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Dära Shukoh: A Crown Prince in search of Truth and Harmony
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destruction respectively, can be likened to Jibra'il, Mikā'il and Isrāfil, the angels of creation, existence and destruction. He mentions many such similarities in the concepts and religious terms of the Muslims and the Hindus.
"The Mingling of the two Oceans' was the first attempt of its kind to create among the Hindus and the Muslims better understanding of each other's religion and impressed upon them the need to try to comprehend the essentials of Truth" in their respective scriptures instead of being guided by superficial notions. For this, Dārā Shukoh had tried to bring out "points of similarity and identity between Hinduism and Islam which in appearance are so fundamentally dissimilar..."?' But the unimaginative and fanatical Ulemä declared that Dārā Shukoh had vilified the religion of Allāh and had allied himself with heresy and infidelity. His well intentioned endeavour to establish by comparative process that the ideas of Indian cosmogony were similar to those embodied in the Qur'an", was even branded by them as "irreligious and ridiculous attempt to extol the virtues of Hinduism over Islam”. The author of Alamgirnāmā, commenting on Dārā's inclination for Hinduism and regarding the Vedas as revealed books and for engraving the Hindu name Prabhu on his rings instead of Allah, says, though wrongly, that Dārā had given up prayers, fasting and other obligations ordained by the law for the Muslims and that it became manifest that "if Dārā Shukoh obtained the throne and established his power, the foundation of the faith would be in danger and the percepts of Islam would be changed for the rant of Infidelity and Judaism.24
Dārā's last great effort in his quest for Truth was the translation of the fifty-two Upanishads titled Sirr-i-Akbar or 'the Great Secret' which he completed in 1657. What led him to undertake this difficult task of translating these greatest philosophical works of the Hindus when his other brothers were deeply involved in conspiring against him and the Emperor with the sole aim of acquiring the throne, even in the time of their father? he says," that in his thirst to understand Tawhid he had a longing to meet the Gnostics of every sect to know more about monotheism. and during course of his investigations, subtle doubts came to his mind which could be resolved only by the words of God and by His grace, and since the Holy Qur'ān was mostly allegorical and persons who understood its subtleties were rare, he thought of consulting all the Heavenly Books (of other religions), for what might be very concise in one might be in a more elaborate form in the other. He, therefore, went through the Book of Moses, the Gospels, the Psalms and other scriptures but found that the explanation of monotheism in them was also either enigmatical or too brief. It then occurred to him that discussion about monotheism, was very conspicuous in India, and Indian theologians and mystics do not question or doubt the unity of God nor do they find any fault with the Unitarians, and their belief was perfect in this respect, and on proper enquiry it appeared to him that among all the heavenly books of the Indians, who were certainly the most ancient people', the four Vedas were revealed to their Prophets, the most ancient among them being Brahmā, for as the holy Qur'ān also says that there is no nation without a prophet and without a revealed scripture and quoted the verses XVII, 15, XXXV, 24 and LVII, 25 in the Qur'an in support of his statement, and that the Upanishads, the summum bonum of the Vedas "contain all the secrets of the Path and contemplation and exrcises of pure monotheism'. He, therefore, decided to make 'without any worldly motive' an exact and literal translation of the Upanishads which, he says, are the "treasure of monotheism' and 'the essence of the most ancient books. the Vedas which are without doubt, the fountain head of the Ocean of Unity'. He held the view
ral translation of ancient books.
