The Book of Akbar 350: THE IMPRISONMENT OF THE NĀṢIR-UL-MULK PĪR MUHAMMAD KHĀN BY BAIRĀM KHĀN.
The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II 350
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THE IMPRISONMENT OF THE NĀṢIR-UL-MULK PĪR MUHAMMAD KHĀN BY BAIRĀM KHĀN.
350.1
As the world caravanserai is a source of warning to the far-sighted spectator, whatever appears in it has thousands of designs and equities in deposit and is an expression of Divine power. It behoves the seer to see this. In the hall of justice of the True Judge which is in the market-place full of noise and evil (the world) no good fortune is destroyed and no one is brought from the heaven of honour to the earth of ignominy so long as he does not abandon rectitude and take the road of wrong. Accordingly, at this time, when the cup of Bairām Khān’s fortune was nearly full, there came a rift into his disposition, so that by the agency of short-sighted strifemongers and ill-fated envious ones who are displeased with destiny and at war with God, and who from meanness of understanding are grieved at others’ joy, and rejoiced at others’ grief and trouble, Bairām Khān’s heart became alienated from Mullā Pīr Muḥammad. The latter in the abundance of his loyalty and sincerity continued in his devotion and disposed of matters political and financial. He relied upon his rectitude and probity, and did his work without a wrinkle on the brow of his heart, or a knot in the eye-brow of his soul. As such a person is inevitably the mark of high and low, and is surrounded by crowds, this makes the hearts of the incompetent bleed with envy, and from their evil imaginations indulge in calumny and slander;
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while the minds of the great on account of press of business, and want of leisure for investigation, become confused by the buzzing of such fly-like creatures. Pīr Muḥammad Khān was also the asylum and refuge of mankind, and enviers by profession felt their blood boil and girded themselves up to be tale-bearers and stirrers-up of strife. Bairām Khān’s day was near its close, and he let fall from his hand the thread of deliberation, which is fitted to be the comptroller of men, and put himself into the hands of the envious, and grew suspicious of Pīr Muḥammad’s lofty actions. Without the latter’s having done anything which merited dismissal, he, at the instigation of enviers by profession, and on the statements of untrue and interested persons flung off an honest man who had put his trust in him. Just at this time there was the incident of the Nasir-ul-mulk’s falling ill for some days, and of the Khan-Khanan’s paying him a visit. The Turkish slave, who was the doorkeeper, ignorantly said: “I’ll announce (your arrival).” The Khan-Khanan was put out by this treatment, and when Mulla Pir Muhammad knew of it he came out and made a thousand apologies. At the same time only a few of the Khan-Khanan’s suite were allowed to enter with him. The frown which for some time had been behind his brow came out, and he meditated something against the Nasir-ul-mulk. The envious waiters upon events got their opportunity and made remarks, especially Shaikh Gadai.
350.3
After two or three days Khwaja Aminu-d-din Mahmud, Mir ‘Abdulla Bakhshi, Khwaja Muhammad Husain Bakhshi and some servants were sent to Nasir-ul-mulk with the message: “You were wearing the dress of a poor scholar when you came to Qandahar. As you appeared simple and honest, and did good service you were raised to high office by me, and from being a Mulla you became a leader of armies. As your capacity was small you easily became intoxicated and got out of hand after one cup. We fear lest some great mischiefs may be committed by you which it will be difficult to remedy. It is better that for some time you should draw in your feet under the blanket of disappointment, and sit down in a corner. You will now make over your standard, drum and other insignia of distinction and of your exaltation, and betake yourself to the amending of your disposition, for this is good both for yourself, and for the world. Thereafter whatever we shall determine with regard to you, will be carried out.”
350.4
As soon as Pir Muhammad Khan heard this message he, being a man of independent mind, made over with an open brow the paraphernalia of office, and with a blithe heart accepted retirement. Some days afterwards, Bairam Khan, at the instigation of some evil-disposed persons, resolved upon imprisoning him in a fortress. With this idea he sent the Mulla along with a number of men to Biana. There, at the intercession of men who held a medium between well-wishing and enmity, he got permission to go to the Hijaz, and set off for Gujrat. When he came to Radhanpūr Fatḥ Khān Balūc watched over him for a time, and strove to do him honour. At that time letters came from M. Sharafu-d-dīn Ḥusain and Adham Khān bidding him stay at whatever place he had reached, and to await events. He returned from there and took up his abode at the valley of Jhūn near Rantambhūr, and fortified that defile. When Bairām Khān heard of this he sent Shāh Qulī Maḥram, Khurram Khān and a body of troops to seize him. When this force approached, there was an engagement. When night came on, Pīr Muḥammad Khān evacuated the place and went off with a small following. His goods fell into the hands of those who had been sent on the expedition.
350.5
In short Bairām Khān, on account of his own carelessness and the instigation of envious, short-sighted men put aside this honest and able servant, and with his own hand struck with a hatchet the foot of his fortune. As H.M. the Shāhinshāh had made over the whole business of sovereignty to Bairām Khān and was remaining behind a veil and testing the characters of men, he left to God the retribution of this evil deed which had its origin in wicked designs, and in the plenitude of his wisdom said nothing openly, and merely watched the spectacle of the world. Bairām Khān appointed, as vakīl in succession to Pīr Muḥammad Khān, Ḥājī Muḥammad Khān Sīstānī, who was an old servant of his. But though Ḥājī Muḥammad was the nominal holder of the office, the real Vakīl was Shaikh Gadāī who was the Ṣadr. In all political and financial matters Bairām Khān did nothing without consulting him, and the latter being unhinged by the man-throwing wine of the world did not consider the poor and weak. Arrogance, which casts down old fortunes; what then must happen to newly-made ones?—was assumed by him and was the cause of his own fall and of that of his patron. The effects of this were soon seen, as will be related in its place.
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One of the events of this year was the sending Ḥabīb ‘Alī Khān to conquer Rantambhūr, which was a fortress famous for its height and solidity. In the time of the Afghan supremacy Salim Khan had entrusted this fort to his slave Jajhar Khan. When the drum of the Shahinshah’s fortune beat high, this ill-fated slave saw that the maintenance of the fort was beyond his powers and, with the evil intention of preventing its falling into the hands of the imperial servants, sold the fort to Rai Surjan, who was a servant of Rana Udai Singh, and who was powerful in that neighbourhood. Surjan built houses in the fort, and established himself there. He also forcibly seized the villages round about. At this time the sacred mind turned its attention to the capture of the fort and despatched Habib ‘Ali Khan and other leaders. The force girded the loins of resolution for the capture, and beseiged the fort. The flame of battle rose high, and the courage of the foe became like water, but as the Almighty reserved the taking of the fort for the supervision of H.M., there happened just at this time the disruption of Bairam Khan, and prudent men thought other matters more necessary and so did not proceed with the siege. Among the occurrences of this time is the Shahinshah’s, the dweller under the veil, going to Gwaliar. As the lofty genius of H.M.
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the Shahinshah is innately devoted to the capture of kingdoms and the chase of hearts, he, during this interval of his career, was much inclined to hunting with the cita. He made that the veil of his world-adorning beauty. At this time he directed his progress southwards for the sake of hunting and glorified the territory of Gwaliar by his presence. While he was hunting, some deer-keepers (Ahadis) and other huntsmen represented that the merchants accompanying Shaikh Muhammad, who was one of the famous Shaikhs of India, had brought bullocks from Gujrat which were unequalled and fit for the royal hunting equipage. Accordingly an order was issued to bring the bullocks after paying the merchants the price which was agreeable to them. Thereupon it was represented to H.M. that Shaikh Muhammad and his relatives had better cattle than these, and that if he would pass by his location on his way back, the Shaikh would certainly for the sake of his own glorification present him with them. Accordingly, with the ostensible object of procuring those animals, but in reality in order to test the Shaikh’s urbanity, he went to his abode. The Shaikh made the dust of the royal party the eye-salve of his glory and recognised in H.M.’s advent a protection against Bairām Khān’s oppression, and presented all the cattle which belonged to his people, together with other gifts and curiosities of Gujrāt. He also tendered various sweet-meats and perfumes. At the end of the interview he asked H.M.
