahrukh, and Rajah Bhagwan Das, and Shah Quli Khan Mahram, who had come to the frontier of Kashmir and reached the Pass of P'hulbas, on account of the arrival of the news of the defeat of Zin Khan, saw the best course of action to lie in pacification. So they made peace with Yusuf Khan, governor of Kashmir. And the product of the saffron-crop, of the shawl duty, and of the mint they attached to the royal treasury. And having appointed tax-gatherers they gave back the whole country to Yusuf Khan; and then took him with them to pay his respects to the Court, for he expressed a very strong desire to do so. And when this peace was not accepted by the Emperor, a number of the Amirs were denied access to the Court and forbidden to travel abroad. But afterwards on the day of Sharaf-i-aftab he sent for them and allowed them to prostrate themselves. And also on the day of the Sun’s entering Aries the ambassador of ‘Abd-ullah Khan, and Nazar Bey with his children, came and did homage. Four lacs of tankahs were given to Nazar Bey which is equal to 500 Persian tumans. Here is a copy of the letter of ‘Abd-ullah Khan * * * * Ismail Quli Khan and Rai Singh brought the leaders of the Baluchis to the Court. Man Singh was appointed to help Rajah Todar Mal, and so the Emperor’s mind became at rest again about that province.
79.18.8
On the 24th of Rabi ‘us-sani of the year nine hundred and ninety-four (994) the Emperor started from Attak for Lahor. And from the banks of the river Behut he sent Isma‘il Quli Khan in place of Man Singh to repulse the Afghans, and Man Singh he appointed to the government of Kabul. (P. 353.) And he kept Sayyid Hamid of Bokhara in Peshawar to help Isma'il Quli Khan, and to make a road.