A History of Agriculture in India v2.c73.s9: Worship of Energy
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c73.s9
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Worship of Energy
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Akbar realized that it is the energy of the sun which is the source of all life. Abu-l-Fazl states, ‘His Majesty maintains that it is a religious duty and divine praise to worship fire and light. There can be nothing improper in the veneration of that exalted element which is the source of man’s existence, and of the duration of his life.
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‘Every flame is derived from that fountain of divine light (the sun), and bears the impression of its holy essence. If light and fire did not exist, we should be destitute of food and medicines; the power of sight would be of no avail to the eyes. The fire of the sun is the torch of God’s sovereignty.
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‘And when the sun sets, the attendants light twelve white candles, on twelve candlesticks of gold and silver, and bring them before His Majesty, when a singer of sweet melodies, with a candle in his hand, sings a variety of delightful airs to the praise of God, beginning and concluding with a prayer for the continuance of this auspicious reign. His Majesty attaches the utmost importance to praise and prayer, and earnestly asks God for renewed light.
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‘A second order was given that the Sun should be worshipped four times a day, in the morning and evening, and at noon and midnight. His Majesty had also one thousand and one Sanskrit names of the Sun collected, and read them daily, devoutly turning towards the Sun. He used to wear the Hindu mark on his forehead, and ordered the band to play at midnight and at break of day. Mosques and prayer-rooms were changed into store rooms, or given to Hindu Chaukidars.’⁴
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⁴ Abu-l-Fazl Allami, *The Ain-i-Akbari*, p. 210
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Akbar’s religion was pure deism. In addition, some ceremonies were permitted in consideration of human infirmity. It maintained that we ought to reverence God according to the knowledge of Him derived from our own reason, by which His unity and benevolence are sufficiently established; that we ought to serve Him, and seek for our future happiness by subduing our bad passions, and practising such virtues as are beneficial to mankind; but that we should not adopt a creed, or practise a ritual, on the authority of any man, as all were liable to vice and error like ourselves. His fundamental doctrine was that there were no prophets; his appeal on all occasions was to human reason.
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When Akbar died, he was buried at Sikandra, a suburb of Agra. His mausoleum lacks the conventional saracenic domes, and faces east towards the rising sun.
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Akbar practised universal toleration and treated all his subjects alike, irrespective of their religious affiliation. He had a scientific mind and was rational in his approach to religion. He did not allow his mind to be clouded by superstition or authority of those who regarded religion as their special preserve. In an age of bigotry, he was a free-thinker. Though he himself was illiterate, he encouraged literature. The Mughal painting arose under his patronage as a visual aid to literature and history. A new type of architecture evolved, combining the beauty of the Hindu architecture with the grace of Muslim domes and arches. The administrative arrangements of Akbar were used by the British as foundation of their own. Vincent Smith was not exaggerating when he rated him as ‘one of the greatest sovereigns known to history’—a claim which rests on his natural gifts, his free mind, and his magnificent achievements.
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Binyon, L. *Akbar*, London, 1932 Abu-l-Fazl, *Akbar-nama*, in Elliot, Sir H. M. and Dowson, J. *History of India as Told by Its Own Historians*, Vol. VI (Indian reprint), Allahabad, 1964 Elphinstone, Hon. M. *The History of India—the Hindu and Mahometan Periods*, London, 1889 Lane-Poole, S. *Mediaeval India—Under Mohammedan Rule*, A. D. 712-1764, Vol. II (Indian reprint), 1951 Randhawa, M. S. and Galbraith, J. K. *Indian Painting*, Boston, 1968
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FIG. 33. Portrait of Akbar. Mughal, 17th century. (Courtesy: British Museum, London)
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FIG. 34. Farmers threshing and winnowing grain. Mughal, c. 1600. (Courtesy: Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay)