Influence of Islam on Indian Culture

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J?

M)2^

Dr. B. R. AMBEDKAR
OPEN UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

HYDERABAD-500 033

Dr. B.R. AMBEDKAR OPEN UNIVERSITY
LI BR ARY

CaMNo,^ J^^f Accession No. ^^^^h

Author: C h^^T'h > /V> ^

Title: ) /;yy^^UV;^ie_ oj- J^-^^^r^ <rn ,Minp

TNs book should be returned on or before the date
last marked below.

PRINTED AND PUBI^lSHED BV K. MITTRA, AT
THE INDIAN PRESS, LIMITED, AliLAHABAD

PREFACE

This essay was written in 1922. Circumstances *over which
I had little control prevented me from revising or completing
it. 1 publish it now as it was written, because I no longer
entertain the vain hope that I will be able to devote in the
near future adequate time and attention to fulfil my original
plan of writing a history^ of Indian civilization during the
middle ages.

The development of Indian civilization is a subject of
absorbing interest, and historians are now beginning to pay
attention to it. This interest is not merely topical," arising out
of the clashes of our present-day life in India. The subject has
a wider import and deeper philosophical significance. We are
studying to-day the problems of migrations of primitive and
pre-historic cultures, and of conflicts of races and of civilizations
during the past and in the present. The history of India which
furnishes a striking illustration of the impact of many divergent
cultures which were gradually transformed by a process of
mutual adjustment, surely needs the attention of a student of
sociology and history who endeavours to understand the inter-
actions of human mind and the effects of* cultural contacts as
presented in the customs, religion, literature and art of a
people.

Before any generalizations can be made, it is necessary
to collect facts. I have sought mainly to collect facts in fhis
essay and facts too connected with only two aspects of
civilization — religion and art. I am conscious of the inadequacy
of the attempt. It is partly due to the na^re of the enquiry-
cultural facts are so deeply shrouded in obscurity — and pardy to
. my personal difficulties. But for the encouragement of friends
i who rf^d tile essay in the manttscript and conridered i^
pidOicalion worthwhile, it mig^t still lie mouldering in the dmk.

. iv PREFACE

My thanks are dlie to E>r. Banarsi Prasad Saxena for pre-
paring the index and making improvements in the manuscript,
and to Mr. Bhagwat Dayal for reading the proofs.

1 am indebted to Mr. H. K. Ghosh, the enterprising
proprietor <rf The Indian Press, for undertaking its publication.

TARA CHAND

CONTENTS

Introduction

Pre-Muslim Hindu Culture ...

The Advent of the Muslims in India ..,

Mysticism in Islam

Hindu Reformers of the South : I

Hindu Reformers of the South: II

The Advent of the Muslims in the North

Ramananda and Kabir

Guru Nanak

Sixteenth Century Saints ...

Later Saints

Reformers of Bengal and Maharashtra

Indian Architecture

Indian Painting ...

Bibliography

Appendix

Index ...

Page

i

\

29

49

84

109

130

143

I6fr

178

192

213

229

258

275

289

298

ILLUSTRATIONS

Plate No.

I. — ^Buddha answering questions (Ajanta).

II. — Buddha answering questions (Ajanta).

Ill, — departure of Bodhisatva as a deer (Ajanta).

IV. — ^TTie agony of Prince Sibi (Ajanta).

V. — ^The King of Benares and the golden geese
(Ajanta).

VI. — Raja going out to attend the Sermon of the
Hermit (Ajanta).

VII. — Temptation of Buddha by Mara (Ajanta).

VIII. — ^A Court Scene — ^The game of Dice (Ajanta).

IX. — ^A Palace Scene— Dancing girls (Ajanta).

X. — Husband and wife in a forest (Ajanta).

XI. — ^Vijaya's conquest of Ceylon (Ajanta).

XII. — ^A ProcessTon of Vidhura-Pandita Jataka (Ajanta).
XIII. — ^A Royal Procession — ^Raja riding on an Elephant
(Ajanta).

XIV. — A Procession (Ajanta).

XV, — Farud slays Zarasp on Mount Sapad (Persian,

about 1440).
XVI.— A disputation of Doctors (Mir AK Shir Nawai, 1485).
XVII.-Scene in a Public Bath (Bihzad, 1495).

XVIII. — ^Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babar Padishah in his
youth at the time of his campaign against
Kandahar and India (1505).

XIX. — Battle between the armies of Alexander the Great
and those of Daiius, King of Persia (Mir Ali Shir
Nawai. 1526).

XX.— Pastoral Spene (Mir Sayyid Ali. 1539-43).

illustrations

Plate No.

XXI.— A Picnic (Persian. 1569).

XXII. — Baz Bahadur and Rupmati (Rajput School).

XXIII. — Shikar by night (Bichitar, Rajput %hool).

XXIV. — Agata-Patika (Rajputana).

XXV. — Ragini Sarangi (Jaipur School).

XXVI. — Dance of Siva (Kangra School).

XXVII.— Birth of Krishna (Kangra School).

XXVI 11. — Gai-Charan Lila (Kangra School).

XXIX. — Hon Lila (Kangra School).

XXX. — Rape of Yadava Women (Chaitar, Tehri-Garhwi
School).

XXXI. — ^Hour of Cow-Dust (Chamba School).

XXXII. — Siege of Lanka (Jammu School).

XXXIII. — Siege of Lanka (Jammu School).

XXXIV. — Maharaja Shatrujit on horseback (Bundela Schoo
1762-1801).

XXXV. — ^Temple of Visvanath at Khajuraho (Northern sty'e

XXXVI. — ^Temple of Nuggehalli, Mysore (Deccan style).

XXXVII. — ^Temple of Subrahmanya, Tanjore (Dravidiai
style).

XXXVIII. — ^Hoysalcsvara Temple, Halebid (Sculpture oi
eastern side).

XXXIX. — ^Jerusalem — Exterior of the Qubbat As-Sakhrah
(Dome of the Rock).
XL. — Exterior from the East.
XLI. — Cairo, Madrasah of Qajrt Bey,
XLII. — ^The mosque of Sultan Barquq.
XLI II. — ^Mosque at Tabriz.

Mosque at Ispahan.

ii LLUSTRATIONS

uteNo.

XLIV.-Tomb of Uljaitoo.

XLV.— Mosque in Mir2M(pur Quarter at Ahm^dabad.

XLVL--Central portion of Fajade of Jami Masjid at
'Ahmedabad.

XLVII.— Atala Devi Moaque, Jaunpore.

XLVIII.— Lower Group of Jain Temples at Sonnaghur.

XLIX.— Chaumukha Temple, Rampur.

L.— The Man Mandir Palace— S. W» Corner.
LL— The Man Mandir Palace— Interior West Room.

LIL— The Man Mandir Palace— General View.
Llll.— Mausoleum of Birsingh Deo at Qrchha— Rear View.
LIV.— Cenotaph of Maharaja Chhatarpur.

LV.— Chhattri of Maharaja Baladeva Singh, Gobardhan.

LVl.— The Pavilion of Jain Mandir, in the palace of
Amber.

LVll.--Kantanagar Temple.

LVlIl.—Temple of Gobind Deva, Brindaban.

LIX,— Teniple of Jugal Kishore, Brindaban.

LX»— Court in the palace, Tanjore.

LXL--Qadam Rusul Mosque, Gaur.

INTRODUCTION

Indian culture is synthetic in character. It comprehends ideas
of different orders. It embraces in its orbit bSiefs, customs,
rites, institutions, arts, religions and philosophies belonging to
strata of society in varying stages of development. It eternally
seeks to find a unity for the heterogeneous elements which make
up its totality. At worst its attempts end in a mechanical juxta-
position, at best they succeed in evolving an organic system.

The complexity of Indian life is ancient, because from the
dawn of history, India has been the meeting place of conflicting
civilisations. Through its north-western gates migrating hordes
and conquering armies have poured down in unending
succession, bringing with them like the floods of the Nile much
destruction, but also valuable deposits which enriched the
ancient soil, out of which grew ever more fresh and ever more
luxuriant cultures.

Tliese foreign impulses have played an important part in
India's history. As a matter of fact the process of its cultural
development may be envisaged as the blending of three strands
producing the characteristic pattern of their cycle.

There have always been two distinct strata of society in
India, the one higher and the other lower ; the first small in
numbers, but in possession of highly developed religions, social
ideas and institutions ; the second comprising the great mass
of the people who occupy a humbler runflf on the cultural ladder.
The first provides the intellectual and aristocratic and the second
the folk element in India's culture. ,

These two in their interactions have supplied two strands
of the pattern, while the third was provided by foreign influences
which in peaceful ways or by forcible memis entered the
country and contributed their sham m tlie |ietf ectton of tiie
design. The ^ynftesis of the three mid the evol«il$on of new
cuKbres wei^ wroui^t ttlong its own inhlte!^ Mnei by ^
peculiar genius of the race, and age alter 44ie^Ml i^weii h^B

INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

^ntinued. These aiges in Indian history may be fixed and
numerated.

In the first place^ Indian history may be broadly divided
ato three epochs — ancient, medievi^l and modem ; the first
eginning korh the earliest times to the eighth century of the
christian era, the second consisting of the one thousand years
oUowing the eighth century, and the third conunencing with
he nineteenth century and still nmning.

The ancient epoch may be subdivided into four ages — the
/edic ending in the seventh century B.C., the Buddhist in the
second century B.C., the early Hindu in the middle of the third
:entury A.D., and the later Hindu in the eighth century A.D.

The medieval epoch is divisible into two ages — the early
medieval from the eighth to the thirteenth and the later from
the thirteenth to the end of the eighteenth century.

In the first age India is discovered as an agitated scene of
conflicting tribes and races in which one group attempts to
impose its civilisation on the other. The Aryans and the non-
Aryans meet in struggle and the war is waged not merely on
the plane of politics and economics but also on that of cult
and culture. The literature of the Vedic age is a mirror of this
vast social conflict, it reflects its vario\is stages (not necessarily
successive): the commencement of the Aryan onset when the
victors — ^warriors and priests — exhilarated by their trivmciph sing
jo3rous paeans in praise of the shining gods who confer the booiu
of victory, prosperity and long life; then the process of settlement
and spread over Northern India when sobered by reflection aiul
the reflfponsibility of administering newly acquired lands they give
utterance to h3nnns which embody their thinking on problems
of social organisation, of cosmic origins, of human destiny and
of ukimate reality ; and lasdy, the assinulation of the victors
and the vanquished, when the matgic aind the ritual attain a
position i^e by side with speculation and philosophy in the
mmcxed ardam ol die scriptures, when anonistic bdiefs and fetish
^^vforship lie cheek by jowl wkh the wiblime and subtle coMepts
„l^ G0SH«b oidtor aiui pai^hetstb godheads

INTRODUCTION in

The ^-Veda {especially its maj:i<jlolas from the second to
the tenth) describes the first stage, the religioiis and social life of
these early Aryans in the north-west of India between the banks
of the Indus and the Sarasvati. The first and tenth mott^olas
of the Rg^Veda, the Sama- and Yajur- represeift their more
advanced state and the Atharva- and the Brahmaii^as the
completion of the Vedic cycle, when the occupation of Northern
India to the Gandak (Sadanira) was achieved and the original
inhabitants were brought into the Vedic social system.

The Vedic age ended some time between the seventh and
sixth centuries B.C. Then began a new age in which the Vedic
culture underwent a tremendous development with such force
of expansion that it was almost rent into pieces. The impulse
came from two sources, in the first place, from an inner urge
which represented the assertion of the K^triya class in society ;
and secondly, from a mysterious and swift interchange of ideas
with the Western world. The sixth century was one of the most
wonderful epochs of world history, when ideas passed from
country to country making their presence felt from itu-oS China
to ELgypt, Greece and Rome, radiating from that great centre
of culture the city of Babylon which was the clearing house of
world commerce and world ideas.

The repercussions of these influences iipon the Vedic culture
ushered in the new age of science, philosophy and heterodox
speculation on the intellectual side and of poetry and art and
religious devotion on the emotional, while the basic Vedic
religion was both systematised and popularized. During
this period the Upani^ds and the Bhagavadgita were
compiled, the orthodox schools of philosophy were started,
Buddhism, Jatnism and other heterodox systems were fotmded,
the first redactions of the epics and pf the archetypal PurS^
were made, devotional elements in &va and Vt^u worship
were mtroduced, dhe sciences of metrics, ^ymology, granmiar,
astrmioitty« mathema&s and medtckie were elaborated, and the
aits ^ war« a<famit]strati«m» weamCf painiang, setdf^ure and •
jAfchitectuie were cdUvated. Tfa^ beginning and atid ^ this

iv INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

age coinci<le approximately with the rise of the )&ilunaga and
the downfall of the Maurya dynasties (600 B.C. to 180 B.C.).

About the close of this marvellous era of impyerial expansion
and cultural stories the north-western horizon again became
clouded with^the dark appearance of barbarian hordes and alien
invaders. Antiochos the Great, Demetrios, Eukratides and
Menander hovered on the borders or penetrated into the country,
and barbarian streams of Yueh^chi and Sakas overflowed the
passes and deposited settlements in Sindh, the Pan jab and the
plains round Mathura, and occupied the peninsula of Sura^a.
How far these events had an effect upon the overthrow of the
Mauryas it is difficult to estimate, but they synchronised with
the commencement of the new age, in which Hinduism reassert-
ed itself. This was ah age of transition. Sanskrit learning
was resuscitated by royal patronage, the great epics were re-
edited, the popular legendary lore was compiled in the Sm^rtis
and the earliest Puranas, the fluid mass of philosophical
speculation was gradually crystallised into systems. Vi^nu and
Siva worship began to overshadow the worship of the other
gods in the religious pantheon. Buddhism expanded into China,
Central Asia, and Persia, and although it broke up into the
Hmayana and Mahayane^ schools and their subordinate branches,
it still reigned supreme in the world of art furnishing inspiration
for the m.onuments of Bharhut, Sanchi, Sarnath and Amaravati.
Jainism which spread into Gujrat and Tamil land became
divided iii^to the Svetaipbara and Digarpbara schools.

This was the period of the political supremacy of the
Brahman dynasties of Sunga, Kai;^va and Satavahanas, and it
ksted from 180 B.C. to 235 A.D.

The curtain fell upon the last age amid a scene ol utter
anarchy and disorder. The Satavahana power broke into pieces
and the empire which the Kufa^as had built up in Western
India dissolved, and the next period was inaugurated in
,'* extrexiMi^ confut^on associated ¥fith (oKe^ invamns frcmi the
c. HiOrth-westt which is reflected in the mudcBed statements «f the
* JPtriigftt cottceming the Abhiras, GaxdablMlIiia, ^as, Yavanas,

INTRODUCTION v

Bahlikas, and other outlandish dynasties named as the successors
of the Andhras.** For one hundred years the history of India
remained shrouded in darkness which was lifted by the rising
sun of the Gupta dynasty in the fourth century. The next four
hundred years form a bright epoch in the advancing cycles of
Indian culture.

In every department of national life great achievements were
made. In religion Hinduism attained its most fully developed
form, Siva and Vi^nu worship became the dominant cults,
Saktism made its appearance, but Vedic sacrifices began to fall
into disuse. Buddhism and Jainism received a definite check
and gradually withered away. In Hindu religious literature the
last redaction of the Mahabharata (including the Harivamfo)
and the Ramayana was made, and the Purapas were re-edited.
In philosophy the six Darsanas were completely systematised,
the Vai?nava and Saiva schools of philosophy (the Pancaratra
Samhita and Saiva Agamas), and other sectarian (TSntrikfi^) and
heterodox schools made their appearance. In poetry Kalidasa/
Dandin, Bsj^sl, Bharavi and others adorned the age and in prose
the Pancatantra and other fairy tales which became the store-
house of the world*s stories were compiled.

In the sciences Aryabha^ta, Brahmagupta and Varaha-Mihira
developed astronomy and mathematics, and Vagbha^ta compiled
the compendium of medicine. In the arts of painting, sculpture
and architecture the works of Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh, Badami,
Samath and other places were accomplished.

With the passing of Harm's empire the last period
of ancient history closed* and the new epoch which may fitly
be called the Middle Age began. The change from the
ancient to the medieval times was vast. Politically it put an
end to Imperialism based on a loose confederation of practically
autonomous principalities acknowledging the overlordship of a
suzerain power ; it saw the beginnings of feudal particularism,
of Rajput tribes waging incessant wars with one another, and
paviiig the way for the Mudim conquer. In religion it marked #
the almost complete disappearance of Buddhism and Jainism«from

vi INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

the land of their birth, the establishment of sectarian Hinduism
all over India and its development under the impulses of Islam.
In art it witnessed the evolution of Hindu-Muslim schools of
architecture and painting, in literature the decline of Sanskrit
learning and«ithe rise of Vemactdar languages, among them
Urdu, and in science the infusion of Arab conceptions into
Hindu medicine, mathematics and astronomy. The total amount
of change in all departments of social life was so great as to
constitute the beginning of a new epoch.

This epoch may be divided into two equal periods of five
hundred years each, the first running from the eighth to the
thirteenth and the second from the thirteenth to the eighteenth
century of the Christian era, the first n^ay be designated the
early middle age and the second the later middle age.
During the first age Islam began to penetrate into India peace-
fully in the south and forcibly into Sindh and the north-west,
and during the second it became the dominant force practically
'over the whole of. the Indian peninsula.

In order to trace the changes in the culture qf the country
which Muslim influences produced, it is first necessary to give
a description of it as it existed before their advent. It will be
convenient to divide culture into two heads — ^religion and
philosophy, and art — and to treat each head separately from the
time of the advent of the Muslims into India till the passing
of the Moghal empire in the eighteenth century.

THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDUN CULTURE

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE

In order to understand the religious conditions prevailing in
India at the time of the Islamic impact, it is necessary to
introduce some principle of simplification which will indicate
the leading tendencies of thought and worship. An exhaustive
description of the actual facts of all existing sects and cults,
their relationships and conflicts, utterly bewildering in their
complexity, will not be useful and need not be attempted.

The Hindus treat their religion from the point of view of
emancipation (mo^a), for the attainment of which they recognise
three paths — the paths of action (karman), of knowledge (jHanc^,
and of devotion (bhakfi)' It will be convenient to arrange all
the religions and sects under these three heads. It must,
however, be remembered that the three paths are not mutually
exclusive and do not necessarily imply antagonism ; as a matter
of fact practically all the sects recognise their value and enjoin
them on their followers. But it is interesting to note that the
religious importance of the path of action exclusively was greatest
in the earliest times, that of the path of knowledge grew later
and that of the path of devotion last. The three have existed
side by side but while the influence of the first two has waned
that of Bhakti'M€trga has increased.

The path of action is the one principally laid down by the
Vedas, developed and systematised in the Brahmai^aB, Kalpor
Sutras, and Karma-Mtmamsd and popularised by Dharma"
Sdatras, Mahabharata and the Purai^aB, What then is the
philosophic basb of this Karma^MSrga}

^Whatever historical strata Vcdic thought may contain* in it|
mature form it is a well-rounded philosopKic-'reil^Otts ffrstem.

! INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

n this system one supreme being stands forth as the ultimate
eality. It is conceived of as the One^ (efeam), the Person
puru^a), the Creator {viavakarman,^ prajapati^), the Absolute
[tad*), Brdhmaraa bransoendent and immanent,^ omniscient,*
jpholder of nr^ral law*^ and maintainor of cosmic order.* He
is the father,® the sustainer and supporter of the universe,^** and
the fulfiller of desires. ** One All is Lord of what is fixed and
moving, that walks, that flies, this multiform creation."^ ^

How does He create the world ? There are several accounts
of it in the Vedic literature. Sometimes the universe is conceived
of as the result of mechanical production. ^^ It is measured and
spread out ; it has foundation, support and framework.
Sometimes it is the fruit of sacrifice. Puru§a himself becomes
the victim and from his parts are made corresponding portions
of the universe. ^^ More philosophically considered, creation is
a process, the evolution of the existent {sat) from the non-existent
(a8at)M In the beginning not-being and being were both
non-existent, there was a dark void in which the One breathed
calm and windless, then desire sprang within Him which was
the bond of being and non-being and the cause of entire
creation. But the account which became popular was that the
primeval being created the waters on which floated the golden

1 Rg.Veda (Wilson's translation) I. 164. 46; VIII. 58. 2 Balakhilya.

2 Ibid.. X, 81. 82.

8 Ibid., X. 121.
4 Jbid.. X, 129.

6 Ibid.. 1. 164. 45; X, 90. 3 and 4.

C Ibid.. I. 25; Macdonnel : History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 201;
Bloomfield : The Religion of Veda, p. 123.

7 Flg.Veda II. 28. 5; Bloomfield : The Religion of Veda. p. 124.
$ IFlg.Veda I. 105. 12; I. 164. II.

9 Ibid.. X. 82. 3.
lolbid.. X. 82.

llFrazer: Literary History of India, p. 57.

121^-Veda X. 12.

It Ibtd., X, 90. ^

u Md,, X. 129.

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 3

egg, he then entered it, and was bom from it aa BrahmS the
first of created things. Brahma then created gods, heaven^
earth, sky, sun, moon, universe and man.

All these cosmogonies show a frankly pantheistic tendency,
for creation either implies transformation of the First Principle
into the universe, or the immanence of what waf transcendent,
or the manifestation of the non-manifest. But within this
pantheism lurks the principle of personality, for the universe is
the result of desire, creation is the effect of will.

This in fact is the most important conception from the point
of view of the path of action* The universe is the theatre of
God*8 will, every being living and non-living is moved by His
eternal order and all action and movement is bound in one
chain of law. Not only are natural phenomena — day and night,
sun and moon, rivers and oceans, — and the gods — Agni,
Soma, Bfhaspati, Indra, Adits and VartxrjLa, — ^under the sway
of law, but the very act of worship— rite and sacrifice — which
man offers to the gods obeys the all-comprehendinpr, all-
encompassing rule of cosmic law. In fact before the severe
majesty of law even the power of the gods pales into
insignificance. ^^'

Sacrifice is the symbol of this universal order ; it is even
the source of Prajapati's power, for when He exhausts it in
creation, the gods replenish his pristine vigour with sacrifice.
Through sacrifice the gods display their activity in rain and
storm and the rising of the sun. Sacrifice is th'os the instrument
by which the will of God is fulfilled. Man is the creature of
Cod dependent upon His will, seeking to understand and
interpret that will, and naturally moulding his actions in imita-
tion of his gods. Sacrifice is, therefore, the means of attaining
prosperity here and blessedness hereafter.^**

The pathway of eternal bliss is -that of action, which means
sacrifice performed with faith and accompanied with prayer.

15 Bergalgne: Le Religion V^ique, Chapttre III.

16 Ohmmare : L*hUtoire ^ Id^e* f^ioeophkn&eM dmxm i*Ifide, Oiitpitre fl

4 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Sacrifices are manifold— they are obligatory and regular {nitya},
obligatory but occasional {naimitiika). and optional {kamua).
Then there are the great sacrifices whi-h in later times had largely
fallen into disuse ; and there are the domestic sacrifices (grhya)
which still play an important part in the life of the individual.
The Vedic sacrifices required oblations of animals as well as
fruits and milk and cakes of rice, the first, however, disappeared
from the ritual, and followers of Smftis offered only non-bloody
sacrifices.

But sacrifice although syrnbolic of cosmic law and hence
eflRcacious in bringing about the desired ends is not the whole
of human action. Man*s life, therefore, is mapped out and
man's place in society fixed. Rules are laid down for the
governance of each part of the four fold station of life (airama)
and fourfold classification of society {oarria). The permanence
of these duties becomes the essential part of the religion of
action (varnasrama dharma).

Yet another development of this conception takes place in
the BhagaVadgtta where it is taught that salvation may be won
through the path of action, and action is interpreted as per-
formance of duty without attachment to fruits.

This then was the speculative basis of the religion of
Karman, But in popular practice it meant more or less the
offering of sacrifices to the gods and the observance of the
domestic rites. In the Vedas the gods had been the earliest
products of creation. They were semi-anthropomorphised
forces of nature, their functions were scarcely differentiated and
therefore they easily melted into one another —

**They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuiya, A^ni, and he is
» the heavenly winged Garuiman**^'^

But later they acquired more definite personalities. On the
eve of the advent of the Muslims in India the significance and
numbers of the ancient deities had greatly changed. Most of
them had disappeared from the popular pantheon, the import-

o
c 17 Fraaer : Literary l&tory of India, p. 57.

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 5

ance of others had enormously varied, and a number of new ones
had risen into favour. As beings of a higher order they played
an important role in the universe and the life of mmn. Their
favour had to be won by prayer and sacrifices and their wrath
propitiated by suitable rites and penances. Elach of these deities
had its group of devotees and particular deities* had given rise
to sects. It is necessary to gauge the relative popularity and
strength of the sects prevalent in India in those times in order
to understand the transformations wrought in subsequent times.

The Vedic pantheon was peopled with gods that lived in
the heavens or in the atmosphere or upon earth, their number
was reckoned as thirty-three, but those to whom the greatest
number of hymns were devoted were Indra, Agni, and Soma.
Varuria was the most exalted, and Prajdpaii was the lord of
creation, Ki^ciu and Rudra-SiVa received meagre attention. In
older epic mythology Brahma presided over the deities as creator
and beneficent ancestor of all, while Agni, Yarna, Varutya,
Kubera and Indra were most often invoked. Later iiva and
Vi^iTiu attained the predominant position and joined with Brahma
formed the great Trinity.

For the seventh and eighth centuries there is a considerable
amount of contemporary evidence to show what the state of
popular worship was. This evidence consists of the accounts
of Qiinese travellers, the Sanskrit dramas, the inscriptions and
coins of Indian rulers, and the descriptions of the Arab writers.
They disclose that while the non-Vedic religions. Buddhism
and Jainism, were on the decline, the old Vedic religion had
greatly changed, the worship of &wa was the predominant
religion of India, the cult of Sahfi was rising into importance
and Vf>riu and other deities were held in popular esteem in a
descending scale.

In the narratives of Fa-Hien*« one finds that in the fifth
century when the traveller came to India, the north-western
portion of the country from Kabul and Khotan to Mathuri was

IS Beftl : The Bodahsat Record* of the Weftern Worid. Vol. I. p. xkiil.

6 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

8tUl loyal to Buddhism {Hincyana), in the Madhya Deka the
assimflation of Buddhism and Hinduism was rapidly proceeding,
there were ninety-six heretical sects all of whom allowed the
reality of worldly phenomena and the Buddhists professed the
MahSyina doctrine, but the ancient region which had been the
cradle of Buddhism was a desert, the Sanghardmaa and Viharaa
were in ruins and there were hardly any pnests in the ancient
cities of Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Kusinagar, VaisalT, Pa^aliputra
or Gaya. The land was barren, the inhabitants had fled, the
roads were infested with wild beasts, and desolation reigned
over all. In the east, however, between Campa and Tamralipti
Buddhism still flourished.

When Hiuen-Tsiang visited India two hundred years later
he found Hinduism vigorously established by the side of
Buddhism. The north-western regions were no longer the seat
of a flourishing faith. Everywhere, in Lamghan, in Gandhara,
in Udyana, in Kashmir and the Pan jab and right down to
Mathura the H'mayctna had been displaced by the Mahaydna,
and more important still the Deva temples and Brahmana priests
equalled in numbers and importance the Buddhist Sangharamaa
and &ramai:taB, In the Madhya Deia, in the east of India, and
in the south, wherever he travelled he found the same state
of affairs. Har^a-Vardhana, the Emperor of Northern India,
paid equal reverence to the two faiths and he exhibited his
impartiality in the great festival on the plains of Prayaga by
installing and worshipping on successive days the images of the
Buddha, Surya and Maheioaram

Hiuen-Tsiang's narrative is full of references to the
prevalence of Saiva worship especially in Paiupaia form. In
the Swat Valley was the spring of Siva which inflicted injury
on crops, ^® above Soli to the north-east of Palusha there was an
image of Maheivara*9 spouse Bhima, and a temple of ash-
smearing Thihakaa,^^ in Makran there were hundreds of Deiwi

isWrttew: Yuan-CKwaag. Vol I. pp. 229-30.
^dOllMiL, p. 221.

PRE^MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 7

temples and very many professed PaiupataB, Bxni in the city
there was a large temple to Maheivara which was held in great
reverence by the PaiupaiaM, ^^ in Fcrla-na (Baluchistan) there
were Deva temples chiefly belonging tp the PaiupaiaB^^^ in
Mahcioarapura (east of J^ndh) the people wer^ not Buddhists
and the majority of temples belonged to the PaiapHxtas,^^ in
O-iien^po-chiAo (a dependency of Sindh) there was a magnificent
Maheivara temple and numerous Paiupatas ;^* in Khotan there
were PaiupyaiaB, for a Paiupata engineer was engaged by the
Chinese prince to lay the foundations of his capital*** ; in Kashmir
the Krtttyas had overthrown Buddhism and established heresy
(probably Saivism^**) ; in the Panjab from the Indus to the Sutlej
there were numerous heretics, in Jalandhar all the heretics
belonged to the Paiupatas^'^ (the cinder-sprinkled) ; in Ahichhatra
(Ramnagar) there were sectaries who sacrificed to lioara and
belonged to the company of ash-sprinklers {PaiupaiaB},^^ in
Kapitha (Sankisa) there were temples where they honoured
Maheivara and sacrificed to him,^® in Kanauj there was a
splendid temple to Maheivara,^^ in Benares there were over a
hundred Deva temples and more than ten thousand adherents
of the sects, the majority being devotees of Siva (Ta^TseU'TBat) —
some of these cut off their hair, others made it into a topknot*
they covered their bodies with ashes, and by the practice of
all sorts of austerities they sought to escape from birth and

21 Watters : Yuan-Chwang. Vol. II, p. 257,

22 Ibid., p. 262.

23Bea] : Buddhist Records of the Western World, Vol. II, p. 271.

24 Ibid., p. 276.

25 Watters: Yuan-Chwang, Vol. II. p. 296.

20 Deal : Op. cit. Vol. I, pp. 156-58.

27 Ibid., pp. 156-58.

28 Ibid., p. 2Q0.

29 Ibid., p. 202.

80 Wattcw : Op, cit., Vail I, p. 352, •

8 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

death,^^ there was a copper image of Maheivara about 100 feet
in height, ** its appearance is grave and majestic, apd appears
as thous^ really living *'^2 . jjj Kapilavastu there was a temple
of livaradeva^^ ; beyond Ayodhya on the Ganges river there
were pirates wjio paid worship to Durgd and who annually
performed human sacrifice^^ ; in Bengal Saiaxika who was a
Saiva persecuted the Buddhists, in the University of Nalanda
Hiuen-Tsiang disputed with Bhuiaa who covered themselves with
(ashes, ^^ and the KapSikfls who wore chaplets of bones round
their heads®* ; on the eastern coast there were Hindu sectaries
and at Bhramaragiri and Dhanakafaka the worship of Durga
prevailed^''^ ; on Potalaka mountain, east of Malaya, there was a
temple of Siva^^ ; in Western India Malwia was famoiis for its
learning, there were hundreds of DeVa temples and the majority
of the sectaries were Pdaupatas,^^ Even in Persia, Afghanistan
and Central Asia there were Pdaupaiaa besides Buddhists and
they performed their rites in their temples.***

• The literary evidence confirms the account of Hiuen-Tsiaag.
Sudraka*s Mrcchakatika shows the predominance of
Buddhism, but it by no means ignores Siva, for the Nandi in
invoking benedictions, calls upon Nllakai^t^a (Siva) whose blue
neck is entwined by the arms of Gauri effulgent like lightning.*^
Kalidasa in the opening lines of Raghuvamsa pays homage to

31 Watten : Op. cit., Vol. II. p. 47.
aa Beal : Op. cit.. Vol. 11. p. 45.
aa WattcM : Op. cit.. Vol. II. p. 13.

84 Beal : Life of Hiuen-Tsiang. p. 86.

85 Ibid., p. 161.

86 Ibid., p. 161.

87 Beal : Op. cit.. Vol. H, p. 214, note, and p. 224, note,

88 Ibid., p. 233.

88 Wattem : Op. cit.. Vol. U, p. 242; Beal : Vol, U, p, 261.
40Boal: Op, cit.. Vol. II, p. 277,
f 4lWiUon: The Hindu Dranu^ Mfccbalti^tka.

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 9

Pdrvatt and Parameioara,^^ Ba^*ft Har^achariia is replete with
metaphors alluding to Siva ; *he refers to the yawiung gulf of
Mah^hairava a mouth, to &ivaa begging bowl made of
Brahma 8 skulH^ ; and among the devotees of various sects to
Maha'-Paiupaias*^^ In the Kadambart reverence is paid to Siva
as MahcSiala, *' the pre-eminence yielded in Kddambart to Siva
certainly shows that this was then the popular worship.*'**
Ujjain was spoken of as a creation of Mahc^^a. Bhavabhuti
in his MSlafi Madhava represents MalatT to have visited the
temple of Samhara.^^ Siva worship prevailed over Western
India. There were great linga shrines at Mandhata, Uijajln,
Nasik, EUora; Naganatha. east of Ahnnadnagar, and at the
source of the Bhima, and sanguinary' rites were still observed
at Miandhata in the twelfth century A.D,*^ In the absence of a
fixed chronology for the Purdi:ia8 it is difficult to rely upon their
evidence, but the important position occupied by Siva both in
the Mahabharata and in the PurcbyaB clearly proves that the cult
had obtained such v^despread popularity that it had to be given
recognition in the Brahmai^ical system. It is not unlikely that
the admission of Siva into the trinity was subsequent to that of
Vi§fyu, and that the Vait^ryava redactions of the epic and of the
PurdxjiaB 2ure earlier than the Saiva touches. It is, however,
undoubted that the worship of both Siva and Vi^tjLU existed side
by side, and that during the Gupta period Siva was the more
popular of the two deities.

Tlie coins of the Ku^a kings and inscriptions of the
various dynasties point to the same conclusion.*^ The Arabs
who during the course of the seventh and eifi^hth centuries made
many descents upon the coast of Gujarat, the Gulf of Cambay

42iCilidasa: Raghuvaihla.

49CoweU and Tliomat : Bin«*s HarfaCarita, pp. 259. 260.

44 J. Vidyiiigara Bhattackarya : Haifa Carita, p. 204,

45 Ri<kkng : Bi^a's iCacUmbarl, p. xvii.
4S BhavaUiliti s Milatl Midhava* Act III.

^47P«r|^t«r: Intfodactum to Marka^dcya PttiS9«*
4$ Rtqpi^ : indiaa Coiiia^ Kofa^^Sf p* 16. >

12 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

of Sakti in various fonns. In the Mahabharata there are hymns
addressed to Durga,^'^ and the Tantraa which inculcate her cult
probably assumed their present form in the sixth century. ^^ The
cult of the mothers {mdtrkots) was closely allied to Saktion
and was widely spread.

The Saura cult appears to have been widely diffused
about this period. Multan had a splendid temple which was
seen and described by Hiuen-Tsiang, Ibn Haukal, and
Istakhri. The KitBb al Fihriat mentions Soma worshippers who
had an image of Soma on a chariot drawn by four horses,
holding a stone of the colour of fire. Al Shahreistani gives the
same account. ^^ Mayura in his Surya Sataka makes Svirya,^^
the supreme god and identifiies him with Brahma, Siva, Ki^riu,
Yama and Kubera, Surya is to him not only the god and the
primary cause but a kinsman and kind friend* a teacher and a
father. Varahamihira^^ gives directions for the installation and
consecration of the images and temples of the sun, and
Har^avardhana styles himself a * great devotee of the s^Jin
(Pararnddityabhakta), '^-

The worshippers of Gariiapaii or Gaijiesa, SkcLnda or
Kartikfiuo, Candra, and other gods and goddesses hardly need
detailed notice.

The followers of the path of action (kflrma-mdrga) were
found in all the sects and among the devotees of all the gods.
Their worship consisted in addressing prayers to the gods before
the images at home or in the temple, in performing prescribed
rites — domestic and public — ^in offering sacrifices — rarely human,
in some cases bloody, but more often consisting of com and milk

57 MahlbhSrata : Bhifma Pmrvan, CKapter 23, VtriM» Pftnran, Chap, i
(P, C. H«y'« trmtiaUtion).

ftS Rduktaek : Eariy ^foalcim Acoountt.

60 Qoackenbot : Mayiif* SatiJcA.

61 V«tikuniliii« : trsatbtod by Kern.

SJV; A* BttMx Qmp^ OMimge, JJI.A.S. 1089, p, U ♦

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE M

and fruits. Fasts, pilgrimages, charity, penances and ascetk
exercises were part of the good deeds which won the favour dP
the gods. The path of action was the path of legal duties, and
fixed ceremonial ; it led to prosperity in this life and to heavenly
bliss in the life beyond. *

The second path for the attainment of salvation is that of
knowledge {jnana-marga). The Vedas and the Brahmaijia* had
emphasised the value of action. But when the theory of
metempsychosis and the law of l^rman rose, it became apparent
to the logical mind of the Hindu thinkers that devotion to action
could not lead to deliverance and freedom. It was necessary
to discover some other means to break the rigid chain of cause
and effect, to bring to an end the otherwise indestructible impulse
of primeval action. It became necessary to make a searching
enquiry into the very nature of action and to find out the law
of its fulfilment and exhaustion. This enquiry was started
early by the forest recluses whose bold speculations are
embodied in the Upani^ads. It was soon taken up in what
Grierson calls the * Outlands of Aryavarta,* i.e., among the
peoples inhabiting the regions to the south-west and east of the
midlands occupied by Vedic Aryans, by Kfattriyas and other
non-Brahma^as. And the profound and earnest discussions of
cosmic origin and human destiny, of the nature of the ultimate
reality and its relation to the individual, of good and evil and
of the psychology of conduct and of the means of deliverance
led to the foundation of a number of religio-philosophic, or tq
use 01tramare*s term, theosophic systems — Sahkhya, Yafa,
Vedanta, Bauddha, Jaina, Saioa, Vai^ij^ava, Tdntra, Lokfiyata
and others.

Although each one of these systems proposed a different
solution of the problems of life and thojight, there are o^rlam
features common to all of them which form the b^m dF the
Pre-Islamic Indian culture. *

In the first place, all the systems have the same poinl of
departqfe, i.e., the Vedic c<mception af law* cHcily they ap|4y it
more rigoroiidy than the ancient seers did. This cossceptum 4^

14 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

law is combined witK the conception of korman. Action is a
relationship of cause and effect* and it forms an eternal begin-
ningless unending chain by which the universe and man are
inexorably bound. The conception of k^rman applied to the
macrocosm igives the cosmogonies and genetic chains, applied
to the microcosm the theory of transmigration or metempsychosis
or palingenesis. The essence of kctrman is bondage, and bondage
signifies suffering. The goal of human endeavour is to break the
chain and end suffering. The preconceptions of time, space
and cause which are so to say the media of all- thinking are
also alike in all the systems. Time and space are not empty
voids in which reality happens and lives, but the plastic forms
of reality itself, the all-pervading, continuous and universal
meditxms of reality. Objectively time and space are not
homogeneous continuums. They are relative. The time
moments differ for different types of beings ; for example, the
unit of earthly time is one-hundredth part of the unit of higher
beings (gods), a millionth of the unit of still higher beings
{Brahm^ and an infinitesimal part of that of the highest being.
Space is gross and subtle and within the subtle are subtler spaces
forming thus a series of space within space. Thus the sensible
universe does not exhaust the whole of being. Time and space
are modes of reality, hence reality is conceived as a becoming,
a cyclic process, an eternal evolution and involution, manifesta-
tion and reabsorption, and as an inexhaustible articulation of
forms and a plenum of worlds upon worlds piled in unending
succession.

The ideas of caiisality involve the notions of agency,
material and product and the relation and meaning of them.
They have various interpretations sometimes implying the deter-
mination of a product by an agent, sometimes merely denotin^r
a succession of events, and at other times asserting an identity
between cause and effect— the manifestation of the unmanifest.
Causa^n is understood in dBfferent ways in different schools,
and. accotdmg to the particular meaning attached ^o it, is
envisaged the relation of the first prindple ol things to created

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 15

nature, i.e., God and the universe. Four main interpretations
of causation may be distinguished : (I) the theistic, which holds
that God created the universe out of nothing, but the universe
is real ; (2) the realistic, which considers nature co-eternal with
God and independent, God being only a demiurge ; (3) the
pantheistic, which looks upon the imiverse as the manifestation
of God, and makes God and universe synonymous ;
(4) the idealistic, which maintains that nothing exists besides
God.

Besides metaphysical postulates, the methodology of Indian
systems is the same. The first assumption is that truth is learnt
not merely by ratiocination or faith but by direct experience,
and that speculation must begin with these truths of intuition,
and philosophy proceed to demonstrate them by reasoning. It
follows that philosophical discipline must consist of the hearing
(sravaf^a) of truths and reflection (manana) upon them, its end
being self-illumination.

The presentation of philosophical truth — not the realization
of intuitive truth — depends on the prepossessions, temperament
and intelligence of the individual, hence considerations of points
of view and of personal needs (paira) must arise and be attended
to. Looking at things in this way the six different systems of
Hindu philosophy constitute one series. Purva Mimdm9a
deals with the practical sid'e of religion and explains the Vcdic
ritual and duties ; Nydya lays down the method of reasoning ;
Vaiie^ikfl gives a first analysis of metaphysical doctrines and
reduces the universe to nine classes of ultimate factors or self-
subsisting entities. Sdhkhya carries the analysis a step further
and derives the whole of the universe from two ultimate
principles — Puru^a and Prakxti or soul and n:iatter ; Yoga
accepts the exposition of Sdhkhya and proceeds to consider the
practical method by which the truth pi the doctrines can be
realised as direct experiences ; lastly, Veddnta reduces the two
realities of S^hkhya-Yoga to one absolute reality only, whose
appearance is the multiplicity of names and forms, the
phei^menal universe of infinite yarie^*

16 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN OJLTURE

The religioiia aspect of the Upani^ads and the aix philo-
sophical systems may be briefly summarised. According to
Sankhya reality is constituted of two co-eternal substances —
soul and matter. Matter in the undifferentiated state consists of
three constituents (sattva, rajas, tamas) held in equilibrium. Its
attribute iS change and activity. Souls are infinite in number
and conscious but inactive and unchangeable. The presence of
the souls excites matter to activity, its equilibrium is disturbed
and it enters into the process of development. From undiffer-
entiated matter twenty-five entities are evolved and form the
manifested universe including the physiological and psycho-
logical vehicles of the soul, body and mind. The soul illumines
the processes in the mind, and brings the mechanical and the
unconscious into the plane of consciousness, itself remaining
passive, at harmony with itself, independent. But the attach-
ment of soul with its vehicles is a bondage and creates suffering
and pain. It creates the illusion which involves the soul in the
wheel of births and deaths. The ultimate destiny of the soul
is, however, liberation and this is attained by the acquisition
of discriminating knowledge, by the recognition of the essential
distinction of soul from matter. After the attainment of this
knowledge and the exhaustion of the results of the works done
before soul is freed, mind is dissolved and body perishes.
**The soul, therefore, abides eternally released from the delusion
and suffering of this world, as a seer who no longer sees any-
thing, a glass in which nothing is any longer reflected, as pure
untroubled light by which nothing is illuminated."^^

Yoga introduces into this system of two co-eternal principles
a third eternal principle, that is, God {Uvara). God is conceived
as a particular soul, and endowed with all good qualities. He
is not a creator or punisher and rewarder, nor a bestower of
felicity, but "He in His mercy aids the man who is entirely
devoted to Him to remove the hindrances which stand in the

^Garga: E.R.E. SSAlchA <!»>^ ^^i^^ Oyenberg.

PRE^USLIM HINDU CULTURE 17

way of the attainment of deliverance." Yoga prescribes the
exact discipline by means of which the knowledge which
emancipate| may be attained. This is the famous eightfold
discipline of interdictions (yama), injunctions {niyama), postures
(asana), control of breath (pranayama), retraction of sense
activities (pratydhdra), fixation of mind (dhdrai^idt meditation
(dhydna), and concentration (samddhi). The first two lay down
the decalogue of the necessary virtues among which prominence
is given to the suppression of desires, the next three the process
of self-hypnosis and the last two the attainment of ecstasy and
the unitive state.

The Veddnia takes for granted the cosmogony of the
Sdnkhya and the eightfold discipline of the Yoga, but advances
a step further the enquiry into the nature of the soul« matter
and God. With regard to the nature of the ^man (soul), the
Vaiie^ika standpoint is that it is a reality in which conscious^
ness is sustained but of which consciousness is not an absolutely
essential characteristic ; the Sahkhya holds that the soul is
consciousness or intelligence itself but teaches that souls are
infinite in number ; the Veddnia comes to the conclusion that
the soul is not only consciousness itself, but that it is one and the
same in all experiencing beings, and that the soul (atman) is
identical with God (brahman). But soul is overlaid with
ignorance and enters into Samsdra and undergoes suffering, from
which release is possible only by the removal of ignorance and
the realization of its true nature.

Besides the orthodox schools of philosophy which prescribed
the path of knowledge, the India of the seventh and eighth cen-
turies knew of a number of other systems — ^heterodox and secta-
rian — ^which taught liberation by knowledge. Among them
the most important were the Buddha systems.

Buddhism was divided into two,8chools of Htnayani&tt and
MahdydnistB and each of them was further subdivided into two
branches. The Vaibha^kas and Sauirdnlrikjo^ belonged to the
Hlnaydna, and the Yogdcaras (or VijiiSnaoddmB) and Msdhya^
mi^oB or {iunyaoddin*) to the Mahayana. g

t8 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Buddhism had started its career as a protest against the
formalism of Brahmai>ism and it fell foul of its essential theories
concerning the nature of soul (dtman) and God (brahman).
With regard to both its attitude was one of denial. The soul
as a substance did not exist, all that existed was an aggregation
of parts {skflndhas), the coming together of which created a
temporary unity. The universe was a plan and it was useless
to speculate about its beginning or end. The world as known
was a casual order, the first link in the chain was ignorance
which gave rise to action, consciousness, mind, body, sense,
organs, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth,
decay, death, grief, sorrow and pain. The dhamma of the eight-
fold path trained away the suffering fcid put an end to the endless
round of births and deaths. This path consisted of right views
(aamyak ^T^t^)* right thoughts (aamyak sahkalpa), right speech
{samyak vaca), right actions (aamyak kotrman), right living
(aamyak ctjiva), right exertion (aamyak vydyama), right recollec-
tion (aamyak amfti), right meditations (aamyiik aamddhi). The
follower of the eightfold path passed through four stages : first
that of the neophyte (arotapanna) who had broken the first three
bonds of human passion (heresy, scepticism and superstitious
rites) ; second, that of the first-returner (aakcJ^o^nin) who would
be reborn once only in the world of men because he had reduced
to a minimum affection, hatred and infatuation ; third, that of
the never-rcturner (andgamin) who had freed himself from the five
bonds (the three of the neophyte, and attachment and antipathy)
and who would be bom not among men but in a Brahmaloko ;
and, lastly, that of the Arhat who had exhausted the k^rman
and removed all the bonds, and who would no more be subject
to rebirth. The aim <rf the eightfold path and the fourfold
stages was the attainment of Nirodijia.

**Wi6iana is the highest bliss
And of all paths the eif^htfold 'tis
That unto death-less seiety leads. **^*

64 Mr«. Rhys Dftvids : Euddhi^n, p* 177. ^

PRE^MUSUM HINDU CULTURE 19

The Hinaydna and Mahayana schools differed on questions
of metaphysics, on the destiny of the individual, and on ritual.
The Hlnaydnists were realists, acknowledging the real existence
of the phenomenal world. TTie Mahdyanists were ideali^ ; the
Vo^GCaras denied the real existence of all except consciousness ;
the Mddhyamikaa held that the whole of the phenomenal world
was unreal and illusory, and in this they were the teachers of
^ankara. The Hmayanists were concerned with the fate of the
individual alone and in Arhathood formed his highest possi-
bility of achievement, the Mahdydniata aimed at universal
salvation and promised the attainment of Buddhahood with all
its spiritual powers. Then the first were simple in their ritual,
while the second introduced the elaboration of temples and
images and' the worship of Bodhiaattvas, assimilating Buddhism
to Hinduism.

Jainism occupied an important position among the religio-
philosophical systems then prevalent in India. The Jainats do
not believe in one transcendent or absolute existence. They
divide reality into soul and not-soul. Under the former categbry
they include two kinds according to the bodies which they
inhabit : immobile, e.g. mineral, water, fire, air. and vegetable ;
and mobile, the highest among which are those possessed of
five senses. The last are divided into five classes Siddhaa
(liberated), Arhaia (perfect souls awaiting NirVdt^a), Acdryaa
(heads of groups of ascetics), Vpddhydyaa (teaching saints),
Sddhva (ordinary sainte). The soul possesses nine qualities but
the chief among them is consciousness (cetana). The not^sotds
(afivaa) are without consciousness. They are classified into five
substances (matter, space, time, dharma the principle of
motion, and adharma the principle of inertia). Soul comes
into contact with kormic matter (not-soul). becomes impure and
obscured of its four great attributes of perf |:cl perception, perfect
knowledge, perfect power and perfect happiness. The
obscuration of kflrman keeps the soul tied to the mundane wheel
of exigence which is the resdt of a twofold process-41) the
%iovement of kamuc matter towards the •avX (osratfa), ^nd

20 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

(2) the bondage of the soul by feirmic matter (bandha). This
bondage is broken in two stepa— (I) by stopping any fresh
material ties {»amvara), and (2) by shedding the matter in which
soul is entangled {nirjara). The end of the process is nirvdiiLa,
TTie two steps consist of a discipline of vows, penances and
austerities by ineans of which the impurities are gradually (in
fourteen stages) washed away and the soul attains the state of
pristine purity (mo^^a).

The three principal sectarian Hindu philosophical systems
are Vai^i?ova (or Satvata or Pahcardtra or Bhagvata), Saiva
and Tantriko. The history of the various systems included
under the three sects goes back to very early times. It is
necessary here briefly to give an account of them as they existed
in the century following the break-up of Har^a's empire, without
entering into the question of their origin and development.

In the Pancaratra system Ki^riu is the transcendent absolute
reality, La^^mi is the energy, residing in Him as Iness in I or
moonshine in the moon. Lak^mi has a twofold aspect : as
Kriyaiakfi she represents Vifi\u*s will-to-be, and is independent
of space and time, as Bhuti-'sakfi it is the matrix of the
universe.

