The Book of Akbar 381: CHAPTER XXXIV.

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conquest bloomed on the rosebush of hope. Owing to the Shahinshah’s fortune and the excellent qualities of the Khedive of the age a glorious victory was gained, such as might be the embroidery of great successes. Baz Bahadur, wine-stained and disgraced, hastened off towards Khandesh and Burhanpur. All his goods and chattels, his seraglio, and his singing and dancing women, who were the material of his pleasures and the decoration of his life, fell into the hands of the victors. The wretch, when he was about to face the victorious troops, had in accordance with the Indian custom placed confidential men in charge of his wives and concubines and had arranged that if they got sure tidings of his defeat they were to put all of them to the sword that they might not fall into strangers’ hands. When the form of Baz Bahadur’s defeat appeared in the mirror of results those devil-born ones acted according to the arrangement and with the water of the sword wiped out some of those fairy-framed puppets from the page of life. With the knife of injustice they erased from the world’s folio the life-records of those innocents. Some were wounded and yet retained a breath of life, and for many the turn of slaughter had not come, when the victorious troops hastily marched into the city. The villains had not time to lay hands on these innocent women. The chief of them was Rupmati, renowned throughout the world for her beauty and charm. Baz Bahadur was deeply attached to her and used to pour out his heart in Hindi poems descriptive of his love. A monster who had been left in charge of her uplifted the sword of wrong and inflicted several severe wounds on her. Just then the army of fortune arrived and brought out that half-slaughtered lovely one. When Baz Bahadur had fled Adham Khan came in all haste and excitement to Sarangpur to seize the buried and other treasures, and the seraglio with its singers and dancers whose beauty and melody were celebrated throughout the world, and whose heart-ravishing charms were sung of in the streets and markets. He took possession of all Baz Bahadur’s property, including his concubines and dancing girls, and sent people to search for Rupmati. When this strain reached her ear her faithful blood became aglow, and from love to Baz Bahadur she bravely quaffed the cup of deadly poison and carried her honour to the hidden chambers of annihilation.
When Adham Khan had become victorious by the good fortune of the Shahinshah his innate infatuation increased, and the cap of his pride was set awry by the wind of arrogance, that is, by his folly and ignorance. His brain deteriorated and whatever Pir Muhammad Khan, his disinterested preacher, said to him in the way of advice was unheeded. He personally returned thanks to God for so great a victory, and performed the rites of thanksgiving (i.e., the distribution of alms, etc.), to the extent of his ability. In order to gratify the imperial officers he inaugurated a great feast and made presents according to his own pleasure to all the servants of fortune’s threshold who were in his company. Thereafter the whole of the conquered territory was parcelled out. Sarangpur and some select parganas were assigned to Adham Khan who was the ostensible leader. Mandu and Ujjain were assigned to the real leader, Pir Muhammad Khan, Sarkar Hindia was given to Qiya Khan, and Mandesur and its appurtenants to Sadiq Khan. ‘Abdullah Khan Moghal returned to his fief of Kalpi. Adham Khan reserved for himself all the rare and exquisite articles as well as the stores and buried treasures of that country which were the collections of ages, and many of the famous dancing girls and beauties whose loveliness and grace were bruited about in all the nine heavens, as well as many singers and musicians, and occupied himself with delights and pleasures. He set apart some elephants out of the spoils of fortune and sent them to the world-protecting Court along with the reports of the victory.