[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Mughals (1526–1857)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal) › [Akbar (1556–1605)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar) › [Akbarnāma](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama) › [The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge) › 8.4 # The Book of Akbar 8.4 The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II 8.4 - **Language:** English ### [8.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8.4) And the enlightened and far-seeing man whose visual ray has been strengthened by the antimony of rectitude, knows from the analogy of an auspicious star, it was after thousands of years had been spent, womb after womb, in the cradle of preparation, that the broidery of existence was bestowed on her Majesty Alanqua, so that she might become worthy of that world-illuminating Light, which is the interpretation of that anthropomorphic Sun which stands at the entrance-gate of ancient tradition and constitutes the basal inscription of Divine power. Blochmann (50) translates, “The shamsa of the arch of royalty is a Divine light which God directly transfers to kings without the assistance of men, and kings are fond of external splendour because they consider it an image of the Divine glory.” He adds, in a note, “Shamsa is a picture of the Sun, affixed to the gates or walls of the palaces of kings. At night, these pictures are illuminated.” The expression shamsa-i-cahārṭāq must be connected with that of shamsa-i-peshtaq which occurs in the text (III. 184, l. 4). The expression there used is shamsa-i-peshtāq-i-āgahi—the solar image of the arch of intelligence—and is applied to Akbar. Similarly Faizi, in the preface to his Dīvān, speaks of the sham‘-i-shash-ṭāq u shah-i-nuh-khārgāh—meaning apparently, lamp of the six sides of the world and king of the nine vaults of heaven. Cahārṭāq which Blochmann translates arch is given by Steingass as meaning a kind of tent. Dozy (Supplement I. - [Previous: 8.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8.3) - [Next: 8.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8.5) - [Up: 8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.mughal.akbar.akbarnama~en-beveridge.8.4) · Pramāṇa