Creation begins when Vi^rtu near the end of the night of
absorption (laya), awakens Lak^mi by his command. The first
phase of the manifestation is the appearance of six attributes
of God, i.e.. Knowledge, Lordship, Power, Strength, Vitality
and Splendour. They are the instruments of pure creation. In
their totality the attributes make up the body of Vasud^va, the
highest personal God. From Vdsudeva emanate by self-
diremption three vyuhas each denoted by a pair of attributes,
i.e., Samkar^i?a by Knowledge and Lordship, Pradyvimna by
Power and Strength, Aniruddha by Vitality and Splendour.

The second manifestation of pure creation is the vibhavas
i.e., the incarnations of God. Two kinds are distinguished
amofig them, the primary when Ki^ou Himself incarnates with
a transcendent body* and the secondary when a soul in bondage
witti a natural body is pervaded by the power of Vi^ifiU, The

PRE4V1USL1M HINDU CULTURE 21

Antarydmt as the inner ruler of all souls, and Area as the
appearance of Vi^rtu in images are two other forms of
incarnations.

The vyuhaa bring into play their creative activities by
which the non-pure universe comes into existence, in several
stages. At first the aggregate of souls (kutastha puru§a) and
the primitive form of matter or nature (mdyo) are evolved, then
the ^utosf/ia descends into may^ and develops the principle of
force {iakti)f regulating knowledge (nryafi), time ik^la)^ and the
three constituents of matter (sattoa, rcjaa and tamaB), From the
three constituents of matter (mufa prflferfO evolves owing to the
proximity of soul (kutastha puru^a) and the maturing influence
of time (kcda) the first great product called Mahat or cosmic
breath, the unconscious. From Mahat originates Ahankflta
(maker), from Ahankara mind (manaa) and the ten senses — the
five elements with their five attributes.

In the last stage of creation the elements combine under
the influence of Puru^a and form the egg of the universe, out
of which come the youths SanakSdi, the Rudraa and the
Prajapaiis the universe consisting of fourteen spheres surrounded
by seven enclosures, and the five classes of individual souls
(uya^fi), the eternally free (ni<ya), the liberated (mukltc), the pure
(kevalc), the seekers (mumuhj^a) and the bound (baddha).

The individual soul in the world find^ itself in bondage.
Its original nature is obscured by the acquisition of three taints
i>y association with matter, it loses its originsJ attributes of
absoluteness, power, knowledge and it becomes limited {anuia),
wealc (akificitkara), and ignorant {ajHatoa), The taints produce
attachment and desire and these lead the soul into Sam»ara and
rebirth.

The obscuration can be ended by knowledge O^wfno),
attained through the grace (anugraha) of Vipjtu, The method of
the attainment of knowledge consists of the performance of the
duties of caste and stage {van^airama dharma), the performance
of mystical exercises {mantra and yoga) under the direction of n
* teacher, wor^ip (Sradhana^, mtid devotion {bhakti ot nyam}.

22 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The destiny of the emancipated is to dwell in VaikuiTit^a
enjoying eternal bliss at the feet of Vi^nu,

The period of creation is followed by that of destruction,
when the universe is absorbed into Vi^r^tu from whom it began.

The Saiva system was founded by Lakulln or Lakuli^
about the second century B.C. Later it was divided into a
number of schools forming two groups — (\) Saivas, Pdiupatas,
Kdpdlikas and Kdlamukhaa ; (2) Spanda Sastra, Pratyabhijnd
Sdatra and Siva Siddhdntaa, (Kashmir).

The philosophic basis of the Saha systems of the first
group was the recognition of three principles, the lord (pati),
the individual (paiu), and the fetters (pdsa), ^iva is the Lord
who is endowed with a body made of the five powers of creation,
protection, destruction, concealment and benefaction. The
individual soul is active, self-conscious, atonic and co-eternal
with the Lord. It becomes bound with fourfold fetters by the
obscuring power of the Lord. The fetters are taints (mcda),
impressions of actions (karman), materiality (mdyd), obstruction
(rodhasakjti)' The fetters may be removed with the help of
the beneficent power of the Lord by good deeds [kriya^,
meditation (yoga), and discipline (caryS). Good deeds consist
in the accomplishment of mantras, twilight adorations, worship,
mutterings of formulas (japa), throwing oblations into the (ire,
performance of ceremonies and anointing the preceptor and
the disciple. Yoga or meditation is constituted by restraint of
breath in the circles of the body beginning with the navel
(miiladhdra), attainment of miraculous powers, abstraction,
concentration, absorption, (aamddhi). The discipline prescribes
penances, the foundation of images or lihgama, the use of the
rosary, funeral ceremonies and other practices. The free souls
(mukfaa) become identical with Sioa himself, retaining their
individuality in Him. «

Tlie PaiupmtoB aimed at a mystic union reached by pious
mutterings, meditation and the cessation of all action, so that
a state of mefe feeling {aanwid^ was attained. They enjoixied a
proam {pidhi^ for exciting religious emotions which conmted *

PRE-MUSLIM HINIXJ CULTORE 23

in besmearing the body with ashes three times a day, and
engaging in laughter, song, dance, amorous prestures, uttering
loud sounds, executing wild movements and repeating maudibly
certain formulae.

Their rule of conduct was antinomian, they were required
to do a thing condemned by all (avitadhflrai^ta), as if one were
devoid of the sense of discrimination between what should be
done and what should be avoided, and to speak nonsensical
and absurd things [avitad-bha^af^a).

The Kapalik/is and Kdldmukhaa carried things to disgusting
extremes. They went about wearing garlands of skulls, armed
with clubs and lances, carrying wine pots, eating ashes, and
performing bloody rites.

The second group which belonged originally to Kashmir
spread thence to the Deccan and the extreme south (ninth to
twelfth century A.D.). The Spanda &astra teaches that the soul
gains knowledge through intense Yogic contemplation, whereby
the vision of Parama Siva, the Supreme Lord of the Universe,
is realised and the individual soul is absorbed in a mystic trance
of peace and quiet and joy. In Pratyabhijna the soul by its
own intuition trained imder the instruction of a Gum (teacher)
recognises itself as God and so rests in the mystic bliss of one*
nes8 with God. The path of knowledge common to all the sects
led by means of the discipline of the Yoga to the goal of self-
illumination and the realisation of the oneness of the individual
soul with the supreme soul.

The third path for the attainment of liberation is that of
devotion and faith (BhakU-Mdrga). Bhakti has been defined as

* the worship of a personal deity in a spirit of love ***®; as

* personal faith in a personal God, love for him as for a human
being, the dedication of eveprthing to his service, and the
attainment of ** mofeia " by* thirf means, rather than by

esBamett: Some Notes on the History of the ReRgion of L^ in
India. Intemstional Congress ht the History of Regions, 1968.

24 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

knowledge, or sacrifice, or works',®^ as an affection fixed upon
the Lord after acquiring a knowledge of the attributes of the
adorable one.^*^ Bhakfi is the emotional aspect of religion, its
roots lie in the feeling or affective side of human consciousness,
as those of /nana, lie in the cognitive or intellectual, and those of
Karma in the conative or willing. Psychologically it is impossi-
ble that any one of these three aspects should be entirely absent
from any religious system, but it is possible that one laspect may
be more emphasised than another and in some period of history
either will or intellect or feeling may dominate the mind of the
people. In this sense, the stream of Bhakti which began as a
little trickle in the Vedic times went out with the advs^nce of
history as a mighty flood sweeping over the whole land. It
is necessary to enquire into the origin of this stream and
the affluents which entered into it. for it is only by following
the course of this stream that the main development of Indians
religious history can be understood.

The earliest written text of the school of devotion is the
Bhagavad Gita. What then is the character of its devotion?

Kf^i^a teaches that it is by unswerving devotion to Him
alone that He is reached. ^^ God is so pleased that He accepts
all that is offered to him with devotion, — ^a leaf, a flower, a
fruit, water.**® **Devotion implies the dedication of all actions
to Him,*^^ for the devotees live and have their being in God.*"**
God extends His ineffable grace to His devotees, for even the
sinful worshippers are promised that they will be accounted
righteous provided they worship with undivided heart, "^^ and
that they will never perish.^* In the sight of God all

66 Sedgwick : Bhakti : Journal of the Bombay Branch 6i the Royal
Asiatic Society, 1910.

67Grier9on: Bhakti Mirga, E.R.E.

68 BhagavadgttS : VIII, 22 <trandation by Bhagvan IHb),

69 Ibid.. IX. 26.
TO Ibid., IX, 27.
Tilbid.. IX. 29.
n{bid., DC 30.
?«lb4d,i IX 31.

PREJVIUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 25

devotees are equal whether they are bom in mn or n<^ and to
whatever caste or sect they may belong^* It is by devotioii
that God may be beheld and known and entered^^^ devotion is
the means of the mystic vision and the unitive state. TTie
devotee is dear to God.'** surpassingly dear to himj'^ for God is
the father.''® the husband.^® the mother,^** and the friend.''®

Here are all the elements of the religion of devotion,
a personal God, divine grace, self -dedication and the love of the
devotee, the promise of liberation to all, irrespective of caste
and sect, and the mystical union.

The Svetasvatara Upani^d adds another, that is devotion
for the teacher (guru) as for God.***^

The Ndrayaifiya^^ section of the iSantiparvan of Maha-
bharata is the next important text. It describes the Ekflntin
religion the ritual of which consisted in meditation and mental
recitation (japa), the burning of incense, worship with mind,
word and deed. The result was the vision of the Adorable by
those who possessed faith and devotion, and had won His
grace. It declares that the religion of devotion is superior to
that of knowledge or of Vedic ritual and enjoins adoration of
Nctrdyarya or of one of His manifestations (vyuha^.

The ideas of the Ndrdyaiftya were more fully stated in the
Pancardtra Samhitd which, besides knowledge acquired by
means of worship (dradhand) and meditation (yoga), recognised
devotion (nydsa or bhakfi) as a means of emaikcipation.
According to the Sarhhita, bhakU means * taking refuge in the
pra3dng thought : I am a receptacle of sins, naught, helf^ess,

74 Bhagavadgia : IX. 32.

75 Ibid., XI, 54.

76 Ibid., Xll, 14.

77 Ibid., Xll, 20.

78 Ibid.. DC 17.

79 Ibid., ix, ia.

so dveOilyaiirs U|MuitfMi: VI, 23. (trantlstum by Hume),
* 81 Gricmn : Ttuiilation of the f^Aym^StS^ Section of the Mid»«l^it««£

26 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

do Thou become my remedy (updya).* The act of taking
refuge implies * austerities, pilgrimages, sacrifices, charities, and
self-sacriiice than which nothing is higher.*^^

Bhakti had a parallel development in other systems besides
the Pancaratra, but the most important contribution among
them was that of Buddhism of the Mahay ana School. • Now
Mahdyana Bhakfi centred round Buddha and the BodhisatiVas,
but especially about Amiti^ha who is conceived as the eternal
God living in Sukhavatt (paradise), where the devotees go by
His grace and by the help of holy saints. The goal of the
devotees of Amitdbha is not Nirvana (emancipation) but
admission into His presence in His heaven. Their devotioji is
accompanied with acts of worship of Stiipas and MavL4ala9,
with fasts and pilgrimages, with litanies and formulas for
effacing sins, with the reading of Sutras and the repeating of
Buddha* s name, and so on.

Buddhism emphasized the democratic side of religion, the
spiritual enfranchisement of Sudras and women, and the preach-
ing of religion through the medium of the popular languages,
that is, the vernaculars. It also provided the examples for the
organization of monastic orders.

The survey of Indian religions in the pre-Musalman period
of Indian history being completed, it now remains to estimate
the relative importance of each of the three paths of religion in
the life of the Indian people. The religion of ritual, whether
of the higher type laid down in Vedic or Brahmai^c or Hindu
literature, or of the lower type as observed in magic
performances and animistic worship, was naturally the most
widespread of the three. The evidence need not be repeated —
sacred and secular literature, the observations of foreign tra-
vellers, archaeological finds and the testimony of modern condi-
tions, all confirm it. In the homes of the twice-born— that is,
the higher classes — the observance of domestic rites, and among

825db«d[^t I«itroductit»ii to Ahtrbudhi^yit aiMi PaJltttfStm SaihKita.

PRE-MUSLIM HINDU CULTURE 27

the mass of the lower classes, the propitiation of malignant dei-*
ties — ^like the various forms of dread Rudra and Sakjtu — constitu-
ted the greater part of their religion. The path of liberation for
the large majority of the people was the religion of good deeds
and ceremonial. For the elect it meant the transformation of the
will in order to attain harmony with God's wishes — the divine
law ; for the common people it meant rigid formalism, and for
the lowest class of the populace crass superstition.

The religion of knowledge was cqnfined to the learned* the
philosophically-minded and the monks. And because it was
the path 'which suited the disposition of those who were chiefly
concerned with the writing of books, it naturally dominates the
religious literautre of ancient India. The pandit and the addha
to whichever denomination he might belong, Buddhism,
Jainism, Vaisnavism., iSaivism, ^ktism, etc., had a similar
temperament and the realisation of Mok^a or freedom through
discriminating knowledge by deep meditation and trance
(samadhi) made a special appeal to him. Hence the path 6f
knowledge came next in importance to the path of action. Its
hold on the intelligentsia was enormous and from them it
percolated in a thousand forms to the classes below.

The religion of loving devotion was apparently the least
popular of the three. Besides^ the Bhagavadg^ta and the
Narayaiyiya section of the Mahabharata it is hardly mentioned
in the rest of the pre-Muslim sacred literature of Northern
Hinduism. In Mahayana Buddhist lore as well as in Siva,
Pancaratra and the l^akta literature Bhakfi occupies a very
subordinate position to J nana. The worship of Vi($t^u or
Bhagavata and devotion to Amiiabha and Siva have ,an
emotional tinge, but they lack the fierce glow of passion and
fervour which has a tendency to run riot in wild eroticism or
incoherent ecstatism. These are later growths and it is with their
history in either of their aspects— «>ber and lyrical or Dionyslac
and explosive— that the following chapters will deal. It will
•ufice here to say that the trend of religious development i^
siubsequent times is in the direction of emodottali«nci,*of the

1? tt

28 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

transformation of affections suffusing both will and intellect.
The rites and ceremonies remain fixed for all time, the philoso-
phies strike no new paths, but devotion finds multitudinous
expression and luxuriates in exuberant form.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA

The history of commercial intercourse between India and the
Western countries, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, goes back
to very ancient times. King Solomon obtained his gold from
Ophir (the modem Beypur), ^as well as silver, ivory, apes and
peacocks.^ The Phoenicians traded with India, ^ the Ptolemys
founded ports on the Red Sea to encourage Indian commerce,^ *
the Saleucidae followed their example by founding ports in the
Persian Gulf.* The Greeks'^ imported rice, ginger and cinnamon
from the Malabar coast. Hie Greek and Roman writers were
acquainted with Indian geography and wrote about Indian
exports and imports, e.g., Hippalus and Pliny in the first
century, and Periplus of the Erythrean Sea in the second,
Cosma Indicopleustes in the sixth. Ammian Marcellani mentions
that the Indians of Ceylon, the Maldives and the Laccadives sent
deputations to congratulate Julian. The Peutingerian tables
(third century) mention a Roman settlement at Gftranganore, and
there was a colony of Indian merchants at Alexandria which was
massacred by Caracalla in the beginning of the third century.^
The coins of all the Roman Emperors from Augustus (d. 14 A.D.)
to Zeno (d. 491 A.D.) are found in Southern India, attesting to
the ample commerce which India had with the west.

The Persians^ manifested the same commercial activity an
the Romans. They founded OboUah at the confluence of th|»
Tigris and Euphrates near Busrah. The Sassantdes made Hira,

1 Hunter : Htatory of British India. Vol. l« p. 25.

2 Hunter : History of British India, Vbl. I, Chap. I.
Slbtd.

4 Kennedy: J.R.A.S., 1898, p. 241 ff.

5»Hd.

6 Hittiifton : Couis of the Madras Museum, Catalogue No. 2*

7 Reinaud : C6ographie dAboul Feda, p. 382.

30 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

which had been btult by the Arabs south-west of ancient
Babylon, the capital of a vassal principality, and, according to
Arab writers, citizens constantly saw from their houses during
the fifth and sixth centuries navigators coming from India and
China. Procopius, writing a few years later than Cosma, says
that the Persians had become masters of the Indian markets.
Under Khusrau Anushirvan, in the middle of the sixth century,
Persian commerce reached its greatest activity ; he made an
invasion of the Indus Valley, while Darius sent a fleet to
Ceylon to avenge the murder of Persians. Tabary mentions the
entrance of a flotilla of Indian ships up the Tigris to OboUah
during the later days of the Sassianian empire. The use of the
term Tajik^ for a section of Indian Astronomy attests to the
influence and amplitude of Persian intercourse with India.

The Arab^ naturally took a very active part in the commerce
between the Orient and the Occident.® A number of entrepots
were situated in their territories. Besides Aden they had the
town of Shahr, which by its position served as the point of call
for mariners who entered or left the Persian Gulf. The Arabs
provided the best part of the eqmpment. Virgil tells us that
the Indian and Arab sailors fought under Antony and Qeopatra
at Actium. In the Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Khan
Bahadur Fazl Ullah Lutfullah Farldi mentions the settlement of
pre-Muslim Arabs at Chaul, Kalyan and Supara. In the time
of Agatharcides^^ there were so many Arabs on the Malabar
Coast that the people had adopted the Arab religion (probably
Sabaean). Ptolemy, in his map of India, uses the word
MelizigertBt the latter part of which is the Arabic Juurah
meaning island. Reinaud sa3rs, * ever3rthing points to the belief

BCordier: Melange H. Detrenhotttig. Notes tur les Musttlmanes de
Chine.

Bhandarkar: Search for Sanskrit MSS. Reports.

S Reinaud : Relations des voyages faits par les Arabes et les Pevsanes
dkpis rinde et k la Chine^ dans le IXe. si^le. Tome 1, p. ^cxxix. . '^

--ti. o^.j^h« ^« ♦!«, r,,^^,,^ Seaa. d. 154.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 31

that combined with the Persians they ^the Arabs) exercised on
those coasto up to the fourteenth century the same ascendancy
which the Portuguese did afterwards.*

TTie rise of Islam in the beginning of the seventh century
and the unification of the Arab tribes under a centralised state
gave a tremendous impetus to the movement of expansion which
was going on since pre-Islamic*^ days. Muslim armies rapidly
conquered Syria and Persia and began to hover on the outskirts
of India. Muslim merchants immediately entered into the
inheritance of Persian maritime trade, and Arab fleets began to
scour the Indian seas.

The Arab vessels started either from the coast of the Red
Sea or from the southern coast, and their objective was to
disembark either at the mouth of the Indus and in the Gulf of
Cambay by sailing along the coast, or on the Malabar coast, in
which case they profited by the monsoon to proceed to Koulam
and other ports directly. The ships starting from the Persian
Gulf followed the same course, and by the help of the monsoon
reached Koulam, the Malay Peninsula, the eastern archipelago
and China.

The first Muslim fleet appeared in Indian waters in 636 A.D.
during the Caliphate of *Umar, when *U«man Saklfi the Governor
of Bahrain and Uman, sent an army across the sea to Tana.**
He was rebuked by the Caliph who threatened to mete out
dire punishment to his kinsman if the experiment was repeated.
AboiJrt the same time expeditions were sent to Broach and Dabul,
but *Umar's opposition temporarily suspended the activities of
the fleet and the policy of armed interference remained in
abeyance. During the CaHphate of *Umar the land approachei
to India were explored and a great deal of information wati
collected, which led ultimately to the conquest of Sindh in the
eighth century by Muhammad bin Oasim. Meanwhile cotn«n««'ce *
by sea continued, and Muslims made their settkments m three

11 Retnaui! : Op. cit.
• laEHioi: Hittoiy ol Iwiia. Vol. I. pp. 115-16. *

32 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

towns along the South Indian coast and in Ceylon.
Rowlandson^^ says that the Muslim Arabs first settled on the
Malabar coast about the end of the seventh century. Francis
Day^^ corroborates this from traditionary accounts., and Sturrock^^
in his account of the Moplahs confirms it. He says: ** From
the seventh century onwards it is well known that Persian and
Arab traders setded in large numbers at the different ports on
the western coast of India and married women of the country
and "" these settlements were specially large and important in
Malabar where from a very early time it seems to have been
the policy to afford every encouragement to traders at the ports."
That the Muslims were then living in these countries may be
inferred from the account of the immediate causes of Muhammad
bin Qasim*s expedition given by Biladhuri^*^ He relates that
the King of Ceylon ** sent as a present to Hajjaj certain
Muhammadan girls who had been born in his country, the
orphan daughters of. merchants who had died there.** The
Bawarij, i.e., the piratical tribes of Kutch, attacked the ships
and seized the girls. Hajjaj demanded their release from Dahir
who did not comply with the demand. Upon this Hajjaj sent
the expedition led by Qasim. This expedition was supported
by the fleet which assisted in the attack upon Dabul.

The name of Hajjaj is also connected with the settlement
of Arabs in the South, Rice^^ quotes from Wilks the account
of the origin of the Labbes. According to him, ** in the early
part of the eighth century, Hijaj Ben Gusaff (Hajjaj bin YusuO
Governor of * Iraq, a monster abhorred for his cruelties even
among Musalmans, drove some persons of the house of Hasham
to the desperate resolution of abandoning for ever their native

13 Rowlaxulson : Tuhfat ul Mujahidm, Preface.

14 Day : The Land of the Pemmib. p. 365.

ISSturrodc: Soudk Kaxiara, Madra* &trict Manuals, p. 180.
iCEUiot: Vol. I, p. nS.
V 17 Rbe : Mytofe and Coorg. Vol. 1. p. 353. '

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 33

country. Some of them landed on that part oi the western coast
of India called the G>ncan ; the others eastward ol Cape
Comorin. The descendants of the former are the Newayats ; of
the latter, the Labbes.**

In the eighth century the Arab fleets attacked Broach and
the ports on the Kathiawa<^ coast. Their trade and setdements
continued to flourish. The first direct recorded evidence of
their establishment in India comes from this century. In the
Mayyat Kannu, the graveyard of Kollam, there are many ancient
toml^s, some of which are inscribed. One of the tombs bears
an inscription to the effect that * All ibn Udthorman was
obliged to leave this world for ever in the year 166 c' Hejira,
so called after Muhammad the Prophet left Mecca for Metiina.*^^

Henceforth Muslim influence grew rapidly. For ouer a
hundred years the Muslims had been established on the Malabar
coast. They were welcomed as traders » and, apparendy, facilities
were given to them to settle and acquire lands and openly
practise their religion. They must have entered upon missionary
efforts soon after settling down, for Islam is essentially a
missionary religion and every Musalman is a missionary of his
faith. Many were undoubtedly held in respectful esteem. They
came to India ; not like the Christian colonies of Ssnrians, driven
and persecuted from their homelands ; but full of the ardour of
a new-found religion and of the prestige of conquest and glory.
Before the ninth century was far advanced they had spread over
the whole of the western coast of India and had created a stir
among the Hindu populace, as much by their peculiar beliefs
and worship as by the zeal with which they professed and
advocated them.

The south of India was then greatly agitated by the
conflict of religions, for Neo-Hinduism was struggling with
Buddhism and Jainism for the upper hand. Politically, too, it
was a period of un^ettlement and upheavals.** The Cheras

IS Innes : Makbar mxvA Atijengo District Gazetteer, p. 436.
* IS Iyer : K&ttorical Sktitdiet of Andent D»l(li«ii. ^

34 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

were losing power and new cl3ma8ties were emerging into power.
Naturally, the minds of the people were pertiirbed and they
were prone to accept new ideas from whatever quarter they
came. Islam appeared upon the scene with a simple formula
of faith, well-defined dogmas and rites, and democratic theories
of social organisation. It produced a tremendous effect, and,
before the first quarter of the ninth century was over, the last of
the Cheraman Perumal Kings of Malabar who reigned at
Kodungallur had become a convert to the new religion. ^^
According to traditional accounts, his conversion was due to a
dream in which he saw the splitting of the moon. He happened
just then to meet a party of Muslims who were returning from
Ceylon, their leader Shaikh Sekke Uddin interpreted the dream,
admitted hini into the Muslim fold and gave him the name of
*Abdur Rahman Samn. After his conversion the king left
Malabar for Arabia and landed at Shahr where he died foui
years later. He sent from there Malik ibn Dfnar, Sharf ibn
Malik, Malik ibn Habib and their family to Malabar with a
letter of instructions regarding the government of his dominions
and the reception of the Muslims. They were treated hospitably
and were permitted to build mosques. As a consequence
mosques were erected at eleven places on the Malabar coast.

The converaon of the king must have produced a deep
impression upon the mind of the people. The memory of the
event is still kept fresh in Malabar. For instance, at the installa-
tion of the Zamorin, it is the practice to have him shaved and
dressed like a Musalman, and crowned by a Mappilla.^^ Aftei
the coronation, the Zamorin is treated like an outcaste, he is not
allowed to sit and dine with even the members of his own
household and no Nayar would touch him. The 2imcMrin u
supposed to occupy the throne only as a Viceroy awaiting the
return of Cheraman Perumai from Arabia. The Maharajahs of

20 Logan : Malabar. Vol. 1. p. 245.

31 Qidif Husam Khan : South Indian Musalinans, Madras Chrbdai
CoUege Magazine (191M3), p. 241.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 35

ravancore on receiving the sword at their coronations have still

> declare, '* I will keep this sword until the tmcle y^o has gone

) Mecca returns. '*^^ It must, however, be pointed out that the

tory of the conversion of King Chenonan Perumal is based on

^gendary accounts only ; and, as in most mich stories, many

f its details are open to serious doubta. The names of the

arious personages which appear in it cannot be fixed historically;

2heraman Perumal is only a title, Sekke Uddfn co\ild not

>os8ibIy be a contemporary of a ninth century king for the

ippellation Dm came into use among Muslims only in the fifth

:entury of the Hejira, and Malik ibn Dinar was a saint whose

ippearance in India is more than doubtful. But, as Innes^'

pointed out, ** We may perhaps infer from this account that the

i3ma8ty reigning at Caranganore came to an end with the

sibdication of a Perumal who was converted to Muham-

madanism, possibly in the ninth century.**

The Musalmans evidently had acquired great importance at
this period. They were designated by the name of Mappillas
which means either ** a great child '* or a ** bridegroom ** and
was considered a title of honour. It was bestowed on some
Christians also, and, in order to distinguish the two communities,
the Christians were called Nussarani Mappillas. Other privileges
were showered upon them. A Musalman could be seated by
the side of a Nambutirf Brahman while a Nayar could not.
The religious leader of the Mappillas, the Thangal, was allowed
to ride in a palanquin alongside of the :Zamorin.

Under the patronage and encouri^ement of the ZAmorin, the
Arab merchants settled in large numberB in his dominions, and
not only materially increased his power and wealth by their
trade but directly supported him in his campaigns ol aggrandize-
ment. The Ze^norins who originally hmled from Nediyiruppa
in Emad overran Palanad, the neighbouring territory of Porlattiri
Raja, and secured the land thus won at the pcnnt of the sword

23 Logan: MaUbar, Vol. I, p. 231.
^33 InaxM : Malalwr and Anjengo District Gaxtftteer.

36 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

by a fort at Velapuram. Here, according to tradition, a
merchant who had been trading with Arabia settled and
established a mart which grew into the flourishing port of
Calicut. He became the Koya (Qa:^) of Calicut and his
successors fought on the side of the Zamorin against the Rajas
of the surrounding Nads. Tlie Raja Valluvakbna of Walavanada
was defeated and the matnagement of the Mahamakham festival
at Tirumavayi and, with it, the predominance in Southern Mala-
bar, passed into the Zamorin's hands. ^^ The Muslim family of
*Alr Rajas (Lords of the deep) who were the admirals and
ministers of the Kolattiri Rajas were, according to one tradition,
the descendants of an Arab Musalman who had been invited
from their native land by Cheraman Perumal and were installed
as Chiefs of Kannanur (Cannanore) ; according to another
tradition, the first chieftain of the family was a Nayar who was
a minister of the Kolattiri and who embraced Islam but was
retained in his post on account of his skill and ability. ^^

The Zamorin thought so highly of the Muslims that he
definitely encouraged conversion in order to man the Arab
ships on which he depended for his aggrandizement, he gave
orders that in every family of fishermen (Makkuvans) in his
dominion one^^ or more of the male members should be brought
up as Muhammadans.

In the foUowing centuries the influence of Islam continued
to wax, as the testimony of travellers and geographers
demonstrates.

Mas^udr^^ who visited India in the beginning of the tenth
century (916 A.D.) found over ten thousand Muslims of Siraf«
Oman, Basra and Baghdad at Seymore (the modem Chaul),
besides numerous others who were children of Arabs bom there.
They had their own chief whose title was Hazama (probably

24 Logan : Vol I, p. 278 ff . ; Innes : p. 44.

26 Innea : Op. Cit.

2elnne8: Ibid., p. 190.

2TEfiH)t: Vol, 1, M»»*Sdl. «*

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSUMS IN INDIA 37

Hunarmand) and who received hi$ authority from the Hindu
king. Abu Dulaf MuhalhiP^ found mosques in the port of
Seymore. Ibn Sa*id^** in the thirteenth century mentions that
Musalmans were living among the inhabitants of the It^dian
littoral. Ser Marco Polo*® noticed that the people of Ceylon got
Saracen troops from foreign parts whenever they needed them.
Abul Fida^^ (1273 — 1331) mentions a fine Muhammadan mosque
and a square at Koulam. Ibn Batutah** (fourteenth century)
in his itinerary from Gimbay along the western coast touched
at all the ports. He met his co-religionists everywhere arid he
found them in a flourishing condition. Muslim courtiers paid
a visit to him at Kandabar ; at Konkah he saw an
ancient mosque attributed to Khizr and Ilyas, and met a party
of HaidarT Fakirs with their Shaikh. At Sendapur there was a
mosque which was built in the Baghdad style by the patron of
navigators, Hasan, father of Sultan Djemal Uddin Mohammad
AlhinourT. the ruler of Hinaour (Chiore). Onore had a Muslim
ruler, a Muslim jurisconsult and Qazi and a Muslim saint. All
along the Malabar coast from Sendabour to Koulam, at all
stations on the road, there were houses of Musalmans where
their co-religionists could lodge. He notices that the Musalmans
were the most highly considered people in that country*
At Barcelore, Facanaour (Baccanore) there were Muslim
communities with theix own Qazis and Muftis. Mcmgalore had
a population of four thousand Musalmans, among them
merchants from Fars and Yemen. Their mosque had a rich
treasure and there were a number of students in the mosque.
The three Fattans had all mosques and at Fandaraina the
Muslims occupied three quarters, and in each of them they had
a place of worship. The chief merchant at Calicut was a

28 Ferrand : Relations des voyages, undcr^ Yakut.

29 Ibid., under Ibn Sa'id.

SO Yule : The Book of Set Marco Polo. Vol II. p. 314.

81 Ibid., p. 377.

SSDefremery and Sanguinetti : Iba Balutak, Vol. Hi, p. 55 C

38 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Musalman, Ibrahim ^lah Bander of Bahrain ; and there were
many Muslim merchants at Koulam ; there were a number of
mosques here, and the principal one was admirable in its
architecture. The Raja venerated the Muslims.

Abdur-Razzak*^ (1442), who visited India on the eve of the
Portuguese arrival, says about Calicut, ** it contains a consider-
able number of Musalmans, who are constant residents and
have built two mos^ques, in which they meet every Friday to
offer up prayer.'* He gives a glowing account of the busy
harbour and its merchants from all parts of the world.

These narratives conclusively show that on the western
coast of India Muslims had settled early and grown in numbers,
wealth and power. It is true that Sulaiman who visited India
in the ninth century states that he did not find Muslims or Arabic-
speaking individuals there, but his testimony is hardly trust-
worthy on this point, for he fails to notice the Arab possessions
\n Sindh, Gujarat or the Gulf of Cambay, and that his compa-
triots were canying on rich commerce ; and as, according to
Reinaud,^* his main object was a voyage to China without turn-
ing to right or left he did not pay much attention to the condition
of affairs on the Indian Coast. The traditions enshrined in the
Keralolpatti and the legends of the Muslim inhabitants, the evi-
dence of inscriptions and of Muslim historians and travellers and
the continuity of Arab commerce with India from early times all
lead to one conclusion, that the Muslims appeared on the Indian
coast not long after the death of the Prophet and swiftly gained
a status of xwivilege and influence among the Hindu rulers of
Malabar.

The Arabs appeared on the eastern coast early. When
Darius (5 19 — 484 B.C.) dammed up the chan^^s of the Euphrates
and Hgrisi and destroyed the trade of Egypt, the merchants of

sa Major : !n<lUi in ^e Fifteenth Centurjp ; Narrative of tiie Voyage of
*Abdur RaxaAk.

«4 Retnaii<il z RelaHon det voyages. *

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 39

Yemen entered into the inheritance of both.^^ Colonies of
Arabs and Jews settled in the early centuries of the Giristian era
in Ceylon and Southern India. The Greeks and Romans had
a considerable trade with the eastern coast. A large number of
coins of the Roman Emperors have been discovered in
Coimbatore ; the Greeks knew Kalkhoi, the modern Kayal ;
Ptolemy mentions Uraiyur,^** the ancient capital of the Cholas ;
and Greek and Roman ships were mostly manned by Arabs.
Arab merchants passed along the Coromandel coast on their
way to China, where remains of pre-^uslim Arabs are still found
at Canton.^''' According to Mr. Cutit, ** unquestionably the
continuous existence of a commerce between Yemen and South
India can be asserted from a very remote period."**

The Muslims inherited the legacy of the pagan Arabs. The
usual route^^ from the porta of Arabia or the Persian Gulf to
China passed through the seven seas among which were the
Gulf of Palk and the Bay of Bengal, known to the Arabs as
Schelahath or Kalahabar and Kerdenj. Sulaimm and Abu Zaid
SirjJi, in the ninth century, and Masi'udl, early in the tenth,
describe the route a^d the occurrences in these seas, as if they
had been perfecdy well known for a long time. Numerous
voyagers must have passed along this way and a great deal of
commercial intercoiuse must have been kept up between the
Muslim lands and India, for already in the eighth century there
was a numerous colony of Muslims established in Canton whose
revolt in 758 A.D. created a serious commotion.'*^

Their principal settlement on the east coast was Kayalpat-
tanam in Tinnevelly district, near the mouth of the Tamraparni

35 Kennedy : The Early G>mmerce d Babylon with India, J.R.A.S.,
1696.

36 Hemingway : Trichinopoly, Madtaa Diftrict Gazetteer.
'37£dkins: Ancient Navigation in the Indian Oceat^ J.R.AS.» 1686.
38 Ibid., p. 4.

3f Reinaud : Op. cit. I

40 Cordier : Op. cit. •

40 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

river, where still the Labbes form the majority of the popu-
lation, and where Caldwell picked up in large quantities broken
pieces of pottery, and, what is more important, a number of
Muslim coina bearing dates from the seventh century (71 A.H.)
to the thirteenth century A.D.

The Musalmans started their religious propaganda as soon
as they had settled down in some numbers. Many of the Islamic
communities of the south trace their origin to these times. The
Ravuttans of Madura and Trichinopoly believe that they were
persuaded to change their religion by Nathad Vali whose tomb
exists at Trichinopoly and bears the date of his death 417 A.H.
(1039 A.D.).*^ The tradition about Nathad is that he was a
Sayyid prince who held territory in Turkey, but abandoned
his state and became an ascetic and missionary of Islam. He
wandered through Arabia, Persia and Northern India until he
reached the city of Trisura. the modem Trichinopoly. Here he
setded down and passed the remaining years of his life in prayer
and works of charity, converting a leurge number of Hindus to
the religion of Muhammad. His successor was Sajryid Ibrahim
Shahid, who was bom at Medina (about 1 162 A.D.) and who
headed a militant mission to the Pandyan kingdom in his forty-
second year. He is said to have defeated the Pandya king and
ruled for over twelve years, but he was at last overthrown and
slain. He lies buried at Ervadi. The DudekuUs attribute
their conversion to Baba Fakhr Uddin the saint of Pennukonda.
He became a disciple of Nathad Vali, converted the Raja of
Pennukonda and built a mosque there. The date of his death,
according to Thurston, was 564 A. H.

In Madura^^ the Musalmans made their entrance in
1050 A.D. under the leadership of Malik-uI-Mtduk, who was
accomipcuiied by a great saint, Hazrat ^Aliyar Shah Sahib,
whose remains were buried near the Huzur iCacheri at Madura.
At the village of Goripaleiyan there is a mosque which acquired

4t Qsdit HoiMii KlOm : Op. est., p. 294.
^2 Nelson: Madum, p. 86.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 41

six villages for its maintenance from Kun Pandya in the eleven-
th or twelfth century. The grant was subjected to enquiry in
the time of Virappa Nayakan and confirmed in 1573 A.D.*'

The rulers of the eastern coast pursued an enlightened
policy towards the merchants who visited their coasts* TTie
peculiar custom of the western parts, that a vessel driven ashore
by stress of weather became the property of the authorities, was
not observed » and all vexatious port dues besides the regular
custom (kupasulka) duties were removed, with the natural result
that an extensive trade grew up and .flourishing trade settlements
under the especial protection of the rulers came into existence.**
The G>romandel Coast became the Ma bar (passage) of the
Muslim traders. According to Wassaf,** it extended from
Koulam to Nilawar (Nellore) nearly three hundred paraanga along
the sea coast. ** In the language of that country the king is
called Dewar, which signifies the lord of empire. The curiosities
of Chin and Machln and the products of Hind and Sind* laden
on large ships (which they call junks) sailing like mountains
with the wings of winds on the surface of the water, always
arrived there. The wealth of the islands of the Persian Gulf
in particular and in part the beauty and adommente of other
countries from * Iraq and Khorasan as far as Rum and Europe,
are derived from Ma* bar which is so situated as to be the key
of Hind."

In the twelfth century the Muhammadans formed a well-
estabKshed community in these parts, and they seemed to have
acquired sufficient importance, for they are noticed along with
Vaifyas as bringing presents to the Ceylonese General who
invaded the Pandya Kingdom in 1171-72 A.D.*'

In the thirteenth century the trade, especially in horses,
had become so vast that an agency was established at Kayal
by Malik-ul-Islam Jamal Uddln, ruler of Kia. and later the

48Nelwm: NMurm, p. 69.

** S* K. MymngK : South IndU mnd Hia MulmmumAMi Iwmdm.^ *

»/-! Ill _ to

42 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

farmer-general of Fars. According to Wassaf, ten thousand
horses were annually exported from Fars to Ma' bar and the
Indian ports, and the sum total of their value amounted to
2,200,000 dinars, Taqi-Uddm *Abdur Rahman bin Muhammad
ul Tibi, brother of Jamal Udc^n, was the agent, and he had,
besides Kayal, the ports of Fitan and Mali Fitan under his
control/**

According to Rashid Uddln,'*'^ on the death of the Pandya
ruler in 1293 A.D., Jamal Uddm succeeded him, his brother
becoming his lieutenant. Nelson^ ^ records a number of traditions
relating to the Muhammadan invasion of Madura about this
time. Marco Polo^* describes Taqi Uddin as the deputy,
minister and adviser of King Sundar Pandya. He was
succeeded, by his son Siraj Uddin and by his grandson Nizam
Uddin in the same position. Tlie Pandya ambassador to
Kublai Khan (in 1286 or 1267) was Fakhr Uddin Ahmad, son
of Jamal Uddin. who stayed for four years in China and died
on board white he was returning. He lies buried in a tomb
near that of his uncle*s.

There were other Musalman settlements in the Tamil
country, for Amir Khusrau,**** in his account of the campaign of
Malik K^fur, mentions the Musalmans of Kandur (Kannanur)
who * as they could repeat the Kaltma " and ** though they
were worthy of death, yet as they were Musalmans, they were
pardoned.** Ibn Batutah,*^ who travelled in these parts after the
invasion, states that Ghiyas Uddin al Damghani was the ruler of
Madura in his time, that Raja Vir Ballala had a contingent of
20,000 Musalnuins, and that the Muslim ruler of Honawar owed
allegiance to his viceroy Hariyappa Odayar.

♦sEiUot: Vol. lU, p. 32. ^

47 Elliot; Vol. I, pp. 69. 70.

4H Nelson : Mw)ar» Divtrict M«nual« pp. 7S, 79.

4eYule: Op. cit.

50EUiot; Op. est. Vol. Ul, p. 90.

fit DdTieiAftry and Ssnguinetty . Op. ek.. Voi. III. p. T99.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSUMS IN INDIA 43

Thus, before the arrival of Malik Kafur*i army into the
South, Musalmans had established their settlements in the
important centres of trade ; they had entered into relationship
with the people living round them ; and from this intercourse
of Arabs and Tamils a number of communities of mixed descent
had arisen, e.g., the Ravuttans and the Labbes.

The foregoing account shovrs that the Musalmans niade
their advent in South India on the v/estem coast as early as the
eighth century if not earlier, and in the tenth century on the
ectstern coast ; that they soon spread over the whole coast and
in a comparatively short time acquired great influence both in
politics and in society. On the one side their leaders became
ministers, admirals, ambassadors and farmers of revenue and
on the other they made many converts, propagated their religious
ideas, established mosques and erected tombs which became
centres of the activities of their saints and missionaries. It may,
therefore, be premised without overstraining facts that if* in the
development of the Hindu religions in the south, any foreign
elements are found which make their appearance after the
seventh century, and which cannot be accounted for by the
natural development of Hinduism itself, they may with much
probability be ascribed to the influence of Islam, provided, of
course, they are not alien to its genius.

The question of Christian influence®* on Hinduism does not
arise here, for this influence was exerted, if at all, from the
north'West, earlier than the appearance of Islam in the south.
It is known that intercourse between Southern India and
Alexandria practically ceased in the beginning of the third
century, and, before the third century, i^exandria could not be
the centre of Qiristian propaganda, because in the Antontne
period the C3iristian religion was prohibited in Alexandria and
the nteetini^ of Qiristians were held in private. Sid>seq[uentlyt
when trade was again resumed between Egypt and bidia and
Chrisdans from Syria and Perma settled in South India, it was

sslUmeayt J.ltA.$., IW. p. 951. *

44 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

not possible for them to exercise any considerable inflt^nce^
because the communities were small and insignificant. By the
middle of the seventh century, Syria, Persia and Egypt had
fallen into the hands oi the Muslims ; and the Christians had
lost their prestige and authority. Hence, although in the eighth
century they still existed on the Malabar coast, * the historic
conditions requisite for any real action of Christianity upon
Hinduism are wanting.*

In Northern India Muslims began their encroachment during
the Caliphate of * Umar, making their earliest attempts on the
ports of the northern coast, and when Persia and Mekran had
been annexed to the empire they invaded Sindh. During the
seventh century many raids were made on the borders of
Baluchistan and Sindh and the land routes were thoroughly
explored. At last in the time of Caliph Walid. Hajjaj, who \^as
Governor of *Iraq, organised an expedition which was sent under
the leadership of the young and brilliant Muhammad bin
Q»sim.^^ He overcame all difficulties, defeated the Hindu
rulers of Sindh, overran the whole Indus Valley, and made
the province of Multan and Sindh appanages of the empire.
Here, however, the advance of the Muslims was checked, and
for the next three centuries they remained confined to this corner
of India. Their sphere of influence thus extended during this
period over the principalities of Sindh and Multan over which
they ruled, and the coastal towns of Sindh, Kathiawar, CUijarat
and Konkan where they setded as traders, and till the eleventh
century they had no opportunity to reach beyond it* In these
parts, however, they became fully established, and it is posmble
that some of their adventurous captains made from there daring
(otmyz in Malwa and Kanauj. In any case, Dabul, Somnath.
Broach, Cambay, Sindan* and Qmul became seats of small
Mudim communities and nearly each one had its mosqoe* Most
of the Hindu riders welcomed them in their dominions widi
open arms and treated them wteh great hospttaUty. SuAatman,

(^3 Elliot: Vol 1.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN INDIA 45

Mas^udr. Ibn Haukal and Abu 2-aid, all agree in praising Balh&ra
{the Valabhi ruler of Gujarat) for the friendlineat which he
exhibited towarda the Musalmans. Sulaiman writes, ** there
does not exist among rulers, a prince who likes the Arabs more
than Balhara. and his subjects follow his example. '*^^ Mas'udi
found his co-religionists practising their religion openly every-
where. Speaking of the King of Gujarat, he says, '* In his
kingdom Islam is respected and protected, in all parts rise
chapels and splendid mosques where the Muslims say their five
daily prayers. "^^ Al Istakhri (951 A.D.) found Muslims in the
cities of the Kingdom of Balhara, and **none but Musalmans
rule over them on the part of Balhara.' *^^

Ibn Haukal (%8) saw Jama* Masjids at Famhal, Sindan,
Saimur and Kambaya : and IdrisT, in the eleventh century,
reports, ** the town of Anhilwara is frequented by a large
number of Musalman traders who go there on business. They
are honourably received by the king and his ministers, and
find protection and safety. "^''^

Already, before the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni had
opened the gates of India wide for the Muslims to enter, they
had attained in Western India an influential position, and they
used it to disseminate their religion among the people. They
were considerably encouraged in the persuit of their aims by
the favour of the Hindu rulers themselves. The story thai
Muhammad *Ofi relates throws a great deal of light upon the
relations of Hindu princes and Muslim traders.^** When the
Hindus of Cambay attacked the Muslim merchants. Siddh R&j
(1094^1143) held an enquiry into the whole affair, punished
die aggressors and gave the Musalmans money to build a new
mosque. Some Hindu Rajas seem to have employed Muslim

S4 ReinMid : Op. est.. Vol. I, p. 26.
&5£lltoi: Vol. t, p. 27.

•57 And., p. 06. •

sslbkl. Vot, II. p. HA. •

46 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

mercenaries. The ruler of Somnath, for mstance, Kad a number
of Muslim officers, and the Kasbatis of Ahmadabad trace their
descent from the Khorasani soldiers of the Vaghela Chiefs.^*

The Muslim saints followed wherever the Muslim Army led
or the traders settled. In the ninth century, Abu Hifs Rabi bin
Sahib al Asadi al Basari, who was a traditionist and an ascetic,
came to Sindh where he died in 160 A.H.*^^ In the tenth centtiry
Mansur al Hallaj made a voyage to India by sea, and went
back overland by way of Northern India and Turkistan.*^ In
the eleventh century Baba Rihan came to Broach from Baghdad
with a company of Dcrwishes.**^ He is said to have converted
the son of the Raja who attacked his father but was killed.
About the same time (1067), the religious head of the Shi*ah
trading community of Bohras settled in Gujarat from Yemen,**
and Nur al Din or Nur Satagar (1094 — 1143) converted the
Kunbis, Kharwas and Koris of Gujarat. ^^

After the invasions of Mahmud, numerous Muslim men of
learning and religion poured into India. It is impossible to
compile a list of all of them, but some of the important ones
may be mentioned here. Among them was *Ali bin *Usman
Al Hujwlri the author of Kaahful MahjUb who was a native of
Ghazna, and who after travelling extensively over Muslim landf
came to reside in Lahore where he ditd in 465 or 469 A.H.**
Shaikh Isma'il Bukhari early in the eleventh century,^ and
Farid Uddin *AttSr the celebrated author of Mantiq ut Tair and

5eFoil>ei: Rita Mill (1S$6). Vol. {, p. 276,

60 M&r Chulim *AiI Azid : MiAttr ol Kiram, p. 6.

61 MftMlgnon : Kitib •! T«wi Sin, Introductum* p. v.
saCiAipbell: Gwetteer ol Gujarat, Surat and Bfo»ch« p. 558 «id

».

SS Fotl>M : Op. eit. Vol. L p. 344.
S4 Arnold : Preachhis of Ulam, Oiapler on India.
SSNidiolaon: Kailiful Mahjab, Introdoctioii.
SSAitioSd: Op« cft

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSUMS IN INDIA ' 47

Tadhkiratual Auli'a in the twelfth century, vtitted! Intiia.^^
Khwajah Mu*in Uddin ChUhti**^ came to Ajmar in 1197 and
died there in 1234. In the thirteenth century Shaikh Jalil
Uddin TabrizT^^ a pupil of Shihab Uddin Suhriwardi (founder
of the sect of the * illuminati * or eastern philosophers), visited
Bengal. Sayyid Jalal Uddin Bokharf^^^ settled in Uchh in
Bahawalpur in 1244. and Bsba Farid''^* at Pakpattan/ In the
next century * Abdul Karim al JfliJ* commentator of Ihn al
^Arabt and author of Insan-i-Kdmil a famous treatise on SQfi
philosophy, travelled in India (I388)» and Sa3rytd Muhammad
Gisudaraz^^ made conversions in Poona and Belgaimi districts.
Pir Sadr Uddin,'^* founder of the Khojah sect,, Sayyid YCisuf
Uddin*^^ that of the Momnahs, and lm§m Shah of Pirfoa^*
settled in India in the fifteenth century. Other noted saints who
visited India or came to reside there were Sa3ryid Sh&h Mlr''^ son
of *Abdul Qadir Jilani, founder of the Q&diri order, Qutb-ud-
Dm Bakhtyar Kaki^^ who is buried at Delhi and whose name is
associated with the famous Qutb Minar, Bahi Uddin Zakaria''*

OTNtcholton: TaaKkiratul Auli'i of Farld Udain 'AtUr.
68 Abdul Haq ; AkkUr ul Akhiyir. p. 22.
60 Ibid., p. 43.

70 Ibid., p. 60.

71 Maoiulitf : The Sikh Reltffton, VoK VI, p. 356.

72 Nicholson : Studies in Islamic Mysticism, p. 81.
78Anu>ld: Op. cit.

74 Bombay Gazetteer. Vol. IX. Part II. p. 40.
75llHd.. p. 27.
7elbsd., p. 76.

77 Idialt Khin : Muntekhib ul Lttblb. Vd. lU PsH 2, p. W.

78 *Mdiil Haq : Op, cit., p. 24.

•7si|Md«, p. 26.

46 • INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

(d. 1266) and Jalal Uddin Surkhpo$h»o (d. 1291) who lived in
Multan and Uchh^ and Muhammad Ghaus (d. 1562)^^ the precep-
tor of Humayun, of the ShattarT order. Besides them were
antinomian Derwiahes like Shah Madar^^ (eleventh century) and
Sakhl Sarwar**^ (twelfth or thirteenth century).

There were men of high rank in Muslim religious
biography^^ — ^undoubtedly along with them a hoit of others of
less renoMm — who lived and laboured in India, and through their
personal contact and influence spread the idea» of Islamic philo--
sophy and mysticism through the length and breadth of India,
with results which will be estimated in the following chapter.

»0 *Abd[ui Huq : Op. cit., p. 60.

SI Abdttl Qitair BMkoni : Manlftkhtb ut Tawarikk, Wcl. ill. p. 4.
(BiUiOtheea Indica).

83 Arookl : The Sdntt and Msrtyrt of Indiiu BJRJE^

, SSlhid. . ♦

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM

The land where Islam arose is one of the least hospitable
regions of the earth. Vast tracts in Arabia are mere empty
plains of drifting sands. Only on the coast is it possible for
human beings to live with moderate comfort and to create
institutions of civilization. And here in ancieat times kingdoms
grew and cultures flourished and they partook of the ancient
commerce of the world and were its intermediaries. But in the
sixth century the legends of antlqu'ty had become effaced from
the mind of the peoples and the Arabs had sunk into a life of
barbarism. Mecca, one of the principal places in the co\mtry,
was a materialistic commercial town *' where lust of gain and
usury reigned supreme, where women, wine and gambling
filled up the leisure time, where might was r^ght and widows,
orphans and the feeble were treated as superfluous ballast.**^
Religion consisted of ceremonialism without meaning, of the
worship of stars, stones and deities, in which no cne believed.
The notions of right and wrong were rudimentary, no moral
guilt attached -to murder, little sanctity to marriage. Women
had no rights ; property, loyalty and honour were held in scant
respect, and sensuality was rampant.^

In this physical and moral desert there were here and there
oases which gave shelter to high aspiration and noble thought r
Communities of Jews and Christians were settled in scattered
places, itinerant monks and wise men from the Elast travelled
about with caravans. In some way they mipptied tome kind
of nourishment to the otherwise starved souk, and from their
contact arose the early reformers known as the Hanifs who

1 Hofgronje ': MobasmiiedUuiUm, p. 28.
• 3 Ibtd. s

49

30 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

0trove to mend men's ways and to turn their hearts to the
worship of God.

The st'r in moral life was an echo of the stir in social life.
Already, before the sixth century, Arab tribes, driven by econo-
mic causes — growth of population and others — ^were moving in
the directions of Mesopotamia and Syria, and their movements
and contacts with the settled civilizations were reacting on the
peoples left behind.^

In the midst of such conditions the Prophet of Islam was
bom. He belonged to a family whose means were small and
he was left an orphan at an early age. He grew up to manhood
untutored and uncared for, amid circumstances of great poverty
and hardship. The stress of personal misery, and the sense
of humiliation caused by the inglorious conditions of his peoples
deeply affected his sensitive soul. The teachings of the Hanifs.
the ascetic practices and lonely self-communings on Mount Hira
led to a religious crisis in his highly strung and mystically
inclined nature, and occasioned the ecstatic religious experiences
which changed his entire outlook upon life.

Out of the living fear of the approaching day of judgment,
the crushing convict' on of sin, out of the hopeless emptiness of
Meccan ritual and the utter wretchedness of social life, his soul-
illuminating experience redeemed him. The revelation tore
asunder the veil of illusion and ignorance and gave him that
knowledge than which no other possesses greater certitude and
higher coercive power for action.

Muhammad became the recipient of God*s commands.
His messenger on earth and His apostle to the people of
Arabia. In him, as in other deep religious mystics, religious
fervour was combined with intense practical sense, and he
became not only the prophet of a new religion but also the
leader and creator of a new nation.^

S C«iiil>ri<ige Medieval Httlory : Cbapter on IsUm.
4 Hm yf on ie ; 0|i. ch.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 51

Tlie relig.on which he preached was exceedmidy atmple.
It poaseased the minimum of doctrine and ritual, for, accofdBng
to the Qordn, God wanted to n-ake the burden of men light and
easy. His central doctrine was the unity of God, and his most
important ritual the daily prayers. Fasts, alms, pilgrimage and
belief in Muhammad as the Prophet of God were the main
pillars of the faith. On the social side its most impressive
feature was the assertion of the equality and brotherhood of
Muslims and hence the absence of a priestly class. The
doctrine of the unity of God implied complete rejection of
the worship of deities or the adoration of idols. The charac-
teristics of the Muslim religious consciousness were vivid
realisation of the ever present nearness and all-encompassing
power of God, lively dread of the awful consequences of dis-
obedience to His will, and a feeling of profound submission
and entire dependence on His mercy and grace ; altogether*
a consciousness of calm and stern resignation.

Within a short period after the death of the Prophet hia
simple faith had begun to branch out into sects and systems
under the pressure of life and logic. Politics was the cause of
the first divisions. The sects of the Kharijia, ShVah, Murjia and
Qddiriya were the earliest to make their appearance. The
ShVahw who soon spread into Persia had a most luxuriant
growth of fantastic systems of great interest. The extreme
S/ii'ahs known as the Ghulat*^ had doctrines curio'isly resemblirg
those found in Hinduism. For example, they believed in excess
(ghuluv) and defect (taqmr), by the former of which they meant
that man might be raiaed to the position of God and by the
latter that God xrl^hn be reduced to the status of man. As a
consequence of these doctrines they raised their leader and
preceptor to the position of divinity. Then they believed that
God could pass into human form (fiu/uQ and also in the doctrine
of metempsychosis {tanaml^), of an anthropomorphic God

fl^E. C. Browne: Lttemiy Hbtory of PerMSt Vol. I, p. 3tO \ Vol. Il«

52 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

{iaahblh), of change in <livine purpose {bida), and of the return
of the Imam {raja). These extreme sects w«re known by
various names, Khurwniyah in Isfahan, Qudiyyah in Ray,
Mazdaqiyah and Sindbadiyah in Azarbaijan, Mahammirah (red-
robed ones) and Mubayyazah (white-robed ones) in
Transox^ana. But of peculiar interest among them were the
* Ali-Ilahiyas^ who seemed to have come into existence early
In Islamic history. They were setded in Persia and India
and came under the notice of the author of DabiBtani-Mazabib .

The 'Atfllahiyaa were an extreme ShVah sect who believed
in the divinity of *Ali. They did not go to mosques, did not
recognize ritual uncleanliness, did not permit polygamy or
divorce, and allowed men and women to dance together in
weddings. TTiey believed in five emanations from God which
took part in the creation of the universe. They held a communion
(khidmat) which consisted in sharing and eating in common
sugar-candy or a sacrificed sheep or, on solemn occasions, a
bull. According to them man was swayed by two forces, reason
i'aql) and lust (nafa). Their order had a hereditary head (pff).
who was assisted by a conductor of ritual ceremonies (khadim
or JelfO and by a representative {khatifa) who distributed
portions of the meal of communion. The poet Al Sayyid a)
Himyarf^ (723 — 789 A.D.) was claimed by them as belontging to
their sect.

There were others among Shi' aha who refused to believe
in the open meaning of the Qoran and who interpreted it
allegorically. To them prayer meant supplication to the Jmam,
charity {zakot) donation to the Imam, and pilgrimage (hafi visit
to the Imam,^

The ShVaha, whether of extreme or moderate parties* held
one cardinal tenet, that of the Imdmaie ; for Shiiam centres

QPalton: Shfahs. £.FtE. Encydopmlta ol laUm : *Ait Oihiym.
G>tel>tooke : On tKe Origin and Peoi&ur Teneftt ol Cert^n
MuKanintadan Sects. Asiatic Reaearehet, Vol. HI, p. S3ft tf.
7 Bfockeiiiimiin : Ge«^hiclile der Ar«bi«diefi Littevatttf, p. 75.
t « Fd«(U«ita« : Hetefodoaue* of Sliike*. J. A.O«$., Ho«« aacviU. am) *<3tix.

MYSTiCISM IN ISLAM 55

religious authority in an inspired person whose presence is the
only true guarantee of right guidance. The Imim orig'nally had
two functions, the one of leading in prayer and the second of
ruling the Muslim community ; but the death of 'All and his
sons Hasan and Husain extinguished the hope of political
dominion. ** The ShVaha made the best of necessity and ga e
themselves now to an ambition for religious leadership. The
representatives of the house of *AIi became the indispensable
heads of Islam* the I mama of the believers,"** His claim was
twofold, the right by virtue of inheritance, and ** the further
claim that the celestial light substance which was lodged in
Muhammad was likewise received into the souls of the Imams
in succession.'**** The Imams were infallible and sinless, and,
because of the light within them, incorruptible and immortal.
** The extreme sect of the ShVahs exaggerated the enduement
of the Imams and claimed that some or all of them were of
divine nature or incarnate manifestations of God, On this
belief they offered to them divine honours.'*** According to
Nicholson, ** the notion of Theios anthropos (of the Hellenist)
passed over into Islam through the Shiites and became
embodied in the Imam, regarded as the living representative of
God and as a semi-divine personality on whom the world
depends for its existence. '**2

From such early Shiite sects grew the later Seveners'' and
Twelvers.*^ The founder of this first was * Abd allah ibn
Maymun, a refined Persian sceptic whose aim was the overthrow
of Arab supremacy. The number seven had a mystic significant^
in his System. He taught tfiat there were seven propheti who

sPatton: Op. cit.

loibia.

ulbul.

12 NkhoUon : Shidiei in Stlamie Myitlct«n, Pffefac«, vi.

isE. G. Bfowiie: Op. cit.. Vol. 1, p. 130 f. ; Vd. \h p. m C

«Bloc)i«t : Le mewiamvme dan* VhMtoAtme mvmdmmwt.

54 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Kad seven helpers, and that l>etween each prophet and his sue*
cesser there were seven ImamSf he himself being the last and
greatest* of all. In his metaphysics God was an absolute being
who had no attributes and no name* He was the Pre-existent
One, and from His thought emanated the second being or God
who created and governed the world. In these two beingSt one
without attribute and the other with attributes, there is close
analogy to the Brahman and livara of the Hindu systems.

The Prophet was the hypostasis of the Divinity, an
emanation some degrees removed from the Creator ; in fact all
living beings formed a chain of such emanations from the
Pre-existent, their only difference being their distance from Him.
Hence all would ultimately return to Him after an indefinite
number of hypostases. The initiate in the order passed through
various stages with the help of his teacher till he attained the
station of the Prophet.

The Karmathians were a branch of the hmailians
(Seveners) who separated from the parent sect in 890 A.D.

The Twelvers (A»na ' A^hariyd) believe in twelve Imama,
descendants of *Ali, the last of whom was Muhammad ibn
Hasan who disappeared in 873 A.D. and whose return is
expected. The Safvids who conquered Persia in 1502 A.D.
belonged to this sect.

Besides these were the Assassins whose stronghold was
Alamut and Masyaf in SyrCa and who were stamped out by
Hulau ; also the FdtimideSf the Druze» and the Nuuiitis,

Of still greater importance were the developments in other
sects, which were mainly divided oh theological grounds. The
questions which agitated the minds of Muslim theologians
related principally to the nature of God, His relation to creation.
His relation to man, the nature of soul and the nature of the
knowledge of God. The most influential among the early sects
were the Muiuztditet, the rationalists of Islam.^^

n GoiatiKor : FodeMmgen ilW itm y«nw trantlirtad by F«lijt Agiu.
« Chmpm lU. «

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 55

They were the successors of the Qddirites who believed in
the freedom of will, and the first to employ philosophy in
religious discussions. The Mutazalitea were originally a group
of ascetics who lived in retirement and who gave an impetus to
the movement which gathered round itself the rationalists of
Islam. They also had a close connection with the Shiite$ who
had an intellectual affinity with them J**

The founder of the school was Wasil bin *Ata. a pupil of
the famous teacher Abul Hasan Basri who seceded from his
master and earned the name by which his followers became
famous. The other noted leaders were Amir ibn Ulbsid
(d. 144 A.H.). Abul Hudhail (d. 226 A.H.K An-NawSm
(d. 231 A.H.), Bishr ibn Mu*tamir (contemporary of Al Rashid),
Abu ' Ubaida Ma'mar (d. 210 A.H,), Thumama ibn Ashras (d.
213 A.H.), Al Jahiz (d. 255 A.H.), Al Khaiyat (d. 230 A.H.).
Al Zubair (d. 303 A.H.).

The general tendency of the Mutaz{f^ite$ was to turn from
the objective and external standards of truth to a subjective,
critical, even sceptical attitude of mind. Naturally tbey made
reason {*aql) the chief source of religious knowledge. The
point of view which dominated their theological reasoning was
to purify the monotheistic idea of all the obscurities and deform-
ations which it had acquired in popular belief, both in ethCcs
and in metaphysics. Like Sankara they combated vigorously for
the monistic conception of God. In this they had to fight
against the anthropomorphists who pointed to the passages of
the Qor5n and the Hadis which have anthropomorphic
tendencies. These passages were explained by them according
to their own methods of interpretation {t'mwtl). Then they had
to fight those who held that God possessed the attrtk^es of
kno^edge, power and so forth. The attribution of eternal
qualities to God was to admit pluralsty, to admit die eKtslence
ol other etemab bemdm Ae one eternal God. like the Hindu
montsu* Abul Hudhail held that Cod was knowing* powerlul*

tsAndr 'AH: MulxnimaitMi htm. Vol. II, Intfodoctioii.

56 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

loving, but his knowledge, power and love constituted His very
essence (dhdi), that God*s qualities could only be described in
negatives, and that they existed only e^s hypostases of the divine
essence. In the hands of Ma*mar ibn *Abbad this unity of God
became merely an abstract possibility of which nothing could
be predicated, hence God became imknowable. The disciples
of Nazzam took the next step forward and recognized besides
the absolute God who was unpred: cable, the contingent God
who was creator and ruler.

With regard to creation Abul Hudhail taught that creation
meant change, and annihilation repose, and that they alternated
eternally. Others held that creation was the actualisation of pre-
existing potentialities or the manifestation of what was hidden.
An-Nazzam established the idea of law, and of the gradual
evolution of the world from the pre-existent immanifest state in
accordance with an internal necessity. Thus, in relation to the
universe, God was an efficient cause oijy ; the universe
followed its own immutable law.

The ^ outstai)ding characteristic of Mutazala metaphysics
was unity and that of their ethics, justice. The idea of justice
for them was all-comprehensive, so that even God could not
conceivably transcend it ; even His power was limited by the
exigencies of justice. It followed from this that as God had
created man for his good, Ct was necessary for Him to send
His prophets to guide man and instruct him in His ways, so
that divine grace was obPgatory (/uf/ wdjib) ; hummi welfare
demanded that it should be necessary. Another important
consequence of the principle was that good and evil were
determined not by the arbitrary vail of God, but according to
an absolute standard — the law of the categorical tmperarive
which bound God Himself.

Man*s will was free and hence the responmbiUty of choosing
good or evil rested on him, and, according as he chcxse one qr
the other* he merited punishment or reward. The Mit'ldxaltW
view of life was tinged with ascetidsm. M^fUSi in pr^img
their ideas quotes 'Amir ibn *Ubaid*s words. }^ said* ** Dewo

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 57

blinds man» and death separates him from his hopes. The world
is a station where the voyager camps but for a moment and
then goes away. Its pleasures are woes, its anares are fatal,
its serenity agitation and its kingdom revolution. The qxiiet of
man is disturbed by perpetual alarms, both peace and unrest
are unreal, for death is man's end, who is the plaything of
adversity, the offspring of destiny. Let one fly to save himself
and there death is in ambuscade, let there be one false step and
there is a fall. Man exhausts himself, but his efforts benefit
only his inheritors and the tomb gathera the fruits of his
exertions.***"

Lastly, in regard to revelation they held that the Qordn was
not the eternal, uncreate, infallible word of God. Thus they
were upholders of a progressive revelation which is in consonance
with the growing needs of humanity.

The vigorous application of logic to theology led to the
formulation of an abstract, impersonal, absolute God, which
hardly fulfilled the two universal needs of man — dependence on
a power greater than his own, and devotion to a person or ideal
which evokes the deepest emotions of love. As a reaction
against MutazalUm these two tendencies already in existence
made vigorous headway, while two other tendencies — both
results of rationalism — ^made their appearance : that is. philoso*
phic speculation and agnosticism or downright atheism. Of the
first set of these tendencies the traditionalists and the jurists
were the chief represenUtives : the six celebrated collectors of
the sayings of the Prophet, and the four great lmam$ who
compiled the codes of laws. The ascendancy of the liberals
{Mutazaliiea) did not mean the triumph of liberty, for their
hand had fallen heavily upon their rivals and one of the most
respected of the jurisU. Ibn Hanbal, had to suffer the conse*
quences of his honesty and independence. It was only sn the
feign of Mutwakkil (847—61 A.D.) that the adherent* of the
old regime were able to raise their head.

• ' i

58 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Abul Hasan Al Ash'arP^ was the leader of this movement.
He was born in 873 A.D. (260 A,H.) and was descended from
Abu Musa, a respected compamon of the Prophet. He spent
the larger part of his life in Baghdad. He began as an adherent
of the Mu'tazalitca and for forty years remained with them. In
the end he quarrelled with his teacher jubbai on the question
of necessary grace, and after a short but sharp internal struggle
became a convert to traditionalist ideas. He publicly abjured
Mu'tazala and henceforth spent his whole energy in combating
heterodox views by public lectures and books. He died some
time between 931 and 941 A.D.

Ash*ari occupied a position midway between the extreme
absolutists, the Mu*tazalites, and the extreme anthropomor-
phists, the Muahabbihitea and Kharijites, He utilised the
dialectics of the MuUazala but combined it with ancient
traditions and thus established a new school of theology. His
view of God*s nature was different both from the impersonal
abstraction of the rationalists and from the gross realism of
the materialists. According to him, God possessed all good
qualities, but they did not bear any resemblance with human
qualities. I^milarly, with regard to matter, he conceded
existence to it and did not hold that existence was conferred
upon it by God, and with regard to human destiny and con-
duct he believed in the acqiiisition of grace by man*s own
effort, and in the intercession of the Prophet with God*s
permission.

Ash*ar!*s ideas were developed a century later by Baqillani
who died in 1012 A.D. and by the latter** successor a himdred
years after, Al Ghazali^* (1057—1112) who set the seal upon
Mudim the<dogy. He is regarded by the Muriims as their

iSMehren; £zpo«^ de k r^ornte de ri^Umttme eommenc^ ma
lUitem ti^e de TH^re p«r Abou44lMui *Alf £1 AtVwT. ThM
liiiem«tidfi«l Oiieiital Gon^rem. St. Peteribnrf ,

10 C»rr« ^ Vaiac, GKaiilf.

M«:do«iicl: ChmMm. J.A.O.S., Vol 20.
,, CUude FiM : Tb« Aldiemy ol Hspi^iieas.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 5»

greatest authority in theology, the Proof of islam (Hujiat-^al
laldm) ; Renan considered him ** the most original mind among
Arabian philosophers," and Tholuck's opinion of him was,
** this man, if ever any have deserved the name, was truly a
* divine.'

Ghazali was born ^| Tus. He early lost his father and
was brought up by a Sufi friend. He studied theology and
canon law, but soon broke away from authority and tradition
and then devoted himself to dialectics, logic, science, philosophy
and Sufism. The fame of his learning spread widely, and in
1085 he was appointed by Nizam-ul-Mulk to the Niz&mia
academy at Baghdad. Ten years later he was struck with a
mental malady and was obliged to leave Baghdad. He became
a sceptic and lost all faith in religion. Out of h!s doubts he
was lifted fay his mystic experiences, and then abandoning
reason he came to rely upon mysticism. He rejected the
teaching of the traditionists because it appeared to him childish,
but he found no satisfaction in scholasticism (W^m), nor in
science or philosophy. The only true way of knowledge was
through ecstasy and direct intuition. Therefore he devoted
himself to mystical exercises in retirement from the world and
at last acquired the peace of mind which he desired. In 1106,
he was appointed to the academy of Nishapur, but he soon
left it, and went back to Tus where he established a school
and a monastery (khdnqah). Here he wrote his book in
refutation of philosophy (Tihajatul FUsafa), and here in 1112
he died.

Ghazali made important contributions to Islamic theology.
In the theory of knowledge he discarded, as above stated, the
ultimate authority of reason, and made direct realisation (the
Samadhi of Hindus) the proof of reli^on. Like the Hindu
philosophers, he, argued that through ordinary means of know-
ledge man can know only the nslative, and, as God is absolute*
he cannot gain any positive knowledge of His qualities or
nature. He must therefore depend upon revelation— P«>phetic
or personal— ^o obtain that knowledge. He further taui^*

60 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

that it was possible to know God because God*s nature was
not different in essence from that of man, and that the human
soul partook of the divine and would after death return to its
divine source.

On the plane of the relative he accepted the teaching of
science concerning the universe, although he maintained that
behind the order of nature lay the Absolute Being whose will
dominated all. The universe existed in three modes — the world
of sense or change (*alam'ul-mul]^, the world of power (alam"
ul^abrat), and the world of eternal repose ('dlam-ul'malakut)*
The three worlds were not discrete in time and space but were
modes of existence like the ideas of Plato.

Ghazali completed the circle in which philosophic specula*
tion ever moves. The Muiazala had started the circle by
making reason the arbiter in religion, but the pitiless course of
their own log^c led to its final dethronement at the hands of
Ash*arT and Ghazali. Outside the ranks of the dialecticians
the movement of speculation ran into several channels.
Scholastic rationalism branched off into atheism, or rather
scepticism, into pure philosophy, and into a complete denial
of intellectualism, that is, mysticism.

Hie sceptics and atheists were usually found among the
poets, the scientists and others who had all come under the
influence of Persian and Indian thought. The names of the
early sceptics have been enumerated by Jahiz (869 A.D.) and
their doctrines noted by Tabari. Ibn Harm (d. 1064 A.D.)
and Ghazali have attempted to classify them. They generally
deny the existence of a persona] God, and an immortal soul,
show contefnpt for the prophets and for religious ordinances,
and believe in the eternity of the universe, or in the eternity
of two or three principles.^**

The Caliph Yazfd (d. 744 A.D.) was reckoned among them,
the poets Abu Tammam (d. 846 A.D.) and Mutnabbi (d. %5
A.D.) were suspected of sceptic leanings, but of course the

s^Mttrgoiiott^: AcKeiats ol hlwii, E.R.E.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 61

greatest of them all were Abul *Ala al Ma*arri (d. 1057) and
'Umar Khayyam.

Regarding Abul 'Ala, the translator of his Dfwan. Henry
Baerlein. fiteys, he *' was not merely saddened by the
politics and the religion of the period : his meditations had been
most profound ; they had been influenced by Buddha/**^ Abul
*Ala was a believer in trasmigration. a rigid vegetarian who
disapproved of the use of milk, honey and leather, and had a
tender regard for animal life, an abstemious ascetic in his
clothing and food, a recluse, an upholder of celibacy. Yet he
was one of the greatest of Arab poets, a deeply learned scholar
who gathered round him hundreds of students from all lands,
and a kindly helper to those who stood in need of his aid.
Abul *Ala was a foe of external piety and formal religion, for
he sang :

Abandon worship in the mosque and shrink
From idle prayer, from sacrificial sheep.
For Destiny will bring the bowl of sleep
Or bowl of tribulation — ^you shall drink Z-^-
and again.

So, there are many ways and many traps

And many guides, and which of them is lord)

For verily Mahomet has the sword.

And he may have the truth — ^perhaps ! perhaps !^*

and with regard to prophets and paradise,

** There is no God save Allah ! " — that is true.
Nor is there any prophet save the mind
Of man who wanders through the dark to iind
The para<Use that is in me and you.''^^

21 Baerktn : Abul ^AUU tho SyrUui, p. 19.

S2 6Mffletii : DMin of Abu! *Ali, Poem No* 1.

SS fbia,. Poem No. 35.

9* Ibki. Poem No. SI. •

62 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

His view of the world is that it is illusory,

Perchance the world is nothing, is a place
Of dream, and what the dreamland people say
We sedplously note, and we and they
May be the shadows of a shining race.-'*

And he is a confirmed pessimist, who revels in pain and finds
in it man's opportunity to live nobly.

We suffer — that we know, and that is all

Our knowledge. If we recklessly should strain

To sweep aside the solid rocks of pain.

Then would the domes of love and courage fall.^**

* Umar Khayyam is so well known that it is hardly necessary
to do more than just mention him.

The philosophers of IslamS^—Al-Kindi, Farabi (d. 950 A.D.),
the Brothers of Purity (Ikhwan-us-Safa), Ibn Maskawaih and
Ibn STna (d. 1036 A.D.) in the east, and Ibn Baja (d. 1 138 A.D.),
Ibn Tufail (d. 1 185) and Ibn Rushd (d. 1 198) in the west, do
not need extended notice. Their metaphysical systems were
largely based on Greek philosophy and exerted influence in
India only in so far as they became part of Sufi thought. It is,
however, interesting to note that Al-Nadim obtained information
about Indian religious sects for his Fihrist from a treatise compil-
ed by Al-Kindi, who ii\ his t\im depended on the account of an
envoy sent by Yahiya ibn Khalid, the Barmekide, to India.
Farabi was an encyclopaedic writer, for besides logic and
metaphysics he wrote on ethics, politics, and music. He
attempted to combine the systems of I^ato and Aristotle, and
his logic became the basis of Ibn Sma** philosophy. Ibn Sina
shares with Ghazali ax|d Ibn Rushd the prerraer position among
the Muslim thinkers. His canon is almost die last word on

SS6M»rlein : Dfwin ol Alnil *Ali, Poem ^4a. %.
S« md„ Poem No. 71.
27 Boer : History o( Miislim PbiloMpKy.
V Iqbil : Development of Metapbyiiet Ut Penia.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 63

Muslim medicine, and in philosophy he is unsurpassed for the
penetrating keenness of his mind and the subtlety of his thought.

The philosophers introduced neo-Platonic ideas of emana-
tion into Muslim thought and sowed the seeds whose intellectual
harvest was gathered by the Sufia. If Ghazali starting from
dogma landed into my^icism, Ibn Sfna whose point of departure
was Greek philosophy reached the same destination. He held
that reason was of value in science only, but beyond reason
was intuition which gave a simpler, more direct, and more
adequate knowledge of the absolute truth. His metaphysics
served as grist to the Sufistic mill, for he conceived of the ultimate
reality as eternal beauty, whose nature being self -expression, it
saw itself reflected in the universe-mirror. This self-expression
is love, for love is appreciation of the beauty which is perfec-
tion. Love is thus the moving energy of the world, it makes
beings strive after their original perfection from which in creation
they have travelled away, and it is by love that the human soul
realises its unity with the ultimate reality.

Every avenue of thought thus led to Sufism, whether it was
Mutazalah dialectics, orthodox scholasticism or pure philosophy.
Apparently the causes of such a convergence were not merely
logical necessity, there were deeper social causes — among others
the exhaustion of the energy which had led to the establishment
of a world-wide empire, and the rise of the nationalistic spirit
which brought about the downfall of the Abbaside Caliphate.
Their result in the domain of thought is clear : from the twelfth
century onwards the sway of Sufi$m becomes increamngly
dominant over the Muslim mind ; literature, philosophy and
religion become all subject to its sovereign power.

It is time then to turn back and trace the beginning and
gradual development of Sufi tendencies in Islam.

Sufi»m is a complex phenomenon ; it is like a stream which
S^thers volume by the joining of tributaries from many lands.
Its original source is the Qoran and the life of Muhammad.
Christianity and neo-Plalomsm swelled it by a large coontribu-
tton. Hinduism and Buddhism supplted a number of tdefts,%nd

64 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

the religions of ancient Persia ZorooBtrianiam, Manism, etc*,
brought to it their share.

Muhammad was a mystic, and the mystical note sounds
clearly in the utterances of the Qordn.^s ^hc Mecca Suras
mainly and the Medina Suras occasionally are charged with deep
religious devotion and ascetic feeling. They teach absolute
dependence and renunciation. God is spoken of as the light
of the heavens and earth. ^® God says concerning the believers,
** He loves them and they love Him '*^^ and therefore He
bears the beautiful name of lover (wudud).^^ Again, the Qoran
says, ** TTiose who walk meekly on the earth, and when the
ignorant speak to them answer ' Peace ' shall be rewarded
with the highest place in Paradise. '*^2 Then from the earliest
times there were among Muslims the devotees who were
continually engaged in reading the Qoran, and the penitents
(Bakk^dun)^^ who kept fasts and made orisons. In spite of
Muhammad* s insistence upon moderation, asceticism and
abstinence were regarded as specially commendable by those
called ZahiJ (abstainers) and 'Ubbad (servants), whose motto
was ' flee from the world ' (al-firar min aUduniya). These
ascetics developed the ordinary rites by works of supereroga-
tion, their prayers were more numerous and more highly
spiritualised, their fasts more continuous and severer. Natur-
ally their ethics and mode of living were held up as an example
of saintly life, and their services utilised in roles of preachers,
arbiters, ambassadors and leaders.^^

When the Muslims came into contact with the Christians
these tendencies were accentuated — ^in liturgical matters,

SSQorin, xxiv, 35 (Ro<lw«U*t translatton, p. 446).

29 Ibid., I. 15 (tt>ia.. p. 92).

ao Ibid.. V. 59 (Ibid., p. 492).

SI Ibid., bnv. 14 (Ibia., p. 43).

as Ibid., sxv, 64 (Ibid., p. 163),

»» GokbUier : Op. cit. Chap. IV. ^

i84 M«r«olsoudi : Ewrly Development of Mnbaimaftdwit^m, Lectute V.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 65

meditation and repetition of God's name and player (dhikr) ;
and in ethical, complete detachment from affairs of personal
interest, utter dependence upon God {taWakk^l), rejection of
material goods (fuqr), indifference towards suffering or sick-
ness, praise or blame. Abu 'Abdullah al Harith al-Muhasibi
(d. 857-58), who is the earliest Sufi author whose work is pre-
served, shows evident traces of the use of the Christian
Gospels, one of his works beginning with the Parable of the
Sower and another being an expansion of the Sermon on the
Mount.^^

The neo-Platonists strengthened the feeling of contempt for
the world and supported the leanings towards divine life by
their doctrines of emanation and of dynamic pantheism. The
neO'Platonic ideas passed into Islam when, in the beginning of
the ninth century, Greek works were translated into Arabic.'*^

The third foreign source of Muslim mysticism was Indian.
It has been pointed out in an earlier chapter that India and the
Persian Gulf had a close commercial intercourse ; with trade,
undoubtedly, ideas were exchanged. It stands to reason that if
things of material use like Indian steel and sword^' and Indian
gold and precious stones, ^'^ and if things of artistic value like the
pointed arch and the bulbous dome.^** reached Persia and Iraq,
Indian philosophical ideas should have travelled there too. Many
Indians held posts in the financial department at Basra under ^
the early Umayyads^^; the Caliph Muawiya is reported to have

35 Margoliouth : Notice of the Wntingt of Abu *Al>dail«h ai Hirith
Bin A«ad ai-MuhS«ibT. Transactions of the Third International Congrett
for the History of Religions, 1908.

86 Nicholson : A Historical Enquiry G>ncemiiig the Origin and
Development of Sufism, J.R.A.S., 1906.

37 Brockclmann : 'Uyun al AkhbSr, p. 119. I. 3.

3S Margoliouth : Table Talk of a Mesopotamian Judge, p. 189.
SsRivoira: Muslim Architecture, pp. 152, 153.

ClHMsy : Histmre de Tarchitecture, Vol. II« pp. 92, 102.
40 Jean Perier : Vie a*al VUAidjmdi ihn Yilsuf, p. 249. ^ *

66 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

planted a colony of them in S3rria speciaUy Antioch,*^ and Hajjaj
to have established them in Kashgar.*^ ** The black-eyed and
olive-complexioned Hindus were brushing their shoulders*^
against those of the Muslims in the cities of the Caliphate. The
eastern dominions of the empire, that is, Khorasan, Afghanistan,
Sistan and Baluchistan were Buddhist or Hindu before they
were converted. Balkh had a large monastery (Vihara) whose
superintendent was known as the Baramak. His descendants
became the famous Barmakide Vizirs of the Abbaside Caliphs.*^

Then the Arabs familiarised themselves from early times
with Indian literature and sciences. They translated Buddhist
works in the second century of the Hijra, for instance, Kitabcd"
Bud, and ' Bildwhar wa Buddsif *^^; treatises on astronomy and
medicine called ' Sindhind ' (Siddhdnta) and ' Skashrud *
(Susritta) and Sirak (CharakaY^; story books like Kalilah Damnah
(Panchatantra) and Kitab Sindbdd*"'; ethical books of Shanaq
{Chdriakya) and Bidpa {HitopadesaY^; and treatises on logic^**
and military science. ^*^

They were exceedingly keen on informing themselves of the
customs, manners, sciences and religions of the people with
whom they came into contact. Al-Kindi wrote a book on Indian
religions, Sulaiman and Mas*udi collected information in their
travels which they used in their writings. Al-Nadim.'^^

41 Jean Perier : Op. cit.

42 Ibid., p. 249.
4S Ibia.. p. 252.

44 NicholBon : A Literary History of tKc Arabs, p. 259.

45 Duka : Influence of Buddhism upon Islam, a Summary of Goldziher*t
Paper, J.R.A.S.. 1904.

4« Fluegel : Fihrist.

47 Ibid.

48 Ibid.

49 lUd.
$0 Ibid.
51 Ibid.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM * 67

Al-Ash'arr,^2 Al-Biriini.'*'* Shahrastani^^ and many others devot-
ed chapters in their books to describe and discuss Indian
religious and philosophic systems.

Tlie legend of Buddha entered into Muslim literature as the
type of the saintly man, and Muslim hagiologists assimilated the
stories of Ibn Adham to the Buddhist legend.^'' Indian ascetics
travelling in pairs and staying not more than tv^o nights at one
place were directly known to the Muslim adepts, who took from
them their fourfold vows—of cleanliness, purity, truth and
poverty — and the use of the rosary. '^^

What wonder then that the conception of NirvSf^, the
discipline of the eightfold path, the practice of Yoga and the
acquaintance of miraculous powers were appropriated in Islam
under the names of Fand, Tarlqa or Saluk* Maraqabah and
Karamat or M'ujiza,^'^

Two periods may be distinguished in the history of SufUm,
TTie first from the earliest times to the beginning of the ninth
century, and the second from the ninth century onwards ; during;
the first period, Sufiam was merely tendencious and possessed
no system ; during the second, it develop>ed metaphysical
systems and the organization of monastic orders.

The leaders of saintly life in the first period were ascetics,
quietists and recluses. Kufa and Basra were their two
main centres. The name Sufi was first applied to Abu Hashim
of Kufa"'^ who died in 778 A.D. But the Sufi writers include

62 Mehren ; Op. cit.. p. 192.

53 Sachau : Al-Btruni'i India.

54 Rehataek : Op. cit.

55 GoltbtiKcr : Op. cit.. Chap. W.

56 Ibid.

57 Ibid.

Dtika : Op. cit.
• 58 E. G. Browne : Literary Htttory of PerMA, Vd, I, p. 296. ^

68 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

among the early mystics*** Imam Ja*far Sadiq (d. 765 A.D.)t
Hasan al Basri (d. 728 A.D.). Uwais al Qarani (fl. Ist cent. A.D.).
E)aud al-Tal (d. 781 A.D.); Shaqiq Balkhi (d. 810 A.D.). Ibrahim
ibn Adham (d. 777 A.D.); Rabi'a al * Adawiya (d. 753 A.D.).
Habib 'Ajmi (d. 899 A.D.). Abu Hanifa N uman (d. 768 A.D.).
al-Kharraz (pupil of Hasan), Fuijayl ibn 'Ayaz (d. 803 A.D.).

The chief characteristic of their belief was the submission
of human will to God. TTiey were seekers more of piety and
other- worldliness than of divine knowledge, they had an
exaggerated consciousness of sin and an overwhelming dread of
divine retribution, yet they had early developed emotional and
ecstatic features and they negated the externalia of religion.

Among Rabi*a al * Adawiya *s sayings there are many which
show emotional tendencies. For instance, ** Consume with fire,
O God, a (presumptuous) heart which loveth Thee.****** ** I
reserve my heart for Thy converse, (O Lord !) and leave my
body to keep compan>' with those who desire my society. My
body is thus the companion of the visitor, but my dearly
beloved is the companion of my heart.* ***^ She is reported
to have said that the love of God had so taken possession of
her soul that there was no room left even for the love of the
Prophet, much less of hatred for the devil.®^ The fear of
death and of the day of judgement was expressed in many
ways. Rabi*a says, ** O my soul I how long wilt thou
sleep to rise no more, till the call shall summon thee on the day
of resurrection.**^^

^0 NicKolaon : A Historical Enquiry.

E. G. Browne : Literary History, Vol. I.

«0 £>e Slane : Ibn Khallikan, Vol. I, p. 515.

61 lUd.. p. 516.

«2 E. G. Browne : Literary History, Vol. I, p. 299.

63 NicKobon : ICaskful MaKj&b. p. 91.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 69

Uwais Qaranl speaking to Harun ibn Haso^Sn said, ** my
father died, Adam and Eve died, Noah and Abraham died,
Moses, son of Amran died, David, Giliph of God, died, Muham*
mad, the prophet of God, died, Abu Bakr, his Caliph, died, my
brother 'Umar died, and my friend died . . . and this is my last
advice to thee, keep always before thee the Book of God and
the path of the righteous, and do not for a moment allow thy-
self to become heedless of death/'®*

The second period of Sufiim began in the ninth century ;
the calm monotheistic quietism of the first, having absorbed
ShVah theories and foreign notions, blossomed out in surprise
ingly short time into full-fledged pantheistic mysticism. The
Sufia of the period fall into several groups, men of similar tem-
peraments clustering together round some pious leader. These
groups eventually evolved several orders and different systems,
according to the differences of emphasis on particular doctrines,
details of organization, and philosophical schemes. In this
manner arose the early schools*^^ which Hujwirl has described
fully. Among them were the followers of Muhasibi who has
been mentioned above as a writer of Christian tendencies :
opposed to them were the QaasarU or MalamatU who pushed
detachment from the world to extremes and voluntarily sought
the contempt of men. The followers of Junaid of Baghdad
were prudent and sober ; they condemned formalism and
preached a religion of sincerity. The SahtiB laid emphasis on
self --mortification. Abu Sa*id Kharraz was the first to explain
the states of annihilarion {f^na^ and subsistence (bdqro). Lastly,
there were the extreme Sufia who held the doctrines of incarna-
tion (hululj, commixture (imfizo/) and transmigration of spirits
(naakh-i-arwdh).

But the man who produced the greatest stir in the Islamic
world by the boldness of his doctrines was Husain bin Mansiii

S4NtcholMm: TadKkimMil.Auliyi, pp. 20, 2t.
65 Nichoboo : Ka^fnt h/Uh'^,

70 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

al-HallaJ.^^ His theories were later worked up in the systems
of Ibn al Arabi and 'Abdul Karim jili and in the poetry of ibn al
Faridh and Abu Sa'id Ibn Abul Khair and their influence spread
to far off countries including India. Ghazah, Hujwirl and
*Attar attempted to reconcile him to orthodoxy. The story of
Mansur*8 life is well known. He started his career as an ordi-
nary Sufi under the guidance of such well-known Shaikhs (pre-
ceptors) as Tushtari and Junaid. But afterwards he threw away
the 5u^ garments and put on worldly clothes. He began to
preach as an apostle of God and offended the Juriata — ^for
apostleship was a breach of traditions-Hind the government,
because it savoured of Shi 'ah legitimisn^. He travelled about
in many lands* among them India, and thrice visited Mecca. At
last his activities became so obnoxious that he was arrested.
He was kept in prison for a long time, was tortured and at last
executed in 922 A.D. As Kablr, Dadu, Nanak and other
Indian saints used the language of Mualim Sufism, it is necessary
to briefly explain Mansur*s mystical system, for his terms be-
came the current coinage of Sufism,

Before creation, God was in His unity, holding ineffable
discourse with Himself and contemplatir^g the splendour of His
own essence, and this radical simplicity of His admiration is
Love, * 'which in His essence is the essence of essence,'* beyond
all modelisations in attributes, in His perfect isolation {infirad)
God was illuminated by Love, and from this illumination came
the multiplicity of His attributes and names. Then in order to
see His supreme joy He projected out of the pre-etemal {axal^
an image of Himself, that is, of His attributes and names. This
was Adam. Thus the absolute God in His divinity (Idhut) became
in Adam God in Humanity (ndsui), Mansur conceived of the
relation of God with man as the infusion of the divine into the

6Q Mawtgnon : Kttib Tiwal Sin.

MMsignon : Ui pttwion ()*A1-Hftlkdj et Tofilre det HBlUd^O^
M^l«>m«» H. DerenlxMirg. 1909.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 71

human soul ; in Hindu terms, the illumination of buddhi by
Puruia. The divine spirit produces the illumination where* ** I
ibecome that which I love, and that which I love becomes mine.
We are two spirits, infused in one body, to see me is to see Him,
to see Hi'm is to see us.*'*^" Apparently Mansur was not a
thorough-going monist in spite of his declaration ** I am God "
(anal Haq), for according to him there was still some difference
of level or potential between the Absolute and His image.

Qushairi (d. 1072) introduced into Sufi thought the neo*
Platonic idea of creation by intermediary agencies, and Ibn Sina
the conception of ultimate reality as eternal beauty. seeit\g its
reflection in the universe-mirror. Thus the idea that God was
both transcendent and immanent grew, and from the pantheistic
view it followed that all * otherness ' was mere illusion, and the
feeling of separateness was due to ignorance, which could only
be dissipated by knowledge. This school^^^ had three basic
idea»~4n the first place, the ultimate reality was knowledge
through a supersensual state of consciousness ; secondly, the
ultimate reality was impersonal ; and thirdly, the ultimate reality
was one.

There were many other schools of mystic speculation, but
two are of special importance : those who regarded the ultimate
reality as light (ntir), and those who regarded it as thought. The
chief exponent of the first was Shaikh Shahab uddin Suhrawardi
(d. 1209), and of the second Ibn al *Arabi (d. 1241) and his
commentator 'Abdul Karim Jill (d, 1406). Shahsb-Uddin^*
began his studies at Maragha and then migrated to Aleppo
The independence of his thought made him suspect in the eyes
of the authorities. He was denounced by the Qazis and executed
by the order of Saladin. He wrote a number of works on what
is called Hikrnai al Ishrdq (illuminative philosophy). The chain

67 MttMignon : 0|». ctt.

o« IqUI : Op, irtt.

#sCftmi Se Vmtn: Lft pl^oiophk UhimbMittvs 4*s|Xf^ SuhtA^wwrd)^
MmfiSi. J^ A., 1902.

72 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

of ideas links him with Plotiniis» M*ani, and 21oroa8ter. In his
philosophy the ultimate principle of all existense is Ldght (Nar^"
Qdhir), whose essential nature consists in perpetual illumination.
This light is self -existent, self -manifesting, indefinable. Not-
light is its negation and is necessary for its manifestation. Not-
light like the Indian Maya is non-existent. Light is the source of
existence. It has two kinds of illuminations. First, the abstract,
which is without form or limitation and is not an attribute of any
other silbstance. Its essence is consciousness or knowledge. It
is the principle of universal intellect and of its distant reflection,
the individual intellect. Secondly, the accidental, which has
form and which is capable of becoming an attribute. It is a
reflection of the abstract light and is contingent upon it.

To not-light, which is the principle of absolute matter, two
kinds of material beings belong — (I) the obscure substance or
atom which is beyond space, and (2) the forms which are
necessarily in space. Tliese two give rise to all material bodies.

From the abstract Light to material bodies the whole universe
is a continuous series of circles of substance all depending on
the Original Light. Those near the source receive more light
than those that are distant, and all strive to move towards the
original fountain of Light with the intense passion and eternal
attraction of Love. TTius the universe lives in and moves by
Love.

The human soul is the highest dwelling place of the abstract
illumination, which enters the body of man which is composed
of not-light, through the medium of the aninud soul which is
midway between not-light and light. The human soul longs for
greater and greater illumination in order to gain complete
freedom from the world of form or not-Ii^^t ; this i» realised
through knowledge and action.

The human soul has five external and five internal senses

which belong to the power of light ; and it has faculties or

functions like growth, assimilation, digestion, which belong to

Hhe power of not-light. They together form the unity of the

organism, they are associated with abstract iUmninaticm wm the

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 73

enlightened but passive Ptxruia is associated with the blind but
active manas. There are three constituents of the human soul
(manas'=^* aql) — (1) reason or intelligence (saftoa), (2) courage
and ambition (rajas), and (3) lust, hunger and passion (iamus).
The harmonisation of the three results in justice which is the
highest virtue.

The individual soul is ever progressive. It strives unceasing-
ly for total illumination and final absorption. Death does not end
its strivings. When the material machinery which it adopts in
one life is exhausted it takes up another body and rises higher
and higher in different spheres of Being until it reaches its
destination, which is the state of absolute annihilation Han^,

When all the souls which are journeying towards their
common source have reached their goal the universe is dissolved
and then another cycle of creation follows, similar to the first
one ; and so cycles of absorption and evolution continue.

The spiritual goal of man is enlightenment. He has to tread
the path of saintship in order to attain it. On the path are
stations, five of which may be distinguished. First is the stage
of * // feeling of personality and selfishness ; second of * Thou
art not* complete absorption in self ; third of * / am not* a
reaction of the second ; fourth of * Thou art,* complete resig-
nation to God ; and the fifth of ' / am not, and thou art not,*
cosmic consciousness, annihilation of distinctions of subject
and object.

Ibn al * Arabs (d. 1241)"^ is one of the greatest authorities on
Sufi philosophy. He regarded both nature and man as the
mirrors which displayed Cod Himself. ** God manifests Himself
in every atom of creation ; He is revealed in every intelligible
object and concealed from every intelligence except the
intelligence of those who say that the universe is His form and
ipweity (surah wa huwayah), inasmuch as He stanck in the same
relation to phenomenal objects as the spirit to the body.^^

70 Nidu^ton : Tsrjmniii^Asliw&q.

74 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Regarding the relation of God and man he says, ** man is the
form of God. and God is the spdrit of man.**^'-^ By means of
man God beholds the objects which He has created. ** Man
is the substance of every attribute wherewith he endows God ;
when he contemplates God he contemplates himself, and God
contemplates Himself when He contemplates man.'**'*

Attairunent of the knowledge of God was the only end of
inan, for complete union with Him was not possible as long as
the body lasted. The knowledge ig gained by faith and
contemplation, in which human reason divests itself of its
discursive or reflective faculty. The end of knowledge is
transcendental unconsciousness, wliere the phenomenal vanishes
in the presence of the eternal.

The practical inference from this pantheism was that God
could be worshipped in inumerable ways, and that all religions
contained truth. For if all things are a manifestation of the
EHvine substance God may be worshipped in a star or a calf or
any other object, and consequently there should be complete
tolerance towards all creeds. He sa3rs, '* every one praises what
he believes, his God is His own creature, and in praising it he
praises himself. Consequently he blames the beliefs of others,
which he would not do if he were just, but his dislike is based
on ignorance. If he knew Junaid^s saying, * the water takes
its colour from the vessel containir\g it/ he would not interfere
with the beliefs of others, but would perceive God in every
form and every belief.*''*

About a century and a half later than Ibn al *Arabi ived
* Abdul Karlm Al Jif {d. 1406-— 17), who wrote a commentary
on his predecessor's work, Fufuhdt al-Makk^yah and an inde-
pendent treatise on Sufism called * the Perfect Man ' {Insdn al
fComfl). Jill does not rank in intellectual power or philosophical
insight as an equal of * Arabi. His treatise is full of digressions

T2 NichobcNi : Tttrjumln-al-Aihwiq.
7S Ibia.
74 Ibid.
'^ 7S Nkftu^Km : Stttdiet in laUimc Mytticmm. '

^ iqbti : 0|». cit.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 75

on all kinds of occult subjects and his philosophy can only be
pieced together with such patient labout as has been bestowed
upon It by Nicholson and Iqbal. From their accounts the
following abstract of his system is drawn.

There is one Being which exists in two modes, the absolute
or unmanifest and the qualified or manifest. The absolute is
unknowable per se, for it is beyond all relation, beyond being
and not-being, a sum of contradictions. This absolute (wujud
mutlaq) which is devoid of all qualities and relations exists
enveloped in cecity i'ama). The first step in its manifestation is
when it emerges from the darkness without becoming externally
manifest ; it is still free from name and attributes and is a unity
comprehending diversity. The external aspect of this bare
potentiality is abstract oneness (ahctdiya), when Being is conscious
of itself as a unity. The second step is taken when the abstract
unity {ahadiya) manifests itself in two aspects of He-ness {huW'.ya)
and I-ness ('anniya). In the first or inward state the Being is
conscious of itself as negativing the many (attributes), in the
second or outward state as the truth of the many. The third
step is that of Unity in Plurality (wahidiya), when Being identifies
itself as one with itself as many. The last step brings the ab«
solute out of darkness into light, out of the unconscious into the
conscious, out of nirguria into aagur^a, into the sphere of CXvinity
with distinctive attributes embracing the whole series of
existence. At last the absolute has . become the subject and
object of all thought, the noumenal has become the
phenomenal.

The Divinity (-lahiya) is the highest manifestation of the
absolute. It is a name for the sum of the individualisations of
Being, for the sum of all the attributes. It is revealed in two
aspects of mercy and lordship ; in the first it is in the relation of
creator (aUhoqq) to the cieated things (€A-khiq)\ and in the
second it is as the preservf»r and maintainer in their respective
<»der of the created things.

Tke Divinity is known throui^ its names and attributes. The
names appertain to its essence idh^. beati^ iUimali. grandtor

76 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

ijalal) and perfection (kamdl). The principal attributes are life,
knowledge, will, power, speech, hearing and sight.

The universe is the embodiment of the Divine idea, tlie
objectification of the absolute. The universe is ice, God, watcL
God is the substance (hayula) of the cosmos. The sensible
world is idea, thought or dream, but not unreal, it is reality as
presented to itself through and in the cosmic consciousness of
the perfect man which holds all the attributes of reality together.
The thing-in-itself is the collection of attributes, it is built of
idea and has no other existence. In Jili's cosmological myth, the
idea of ideas (haqtqat al haqa'iq) existed as a white chrysolite
(yaqut-aUbaidha) in which dwelt God before He created the
creatures. I le looked at it with the eye of perfection and it
became water, and then with the eye of grandeur {jaldl) and it
surged into waves, and from its grosser elements seven earths
were created and from its subtle elements seven heavens and
from the water seven seas with their presiding angels and
inhabitants.

