Storia do Mogor 85: Aurangzeb's Tutor.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 85
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Aurangzeb's Tutor.
85.1
Among the others who hastened to court after Aurangzeb had been crowned as king was one Melecsale (Malik Salih), a former tutor of Aurangzeb. This man lived in Kabul on the allowance made him by Shahjahan. He waited a little while before he appeared to present his congratulations to his pupil. He knew that at the beginning of a reign it was necessary to leave time for the arrangement of more important matters, and that when Aurangzeb was able to rest from his greater anxieties, he would receive him the more willingly and reward him more bountifully for the fatigues which the teachers of young princes usually have to undergo. Thus Mulla Salih left his home with the prospect of some great reward. Arraying himself in even greater solemnity than is customary to doctors of the Mahomedan faith, he pursued his route until he arrived at Dihli. There he began by paying his court to the amaraos (umard, nobles), invoking each one's aid in working for his interest, so that the king might receive him with greater affection, and endow him the more liberally. Aurangzeb was told of his teacher's arrival, but made no sign, so that in the interval he might prepare himself for a talk with him, through which he might instruct the teachers of his own sons in the course to be adopted in the bringing up of princes. The emperor was of opinion that Shahjahan had not provided him with a good teacher.
85.2
Thus three months elapsed before Mulla Salih was able to see the face of his pupil, and he was forced to have recourse to Roshan Ara Begam's intercession, and yet the sole result was to be put to shame before all the nobles. The day arrived on which Mulla Salih had to appear at the Audience. Aurangzeb ordered the chief nobles, the men learned in the law, and the teachers of his sons to be present at the ceremony. Highly delighted at this news, Mulla Salih came to court hoping for some great reward. He came in with the accustomed bows, whereupon the king, leaving him no time to open his mouth, began thus:
85.3
'Mulla Ji! Master Doctor! The first object of a king or a prince of this world who has sons ought to be to seek out a nurse of good constitution without disease, who, giving the child to suck, should strengthen its feeble limbs. The child, sharing with her milk its nurse's health, will acquire, following the royal expectations, the vigour necessary for a good ruler of the people. But here the anxieties of a king are not at an end; on the contrary, if he has great trouble in choosing a wet-nurse, he must be still more careful in choosing an instructor to teach the young prince, for as the health of the child depends upon the milk, so upon good teaching depends the life of the mind, a thing more to be desired than bodily existence. This is the reason why all emperors, kings, and princes of intelligence have always done their best to obtain good teachers for their sons, knowing well, as they do, that for want of such spiritual milk the son will not retain the paternal qualities, nor be so successful as hoped for by his people. It was thus that Philip, King of Macedonia, urgently entreated the great Aristotle to submit to a life at court and take charge of his son Alexander, who promised to be of good judgment. He so profited by his master's lessons that he ended in being the greatest warrior spoken of in history.
85.4
'It is possible for a prince when grown up to forget the good lessons received in his early days, and give himself up to the vices common to mankind. But it is impossible that an untrained child should grow up to be a man of virtue. This is why Aristotle declared that children owed as much to their teachers as to their parents; the latter give physical, the former spiritual, life. But, all things considered, I hold pupils to be more indebted to their teachers than to their parents, the reason being that corporeal life without the life of the mind is of no value; and it would be better for anyone not to have material life if deprived of spiritual life. These are the virtues that arise from sound teaching, and without them no one can fitly reign over a kingdom.
85.5
'It was for this reason that the great Solomon, in addition to the lessons learnt from his father, did not ask God for riches or power, but for knowledge and prudence whereby to rule properly. He knew it was better not to be a king at all than to be one void of knowledge. Without knowledge no justice can be dealt out, nor without equity is there any peace for a subject people. Knowledge forms the trusty scales of reason, is the cure of frowardness, the stay of the aggrieved, the refuge of the oppressed, and a terror to them that do evil. Prudence is the harmonizer and the conscience of the body politic and the republic, a light in a dark place, a sun amidst the stars. Blessed is that prince who finds a learned man, who, with affection and fidelity, imparts to him the virtues and good qualities fitting for a king. Nor can I do other than rejoice at finding in our annals and elsewhere in the world's chronicles a number of princes, kings, and monarchs who met with this good fortune.
85.6
'But at the same time, what can I do but weep when I remember that in my tender age I fell into your hands, Doctor Salih, who, paying no need to the good disposition God had given me, made me waste my time by teaching me trivialities and things that did not concern me — or, at least, things that could only serve me as ornaments in conversing with learned men — overlooking meanwhile the teaching of the things necessary to a prince. For example, did you tell me about the monarchies of the world — that is to say, the Assyrians, the Persians, the Scythians, who formerly were clad in skins, dwelt among mountains, and were few in number, but nowadays, under the name of Turks, dominate and hold with a heavy hand the reins over the whole of Asia and Africa? When was it that you related to me the valour and ingenuity of the European Franks, who with small means met and repelled the forces of the powerful Ottoman? At the least, you ought to have spoken to me of the riches and majesty of China. All these things you withheld.
85.7
'It is possible that your knowledge did not extend beyond the king and realm of Hindustan, for you taught me there were no other kings in the world, that the others were petty princelings of no weight. You told me nothing about their armies, wars, customs, religions, government, and business. Hardly did I learn from you the names of my ancestors, of the renowned Taimur-i-lang and the bellicose Babar, the founders of this empire. You made no attempt to give me the story of their lives, their wonderful conquests, their mode of warfare, of ordering their armies, of commanding their soldiers. All your purpose and effort was to turn me into a good Arab, making me waste my time over a language which demands from ten to twelve years to obtain a little proficiency in it. Meanwhile my youth and my capacity for lofty things had vanished.
85.8
'Who instructed you to educate a royal prince in that manner? Would it not have been better to teach me in my mother-tongue what you taught me in Arabic? Leaving that out of account, was it not your duty to teach me the customs of the Mogul princes, to inform me that one day I should be forced to take the field, sword in hand, against my brothers, if not to gain a crown, at least to defend my life? Thus you should have told me how to gain friends, to take or besiege fortresses, and fight pitched battles. These are the things you ought to have taught me, but you overlooked the whole of them, I know not why, nor know I whether to charge it to the negligence of my father or to your ignorance. 'If I am under obligations to anyone, I owe thanks to Shekh Mir, whom I might well call my tutor; for he taught me the art of war—a man who gave even his life for love of me at the battle against Dara near Ajmer. If you did not know the military art, you might at least have taught me the methods of governing the people when my father should send me to rule in some province. Thus you might have laid down rules for the equal administration of justice, the way of capturing a people's love, under what circumstances I should be severe, when to humour the nobles in their unruliness and the ministers in their misdeeds, and the [23] method of remedying such irregularities. All this you ought to have taught me, but not a word did you breathe to me of such things.
85.9
'Thus I owe you nothing, for you misled me. Go and enjoy what my father has given you, and never again appear in my presence; for you made me waste a great deal of time, and by your fault I have also wasted this day.' Saying this, Aurangzeb retired, leaving the nobles in wonderment at such a speech, which perplexed much the learned class, especially those who were teachers of the king's sons and were present. Mulla Salih left the court much disillusioned, his head hanging, and forthwith disappeared, nothing more being heard of him.