The Book of Akbar 297: CHAPTER XXI.
The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II 297
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CHAPTER XXI.
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meadows. On the way he said to Maulana Ruh Ullah, who was his teacher, “it has occurred to me to take an augury from the names of three persons whom I may find on the road, and I shall build the foundations of my dominion (daulat) thereon.” The Maulana said the name of one person would be enough. He replied “A secret inspiration has communicated itself to me.” After going a little distance a wayfarer of mature age appeared and when they asked him his name, he replied “Murad Khwaja.” After him another man appeared who was driving an ass loaded with wood. When they asked him his name he said “Daulat Khwaja.” Upon this the inspired tongue (of Humayun) said that “if the name of the next person that comes be Saadat Khwaja it will be a strange and beautiful coincidence, and the star of joy (murad) will ascend from the horizon of auspiciousness (sa'adat).” At that very moment a man (a boy, in Khwandamir’s account) appeared, who was grazing some cattle, and when they asked him what his name was he replied “Sa'adat Khwaja.” The servants in attendance were astonished at this marvel, and all felt assured that the lord of auspicious fortune would by Divine favour attain to lofty rank and become possessed of dominion. When these mysterious glad tidings were fulfilled and the rose garden of hope was made fresh and verdant by the stream of justice he founded his affairs, sacred and secular on joy (murad), dominion (daulat) and auspiciousness (sa'adat).
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And he divided all the servants of the fortunate threshold, or rather all the inhabitants of his dominions into three classes. He called his brothers, and other relatives, his officers, his viziers, and all his soldiers Ahl-i-daulat. For it was clear that without the help of this body of men the ladder of dominion and fortune could not be climbed. He called the philosophers, the 'ulama, the chancellors (sadur), the sayyids, the shaikhs, the Qazis, the poets and the other learned men, the judges, nobles and skilful persons Ahl-i-sa'adat, because the honouring of these auspicious persons, and the association with them were a means of gaining everlasting auspiciousness. He called architects, painters, musicians and singers Ahl-i-murad, because they were the delight of all the world. Similarly, he divided the days of the week among the Ahl-i-daulat, sa'adat and murad, to wit, Saturday and Thursday belonged to Ahl-i-sa'adat, and on these two days his attention was given to the regulators of knowledge and devotion. The reason of appropriating those two days to the Ahl-i-sa'adat was that Saturday is assigned to Saturn, and Saturn is the patron of shaikhs and ancient families. Thursday is Jupiter’s day, and that is the star of learned men and of other noble orders. Sunday and Tuesday were assigned to the Ahl-i-daulat, and on them, royal affairs, and the management of world-government were transacted.
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The reason for thus assigning these two days was that Sunday appertains to the sun whose rays regulate rule and sovereignty, while Tuesday is Mars’s day and Mars is the patron of soldiers. Monday and Tuesday were days of joy (murad). On these days boon-companions and favourites and others of the Ahl-i-murad were treated with special favour. The point in selecting these two days was that Monday is the Moon’s day, and Wednesday is Mercury’s. Both of these have a special connection with household matters (amur-i-buyutat). Friday (Jam'a), in accordance with its name, applied to all objects, and on it all the classes of humanity participated in the royal bounty. One of the arrangements which characterised the diwan-days was that when the throne of the khilafat was set up and His Majesty being seated thereon was advising the Divan, information was given to the people by beat of drum, and when he left the Divan, cannoniers announced the fact to the subjects by the discharge of cannon. And on these days keepers of the wardrobe would bring several suits of apparel, (dast-i-khilat), and the treasurers several bags of gold near to the palace, so that there might be no stoppage to the gifts and largesses. Several brave men stood armed, and with cuirasses on their breasts. Another of his inventions was that of three golden arrows which were an allusion to the three divisions of sa’adat, daulat and murad.