Man in perfection is the image (nuakha) of God. He is a
mirror to God reflecting His names and attributes. He is the
archetype of nature, the link between God and the universe. He
is the microcosm in which the absolute becomes conscious of
itself in all its diverse parts. He is the unifying principle
between reality and appearance, the axis (qutb) round which the
spheres of existence revolve. He is the first created spirit (rufi)
in which God first manifests Himself in His essence. He is the
archetypal spirit of Muhammad (Haqtqat aUMuhammadiy ah),
and one of his names is the Word of God {amr^u Allah), Regard-
ing this spirit (ru/i), Jili says» ** I (i.e., spirit) am the child whose
fa^er is his son and the wine whose vine is its jar ... . i met
the mothers who bore me, and I asked them in marriage, and
they let me marry them.'*^« TTiese phrases bear curious resem-
blance to the Vedic cosmologies where the Aditia are spoken
of as mothers as well as wives of their sons."^^

^ 76 NichoUoii : Studiet in l«l«niic MytHctMii, pp. U2. 113.
TT Macaonatti : Httkoiy of Saaakrit Uter^toire.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 77

The first theatre of the manifestation of the spirit was Adam,
then there were angels of light and darkness, and then five
kinds of souls, — animal, passionate, active or good, penitent and
tranquil. All souls are potentially perfect, some are actually so.
Among the latter, one stands above all, namely, Muhammad.
In every age there are perfect men who are an outward manifes*
tation of the essence of Muhammad, the Logos of Cod.

The absolute descends by many stages into man ; in man
the mystical ascent takes place by which man returns to the
Divine. The process of ascent or spiritual perfection has four
stages. In the first stage man completely surrenders himself to
the will of God. In the second, he meditates on the names of
God and is illuminated by the splendour of the name, the
individual will is des^oyed. In the third stage takes place the
illumination of the attributes ; man participates in the divine
attributes and acquires miraculous powers. He hears the ring-
ing of bells (ailsilat-al jaraa), experiences the dissolution of the
bodily frame, and beholds ** lightning and thunder and clouds
raining lights and seas surging with fire.**^^ In the fourth staKC
he crosses the domain of name and attribute and enters into
that of Essence and becomes perfect {InBan-i-Kdmil), God-man.

Jrlr was an idealistic mon.'st. For him all beliefs were
thoughts about one reality, and all modes of worship expressive
of some aspect of that reality. The differences were due to the
variety of names and attributes and all together contributed to
the perfection of the whole. Jilf was acquainted with Hindu
religion, for among the ten principal sects he noted the Brahimay^
(Brahmai^), About them he says that they worship God in His
absolute aspect, without reference to prophet or
scriptures of the Brdhm*rid, according to him,
them not by God but by Abrah€an \JifdhmW\ Wii'^onuSfi
five books, the fifth on account of iu profuHjRrwas unknowii
to most of the Brahmans, but those vAm^ffkSfi^mfmKsif
became Moslems. Apparently Jili*s fifth ^J^l is fteB^JftiXia

7»NleKolso& : Stuclie* in UUmic MyiticUm, p.
79 Ibicl.t pp. 132* 133 note.

78 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

whose monistic philosophy in the eyes of Jill made it indistin-
guishable from Islam.

Theoretical Sufism had reached the highest point of its
growth ; the writers of subsequent times wrote text-books for
students and popular treatises without adding much of original
value. Of these Jami's Lawdih in Persian is the best summary
of Sufi philosophy and deservingly attained the widest repute.
Arabic and Persian poets who became increasingly imbued with
Sufism made it more than the philosophers the religion of the
high and the low. Among the former Abu Sa*id ibn Abul Khair
(d. 1048) and *Umar ibn al Faridh, and among the latter Hakim
Sana*! (d. 1150 A.D.). Farid-ud-Din 'Attar (d. 1229-30), Jalal-
ud-Dln Rumi (d. 1273). Shabistari (d. 1317 or 1320) give the
best exposition of Sufi doctrines.

Besides the philosophical and the poetical, and of equal
importance with them, is the practical**^ aspect of Sufism. The
practical aim of the Sufi is absorption in Cod. According to the
orthodox (ba Shara) school there are three stages in the attain-
ment of this goal. The first is the stage of good actions, the
surrender of will to the commands of God, the obedience of law
(shanat). As a preliminary step to the first stage the seeker
(talib or sa/i<t) has to repent of his sins {taubah) and to acquire
faith (rmon). Then he has to carry out scrupulously all the in-
junctions regarding cleanliness (taharat), prayer (salat), fasting
{saum), almsgiving or charity (zakat), and pilgrimage (Haj), By
ascetic practices, fasting, silence and solitude the evil propensi-
ties of the self (nafs), that is, ignorance, pride, envy, \mcharitable-
ness, anger and others are mortified, for it is absolutely essential
hat jhe lower self should die ^n order that the higher should
Ivein G^3.; 'STjke inward or spiritual aspect of obedience to law
deliigitated :th^ path (tariqat). The second stage is that of
[^osis (m'an/ii^HtK^ attainment of spintual knowledge. In this
itage logidLl /eMQi^g is discarded because its inadequacy to
sain the knowld^l^ 'of God is realised. Intellect i'aql) and

*«). P. Bnmnt,TI# DerwitKet

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 79

demonstration {'stidlal) are abandoned, and the restless soul
seeks relief only in the mercy of God, for it is only by His grace
(faidh) and favour ('inayat) that gnosis takes place. Then the
Sufi finds out that otherness is an illusion and therefore
attachment to created things and fruits of good actions
utterly vain. With Abul Hasan Khirqani he holds,
** I do not say that paradise and hell are non-existent, but
I say that they are nothing to me, because God created them
both, and there is no room for any created object in the place
where I am.***^* To the gnostic the following of law is relatively
insignificant. Inward light transforms his intellect and will, and
he no longer stands in need of outward action ; for instance, the
object of mysticism '.n traversing wilderness and deserts is not
the sanctuary (k'aba) itself, for to a lover of God it is unlawful
to look upon His sanctuary. No ; their object is mortification in
a longing that leaves them no rest, and eager dissolution in a
love that has no end.****- Junaid pointed out how outward
pilgrimage without spiritual progress was f utile. ^'^

But gnosis is not enough. It must lead to the next and the
highest stage : complete union with the Divinity (haqiqat)^ the
transformation of the whole of man, will, intellect and emotions,
and the attainment of the unitive state. In this state the
mystic passes away from the self (fana) and lives in essential
unity with God (baqa). The illusion of subject and object
vanishes, the sense of individuality dies and law and religion
lose their meaning ; but this is only the negative aspect of the
cosmic consciousness which has a rich, positive content. The
sanctified mystic comprehends both the inward and the outward
aspects of Reality, the one and the many, the truth and law, in
the unitive state he becomes one with God, he exclaims with
iMansur ** I am God '* {anal Haq), '* I am He whom I love,
and He whom I love is I/****

^l Nicholson : The Myttks of UUm, Oimp. III.

82 NicholMm : Kathf-ul-Mahjub. p. 327.

«3 ttid,, p. 32S. •

»4 NichoUon : Th« Mystics of UUm, Chap. VL

80 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The stages by which a novice rises to union with God have
many stations (maqdmai) and their corresponding states (hati,
Tlie seven stations**^ usucdly recognised are — (I) repentance
(taubah), (2) abstinence (wara), (3) renunciation (zuficO« (4) poverty
(fuqr), (5) patience (aabr), (6) trust (tawakk^* (7) satisfaction
(radha). The states**** are meditation (muraqaba), nearness to
God (qurb), love (muhabbai), fear (fe/iau/), hope (rija), longing
(shauq), intimacy (uns), tranquillity (itminon), contemplation
(mushahada), certainty (yaqln). The stations are self-acquired,
but the states are given by* God.

In the copious literature of Sufism all the stages, stations and
states have been described with superabundant zest and consum-
mate resourcefulness. Tlie legends of saints overflow with
stories illustrating ascetic, contemplative and unitive states, and
the language of poetry and symbolism has been exhausted in
giving expression to all the emotions — of fear, hope, longing
and love — which the mystic experiences. For a student of mysti-
cism and of varieties of religious experiences no richer mine of
information exists than the lives of Muslim saints and the poetry
of Muslim mysticism. Sobriety and intoxication, quiet piety and
frenzied love bordering on insanity, profound thinking and
fantastic occultism, writhing anguish, abject humility, joyous
elation and exuberant hope ; there is not a note in the whole
gamut of human feeling and thought which has not been touched
and made to yield its rich and hidden music. All kinds of
physico-psychical phenomena, the hearing of sounds and voices
and the seeing of visions and colours, the melting of sound into
sight and of colours into music, the ravishing scents of flowera
and musk and the soft touch of morning zephyrs, the trance pro-
duced by song and dance and death caused by the reciting oJ
a line of poetry — all of them are there, offering an endless feasi
to the psychological gourmand hungry for esoteric facts.

S5 NicKolaon : The Myaacs <^ Islam, Chap. I.

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 81

The Muslim mystic who sets out upon the path of union
(a?a«0. of absorption ifana) always needs a spiritual guide^ for
** if a man has no teacher, his imam is Satan."**' The guide or
the preceptor {ptr or Shaikh) is the pivot round which the whole
machinery of Sufi monachism moves. His authority is divine,
for the Sufi preceptor has inherited the whole significance of
ShTa*h Imam.^^ In the order to which the Sufi belongs he is
sovereign. The order provides the companionship of saints which
is necessary for spiritual welfare, the Shaikh regulates the conduct
of the companions and watches over their spiritual progress.
He is a saint who has completed the journey and reached the
goal. He has become one with Cod and therefore his position
and status are divine. Ma*riif Karkhr*****asked his disciples to
swear to God by him, and Dhul Nun**^ asserted that a true dis-
ciple should be more obedient to his master than to God Him-
self. Jalal-ud-Din Rumi spoke of his master Shams-i-Tabriz, as
* that monarch supreme who had come out from behind the
door clothed in the garment of mortality.*^* In this way the
Sufi professing to adore a universal abstraction makes individual
men the object of his real worship.**- The disciple is advised
to keep his Murshid constantly in mind, to become mentally
absorbed in him through constant meditation and contemplation
of him. to see him in all men and in all things, and to annihilate
his self in the Murshid. From this state of self-absorption in
the Murshid, the master leads him on through several stages at
last to absorption in the Deity. **'^ Muhammad taught surrender

>^7 Nicholson : A Historical Enquiry, etc., etc.
ftft Patton : Shm hs, E. R. E.

Nicholson : Studies in Islamic Myttictsm, Preface.
H» Nicholson : A Historical Enqmry, etd. etc.
»0 Ibid.

91 Nicholson : Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabrlz. Introduction, xxii.

92 Nicholson : A Historical Enquiry, elc. etc.
OJ^J. P. Brown ; The Derwishes.

82 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

to God (lalam), Sufism surrender to the teacher who is the
representative of God upon earth.

The discipline of the seeker is dhikr, which ordinarily means
remembering God and repeating His name, but which includes
all the devotional practices which induce ecstasy and trance.
There are two kinds of it, J/ii^r i jati or reciting aloud and
dhikr I khafl or reciting mentally. Malcolm**'* and Brown**'^ have
described the processes. They are very similar to the meditation
and the breathing exercises {praijtaydma) of the Indian Yoga.
Shibli pointedly brings out this feature of Sufism in his definition.
"Taaawu>uf" (Sufism) ig control of the faculties and observance
of the breaths.®** In the Naqshbandi order, the Murid (disciple)
closes his eyes, shuts liis mouth, presses his tongue against the
roof of his mouth, holds his breath and recites in his heart. The
" Id " goes upward, the " illaha " to the right, the whole phrase
" Id illaha " is formed upon the cone of the heart and through
it passed to all the members of the whole frame. The breath is
drawn from the navel to the breast, from the breast to the brain,
from the brain up to the heavens and then again repeated
stage by stage backwards and forwards.

Another method of bringing about trance is by song and
dance (aama*). There has been much dispute among theologians
as to the lawfulness of music and dancing regarded as religioiis
exercises. Ghazali speaks of them as novelties which had not
been received in Islam from the first followers of the Prophet,
but which were therefore not forbidden. He himself approves
of them for by their means the Sufis ** stir up in themselves
greater love towards God, and by means of music, often obtain
spiritual visions and ecstasies, their heart becoming in this con-
dition as clean as silver in the flame of a furnace, and attaining
a degree of purity which could never be attained by any amount
of mere outward austerities. The Sufi then becomes so keenly

04 Malcolm: Op. cit., p. 146. ^

S3 J. p. Brown : Op. cit., p. 127.

M HmdUoid Davit : The Persian Mytdct, p. 28. *

MYSTICISM IN ISLAM 83

aware of his relationship to the spiritual world that he loses all
consciousness of this world, and often falls down senseless. "^''^
HujwTri quotes traditions and the opinion of early Sufi$ to show
that audition is lawful, and fulfills a necessary function* and
although footplay (pay bclzi) was bad in law and reason, the
ecstatic condition ** when the heart throbs with exhilaration and
rapture becomes intense and the agitation of ecstasy is rnani*
fested and conventional forms are gone, that agitation is neither
dancing nor footplay nor bodily indulgence but a dissolution of
the soul.**'^^ Jalal-ud-Din Rumi laid great emphasis upon music
and dance, so much so that his order, the MaulaVU, hits become
known as the * dancing Derwishes/*^^ Both the Chishti and
Suhrawardi orders included them as essential features of their
dhikr* Of Shaikh Badr-ud-Din (a saint settled in India in the
thirteenth century) it is related that '* in his old age when he was
unable to move, the sound of a hymn would excite him to
ecstasy and he would dance like a youth. When asked how
it was that the Shaikh could dance notwithstanding his decrepi-
tude, he replied, * where is the Shaikh? It is Love that
dances.* **^*^«

Sufism indeed was a religion of intense devotion, love was
its passion ; poetry, song and dance its worship ; and passing
away in God its ideal.

OT Field : Ghazali's The Alchemy of Happmest, p. 67.
9fi Ntcholaon : Kashful Mahjub. p. 416.
00 J. P. Brown : Op. cit.
1<H) Blochmami and Jarrett: A*ui.i'Akb«fl, Voi. fll» p. 36S.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : 1

The history of the Hindu religion sketched in a previous chapter
shows a continuity in development from the earliest times to the
beginning of the eighth century. This development took place
principally in Northern India where all the great movements
originated and from where they spread to the south. All through
this period the north was the leader in culture, for there all the
scriptures were written, and most of the heterodox faiths, Bud-
dhism and Jainism, philosophical schools and sects arose. But
after the eighth century came a change ; the north lost its leader-
ship and the initiative passed to the south. From the eighth
century to the fifteenth the south is the home of religious reform;
it is there that the Vaiaoava and SaivHe saints start the schools of
BhakU, and iSankara and Ramanuja, Nimbaditya, Basava,
Vallabhacharya and Madhava expounded their philosophical
systems. From the south the impulse was transmitted to the
north through Ramananda, a pupil of Ramanuja. This sudden
shifting of the scene of activity from the north to the south was
the result of the political and social changes that came over India
at this time. In the north the empire of Harsa broke up ; poli-
tical unity disappeared and a number of principalities were
established which were engaged in unending internecine wars
with one another ; Buddhism became decadent and by gradual
steps merged into Siva and Sakti cults, and was displaced by
Paurai^ic Hinduism. Tlie establishment of Rajput kingdoms did
not infuse new life into the old systems and when they were
overthrown by Muslim invasions Hindu society was thoroughly
enfeebled. Jn the south, on the other hand, Hinduism was a
conquering faith. It had entered into conflict with Buddhism
and Jainism and emerged victorious, cmd triumph had given it
fresh inspiration. Again, the Hindu kingdoms in the south
enjoyed a long lease of prosperity and power under the rule of
tRe Cholas and the Vijayanagar kings ; and above all it was there

84

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 85

in the south that Islam first came into contact with Hinduism
and leavened the growing mass of Hindu thought.

From the earliest times in spite of geographical difficulties,
of the barriers of rivers and mountains, the northern peoples
had communications with the inhabitants of the Deccan and the
extreme south. Currents of culture had passed continuously and
affected their beliefs and customs. The deities of hills and
forests in Tamil lands were assimilated to Aryan gods and
goddesses. Small colonies of Brahmin pioneers had settled
down in the Dravida kingdoms bringing with them the Vedic
religion and Sanskrit learning, and modifying the life of the
Southern peoples.^ Buddhist and Jain missionaries had arrived
soon after the promulgation of these religions in the north, and
converted thousands to their faiths. Thus in the early centuries
of the Christian era there was a mixture of religions in the south.
Animism, devil worship, Saivism, Vi^o^ism, Buddhism, Ja:n-
ism and other persuasions — all existed side by side in happy
confusion, in perfect neighbourliness.^

In the fifth century the establishment of the Gupta Empire
gave a strong impetus to the process of cultural conquest. Fresh
waves of the missionaries of rejuvenated Hinduism overran the
country ; Brahmin emigrants settled in Kerala lands, poured new
life into faiths and prepared them to enter upon a deadly conflict
with heterodox systems. In the seventh century Hiuen-Tsang
still found Buddhism and Jainism strongly entrenched, but
Saivism rising swiftly ag a formidable antagonist. Of the Saiva
uprise the Pallavas were the great protagonists ; while Har^ was
holding tolerant sway over the north encouraging equally Hindu-
ism and Buddhism ; and Pulakesin II celebrated his Aivamedha
sacrifice which indicated the revival of Brahmanism. Narsing^
Varma Pallava. their southern contemporary, was vigoroudj

1 A Govin^chirya : The Coming oi the BrahmJitit to the South o
India, J.R.A,S., 1912.

innes : Malabar and Anjengo, Madras, Oistrtct Gazetteer.
^ S. K. Iyengar : South Indian History. ^

86 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

advancing the cause of Paurai^ic Hinduism by building the
great pagodas of Mahamallapuram. During the seventh and
eighth centuries the Chalukyas and Pallavas, the two dominant
powers south of the Nerbudda, were engaged in two common
aims — to revive Hinduism and to destroy one another. Before
the end of the eighth century they had succeeded in both
aims. They had given a mortal blow to Buddhist ascendancy
and thus secured the triumph of Hinduism ; and they had so
worn themselves out as to allow the Cholas from the south
and the Ristrakutas from the north to usurp their dominions.^

The eighth century was thus a period of revolutionary activity
in religion and politics, of ceaseless conflict of ideas, of peoples,
of dramatic rise and overthrow of dynasties, of philosophical
debate in schools and sectarian dispute in temples. Such an
atmosphere gave a tremendous impulse to thought and feeling.
Men's minds were for the time being freed from the t>rrai\ny of
old traditional ways and thrown open to receive suggestions from
unfamiliar quarters.

It was during this period of strenuous activity that the foun-
dations of later religious development in the south were laid.
The Saiva and Vaiiijava saints combined to wean the people
from their allegiance to Buddhism and jainism to Siva and Viif^tu
worship. They sought to attain their aim by making an appeal
to the heart, and so m affecting verse they sang of devotion and
of the happiness of dwelling in the presence of God and of
seeking of His grace. Their poems were all in the language of
the people, and in this as in other matters they were indebted
deeply to the religions which they attempted to supplant. For
they took over from Buddhism its devotionalism, its sense of the
transitoriness of the world, its conceptions of human worthless-
nesa. its suppression of desires and asceticism as also its ritual,
the worship of idols and stupas or lingamB, temples, pilgrim-
ages, fasts and monastic rules and its idea of the spiritual

3K. V. StthriKitumya Alyer: Historical SketcKet ol the Dtecmxt,

Boatct II Mid in.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 67

equality of all castes ; from Ja^'nism they took its ethical tone
and its respect for animal life.

The assimilation of these ideas into Paurary\c theology and
the pervasion of the whole with warm human feeling was the
achievemerit of the saintly hymn-makers of Tamil land, the cele-
brated AdiyofB (the -Saiua saints) and the Alvars (Katioai^O
saints), who flourished between the seventh and the twelfth
centuries.

These devotees of &iva and Visrxu developed the cult of
Bhakti, and their works are looked upon as those of the highest
authority by the followers of the two creeds. The &aioa litera-
ture* was arranged into eleven groups, called Tiru-murai by
Nambiandar-Nambi of Tanjorc in the time of Rajaraja KuUekhara
Chola (985—1013 A.D.). Of these eleven groups, the first three
are the works of Tirujnana Sambandamiirti Swami. the next
three of Tiru-nawukkarasu (Appar) and the seventh of Sundarar.
These seven together form the Deoaram. They contain hymns
offering praise and prayer to God. and are used on ceremonial
and religious occasions like the Vedas. The eighth book which
corresponds to the Upanisads is the TiruVachakQfTi of Maoikka
Vasahar, the ninth is the Tirwhaippa, a compilation of minor
poets, the tenth contains songs of Tiru^mular, and the eleventh
consists of miscellaneous writings of Nakkirar. Nambi-andar and
others. These eleven books with the Periya PurariLQ (a &awa
hagiology) constitute the sacred lore of the ^aivaB,

The Vaiinaoas^' have a parallel collection of their hymns.
This collection was compiled and arranged by Nathmuni (tenth
century) probably under the editorship of Nammalvar. This is
known as Naldyira-Prabandham, and is considered as sacred as
the Vedas, The number of the Alvars is reckoned as twelve.
Four of them, Poygaiar, Pudattar (Bhutattu). Peyar. Tirumaltsai
were Pallavas and were the most ancient ; three were CKolas—

4 at 9 Barnett : BritifK MtMeum Catalogue of the Tamil Boolit.
Srintv&ta Aiyangar: Tamil Studies,
• Sundaram Pillai : Some Miksttones in the Hiitofy o| Tam'i
Uterattsre. •

88 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Tiruppanar, Tondarad^ippodi, and Tinimangai ; one was a
Chera Kulasekhara ; and the remaining four csume from the
Pandya country — ^Periyar, Andal, Nammalvar, Madhurakavi.

Their history is of importance in the evolution of Hindu
religions and it is necessary to give an account of the areers
and achievements of the most important among them.

Tirujnana Sambandhar^ was bom of Brahmin parents at
Shjyali in the Tanjore district in the seventh century. According
to legend he began to compose hymns while he was only three
years of age. When he grew up he wandered as a pilgrim to all
the Saivite shrines in Southern India singing Siva a praises. His
fame as a saint reached the court of Kun Pandya (Nedumaran)
who ruled at Madura. The king professed the Jaina faith, but
the queen Mangaiyarkkarasi and the chief minister Kulachchirai
Nayanar were both staunch Saivites, and they invited Tirujnana
to exert his influence to change the mind of the king. He met
the Jaina teachers in the royal presence and defeated them in
discussion. The king was converted, but the Jainas refused to
abandon their religion and so a large number of them were
executed. He was an inveterate enemy of the Buddhists as is
borne out by the uniform Imprecations pronounced upon them
in every one of his hymns. He appears to have entered into
disputes with the Vaisi^ava saint Tirumangai Alvar also and in
every way he was so stout a champion of Saiviam that the revival
of the faith is mainly ascribed to him ; he holds the foremost
place among the great Saiva preceptors and is actually regarded
as an incarnation of Siva,

The following h3nnnns give an idea of his conception of God
and of man*s relation to Him :

For the Father is ^rur

Sprinkle ye the blooms of love ;

In your heart will dawn the light.

Every bondage will remove.

oXinflrtbury and Phillips: Hymns of tke Tamil SaivHe Saint*.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 89

Him the holy in Ariir

Ne*er forget to laud and praise ;

Bonds of birth will severed be,

Left behind all worldly ways.

In Arar, our loved one*s gem,

Scatter golden blossoms fair.

Sorrow ye shall wipe away,

Yours be bliss beyond compare.'^
Tirunavukkarasu** (Appar) was an elder contemporary of
Tiruinana Sambandhar. He belonged to the Vellala caste. He
was left as an orphan at an early age and was brought up by
his sister as a devotee of ^iva. But he forsook his faith and
became a Jaina. Later he returned to the ia:va fold and became
a powerful influence in its growth. Iri his verses a deeper note
of devotion is struck, his consciousness of sin is intense and his
sense of dependence on Sivas grace and of the ultimate
breaking of the bonds of sin by* His grace is certain. How
close and intimate is God*8 relationship to man is brought out
in this hymn :

Thou to me art parents. Lord,
Thou all kinsmen that I need.
Thou to me art loved one fair.
Thou art treasure rich indeed.
Family, friends, home art Thou,
Life and joy 1 draw from Thee,
False world's good by Thee 1 leave.
Gold, pearl, wealth art Thou to me.®

In his exalted moods he rises high above all external forms
of religion leanirvg unaided upon the mercy of God alone. He
then knows that no ceremonial will help him, and that bathing

7 Kingsbury and Phillips: Op. cit, p. 25.
B Ibid.
'Jt PQnojdii^gani Pillai : Ten Tamil Saints.

BKitunhvav and Phillips: Op. cit, p. 49. ^

90 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

in the Ganges, pilgrimages to Comorin, chanting of the Vedas,
study of the iSaatras, asceticism, penance and fasts, will not
eventually avail. ^^

** Release is theirs, and theirs alone, who call
In every place upon the Lord of all."^^

Appar*s Siva is not a crude anthropomorphic conception
but the being which dwells in all. ** He is ever hard to find, but
He lives in the thought of the good. He is the innermost secret
of scripture, inscrutable, unknowable. He is honey and milk
and the shining light. He is the King of the Deoas,

Immanent in Visf:iu, in Brahma, in flame and in wind.
Yea, in the mighty sounding sea and in the mountains." ^^

Sunderamurti^^ the third of the joint authors of the Devaram,
was a Brahmin. He was bom in the South Arcot District and
lived in the eighth or ninth century. He was not rigid in hisi
adherence to caste principles, for although he married twice,
neither of his wives was a Brahmin. He was probably the last
of the Adiyars, for he has sung the praises of his sixty -two
predecessors. The dread of death and faith in ultimate deli-
verance inform many of his hymns.

The young saint refuge sought from Death ;

To save him. Thou grim Death didst slay.

Such deeds thy might accompl'.sheth.

And I who have beheld them pray,

** O Father, should dread Yama press

On me, forbid Him. *Tis my slave * ;

Do TTiou in green Pungar confess.

I've reached Thy foot, and Thou canst save.'***

10 Kingsbury and Phillips : Op. cit., p. 57.
n Ibid., p. 57.
12 Ibid., p. 65.
^ 13 Ibid. t

14 Ibid., p. 79.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 9r

Mariikka Vasahar^^ (Manikya Vachaka), the greatest among
Saiva saints, was born at Tiru Vathavur on the Vaigai river nev
tMadura, of parents who belonged to the Amittiya section of the
Brahmins. Mianikka was a precocious lad and at the age of
sixteen had acquired the whole of Sanskrit learning. His fame
reached the ears of the Pandya King who called him to the Court
and appointed him Chief Minister, But although he lived sur-
rounded with pomp and luxury the infinite woe of the world
oppressed him. The story of his conversion is overlaid with
miracles. It is related that the king sent him on commission to
purchase horses which had arrived from the * Aryan land *
(Arabia). He started with great eclat, his march was a proces-
sion. On the way. he met a saintly Brahmin whose personality
so impressed him that he accepted him as his guru (teacher),
'He spent the king's treasure in feeding ascetics and returned'
without executing the commission. This brought upon him the
wrath of the king, but at last he escaped through the guru a
grace, for he was no other than Siva himself. The Guru then
laid upon him an injunction to convert the Tamil country to
Siva's faith. He became a wanderer visiting holy shrines sing-
ing Siva 8 hymns, till at last he came to Chidambaram where he
rested. He attended an assemblage of Buddhist priests which
was gathered together by the King of Ceylon and attended by
the Chera King. In discussion the Buddhists were worsted and
the King of Ceylon became a Saivite. This was the la^t triumph
of Manikka's life, for some time after this he died. It is difficult
to fix correctly his date, but in all probability his career lay in
the ninth century.

There is deeper passion and fervour in his verses than in
those of his predecessors, and without a doubt they muat have
powerfully affected the heart of his hearers. Dr. Pope 8ays»
** the effect of these songs — full of a living faith and devotion —
was great and instantaneous. South India needed a personal
God. an assurance of immortality, and a call to prayer. These

1 •*'> Pope : Manikka Vasahar. «

92 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

it found in Ma]:iikka Vasahar's compositions.'*^^ Here are a
few specimens of his songs :

'* Indra or Visnu or Brahm^
Their divine bliss crave not 1 ;
I seek the love of Thy saints,
Though my house perish thereby.
To the worst hell will 1 go,
So but Thy grace be with me.
Best of all, how could my heart
Think of a God beside Thee? "^"

I have no fear of births, but quake at thought that

I must die

E*en heav*n to me were naught ; for earth's whole

empire what care I?
O &iva wreathed with honeyed blossoms, when shall

come the mom

When Thou wilt grant Thy grace to me> 1 cry with

anguish torn."^^

Myself I cannot understand, nor what is day or night ;

He who both word and thought transcends has reft my

senses quite.

He who for bull has Visnu, and in Perundurai dwells,

O light supreme, in Brahman guise has cast on me

strange spells."^®

'* I had no virtue, penance, knowledge, self-control
A doll to turn

At others' will I danced, whistled, fell. But me

He filled in every limb.
With love's mad longing, and that I might climb

there whence is no return.

He shewed His beauty, made me His. Ah me. when

shall I go to Him. "20

10 Pope: Op. cit., p. xxxvi.

17 Kingsbury and Phillips : Op. cit.. p. 89.

18 Ibid., p. 91.

19 Ibid., p. t2t.
,?Olbid., p. 127.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 93

Of other ^diva saints Tirumular, Nakkirar, Nambiandar
Nambi, Sekkirar there is not much to write. They followed
the same line of thinking and added to the volume of feeling
created by their forerunners.*^

The separation of the Kaiiciaua cult from Saioism and its
development as a distinct sect was due to the Alodrar^ T*hey
drew their ideas largely from the Sanskrit epics and the
Purdrias, Their hymns were collected together in the tenth
century, and they were themselves canonised two or three
centuries later, when thdir images were set up in temples and
prayers were addressed to them to mediate for securing
salvation. The Alvars were ardent worshippers of Viiryu and
most of them were zealous opponents of Buddhism, Jainism
and S^tr.oism, Some of them came from lower castes ; some
were Brahmins ; one, Andal, was a woman ; and Kulaiekhar
was a king.-^ Tirumangai wrote the largest number of
hymns, and Nammalvar was the foremost among the saints.
Namma*s poems (TiruOoymoli, Tiruvaiiriyam, Tiruvirutiam and
Tiruvandadi) are considered as sacred as the four Vedas.

The hymns of Vaisf;iava saints show the same type of
thought and feeling as those of the Saioas. They, however,
substituted Visnu in place of SiVa and sang his praises above
all other gods ; they also differed in regard to the belief in incar-
nation, for while Visnu came down several times upon earth to
save mankind, Siva did not do so, at any rate in the Vaiii^avite
manner. A few extracts to illustrate their teachings are given
below. The spirit of love of God and reliance upon His grace
breathe through them.

** Mighty Lord of the Oslestials ! Thou hast made my
heart Thy tabernacle. So intimate and close is Thy union with

21 Purnftlingam Pillai : Ten Tamil Saints.

22 Bhandarkar : Vaifnavism and daivism.

T. Rajagopalachariar : The Vai^nava Reformers o( India.

tXher Literature a« cited above. •

94 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

me that 1 beseech Thee never more to leave me, — ^me so lovingly
clinging to Thee.^* (Namma)

'* As dote I on the Lord of Katkatai,
Whose streets with scarlet lily are perfum'd,
My heart for His wonderful graces melts
How then can I, my restless love suppress?"-^ (Ndmma)

**The errors of 1-ness, my-ness,

With roots pluck out, and join the Lord.'*-*^

** If men are drunk with the love of God, they ought
To dance like madmen in the streets ; if they cannot
They are not love-smitten.*'-"^

The relation of devotee to God is like that of a wife to her
husband.

** Thou hast not yet been gracious enough to extend Thy
sympathy towards Thy consort (Alvdr). Before she gives up her
ghost in despair owing to Thy indifference show so much at
least of Thy mercy as to send word to Thy consort through Thy
messenger and vehicle Garu<jla the storehouse of kindness, not
to pine away, but to take courage a little, till Thou, Lord and
Master retumest as expected, which will assuredly take place
soon.'*-^ {Ndmmdlvdr)

** O Lord, mayest Thou graciou.sly hear the humble suppli-
cations of thy devotees. . . . O Thou Lord of Sriranga 1 the
Reliever of the great elephant (Gajendra). . . . Condescend to
wake up from Thy conscious sleep to extend Thy gracious look
on Thy servants."-*^ (Tondaradippodi)

** I shall wed, if at all, none other than the Supreme
Lord."3o (Andal)

24 GovindacKarya : The Divine Wisdom of the Dravidian Saints, p. 108.

25 Ibid., p. 109.
20 Ibid., p. 2.

27 Ibid., p. 52.

28 Nityinusanadhanam Series, Book 3, p. 54. ^
•20 Ibid.. Book 2.

30 ibid.. Book 2. (Andal).

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 93

The hymn singers of Tamil land were the creators of that
powerful religious feeling which swept Buddhism and Jainism
out of their country. The great scholastics who appeared simul-
taneously with them forged the intellectual instruments with
which the resuscitated Hindu. sm fought and conquered. Among
them the earliest and the most remarkable was ^ankara.**^

Sivaguru, a Nambutiri Brahmin, and his wife Aryamba
resided at Kaladi, a village situated on the north bank of the
Alvar river on the Malabar coast. They were the parents of
Sankara who was born at some time in the last quarter of the
eighth century. The death of the father while he was young
made the mother his sole guardian. She appears to have
bestowed great affection and care upon him and his education.
Sankara was a precocious child, he soon learnt all that his tea-
chers could impart to him, he had an insatiable desire for learning
and he was early smitten with the sorrow of the world. He left
home and became a Sanydsin, and took Govind Yogi, who was
a pupil of Gau<jlapada, and who resided on the banks of the
Narmada. as his teacher (Guru). He passed rapidly through
all the stages of an ascetic's Lfe and his Guru conferred upon
him the degree of Param Hamaa. He then betook to travelling
all over the country, discussing with religious teachers of all
denominations and sects. His biographer Anandagiri names
nearly fifty different sectaries with whom iSankara had intellectual
combats, and by defeating whom he celebrated his Dig-'V:jayA
(world-conquest), ^ankara visited Malabar several times after
his retirement from the world. One of these occasions was
when his mother died. The story is thtit the Brahmins raised
objections to h!s performing the funeral rites because he was a

31 For Sankjaras Life, IChsKnaswami Aiyar : l^ankara and Hi« Tirn^-js.
Bhasyacharya : Age of Sankara.
Anandagiri : ^ankara Vijaya.
For Sanl^arat teachings : —

P. Deussen ; Philosophy of the Upanisads.

„ CXitline of the Vedanta.

G. Thibaut : The Vedanu Sutraa, S.B.E.. Vols, 34, 35,

% INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Sanydain, but he overbore the objections. His name is
connected with great reforms in Malabar ; and, according to
legends, the Kollam era of that country which began in
825 A.D. marks the new epoch which these reforms inaugurat-
ed. Among these reforms none was more important than the
banishment of Buddhism, and the abolitiori of rites connected
with it and with other sects. He was also the organiser of
monastic orders (math), he opened the ranks of Sanyasins
to recruitment from all castes, but he excluded women from
monastic life. If the story of the Chanddla who met him on
the banks of the Ganges and asked him why he made a
difference between his teaching and practice is true, then
he appears to have been inclined towards social reform
also. He wrote in the Manusa Panchako^^ : *' He who has
learned to look on phenomena in this light (monistic) is my true
Guru, be he a Chan^ala or a twice -born. This is my convic-
tion.** A consideration of his legendary life seems to indicate
that iSankara was not a blind follower of the ancient ways, he
attempted to introduce change, though cautiously, and he
appears to have received opposition and opprobrium from
orthodox Brahmins. He died young in the beginning of the
ninth century.

Sankara's career is the great watershed in the history of
Sanskrit learning. Behind him lies the world of ancient ideas,
half reconciled systems, profound but scattered thoughts, rival
philosophies struggling for ascendancy, the changing pantheon
and theologies in a fluid condition, a living culture almost
anarchic in its exuberance ; before him the medieval world of
set ideas, fixed systems, scholastic ingenuity, accretion not
growth, explanation not Invention, commentaries not philo>
Sophies, a stereotyped uniformity. The living stream of culture
abandons the ancient bed of Sanskrit and flows through new
channels — ^Tamil, Telugu and Canarese in the south, Hindi,
Bengali, Marathi and Urdu in the north — ^but the abandonment

32 KrishnaswSmi Aiyar : Op. cit. <

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 97

is never quite complete, an increasingly thinning rill continues
to linger in the old beds.

5ankara*s philosophy'*^ which, in so far as thought systems
may be considered to be causes of events, dealt a fatal blow
to Buddhism, attempted to rally the Hindu sects together. The
one aim of Sankara*s endeavours was to remove the fatal weak-
ness of Hinduism, the fissiparous tendency of its religious sects,
which all claimed their authority from the same source, namely,
the Srutia. He employed the whole power of his keen analytic
mind and his matchless dialectical skill in overthrow^ing all
systems which disagreed with one another, and in establishing
one logical system. It is a tremendous recognition of his genius
that all later th.'nkers have taken !$ankara as the starting point
(prasthana) of their thinking and more or less confined their
labours to establishing, amending, or disproving his doctrines
and interpretations. In doing so they have all become tinged
with his ways of thinking and his methods of exposition.

Sankara had to establish that the sacred scriptures of the
Hindus had one consistent teaching to impart ; and that the
differences of schools were due to misunderstanding and lack
of true insight. Monism, according to him, was the outstanding
feature of Hindu theology, a monism uncompromising, absolute,
idealistic. God was one and there was no other besides Him.
God was the only reality, all else was illusion. His nature was
absolutely homogeneous. He was a pure being and pure intelli-
gence. He was without attributes or qualities. He was not a
thinking or knowing being, but thought or knowledge ttself.
The world was merely a phenom.enon, an appearance, not a
true reality. It evolved out of the principle of illusion (mdya),
Mdyd by self-modification gave rise to individuals distinguished
by name and form, and the individuals made up the whole
universe. In fact, however, the multiplicity of individuals is
only apparent ; in reality they are one. The plurality of sentient
beings is equally illusory. The human ego is identical with God,

»3See under 31. * *

98 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

his individuality is Mdyd, his reality is Brahman, It is due to
ignorance that he does not perceive the identity, and so lives a
miserable existence in the phenomenal world which is only a
creation of illusion.

As long as this ij>'norance lasts the weight of the phenomenal
presses upon man. The phenomenal appears real and during
the period of ignorance has to be taken into account. This
phenomenal world has a god, Isvara, who is endowed with good
attributes. He is the creator who evolves and dissolves the
world an cycles. TTie human soul looks up to Him for reward
and punishment, for grace and forgiveness. It realises its good
through knowledge of Isvara.

Thus there are two worlds, one real, the other unreal ; and
there are two kinds of knowledge, one, the higher, for the remo-
val of ignorance and the realisation of the absolute Brahman, the
other, the lower, to w'n Isvara* s favour. But the lower know-
ledge and its end Isvara are both phenomenal and true freedom
is only attained by risinf>' above it to the real. As, besides the
soul, the mind and intellect, the ordinary instruments of cogni-
tion are the products of Maya, the higher knowledge cannot be
gained as lonj? as the activities of the mind are not completely
controlled and stopped. In the moment when the mind is still
and the path of impression is cut off and the state of deep
trance (Samddhi) is induced, the soul realises its unity with
the absolute and rids itself of the illusion of the phenomenal.

Sankara established a logical monistic system., but the cost
at which it was dbne was great. On the one hand, God's tmity
was raised to such a giddy height of abstractness as to daze the
ordinary mortal. On the other, by compromising this idealism
by the acceptance of a world of lower good and lower truth, he
almost handed over this poor mortal bound hand and foot to
the mercies of the pi'iest and his elaborate ceremonial. What
he tried to drive out of the front door thus re-entered through
the back door, and while he started to condemn, he remained
to bless those very practices and doctrines which were fit only
for the feeble and* the ignorant.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 99

iSankara's system, however, had a unique success. It
dominated by the grandeur of its conception, the amplitude of
its knowledge and the subtlety of its philosophy the thought of
generations of men. Time has not yet dulled the freshness
of its impress upon the Indian mind.

iSankara was the great protagonist of the path of knowledge,
and among the learned and the philosophically minded his
exposition of Veddnta had an extraordinary influence. Also vast
bodies of Smdrtas in the south and the west as well as in the
north became his followers. But the religion of love and
devotion, which the Alvdrs and the Adiydrs were making
popular, soon found its own philosophic exponents who entered
the field of controversy and disputed the theories of Sankara.
These were the VaianaVa Achdryds, and the ^aiva Siddhdnta
teachers.

The first among the Vaisi;iaVa Achdryas was Nathmuni who
lived at Srirangam in the tenth century. His grandson and
successor was Yamuna-muni who was also known as Alvandar
(victor). He was the teacher of Ramanuja, and he directed him
to write a commentary on Badrayana's Brahma Sutras, to refute
the theory of illusion or Maya, and to establish the religion of
Bhakti.

Ramanuja"*^ was born in 1016 at Tirupati or Perumbur in
the neif>hbourhood of Madras. His father Kesava was a
Dravida Brahman of Harita family and his mother's name was
Kantimati. He became at first the pupil of Yadava Prakasa

34 For life of Ramanuja : —

Bhandarkar : Vaisnavism and Saiviem.
RangacKarya : Life and Teachings of Ramanuja.
K. S, Aiyangar : Ramanuja.
Rajagopalachariar : Ramanuja.

For hia philosophy : —

G. Thibaut: Vedanta Sutraa. S.B.E.. Vol. 46.
Sukhtankar : The Teachings of Vedanta According to Ramanuja.
Bhandarkar : Op. cit.

Bhandarkar., Research for Sanskrit MSS. in Bombay Presidency for
• 1883-84. •

100 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

who was a follower of Sankara at Conjeeveram, but he dis-
agreed from his teacher on the interpretation of sacred passages
and was dismissed from the class. He was then invited by
Yamunamuni, who taught at Srlrangam, to become his disciple.
Soon after, the teacher died, and Ramanuja was appointed his
successor. He continued to study and teach, till at length he
considered himself fit to carry out the directions of his Gum to
write the promised commentaries, and then he composed his
Vedanta Sangraha, the Bhdsyas of Bddrayanaa Veddnta Sutras
and the BhagaVadgttd.

He had before becoming an author taken to Sanydsa, and
now he started on his travels accompanied by his disciples.
He visited many northern countries as far as Kashmir and then
returned to Srlrangam. Here he was threatened with persecution
by the Chola King Kulottunga I (1095) who wanted him to
renounce Vaisnavism for Saivism. Ramanuja took refuge in the
dominions of the Hoysala Yadava princes, and converted
Vithaldeva, brother of Ballaladeva. After the death of
Kulottunga I in 1118, Ramanuja returned to Srlrangam where
he died in 1 137.

TTie aim of Ramanuja*s teaching was the refutation of
Sankara*s absolute monism and Mdydvdda, and the establish-
ment of Bhakir. within the philosophy of Veddnta, and, incident-
ally, also to obtain recognition for the non-Vedic Panchrdtra in
the Vedic literature.

Accordinfif to him. Brahman is the one supreme reality
possessed of unsurpassable greatness both in his nature and in
his qualities. He Ks the Lord of all (livara), and, as the tiniversal
soul, the Highest Person (Puruiotiama). He is devoid of im-
perfections and endowed with numberless auspicious qualities
of unequalled excellence. He has unconditional and unlimited
power to realise His wishes and purposes. He creates, destroys
and preserves. He does not create out of nothing, for creation
out of absolute non-existence is inconceivable. His creation
means change from one state to another, from existence in the
caWal condition (kararta) to existence in the effect condition

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 101

(karya). At first Hvara was one without a second, but from
within Him appeared matter and souls (Prakxiti and JiVa), which
form his body. They are both real, they do not bind livara but
are subservient to His will, and are dependent upon Him for
existence. At the end of each kj^lpa (cycle of creation) the
world is dissolved, the grosser substance into subtler, till at last
the ultra-subtle matter called darkness (Tamas) alone remains.
This is the body of Brahman , but it is so subtle that it does not
deserve a separate designation and is. as it were, non-existent.
In this casual condition Brahman is one without a second, for
the body (Tarhas) is undistinguished by name and form and is
non-existent. Then Brahman wills to become many and
transforms itself into the effect condition, into the gross world
of names and forms, into creation. Effect is no more than the
evolution of the cause.

For purposes of meditation Bnd worship laoara appears in
five different manifestations : (I) as Para or the highest in which
form as Ndrctyar^a he lives in Karfeunfha attended by ^ods,
goddesses, eternal spirits and delivered souls ; (2) as Vyixhas or
hypostases of Para in the four forms of Vaaudeva, Sarhfearsanci,
Pradyumna and A niruddha ; (3) as Vibhava or the incarnations
of N dray aria ; (4) as A ntarydmin in which mode he dwells within
the heart and is seen in the Yogic trance ; and, (5) as idols or
images (archa) set up for worship.

The individual souls are the modes of Brahman. They are
divided into five classes : (I) the Nitya, who never enter the cycle
of births and deaths ; (2) the MukXa, who have broken their
fetters and attend on God as His servants ; (3) the KeValas, who
have purified their hearts and who are free from birth and death;
(4) the Mumuk^u, who desire liberation and are endeavouring to
attain it ; (5) the Bdddha who are still bound.

The soul is conscious, self-illuminated, joyous, eternal,
atomic, imperceptible to senses, unchangeable, the substratum
of knowledge, unthii^kable, agent, subject to God's control,
dependent for its existence upon Him, and an attribute or mode
of GM. <

102 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The soul attains God by Bhakfi. It first purifies itself by
sacrifice and the performance of duties {karma), and acquires
concentration and meditation (Jfidna) which lead to actual
visualisation (Bhakti). The three upper classes alone could
practise Bhakti, for others there was the path of self-surrender or
avoidance of opposition and resolution to yield (Prapatti) and
complete trust in the preceptor {Acharya abh^mana).

The end of the path was release, a glorious freedom in which
the soul enjoys eternal blessedness in the presence of God, it
partakes of His joys and excepting creation shares (n his powers,
transcending all prohibitions and commands and rang'ing freely
through the universe.

Ramanuja. although he still maintained the ancient privi-
leges of the higher castes, opened a way for the iSudras and
the outcastes. He arranged that the outcastes should be able
to attend certain temples on a fixed day in the year and he
gave instruction to the Satanis who were a group of Sudras
whom he attached to his Sampradctya, His teaching with
regard to Prapatti led to the formation of two schools. The
northern branch (Vadagalai) holds that God's grace is co-
operative, that is, the process of deliverence must begin with
an act of a person seeking it. The southern branch (Tengalai),
on the other hand, considers God's grace obligatory, for
God must take entire possession of the soul of the devotee and
lead him to Himself, his function being to surrender himself
completely. The Northerners describe Prapatti as one of the
ways of liberation, the Southerners as the only way. They also
differ regarding their treatment of persons beloi\ging to inferior
castes, and in other details.

Nimbarka.'^*''* a younger contemporary of Ramanuja, carried
the doctrine of devotion further. Philosophically his system was
based on the theory known as bhedabhed (difference without
difference), that is, that God the individual soul and the in-
animate world are identical yet distinct. In religion he gave

I 35 Bhandarkar : Vaiynavism and ^vism. t

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 103

predominance to the principle of self-surrender (prapatti), and
to the worship of Kri^^a and Rddha, Nimbarka although
originally a Tailanga Brahman born in the Bellary district,
spent most of his life in the North, in Brindaban near Mathura,
whence the cult of Rddha and Kri^a spread in the North and
in Bengal.

Anandatlrtha or Madhva^« (1199—1278) rejected both the
unqualified Monism of Sankara and the qualified Monism of
Ramanuja, ^nd eitablished a system of frank dualism, based
mainly upon the BhagaVata Purarxa. His object was to
emphasize the independence and majesty of God which was
compromised by hjs predecessors, who made Him the material
cause of the universe. Madhva*s conception of God was that
of the sovereign who ruled the world, and whose grace
conferred deliverance on man.

A number of other Vaisnava teachers developed these
doctrines and spread the cult of devotion among the people.
Among them were Visnu Swami, PJlai Lokacharya (born in
1213), Vedanta Desika (born in 1268), and many others in
subsequent centuries.

Among the &aiOa Achdryaa-^'^ the earliest was Nambiandar
Nambr. a contemporary of Nathmuni. He collected the Saioite
hymns into the Devdrdm (the divine g-arland) and the Tiru-Murdi
(the sacred books). But the first of the Saioa theologians was
Meykandar Deva who was a &udra and lived in the thirteenth
century on the bank of the Pennar river to the north of Madras.
He translated the Sanskrit Raurava Agama Sutras into Tamil and
called it Siva-indna-bodha (Introduction to the Knowledge of
Siva). His disciple Arulnandl Deva wrote a commentary on the
master's work and a polemic criticizing other schools. A Sddra

3€ Bhandarkar : Vai^navism and Saivitm.
87 Pope : Op. cit.. Ititroduction.
Barnett : Museon. 1909.

Barnett : Saiva Siddhanta, SiddKinta Dipiki. Vol. XI, Not. 2, 3.
« Barnett: J.R.A.S.. 1910.

Frazer : Dra^dians (South India) £. R. £. ^

r™*» . AAiviam. E. R. E. •

104 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

disciple of Amlnai^dl was the author of another work on Saiva
S:ddhanta, and the Sudraa disciple was Brahmana Umapati
(1313) who was the greatest theologian of the sect.

The Tamil Saiva Siddhdntaa were affiliated to Kashmir
Saiva Schools which had arisen in the ninth and subsequent
centuries. The central doctrine of both was the trinity of Pali
(lord), Pd$u (individual soul), and Paaa (bond).

The systems into which this doctrine was expounded bear
analogies with Vaisriava Panchardtra systems. But, whatever
the metaphysics of Saiva Siddhdnta, the practical religion was
that of love and devotion. Its chief elements were : (1) faith in
Sioa and his grace ; (2) unquestioned belief in the teacher ;
(3) loving devotion and worship ; (4) discipline of Yoga demand-
ing concentration and accompanied with song, dance and
ecstatic rapture ; (5) toleration of all creeds ; (6) protest against
the extemalia of religion, ritual and idol worship ; and
(7) religious equality of all irrespective of caste or sect or worldly
position.

