The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 3.3
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī (Rogers, Beveridge) 3.3
- Language
- English
3.3.1
Again, I gave Rana Shankar, cousin of the Rana, — to whom my father had given the title of Rana, proposing to send him with Khusrau against the Rana, but at that time he (Akbar) became a shanqar (a falcon, i.e. he died) — a robe of honour and a jewelled sword, and sent him with him. I presented Madho Singh, brother's son of Raja Man Singh, and Rawal Sal Darbari with flags, from this consideration, that they were always present at Court and belonged to the Sekhawat Rajputs, and were confidential servants of my father. Each received also the rank of 3,000.
3.3.2
I promoted Shaikh Ruknu-d-din the Afghan, to whom when I was prince I had given the title of Shir Khan, from the grade of 500 to that of 3,500. Shir Khan is the head of his clan and a very valiant man. He lost his arm by the sword in service against the Uzbegs. 'Abdu-r-Rahman, son of Shaikh Abu-l-fazl, Maha Singh, grandson of Raja Man Singh, Zahid Khan, son of Sadiq Khan, Wazir Jamil, and Qara Khan Turkman were exalted to the rank of 2,000 ; all these obtained robes of honour and horses, and were dismissed. Manohar also obtained leave to join the expedition. He is of the tribe of the Sekhawat Kachhwahas, and on him in his young days my father bestowed many favours. He had learned the Persian language, and, although from him up to Adam the power of understanding cannot be attributed to any one of his tribe, he is not without intelligence. He makes Persian verses, and the following is one of his couplets : — " The object of shade in Creation is this : That no one place his foot on the light of my Lord, the Sun."
3.3.3
If the details were to be described of all the commanders and servants appointed by me, with the conditions and connections and rank of each, it would be a long business. Many of my immediate attendants and personal followers and nobles' sons, house-born ones (khānazādān) and zealous Rajputs, petitioned to accompany this expedition. A thousand ahadis, the meaning of which is single ones (Blochmann, p. 20), were also appointed. In short, a force was collected together such that if reliance on the Friend (God) were vouchsafed, it could have embarked on enmity and conflict with any one of the monarchs of power. Soldiers came up from all sides, Seizing life from heroes of the world in battle ; They had no fear of death from the sharp sword, No terror of water and no flight from fire ; In valour singular, in vigour a crowd, Anvils in endurance, rocks in attack." When I was prince I had entrusted, in consequence of my extreme confidence in him, my own uzuk seal to the Amiru-l-umara (Sharif), but when he was sent off to the province of Bihar I made it over to Parwiz. Now that Parwiz went off against the Rana, I made it over, according to the former arrangement, to the Amīru-l-umara.
3.3.4
Parwiz was born of Sahib-Jamal (Mistress of Beauty), the cousin of Zain Khan Koka, who, in point of affinity, was on the same footing as Mirza 'Aziz Koka, in the 34th year of my father's reign, in the city of Kabul, two years and two months after the birth of Khusrau. After several other children had been born to me and had been received into God's mercy, a daughter was born of Karamsi, who belonged to the Rathor clan, and the child received the name of Bihar Banu Begam. To Jagat Gosa'in, daughter of the Mota Raja (the fat raja), was born Sultan Khurram, in the 36th year of my father's reign, corresponding to a.h. 999, in the city of Lahore. His advent made the world joyous (khurram), and gradually, as his years increased, so did his excellencies, and he was more attentive to my father than all (my) other children, who was exceedingly pleased with and grateful for his services, and always recommended him to me and frequently told me there was no comparison between him and my other children. He recognised him as his real child. After that (Khurram's birth) some other children were born who died in infancy, and then within one month two sons were borne by concubines. One of these I called Jahandar and the other Shahryar.
