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and Hindus lost their true appreciater. He died, and a cloud of grief engulfed the whole Empire.
He died; but who was to inform Akbar of his death? Who would dare break the news of the death of one who was more than his own life to the Emperor ? At last, the representative of Abul Fazl went and stood before Akbar in black dress, without speaking a word. But seeing him in the black dress, Akbar understood everything, and tears ran from his eyes. His grief was heart-rending. This was the last blow to Akbar. For several days after this Akbar did not leave his rooms. He did not see any one, nor did he look to any state-work. He grieved and yet grieved.
Soon Akbar learnt that it was Salim who was the cause of the murder of Abul Fazl. He sent out a force against Virsinh to avenge the death of his dearmost friend.
The rest of the tale of Akbar's life is a tale of woe, betrayal and dismay. His sons were drunkards and were inimical to him. Salim had left him and was living at Allahabad. No one was left to him, Birbal had died earlier in A. D. 1586. Now his mother also died.
Soon he was laid up in bed with a disease of the stomach, from which he never recovered. He was on his death-bed, and at that time Salim came in his room. Akbar ordered to declare him as his successor and then left this world on the 15th of October, 1605.
Although a Muslim ruler, Akbar has received praises equally from the pens of Muslim, Hindu and European writers. We cannot do better than close this chapter by quoting the following words of Pringle Kennedy :
"That each person should be taxed according to his ability, that there should be shown no exemption or favour as regards this, that equal justice should be meted out and external foes kept at bay, that every man should be at liberty to believe what he pleases without any interference by the State with his
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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