The distance which the Indian mind has travelled from the
sober, moderate, contemplative devotionalism of the north and
the fervent ardour and explosive passion of the religion of
Bhakti, of the south is great. The mystic note is struck clearly
in both. But mysticism is universal and eternal. It appears in
all cultures and in all periods of man*s history. It is an activity
of the human mind obscure and ill-understood, arising out of
dark regions carefully protected from the intrusion of intellect, a
phenomenon of the subconscious self, a function of the sublimi-
nal consciousness. It dwells where abide libido, and impulses
of sex and fear and desire.^** It has thus a world-wide signifi-
cance and a history coeval with that of man.

38 Evelyn Underhiil : The EssentiaU of Mysticism.
Bertrand Rustel : Mysticism and Logic.
Pratt : Psychology of Religious Life.
Starbuck : Psychology of Religion,
Cohen : Religion and Sex.
William James: Varieties of Religious Experiences.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 105

It is obviously futile to attempt to discuss the origins and
migrations of mysticism in history, for mystical experience is
impl'cit in all religions. But mysticism is a protean phenomenon.
Its expression takes infinite forms. In different lands it has
different intellectual formulas and theories ; it employs different
phrases and idioms, and in doing so it borrows language and
imagery ; it accentuates certain aspects of faith and tends to
ignore others. It is possible to observe the modifications of
form and expression and to render an account of the debts
which one culture owes another.

The growth of the emotional religion, the Bhakfi school
both in the ancient epoch in the north and in the early medieval
times in the south, has been traced above. The development
of the speculative side of religion and of its social aspects
through the efforts of poet-saints and theological thinkers has
also been described. It now remains to enquire into the
causes of its growth, the reasons of the striking differences
between the ancient beliefs and practices and the early
medieval ones.

Much of the difference may be accounted for by the social
upheavals, religious conflicts and political movements of the
times, in short by the fact that thought moves as life moves.
Much may be due to natural developments in the intellectual
field, the logical springing forth of schemes from seeds in earlier
systems. It may, for instance, be urged that the passionate
Bhakfi of the later age is the necessary outcome of the devotion
in the Bhagavadgtla, Svetaivatara Upaniiad and Mahayana
Buddhism, that the increasing emphasis on the unity of God is
the extension of the ancient monotheism of the Upaniiads, that
the rejection of externialia or caste is a reversion to the purer
forms of ancient Buddhism and Jainism.

All this may be granted, yet the progressive simplification
of the faith and the deepening of its emotion as time passes does
not seem to be completely explained by the causes just mention-
ed. These circimistances ieem to point to the working of a
steady force with fixed tendencies in reference to which tHe

106 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

movement of Hindu thought pressed onwards, and whose
influence, which began to operate early, continued to grow with
time. TTie need for such a cause has been felt for a long time
and most writers on the history of Hindu religion have sought to
discover it. Grierson^** felt it strongly, as appears from his
remarks in reply to Keith and Kennedy*s criticism of his paper
Modern Hinduism and its Debt to the Nestorians.

Pope,^^ in the introduction to the translation of Mdnikk^
Vdsahar, notes two features of this Bhakii whi^h appear to him
new. He says, ** here can be no doubt but that the idea of
special devotion is expressly taught in the Gita, but the devotion
of the $a*vite to the Guru — who is a man, a holy, human, divine-
ly-endowed teacher — differs very widely from this, or any
previous Hindu conception of lovinj^ service." Again,
** Bhakfh or loving piety, is the main idea of the Saiva system,
and the fervent self-negative love and worship of Sivan is
represented as including all religion, and transcending every
kind of religious observance, and since all are capable of this,
men of all castes can be received as devotees and saints in the
Saiva system .... In fact, it (love) seems to be something
pertaining to the semilx religions especially.**

Burnell^i Weber,^-^ Logan,^^ Caldwell,^^ Hopkins^«» and
Bhandarkar'*" along with Pope and Grierson ascribed these
changes to the influence of Christian communities in the south.
Barnett,*" Macnicoll,^*^ Esriin Carpenter,^^ hold more or less ex-

80 Grierson : Modern Hinduism and its Debt to the Nestorians.
J.R.A.S,, 1907.

40 Pope : Op. cit., p. Ixvii.

4lBurnell: Indian Antiquary, Vol. HI. p. 308; Vol. IV, p. 183.

42 Weber: Indian Antiquary. Vol. Ill, pp. 21, 47.

43 Logan : Malabar.

44 Caldwell : A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages.
4f> Hopkins : India Old and New.

46 Bhandarkar : Vaisnavism and ^vism.

47 Barnett : Heart of India. Bhagwad Gita, etc.

48 Macnicoll : Indian Theism, Appendix C.

49£st]in Carpenter: Theism in Medieval India; Note on Christianity
in India

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : I 107

plicitly that the development was due to internal causes only,
because the historical conditioi^s necessary for Christian contact
in the south were wanting. Fawcett,"'** however, in his Notes on
Some o/ the People of Malabar suggested that Islam was prob-
ably the needed factor. He wrote, ** something may be said of
the legendary story surrounding the ^reat Sankaracharya. the
apostle of the Nambutrls. He was born at Kaladi near the
Eluvayi river when the country was in peril. Her king had been
converted to Islam, and that religion was gaining ground.
Brahmanism must be revived, so Sioa was re-incarnated in the
child of a widow." The circumstance of his practical excommu-
nication with all his family by the Brahmans, and his seeking a
Nayar*s aid in performing the rites of the dead on the demise of
his mother, point to the same conclusion. And Barth'^^ in the
Religions of India argued in a similar strain. He says, ** The
Arabs of the Khalafat had arrived on these shores in the char-
acter of travellers and had established commercial relations
and intercourse with these parts long before the Afghans, Turks,
or Mongols, their co-religionists, came as conquerors. Now, it is
precisely in these parts that from the ninth to the twelfth century,
those great religious movements took their rise which are con-
nected with the names of Sankara, Ramanuja, Anandatirtha and
Basava, out of which the majority of the historical sects came
and to which Hindustan presents nothing analogous till a much
later period.'*

It is necessary to repeat that most of the elements in the
southern schools of devot'ion and philosophy, taken singly, were
derived from ancient systems ; but the elem^pfS!te|)jcir totality
and in their peculiar emphasis httrdiy j^^l^iAQlf^^^t^on
to Muslim faith and therefore mak^
influence probable. It is true that i
so far the evidence is all circums|
borrowing cannot be substantiatec

5*Fawcett : Anthropology. BoUetin,
•"il Barth : Religions of India.

108 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

or otherwise ; but it must be remembered that the Hindus were
a proud race as Alberuni remarked. They were great artists in
the assimilation of foreign ideas and they did not allow their
prestige to be lowered by crude imitations which could be
easily detected. The history of the whole of Indian culture in
the ancient period is a testimony to the correctness of these
statements.

The influence of Islam was in the first stages indirect and
selective. It was not the result — so far as can be ascertained —
of a study of Muslim literature, but of the teaching from the
mouth of religious ascetics or of observation of their rites and
customs. In a previous chapter the occasion of contact and the
opportunities of influence have been discussed. There were
plenty of Muslims settled on the coasts where the great Tamil
teachers arose, they wielded sufficient power to attract notice
and held a sufficiently respected status in the land to enter into
intercourse with the people. The history of the development of
Islamic thought shows how in Muslim countries ideas had been
evolved which were analogous to Hindu ideas and which could
therefore be presented without shocking them. The material of
contact although peculiar, was not thus entirely heterogeneous.
It is necessary to examine it in order to find out what contribu-
tion it could have made to the development of Hindu thought.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II

The parallels between the Indian systems developed in the south
by Sankara and K.s successors and the schools of Muslim theo-
logy and mysticism are startling in their similitudes. Both sys-
tems of thought appear to have undergone an evolution which
ran on similar lines. The Indian mind starting with Sruti and
the Muslim with the Quran, both enjoining a religion of action,
passed through the stage of rationalisation to devotional and
emotional religion. Sahara and Kumaril, the predecessors of
3ankara, were Mimdnsakcts who tried to re-establish the religion
of action and sacrifice. The appearance marked the turning
point in ancient Indian religious thought. iSankara found a
philosophic basis for this new movement and set definitely the
direction in which the Hindu mind was to work in subsequent
ages. The difference between the aspect of religious history in
the pre-^nkaran or ancient, and post-Sankaran or medieval
periods is great. In the ancient period there is not one religion
but many religions — Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Brahmanism is itself in a curiously fluid condition, syncretism is
taking place in its pantheon on at least three lines — Siva, Vif^iu
and Sakti' Along the first line the Rudra of the Vedas gathers
under his expanding wing's the gods of hills and forests, of the
Himalayas, the Vindhya and the Tamil land, the red lord of
terror and the bright lord of healing combine, the dread human
and aniinal sacrifices and Vedic rites combine, the magic of
ruder tribes and' the speculations of the civilised combine, and
these produce the Siva of the Mahabharata. the Pdiupata and
similar philosophical systems, and the &aiva cults. Similarly,
along another line the Vedic Vi^u, the Vasadeva of the
Satfat€», the Kri^oo of the Yddavas, the Gopal Kri^i^ of th^
AbhiroB are joined in one conception of an EkSntin GodK the_

1 10 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

cults of various tribes are merged into Bhagwata and Panchatan-
tra worship and their speculation in the Bhagavad Gita and
Vai^i^ava Samhitas, Sakta philosophy, worship and cult foFow
exactly the model of the Siva sect. In Buddhism and Jainism
the influence of neighbouring sects and the assimilation of alien
elements prodiice complexities which have been described
elsewhere. All these processes which go on throughout the
ancient period leave on the mind an impression of great
complexity and bewilderment, although as time passes the
confusion begins to simplify.

According to some sociologists, all religions in their begin-
ning must have been monotheistical ; each tribe had one god
whom it worshiped. As tribes joined together, either because of
war or of struggles for means of living, their gods were brought
together and polytheism arose ; and as the joint tribes became
uriif orm and gained in solidarity so again the many gods coalesced
into one dominant god. If this theory is true, it throws a great
deal of light upon the process of the emergence of the three
deities $iva, Kifiriu and Sakti in India. After the Guptas had
vanquished the barbarous Hu^as in the fifth century, no large
accession of foreign tribes took place in India for the next five
or six hundted years. The Muslims, who settled on the western
borders or on the coast from eighth century onwards, came in
small communities and did not produce any large disturbance in
the settled populations. The fluid mass of thought and religions
had therefore time to settle. The peoples of India in the ancient
times were divided into numerous tribes politically independent
or semi-independent, and culturally diverse as the literature
of the Vedic and Buddhist^ periods clearly attests. The
incursion of Scythians, Yueh-Chis, Hupas and others
added to the diversity already existing. The assimilation of the
tribes and their cultures was the task of the various periods of
ancient history. During the Gupta period the last of the 8301-

theses took place, and gave to Brahmanism a imity of which

ft

1 Rhys Davkis : Buddhist India;

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II HI

the literary expression is the Mahdbharata and the religious
symbol the Trimurti.

Sankara was born when this modification had been accom-
plished and Hinduism was already triumphing over its rivals
Buddhism and Jainism. He was thus a child of the times, but
he was also the precursor of a new age. Monotheistic worship
had been vindicated^ by the labours of his predecessors, but it
had to be established on the firm foundations of philosophy, so
that not merely the will but also the intellect might become
convinced and its permanence be assured.

The establishment of this monotheistical tendency received
a poweful impetus from the appearance of so uncompromisingly
monotheistic a religion as Islam. Sankara was born at a time
when Muslims were beginning their activities in India, and, if
tradition is correct, when they had gained a notable success in
the extension of their faith by converting the king of the land.
He was born and brought up at a place where many ships from
Arabia and the Persian Gulf touched. If his extreme
monism, Ms stripping of the One of all semblances of duality,
his attempt to establish this monism on the authority of revealed
scriptures, his desire to purge the cult of many abuses, had even
a faint echo of the new noises that were abroad it would not
be a matter for great surprise or utter incredulity. But iSankara's
life is wrapped in legend and direct testimony of any kind *ls
completely lacking to establish a connexion between him and
Islam.

His successors, Ramanuja, Vifi;iuswaml, Madhava and
Nimbaraka, and the hymn-makers, in their speculations and
religious tone, show closer parallelism. In the give and take of
culture between Muslims and Indians it is difficult to assess accu-
rately the share of each. It is true that the Muslims received
many ideas from India and perhaps India received through
Islam a reflection of its own contribution. It is true that
Christian and neo-PIatonist thoxight deeply coloured Islam and
thejefoTe some writers have found in Hinduism traces of thos^
systems. But the fact remains that a number of elements Vere

1 12 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

absorbed into Minduism through its direct contact with Islam
and these elements were presented to India impressed with the
Islamic mould.

In Ramanuja*s time Muslims were to be found in the ports
of the Coromandel coast. Muslim saints like Nathad Vali were
preaching Is-lam to the people and converting numbers of them,
and Hindu kings like Kun-Pandya were giving grants of land
for the erection of mosques. The existence of Christians at
Malaipuram is more than doubtful ; and» in any case, the small
uninfluential community professing a corrupt form of that
religion could hardly influence the thoughts of its neighbours.
As Barth has pointed out, it was not in general the monotheism
of the Christian religion which most struck the Hindus. -

Ramanuja*s philosophy recognised a god with good attri-
butes and inculcates His worship with faith and devotion. He
exhibits a desire to open the doors of religion to the classes
which had so far been shut out of it. Ix>ve finds a place not only
in the relations of man and God but also of man and man,
although in the latter case the advance is timid. Vi^iiuswami,
Nimbaruka and Madhava*8 metaphysical discussions regarding
the nature of God and inem almost recall the debates of Nazzam,
Ash' ari and Ghizall. But these resemblances may be easily
fanciful or due to the nature of the enquiries themselves, and no
reliance can be placed upon them for deducing any inference
regarding cultural borrowings.

Certain other characteristics of Squth Indian thought from
the ninth century onwards, however, strongly pdint to Islamic
influence. These are the increasing emphasis on monotheism,
emotional worship, self -surrender (prapatii) and adoration of the
teacher (Guru bhakt') and in addition to them laxity in the
rigours of the caste system, and indifference towards mere
ritual.

It is hardly necessary to expatiate at length on the first
point. The conception was ancient, but was not dominant.

> Bftrth : Religions of India.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH: II 113

Practical religion consisted in either the performance of good
actions and sacrifice or in following a system of mental and
spiritual training (Yoga) without dependence on a god with
whom intimate personal relationship could be established.
This is mainly the teaching of the Dharma Sastras, Mahdbhdraia
and Sdnkhya-Yoga philosophy. The Upanisads and the un-
orthodox Bhagavatism were exceptional. They appealed to a
small esoteric coterie, the last to tribes outside the pale of Vedic
Brahmanism, till they were admitted inside the fold and their
systems were recognized.'^ Philosophical religion dwelt in the
region of abstraction and only practical needs forced it to take
account of the conception of God. Buddhism and Jainism were
largely atheistical ; only in later times did Mahayana develop a
theistic cult, but the worship of Amitdbha was only one of the
numerous sects.

In medieval times monotheism becomes the prevailing
religion of India. The One God may be called by different
names, Sioa, Vi^nu or any other, and there may be different
theories about His existence, creation and relation with man.
But He is One above all. Then He is a personal god. Again
the conceptions of personality may differ. He may be king and
master, father or mother, friend and teacher, spouse and lover.
In every case the human relation with Him is emotional, usually
tender. The emotion in the earlier times is calm, and restrained,
in later times exuberant, passionate, violent.

The hymns of the Alvdrs deprecate externalia in religion,
fasts and pilgrimages, and, occasionally, image worship, and
inequality in worship. Ramanuja admitted the Sudraa (under
restrictions) to temples and provided the faith of self-surrender
iprapatti) and of adoration of the Guru (dchdrydbhimdna-yoga)
for their spiritual welfare. These features of the reform move-
ments could hardly be due to Buddhism and Jainism for both
were in their later days rigidly bound up with ceremonialism
and image worship, wh'.ch was indeed one of the very causes

3 Ram PraBada Chanda : Indo-Aryan Races. «

114 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

of their downfall. TTiey could scarcely be derived from the
prevailing types of the Hindu religion, for the worship of Vi^nu,
Siva or Sakti was ritualistic as well as that of other Vedic sects.
Some of them might be affiliated to older and purer forms of
Buddhism and Upanisadism, but Prapatti and Gura-bhakfi not
quite.

The idea of Prapatti attains importance in the school of
Ramanuja, where Bhakt'- is permitted to the three higher classes
alone but not to the Sudras^ The last are Prapannas, who take
refuge in God, feeling themselves poor and helpless. They
fling themselves on the will of God, renouncing everything
worldly, seeking the advice of a preceptor and acquiring from
him the impulse to action. Later the Vai^navas were divided
into two branches on the question of Prapatti. And Nimbaraka
gave great predominance to this method of winning the grace
of God.

Prapatti is closely coiinected with the adoration of the
teacher (acharyabhimana-yoga) which consists in surrendering
oneself completely to a teacher and being guided by him in
everything.

Bhandarkar is of opinion that both these elements may be
traced to the influence of Christianity.'^ It is naore likely, how-
ever, that they came from Islam. Both were very prominent
features of that religion. The word Islam means surrender, and
the Muslim is verily a Prapanna. It has been shown that
submissLon to the will of God is an essential part of the Muslim
religious consciousness. Historically also there is no insuper-
able difficulty in supposing that Ramanuja adopted it from
Islam.

Absorption in God through devotion to a teacher is again
an important Muslim conception. It was started by the Shi'as
and from them taken by the Sufis. But it may be urged that
the reverence to a teacher is an ancient Indian idea. Without
going further back one may find it in the Grihiya SHiras and the

4 BKandarkar : Vai^navism and l^vism . ^

* 6 Ibid., p. 57.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II 115

Dharma Sditras.^^ They lay down rules govern'ng the relation of
Guru and Brahmachdrl (student). The student is asked to regard
his Guru as more than his father, to pay him perfect obedience
during the period of studentship and to hold him in reverence
throughout Kfe. The teacher is even compared to God.^ But
this ancient homage that the disciple paid to the preceptor is not
the same thing as devotion to a spiritual director who is human
yet divine, who is a link in the hierarchical chain of preceptors
{plr, shaikh. Imam, prophet or quib), each successor receiving
inspiration from his predecessor and being the keeper of the
traditions of the sect to which the novice once admitted belongs
for ever.

This Sufi conception of the deified teacher was incorporated
in medieval Hinduism. Anandagiri^s conception of Sankara as
the incarnation of Siva,^ the estimation of the Alvars and the
Acharyas as incarnations of Kffi^u or his parts, and Umapath'i's
Guruvdda^ are all assimilations to the Sufi type. From them the
idea spread all over India, so that a modern Hindu writer says,
** nothing strikes as so peculiar in Hindu religious life as the
high pedestal on which the spirhual teacher is placed and the
implicit faith which the community has in him for weal or
woe.'*^^* The acharyabhimana-yoga of the Artha Panchikft and
Ramanuja system were loans then not from Christianity but
from Islam.

The appearance of new ideas and the emphasizing of certain
old ones in Southern India from the ninth to the fourteenth
century is rather peculiar. Such things did not happen in the
North, for all the early medieval reformers belonged to the
South. If one of the reasons was not the influence of Islam

({ Asvalayana : Grihya Sutras. Ill, 4. 4, S. B. £.
Apastamba: Dharma Sutra*. I. 1. 13-19. S. B. E.
Manu: Dharma &»tra. II, 146, 148. H. 24344. S, B. E.

7 Svetaivatara Upanilad, Hume*8 translation.
» Anandagiri : Ankara Vijaya.
OPopc: Introduction to Manikka Vasahar.
^0 RijagopalSchariar : The Vaifnava Reformers, p. 12. ^ •

116 INFLUENCE OF ISIlAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

steadily and increasingly exerted during this very period and 'In
this very region till it was suddenly eliminated by the advent of
the Europeans, it would be difficult to account for the pheno-
menon, still more so considering that the reforming shears were
applied to the very parts anathematised by Islam, and that the
new acquisitions were the very features which most prominently
marked that religion.

Before leaving the South two more sects require consider-
ation, in which the influence of Islani appears more clearly
than in those considered so far. They are the Lingayats or
jangamas and the Siddhars.

The Lingayats consider themselves an ancient Saiva sect.
Without disputing the fact of their ancient lineage from one
of the many branches of Saivism and admitting the probability
that the Arddhyaa made an early attempt to organise a reformed
Vai^ijiava faith, it may be taken for granted that the uncompro-
mising Lingayatism arose in the twelfth century. Who were the
leaders of this movement? Basava and Channabasava his
nephew, are universally recognised by the Lingayats. Dr. Fleet
on the strength of an inscription of about 1200 A,D. found at
Ablur, associated Ekarita (or Ekantada) Ramayya with Basava
as the founder of the sect.^^ Some Saiva poets who lived in the
court of a Ballal raja — Harisvara, Raghavapika, and Kereya
Padmarasa are said to have espoused similar views. ^- Basava,
however, whether he was the actual founder of the system or
not, was its most powerful advocate and sponsor. It is not
necessary to extricate all the details of his career from the con-
flicting accounts of the legendary historians. It is enough to
know that he was the Minister of Bijjala, the Kalachuri king
who ruled at Kalyan, 1156 — 1167. The Jaina and Brahmapa
influences were strong at the court and in the kingdom, and
Basava was an uncompromising enemy of both. A conflict in
the circumstances was inevitable and Bijjala and Basava were
both simultaneous victims of mutual hostility. Basava's nephew

11 Epigraphia liulica. Vol. V, p. 239. i

i2Wurth:J. Bo, Br. R. A. S.. Vol. VIII, pp. 65—221.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : li 1 17

Channabasava carried on the propaganda after the uncle's
death. The movement started by Basava had wide and lasting
effect. The power of the Kalachuris was completely under-
mined so that Kalyan soon after fell into the hands of the
Hoysalas, from whom the kingdoni passed to the Muslim
conquerors from the north.

TTie system of Basava in its original form was one of resolute
and wholesale opposition to the prevailing religious thought.
It was revolutionary all along the line in doctrine, ritual and
social custom, so much so. that in spite of all the attempts of
the Lingayats to tone down its daring originality they have not
succeeded in completely obliterating its individuality or in
assimilating it to orthodox Hinduism.

Tlie Lingayats are worshippers of one God {Para Sioa), the
infinite, independent, invisible Being, the highest radiance, the
supreme joy, the most excellent substance, exalted above all
chaiige and void of all materiality. He is the creator of souls
and of nature which are conceived of as the self-diremption of
the supreme Being. He manifests himself as the world-teacher
(Allama Prabhu) and guide of the individual soul (^it)a the
Redeemer). The human teacher, Basava, is the incarnation of
the Redeemer, whose divinity passes to his successors and
representatives. The first four among them are especially
revered' — ^Revan, Marul, Ekorama and Pandit. According to
Brown they are analogous to the four ' pirs * of the Musalmans,
the canonised spiritual guides, who ** play the same part in the
ceremony of making a Musalman murid that the four A rddhyas
do in that of making a Jangam. They too are described in an
apostolical succession."' '"^ The preceptor initiates the novice
into the creed. '* The rules regarding initiation are analogous
to those used among Musalmans.*'^*

Lx)ve is the first creation of God. Bhakti or faithful devo-
tion is the means of attaining the goal of human life, it is an
attraction towards God and there are three stages in the progress

#3 & 14 Brown: Madras Journal of Literature and Science, January
IS40. p. 146. ^ •

1 18 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

of the soul. The first is the stage of indifference which involves
firm belief in God. the discipline of vows and restraints and
the practice of rites and devotion ; the second involves the
renunciation of egoism, concentration in God, resignation and
serenity ; the third, the sharing the joys of blissful union and
seeing God in oqeself and in everything else.^^

The practices of the Jangamas are summed up in the aahta-
varanam (the eight environments), they are — (I) guru (preceptor),
(2) lingam (phallus), (3) jangama (follower), (4) vibhiiti (ashes),
(5) rudrdkia (rosary), (6) padodaka (water in which the
preceptor's feet are washed), (7) prasdda (sacramental food),
(8) panchaksara (five-syllabled formula).^**

The preceptor is coiisidered as * superior even to the
deity. *^'^ The lingam is the symbol of divinity embodied in the
saints. The jangam represents the incarnation of the deity in
the whole community. He is the passive principle, &wa is the
active, and the preceptor the intermediate link between the
two. The formula (namah Sivaya) is the confession of faith and
the remaining elements are the ritual of the sect.

There are no sacrifices, no fasts or feasts, no pilgrimages.
** There is no river (purificatory ceremony) for a Lingdyata.**^^
There is no caste. ** even if a Pariah joins the sect, he is con-
sidered in no way inferior to a Brahman."^** There are no dis-
tinctions based on differences of birth or sex. ** All men are
holy in proportion as they are temples of the great spirit. "2**

Marriage is voluntary, the consent of the bride before mar-
riage is necessary and child marriage is considered vrrong.
Divorce is allowed. Widows are treated with respect, and they
are permitted to marry again. The dead are not cremated but

13 Brown: Madras Journal of Literature and Science, January 1840,
p. 150.

IBBhandarkar: Op. cit.. p. 136.

17 Thurston: Castes and Tribes of South India. Lingayats, P. 280.
18 Ibid.
l»lbid.
* SO Brown: Op. cit.. p. 146.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II 1 19

buried, the dying man is given a bath, no irdddha or death
ritual is prescribed. The theory of transmigration of souls' or
metempsychosis is not believed in. All Lingadham or wearers
of the divine s3rmbol eat together, intermarry and live in unity.

lingayats are devout, puritanical and warlike in their
character.-'^ They are found chiefly in the Kanarese and Telugu
countries, constituting thirty-five per cent, of the total popula-
tion in the Belgaum, Bijapur and Dharwar districts and ten per
cent, in the Mysore and Kolhapur States.-- Tliey call them-
selves Vtrsaivas, the brave followers of Siva,

Whence did they develop their peculiar doctrines and social
institutions ? Brown, although he noticed the resemblances with
Muslim ideas inconsequentially, came to the conclusion that
** an observation of the Christian faith in the neighbouring
country of Malayala may have led to his (Basava*s) seeking a
better creed."-** This is, however, a mere fancy. There is no
evidence for the existence of a Christian community on the
Konkan coast. On the other hand, the whole of Western India
from Cambay to Quilon was studded with Muslim colonies,
established in the early centuries of the Muslim era. Nairn after
investigating the Musalman remains on the Konkan coast arrived
at the conclusion ** that the Musalmans of this part, who differ
so strongly from others of their religion in physical appearance,
in dress, and in some of their customs, must be descended from
sea-faring Arabs who settled on this coast, and not from the
Musalinan conquerors of India. **^^ It is difficult to resist the
inference that LingayatiBm was a result of the influence which
these Muslims exerted in these parts of India. No other hypo-
thesis appears sufficient to explain the revolutionary character of

21 Brown : Op. cit.. p. 175.

22 Thurston : Op. cit.

2a Brown: Op, cit.. p. 145.

** Nairn : The Muslim Remains on Southern Konkan. Indian Antiquary »(
Vol. II, pp. 276. and 317; Vol. IM, m. •

120 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

its doctrines and customs. The abandonment of such a deep-
ro6ted Hindu idea as that of metempsychosis and of such
customs as cremation » and purificatory death ceremonial, the
abolition of inequalities of caste and sex and the reform of
marriage, the conceptions of the community of brave warriors
led by their sanctified preceptor, and of God (A llama) whose
very name is probably of Muslim origin, *^^ point unmistakably
to the source of inspiration, that is Islam.

It is easily comprehensible that after the downfall of their
kingdom and the conquest of their lands by Muslim armies from
the north at the end of the thirteenth century, the reformers,
dismayed by the effects of the schism that they had started,
attempted to bring about a reconciliation with the peoples sur-
rounding them and professing more orthodox views, and, there-
fore, deliberately or compelled by force of circumstances or by
sheer neglect, they mitigated the sharp outlines of their system
and gradually permitted the reappearance of such features as
caste to creep in. Thus the Lingayats of today although
still distinct from other Hindu communities are fast becoming
identical with them. The memory of their earlier career and its
vicissitudes is, however, still preserved in the prophecies of
Channabasava who predicted that sixty years softer the rule of
the KalachurTs ** the great Pitambar will be bom by the bless-
ings of Siva among the Turks, and his house will reign over this
country seven himdred and seventy years, demolish Kalyan and
build KalaburigT " and the country will be called Turkanya.
But ultimately the great Vasantaraya will rise, who will drive
out the foreigners, rebuild Kalyana, take Chaunna as the Minis-
ter of his realm, and estaUish the faith.^*

The following extracts from the Vachanaa attributed to
Basava illustrate the doctrines of the Lingayats.-^

25 Brown : Telugu and English Dictionary.
Kittel: Kannada anci English Dictionary.
20Wurth: Op. cit, p. 220. c

^7 Halkathi. P. C : Indian Antiquary, Vol. LI, 1922.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH: II 121

THERE IS ONE GOD

(1) Thou art the only Lord and Thou art eternal ; this is Thy
title. I proclaim it so that the whole world may know. There
is no word beyond the Almighty God, the Almighty God
Pdaupati is the only God in the whole ur\iverse. In all the
heavenly world, the mortal world and the nether world, there
is only one God, O Kudalaaangama DeVa.

(2) I did not see those so-called gods alive, when the four
yugas and the eighteen cycles of those yugaa were being des-
troyed ; nor did I see them, when all was burning ; nor do 1 see
them now. Neither that day nor this day. do I see those gods,
except Kudalaaangama Deva.

How can I say that the god that, filled with lac. melts down,
or the god that, being touched with fire, twists itself, is equal
to Him? How can I say that the god that is sold, when the
time comes, is equal to Him ? How can I say that the god that
is buried, when there is fear, is equal to Him? Kudalaaangama
Deva is the only one God whose state is natural, who is in
union with truth, eternal, pure and chaste. O think : there is
only one husband to a wife that loves. So there is only one
God to the devotee that believes. Oh, do not seek the com-
pany of other gods. To speak of other gods is adultery.

GOD IS UNIVERSAL

Ah, wherever I look, there Thou art. O God ! Thou Thy-
self art one with a universal eye. Thou Thyself art one with a
universal mouth. Thou Thyself art one with universal arms.
Thou Hiyself art one with universal feet, O Kudalaaangama
Deva,

Thy width is as wide as the universe, wide as the sky, wide

as the widest. Thy auspicious feet are far beyond the nether

world, and Thy auspicious crown far far above the globe of the

Universe. O Linga, thou art unknowable, immeasurable^ im*

-i_^ki^ ^^A ;*i/«rkmnaraible. O Kudotasangama Deva,

122 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

DO NOT BELIEVE IN EXPIATORY CEREMONIES

O you who have committed sinful deeds ! O you who have
killed a Brahman ! Say only once, ** I yield myself to God."
If you say once, ** I submit/* all sins break and fly away.
Even mountains of gold will not suffice for expiations. Hence,
say only once, *' 1 submit,*' to that only one, our Kudalaaangama
Deva,

DO NOT SACRIFICE

Leave it alone, that Horse -sacrifice, leave it alone, that
Initiation into the Ajapa Mantra, Leave it alone, that offering
in fire, and those countings of the Gdyatri spell. Leave them
alone, those charms and incantations for bewitching people.
But the company and the words of the servants of Kudala-
sangama Deva, mark, are greater than any of these.

With one who knows not the subtle path of God, the time
of the eclipse is far superior to the twenty-four tithis. The
fast day is far superior to ** Sankrdnta.** Sacrificial offerings
and the daily rites are far superior to Vydtipata, But to one
who constantly meditates on Kudalaaangama Deva, such medi-
tation is far superior to innumerable countings of mantraa and
the performance of severe penances.

DO NOT BELIEVE IN CAETE

Do they look for beauty in an enthroned king ? Should they
look for caste, when one is worshipper of God, Linga} Why,
it is the word of God that the devotee's body is His body.

None but the ancients can know it. O stop, stop. Only
the devotee of God is of the highest caste. Hence no distinct
tion of caste should be observed. He is neither bom nor
unborn. The servant of Kudalaaangama Deva is limitless.

Wfcat if he has read the four Vedas ? He that has mo
Linga is a Mdhar — what if he is a Mdhar} He that has the

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II 123

Linga 18 Benares. His clusters of words are good. He is holy
in all the worlds. His Prasad is nectar to me. It is said ** My
devotee is dear to me, even though he is a Mdhar. He \9
acceptable to me. He should be worshipped even as I am."
Since it is so said, then he that worships Kudalasangama Deva,
and knows Him, is greater than the six philosophies and is pure
in all the worlds.

The Vedas trembled and trembled ; the Nostras retired and
stood aside ; Logic became dumb ; the A gams went out and
withdrew : for our Kudalasangama Deoa dined in the house of
Channayya, the Mohar.

What does it matter what caste he belongs to? He that
wears the symbol of God is of the highest caste. It has been
said, **The caste of him who is born from God is sacred and
he is free from births. His mother is Uma and his father is
Rudra, and certainly his caste is Isvara." Since it is so said, I
will accept the remains of their food and will give them my
child in marriage. O Kudalasangama Deoa, 1 place my trust
in thy servants.

WORK WITHOUT DESIRING ANYTHING IN RETURN

Mere strings of words such as ** God is the soul of all
created beings '* will never do instead of the work which \%
your duty. You ought to use up your body, mind and soul for
Guru, the servants of Kudalasangama Deva.

THE STATE OF SARANA

Do not compare things that are incomparable. They are
devoid of time and action, devoid of worldliness, Thy servants,
O Kudalasangama Deva.

Is the sea great? It is bound by the earth. Is the earth
great ? It stands on the head-jewel of the Lord of serpen!*. Is ^
the tord of serpents great? He is only a signet-ring on*the

124 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

little finger of Pdrvati. Is PdrOati great? She is only one-half
of the body of Paramcivara, Is Parameivara great? He is
confined on the edge of the top of the mind of the servants of
our Kudalasangama DeOa.

His origin is not like that of the creatures of the air. Thy
servant is a creation of Linga. He sticks to one. His heart does
not vacillate. He penetrates the mind. He forgets his bodily
qualities and worships Thee. He is, as it were, Thine own
reflection. O Kudalasangama Deva.

A STATE OF PINAL ABSORPTION

Ah. what can I say about the bliss I feel, when my body
melts, like a hailstone in water, or an image of lac in fire? The
waters of my eyes have overflowed their boundaries. Oh, to
whom shall I speak of the happiness of uniting with Kudala-
sangama Deva in oneness of mind?

I know not the earth, the sky or the ten quarters. I do not
understand them. They say, ** The whole universe is contained
in the centre of the Linga/* but, like a hailstone, 1 fell in^to the
midst of the ocean ; I am overwhelmed in the happiness of the
touch of the Linga ; and am saying only, ** God,** knowing
nothing whatever of duality.

The Siddhdrs were a school of philosophical rhymists, who
were Yogis as well as medical men and alchemists. It is
difficult to determine their age for all signs of the school have
now completely disappeared and their writings have undergone
much interested editing. Mr. Srinivasa Aiyangar, a Brahmana
scholar, does not speak of them in terms of praise. He calk
them impostors and plagiarists who assumed the great names of
antiquity like Agastiyar, Kapilar arid Tiruvalluvar to throw dust
into the eyes of the people. According to him, they were eaters
of opium, dwellers in the land of dreams, and full of unbounded
conceit. 2S

K^B Srinivasa Aiyangar : Tamil Studies, p. 226. ^^

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : II 125

It is manifest, however, that they did not like the Brahmanas.
They ridiculed them in their writings and poured unlimited
contempt on their social institutions, religious observances and
sacred books. They were monotheistical quietists who retained
the name of Siva as that of God, but rejected everything in the
Saiva system which was inconsistent with pure theism. Their
summum bonum was to apprehend and approach that Eternal
Light which they termed Paraiyjoti, Peroli or Vetta i?e/f.2o

Thou shalt adore the world's one Light,

Who at a thought this vast earth framed.

Made noble man, then, dawnlike, flamed

A priest (Guru) upon His sight.

No kin had he of mortal race ;

Ascetic-wise hard deeds He wrought ;

Then having made disciples (Siddhars), sought

The Unlimitable Place. »«
God is ** the Light whom earth and heaven and hell cannot
contain,**'" and He is my king, the King of Kings. '^*'^ God is
transcendent for He **stands far, far and far, beyond all beings,
utmost'*"^ pale,** and yet within, *' His sacred feet are in your
heart.^4

They believed in one God, in one true preceptor (satguru),
in one way for all men, and rejected the theory of many births
and the authority of the Hindu sacred scriptures.

God is one and the Veda is one ;

The disinterested, true Guru is one. and his

initiatory rite is one,

20 Snnivasa Aiyangar : Tamil Studies.

30 Caldwell : Tamil Popular Poetry, Indian Antiquary, 1872, Vol. 1,
p 203.

31 Ibid., p. 101.
3^ Ibid., p. 179.
33 Ibid., p. 100.

•i4 Ibid., p. 179. •

126 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

When this is obtained his heaven is one ;

There is but one birth of men upon earth ;

And only one way for ail men to walk in.

But as far as those who hold four Vedas and

six ^dsiras.

And different customs for different peoples,

And believe in plurality of gods,

Down they will go to the fire of hell! **'^^*

The denunciation of those who do not agree with them is
quite Islamic in its fierce sternness.

The Siddhars were followers of the path of devotion and of
love. Tirumular says :

The ignorant think that God and love are different.

None knows that God and love are the same.

Did all men know that God and love are the same,

They would dwell together in peace, considering

love as God.-*^^

True worship does not consist in bowing

To idols made of clay, or mud
Baked in the fire. No image made
Of stone or wood, no linga stump.
Built of earth and made by hand.
Could ever seem divine to one
Who knew he came from God,-'*''

or in the worship of gods and goddesses.

How many flowers 1 gave
At famous temple shrines !
How many mantras said I
Oft washed the idol's head!
And still with weary feet
Encircled Siva's shrines !

3r» Caldwell : Gimparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages
Second Edition, p. 147.
*^ 36 ^id.

B7 Cover: Folk Songs of Southern India, p. 162.

HINDU REFORMERS OF THE SOUTH : 11 127

But now at last 1 know

Where dwells the King of Gods,

And never will salute

A temple made with hands. '^^

What then is true worship ? Sivavakyar replies :

My thoughts are flowers and ashes.

In my breast's fane enshrined.

My breath too is there in it

A linga unconfined :

My senses too, like incense

Rise and light bright lamps shine.

There too my soul leaps over

A dancing-God divine. •^'^
Worship needs the guidance of the teacher, and therefore It is
necessary to

**Be faithful to the glorious priest (Guru)
Who teaches truth. Receive from him
The heavenly light that shall make clear
What body is and what is soul.''^*

The Siddhdrs did not believe in caste. Patirakiriyar asks the

Brahmans,

O Brahmans, list to me
And answer if you can.
Do rain and wind avoid
Some men among the rest
Because their caste is low?
When such men tread the earth
Hast seen it quake with rage?
Or does the brilliant sun
Refuse to them its rays?^^

38 Caldwell: Indian Antiquary, Vol. I. p. 170.

39 Ibid., p. 101.

4^ Cover: Op. cit.. p. 162.

41 Caldwell : Indian Antiquary. VoL I. p. 168.

128 INFLUENCE OF ISLAIVTON INDIAN CULTURE

He deeply yearned for the coming of the brother of man.

When shall our race be one great brotherhood
Unbroken by the tyranny of caste ?^-

But he has a firm faith that it will come, —

O Brahmans list to me !

In all this blessed land

There is but one great caste,

One tribe and brotherhood.

One God doth dwell above

And He hath made us one

In birth and frame and tongue.'*^

It will be seen from the ample quotations given here that
the Siddhma were severely monotheistic, they had no use for
Vedas and Sdstras, or for idolatrous practices, and they repudia-
ted metempsychosis. The hymns of the Siddhdrs remind one
of the uncompromising severity of Islam. Their conceptions
of God and absorption in Him are reminiscent of the teachings
of the Sufis, for both describe the ultimate reality as Tight and
both give to Love a dominating position among universal forces.
In regard to alchemy especially they were the disciples of the
Muslims,*^ their attitude towards it was the same as that of Dhul
Nun Misri^^ and of those who followed him. One last quotation
will show how much they were imbued with Sufi phraseology :

That highest one is not a beauteous rose

Nor doth He hide Him in the sweet perfume."**^

In short, the progress of religious thought in the south reveals
a growing absorption of Muslim ideas, into Hindu systems.

42 Caldwell ; Inaian Antiquary, Vol. I. p. 102,

43 Ibid., p. 168.

44 Barth : Religions of India.

45 Nicholson: J.R.A.S.. 1906. ,
46 Caldwell: Indian Antiquary. Vol. I, p. 177.

HiUREFORiRSOFlSOJTH:!! I»

Tlie pliiUpliies of Uara, ot Ramanuja and otkrs bad tkir
roots in llie systems o( the past, their presentation was oripl
but in tke case ot tlie latter it appears probable that tbey did
not grow up utterly regardless o( tbe new currents ol tliouglit
wliicli tben lowed in tbe country. But i( in tbeir case it is only
possible to give a judgment wbicb must be largely conjectural,
tbe evidence leaves almost no doubt tliat tbe Mm and tbe
SiJJIiflrs were largely iniuenced by Islam.

THE ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH

When the empire of Har?a fell the North broke up into small
principalities. Rajput clans starting from their original homes
in the West spread north and east establishing the chieftaincies
in the Himalayan regions, in the plains watered by the Ganges
and the Jumna, and in the wide stretch of territory broken up
by the Vindhya and Kaimur ranges between Gujarat and Orissa.
Even those who had no title to the name of Rajput constructed
imaginary pedigrees and affiliated themselves to the dominating
race. The Rajputs thus were the masters of the destinies of
India from the Panjab to the Deccan and from the Arabian Sea
to Bengal before the Muslims appeared upon the scene.

Under their sway great changes came upon the social life
and culture of Northern India. The old landmarks racial
political and religious, were obliterated. The ancient tribes
mentioned by Varahamihira in the Vrihat Samhita^ or those
conquered by Samudra Gupta- in the fourth century, La^s,
Panchalas, Arjunayanas, Yadavas, Malavas, Kosalas, Vatsas,
2§akas, Anartas, Videhas, Kurus, Matsyas, Chedis and innumer-
able others, disappeared ; and their places were occupied by
Gurjaras, Ra^traku^as, Gaharwars, Kalachuris, Chandels,
Chauhans, Parihars, Tomaras, Pan wars, and Solankis. Feudal
institutions sWept away the ancient councils and assemblies and
tribal kingdoms. The ancient irnperialistic idea — ^the over-
lordship extending from sea to sea — vanished, and a kind of
balance of power, of alliance and counter-alliance of princes,
took its place, making civil strife a daily habit and national
unity a rare diream.

1 Kern : Varahamihira' s Vrihat Samhita. Verspreide Geschriften,
1913-14.

2 Vincent Smith: J.R.A.S.. 1897. pp. 19, S59.

ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH 131

The ancient seats of culture and regions of busy and
humming life changed. Magadha was no longer the cradle of
empire ; Pataliputra and Gaya were in ruins, and in their walled
cities there were few inhabitants ; Vaisali, Kasinagara (Kania),
Ramagrama, Kapilavastu and SravastT, the cities renowned in
Buddhist history, were desolate. TTie scenes of political activity
had shifted from the middle country to the west and the extreme
east. Kanauj, Gwalior, Delhi and Anhilwada, and Ajmer in
the west and Gaur in the east had risen into prominence as
centres of political life, art and literature.

In religious matters a vast transformation took place. The
India of Har^a was still mainly Buddhist or Sivaite. India in
the eleventh century as Alberuni saw it was quite different.
Buddhism or a mixture of Buddhism and Sdktism, or 7'an(ri8m
was confined to one corner of the country, namely, Bengal ;
Jainism maintained its existence in the extreme west, Gujarat
and Rajputana ; but the dominant creed of India was Hinduism,
and here Kisnu or N dray ana is the first god in the pantheon of
his (Alberuni's) Hindu informants and literary authorities, whilst
Siva is only incidentally mentioned, and not always in a favour-
able manner.'^ The transformation was due to the ascendancy of
the Brahmans in the social life of India, an ascendancy which
began in the Gupta period and was completed when the foreign
immigrants were received into the Hindu social system. The
Brahmans transformed the Scythians, the Huijas, the Sakas and
other foreigners and the Gonds and Bhils and other indigenes
into Rajputs ; and the Rajputs paid the price of their elevation
from barbarism to civilisation by accepting and confirming
their claims of superiority. Vaiinaoism, at one time a heterodcx
system, had very early been appropriated by the Brahmans as
peculiarly their own. Siva* 8 worship was, however, the religion
of the common folk or semi-Hinduised peoples. The first
recommended itself to them because the priest played such an
important part in it, the latter's ritual might be performed wihout

3 SacKau : Alberuni, Vol. I, p. xlvti.

132 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

a priest. The Rajputs themselves were attached to Siva, they
built numerous temples in Gujarat, Rajputai^a and Bundelkhund,
dedicated to him, but in deference to the views of their
benefactors paid worship to Visria and erected his temples and
created endowments for their maintenance. Even today, how-
ever, the Ranas of Me war consider themselves Dlwans or
Vicegerents, of Siva, and when they visit the temple of EkJii^^<^f
supersede the Brahman high priest in his duties and perform the
ceremonies.^ TTie information of Alberuni was, however,
derived from his Brahman teachers, and he naturally received
the impression that India was dominantly Vaisr:iaVQ.

The impression was perhaps exaggerated but not wrong.
The Guptas had encouraged Viinu worship, they had set up
pillars to VHriu and proclaimed themselves in their title adorers
of Bhagwata. Perhaps a setback was given to the spread of
Vai8i:iavi8m in the period immediately succeeding their down-
fall. But the movement again became vigorous under Rajput
princes. The Gurjara-Pratihar ruler of Kanauj, Mihira Bhoja
(840 — ^90 A.D.) posed as an incarnation of Kiiriu, Adi Varaha,
and his successor was obliged to surrender an image of Visijiu
to his powerful ally, Yasovarman Chandel who built for it a
splendid temple at Khajuraho.

About the same time the doctrines of Bhakli which were
taught in the South by the Alvars, travelled to the North and
gave new strength to the Ka/iciaoa movement. The Bhdgwaia
Purdi^ta was the result of these religious upheavals. The
Ahetukf (motiveless) Bhakii which the Purana preached was
based on monotheistic philosophy.

The Bhagwata Puraria conceives of God as free, pure and
omniscient. He is changeless, primeval, without constituents
(nirgui^a). He is the soul. He beholds the intellect in the light
of consciousness. He is absolute joy. He is the creator and
protector. ** Even as a cow suckles her ignorant calf and
protects it from ferocious animals, so Thou deliverest persons

4 Tod ; Rajasthan. Vol. 11. p. 602 (edited by Crooke).

ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH 133

distressed.'*"' He is ever loving towards His votaries and
delights in their devotion ; by His grace the devotees snap the
consciousness of ego tied with actions, and ** as the fire of
greatly increased flames reduces pieces of wood into ashes so
devotion unto me consumes all sorts of sins."*' God is
absolute, but personal, and He incarnates upon earth for the
welfare of man and the protection of His devotees. Tie
Bhagwata Purana describes at length the events of the life of
His complete incarnation, Kf^iia, in order to stimulate the love
of His votaries and to spread the doctrine of BhakU.

The aim of Bhakti is described by Prahlada, the exemplar
of Bhakfas. He says, ** I who know the result of the enjoyment
of corporal beings am not desirous of having longevity,
prosperity and wealth, and even the pleasures and privileges of
Viranchi which contribute to the gratification of senses.
Neither do I wish to possess the Siddhis (miraculous powers)
.... Convey me besides Thine own servants.*'' In the path
of devotion and love, expiatory ceremonies, rigid mortification,
even knowledge of the Sustras are of no avail. It demands a
discipline of concentration of mind, practice of virtues,
meditation and asceticism, friendship towards all, companion-
ship of devotees, chanting the glories of the Lord, repeating His
names, thrilling with joy begotten of love, surrendering the mind
to Hari, to weep, laugh, dance and sing with joy."^ The seeker
after God, who desires to cleanse himself of all impurities and
to escape from the meshes of mundane existence, should seek
refuge with some ascetic as a preceptor, and ** he should be
shorn of malice and with reverence, devotion and love serve his
preceptor considering him as identical with me.**'* The path is
open to all, to a Sudra and a Supacha or Chandala, even the

"iDutt: Bhagwata Purana, Book IV, Chap. IX.
«rbid.. Book XI. Chap, XIV.
7 Ibid.. Book VII. Chap. X.
t « Ibid.. Book IX. Chap. III. ^ •.

9 Ibid., Book XJ. Chap. XVIII.

134 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

leader of the elephant herd who appealed to the Lord for mercy
was saved from the dread jaws of the alligator.^"

The devotional religion of the BhdgWata Purdiya opened the
way for the spiritual emancipation of the individual, it did not
remove the chains of social slavery, it still demanded that the
followers of BhBgwata ** forsaking all desires should act in
consonance with their castes.*' ^^ Nor did it hold an uncom-
promising position regarding the external forms of worship. It
regarded * Yoga, knowledge, virtue, study of Vedas, asceticism,
charity, sacrifice, vows, worship of deities, mantras (spells),
journey to sacred shrines, self-control,' as inferior to the
companionship of the devotees, yet not quite dispensible to
devotion.'- It prescribed the worship of idols and symbols*
and meditation upon the image of God according to Yogic
methods.'^

The Bhagwata Purdi^a marked the transition from the
ancient religion of works to the medieval religion of Bfiafetf.
But the influence of the emotional elements in the faith was not
strong enough to counteract effectually the growing rigidity of
caste or the growing power of the priest. The period of Rajput
ascendancy was one of division, and conflict. Society was
enfeebled by feudal anarchy and clannish pretensions on the
one side and by religious dissensions: and priestly selfishness on
the other. But although political power suffered an eclipse,
literature, art and science still continued to flourish.

Bhavabhuti, Rajsekhara, and Kr9na Misra the author of
Prabodha Chandrodaya, continued the traditions of Kalidasa.
In mathematics, astronomy and other branches of science,
Bha^karacharya succeeded Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta mud
Varahamihira. The art of sculpture devoted to the servi^rl of
Hindu gods was developed in diverse styles by many schook

loDutt: Bhagwata Purina. Book VII, Chap. X.
n Ibid.. Book XI, Chap. X.
, i2;Ibid.. Book X!. Chap. XII. ,

13 tbid.. Book XI.

ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH 133

of artists, and architectural monuments were raised on a
ma^ificent scale.

Upon this scene of petty Rajput feuds and glorious Rajput
art the avalanche of the Muslim conquest burst. The Muslim
advance from across Baluchistan into Sind. in the eighth
century, was held up by the inhospitability of the country and
the difficulties of maintaining communications with far off
Baghdad, especially when rebel chiefs blocked the ways which
led from the centre of the Caliphate to its outlying territori-s.
Nearly three centuries passed till attacks were resumed
but now they procceeded from a different quarter. Sabuktaarin
and Mahmud undertook their annual forays from the north-west.
Their effect was not great, some temples were plundered and
a few cities were sacked, the Hindu-Shahlya dynasty and with
it the Hindu dominion disappeared from the Panjab, otherwise
things remained as heretofore. Permanent conquest in India
was not the aim of the Ghaznavides, who looked for empire
towards the west. Another century passed, during which the
disturbances created in Central and Western Asia by the rise of
the Turks turned the attention of the Ghorl rulers of Afghanis-
tan definitely in the direction of the east.

Here the victim was ready for the sacrifice. India on the
eve of Muslim conquest resembled Greece before the rise of
Macedonia into power. There was the same incapacity in both
regions to create a political union, and there was the same
keenness and brilliance in the pursuit of science, literature end
art. The analogy went further, for if the Macedonian was the
semi.hellenised Greek, the Turk who swept over India was the
non-Hinduised Rajput.

The thirteenth century had hardly begun when the conquest
of Northern India was completed. Within a quarter of a century
the Muslim armies had overrun the country from the Panjab
to Assam and from Kashmir to the Vindhyas. The Rajput
princes offered scarcely any resistance, they were all taken by
xj^ter surprise. Each one fought singly, bravely, but no one
showed any particular foresight, and collectively they #ho^d

136 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

complete lack of cohesion and power of combination. The story
of Laksmana Sena the last ruler of Bengal may not be accurate
history ; nevertheless, it is true history. If the Muslim generals
were at all in the habit of writing despatches, if trey needed a
motto for their reports, they might have done worse than choose
the victorious announcement of Julius Caesar — they came, they
saw and they conquered. A hundred years more and India
down to Mysore lay within their grasp.

The Muslim conquest had a tremendous effect upon the
evolution of Indian culture. Superficially, it upset everything :
the Hindu religion received a terrible blow, the patronage of the
priests and Pandits ceased, the Hindu monuments were
destroyed, literature received no royal encouragement and
languished ; to all outward appearances political conquest was
synonymous with cultural death. Fundamentally, it had a
different effect. The Muslim kings displaced the Hindu Rajas
in the important principalities. Delhi, IKanauj, Gwalior,
Anhilwada, Deogir, and Gaur passed into their hands ; not so
the outlying countries. Then, too, the new ruler was master of
the immediate la^nds within striking distance of his cavalry
encampment ; beyond, the petty landholder with his re^anue was
safe within his mud castle and defied the sovereign power. To
reduce these small chieftains was a task of Sisyphus. Every
energetic ruler of the many dynasties that sat upon the throne of
Delhi from the times of Qutb-ud-din Aibak to the spacious
days of Akbar had to carry out annual razzias to keep them
under control or to collect revenue. In fact the imperial autho-
rity masked a surprisingly extensive system of local autonomy
which tended continually to break out into anarchy when not
kept in check by a Balban, an "Ala'uddin Khalji or a Muham-
mad Tughlaq.

Muslim auhority was not only restricted in these two ways,
it had also to impose upon itself other restraints. The employ-
ment of the Hindus was a necessity of their rule. Ma^hmud of
Ghazna had a numerous body of Hindu troops who fought for
him in Central Asia, and his Hindu commander Tilak suppressell

ADVEM OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH 137

the rebellion of his Muslim general Niyaltigin. When Qutb-ud-
tlin Aibak decided to stay in Hindustan, he had no other choice
but to retain the Hindu staff which was familiar with the civil
adinlnistration, for without it all government including the
collection of revenue would have fallen into utter chaos. The
Muslims did not bring with them from beyond the Indian
frontiers artizans, accountants and clerks. Their buildings were
erected by Hindus who adapted their ancient rules to newer
conditions, their coins were struck by H!ndu goldsmiths, and
their accounts were kept by Hindu officers. Brahman legists
advised the ICing on the administration of Hindu law and
Brahman astronomers helped in the performance of their general
functions.

' The Muslims who came into India made it their home.
They lived surrounded by the Hindu people and a state of
perennial hostility with them was impossible. Mutual inter-
course led to mutual understanding. Many who had changed
their faith differed little from those whom they had left. Thus
after the first shock of conquest was over, the Hindus and
Muslims prepared to find a via media whereby to live as neigh-
bours. The effort to seek a new life led to the development of
a new culture which was neither exclusively Hindu nor purely
Muslim. It was indeed a Muslim-Hindu culture. Not only did
Hindu religion, Hindu art, Hindu literature and Hindu science
absorb Muslim elements, but the very spirit of Hindu culture
and the very stuff of Hindu mind were also altered, and the
Muslim reciprocated by responding to the change in every
department of life.

TTie effect of Islam upon Hindu sects in the South has
been traced in a previous chapter. The movement which
started there continued to develop in the North. The religious
leaders in Maharastra, Gujarat, the Panjab, Hindustan and
Bengal from the fourteenth century onwards deliberately reject
certain elements of ancient creeds and emphasize others and
thus attempt to bring about an approximation between the Hindu
ani Muslim faiths. At the same time Muslim Sufi orders an*

138 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Muslim writers and poots show a strong tendency to assimilate
Hindu practices and doctrines, in some cases going so far as
to adopt even the adoration of Hindu gods.

The Indian architecture of the period exhibits the same
synthetic tendency. The Hindu palaces, temples and cenotaphs
are no longer built on the lines of the pure styles of the preced-
ing period ; they not only employ the Muslim elements of
architecture, but they also breathe a new spirit which demon-
strates how much the ancient aesthetic values have changed.
A-galn, the influence is not confined to any particular part of the
country, it appears most strongly among the Hindu principalities
of Rajputana and Central India, in holy places Lke Mathura.
Brindaban and Benares, and it is felt in far off Khatmandu and
distant Madura. The mosque, the totnb and the palace of the
Muslim are equally Indian. The Musalman borrows certan
definite features from the styles of the so-called Arab and
Persian architecture, but evolves a new style in India or rather
a number of new styles, which continue the traditions of Hindu
styles. As a matter of fact the architectural schools of the
period, whether Hindu or Muslim, are really two branches of
the same tree for both spring from the same root. Their pur-
pose differs but the significance of their form remains the same.
Indian painting, Mughal or Rajput, is like Indian architec-
ture. In fact here, even inore than m architecture, one aesthetic
law governs the form. The difference between the style of
Ajanta and that of Delhi or Jaipur is great ; line, colour and
rhythm have all changed. But the difference between Delhi and
Jaipur or Kangda is just the difference between two individual
artists of the same school and hardly more. The influence of
Central Asian and Persian art is evident ; but Indian art. whether
produced in the courts of Mughal emperors and Nawabs
or those of Hindu princes of Rajputana or Tanjore, does
not imitate slavishly the foreign niodels. It has an indviduality
all its own, and it can only be described by the term Muslim-
Hindu art.

ADVENT OF THE MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH 139

In literature, Sanskrit no more provides the medium for the
most vital needs of the people. Thought creates new instru-
ments of self-expression. In the North Hindi, in the west
Marathr, and in the east Bengali develop into literary languages,,
and Hindus and Musalmans share in the glory of their achieve-
ments. Above all, a new linguistic synthesis takes place : the
Muslim gives up his Turkish and Persian and adopts the speech
of the Hindu. He modifies it like his architecture and painting
to his needs and thus evolves a new literary medium — the Urdu.
Again both Musalmans and Hindus adopt it as their own ; and
a curious phenomenon occurs, Hindi Bha^a is employed for one
kind of literary expression, the Urdu for another ; and thus
whenever the creative impulse of the Muslim or the Hindu runs
in one channel he uses Hindi and when it drives him into the
other he uses Urdu.

MoulavT Muhammad Husain Azad in comparing Hindi and
Urdu composition lays bare the secret. The first lends itself to
the creation of a natural, direct, simple, sweet, unperiphres ic
and non-exaggerated style, which is racy of the associations,
traditions and emotions of its native soil. The second is
involved, subtle, high-flown, throbbing with the energy of
rhythm and the power of words, the pomp of imagery and the
splendour of diction, and drawing its metaphors and similes
from Persia and Turkestan. ^^ Another writer, Mir Ghulam *Ali
Azad of Bilgram says, **The creators of significance on Arabic
and Persian have drawn blood from the arteries of thought, and
raised the style of subde thought to the highest stage. The
magicians of India have not remained behind in this
valley; on the other hand, in the art of Ndyekd Bheda (descrip-
tions of heroines) they place their magic-making steps far in
advance of them. Whoever has acquired both Persian and
Hindi and fully cultivated a taste to distinguish between what is
white and what is black will endorse the words of the fak^r (the
writer).*^

V Muhammad Husain Aza<i : Abi-Hayat» pp. 27—^. »

iTiMir Ghulam 'Ah Azad: Maasir-ul-Ktram, p. 352. *

142 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

** Hindustani way **^^ ; Kls successors so gloriously adorned and
so marvellously enriched this legacy that India might well be
proud today of the heritage which they in their turn have left
behind.

21 Beveridge : Memoirs of Babar.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR

RaMANANDA was the bridge between the Bhakti movement of
the south and the north. There is a great deal of uncertainty
with regard to the date of his birth and death. According to
Bhandarlcar^ arid Grierson/-* he was born in 1299 A.D.
Macauliffe'^ places him between the end of the fourteenth and
the first half of the fifteenth centuries, and Farquhar* agrees with
him. Nabhaji does not give any dates ; the Agastya Samhita'^
gives the date of birth as 1299 A.D. (1356 Samvat) ; and a San-
skrit commentary of Rahasyatrayi by Agraswami, 1299 A.D/*
Bhandarkar and Grierson both consider that Ramananda was
the fourth in spiritual descent from Ramanuja. This, however,
does not seem to be borne out by tradition. Nabhaji only says,
** The immortal glory of Ramanuja's system prevailed upon
earth. Devacharya (was the first) and Hariyanand the second
greatly renowned (teacher), from him Raghvananda came who
gave great joy to the devotees .... From him was manifested
Ramananda who incarnated for the joy of the world.'*" Nabhaji
here only mentions the names of some specially famous sa'mts
who were in the direct line of descent from Ramanuja but docs
not name all of them. Sitaram Bhagwan Prasad^ definitely
states that Ramananda was twenty-second in descent,
Devacharya (or Devadhlpa Acharya)(bcing sixth from Ramanuja,
Hariyananda fifteenth from Devacharya, and Ramananda next

3 Bhandarkar : Vai^navism and Saivism.
2 Grierson: J.R.A.S., 1920.

a Macauliffe : The Sikhs. Vol. VI.

4 Farquhar : Outline of the Religious Literature of India, p. 323.
."» Sitaram Saran Bhagawan Prasad : Bhakta Mala, p. 264.

Ibid.
• Tfbid. . •

144 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

to Hariyananda. If Ramanuja's date of death was 1137 A.D,
and twenty teachers followed him before Ramananda then it is
more likely that he was born about the end of the fourteenth
rather than that of the thirteenth century.

The date of Vis death again is difficult to determine.
Bhandarkar puts it at 1411 A.D. (1467 Samvat), Farquhar at
1470 A.D. and the Sanskrit commentary at 1448 A.D. (1505
Sam vat). The date of Bhandarkar is obviously unacceptable ;
it is incompatible with the date of his birth and the dates of
his disciples. The date of Agraswaml gives him nearly fifty
years of life but raises no great difficulty with regard to the dates
of his disciples. Farquhar 's date fits all the facts easily but it
does not appear on what authority it is based. The authors of
the history of Hindi literature, Misra Bandhu Vinoda, vaguely
suggest that Ramananda lived about 1456 A.D.'' His career
may provisionally be accepted to lie in the last quarter of the
fourteenth and the first half of the fifteenth centuries.

Ramananda was born at Prayag (Allahabad) in a Kanya-
kubja Brahmin family. He was educated partly at Prayag and
partly at Benares. His first teacher was a Vedaniist of the
monist school, but he became later the disciple of Raghavananda
who belonged to Ramanuja's Sri sect. He had an independent
mind, he travelled about the country broadening . his outlook,
and, according to Macauliffe, '* it is certain that Ramananda
came in contact at Benares with learned Musalmans."^^*

The result of his experiences and discussions was that he
made a bold departure from the doctrines of the school to which
he belonged. In theological belief he substituted the worship
of Rama for that of Visriu and his consort, and he taught the
doctrine of Bhakti to all the four castes without prejudice. He
rejected the regulations of Ramanuja with regard to the
preparation and partaking of meals, and admitted to h!s new
sect disciples from all castes, from both sexes and even from

Mi^ra BandKu Vinod : Ramananda.

10 Macauliffe: The Sikhs, Vol. VI. p. 102.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 145

among the Musalmans. The names of his twelve disciples who
became famous were Anantananda, Kablr, Pipa, Bhavananda,
Sukha, Sursur, Padmavati, Narhari, Raidasa. Dhana. Saina
and the wife of Sursura.

Ramananda*s teaching gave rise to two schools of religioiis
thought, one conservative, and the other radical. The first
remained true to ancient beliefs and allowed only slight changes
in doctrines and rites, the other struck out a more independent
path and attempted to create a religion acceptable to men of
different creeds — especially Hindus and Musalmans. The
greatest name in the first class is that of Tulsidasa and in the
second that of Kabir. These two indeed are undoubtedly the
most remarkable men that the middle age of India produced.
Tulsidasa is unrivalled as the saintly singer of Ramas Bhakfi-
He combines profound philosophy with passionate yet chaste
and ethical emotion. He delves into the deepest recesses of the
human heart but never completely exposes their mystery to the
common gaze. Yet he knows the varying moods of man and
nature and by his directness and simplicity appeals to all,
young and old, ignorant and learned. He is essentially humble
and therefore touchingly humane. He :s completely wrapped
up in his devotion and utterly lacking in self-conscious or self-
righteous sentiment. He is like a natural perennial mountain
spring which bubbles with the waters of pure sweet joy and
slakes the thirst of those who are weary and heavy laden with
the sorrow of the world.

Kabir is a genius of a different order. He has gazed into
the mystery of life and seen the vision of the ineffable light.
He brings from the world of beyond a new message for the
individual and for society. He dreams of a future purified of
insincerities, untruths, uglinesses, inequalities ; he preaches a
religion based on the only foundation on which faith can stand,
namely, personal experience. He brushes unhesitatingly aside
the whole paraphernalia of dogma and authority, for his soul is
si<Jc of the sorry spectacle of the quarrels of creeds and the
wnrftlim of empty shells of formal religions. He tolerates no

146 INFLUENCE CF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

shams and demands reality in the search after God. Kablr is
no retiring ascetic who has abandoned the world in despair,
nor is he an Idealiser who finds good in all things, he is eager
to lift the sword in the moral struggle of the world and strike a
doughty blow for the victory of reghteousitess, and he is not
afraid of administering stern even harsh rebuke to all infringe-
ments of rational conduct and all degradations of human dignity.
He is a mighty warner, an intrepid pathfinder, the great pioneer
of the unity of the Hindu and Muslim communities of India and
the apostle of the faith of Humanity who taught that ** the
divine disclosed itself in the human race as a whole.** ^^

Kabrr*s life is shrouded in obscurity. Different writers give
different dates of his birth and death. According to Macaul ffe,^-
whose date is accepted by Bhandarkar, he was born in 1398
A.D. (]455Samvat); but according to Westcott,^'^ who s followed
by Farquhar, Burns and others, the date of his birth was 1440
A.D. The Hindi authors do not give clear guidance. The
editor of the Santa Bdrft Sangraha^^ gives 1398 A.D. as the date
of birth and 1518 as that of death. Sitaram Saran Bhagvan
Prasad'^' quotes a Doha which gives 1492 A.D. (1549 Samvat)
as the date of death and says that Kabir lived for a hundred and
one years. Excepting the last writer most of the others agree
in assigning 1518 as the date of death. There as however
no adequate reason for preferring 1518 to 1492. If the
latter date is accepted as that of death, and 1398 A.D.
as that of birth, the total length of life comes to ninety-
four years which is unusual but not impossible. These
dates however make Kabir a contemporary of Ramananda,
and in this respect contradict the tradition according

11 Evelyn Undcrhill : The Mystic Way. p. 25.

lllMacauliffe; Op. cit.. Vol. VI.

13 Westcott : Kabir and Kabir Panth.

l4Sant Bam Sangrah, Vol. I. p. I.

c *

l^Sitiram ^an Bhagwan Prasad : Bhakta Mala, p. 474.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 147

to which he was a mere youth when he became the
latter*s disciple. In any case it is difficult to hold to the year
1398 as that of Kabir's birth, if Kabir was about eighteen
years of age at the time of his initiation and remained under
the tutelage for three or four years — which may be surmised
from the fact that Ramananda passes out of KabTr*s legends
quite early and leaves only a shadowy impression upon the
development of his ideas, the year 1425 may be fixed as much
as any other for the date of his birth. This subtracted from
the year 1492 gives a Ufe of sixty-seven years which is eminently
reasonable, or from the year 1518 it gives him ninety-three
years.

Kablr was the son of a Brahmin widow who 'in order to
hide her shame left him on the side of a tank in Benares. He
was found by a weaver Niru and his wife Nima who adopted
him. Kabir spent the years of his childhood in the house of his
Musl'.m parents, who were very poor and were unable to give
him regular education. He was left more or less to his own
devices, exeept that he learnt his father's profession. In the city
of Benares, surrounded by the Hindu atmosphere and endowed
with a keen and enquiring mind, he early became familiar with
both the Hindu and the Muslim religions. It is related that even
as a boy he showed such freedom from bias, that both Hindu
and Muslim boys misunderstood him and persecuted him. He
soon began to seek for a teacher, and, according to Muhsin
Fani, ** at the time when he was in search of a spiritual guide*
he visited the best of the Musalmans and Hindus, but did not
find what he sought, at last somebody gave him direction to
an old man of bright genius, ^he Brahman Ramananda.*'**'
Thus he became the disciple of Ramananda. Kabir himself
says. ** I was revealed in Kasi. and was awakened by Rama-
nanda. "^^ He initiated him in the knowledge of Hindu philo-
sophy and religion.

loTroyer and Shea: Dabistan-i-Mazihib, p. 186.

17 Kabir: Bijak. Raroaini, p. 77. > **

148 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

It appears however that he did not remain long with his
teacher, for tradition finds him soon after wandering from place
to place arid associating with ascetics and saints. He spent
considerable time in the company of Muslim Sufis. Of this
he speaks in a Ramdiril, * * Manikpur was the dwelling place
of Kabir, where for long he listened to Shaikh Taqi. The
same (teaching) he heard at Jaunpur, and at Jhusi (near
Allahabad) he learnt the names of the Pirs (Muslim preceptors).
In that place they have a record of twenty-one Pirs who read
the prayers (khutba) in the name of the Prophet.* *^^

The knowledge which Kabir acquired from his teachers
was all imparted by word of mouth. It is almost certain that
he never learnt to use books and he does not display
acquaintance with the learned languages Persian or Sanskrit,
although he uses freely the technical terms of Suflsm and Hindu
philosophy. However, learning and scholarship have not been
the objects which men, drunk with the love of God, have
principally placed before themselves ; and Kabir, whose mind
was saturated with Hindu and Muslim tradlitions and theories
of knowledge, could not accept learning as an end. He was
a seeker after higher knowledge (para vidyd), gnosis (marifaf),
which he later became satisfied he had attained. History has
kept records of the struggles and achievements of an ancient
predecessor of Kabir, viz., Buddha, but is entirely silent
regarding him. It 5s under the circumstnaces impossible to g've
a consecutive account of the various events of his life.

After the period of his apprenticeship was over he settled
down as a teacher at Benares. His teachirxg was of so
independent a character that both Hindus and Muslims were
greatly offended, and they tried to suppress him by all the
means which priestcraft with its vested interests has employed
in all the ages. There were in the beginning bitter and
prolonged discussions and petty persecutions, and when • they
failed the aid of the State was invoked. Legend has thrown

c
I 18 Ibid., Kabir, Bijak. Ramaini, p. 48.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 149

a veil woven of marvellous occurrences and miraculous escapes
round the actual facts, but this much may be probable that
Sikandar Lodi (1488 — 1517). impressed by the simple earnestness
of Kabir. allowed him to get out of the hands of the Pandits and
Maulvis persecuting him by a temporary exile. Kabir's
teaching was so much akin to the then prevailing Suft
antinomianism that it could have hardly appeared to him
deserving of severe punishment. He soon returned to Benares
and was not molested any further. He won many followers
among both communities and his fame spread all over the land.
The private life of Kabir was a simple hoU8eholdcr*8 (grihastha).
He did not believe in extreme asceticism and abstraction from
the world. He married a girl named Loi whom he met on the
banks of the Ganges in the hermitage of a Viragi, and by
her he had one son named Kamal, and one daughter Kamali.
He continued his profession of weaving and his pictures
represent him sitting by the loom instructing his disciples. Some
of the finest illustrations for his teaching are drawn from this
art in wKxh he was engaged, and by which he earned his
living. His departure from the world was characteristic of the
man. When he felt that his end was approach ng he left
KasT the city whose holiness was considered so great as to
confer paradise on those who died there, and migrated to
IMaghar where death entailed rebirth as an ass. This gesture of
supreme contempt for ignorant superstition was the last act of
his strenuous life. It is related that on his death Hindus and
Muslims quarrelled as to the method of disposing the body-
Muslims desiring to bury him and Hindus to cremate. The
quarrel is significant, for it shows that Kabir*s faith was so
broad and impartial that Hindus and Muslims could both claim
him as their own ; it also shows that although both reverenced
and admired the man both failed to rise to his message. But
where have not the disciples betrayed their Master?

What was Kabir's message? In the words of Nabhaji.
** Kabir refused to acknowledge caste distinctions or to recogn se
the authority of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, nor dil

150 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

he set any store by the four divisions of life prescribed by
Brahmins. He held that religion without Bhakti was no
religion at all, and that asceticism., fasting and alms-giving had
no value if unaccompanied by Bhajan (devotional worship).
By means of RomdiJ^i, Shabdas and Sdkhis he imparted religious
instruction to Hindus and Musalmans alike. He had no
preference for either religion, but gave teacKng that was
appreciated by the followers of both. He spoke his mind
fearlessly and never made it his object merely to please Ks
hearers. ''^'^

The mission of Kabir was to preach a religion of love which
would unite all castes and creeds. He rejected those features
of Hinduism and Islam which were against this spirit, and
which were of no importance for the real spiritual welfare of
the individual. He selected from both religions their common
elements, and the similarities between them. He found
analogies in their philosophic ideas, their dogma and ritual.
He used both Sanskrit and Persian terms and both forms of
the vernacular, Rekhta and Hindi bhdsd. He placed the greatest
value upon the inwardness of religion and impartially condemned
the external formalism of both. He deliberately abandoned tie
divisions between the two faiths and taught a middle path :

** The Hindu resorts to the temple and the Musalman to
the mosque, but Kabir goes to the place where both are known.
The two religions (din) are like two branches in the middle of
which there is a sprout surpassing them. Kabir has *^akea the
higher path abandoning the custom of the two. If yDU say
that I am a H.ndu then it is not true, nor am I a Musalman ;
I am a body made of five elements where the Unknown (ghaibi)
plays. Mecca has verily became Kasi, and Rama has become
Rahim.'"'"

Kabir was conscious of his apostolic mission and his life
and teaching followed the line which is analogous to that of

lOSTtaram ^ran Bhagwan Prasad : Bhakta Mala. p. 461. ^

« 20^Yugalanana : Kabir SsKib Ki Sakhi. Madhya Ka Anga.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 151

the Imams and Shaikhs of Shi'ah and Sufi sects: ** I am the
servant of the Absolute (avigat) God and I have come to save
the devotees (hamaa). I have taught to the world by word of
mouth the knowledge which has the true stamp. I was sent
here because the world was seen in misery, all were bound in
chains of birth and death and no one had found the lasting
home. The Almighty sent me to show clearly the beginniny^
and the end.***-^ After discussing the creation of the world
from Sruti, he says, ** 1 came after that in order to spread the
true word .... 1 have taught the word from house to house.
TTiose who will not listen to me, they will surely be drowned
in the ocean of existence, in the midst of eighty-four lakh
currents .... This, says the awakened teacher Kabir, is the
decree (farmdn) of the Almighty.**-- And aga'n, ** Those who
will not listen to my teaching will go to the gates of Yama, but
those who will listen they will come to my abode (salvaC on). '*'-•*
Dharam Dasa, his immediate disciple, completes the amilarity"^
by deifying Kablr, ** He is an incarnation of the Absolute, who
revealed himself to the world. **-^

The expression of Kabir's teachings was shaped by that
of Suli saints and poets. In the Hindi language he had no
precursor, and the only models which he could follow woro
Muslim ones, e.g.. Pandnama of Farid-ud-dm * Attar ; a
comparison of the headings of the poems of both brings
that out clearly. He must also have heard the poems of
jalal'ud'din Rum! and Sa*dT besides the teachings of other Sufis,
for there are echoes of them in his works. For instance,
"when you came into the world the people laughed but you
wept, do not conduct yourself in a manner that after your
(death) people should laugh at you,'*2'i is a paraphrase of the
well-known lines of Sa*di. And further he says :

2liCabir: SiddhBnt £>Tp>ka, Adi Mangal.

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid., p. 81.

2* Dharam C^sa : A^tSnga Yoga.
25 Yugalanand : Op. cit., p. 72.

152 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

** This always is a bubble (hubab) on the motionless sea,
the bubble is essentially the sea, although seemingly the wave,
the sea and the vision are separate. It is a bubble when it rises,
but in its mingling its aim is God. Both the bubble and the sea
are Kabir, and all other names are unmeaning.'*^**

I am not the follower of law (dharma) nor am I without
law, 1 am not an ascetic nor a devotee of desire. I am not a
speaker, nor a listener, I am not a servant nor a master. I am
not bound nor am I free, nor am I engaged in worldly pursuits,
I never parted from any, nor am I a companion of any. I do
not go to hell nor do I proceed to heaven. I am the doer of
all actions, yet 1 am different from them."-^

**There is no place to go to nor is there room to stay.*'-*^
He often compares the relation of the individual with God as
that of waves and the sea. and he uses the same simile to
represent the essential oneness of the Universe and the Absolute
which Jill and other Muslim mystics have used. ** As ice is
made from water, and as ice will become water and vapour,
so is the reality from that, and therefore this and that are the
same."-^ He frequently speaks of the wine and the cup of
love,^^^* of the lover (* dshiq, hablb) and the beloved (mashuq,
mahbub)/^'^ of the rose and the garden,*^*- of the path, its stations
{muqdm) and its difficulties, of the traveller (musafir) and of his
goal.

All these quotations prove that he was greatly indebted to
Sufi literature, but if his writings do not show more coincidences
in phraseology, it is not due to the fact that his familiarity with

26 KabTr : Cyan GudrT and Rekhta, No. 46.
STKshiH Mohan Sen: Kabtr. Vol. IM, pp. 66, 67.
-1^ Yugalanand : Op. cit.. Suksma Marg Ka Anga.

29 K. M. Sen: Op. cit.. Vol. 11, p. 74.

30 Ganga Prasad Varma : Bijak, Kabir, ^bda, 12.

31 Kabir : Cyan Gudri and Rekhta, No. 54.
Kabir : Siddhant Dipika, p. 69.

22 KabTr : Gyan Gudri and Rekhta, Nos. 53, 55.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR I S3

their thought was less» but because he was not a man of learning
and therefore while he absorbed the ideas he could not retain
the Persian lines complete in his mind. Yet Ahmad Shah the
translator of his Bijak found over two hundred Arabic and
Persian words in the work, and an analysis of these words
shows how deeply his mind was imbued with Sufi doctrines.
The main proof of Muslim influence on Kabir, however, lies in
his teaching and to that it is necessary to advert.

Kabir left behind him a vast mass of poetry in many
metres. His compositions were all orally communicated, ** he
did not touch ink or paper and never held a pen.'*'^** In such
circumstances man^y others added to the great teacher*8 words,
and therefore it is difficult to say how far his works exactly
represent his teaching. The Bijak (the invoice or seed) was
compiled by Bhago Dasa, Sukh Nidhan by Srut-Gopala Dasa.
In the headquarters of the Kabir Panthls at Kabir Chaura at
Benares there exists a collection of twenty-one books called Khog
Granth (The Special Book, or The Book). The correct list of
books is given by Wilson, but Westcott has swollen their number
to eighty-two, by counting some twice over and by including
modern compilations. Kabir used the Bhdsd in preference to
Sanskrit, for he wanted his teaching to spread among the masses,
and any work composed in the learned language could reach
only the few. He felt however the need to justify his departure
and so said, ** Sanskrit is indeed the water of the well, but
Bhasa (the Hindi lan^age) is like the running river. **»* He
employed, however, both forms of the Bhdsd, i.e., the
Sanskritised Hindi and the Persianised Urdu, and some of his
works are in the latter, for example, Rekhta.

Kabir is not a systematic philosopher but a poet ai>d mystic
and his language is not always clear. There is therefore some
difficulty in analysing his thought, but the main lines are clear.
His central theme is God, whom he indifferently calls by many

33 Vishwanath Singh : Bijak Kabir Das Satfk, Sakhl 167.

9i Yugalanand : Kabir Sakhi, Bhate Ka Anga. , •

154 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

names — Rama, Hari, Govinda, Brahma, Samrath, Sain,

Satpuruia, Bechiin (the Indescribable). Allah, Khudd, but his

favourite name is Sahib. His conception of God is extremely

sulbtle ; according to him God is traiiscendent and immanent,

impersonal and personal, infinite and finite, without qualities and

qualified, the non-being and the being, the unconscious and the

conscious, neither manifest nor hidden, neither one nor two,

both within and without, and yet above and beyond all pairs of

opposites. It is this difficulty of adequately expressing God*s
nature which makes him exclaim.

** Oh, how may I ever express that secret word?
Oh, how can 1 say He is not like this, and He is

like that? ....
There are no words to tell that which He is.* ''^"*

This inadequacy of the ordinary human consciousness to
hold in one moment the entire view of the total reality does
not drive him to despair, for his mind has attained certainty
through a direct vision in the unitive state, when his expanded
consciousness saw ** the Lord in me and in you " and in all
things and beyond in one magistral survey in which the logical
antinomies fused and were transcended.

** Between the poles of the conscious and the unconscio*JS

there has the mind made a swing ;
Thereon hang all beings and all worlds, and that

swing never ceases its sway.

Millions of beings are there ; the sun and moon in

their courses are there.

Millions of ages pass and the swing goes on.
All swing ! the sky and the earth, and the air and

the water.

And the Lord Himself taking form.**'**'*
35 Rabindra Nath Tagore ; Kabir*8 Poems. JX.

3«r Ibid.. XVI.

RAMAN ANDA AND KABIR 155

His vision of dynamic reality is vouchsafed to few. It is
impossible to see it by the light of ordinary reason, for the
analytical intellect is the cause of separation, and ** the house
of reason is very far away.'*"^"

It is necessary however to give to the ordinary man partial
views separately and lead him on by den^onstrating their
inadequacy and the intellect's futility to the ecstatic condition in
which the reality is fully known. This explains why Kabir
speaks of God sometimes as transcendent, * The Absolute
(Para^Brahma), the Supreme Soul (Parusa) dwells beyond tVe
beyond,"'*'* or as Pure Essence (Pdk Dhaf),'"* at other times as
identical with all beings. ** He Himself is the true, the seed and
the germ. He Himself is the flower, the fruit and the shade* Hr,
Himself is Brahma, creature and Maya **^'^ and again as existent
within every heart. '* m every vessel He is revealed. "^^ Bvi
more usually he holds that the nature and essence of God n
Light, herein betraying his deep debt to the Sufis. ** See the
ocean-filling One Light (nur) which spreads in the whole
creation.*'^- and, ** Thy fight (nur) fills all,**'''^ and, *' The Light
is covering, the Light is the seat, the Light is the pillow.*'
Says Kabir, ** hear, O brother saints, the True Teacher (God)
is completely Light (nur.Y*^^

Kabir gives several accounts of how the universe came
into existence. Some of these accounts are based on ancient
Hindu cosmogonies, others are apparently taken from Islam.
Of the first set one example is in the first Ramait^t, a slightly

37 Rabindra Nath Tagorc : Kabir's Pocm§, XCVII.

38 Kabir : Rekhu. No. 36.

39 Ibid., No. 41.

40 Rabindra Nath Tagore : Op. cit.. VII.

41 K. M. Sen: Op. cit., Vol. II, p. 105.
42 Kabir: Rekhta. No. 35.

43 K. M. Sen : Op. cit., Vol. 11, p. 66.
m Ibid., Vol. Ill, p. 55.

156 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

modified one in the second RdrndtKii, and a fully developed one
tn the Adi Mangal. The first Rdmcirn may be rendered thus :

In the beginning Jwa (soul) existed. The Internal light
illuminated it. TTien was manifested will (ichchhd) which was
called Gdyatrt. That woman produced Brahma, Kisj^u and
Mahesa. Then Brahma asked the woman who was her
husband, and whose wife she was. She replied, ** Thou art 1,
I am thou, and there is no third. Thou art my husband, and
I am thy wife.*' The father and son had a common wife, and
one mother has a twofold character ; there is np son who is a
good son and who will endeavour to recognise his father.**'*

In the second Rdmdiffi after Brahma is created, he carries
on the next stages of creation by bringing into being an eg?
from which the fourteen regions are developed, and then Brahma,
Viiijiu (Hart) and the Maheia (Hara) preside over the universe.
In the Adi Mangal, in the Almighty, who in the beginning was
alone, first appears knowledge (iruti), from this comes the word
(sabda) and from Sabda five Brahmans and five breaths and from
them the whole creation according to the Sdnkhyan system.

The first Rdmdint has a curious resemblance with similar
notions of Jili and Badruddln Shahld.*^ Both Kabir and Jlli
seem to mean, that soul (floa or ruh) is the object of divine
knowledge, God as the centre of scul is its father, yet God
becomes the object of knowledge and therefore the son of soul.
The account of the sacred Rdmdiijl may be compared with
Jill's cosmological myth. Kabir and Jill start with one God
who was Himself before creation. TTien He created the idea
of ideas {haqlqat-aUhaqaiq) or word (sabda). From Sabda
comes Brahma who creates an egg (the white chrysolite of Jili),
from which evolve the fourteen regions (the seven heavens and
the seven earths).*^

45 Kabir : Bljak, Ramaini, I.

40 Nicholson : Studies in Islamic Mysticism.

i'i Kabir : Bijak, Ramaini II.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 157

In other places Kabir makes an attempt to reproduce the
scheme of nine spheres through which creation develops in
accordance with Muslim philosophy. The Pan ft Mangat givei
the list of nine regions and their presiding forces, but does not
mention the names of the planets or regions. Sometimes he
speaks of creation in such terms : " In the sky He was seated
meditating behind closed doors, then He saw his own image
and thereby the three became pleased.'*'*'* This seems like an
echo of Ibn Sina*s theory. Two other speculations occur in
the Siddhdnta Dtplk.d, in one everything is created from water,
**The whole universe is bodied forth from water, out of the
essence of water it is kneaded. The seven heavens and
fourteen regions all are sieved out of water and dissolved in il.
The ten Avatars, Pirs and Paighambars (prophets) are all made
of water. "^'^ In the other, creation is likened to a mechanical
process. ** the Artisan is a wonderful smith, who has made
innumerable things. **''^^

The individual soul was in the Supreme Being before
creation, it came into existence when His Light illumined it.
The first created was th^ female principle ^abda whose offspring
were distinct individuals. This distinction however is unreal,
** I and thou are of one blood and are one life.**"^^ Kablr
recognised individuality and yet did not forget the unity that
lies behind and thus he avoided an atomic view of personality.
He says :

** O friend, this body is His Lyre ;

He tightens its strings, and draws from it the

melody of Brahma,

If the strings snap and the keys slacken, then to dust
must the instrument of dust return ;

Kabir says : none but Brahma can evoke its melodies.***^

48Yugalanand: Op. cit.. JyotI Ka Anga.

49 Kahir : SiddKanta Dipika. p. 44.

5« Ibid., p. 46. ^

n^KabTr: Bijak, Ramaini, II.

158 INFLUENOE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The destiny of the individual, according to Kablr, is
ultimate realisation of union with God. Nothing short of it is
adequate, paradise will not satisfy him, for

** As long as you expect paradise (vaikjuntha)

So long will you delay dwelling at the feet of
the Lord53

and, '* Paradise and hell are only for the ignorant, not for
one who knows Hariy^'^

For the attainment of the goal it is of the utmost importance
to select a teacher {guru). In the Pantha (way, sect) of Kabir,
the Guru holds the same position as in any other Sufi order. If
it is true of the Sufis that * among them the worship of God
is the same as the worship of man,* it is equally applicable
here, for says Kabir,

** Consider the Guru as GoVinda (God) *''*^ ;

nay more,

** If Hari becomes angry still there is some chance, but
if the Guru is angry then there is no chance
whatever.'*®^

And as among Sufi orders so in Kabir Pantha.

** The real meditation (dhydna, dhikr) is of the Guru's form,
the real worship is of the Gurus feet. The real boat is the
Guru's word, which in essence and feeling is true,*'^" and ** in
the three worlds and nine regions none is greater than the
Guru/'58

03 Kabir : Siddhanta Dipika, p. 54.

64 K. M. Sen: Op. cit.. Vol. U. 12.

65 Yugalanand : Op. cit., Guru Deva Ka Anga. p. 4.

6«Il>id., p. 6.

^ Ibid., p. S. ^

68 YuffalSnand : Op. cit.. Guru dilya Parakh, p. 8.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 1 59

It is essenrial then to exercise the greatest discretion in
selection. ** The Guru should be a polisher (siqtigar) who
would polish the mind, and who would clear away the stains
and make the heart a mirror/*^*** If the Guru is not of the right
sort then it is a case of * the blind pushing the blind and of
both falling into the well.'"' While those who have no Guru,
' their efforts will be of no avail/"^ and * they will be washed
away by the current who do not take hold of the arms/**-

TTie teacher directs the devotee upon the path, which is
the discipline of the soul. The end of the discipline is to
die to self in order to live in God. ** He is a rare saint who
dies when living. ''"'"^ TTiere are then two aspects of the
contemplative life of the mystic. First, he must die to the things
of the world, and gain complete control over passion and desire.
His mind must cease to be the monkey of the soul, and his self
must cease to be a * prostitute devoted to many men.' The
preliminary step is complete trust in God. His heart is like wax.
He is merciful (daydlu), and gracious (miharbdn), and, therefore,
he who seeks His protection (sarari) is never disappointed.
Then by constant repetition of His riame, not merely * by
revolving the rosary in the hand, but by revolving the beads of
the mind,'^* by indifference, * feeling neither pain nor pleasure.'
by suppressing the five evil tendencies of the mind, by abandon-
ing anger and pride, by the acquisition of humility, poverty,
patience and discrimination, the self is effaced.

TTie dying to self did not mean to Kabir complete retire-
ment from the world and betaking to hills and forests. " O
Saints. He who bririgs self-forgetfulness into his house, I like
that man. Both meditation (Yoga) and pleasure {Bhoga) are in
the house (householder's life), one need not abandon the house

59 Yugalanand : Op. cit., Guru deva Ka Anga, p. 3.
«0 Yugalanand : Op. cit., Satgur dcva Ka Anga. p. 9.

61 Yugalanand : Op. cit., Nirgun Ka Anga, p. 23.

62 Ibid., p. 24.

^68K. M. Sen: Op. cit.. Vol. iH, p. 19.
64 Yugalanand : Op. cit., Smaran Ka Anga, p. 3t.

!60 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

in order to go to a forest/*^''^ Kabir himself stayed at home and

worked as a weaver. The dying to self meant waging a

constant war with one's senses. Kabir calls upon the devotee —

'* Lay hold on your sword, and join in the fight,

Fight, O my brother, as long as life lasts ....

In the field of this body a great war goes forward

agairist passion, anger, pride and greed,
It is in the kingdom of truth, contentment, and purity
that this battle is raging, arul the sword that rings
forth most loudly is the sword of His n^me."^**

The end of the struggle is thus described :

** The man who is kind and who practises righteousness,
who remains passive amidst the affairs of the
world, who considers all creatures on earth as his
own self.

He attains the immortal being, the True God is ever
with him."^'''

The other aspect of the discipline is living in God. The
devotee must realise, ** one love it is that pervades the whole
world. '*^^ He must realise that God is near.

** Where dost thou seek me, O slave. 1 am indeed near
these, I am not in the temple, nor in the mosque,
neither in Kaba, nor Kailas. If thou art a true
seeker I shall meet thee immediately in a moment's
search. Says Kalblr, hear, ye Sddhus, He is in the
breath of breaths. **^^
He must realise that God is not Hart or Ram or KriAv^a,
He transcends all conception. He is without body or form, yet

05 K. M. Sen: Op. cit, Vol. 1. 65.
eeRabindra Nath Tagore : Op. cit., XXXVIJ.
67 Ibid., LXV.

6RRabindra Nath Tagore. t

. «0K. M. Sen: Op. cit. Vol. I, 13.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 161

He is most intimate of Beings. He is the Supreme Painter {rang
rezwa), the world is His picture. He is the great sportsman, the
universe is His sport, but above all He is the Father, the Lover
and the Husband (pitam). TTie individual must seek Him as
the son, the beloved or the spouse, and he must not rest till he
has attained union with Him.

If the Muslim mystic speaks of God as the tender maid
and the wine-giver (Sdqi), and of the dark hair, the shapely neck,
the gazelle eyes and the lovely gestures which all symbolise
His surpassing beauty, Kabfr thinks of Him as the Spouse, for
whom the wife abandons her home, her name and honour, goss
out in the night though it may be ever so dark and though storm
and rain may impede her path. Like the Sufi he too invites
his fellow-travellers to inebriate themselves with the wine of
love and throw worldly discretion to the winds.

The devotee who desires the mystic union must firmly set
forward upon the path. It is like walking on the keen edge of
a sword. There are many disappointments, and terrible
obstacles. * The clouds gather, the evening falls, the rain pours
down, the fourfold blanket becomes wetter and wetter and the
burden gets heavier and heavier '"" and * walking, walking the
feet are aching.'^* Kabir experienced all the conditions (hdl)
which the Sufis describe : contrition (pachhtdwa) and sorrow
(dukh), hope [dsa) and fear {durdad), intimacy in contemplating
His beauty (jamdl) and awe at His majesty {jaldl), violence
(qahr) and kindness (mihr), separation (virahd) and union
(milan), absence (ghaibat) and presence {hudhur), amazement
(hairat, chigungl or bharam), and satisfaction (bharam vidhwans).
He describes the journey of the self within the self in the very
terms which Mansur al Hallaj used so early as the tenth century.
Says he. ** Abandoning the actions pertaining to humanity
(ndsut), one sees the sphere of the angels (malakUt); then leaving
even the sphere of majesty (jabarut) one gets the vision of

^OKabir: Bljak, Ramaini 15 (Ahmad Shah'a translation). •

71 Ibid., 16.

162 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

divinity [lahut); but when these four are left behind then comes
hdhut, where there is no death or separation and where Yama
finds no entrance.'*"- He knew the correct significance of each
one of these terms and he expresses it in two terse lines :

** Humanity (Ndsut) is darkness, Malakut is angelic, in
Jabarut shines the Majestic Light (Nur Jaldl), in
Ldhut one finds the Beautiful Light {Nur JamdT) and
in Hdhui is the dwelling place of Truth (Haq).'^^

In the Das Muqami Rekhta (the poem describing the ten
stations) Kabir in his own way reproduces the whole story of
Muhammad's Mirdj as developed in later Muslim tradition. It
is, of course, symbolic of the path which the saint follows in
his inward flight towards the ineffable goal ** like the butterfly
to^yards the light." This goal has been described in many
beautiful poems by Kabir ; just one may be given here in the
rendering of Rabindranath Tagore to illustrate his conception
of the mystic regions to which the saint rises.

** There falls the rhythmic beat of life and death ;

Rapture wells forth, and all space is radiant with light,

There the unstruck music is sounded ; it is the

music of the love of three worlds.

TTiere millions of lamps of sun and of moon are

burning,

There the drum beats, and the lover swings in play.

There love-songs resound, and light rains in showers ;

And the worshipper is entranced in the taste of the

heavenly nectar.

Look upon life and death ; there is no separation

between them.

The right hand and the left hand are one and the same

Kabir says. TTiere the wise man is speechless ; for

this truth may never be found in Vedas or in books. '*'^*

72 Kabir: Rekhta, No. 22; Sidahanta Dipika, p. )5.
t 73 Kabii : Siddhanta DTpika, p. 14. ^

74 Rabindranath Tagore: Op. cit., XVII.

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 163

In this sorrowless region. Spring the lord of seasons reigns,
the woods are ever a-bloom and the fragrant scent ** He is I **
IS borne on the wind. TTiere the Lord stands self -revealed and
the goal of the long and weary search is at last reached.

Thus did Kabir turn the attention of India to a religion of
the universal path ; a road was laid out which both could
tread together. No Hindu or Muslim could take exception to
such a religion. This was the constructive part of Kabir's
mission. But it had a destructive side also. It was impossible
to build a new road without clearing away the jungle which
obstructed the ancient footpaths. Kabir therefore attacked with
fearless indignation and in trenchant language the whole
apparatus of externalia which obscured the truth or separated
the Indian communities from one another. He spared neither
the Hindu nor the Musalman.

He asked the Hindus to give up what every reformer since
the days of Buddha had insisted upon — ceremonial, sacrifice,
lust for magical powers, lip worship, repetition of formulee,
pilgrimages, fasts, worship of idols, gods and goddesses.
Brahmin supremacy, caste differences, prejudices concerning
touchability and food. He openly condemned the doctrine of
incarnations : ** The Creator did not marry Slta nor did He
make a stone bridge across the waters/'*^* and ** they say the
Lord of the world finding inequalities of the weak and the strong
came as Rama. But Kabir says, before such a one (Rama)
who took birth and died, I cannot bend my head/"'*^ Again.
**the ten incarnations that people talk about do not concern me,
they are merely the reapers of the fruits of their actions, but
the Creator is some one else.'*^^

It is difficult to say how far he Y^^^&i^^Af^fS^^^^ory
of Metempsychosis. There are j^n^^p/^8SSiget''^%i^f^j^ he

"5 Kabir: SaWa 8.
76 Yugalanand : Op. cit.. Avatar
* 77 K. M, Sen: Vol. !I, p. 37.

164 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

appears to have repudiated it — ** the soul (jiyard) is a guest
which will not come a second time/*"** and, ** birth as man is
not easy to obtain, it does not happen a second time, when the
ripe fruit falls it does not again get attached to the tree.'*''®
Again, ** all go from this side taking their burdens with them,
no one returns from the other side, who could tell the tale.*'^^
There are other passages where he speaks of the eighty-four
lakhs of births, and of unceasing coming and going. It appears,
however, that he uses the fear of death (yama and k^la) and
of remorseless chain of birth and death more or less as warnings
for men to deter them from their ungodly lives. He does no"
expatiate on the doctrine of Karma which is indissolubly linked
with Metempsychosis, and his whole attention seems to be
concentrated upon the here and now, rather than on the here-
after and future.

He asks the Musalmans to give up their exclusiveness,
their blind trust in one Prophet and his book, their externalism
in the performance of rites — pilgrimage to Mecca, fast and
regulated prayers, their worship or saints (aulia and plrs) and
prophets (paigambar).

He asks both Hindus and Muslims to have reverence for
all living creatures and to abstain from bloodshed. He asks
them both to give up pride whether of birth or position, to
give up extremes of asceticism and worldliness, and to consider
life as a dedication :

I shut not my eyes, 1 close not my ears, I do not

mortify my body ;

I see with eyes open and smile, and behold His

beauty* everywhere ,.

Whatever I do, it becomes His worship.

All I achieve is His service.'***^

78 Kabir : Bijak (Ganga Prasad Varma's Edition). Sakhi 10.

79 Ibid.. Sakhl 115.

80 Ibid.. Sakhl 226.

* 81 K. M. Sen : Op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 76

RAMANANDA AND KABIR 163

He repeats again and again that Hindus and Muslims are
one, they worship the same God, they are children of the same
Father, and they are made of the same blood. ** All the men
and women that are created are Your form, Kabir is the son
of Allah and Rama, He is his Guru and Pir."^- And, ** The
Hindu and Turk have one path which the True Teacher has
pointed out ; says Kabir, hear, ye saints, say Rama or say
Khudd.^*^^ And, ** the religion of those who understand is one.
whether they are Pandits or Shaikhs.' '^'^ Naturally it pains him
to find,

Hindus call upon Rama, the Musalmans on Rahiman,
yet both fight and kill each other, and none knows the truth. "^^
Kabir* s was the first attempt to reconcile Hinduism and
islam ; the teachers of the south had absorbed Muslim elements,
but Kabir was the first to come forward boldly to proclaim
a religion of the centre, a middle path, and his cry was taken
up all over India and was re-echoed fromi a hundred places.
He had numerous Hindu and Muslim disciples, and today his
sect numbers a million. At Kabir Chaura in Benares they
gather every year, and at Maghar the Muslim followers
congregate to keep fresh his memory. But it is not the number
of his following which is so important, it is his influence which
extends to the Panjab, Gujarat and Bengal and which continued
to spread under the Moghul rule, till a wise sovereign correctly
estimating its value attempted to make it a religion approved
by the State. Akbar's Din-i-lldhi was not an isolated freak of
an autocrat who had more power than he knew how to employ,
but an inevitable result of the forces which were deeply
surging in Indians breast, and finding expression in the teachings
of men like Kabir. Circumstances thwarted that attempt, but
destiny still points towards the same goal.