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Each of these was assigned to one of the leaders of the three classes in order that he should supervise the works thereof. And it was provided that so long as each of the holders of these arrows exerted himself in the management of the duties appertaining to that division (sahm), which consisted in acting according to the will of God and in loyalty, he should be the subject of favour and should be secure on the masnad of authority. But if ever he should become intoxicated by the wine of grandeur and transgress the path of justice, or from some evil motive should avert his eyes from loyalty, and should restrict his zeal to the acquisition of wealth, the arrow of his design would not reach the target of success and the writing of deposition would be drawn on the page of his condition, and he would meet with a fitting retribution. Mir Khwand the chief chronicler (Mir Muwarrikh) has recorded in his Qanun-i-humayuni that in the time of his service the arrow of sa'adat was entrusted with absolute authority to the most excellent of the masters of learning and perfection—Maulana Farghali, and the opening and shutting, the contraction and expansion, of the affairs of Sayyids, Shaikhs, 'Ulama, Qazis, and teachers, and the inquiry into the claims of ecclesiastics (arbab-i-'amaim, lit. wearers of large turbans), and the appointment and removal of those entrusted with the works of religion, and the assignment of stipends and siyarghals were all in his charge.
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The arrow of daulat was with the prop of sovereignty—Amir Hindu Beg, and the shutting and opening, the binding and unloosing of the great affairs of the officers and viziers, and of all the government-clerks, and those entrusted with civil affairs, and the fixing of the pay of the soldiers, and the appointment of the household servants rested with him. The arrow of murad and of the works of architecture was assigned to Amir Waisi. He had to look after the buildings and the arrangement of matters of pomp and pageantry and to care for the perfecting of the things of splendour and glory. Another of his inventions was the distribution of arrows into twelve classes. Each order of men was assigned to an arrow. The arrangement was as follows: The twelfth arrow, which was of the finest gold, was reserved for the royal quiver, i.e., for Humayun and Akbar. The eleventh was for the brothers and other kinsmen and such of the sons of kings as were servants of the threshold of dominion. The tenth arrow was for the Sayyids, the Shaikhs, and the The eighth was for the ‘Ulama. The ninth for the great officers intimates (maqarraban) and the ankacian who held mansabs (offices). The seventh for the other ankacidn. The sixth for the heads of clans. The fifth for the distinguished young volunteers. The fourth for the cashiers (Blochmann, 45). The third for the soldiers (juanan-i-jargah). The second for artificers. The first for doorkeepers, watchmen, and the like.
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Another of his inventions was his dividing the department of State into four classes corresponding to the four elements, viz., Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. And for the transaction of the business of each of these four departments a vizier was appointed. The artillery and the arrangements of armour and arms and of other things with which fire had to do were called the Fire Department. Khwaja 'Abdu l-Mulk was appointed to be vizier of it. The wardrobe (karqiraqkhana), the kitchen, the stable, and the necessary management of the mules and camels was called the Air Department. The charge of it was given to Khwaja Latif Ullah. The arrangements of the Sharbatkhana, the wine-cellar (sharābkhāna), and of canals was called the Water Department. Khwaja Hasan was appointed the vizier thereof. The affairs of agriculture and of buildings and the administration of exchequer-lands (sabt-i-khāliṣāt) and of some of the buildings (biyutāt) were called the Earth Department. The vizier was Khwaja Jalalu-d-din Mirza Beg. In every one of the departments one of the Amirs was employed. For instance, Amir Nasir Quli was the Mir Sarkar, or head-officer, of the Fire Department and always wore red.
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Another of the inventions of this time was that four large barges were set in the river Jamuna (Jumna) and that the master-carpenters constructed on each of them a cārtāq (a square house) of two storeys and of very elegant shape. The barges were so joined together that the car taqs faced one another. Between every two of these four barges another tāq (platform) was made and thus there appeared an octagonal reservoir between the barges. Another of his excellent inventions was his arrangement of shops and the putting up of a bazar on boats. This increased the amazement of the rare of intellect. In the year 939, 1532-33, when His Majesty went from Flruzabad-i-Dihli Delhi) to Agra, the capital, by way of the river, and was accompanied by most of the Amirs and pillars of the State and all the ikcldn and officers, a bazar of this kind was made and carried down the Jamuna. Everyone could get what he wanted in that bazar. In like manner the royal gardeners made, in accordance with orders, a garden on the river. Another of his inventions was a movable bridge.