3.3.5
About this time there came a petition from Sa'Id Khan with regard to granting leave to Mlrza Ghazi, who was a son of the ruler of the province of Thathah (Tattah in Sind). I said that as my father had betrothed his sister to my son Khusrau, please God, when this alliance came into force, I would give him leave to return to Sind. A year before I became king I had determined that I would drink no wine on Friday eve, and I hope at the throne of God that He will keep me firm in this resolve as long as I live. Twenty thousand rupees were given to Mlrza. Muhammad Riza Sabzwarl to divide amongst the faqirs and the needy of Delhi. The viziership of my dominions I gave in the proportions of half and half to Khan Beg, to whom when I was prince I had given the title of Waziru-1-mulk, and to Wazir Khan (Muqim), and I gave to Shaikh Farld Bukharl, who held the rank of 4,000, that of 5,000. I promoted Ram Das Kachhwaha, whom my father had favoured, and who held the rank of 2,000, to that of 3,000. I sent dresses of honour to Mirza Rustam, son of Mirza Sultan Husain and grandson of Shah Isma'il, the ruler of Qandahar, and to 'Abdu-r-Rahim Khankhanan, son of Bairam Khan, and to Iraj and Darab, his sons, and to other nobles attached to the Deccan (command). Barkhurdar, son of 'Abdu-r-Rahman, son of Mu'ayyid Beg, as he had come to court without a summons, I ordered back to his jagir.
3.3.6
It is not according to good manners to go to the king's banquet without a summons, otherwise there would be no forbidding of the doors and walls to the foot of desire. A month had elapsed after my auspicious accession when Lala Beg, who while I was prince had obtained the title of Baz Bahadur, obtained the blessing of waiting on me. His rank, which had been 1,500, was raised to 4,000. I promoted him to the Subah of Bihar and gave him 2,000 rupees. Baz Bahadur is of the lineage of the special attendants of our family ; his father's name was Nizam, and he was librarian to Humayun. Kesho Das Maru, who is a Rajput of the province of Mairtha and is greater in loyalty than his contemporaries, I promoted to the rank of 1,500. I directed the 'ulama and the learned men of Islam to collect those of the distinctive appellations of God which were easy to remember, in order that I might make them into my rosary (ward). On Friday eves I associate with learned and pious men, and with dervishes and recluses. When Qilij Khan, who was one of the old retainers of the State in my revered father's reign, was appointed to the government of the province of Gujarat, I presented him with a lakh of rupees for his expenses. I raised Miran Sadr Jahan from the rank of 2,000 to that of 4,000. I knew him in my childhood when I read the "Forty Sayings" with Shaikh 'Abdu-n-Nabi, whose history is given in detail in the Akbarnama.
3.3.7
From these early days till now Miran Sadr Jahan has acted towards me with single-minded loyalty, and I regard him as my preceptor in religious matters (khalifa). Whilst I was prince and before my revered father's illness, and during that time, when the ministers (pillars of the State) and the high nobles had become agitated, and each had conceived some idea of gain for himself and wished to become the originator of some act which could only bring ruin on the State, he had not failed in the activity of his service and devotedness.
3.3.8
Having made 'Inayat Beg, who for a long period in the reign of my father had been Master of Works (Diwan-i-buyutat) and held the rank of 700, half-vizier of my dominions in the place of Wazir Khan, I gave him the high title of I'timadu-d-daula with the rank of 1,500, and I appointed Wazir Khan to the Diwani of the province of Bengal, and assigned to him the settlement of the revenues thereof. To Patr Das, who in the time of my father had the title of Ray Rayan, I gave the title of Raja Bikramajit. The latter was one of the great Rajas of India, and it was in his reign that astronomical observatories were established in India. I made Patr Das Master of Ordnance, and ordered that he should always have light artillery in the arsenal, 50,000 light guns and 3,000 gun-carriages, ready and in efficient order. He was a khatri by caste, and rose in my father's service from being accountant of the elephants' stables to be diwan and an amir. He is not wanting in military qualities and in administrative skill. I made Khurram, the son of Khan A'zam ('Aziz Koka), who had had the rank of 2,000, an officer of 2,500.