82 K. M. Sen: Op. cit.. Vol. 111. p. 23.

83 Kabir: Bijak, l^abda 10.

S4 Yugaianand : Op. cit., Pailchha Ka Anga.
ViK. M. Sen: Op. cit.. Vol. I, p. 6. •

GURU NANAK

The Panjab was on the highway along which Muslim arms and
culture passed into India. In the fifteenth century the province
had longer been under Muslim rule than any other. Its towns
and villages were honeycombed with Muslim saints and jaqirs,
Panipat, Sirhind, Pakpattan, Multan and Uchh were places
where famous Sufi Shaikhs had spent their lives, and the names
of Baba Farld, *Ala'-ul-Haq, Jalal-ud-Dln Bukharl. Makhdum
Jahaniyan, Shaikh Isma*il BukharT, had become household words
for piety and devotion. The ferment in the minds of men set
up by them prepared the intellectual milieu in which a
synthesis of ideas could take place.

In the district of Gujranwala, in the Tahsil of Sharkpur, is
the small village of Talwandi which is situated on the banks of
the river Ravi. Rai Bular, a Bhatti Rajput, was the lord of
this village, and he had a Bed! Khatri as an accountant whose
name was Mehta Kalu Chand. The accountant was held in
respect by the villagers and also by the Rai. On the full-moon
day of Kartik (November) 1469 A.D. the Mehta was blessed
with a son. His family priest gave him the name of Nanak,
a name common to both Hindus and Musalmans. At the age
of seven he was sent to school to learn Hindi, two years later
to study Sanskrit, and shortly after to Mulla Qutb-ud-Din to
learn Persian. It is difficult to say how much he profited by the
teaching of the Pandit and the Mulla. Tradition relates
the usual kind of miraculous story regarding the preco-
city and astonishing wisdom of the child. It may,
however, be presumed that the son of the accountant
who was destined by his father for government service
acquired some working knowledge of Hindi and Persian.
It is also likely that he did not show any violent desire for learn-
ing, and therefore he was tried on many odd jobs like agricultllu'e,

166

GURU NANAK 167

cattle-tending and shop-keeping with equal fruitlessness.
Nanak was a moody meditative child more given to reverie and
day-dreams than energetic practical pursuits. He vrafi unmindful
of his personal needs and careless of his appointed tasks. Some
thought he was possessed by an evil spirit, others that he had
lost his senses. The efforts of the exorcist and the doctor failed
to do any good or to render any harm. His father failed to
understand him, but his sister, with the discerning sympathy
and the sure instinct of a woman, perceived the true nature of
her brother*s ailment. She was married to one Jai Ram, a
Dlwan in the service of Nawab Daulat Khan Lodi, a relation of
Sultan Buhlul, the Emperor of Delhi. The Nawab held an
extensive jogir in Sultanpur near Kapurthala. She sent for the
young Nanak and obtained for him a post in the Nawab's
service as the keeper of his storehouse of charities. Here he
remained till 1499.

Nanak was married at the age of eighteen, to Sulakhin and
had two sons — ^richand, who later founded the order of Uddsts,
and Lakhmi Das. When he was thirty, he renounced home
and service and became a faqlr, Mardana, the Muslim ministrel
of Talwandl and. later, Bhal Bala joined him and they commenc-
ed their wanderings over many lands, interviewing saints and
gathering spiritual experience, and, if any credence can be
placed upon the legends, Nanak visited all the holy places and
towns of importance in India, Ceylon, Persia, and Arabia during
four series of travels in the remaining forty yeftrs of his life.
He is said to have had long intercourse with Shaikh Sharaf of
Panipat, the Pirs of Multan, Shaikh Brahm (Ibrahim) the suc-
cessor of Baiba Farid at Pakpattan, and several others. He
preached his own ideas wherever he went and never hesitated
to uphold by action what he spoke by word of mouth. At last
the wanderings were over, the message was delivered, and the
day had arrived when the earthly journey was to end. *' The
Cum drew a sheet over him, uttered Wah^ Guru, made obei-
sance to God, and blended his light with Guru Angad's. The
Guru rema^led the same. There was only a change of.body

168 INFLUENCE OF 13LAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

produced by a supreme miracle.*'^ The Hindu and Muslim
disciples had a controversy over the disposal of the body, the
Guru decided the difficulty, for when the sheet was lifted, the
body had disappeared and there were only flowers there.
They were divided, the Hindus erected a shrine and the
Musalmans a tomb over them, but both were washed away
by the flood of the Ravi river.

The mission of Nanak was the unification of the Hindu and
the Musalman. He realised that in order to heal the wounds
of society it was essential to end the conflict of religions. He
says :

** When one remains and one is rem.oved then alone is it
possible to live with ease ; but as long as the two remain es-
tablished there is struggle and confusion. The two had failed,
then God gave orders ; for many had gone taking with them
the Furqan (Qoran) in order to unite, but they had failed to
unite. * Thou art my son, go into the world, all have gone
astray from the path, direct them upon the right path. Go thou
into the world, and make them all repeat the one name ; Nanak,
go thou as the third over the head of both. Establish the religion
of truth and remove evil, whoever comes to you from the two
receive him, let not life be taken unnecessarily, protect the poor,
remember that God pervades the eighty-four lakhs of species. "-

He regarded himself as the prophet of God, who had come
from the divine court, and ** received from His door-step the
signs {d*itdn), the chapters (surahs), and the traditions (hadith)
of the prophet.""^ He taught that '* there is one God in the
world and no other, and that Nanak the Caliph (or son) of God
speaks the truth."*

1 Macauliffe : The Sikh Religion, Vol. 1, p. 190.

2KKazan Singh: The History and Philosophy of SiklTism, Vol. 11.
p. 34B.

f 3 Ibid., p. 350.

'/ . ^Ibid., p. 350.

GURU NANAK 169

It is clear that Nanak took the prophet of Islam a8 his
model, and his teaching was naturally deeply coloured by this
fact. He was a mystic in the sense that he had a lively realisa-
tion of the presence of God, but he was not an en wrapt vision-
ary like Kabir. His spirit took occasional flights to the sorrow-
less and where * the Divine palace is illumined by His light
which exceeds the light of millions of moons, lamps* suns and
torches, and where from behind the curtain of the Unknown
(ghaibi) the sound of bells is heard, '"' but he does not revel in
the transcendent joys of that illumined abode. His spirit draws
its inspiration from that vision, but it is far too deeply interested
in the fate of his fellow-beings upon earth to linger long in
the rare mystic regions.

Nanak*s conception of religion was severely practical and
sternly ethical. His God is exalted above all. He ** is inacces-
sible, unfathomable, altogether distinct from His creation,'**' at
** His threshold millions of Muhammads, Brahmas, Viiotis
Mahesas, Ramas are lauding Him in millions of ways and
millions of forms. '*^ *' He is incomprehensible, endless, in-
calculable, independent, immortal, actioniess. He has no caste.
He is not born nor does He die. He is self -existent. He has no
fear, and no doubts .... He has no family. He has no illusion.
He is beyond the beyond, the whole Light is Thine.**** Yet he
admits that He is immanent in all, ** within each body the
Absolute (Brahma) is concealed, and within each vessel the
whole light is His."" God is husband (khasam) and bridegroom,
and thus intimately related to the human soul. But in his more
permanent mood Nanak looks upon God as the One Lord of all.
the Commander {Hakim) according to whose pre-ordained will

r>Khazan Singh: Op. cit., Vol. II, p. 3%

<» Macauliffe : Op. cit.. Vol. 1, p. 363.

7KKazan Singh: Op. cit.. Vol. 11. p. 393.
sibia.. p. 394.

^Macauliffe: Op. cit.. Vol. I. p. 171. , •

170 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

man ought to walk, for obedience to Him brings wisdom, know-
ledge, security from punishment, freedom from Yama, and
salvation. *'^^ Nanak has no use for any anthropomorphic Being,
nor does he dwell much upon His personal humane qualities ;
to him He is the great and high, formless (nirankar), light {niran-
jan), and from the viewpoint of personality the true teacher
(Satguru). But he is far too much impressed by His power and
His irresistible will to develop greatly the latter aspect.

As Creator He brings the universe into existence out of dark-
ness :

In the beginning there was indescribable darkness ;
There was not earth or heaven, naught but God's unequalled

order,

There was not day or night, or moon, or sun : God was

meditating on the void ....

The Imperceptible God was himself the speaker and

preacher,

Himself unseen He saw everything.
When He pleased He created the world ;
Without support he sustained the sky.

He created Brahma, Visnu and Siva, and extended the love

of mammon.

He communicated the Guru's words to some few persons.
He issued His orders and watched over all.
He began with the continents, the universe, and the nether
regions, and brought forth what had been hidden.

His limit no one knoweth/'^^

The universe is the domain of the Lord. The creation is
his play, his motiveless activity ; but sometimes he speaks of
it in other phrases, ** Thou didst effect the expansion of the
world "12; again, ** from its brilliance everything is brilliant "^^

lOMacauliffe: Op. cit., Vol. h p. 195.

11 Ibia.. pp. 165-67.

12 Ibid., p. 205.

18 Ibid., pp. a2, 63.

GURU NANAK 171

and ** all is illumined by the light of His appearance. **^^ Over
the universe the Lord has established a system of government
of His own.

*' The Hindu and Muslim saints are the diwans in attend-
ance upon the Preserver (parvardigdr), the great Pirs are
magistrates (siqdar) and collectors {karor'ts), the angels are
accountants and treasurers (foteddr). The gentleman trooper
(ahadi) *Izra*rl binds and arrests, and degrades the ignorant and
beastly men."''*

Such a conception of God and his relationship with creation
lays greater emphasis upon the transformation of human will
than upon his intellect or feeling. Nanak demands of his follow,
ers, like the Prophet of Islam, a complete surrender to the
Lord.

Nanak maketh one application.

Soul and body are all in Thy power.

Thou art near, Thou art distant, and Thou art midway

Thou seest and hearest ; by Thy power didst Thou create

the world.
Whatever order pleaseth thee, saith Nanak. that is accept-

able.'*'«

and again :

** Whatever the Lord does, consider it is for your

Good, wisdom consists in obeying His order.

Whatever the King commands obey with all your body

and mind, such should be our reverence for Him

Lose yourself and then you will find the King, no other

wisdom avails."'^

Nanak is impressed with the utter worthlessness of man, and
there is a deep note of contrition and humility in the con-
sciousness of his own sin. Says he :
* My sins are numerous as the waters of the seas and the ocean.

i4KKa2an Singh: Op. cit.. Vol. 11. p. 397.

ir,Ibid.. p. 404.

i«Macauliffc: Op. cit.. Vol. I. pp. 35-36.

•TKhazan Singh: Op. cit., Vol. II, p. 419. ^ »

F. 12

172 INFLUENCE OF13LAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Bestow compassion, extend a little mercy, save me who

am like a sinking stone. **^^
** 1 utter calumny night and day ;

I am base and worthless, I covet my neighbour's house.
Lust and anger which are Pariahs, dwell in my heart ....
1 am a cheat in the country of cheats.
I deem myself very clever, and bear a great load of sin.
Ungrateful that I was, I did not appreciate what Thou didst

for me.
How can I, who am wicked and dishonest, show my face? "^^

Such a person who dares to tear so rudely aside the curtain of
self-complacency and egotism which hides the uglinesses behind
will hardly tolerate the shams and falsehoods which masquerade
in the guise of religion. Nanak shows little mercy to himself
and he is naturally not very tender when he deals with others.
With a mind definite, clear cut and keenly alive to the sharp
distinctions between good and evil he condemns with Semitic
vehemence the superstition and formalism of Hinduism and
Islam. He says :

** Cooking places of gold, vessels of gold.

Lines of silver far extended,

Ganges water, firewood of the Karanta tree.

Eating rice boiled in milk —

Ol my soul, these things are of no account

Until thou art saturated with the True name,

Hadst thou the eighteen Puranas with thee,

Couldst thou recite the four Vedas,

Didst thou bathe on holy days and give alms according to

man^s castes,

Didst thou fast and perform religious ceremonies day and night.

Wast thou a Qdzl, a Mulld, or a Shaikh ,

A Jogi, a Jangam, didst thou wear an ochre-coloured

dress,

18 Macauliife : Op. cit.. Vol. 1, p. 30.
•xOlbid,. p. 1«4.

GURU NANAK 173

Or didst thou perform the duties of a householder —
Without knowing God. Death would bind and take all

men away. -"
Also,

** He who worshippeth stones, visiteth places of pilgrimage,

dwellcth in forests,

And renounceth the world, wandereth and wavereth

How can his filthy mind become pure? *'-^

He rejects the doctrine of incarnations, —

** Nanak, God is independent ; Ram could not erase his

destiny.'*^*-

And the inequalities of caste,

I belong not to any of the four castes.*'*-**
He says,
** Nanak is with those who are low-born among the lowly.

Nay, who are lowest of the low ; how can he rival the great? **

** Where Thou. O Lord, watchest over the lowly. Thy look

of favour shall be their reward."-"*

To the Musalman he says, —

* Make kindness thy mosque, sincerity thy prayer carpet,

what is just and lawful thy Qoran,

Modesty thy circumcision, civility thy fasting, so shalt thou

be a Musalman ;

Make right conduct thy Kabah, truth thy spiritual guide,

good works thy creed and thy prayer.

The will of God thy rosary, and God will preserve thine

honour, O Nanak.* *^^

20 MacauliflFe : Op. cit., p. 133.

21 Ibid., p. 339.

22 Ibid., p. 382.

23 Ibid., p. 43.

24 Ibid., p. 186

25lfiid.. p. 38.

174 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

What should a man do then to attain salvation, or to blend the
light of soul with that of God ? Four things are necessary. Fear
God, do the right, trust in the mercy of His name, and take a
guide to direct you upon the path which leads to the goal.
Regarding the first Nanak says, —

** Be in fear of that day when God will judge thee/*-« and,
" Put the fear of God into thy heart, then the fear of Death

shall depart in fear. "27
Regarding the second, his works are so full that it is difficult
to make a choice. He is never tired of harping upon two
themes — praise of virtue and condemnation of vice. He is
careful, however, to remember that a mere catalogue of com-
mands and inhibitions is not enough and that essentially moral
conduct is the proper attitude of the inward soul. He alsc
knows that men and women have to live in the world and
work in their professions and a religion which suits merely
the faqir and the sadhu who has renounced the world canno
be the faith of an active community engaged in social pursuits
He. therefore, advocates a middle path between extrem
asceticism and heedless satisfaction of sense, or rather h«
advocates an asceticism of the heart combined with the fulfil
ment of the worldly functions of body and mind. Here is on
of the shorter catalogues of virtues —

** Practise humility, renounce pride, restrain the mind,

remember Gu<
Be honest, watch, restrain the five evil passions, be content.'*

Nanak loved to draw illustration for the virtues from t)
daily occupations of men, for example —

** Make continence thy furnace, resignation thy goldsmith.
Understanding thine anvil, divine knowledge thy tools.
The fear of God thy bellows, austerities thy fire,

St^MacauIiffe: Op. cit.. p. 14.
27 Ibid., p. 78.
* 28 Ibid., p. 13. ^

GURU NANAK 175

Divine love thy crucible, and melt God*8 name therein

In such a true mint the Word shall be coined.

This is the practice of those on whom God looked with

an eye of favour.

Nanak, the kind One by a glance maketh them happy. '"-^
Nanak was a believer in the transmigration of souls, and he
taught that the doers of evil will continue to suffer from repeated
births and deaths, till they turned their hearts towards Truth.
Transmigration, however, did not apparently satisfy him as a
sufficient deterrent from sin, and so he threatened those who
would not walk along the path of virtue with the direst punish-
ments.

** The sinners who have committed transgressions are bound
and led away.

Their luggage of sins is so heavy that they cannot lift it.
The steep road ahead is dark, while the executioner
walketh behind them.

In front is a sea of fire ; how shall they cross it?
Ravens stand upon men's skulls, and peck at them fast

as a shower of sparks.
Nanak, where shall man escape when the punishment is

by God's order) "-^^^

And he goes on to describe the horrible fate that is in store for
them. It is too gruesome to describe. From such a fate only
the mercy of God can save man. Fortunately He is ever ready
to help, ** If for a moment thou restrain thy mind, God will
appear before thee,"^* and *' He bestoweth gifts on whom He
looketh with favour and mercy, "'^'- and " the mere repetition of
His name can confer salvation. "^^ His gifts are priceless, and

29Khazan Singh: Op. cit.. Vol. W. p. 437.

30 Macauliffe : Op. cit.. Vol. I, p. 217.

31 Ibid., pp. 125-26.

32ibia., p. 177.

3f Ibid., p. 208. ,

176 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

his marks priceless, priceless his mercy and priceless His ordi-
nances.'*^ Good deeds, approved charities, penances and yoga,
study of scriptures and meditation, ** Nanak, these devices would
be of no avail ; true is the mark of grace. *'''^''*

Like all Sufis Nanak taught that in the soul's journey to-
wards God it was necessary to be guided by a Guru. In his
system the preceptor occupies the same position as in that of
Kabir. Muhsin Fan!, who was an earnest student of the religions
of India and a contemporary and friend of many Hindu sam'is
of the seventeenth century, describes accurately the Sikh belief.
Says he : ** When Nanak expired his spirit became incarnate
in the person of Angad, who attended him as his confideixtial
servant. Angad, at his death, transmitted his soul into the body
of Aniaradasa, and this Guru, in the same manner, conveyed
his spirit into the body of Ramadasa, whose soul transmigrated
into the person of Arjun Mai ; in short, they (Sikhs) believe that
with a mere change of name, Nanak the First became Nanak the
Second, and so on, to the fifth in the person of Arjun Mal.*'^^
The Guru directed the disciple upon the path which has four
stages — Saran Khand, Jndn Khand, Karam Khand and Sach
Khand, which, according to Gurumukh Singh, the author of
Nanak Prakas, correspond with the Sufi SharVat, Ma'rifat, Ufw&
and Lahut.'^'^ The path ultimately leads to the goal so dear to
the soul of the devotee, where the fear of death is no more, the
wheel of birth and death ceases to revolve, where man at last
becomes united with the Light from which he emanated.

How deep Guru Nanak*s debt is to Islam, it is hardly neces-
sary to state, for it is so evident in his words and thoughts.
Manifestly he was steeped in Sufi lore and the fact of the
matter is, that it is much harder to find how much exactly he
drew from the Hindu scriptures. His rare references to them

34MacauHife: Op. cit., p. 147,
as Ibid., p. 210.
3«Ibid., p. 229.
,37 Ibid., pp. 253-54.

GURU NANAK . 177

lead one to imagine that Nanak was only superficially acquainted
with the Vcdic and Purdnic literature. Be that as it may, it is
certain that in his own mind he was clear that he had come upon
earth with one purpose which was to proclaim that :

** There is only one path to the Divine Court which is presided
over by the one eternal Lord.**-'^

The religious movement started by Nanak continued to
gather momentum under his successors. Its stern ethical tone
and its definite puritanism were elements which distinguished it
from similar movements in India. Its spirit of non-compromise
carried within it possibilities of martyrdoms and the seeds of
an organised church. The unsettled political conditions of the
later period of the Moghul Empire gave these possibilities their
opportunity, and the seed bore fruit. The later Gurus were in-
evitably drawn into the whirl of politics and they transformed
the Church into a militant society. But although the Sikhs
changed their organisation their religion retained almost un-
altered the impress of Guru Nanak*s teaching.'*"

^«Gurumukh Singh: Nanak Prak5«, pp. 215—16.
39Kha2an Singh. Op. cit., Vol. II, p. 527.

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS

KabIr and Nanak were leaders of the radical school of thought.
They had many supporters among their contemporaries and
numerous followers after them throughout the centuries. Of the
twelve disciples of Ramananda four others besides Kabir have
left some of their hymns behind, Dhanna, Pipa, Sa*in, and
Raidas. The hymns of the first three are preserved in the
Adigrantha of the Sikhs, while Raidas' s teachings have been
collected and published separately.

Dhanna was a Jat by caste and is said to have been born
in 1415 A.D. He belonged to Rajputana, whence he went to
Benares to become Ramananda' s disciple. NabhajT and Priya-
dasa relate the legends of the supernatural occurrences of his
life, which indicate that he was at first an idol worshipper. Later
a change seems to have come over him, for he says :

'* When the Guru caused the wealth of divine knowledge
to enter me, I meditated on God, and accepted In
my heart that He was One.
I have embraced the love and service of God and known
comfort ; 1 am satiated and satisfied, and have ob-
tained salvation.
He in whose heart God*s light which filleth creation
is contained, recognizeth God, who cannot be
deceived.'*^

The Bhaktmala and its commentary give an extended notice
of Pipa, the Raja of Gagaraungarh, and relate many stories of
the marvellous events which happened in his life, and of the
conversions which he effected. Macauliffe translates a hymn
which is found in the Granth, and which shows the same ten-
dency as is found in other contemporary saints, that is, God is
the Primal Essence, the Guru is the means of attaining God, and
that worship must be internal.

l*Macauliffe: The Religion of Sikhs, Vol VI, p. 110.

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 179

Sai'n was a barber who lived at the Court of the Prince
of Bandhavgarh, the modern Rewa. He is said to have become
the spiritual preceptor of his prince. Of him a story is told
by NabhajT which illustrates the saint's dependence on God and
His readiness to help him.

Raidas was a worker in leather and thus belonged to a
caste very low in social status. He was born at Benares, his
father's name was Ragghu and that of his mother GhuAiniya.
He was devoted to religious men and saints and used to spend
all the money that he could procure from his father in their
service. His father became displeased and turned him out of
the house. He then began to live with his wife in a dilapidated
hut, engaging in devotion and earning his living by mending
shoes. People were attracted to him by his life of simplicity
and contentment, and it is said that a Rajput queen accepted
him as her Guru.

His hymns breathe a spirit of humility and self -surrender.
He did not indulge in high philosophic speculation about the
nature and essence of God and His relation with the world and
man. His cardinal doctrines are not different from those of
Kablr, and Hke him he uses Rekhta, even the Persian language,
and Sufi terms to show the identity of Hinduism and Islam,
He believed in a God who was the Absolute Lord of all.

" Govind is immovable, formless, unborn, unique, of
fearless gait, unlimited, beyond sight and reason,
indivisible, unqualified, extreme joy."*-

'* Hart is in all and all is in Hari,'*'-^
and identical with self.

*' Thou art I, and the difference between me and thee i»
like water in a vessel of gold and in the wavc.**^

*2 Raidas ki BanT, p. 25.
3 Ibid., p. 7.
* 4 Ibia,, p. 15. • •

180 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Thus although he is one he is yet many,

** One is many and many is one Hari, how am I to say
that there is a second,** and ** He is one, and only
two by illusion."'*

But God is not identical with any of the incarnations,

** The Rama in whom the people recognise Him, they are
in error about it, O brother/''^
Raidas looks upon the world as the play of God, and is
inclined to the view that it is illusory or at any rate not worth
paying attention to,

** He arranges it like a Player (Bazigar), no one knows the
secret of His play. The play is false, only the
player is true, by knowing this *the mind is
satisfied.'"^ Again, '* the body is empty, the may a
(nature) is empty, emptily hast thou wasted life
without Hari. The temple and luxurious living are
empty and empty is the dependence on other
gods.'*^ Raidas has complete faith in His grace,
for did he not come to the help of Ajdmtla, the
elephant, the prostitute, and if He broke their
chains, undoubtedly He will do the same for him.
Yet there is a pleasing conceit in his attitude.
* Thou hast bound me by chains of illusion (mo/i),
1 have bound Thee with the ropes of love. I am
making an effort to emancipate myself, but when
1 attain freedom then who will adore Thee> "®

The other attitude, of complete surrender and humility, is
usual with him.

5 Raidas ki BanT, pp. 26, 25.

6 Ibid., p. 6.

7 Ibid., p. 7.

8 Ibid., p. 26.
9H>id.. p. 22.

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS I8J

** O Rama, Thou alone art wise, thou art eternity without
guise, Thou art King (sultan) of kings. I am thy
ignorant broken {ahik,asta) servant (banda). I have
no manners, no fortune. I am senseless, foolish
and given to evil. I am a sinner, an alien (gharib),
heedless, cowardly and black-hearted. Thou art
powerful (Qddir) and capable of taking nxe across
the ocean. I am greedy and cunning. This body
of mine is shattered and broken, and my mind is
full of many apprehensions. Raidas the slave begs
his lord (Sahib) vouchsafe to me a sight (didar)
of Thee/''<»

and therefore he calls upon Him out of the depth of his heart.

** Save me, save me. O holy Lord of three worlds."^*

It is necessary then to give up all external rites, the pil-
grimages, fasts, shaving of head, singing and dancing in
temples, offering of leaves to idols, and to betake to the devo-
tion of One only, by losing the self in Him, as the river loses
itself in the sea. Although,

** My caste is low. my actions are low, and even my
profession is low.

Says Raidas, yet the Lord has raised me high."'-
Kabir had many disciples who spread his message
throughout Northern India and the Deccan. They founded
twelve branches of the Panth, each one recognising some
immediate disciple as its head. Some of the branches were
merely nominal and took no root where they were planted,
others produced important sects. Of his immediate disciples
Srut Gopal Das succeeded him at Benares and was recognised
at Maghar, Jagannath and Dwarka ; Bhaggu (Bhagwan) Das

10 Raidas ki Bam. p. 16.

11 Ibid., p. 39.

* 12 Ibid., p. 20. • •

182 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

is known as the compiler of the Bijak ; Dharamdas was the
author of many poems in which Kabir appears as answering
his questions ; Jivandas was probably the founder of the
famous Satnami sect ; and Kamal who is remembered in the
Adigrantha by the disparaging line, ** the family of Kablr
foundered when Kamal the son was born,** apparently had a
following in Western India. Others hardly need mention.

Of those in the generation following one of the most
important was Dadu Dayal. According to Muhsin Fan!, Dadu
was a cotton cleaner, who came from Naraina, a village of
Marwar, and lived in the time of Akbar. Wilson follows
Muhsin Fanl concerning Dadu's caste, but states that he was
born in Ahmedabad, from where he removed to Naraina in
his thirty-seventh year, and where he lived till the end of his
life. Farquhar and Traill, however, state that he was born
of Brahmin parents at Ahmedabad in 1544 A.D. But Sudhakar
Dwivedr differs from them and is of opinion that he was a tanner
or currier (mochi) and his family profession was that of making
leather bags (mot) for drawing water from a well. His first name
was Mahabali, he retired from worldly pursuits after the death
of his first wife and became a disciple of Kamal. The last
authority produces the following co'iplet in proof of his
opinions :

** I found the true and mighty guru, who taught me the
reality, Dadu is the leather bag (mof), Mahabali
is the vessel who churned and ate the butter.* '^^

Dadu spent most of his life in Rajputana and he visited
Ajmer, Delhi, Amber and other places. He is reported to have
had an interview with Akbar. He died at Naraina in 1603.
His poetic utterances consist of 5,000 verses which are divided
into chapters, each dealing with a leading religious question.
Their language is a mixture of the diaJects Braja bhdsa and

( 13 Si|dhakar Dwivedi : Dadu Dayal ki Ban!. Introduction.

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 183

Rajasthdnl ; some of the verses are in Panjdb't and a number in
Rekhta and corrupt Persian. Of the last, one or two instances
may here be reproduced.

Be mihr gumrah ghafil gosht khurdani,
Be dil badkar *alam hayat murdanl.^*
which may be rendered thus.

Men are merciless, strayed from the path, heedless meat-
eaters, heartless, evil-doing, and living yet lifeless.
And,

Kul *alarp yake didam arwah akhlas
Bad *aml badkar dui pak yaran pas.^"*
which means that he saw the whole universe as one, and the
pure souls cleaned of evil actions and deeds and of the sin
of duality in the company of the Friend. And again, there
is an entire poem beginning with the lines, —

Maujud khabar ma'bud khabar arwah khabar

wajud
Maqam chi chiz ast dadani sujud.'^^

The poem may be translated as follows :

The existent is known, the adored is known, the souls are
known, what is the station of the being to whom
it is necessary to bow?

The station of being is this : When the lower self (naf») is
dominant, and pride is in possession a^d anger, egotism,
duality, falsehood, greed, obstinacy are present, then there is
not the name of righteousness.

The station of souls (aru^ah) is this : When, love, worship,
obedience, unity, purity, mercy, affection, right and goodness

l4Chanclrik5 Prasada TripatKl :
Dadu, Dayal ki BSltiu p. 186.
15 S. DwivedT: Op. cit. p. 327.
• 10 Ibid., p. 80. ^

184 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

are present then there is the name of righteousness near. The
station of the adored {ma bud) is this : There is one, the
beautiful sight of the Beauty is ama^ng. To drink the cup of
inebriation is a wonderful thing. The animal stage is when
men are away from the path and heedless ; the first step is to
be bound by law (shari'at) to obtain from a wise person the
knowledge of good and bad, and of lawful and unlawful.

Then having completed this, it is necessary to abandon the
world, and to engage in remembering every day and every
moment the Highest God, to love the Lover, and to feel the
pain and to complain and cry.

Then the station of gnosis (marifat) is to know that water,
fire, heavens (' arsfi), the chair were all forms of the Subhdn
who had taken the quality of fire (sharar).

The Truth is found, I have seen the Light, the object is
held which is the sight of the Friend, the spirits of Adam are
the being of the being.

I have told plainly what kind of goal I had attained, the
Pirs (Preceptors) have informed the soul of the Murlda (disci-
ples) about the path to the Adored.*'

Dadu*s description of the true Musalman shows how he
rose above prejudices of creed and emphasized the true inward-
ness of religion. He says,

'* Dadu the tank of His presence is in the heart and there
I take my complete ablution ; after performing the ablution in)
front of Allah I say the prayers there.

Dadu makes his body His mosque, he finds the five
members of the assembly (jama't) in the mind as well as the
leader of the prayers (Mullaimam) ; the indescribable God is
Hiniself in front of him and there he makes his bows and
greetings.

Dadu regards the whole body as the rosary on. which the
name of the Generous one {Karirn) is repeated ; there is one
fast and there is no second, and the word (Jjo/ima) is He
himself.

Thtks Dadu rises before Allah with concentrated attention

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 185

and goes himself above the heavens (* arsh) to the place where
the Rahman (clement) lives.

Dadu the worshipper continues thus every day till his
death* and then he stands before the gates of the Master and
neither leaves Him nor goes.'*^'

Dadu manifests perhaps even greater knowledge of
Sufism than his predecessors, perhaps because he was the
disciple of Kamal who probably had greater leanings towards
Islamic ways of thinking than others, perhaps because the
Sufis of Western India — Ahrnedabad and Ajmer — wielded
greater influence upon the minds of seekers after God» Hinaa
pr Muslim, than those of the East. At any rate, the effect of
their teachings was to make him a staunch supporter of
Hindu-Muslim unity. He repeats again and again the senti-
ment that. —

In all vessels whether Hindu or Muslim there is one
soul,**^* and

** O Allah Rama, my illusion has passed away, there is

no difference at all between Hindu and Musal-

man/****
that.

** The one invisible Ildhi art Thou, Thou art Rama and

Rahim, Thou art the Beautiful Master (mdlik). Thy

names are Keaava and Karim,*'-^*

and he asks.

" What is the Panth (sect) of Brahma, Kii»?u and Mahes
which is the din (faith) of Muhammad and what is the way of
Gabriel ; the one Allah is their Pir and Murshid (preceptor and
director). Dadu knows in his heart to whom they were

ITDwivedi: Op. cit., p. 95.

18 C. P. Tripathi: Op. cit., p. 323.

19 Ibid:, p. 383.
to Ibid., p. 455.

186 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

devoted, the Invisible Ildhi is the Guru of the world and there
is no other besides him,*'-^

and lastly says Dadu,

** The two brothers are hand and feet, the two are the
two ears, the two brothers are the two eyes — Hindus and
Musalmans.'*-^

With regard to ritual and form, priests, caste, idol worship,
incarnations, pilgrimages, ceremonial ablutions and so forth,
he held the same opinion as his master Kabir, to him also God
alone is essential and He is sufficient,

** 1 am not a Pandit, 1 do not know the good of studying
and 1 have not thought over knowledge.

I am not a prophet, 1 do not know the light, and 1 do not
possess the ornaments of the face.

I am no ascetic, I haye no control over my senses, and 1
have not performed pilgrimages.

I am not a worshipper in temples, and I do not put my
trust in meditation.

I am not an adept in Yoga and 1 do not know the methods
of worship.

I do not know anything else, and what after all is the need
of other things.

Dadu has placed his whole soul under the protection of
one Beautiful Got>iW.**-^

His ideas of God, of the world and of man do not differ
from those of his predecessors. He insists upon the unity of
God and he regards him in his twofold aspect of transcen-
dence and immanence. To him He is one, unchangeable,
immortal, incomprehensible Being ; He is brightness, efful-
gence, light, illumination, perfection ; He is within the heart
of all beings. ** I stay within me, I am the house for me,

21 C. P. TripatKi: Op. clt., p. 201.

22 Ibid., p. 323.

<^ 23 S. Dwivedi: Op. (it., p. 76. t

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 187

I am in the heavens (* arsh), I am my own support, I depend
on myself, so says the Merciful One, the Creator '"-^; and
** the whole of nature is His own form, for He is inside all.'**-*^*
Withal He is Creator and Lord, who ** by one word created
all,"-*' and who wills it and the creation comes out of nothing
or relapses into nothing.

Man, as long as he is separated from Him, is a sinful
creature ; his salvation consists in rending this veil ; in
realising that all otherness and duality, the world of sense,
pleasure and pain is a sport and illusion, they are like the
mirage in the desert after which the thirsty man runs in vain.
The one road to salvation is to know and love Him alone,
the one discipline is to die to self in order to live in Him. The
man who journeys along this path must be prepared to lay
down his life, for he will meet with terrible obstacles, he will
feel weary and sick and maddened by pain, so that he will
cry out, ** my soul is sorely afflicted, because 1 have forgotten
thee, O God, 1 cannot endure the pain, deliver me."^" But
if he perseveres the clouds will roll away and the sun will shine
and the Light will illumine his soul, and filled with wonder he
will exclaim ** O Rama, my God, I am amazed, no one can find
Thy end. Brahma Sanaka and Narad all failed to see Thee ;
I who am insignificant and low and little minded. Thou
vouchsafest Thy vision to me."-^

Dadu held that man passed through the whole cycle of
births and deaths in one life-time. He says —

** The nature of the eighty-four lakhs of lives is within
you, there are many births in a single day but few under-
stand them,*'-^ and

.i4 S. DwivedT: Op. cit., p. 59.
25 Ibid., p. 81.

2«C. P. TripathT: Op. cit.. p. 276.
27 Ibid., p. 511.
2kS. Dwivedi; Op. cit, p. 109.
^olbid.. p. 159.
F. 13

188 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

** There are as many incarnations (rebirths) as the changes
which come over the soul. This is the transmigration which
the Almighty Creator removes away.**^^

** The soul does not know of its births, they take place
moment after moment, it undergoes the eighty-four lakhs but
does not apprehend. *'*^^

And again,

** The swine, dogs, jackals, tigers and serpents reside in
the heart, also the elephants arid the insects, but the Pandit
knows them not.'*^-

It is only by destroying this chain of psychic modifica-
tions or spiritual births and deaths that one can. become
absorbed in God.

Dadu teaches that the Guru is the devotee's protector
(gudl), and the whip which keeps the horse of the mind in
control. The Guru is greater than books — Veda and Qoran —
for through him realisation takes place and the abode of light
is attained. But it is difficult to obtain the right type of Guru
in which case Dadu recommends that one should make birds,
beasts and the lord of the forest his Guru, for God is in all.
Dadu did not believe in complete actionlessness, for he
says,

** Effort (udyam) does not produce evil effects, for him
who knows it ; in effort there is joy, but it should be directed
towards the Lord only.'*^^

The sect which Dadu established, has its chief seat at
Naraina where he died. There they hold an annual festival
which gives an opportunity to the DddQpanthta to assemble
together in memory of the great man who tried to sink all
differences of creed and caste in one religion of love.

80S. Dwivedl: Op. cit., p. 160.
31 Ibid., p. 160.
82 Ibid., p. 160.
^ ^aC. P. TripatKi: Op. cit., p. 33. <

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 189

The sect of the Khakis arose from among a group of the
followers of Dadu. The reputed name of the founder is Kilh
who is mentioned by Nabhaji among the disciples of PaiharT
Srikrisnadasa. But nothing more is known about him.

Maluk Das is made out by Wilson as a disciple of Kilh»
but the editor of the Santa-baot Pustak Mala, regards him as
the disciple of Vi^^haldas. a Dravida Saint. Who this
Vi^^haldas was it is difficult to ascertain. Nabhaji mentions
one Vit^haldas who belonged to the sect of Raidas and was a
member of Ramanuja's ^ri Sampraddya, and Rice speaks of
a Vitlhaldas as a Vaisnava singer among the Kanarese poe'^
of the sixteenth century. Malukdas was born in 1574 in the
reign of Akbar and after a long life of one hundred and eight
years died in 1682 A.D. Kara in the district of Allahabad
is his birth-place. He married and had a daughter, and
founded a sect which consists wholly of laymen without any
ascetics. His order is said to have monasteries at Kara,
Jaipur, Isfahabad (Gujarat), Multan. Patna, Kattak, Sita Kayal
(Deccan), Kolapur, Nepal, and Kabul.

Malukdas taught the same religious doctrines which by
his time had become prevalent all over India. He condemns
the externalia of religion — pilgrimage, idol worship, good
works, and others. He teaches that the true religion !« in
inward faith, that Maya is the enemy of man, and God*8 name
is the only protection against it, that the world is transitory and
the worldly relations of no avail, that man is born of dust
and will return to dust, that those who are not devoted to
spiritual life are the dogs of the world, that salvation is ob-
tained by knowing the self, killing pride and egotism, con-
trolling passions, trusting the Guru, and loving God. This is
his definition of the true ascetic {darW'iah,)

** He who lives apart from the five elements, is the belov-
ed of God, who gives water to the thirsty, his worship is
considered great by Muhammad.

He who feeds the hungry, soon finds the Lord. He whp
abandons passion and dies while alive, to him 'lzra*il bows.

190 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

He who. considers all men's pain as his own, Malukdas
regards him as the true ascetic."^*

He too taught oneness of religion and the unity of the
Hindu and the Muslim ; says he,

** Where is the string of beads (mala) and the rosary
(tasblh), now awake and rely not on them.

Who is infidel (k^fir) and who is barbarian {malechchha) look
upon sandhyd (Hindu worship) and the prayer (namdz) as one.

Where does Yama live and where is Gabriel? He him-
self is the judge (Qdzl), who else keeps accounts?

He calculates the good and the evil deeds, and renders
account and sends one where he deserves to go.

Malukdas, why art thou in error, Rama and Rahtm are
the names of one.**''^'*

Sundardas was a disciple of Dadu. He was born in 1596
A.D. at Deosa near Jaipur in Rajputana, in the family oF a
Bania. It is related that when Sundardas was six years of a^e
Dadu came to Deosa. He saw the child and was struck with
his handsome face. Since then the. child became known as
Sundar (handsome), and lived with Dadu as his preceptor at
Naraina. He soon became known for his precocious genius
as a saint and poet. But on the death of Dadu in 1603 A.D.
he left Naraina and returned home. After spending some
time at Deosa he went to Benares where he remained engaged
in his studies till the age of thirty, and then came back to
Rajputana and worked with his co-disciples Pragdas and
Raj jab to spread the religion of Bhakti as taught by Dadu.
He setded down at Fatehpur ShekhavatI and became friendly
with Nawab Alif Khan and his sons Daulat Khan and Ta*bir
Khan. Tlie Nawab was himself a Hindi poet, and he highly
appreciated the talents of Sundardas. In later years he took
to travelling and visited numerous places in Rajputana and
Panjab. He died in 1689.

34Maluk das ki Bani, p. 22.
< 35^1bid.. p. 27, «

SIXTEENTH CENTURY SAINTS 191

Sundardas was a Sanskrit scholar ; he had studied Persian
and the languages of the North-Western Provinces of India
also. His work Sundarvilasa is divided into twenty-four
chapters. Some of the chapters deal with the six philosophic
systems of the Hindus, and the paths of action and know-
ledge, and show their inadequacy for the salvation of man.
In the constructive parts he dwells upon the teaching of
Dadu, but draws most of his arguments and illustrations from
purely Hindu sources. Sundardas was a man. of culture and
a fine poet unlike many of the other religious leaders, but his
outlook was not so broad and his spiritual experience not as
rich as theirs. In the following poem he describes the self-
forgetfulness of man.

** As the fish swallows the flesh overpowered by greed,
and distinguishes not the iron hook from the worm ;

As the monkey puts his hand into the jar and keeps his

fist firmly closed, and does not open it forced by the

temptation of taste ;
As the parrot fixes his beak into the cocoanut and remains

hanging on it. and puts himself into trouble on

account of his avidity ;
So the man united with the body, falls into the power of

senses, and urged by his desires for pleasure forgets

that He is himself. "'^'^

36 Maiiak Das kl Bant. p. 94.

LATER SAINTS

A CONTEMPORARY of Dadu was Birbhan, who founded the
famous sect of the Sddhs or Satnamla. He was born in 1543
A.D. at Bijesar near Narnaul in the South-eastern Punjab.
He was affiliated through Odhodas to Raidas. He was a
strict monotheist, he called God by the name of Satnam — the
true name.

He looked upon his Guru as the inspirer of his teachings,
and spoke about himself as Udho Ka das, the servant of Odho
whom he describes as the Mdlik Kd Hukm, i.e., the order of
the Lord, the personified word of God. The teachings of the
sect are in Hindi Bhasa, and their collection is known as the
Pothl (the book), which is reverenced like the Grantha of the
Sikhs. The book is read in a fumlaghar (house of assembly)
or a Chauht (station), and the evening service is attended by
men, women and children.

The Sadhs do not observe distinctions of caste and rank,
they eat and drink together, and marry inside their sect. They
permit divorce for offences in which the penalty is expulsion
from the sect. They adore one God under the name of
SatnSm, do not keep any material representation of Him, and
they do not bow before idol or man. Their worship consists
of meditation and the practice of virtue and their ultimate aim
is absorption in God. They abstain from intoxicants and animal
food, maintain a strict standard of morals and do not allow
the oppression of one by the other. They believe in earning
one's living by lawful means only, they discourage inequalities
of wealth and give their charities in secret.

Their chief seats are at Delhi, Rohtak in the Punjab,
Agra, Farrukhabad and Mirzapur in the United Provinces
and Jaipur in Rajputana. They became very prominent in
the reign of Aurangzeb, when they broke out into rebellion
in 1672 A.D. Khafi Khan in his notice of the rebellion gave

192

LATER SAINTS 193

them a very good character, but Iswardas Nagar calls them
filthy and wicked ; the head and front of their offending was
that they made no distinction between Hindus and Musalmans.
Their twelve Hul^ms or commandments which are given
in the Adi Vpdesh (first precepts) are deserving of full re-
production. They are given below: —

1. Acknowledge but one God who made and can

destroy you, to whom there is none superior, and
to whom alone therefore is worship due ; not to
earth, nor stone, nor metal, nor wood, nor trees,
nor any created thing. There is but one LorJ,
and the word of the Lord. He who meditates on
falsehoods, practises falsehoods and commits
sin, and he who commits sin falls into hell.

2. Be modest and humble, set not your affections on

the world, adhere faithfully to your creed, and

avoid intercourse with all not of the same faith,
eat not of a stranger's bread.

3. Never lie nor speak ill at any time to, or of any-

thing, of earth or water, of trees, of animals.
Let the tongue be employed in the praise of God.
Never steal, nor wealth, nor land, nor beasts,
nor pasture : distinguish your own from another's
property, and be content with what you possess.
Never imagine evil. Let not your eyes rest on
improper objects, nor men, nor women, nor
dances, nor shows.

4. Listen not to evil discourse, nor to anything but the

praise of the Creator, nor to tales, nor gossip,
nor calumny, nor music, nor singing except
hymns : but then the only musical accompani-
ment must be in the mind.

5. Never covet anything, either of body or wealth :

take not of another. God is the giver of all
^ things, as your trust is in Him so shall you

receive. •

194 INFLUENCE OF I3LAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

6. When asked what you are, declare yourself a Sddh^

speak not of caste, engage not in controversy,
hold firm your faith, put not your hope in men,

7. Wear white garments, use no pigments, nor colly-

rium, nor dentifrice, nor mehndi (henna), nor
mark your person, nor your forehead with sec-
tional distinctions, nor wear chaplets, or rosaries
or jewels.

8. Never eat nor drink intoxicating substances, nor

chew pan, nor smell perfumes, nor smoke tobac-
co, nor chew nor smell opium, hold not up your
hands, bow not down your head -in the presence
of idols or of men.

9. Take no life away, nor offer personal violence, nor

give damnatory evidence, nor seize anything by
force.

10. Let a man wed one wife, and a woman one hus-

band, let not a man eat of a woman's leavings,
but a woman may of a man's, as may be the
custom. Let the woman be obedient to the man.

11. Assume not the garb of a mendicant, nor solicit

alms, nor accept gifts. Have no dread of necro-
mancy, neither have recourse to it. Know before
you confide. The meetings of the Pious (Sadhu)
are the only places of pilgrimage, but understand
who are the Pious {Sddhu) before you so salute
them.

12. Let not a Sadh be superstitious as to days, or to

lunations, or to months, or the cries or appear-
ance of birds or animals ; let him seek only the
will of the Lord.^

Commentary on these commandments is superfluous ; their
sturdy commonsense is as evident as their puritanism which

% lWil»on: The Sects of the Hinau*. Vol. 1. *

LATER SAINTS 195

borrows from Islam and goes beyond it. 1 he voice of Birbhan
must have sounded like a claripn blast gathering together all
those who were fighting for light and reason against superstition
and darkness. It must, indeed, have been a wonderful age
which could produce Kabir and Nanak» Dadu and Birbhan
together and which could render it possible for them to spread
their purifying gospel broadcast. The account of the Sddha
may be closed with one of their hymns, which illustrates the
deeply devotional aspect of their faith : —

My frame aches without thee ! 1 am wailing at thy door I
Now appear and let me see thee,

my Lord ! I pray thee make no delay !

1 have become restless through weeping and wailing.

I cannot live without the sight of thee.

Flames rise within me and consume my frame. Who can

endure my pain>

I am full of faults and sin ; do thou have mercy upon me.

Take not my faults and failing into thy regard !

O! thou that freest the soul from sin, maintain my honour!

Forget me not even for a moment, and have mercy upon me

Show me thy form and forget my sins of the present !

Cast thine eyes full upon me. and sever not thy love from

mc.*''

Laldas and Baba T^al flourished about the middle of the
seventeenth century. The founder of the Laldasl sect belong-
ed to Alwar and came from a predatory tribe known as the
Meos. His teachings ran on the same lines as those of Kablr,
The teachers of the sect are married men» and the singing of
hymns accompanied with music plays an important part in
their worship.

Baba Lai who was a Kshatriya was born in Malwa about
the reign of Jahangir. His preceptor was one Chaitana, whom
he followed to Lahore. He settled down at Dehanpur near
Sirhind where he built a temple and a monastery. The

• !• Ru««cl' : The Ca»te« end Tribes of Central Indim, Vol. IV. p., 250. >

196 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

unfortunate Dara Shikoh, who was one of his pupils, had many
interviews with the saint in which he obtained instruction on
religious questions. The results of these were embodied in
a book entitled Nddir-un-Nukoi written in Persian. The
teaching is in the form of a dialogue between Dara Shikoh and
Baba Lai.

What was the creed of Baba Lai ? He answers the question
in these words :

** TTie creed of the lover differs from other creeds. God
is the faith and creed of those who love Him, but to do good
is best for the follower of every faith/* And he quotes the
verse of Hafiz approvingly : —

** The object of all religion is alike.
All men seek their beloved —

What is the difference between prudent and wild?
All the world is love's dwelling,
Why talk of a mosque or a church? *'•*

Baba Lai and Laldas were not by any means the only
representatives of the religious synthesis which attempted to
reconcile Hinduism with Islam in the seventeenth century.
There were numerous saints and teachers who advocated the
same ideas ; but unfortunately the names and writings of most
of them have disappeared ; Muhsin Fan! has, however, re-
corded the names of some with whom he came into contact
or of whom he learnt by reputation. Writing of Pirana
Kohaly he mentions the Vairdgis and their beliefs, '* This sect
do no harm to any living being . . . They do not admit the
Aoataras (incarnations), and say that God is exempt from
transmigration and union ; and according to those who profess
the belief in the unity and solitariness of the Supreme Being,
he is not susceptible of intimate friendship."* And again of
the Nardyanls a sect founded by Haridas — who died in 1055-

3 Wilson: Op. cit.. Vol. I, p. 349.
^ 4 ^Troyer and Shea : Dabistan-i-MazaKib. pp. 195-%.

LATER SAINTS 197

A.H. (1644 A.D.) — he says : " This sect knows nothing of idols,
nor of temples, nor of the Kabah, nor of any sort of worship ;
they do nothing towards obtaining the knowledge of, or union
with, God ; they confine then^selves to the veneration of
NdTayary or the Supreme Being, from which they derive the
name of N dray anion. They do not occupy themselves with
the affairs of the world ; abnegation and solitude is their law.**^
He gives the following account of Gosa'in Jam and his
disciples : —

They call their master Jahan. and his followers, com-
posed of Hindus and Musalmans, adopted the creed of
Visriavl. This is as follows: "They hurt no living being ;
they avoid fellowship with men of another creed among the
Hindus and Musalmans ; they pray five times a day» with their
face towards the east ; they have the names of God, of the
divinities, of the Prophet upon their lips, such as Allah,
Mlka'Tl, *Izra*il, Jibra'il, Muhammad, and others ; they bury
their dead ; they confer benefits upon others to the extent of
their power, a number of their dervishes pretend to be afflict-
ed with maladies and beg alms, and whatever they so collect
they distribute to the blind and lame, and to people of that
description.'*"

He goes on to speak of many others who were equally
independent in their ideas, among them were ^ioarlna,
Shidayl, Hariram PurT, Sathra, Jadu, Partapmel Chadah,
Binavair son of Hiraman Kayastha, Azadah a Brahman, and
Mihirchand a Sunar.

