Dara Shikoh and 'Majma-ul-Bahrain'

Why in news?

• The Vice President has released the Arabic Version of “Majma Ul-Bahrain” of Dara Shikoh in New Delhi.

What is Majma-ul-Bahrain?

• Majma-ul-Bahrain (“The Confluence of the Two Seas” or “The Mingling of the Two Oceans”) is a book on comparative religion authored by Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh.
• The book throws invaluable light on the similarities between religions and helps bring stronger unity among the people of India.
• In this book, Dara Shikoh listed one by one, all the commonalities between Hinduism (Vedanta) and Islam (Sufism) and came to the conclusion that the difference between Islam and Hinduism is only verbal.

About Dara Shikoh:

• Dara Shikoh (1615-59) was the eldest son and a chosen successor of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• He was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba (Prince of High Rank).
• However, he was killed after losing the war of succession against his brother Aurangzeb.

Dara Shikoh as Liberal Muslim:

• Dara Shikoh was a champion of interfaith understanding, philosopher, artist, architect, translator, poet and administrator.
• He is described as a “liberal Muslim” who tried to find commonalities between Hindu and Islamic traditions. He translated the Bhagavad Gita as well as 52 Upanishads into Persian.
• Moreover, his most important works, Majma-ul-Bahrain (Mingling of Two Oceans) and Sirr-i-Akbar (Great Mystery) are devoted to the cause of establishing connections between Hinduism and Islam

The architecture of Dara Shikoh:

• Dara Shikoh is credited with the commissioning examples of Mughal architecture such as:
  • The tomb of his wife Nadira Begum and Shrine of Mian Mir in Lahore.
  • Dara Shikoh Library in Delhi.
  • Akhun Mullah Shah Mosque and the Pari Mahal garden palace in Srinagar, Kashmir.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Dara Shikoh’:

1. He authored the book, Majma-ul-Bahrain, which shows commonalities between Hinduism (Vedanta) and Islam (Sufism)

2. He was killed after losing the war of succession against his brother Aurangzeb.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer