The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.219

v3.c20.219

The character of Balban’s second son Mahmūd, entitled Bughrā Khān, was a complete contrast to that of his brother. He was slothful, addicted to wine and sensual pleasures, and devoid of generous ambition. His father, though well aware of his faults and the weakness of his character, regarded him with natural tenderness and attempted to arouse in him a sense of responsibility by bestowing on him the fief of Sāmāna. Bughrā Khān, who dreaded his father's critical scrutiny and found the restraint of his society irksome, was well content to leave the capital; but for the general advice which had been deemed sufficient for Muhammad Khān, Balban substituted, in the case of his younger son, minute and detailed instructions, accompanied by special warnings against self-indulgence and intemperance and a threat of dismissal in case of misconduct.