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Another of his wonderful inventions was a movable palace. This palace was composed of three storeys which were of cut beams. The master-carpenters had so joined the pieces together that whoever looked at them thought that the whole was of one piece. Whenever they wanted they could take it to pieces and convey it to any country. And the ladders (or steps) to the upper storey were so constructed that they could be opened out or shut up at pleasure. One of the wonderful inventions of that holy mind was a cap (taj) which was alike magnificent and agreeable to wear. The border (or margin) which went round the taj had two divisions (furja), and each of these was in the form of the figure seven (V), and thus by there being two figures 7 (VV) the number 77 was produced, which was the numerical value of the word ‘izz. Here it was called the taj-i-izzat or cap of honour. This was invented in Badakhshan and when His Majesty came to Agra and appeared before His Majesty Geti Sitani Firdaus Makani the latter was much pleased.
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Another of his inventions was a tent (khirgah) which had twelve partitions corresponding to the signs of the Zodiac. Each mansion (burj) had lattices (pinjarahd) through the interstices of which there shone the light of the stars of dominion. And there was another tent which was like the Heaven of Heavens which encompasses the heaven of the fixed stars. This surrounded the other tents and as the crystalline sphere (i.e., the Heaven of Heavens) is undotted (with stars) so this tent was without lattices. One of his pleasure-increasing inventions was the "carpet of mirth" (basat-i-nishat). This was a round carpet corresponding to the orbits of the spheres and the elemental spheres. The first circle which corresponded to the crystalline sphere was white, the second blue (kabud), the third black, like Saturn, the fourth, which was the house of Jupiter, was light brown (sandali), the fifth, which was related to Mars, was ruby-coloured, the sixth, which was the house of the Sun, was golden, the seventh, which was the house of Venus, was bright green, the eighth, which was the station of Mercury, was bluish (sūsanī, i.e., lily, or iris-coloured). For the nature of Mercury is composite and when blue and rose are mixed the result is sūsanī. And the reason why sūsanī was chosen in preference to other colours was that several philosophers have called the colour of Mercury that of collyrium (kuḥlī), and the sūsanī is nearer to collyrium than other mixed colours are.
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The ninth circle, which was the station of the Moon, was white. After the circle of the Moon came the region (kura, i.e., globe or sphere) of fire and air, then that of earth and water. The inhabited quarter of the earth was divided into seven climes. He himself occupied the golden circle (i.e., the one consecrated to the Sun) and there he adorned the throne of the khilāfat. Each section (or group) was ordered to sit in accordance with the one of the seven planets which was appropriate to it in the circle which corresponded therewith. Thus, the Indian officers sate in the circle of Saturn, while the Sayyids and the ‘Ulama sate in the circle of Jupiter. The persons who occupied each circle made use of dice, on each side of which there was represented a human figure in a different position. According to each one’s throw he assumed a position which corresponded to the figure that turned up. For example, if a standing figure turned up he stood, if a seated he sate down, and if a reclining one he lay down. This was a means of increasing mirth.
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Another of his excellent devices was the wearing of clothes each day corresponding to the colour of the planet of that day. Thus on Sunday he wore a yellow robe, which is the colour appropriated to the Sun, who is the regent thereof. On Monday he wore green, which is appropriate to the Moon, and so on. Another of his inventions was the drum of justice. If the claim of anyone related to some dispute he beat the drum once. If his grievance consisted in the non-receipt of stipend, or wages he struck twice. If his goods and chattels (māl-u-jihāt) had been seized by oppression, or had been stolen, he complained by beating the drum thrice. If he had a claim of blood against anyone he beat the drum loudly four times. The notes of the inventive genius of this khedive of holy type are many, but the above are enough to enable the understanding and the acute to comprehend the rare jewels of his soul. It is now better to abridge words and to come to the proper subject.