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the Shāhinshāh if he had become the disciple of anyone (lit. given the hand of fealty.) H.M. who had placed the hand of trust in God’s hand and was a treasury of the treasuries of spiritual and temporal truths, and sought to conceal his status and spiritual rank, had withheld the hand of his genius from the empty-handed, and was a spectator of the varied spectacle of the universe, formally replied in the negative. The Shaikh put out his arm, and laid hold of the sacred hand of that divinely nurtured one, and said, “We have taken your hand.” H.M. the Shāhinshāh in the abundance of his courteousness and modesty took no notice, but smiled and departed. H.M. the Shāhinshāh often used to relate in his high assemblages that, “On that same night we returned to our tents and had a wine party and enjoyed ourselves, and laughed over the way to catch bullocks and the Shaikh’s dodge of stretching out his arm.” Verse. Under their variegated robes they have nooses, See the long arms of those short-sleeved ones. Good God! What was the rank of this boastful simpleton, and what was the degree of the just appreciation, urbanity and gentleness of H.M. the Shāhinshāh! For although it was reported universally to H.M. that this Shaikh in general conversation instead of feeling remorse for his misbehaviour gloried in it, he took no notice and did not try to correct him!
350.9
This Shaikh was the younger brother of Shaikh Bahlūl who has already been mentioned as having been put to death by Though these two brothers were void of excellencies or learning, they at various times lived in mountain hermitages and practised incantations with the Divine Names. They made these the proofs of their renown and credibility, and obtaining, by the help of easily-deceived simpletons, the society of princes and amirs, they put saintship to sale and acquired lands and villages by fraud. His elder brother was in the service of H.M. Jahanbani Jinnat Ashiyani, and as the latter was inclined towards magic he held the Shaikh in reverence. The Shaikh (Bahlul) also used privately and when in the company of simple ones to boast of his having relations with H.M. Jahanbani of devotion and of teachership. At the time of the sedition of Sher Khan, as his elder brother had lost his life from his loyalty to H.M. Jahanbani, and as people regarded his family as appertaining to the enduring dominion (of the imperial family) the Shaikh had, from fear of being ill-treated by the Afghans, gone to Gujrat. When the vast country of India had been irradiated by the light of the Shahinshah’s fortune and had become a periphery of peace and quiet, the Shaikh came with his sons and grandsons to Agra and presented himself at Court, and was received there with honour.
350.10
Shaikh Gadai, who had an old grudge against him, girded up anew the waist of enmity, and produced before the Khan Khanan a treatise which the Shaikh had composed in Gujrat, and in which he ascribed exaltations to himself and made strange claims, and thereby attracted to himself the minds of the simple. This indisposed the Khan Khanan towards him, and the Shaikh having managed by the help of some men to escape from the Khan Khanan’s ill-treatment, went off to Gwaliar and became a hermit. On 3 Ardibihisht, Divine month, of the 8th year corresponding to Monday, 17th Ramazan 970, 10th May 1563, he went to the abode of annihilation. Of the occurrences of this year there was the sending of Bahadur Khan, the brother of ‘Ali Quli Khan, with a large army for the conquest of Malwa. Let it not be concealed that Malwa, which is a country with a good climate, with many springs and full of cultivation was governed by Shuja‘at Khan, who is generally known by the people of India as Sujawal Khan. After him, his son Baz Bahadur possessed the country. During the tyranny of Salim Khan, Sujawal Khan once visited his court. After some time he got suspicious and went off to Malwa without taking leave. Salim Khan went after him with a large army in order to seize Sujawal Khan, who took refuge with the Rajah of Dongarpur. Salim Khan sent men from Malwa to reassure him, and by dint of promises got him to come to him.
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He then made over the whole Sarkar of Malwa to men whom he trusted and gave them fiefs, and taking Sujawal Khan along with him gave him some parganas out of the province. After that when Muhammad Khan ‘Adli came to power he restored Malwa to Sujawal Khan, and he remained governor thereof till the end of his life. After that his son Baz Bahadur became governor in his room. At this time when the world-conquering mind was engaged in knitting together the dispersions of the world, H.M. turned his attention to the administration of Malwa. He determined in his mind that if Baz Bahadur behaved properly he should have the honour of coming to court, which was the elixir for obtaining desires; otherwise it would be right to rescue such a fine country from unjust sensualists. With these thoughts Bahadur Khan was sent with a number of distinguished officers in order that the auspicious design might be realised, and that the sympathy for and relief of the oppressed, which appertain to sovereignty, might be carried into effect. Bahadur Khan went off to conquer the province, but when the army was encamped at Siri, the confusion of Bairam Khan’s affairs, of which details will be given, became known, and the latter for his own sake sent and recalled Bahadur Khan and his army. The conquest of the province therefore remained over till another time, as will be related in its proper place.