To the latter half of the seventeenth century belonged
Dharnidas and Pran Nath whose lives extended on to the
beginning of the eighteenth century. Dharnidas was bom in
1656, and lived at the village of Manjhi in the district of
Chhapra. He was a Srivastavya Kayastha by caste, and a
disciple of Chandradas, His teachings are contained in his

'*• Troyer and Shea : Dabittan-i-Mazahib. p. 232.
Vibid.. p. 233. • •

198 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

two works Satya Prakjai and Prem Prakas. TTie followers of
his sect are to be found all over India even to-day. The
following poems illustrate his thought : —

*' The lamp is within the house (body), it has neither wick, nor

oil nor flame,
DharnT one should attach himself to Him in thought, word

and deed
There (in the abode of God) one walks without feet

and cheers without hands.
Without eves one sees the sight, and without ears hears

the voice,
Dharnl climbed up only half the height, when he saw

the form of light arise.
And he beheld the fascinating image of exceedingly

incomparable form.
DharnT the throne is in the body, and the Lord (Sultan)

is seated on it.
There he accepts in audience {Mujra) all life and world

(Jahan) to its uttermost limits.**"
He created you from water, hear, O ! my foolish mind,
Such is the husband who is known as Khuda.
You burnt for ten months (within the Mother's womb).
And when you became helpless you moved.
You then promised with your own tongue, and vainly

had the letters (of fate) written.
And then you promised, O ! my foolish mind, that you
would obey Him this time, if you were released

from pain.**''

Pran Nath, founder of the sect of Dharnis, was a Ksha-
triya who lived in the latter part of the seventeenth century
in the reign of the Emperor Aurangzeb. He acquired great in-
fluence over Chhatrasal Raja of Panna by the discovery of a

T Santa bam Sangrah : Vol. i, p. 115.
• .'^Ibid.. Vol. 11, p. 125.

LATER SAINTS 199

diamond mine, it is said. He was well acquainted with the
sacred books of Islam, and he attempted to propagate a faith
which should combine the two reHgions. In his Quizum
Samp, a work in the Gujrata language, he brings together texts
from the Qoran and the Vedaa and shows that they are not
incompatible. His creed proclaims the abolition of the
worship of idols, of caste restrictions and the supremacy of
the Brahmins. As a test of a disciple's assent to the real
identity of the Hindu and Musalman creeds, the ceremony of
initiation consists in eating in the society of both religions.
He wrote fourteen treatises all in verse ; some extracts from
his Qiydmat-nama are given below : —

** Go to the followers (ummat) and tell them, rise the
faithful ones, for the day of resurrection has come.

1 tell you in accordance with what the Qoran says, and
I relate before you the story.

He who is a special leader of the following should stand

careful.
I will only give this warning, that in the eleventh century

(of the Hejira) you will become fearless

All of you, whether Hindus or Muslims, will have a
common faith."
He describes the history of the last eleven centuries, how
Jesus Christ came first and then Muhammad and after him
the Imams ; and then continues to give the story of Adam's
fall, and Satan's {'Azaztrs) determination to destroy the race
of man ; and then goes on to discuss the various prophecies
Judaic, Muslim and Hindu which foretell the coming of the
last prophet, who comes with this mission : —

** There was strife in the two worlds, and the path of
action (Karma Kdn<jla) and of law (SharVai) prevailed, he made
known to all the path of reality (haqlqat) and gnosis {ma'rifat).
He cleared away the clouds from the sky, illumined the universe
with the sun of light, and united the peoples of the world,
Tlift whole creation calls upon Khudd, makes its statement

200 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

to Him and accepts His command. All worship the word
(Surat) of the Lord, or the Kalam (Word) of Attahr-*

The active careers of Jagjivan, Bulla Sahib, Kesava,
Charandas, his two lady disciples Sahjo and Dayabai, Gharlb-
das, Shivanarayan and Ram Sanehi, lay in the eighteenth
century.

JagjTvandas was born at Sardaha in the Barabanki district
of the United Provinces in 1682 A.D. He was a Chandel
Thakur and belonged to the school of Kabir. He spent most
of his life at Kotwa between Barabanki and Lucknow. His
teachings are contained in his three principal works — Jndn
Prak^f Mahdpralaya and Pratham Granth. His disciples were
drawn from all classes of people — Brahmin, Thakur, Chamar
and Muslim. ** He succeeded in establishing some community
of thought between himself and Islam. Two at least of his
disciples were Musalmans.*'^"

He either re-organised the older Satnami sect which had
suffered defeat from Aurangzeb's armies, or set up a new one
with the same name.

He taught the doctrine of the unity of God, whom he
regarded as beyond all qualities (nir^una). He laid great
stress upon self -surrender and indifference towards the world.
He held that the goal of human endeavours was absorption in
God through the help of a spiritual guide (guru). Truth,
gentleness, and harmlessness were the main virtues in his
moral code.

In the following hymn he preaches the inwardness of
religion : —

** Oh what avail is the wearing of a rosary, or the
putting on of the mark on the forehead ;
Of what avail is the abandonment of food and fasting,
or feeding on milk alone.

GrowM : M*tKur«, Aajawat Namah.
« lOGrierKH): SatnimSi, E. R. E., Vol. XI.

LATER SAINTS 201

What is the use of mortification before five fires, of
wearing skins,

Of standing with face turned upwards or sitting in smoke
or giving up the use of salt.

What is the value of sitting and standing or of keeping
silence and repeating the names ;

Of being a learned man or a lecturer or of acquiring
much knowledge.

Why abandon wife and retire into forest, and practise
asceticism ;

The world forgets that without love all is fruitless.

Stay at home, do not run away in all directions, medi-
tate on the One who is beyond thought and
beyond support ; in the expanse of the mind's
sky His image is seen. He is different from all.

He whose belief attains to Him. has ensured his destiny :
O Jagjivan, place your head on the feet of the
^uru and then you will escape from the net of
errors.'*^'

How to meditate on God is told here : —

** Give up all thinking (fik^)* and become absorbed in

meditation (zik.r).
Make the parrot of attention (sruii) sit in the sky, and

repeat the name of Hart and thus teach him.
The Lord (Sa'in) is one, know Him as one.
Never allow your mind to have any doubts
Says Jagjivandas, see there the word (iruii).
Fold the two hands together and adore the Lord/*'-
And all human beings are recognized as essentially
equal : —

** O Sddhu, the one Light shines in all.

TTiink it over in your mind, there i* no second.

11 Jagjivan Sahib Kti^bdavali, p. 38.
§12 Ibid., p. 49.

202 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The blood and the body are the sair.e» there is no
Brahman or Sddhu ;

Some are called men and some women, the Invisible
(ghaibl) Purus (male) is in all."^'^

Bulla Sahib whose real name was BulaqT Ram was a
Kunbl by caste, who was employed for ploughing the Belds
of Gulal Sahib ; but the latter, struck by his piety and devotion,
became his disciple. Bulla was a disciple of YarT Sahib, and
set up as a teacher in Bhurkuda. a village in the Ghazipur district
of the United Provinces. His utterances are full of references
to Yogic exercises, and he seems to have regarded the control
of breath as an important part of worship. Apart from this,
however, he is a Bhakta of the usual type. Here is an illustra-
tion of his teachings : —

** One who is mad (dwand) after the Beloved (Mahbjb)
drinks the cup, in the abode (khana) of the Un-
conditioned (nirgvn).

The Unconditioned is the abode, the Trikutt is the goal,
and the association of the devotees the means of
knowledge.

Every moment one should go to the Unconditioned
abode, and should remain drunk during the eight
parts of the day. Speak to the people of the
Unconditioned form, O Bulla, and you have found
the secret of the heavens.*'^"*
And this is how he expresses his dependence on God from
day to day : —

** O Lord, take my roll-call (hdzir't), and enter it into
the register (daftar). I am a poor neglected
soldier, give me something day by day.*'*'*

l!ijagjivan Sahib Ki ^abdavali, p. lOB.
] 4 Bulla Sahib Ka ^baa Sar. p. 13.
ir»lbid., p. 29.

LATER SAINTS 203

Kesavadas was a Bania by caste, and belonged to the
order of Yari Sahib, a Muslim saint (1668 — 1723) who lived and
taught at Delhi. His warning (chetaVant) is given below : —

He maintains wealth (daolat), standards (nishan), dis-
play, egotism (khudl) and pride.

He shows no mercy to any soul in the world.

He knows well that all this magnificence is transitory,
and that Death goes about with its net to kill in an
instant.

All this encampment of tents and elephants and horses,
all these furnishings are illusory.

Except the name of Hart none of them will be of any
use at the time of departure.

I warn you over and over again, give up pride and the
love of maya (world), why, O Keaava, are you
agitated with the delusions of desire.*****
Charandas was born in 1703 A.D. at Dehra in Mewat,
Rajputana. He was a Dhusar Bania by caste, and he founded
his order at Delhi about 1730. He lived the life of a house-
holder and accepted both men and women disciples. Of the
latter Sahjo and Dayabai have acquired fame by their
utterances (bam). His teaching is similar to that of Kabtr,
it emphasizes the unity of God, the value of reliance upon His
name, the need of devotion and the necessity of having a guru
who is to be regarded as divine. He died in 1780.

Charandas denounced idolatry. He says : —

** Keep your eyes on the Husband, what have you got
to do with any other man ?

Leave all the gods alone, and repeat the name of
Harir^-^

10 Sant BanT Sangrah. Vol. II. p. 176.
IT Ibid,,
P. U

1*7 Ibid,, Vol. I, p. 147

204 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

He had unlimited reverence for the preceptor :

" Guru 18 like Siva who awakens you.

Guru is Brahma,, guru is Kisciu, he fills up your empti-
ness.

Guru is like the Ganges which washes away all sins.

Guru is like the Sun which draws away all darkness."^"*

Here is an illustration of his devotion : —

** O benefactor of the poor (Gharlb-nivaz), protect my
honour, who will put my affairs straight, for every-
thing is wrong with me ?

O Hari, you are called the lover of jB/iafefas, the saviour
of the fallen, fulfil the aspirations of thy people,
look at them with eyes which will cool their
burning.

You are a ship, I am your crew. I cannot leave you
and go elsewhere.

O Hari^ if you will punish me and throw me overboard,
I shall never find a place of rest.

O Lord, the whole world knows that Charandas has
thrown himself on Your protection.

If he is then laughed at, it will bring slight on You, please
think of it.'*i^

Sahjo and DayabaT were two sisters belonging to the same
caste as Charandas who was their guru. TTheir hymns are
full of tenderness and love.

Gharibdas lived from 1717 to 1778 A.D. in the village of
Chhudani, Rohtak district, thcr Panjab. He was a Jdt by caste
and a householder in life. He belonged to the school ol

isSant BSnl Sangrah, Vol, 11, p. 179.
*» Ibid., Vol. II. p, 185.

LATER SAINTS 205

Kabir, and consequently his verses abound with Persian terms
and Sufi allusions, for instance : —

** O Sahib (Lord), hear the sound of my prayer in your
highest heaven (*ars/i).

You are my father (pidar) and mother (madar) and you
are bestower of favour (karlm), it is becoming the
Father to protect the honour of the son.

I pray to you with folded hands. O Creator,

My body and mind and wealth are an offering to You,
vouchsafe to me your sight (c/idar).'*-**

And again —

** Good conduct, patience, discrimination, understand-
ing, mercy, and continuous dharma, and maintain
also, intelligence (ag/), certitude (yaqin), and
faith (imdn), and you will obtain the object which
is their reality.'**-^

Ramcharan, the founder of the Ram Sanehl order, was
born in 1718, at Surasena, in Jaipur territory. He was at first
a Rdmdwat, but later became a staunch opponent of idol
worship, and was therefore persecuted by Brahmins. The
headquarters of his sect are at Shahpur, but they are represent-
ed in several other places. The order consists of Sddhus
only, and there are no lay members. They ** do not worship
images. Their religious services are to some extent similar
to those of the Muhammadans. Five services are held every
day in their shrines.*"-- The order admits men of any caste,
their religious and moral discipline is strict, and they have
regular officers to enforce it.

TTie Shwanarayanl order was established about the middle
of the eighteenth century (1734 A.D.). The founder, Swami

20Sant Bam Sangr*h. Vol. I p. 193.

gi !bt<i.. Vol. 1. p. 193. •

22 BlumacKarya : Hindu Castes and Sects, p. 447,

206 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

%

Narayana Singh, belonged to the Naraunl Rajput tribe and was
an inhabitant of Chandravar near Rasra in the Ballia district.
The order has three monasteries in the Ballia district and one in
Ghazipur. The Shivanarayanls adore the Absolute (ParaBrahma)
alone, and hold their Granth (book) in reverence. Persons
of all denominations are admitted without any distinction of
caste or class. When a member of the sect dies his body is
disposed of according to his instructions by burial, cremation
or throwing in a river. Muhammad Shah the Mughal Emperor
was a disciple of the founder, which is borne out by the
following couplet : —

** He taught the word to Muhammad Shah,

And obtaining his seal propagated the sect."-'^

The adhesion of the emperor gave a prestige to the order,
which obtained popularity for it. The seal is still kept in the
headquarters.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the begin-
ning of the nineteenth, flourished Sahajanand, Dulandas,
Gulal, Bhika, and Paltoodas. They were among the back
washes of the great wave which had arisen with Kablr in the
fifteenth century, and which spread with great force and
rapidity all over India in the succeeding three centuries, and
which as the eighteenth century wore towards its close gradu-
ally ebbed away, creating a cultural hollow into which
European currents began to pour down. All of them were
devotees inspired by the same ideas, they were reiterators
and popularisers, they hardly added anything new to the
religiousness or ai>ything of great value to the rich treasures
of devotional poetry. The social impulse was exhausted, *hc
empire was crumbling to pieces and society was torn by con-
flict and disorder. In such circumstances men^s itxinds were
benumbed and their activities were clogged. India ceased to
create.

SSGrierson: ShivanSriiyani0, J.R.A.S., 1918. p. 114.

LATER SAINTS 207

Sahajananda, the founder of the Swaml Narayanl «ect,
was born near Ajodhia in 1780 A.D. He taught the worship
of one God whom he called Kriina or Ndrdyar:iQ^ and whose
incarnation he was himself. He prohibited killing and the use of
animal food or liquor or drugs, he insisted upon strict sexual
relations, and denounced theft, robbery, false accusations,
suicide and other evils. He observed no distinction of caste,
and he rejected the worship of images. His priests were cell-
bate. His ideas spread among Kolls. Bhils and Kathis of
Western India. He wa» persecuted by the Maratha Peshwas,
but he taught the doctrine of suffering injury without retalia-
tion, and consequently many of his followers were beaten to
death.

Dulandas was a disciple of Jagjivandas who reorganised
the Satnamt order. He was a SombansT Kshatriya, and lived
in the district of Rai Bareli. He speaks of Mansur, Shamsi
Tabriz, Nizamuddm, Hafiz, in his poems, one of which is
given below :

** Now the sorrow of the heart has vanished, the
Beloved has come into sight.

Living in the company of saints. I have bowed my head

before the true leader (hddl). . . .
Every moment I have His face in my imagination

(tasavvar), and Hi« image shines in my heart, Bu

*Alr Qalandar, FarFd and Tabriz have all sung of this

same faith.

With sincerity and patience, he has shown me Allah
who is beyond space (la makdn) and beyond
sight.

See, O peoples. Dulan, whose guru (preceptor) is Jag-
jivan, has taken the Beloved to his heart.

And the unique Husband, the Inviaible PreMcnce {Ghaibt
hudhiir) has entered into my heart.'*-*

•

24 Sant Bin! Sangrah, Vol. II. pp. 166^7.

•

208 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Gulal, who was born in the last quarter of the eighteenth
century, hailed from Basharl, Ghazipur district. He belonged
to the Kshatriya caste, and was a disciple of Bulla Sahib. The
following lines give an idea of his poetic skill and religious
beliefs :

** The bee of the mind plays Vaaanta,

The unstruck music sounds in infinite space.

The lotus opens and the bees make a noise.

The Light expands its illumination.

The heart is filled with joy to see it again and again ;

When the mind becomes entangled, then it is enmeshed

in the net.
The current of Light flows in wave after wave.
My heart is placed at the lotus feet.
It does not come (take birth), nor does it go, the soul

dies not.
Gladly it drinks the immortal nectar again and again.
The Lord is beyond reach, beyond perception, beyond

sight,
I have found the Lord by seeing him with my eyes.
Says Gulal my desire is fulfilled,
I have triumphed over Yama and obtained an abode

in Light. *'-^

Bhika was a disciple of Gulal. He taught in the district
of GhazTpur, after the death of his guru, as his successor. His
pantheistic outlook is, expressed in the following poem :

** He himself {Khud) is the earth, from which a multi-
tude of vessels are made, by the potter, whose
creation has a wonderful variety.

The name is like gold, it becomes ornament and appears
as other.

But whether it is pure or impure, the basis is gold
itself.

i i

's5 Sant BSnl Sangrah, Vol. U, p. 205.

LATER SAINTS 209

The foam, the bubble, currents and waves are many.
Know that the water Is the same, whether it U sweet
or salt.

The soul has one caste, Bhikd holds this opinion.
The robbers belong to His government (Sarjf«r) as well
as the travellers.'*'-*'

Paltoo Das was a resident of village Nagpur Jalalpur in
the district of Faizabad. He belonged to the Kandu Bania
community and was of the School of Bhika. The following
lines describe his career :

** He took birth in Nanga Jalalpur. and dwelt in OuJh

says Paltooprasad. his birth created a stir in the

world.
He destroyed the four castes and laid the root of Bhakii

and in the garden of Guru Govinda. Paltoo the

flower blossomed.
He became a monk in Jalalpur city, and in Oudh broke

the belt.
God carries on transactions in the heart, Paltoo says,

he is the Unconditioned trader.**-"
He showed the same familiarity with Sufi ideas as Kabir,
and attempted the same kind of reconciliation of the two faiths
as his great predecessor had done. He says.

** I have known Ndsiii, Mall^ut, and Jabrui,

and 1 have tested the delights of Ldhdt.

The mature devotee is one whose heart is illumined,

And who takes his seat in the Spaceless abode (/nmo*

kdn).
The secret of heaven has been opened.
And the soul cries in the heart, Haq (the true), Haq^

2CS«iit Bant SangraK. Vol. H. p. 213.

27 Paltoo SsKib Ki Bani, Vol. I, Life. p. t, , •

210 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Paltoo Das says, he sees every minute and on all sides,
Mecca.' *-^

And with regard to Hindus and Muslims :

** They say Rama is in the east, and Khudd in the west.

Who then lives in the north and the south >

Where is the T>ord, and where is He not?
Why do the Hindus and Muslims raise a storm?

The Hindu and Muslim have engaged in struggle.
And the two faiths run into two opposing camps.

Paltoo the slave says, the Lord is in all,
He is not divided at all, this is the truth.*'-"

Here the account of the radical reformers of Hinduism
must close. It was noticed before that there were two
classes of religious leaders in India ; in the first class were
Kabir, Nanak and others whose careers have been traced
above, and to the second class belonged those whose thought
was of a more conservative type. Among the latter were
some who adored Rama and others who worshipped Krisna
or Krisna and Radhd. In all human societies there are groups
of men of different spiritual needs ; for Instance, it is im-
possible for one group of men to conceive of God except in
absolute terms, and their intellectual bias excludes from that
conception every human quality ; then there is another group
which supremely feels the want of a God who has something
in common with themselves, who is not a mere abstract im-
personal entity, an abstract and impersonal consciousness,
command, or love, but something that is personal, a teacher,
a ruler, a father, a lover ; still others need an even more
concrete personality on whom they can depend, a person
who can stand before them as an idea], or a person in whose
history they can take a living interest, in short an incarnation
of God who dwells amidst men and shares with man his
sorrows, griefs and burdens.

28P»ltoo SiKib Kl Bant. Vol. II, p. 44 (I). ^

^ 2» l\ud., Vol. II, p. 5.

LATER SAINTS 211

The Hindus call the first group the worshippers of the
absolute (Nirguna upasaka), whether their path be that of
action or knowledge or devotion ; and the second group the
worshippers of the qualified Brahman (Saguria), amotxg them
some believe in incarnations and the others do not. The
absolute may again be transcendent or immanent or both.
The radical reformers were generally speaking worshippers
of the absolute who was both transcendent and immanent and
as the Muslim Sufis had the same conception of God, the two
came together and saw that there was no essential difference
in their religions.

TTie second group among the Hindus was that of wor-
shippers of Sioa and I'/snu, the last in his two manifestations
as Rama or Kriina. They had their counterpart among
orthodox Muslims who regarded God as the Lord and Ruler .
but it was impossible for these two to make any approach
towards an understanding, because both were entrenched
behind fixed systems of revealed books, inspired and irrevoc-
able commands, and divinely sanctioned rites and institutions.
To this group mainly belonged the conservatives, the learned
on both sides, and the priests whose interests were vested in
the maintenance of a particular social and economic order
But the presence of Islam in India could hardly fail to impress
even them, and they too shov/ed in certain aspects its influ-
ence. In an earlier chapter it has been shown how Hinduism
in the south reacted towards Islam, how contact with Islam
accentuated its monotheism, tended to remove disqualifications
of caste, strengthened the movement of devotion, introduced
new elements in its doctrines about the teacher, relaxed the
rigours of the cult without entirely abolishing it, and encourage
•ed the use of the popular languages.

In the north the same features appeared. It is hardly
necessary to enter into a detailed analysis of the litcralure
of the two schools, the one regarding Rama as the
supreme deity to be adored and the other, Kriina. Ramananda
and Vallabha were the founders of the two schools, in •the

212 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

north, but the best exponents of their ideas in the Hindi
language were Tulsidas and Surdas. Both have wielded an
enormous influence upon the Hindu mind, but as the objecc
of this thesis is not to describe all the sects which were deve-
loped in Hinduism, but only those which show the distinct
influence of Islam, they fall outside its ambit. It may how-
ever be remarked that the language of both Tulsidas and
Surdas shows evident traces of this influence, for both use
quite a number of words v/hich had been made current by
Muslims.

REFORMERS OV BENGAL AND MAHARA.'^TRA

Outside the vast region in which Hindi or some dialect of
Hindi is spoken, among the peoples whose language it
Marathr or Bengali, movements similar to that already discussed,
arose. In Bengal the Musalmans appeared in the twelfth
century and in Maharastra a hundred years later. Their
presence in both regions created upheavals social, political
and religious.

In Bengal at the time of the arrival of the Muslims, Bud-
dhism was undergoing a complete transformation. The old
faith was being replaced by either Pauratyic Hinduism or a
strange mixture of many cults, Buddhist. &awa and Tan(rik>
The revival of Hinduism which took place under Pala and Sen
Kings and which was not unaccompanied with persecution
led to the establishment of Brahman supren^acy, caste differ-
ences and image worship. Sanskrit was the medium of its
expression, and it naturally discouraged the language of the
common people. But side by side with Paurariic Hinduism
the old cults continued to exist, although in veiled forms.
When, therefore, the Muslim conquest took place, it gave a
definite check to Brahmanism. but encouraged the half-
suppressed ancient cults, stimulated the movement of reform,
and encouraged the growth of Bengali literature.

Dinesh Chandra Sen in his monumental history of Bengili
language and literature handsomely acknowledges the debt
which the language owes to the patronage of the Muslim
rulers. He says.

** This elevation of Bengali to a literary status was
brought about by several influences, of which the Muham-
madan conquest was undoubtedly one of the for«moA. If

213

214 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

the Hindu kings had continued to enjoy independence
Bengali would scarcely have got an opportunity to find its
way to the court of Kings.*' ^ The Muslim rulers of Bengal
appointed scholars to translate the Ramayaija and the Maha-
bharata from Sanskrit into Bengali which they spoke and
understood. TTie translation of the Mahabharata was under-
taken at the order of Nasir Shah who ruled at Gaur till 1325
A.D. Vidyapati, the celebrated Maithili poet, dedicated his
song to Nasir Shah and spoke with admiration of Sultan
Ghiyas Uddin. Raja Kans whose successor became a convert
to Islam, patronised Krittlvasa, the translator of the Ramayana ;
** his court was stamped with Moslem influence.'*- The
Bhagwata was translated under the patronage of the Emperor
Husain Shah : the translator Maladhar Vasu received from him
the title of Gunraja Khan. Husain Shah's general, Parangal
Khan had another translation of the Mahabharata made by
KavTndra Parameswar. Parangal Khan's son Chhuti Khan,
governor of Chittagong, employed Srikarana Nandi for trans-
lating the Asvamedha Parva of the Mahabharata. 'Alaol
a Musalman translated Malik Muhammad Ja'isi's Hindi Padma-
vata into Bengali, as well as some Persian work. '* Instances
of like nature, where Muhammadan emperors and chiefs
initiated and patronised translations of Sanskrit and Persian
works into Bengali, are numerous, and we are led to believe,
that when the powerful Moslem sovereigns of Bengal granted
this recognition to the Vernacular language in their courts.
Hindu rajas naturally followed suit . . . Thus the appointment
of Bengali poets to the courts of Hindu Rajas, grew to be a
fashion after the example of the Moslem chiefs."^

) Dinesh Chandlra Sen : History of Bengali Language and Literature,
p. 10.

2 Ibid., p. 12.

»IUd., pp. 13-14.

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA 215

The results of Muslim intercourse with the Hindu popu-
lation appeared early in the history of Hindu sects in Bengal.
The representatives of the older faiths were highly gratified
with the suppression of Brahmanism and even with Muslim
vandalism. The followers of the Dharma cult, a modified form
of Mahdydnism, could hardly contain themselves with glee at
the chastisement which their erstwhile oppressors suffered. In
their sacred book entitled $unya Purd^a and written in the
eleventh century by Ramai Pandit, there is a chapter headed
** the anger of Niranjan *' (Niranjaner Rukhm), and evidently
interpolated in the fourteenth century, which refers to a free
fight between the Muhammadans and the Brahmanas at
Jaipur. It is thus rendered by Dinesh Chandra Sen, '* In
Jaipur and Maldah sixteen hundred families of Vcdic Brah-
mins mustered strong. Being assembled in groups of ten or
twelve they killed the Sat-Dharmh (Buddhists) who would not
pay them religious fees, by uttering incantations and curses.
They recited mantras from the KcJas and fire came out of
their mouths, as they did so. The followers of Sai^Dharma
trembled with fear at the sight thereof, and prayed to Dharma ;
for who else could give them succour in that crisis? The
Brahmins began to destroy the creation in the above manner,
and acts of great violence were perpetrated on the earth.
Dharma who resided in Baikuniha was grieved to see all this.
He came to the world as a Muhammadan. On his head he
wore a black cap, and in his hand he held a cross-bow. He
mounted a horse and was called Khodd. Niranjana incarnat-
ed himself in Bhest (heaven). All the gods being of one mind,
wore trousers. Brahma incarnated himself as Mohammad.
Fiifiu as Paigambar and ^ioa became Adcanfa (Adam),
Ganesa came as a Gdzi, Kdriikfl as a /Car?, Ndrada became a
Sekha and Irtdra a Moulana. The Riiis of heaven became
Fakirs. The sun, the moon, and the other gods came in the
capacity of foot-soldiers, and began to beat drums. The god-
dess Chandi incarnated herself as Hayd Biht and PadtnavatT
became Bibi Nur. The gods being all of one miild entered

216 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Jaipur. They broke the temples and mafhas and cried * seize,'
* seize.' Falling at the feet of Dharma, Ramai Pandit sings,
** O what a great confusion."'*

The Dharma Gajan and Bada Janani songs bristle with
spite and jealousy against the Brahmanas, and are interspersed
with Muslim ideas. There is a Dehdra Bhanga (breaking of
a temple) song entitled Dharma Pujd Paddhati (the method of
worshipping Dharma) :

** TTien of Dehara Bhanga,

The Khonkara is worshipping with his face towards
the west.

Some worship Alia, some 'Alt, and others Mamud Sai
(Lord).

The midn kills no living things nor eats dead ones.

He is cooking his food over a slow fire.

The caste distinction will slowly be broken — for,
behold, there's a Mohammedan in a Hindu
family ;

Khodas Rahman has called a meeting.

The crow is asking and Dharma is deciding where
Khodd was first born. . . .

Thou art, O Khodd, I know, superior to all others.

How I wish to hear the Qordn from thy lips !

Niranjana transformed to Alia will confer blessings.

May the enemies of A mm fall under the wrath of
Qutubr

The Bada Janani (proclamation) ends thus :

** May Pxr Paygambara shower his blessings on our
heads and may our formidable enemies fall and
die under the wrath of Qutub.

40ines)) Chandra Sen : Op. cit., pp. 36-37.

REFORiMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA 217

Thus has Ramai Pandit sun^ only the Proclanxation,
(and he hopes that) the Lord will confer boons on
the leader."*''

The worship of $ica was at one time a leading factor in
the religion of Bengal ; as early as the times of Hiuen Tsiang
^asanka. a Saiva ruler of Bengal, persecuted the Buddhists,
destroyed their temples and set up images of &iva in place of
those of Buddha. Since his times the worship had grown in
great favour. But with the changes produced by the Muslim
conquest ^iva worship declined, and new beliefs grew up. In
the words of Dinesh Chandra Sen. ** the Muhammadans with
their vigorous living faith, had by this time come to Bengal.
Their Qoran which they believed to be inspired, lays it down
that the God of Islam helps believers and destroys unbelievers.
The strong belief of Islam in a personal God had to be count-
eracted in this country by forms of religion in which the
personal element of divinity predominated. So the Sdk,ta and
the Vaisriava religions flourished and the ^aiva religion with
its impersonal ideal and mysticism in which man rose to the
level of his God in the Advaitvada, was gradually thrown into
the background, as the masses did not comprehend its
speculative features.***'

As a result of this interaction of Hinduism and Islam
curious syncretic cults and practices arose. The Hindus
offered sweets at Muslim shrines* consulted the Qoran as an
oracle » kept its copies to ward off evil influences, and cele-
brated Muslim feasts, and the Musalmans responded with
similar acts.

Out of this close comradeship grew the worship of a
common God, adored by Hindus and Musalmans alike, name-
ly. Satya Pir. The Emperor Husain Shah of Cauda is sup-
posed to be the originator of the cult, and if that is so. he may
be regarded as a precursor of the illustrious Akbar,

r» Bcnoy Kumar Sarkar : Folk Element in Hindu Culture, pp. 226—29,
6D. C. Sen: Op, cit. pp. 234-35. > •

218 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

But of far neater importance was the effect of this inter-
action on the movement inaugurated by Chaitanya. The
conditions of religious life before the birth of Chaitanya are
thus summarised in the History of Bengali language and
literature : ** The power of the Brahmans had become op-
pressive. The rules of caste became more and more stringent
as Kulmism was stereotyped. While better ideals in religion
were upheld by the Brahmins, the gap between man and man
was widened by caste restrictions. The lower strata of
society groaned under the autocracy of the higher, who shut
the portals of learning against the inferior classes. They were
also debarred from. having any access to a higher life, and the
religion of the new School (Pauracii^) became the monopoly
of the Brahmins as if it were the commodity of the market-
place.**^

The simple faith and the democratic ideals of Islam in-
fringed upon this society and produced a ferment which was
focussed by Chaitanya.^ He was born of Brahmana parents
at Nadia in 1485 A.D. His father died when he was quite a
child, his mother sent him to school, where he became pro-
ficient in grammar and logic. He was married at the age of
eighteen, and he set up as a teacher when he was twenty.
But later the spirit which has called so many earnest Hindus
away from the world came upon him ; he left home and
wandered over the whole country. In his travels he came into
touch with Sddhus and Faqirs, In his biography written by
Krisnadas a meeting with Pathans near Brindaban is thus
described, ** One of the Muslims, a grave man clad in black
and called a Pir, was melted at heart on seeing the master
(Chaitanya). He propounded monotheism and one common
God, on the basis of his holy book,** but of course the master
refuted him. ** There are various incidents in the life of
Chaitanya which prove conclusively that he dearly loved the

tD. C Sen: Op. cit.. pp. 415-14,
^<^aduoath SarkSr : Chaitanya, p. 226.

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA 219

YaVana.**'* But whether he loved the Yaoana or not» it is
undoubted that his teaching was affected by the Yavanaa
ideas. He died in 1533 A.D.

The essence of Chaitanyism is given in two sentences by
Krisnadas, ** If a creature adores Krisna and serves his Guru^
he is released from the meshes of illusion and attains to
Krisna* s feet.**'" and, *' leaving these (i.e.. temptations) and
the religious systems based on caste, (the true l^aiir^aoa) help-
lessly takes refuv^c with Krisna.'' ^^ Chaitanya thus condemn-
ed the whole ritualistic system of the Brahmanas, and preached
faith in Hari. According to him worship consisted in love
and devQlion, and song and dance, producing a state of
ecstasy in which His presence was realised. All men were
competent to perform this worship, irrespective of caste and
creed. Chaitanya had disciples from the lowest strata of
Hindu society and from among Musalmans, three of the
principal ones Rup. Sanatan and Havidasa being Muslims.

From the school of C'haitanya branched out the sect of
Kartabhajas. The founder of the sect was a Sadgop named
Ram Smaran Pal known as Karta Baba. He was born about
the end of the seventeenth century, near Chakdaha in Nadia.
;His birth was foretold by a Muslim Faqtr^ who also brought
him up. Karta lived for eighty-four years and died in a
village near the place of his birlh. He left behind twenty-
two disciples (Ba*ts Faqlr), one of whom named Ram Dulal
succeeded as the head of the sect ; in him the spirit of the
Muslim Faqlr was incarnated. He organized the sect and
laid down its precepts in a series of songs. The doctrines
of the Kartabhajas are :

(1) There is only one God, who is incarnate in Karta.

(2) The Mahdsaya or spiritual guide must be all in all to

his Barati or disciple.

i* Jadu Bhathacharya : Hindu Castas and Sei^ts, p. 464.
nijadunath Sarkar : Op. cit.. p. 278.
^ 11 ibid., p. 281. ^

F. 15

220 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

(3) The Mantra or religious formula of the sect must be

repeated five times a day as a means of salvation
and of obtaining material prosperity.

(4) Meat and Wine must be abstained from.

(5) Friday must be held sacred and should be spent in

religious meditation and discussion.

(6) There is no distinction in the cult between high

caste and low, or between Hindus, Musalmans
and Christians. A Musalman has more than once
risen to the rank of a teacher. The members of
the sect eat together, at least once or twice in
the year.

(7) No outward sign of adherence to the sect is required.

A Hindu may retain his sacred thread, and a
Musalman need not shave on becoming a member
of the sect.

(8) Fervid love or Bhakti is the only religious exercise

necessary.

About the end of the thirteenth century the Muslims
began the conquest of the Deccan. By the middle of the
fourteenth century they had not only completely subjugated
it, but they had also established an independent Muslim kingdom
there. The BahmanT rulers of the Deccan like their contem-
poraries in Bengal, fostered the growth of the literature and art
of the people whom they governed. The Marathi language was
used in the offices of the *Adil Shahi and Qutb Shahi king-
doms, and Marathas were employed as revenue officers and
even as commandants. Qutb Shah was a patron of culture
and himself a poet of considerable power, and wrote exten-
sively in the Dakhm language which was a mixture of Hindi
and Persian. The intercourse of Hindus and Musalmans
produced the same cultural phenomena in Maharastra as it
had done in Hindustan and Bengal.^*- The Marathi saints and

♦* 12 Census of India 0^01. Vol. VI. Bengal).

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA 221

hymn-singers elfected the same kind of synthesis of the two
faiths as was done by Kabir and Nanak in the north. Ranade
describes the beginning of the movement thus: " The severity
of the monotheistic creed of the Muhammadans was distinct-
ly impressed upon the minds of these prophets (Kabir, Nanak
and others). The worshippers of Dattatraya or the incarnation
of the Hindu Trinity, often clothed their God in the garb of
a Muhammadan Faqlr. This same influence was at work with
greater effect on the popular mind in Maharastra, where
preachers, both Brahmans and non-Brahmans, were calling the
people to identify Rama with Rahtm, and ensure their free-
dom from the bonds of formal ritualism and caste distinctions,
and unite in common love of man and faith in God. *' '*

The history of religious upheaval in Maharastra goes back
to the times of Jnanesvar who completed his Maratlil com-
mentary of the Bhagvad Gita in 1290 A.D. Jnanesvar had a
tremendous influence on the language and thought of Maha-
rastra. but the first of the saintly array of men who changed
the faith of the country and turned the minds of men from
the priest-ridden ceremonial of a narrow creed to freedom and
love was Namdev. He is remembered by every saint of
Maharastra. Hindustan. Rajputana and the Punjab as the first
historic name in the long list of fi/iafe/as. The date of his birth
according to tradition is 1270 A.D.. but Bhandarkar for very
good reasons assigns him to the fourteenth century.

Bhakti in Maharastra centred round the shrine of Vithcba
at Pandharpur on the banks of the Bhima. But although thus
associated with a particular temple and a particular image, it
was really not idolatrous in its character. Vithoba was a
symbol and a convention but not an idol. Ihus the character-
istics of the Krisnaite religion of devotion in Maharastra were
hardly distinguishable from those of the radical reformers of
the north. Its results as summarised by Ranade were the
development of the vernacular literature, the modification of

t •

13 Ranade: Rise of the Maratha Powei, pp. 50-31.

222 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

caste exclusiveness, the sanctification of family life, the ele-
vation of the status of women, the spread of humaneness and
toleration, partial reconciliation with Islam, the subordination
of rites and ceremonies, pilgrimages and fasts, learning and
contemplation to the worship of love and faith, the limitation
of the excesses of polytheism and the uplift of the nation to
a higher level of capacity both of thought and action.^'*

Namdev was a disciple of Khechar who was definitely
hostile to idol worship ; he received the following instructions
from his Guru : —

** A stone-god never speaks. What possibility then of
his removing the disease of mundane existence?
A stone image is regarded as God, but the true God
is wholly different. If a stone-god fulfils desires,
how is it he breaks when struck? Those who adore
a god made of stone lose everything through their
folly. Those who say and hear that a god of stone
speaks to his devotees, are both of them fools.
Those who extol the greatness of such a god ar^d
call themselves his devotees, should be regarded as
worthless persons, and their words should not be
heard by the ear. If, by chiselling a stone, a god
is made of it and is worshipped with care for many
years, will he be of use at any time? Do reflect on
this well in your mind. Whether a holy place is
small or large, there is no God but stone or water.
In the village of DvadasT (Barsi) instruction was
given that there is no place which is devoid of God.
That God was shown to Nama in his heart, and thus
Khechar conferred a blessing on him."*^

14Ronade: Op. cit., pp. 50-51.

r
1 '"^ Bhandarkar : Vai^navism and ^ivism, p. 90.

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHAKASitv^ ^;,

This is now Namdev exposes the incfficacy of the external
acts of religion : —

*' Vows, fasts, and austerities are not all necessary ; nor
is it necessary for you to go on a pilgrimage. Be
you watchful in your hearts and always sing the
name of Hari. It is not necessary to give up eating
food or drinking water ; fix your mind on the feet of
Hari, Yoga or sacrificial ceremonies or giving up
objects of desire is not wanted. Realise a fondness
for the feet of Hari/'^^'

The following hymn describes the goal which Nama desired
to attain : —

Now all rAy days with joy I'll fill
Full to the brim.

With all my heart to V^iUhal cling
And only him.

He will sweep utterly away
All dole and care ;
And all in sunder shall I rend
Illusion's snare.

O ! altogether dear is he
And he alone,

For all my burden he will take
To be his own.

Lo ! all the sorrow of the world
Will straightway cease.
And all unending now shall be
The reign of peace.

For all the bondage he will break
Of worldly care,
And all in sunder will he rend
Illusion*s snare.

• 10 Bhandarkar : VaisnavUm and ^ivj»m, p. 90.

224 INFLUENTCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

From all my foolish fancies now
Let me be free.
In Vitthal, Vifthal only is
Tranquillity J ^

Namdev was the leader of a goodly host, which carried
forward the traditions which he handed over to them. Among
these saints a few were women, a few were Muslim converts
to Hinduism, nearly half of them were Brahmins, while the
remaining ones were drawn from all the other castes —
'* Maratha, Kunbi, tailors, gardeners, potters, goldsmiths, re-
pentant prostitutes, and slave girls, even the outcaste
Mahars."'^

Namdev's spirit breathed in their teachings. This is how
Chokhamela, a Mahar, replied to the remonstrances of a
Brahman priest on entering the temple of Pandharpur. He
said : ** What availeth birth in high caste, what availeth rites
or learning, if there is no devotion or faith? Though a man
be of low caste, yet if he is faithful in heart, and loves God,
and regards all creatures as though they were like himself,
and makes no distinction between his own and other people's
children, and speaks the truth* his caste is pure, and God is
pleased with him. Never ask a man*s caste when he has in
his heart faith in God, and love of men. God wants in his
children love and devotion, and he does not care for his
caste. '*^"

Bahiram Bha^ twice changed his religion in order to find
the truth that would satisfy the cravings of his heart. Both
Hindus and Muslims found fault with him for these changes
of faith, but he disclaimed being either Hindu or Muslim.

The followers of Shaikh Muhammad who became
Bhaktas observe both the Ramzdn and the Ekodasi fast, and
make pilgrimages both to Mecca and to Pandharpur.

iTMacnicolI : Hymns of the Maratha Saints, p. 47.

isRanade: Op. cit., p. 146.

i»Ihid.. p. 154. ,

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA U^

Tukaram who after Namdev was the greatest of Maratha
saints, and who wields the widest influence in Maharastra,
was equally eclectic. He was a contemporary of Sivaji and
one of the inspirers of the spirit which welded the Marathas
into a people united in common aims and ajpiraticns. He
was born at Dehy, near Poona, about 1608 A.D. He belonged
to the Maratha caste, and came from a family which had
been for several generations devoted to the worship of
Vithoba. His father was a petty trader, who entrusted his
business to him when he was only a boy of thirteen. On the
death of his father four years later the business fell into con-
fusion, out of which it was rescued for a time through the
help of one of his wives. But this prosperity did not last
long, he gave away his money to a needy person who was
threatened with imprisonment and himself became bankrupt.
A famine followed, and one of his wives was starved to death.
Tukaram becarne intensely disgusted with worldly life, gave
up all business and devoted himself completely to contempla-
tion and devotion. His life of piety and service made him
popular with the people all round. But the Brahrqanas became
jealous of his fame and subjected him to persecution. Sivaji
whose star was just rising, however, became his admirer and
tried to offer him wealth, comfort and ease, which of course
was refused.

Tukaram's teachings are embodied in his numerous
Abhangas which number between five and eight thousand. They
deal with all aspects and every problem of religion as it pre-
sented itself to the peoples of India in that period, the nature
of God, His relation with the world and man. His grace, the
destiny of man, the method of realization, the standard of
virtue, the path of devotion, the obstacles, sufferings and
triumphs of the devotee, the emotions accompanying various
stages of religious life, the snares of the world and of sense,
the character of saints, the need of the preceptor, the use-
lessness of externalia, the iniquity of social distinctions and
so on. f

226 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Tukaram's conception of God was almost identical with
that of Kablr. He says : —

** He has neither form nor name, nor place of abode ;
He is present wherever we go, Vitthal our mother
and sister. He knows neither form nor change
of form, He pervades the moving and immovable
world. He is neither with nor without attributes ;
who, indeed, can know Him> He will turn to
none says Tuka, who has not faith in Him.'*"-*'

The immanence of God and the sanctity of life and the
oflFering of all actions to Him are taught in the following
hymn : —

** We see Thy footprints everywhere ; form, name and
shape belong all to the cloud-coloured one. If
we roll on the ground it is nothing but a place
for Gods images to stand on ; because our mind
is fully fed on Thy love, every moment of time
is auspicious to us. Thou art all to us, O God ;
our life, our hope and our vocation. When we
finish our meal and eat fruit or betel nut, it is
all an offering in Thy honour. When we walk
we are walking round Thy image ; in sleep we
are prostrate before Thee, like a rod on the
earth. When we meet people to talk with them,
we see Thy image in every one. Lakes, rivers
and wells to us arc holy places, full of the water
of the Ganges. Palaces, storeyed mansions and
huts of grass are all temples of God. Every
sound that we hear is Harts name, whatever
words are or have been uttered. Tuka says, we
servants of Visnu are fully fed on His love.'*^^

SOFraser ami Marathe : Hymns of Tukaram, Vol. 11. p. 154.
» 31 Ibid., Vol. 11, pp. 169—170. •

REFORMERS OF BENGAL AND MAHARASTRA 227

God*s grace is spoken of thus : —

** They need not ask God for anything ; He comes
running to serve them/*-- and

** At a call Thou art drawn to Thy worshippers. So
sure is Thy mercy, says Tuka, that with Thee
there can be no delay/'-*'

In a number of Abhangas-^^ he indicates the nature of
true worship, and rejects ceremonies, offering Vedic sacrifices,
visiting holy places, worshipping stones, putting on saints'
guise, fasts, and austerities. And this is how he describes
the goal of human life : —

*' Calm is life's crown ; all other joy beside
Is only pain.

Hold Thou it fast, Thou shalt, whate'er betide,
The further shore attain.

When persons rage and we are wrung with woe
And sore distress,

Comes calm, and then — yea, Tuka knows it — lo !
The fever vanishes."'-'

Tukaram's attempt at reconciling Hindu and Muslim
faiths is evidenced in the hymns translated below : —

" What Allah wishes that is accomplished, O! my friend
(Bdba), the Maker is the sovereign of all.

Cattle and friends, gardens and goods all depart.
My mind dwells, O ! friend, on my Lord (Sahib) who is
the Maker,

I ride there on the back of ^^^^jJlSji^^^
self becomes the horses

-- Fraser and Mariithe : Op. cit., Vj
1:3 Ibid., Vol. H, p. 190.
•iUbid., Vol. 11. pp. 41!, 415.
-■■' MacnicoH : Op. cit., p. 80.

<

228 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

O ! friend, meditate (zikj) on Allah, who is in the guise
of all,

Says Tuka, the man who understands this becomes a
DarWish.**-*^

And—

** First among the great names is Allah, never forget to
repeat it.
Allah is verily one, the prophet (nahl) is verily one.

There Thou art one, there Thou art one, there Thou
art one, O! friend.

There is neither I nor thou.'*-"

20 Tukaram : AbKanga (Godbole's edition), p. 86.
2Tlbid.. p. 85.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

Religion and art are expressions of culture in two different
media. The evolution of culture may, therefore, be traced'
equally well in either of them, for the consciousness of a race
changes organically and in all parts together. Perhaps art is
a more sensitive indication of change than even religion,
which in its nature is more subjective, while art lives in objec-
tive form alone. In estimating then the influence of Islam
upon Hindu art, it is essential to understand the formative
influences which mould civilizations and shape their aesthetic
needs and values.

Civilization is the organization of experience, which man
gains by working both in harmony and in conflict with nature.
Common pursuit with and struggle against nature are the
warp and woof from which is woven the stuff of civilization.
The character of a particular civilization depends upon the
disposition and temperament of man as well as the nature of
his environment, and on their mutual and dynamic interaction.
Men are fundamentally alike everywhere : they all possess
similar psychological endowments, they are all moved by the
same set of instincts, impulses and feelings, and they all
function intellectually in a similar manner. But, although
essentially alike, men have enormous differences in the
strength and temper of their emotional, intellectual and voli-
tional powers. Living together in similar surroundings for
long periods tends to develop in different groups, different,
types of character and mentality, which distinguish one com-
munity from another.

Thus it happens that, in spite of the unity of human
nature, diversities of culture are produced. Although the in-
stincts remain the same they are differently stimulated, the
flow of emotional energy occupies different channels, senti-
m-cnts are organized from different groups of emotions, intej-

220 *

230 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

lect is exercised on different elements of perception and
thought, and the nnutual relationship of the conative and
affective aspects of the mind so varies as to produce from
similar elements entirely different attitudes and behaviours.
The different groups organize differently the psychological
facts of their experience and entertain dissimilar outlooks upon
life, and, although no two individuals are alike in a community,
each community as an organism differs from the others in its
institutions and ideals.

Each distinct community so organized has a history. It
develops from an inner impulse of its life and its course is
directed, stimulated or retarded, by its environment which itself
is changing. Then the communities interact upon one an-
other, for they do not live in isolation. They coalesce, absorb
or conquer. New material is always pouring into the old
casts, and either breaking them up or taking their mould.
Thus the world process continues, and out of the conflict of
races and the clash of civilizations new communities and new
civilizations grow.

Every civilization which is thus formed passes through a
cycle of change. It starts with definite, although unconscious,
tendencies which it seeks to realize in its career. It attains the
period of its highest expansion, when its capacities are matur-
ed and their expression is most adequately achieved. Then
follows a downward movement ; the original impulse is ex-
hausted and either the civilization decays and dies out or its
life is renewed by the appearance of a new impulse. The
impulse whether sociological or intellectual may come from
within or without. The character of the new civilization will
be determined by the power of the new impulse, which may
be so violent as to revolutionize the old civilization or it may
only modify it.

The history of the Balkan peninsula affords the aptest
illustration of the principles enunciated here. The /Egean
peoples who were originally settled there took nearly two
thousand years to pass through the many stages of their \:ul-

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 23 1

ture, and then they developed a highly characteristic civiliza-
tion w^hose magnificent monuments are to be seen at Mykenne,
Tiryns and Crete. When they had apparently attained the
climax of their achievement, the Greek races broke through
the Balkan passes and put an end to their development. Then
the Greeks started on the path of civilization, and out of the
alchemy of the mixing of races grew Athens and Sparta and
the city states of Greece. It took several hundred years to
accomplish the process of assimilation and then a nev^ culture
arose which, in the Instance of Athens, mounted the crest or
the wave In the Perlclean age. Then followed the stasis of
Hellenism, of that culture which was as different from the
Mykenian as from any other that the world has ever known.
Although Hellenism spread beyond the bounds of Hellas and
became a world culture, the civilization of Greece became
moribund. Later in the same land, another civilization,
the Byzantine, passed through its cycles of growth and decay ;
and the future may yet see in the same theatre the enactment
of the drama of the rise and fall of the new Greek race. The
/Egean, Hellenic, Hellenistic, Byzantine and modern Greek
civilizations succeeded one another and yet each differs
fundamentally from the others.

Greece is the epitome of world history. For humanity is
like a sea in which billows arise under the urge of wind and
moon and cosmic forces, and they gather volume and speed,
and they travel. For a while on their crest appears the play
of light and spray and of wondrous scenes, and then they
gradually begin to fall and become slow, until they settle down
and disappear in the deep calm of the sea from which they
rose. And so the process of human life goes on.

What part has India taken in this world process, and how
has its civilization been shaped under the age-long effort of
humanity to explore the most varied avenues and to sound the
most profound depths of human experience? How has the
Indian mind sought to grasp reality and what insight and vision
have helped to illumine its art and culture? *

232 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON* INDIAN CULTURE

To understand the Hindu mind it 13 essential to know its
environment. Warde Fowler noticed the wide difference in
the development of the Indo-Germanic races in Asia and
Europe, and sought its cause in the nature of the terrain on
which the Aryan tribes entered. The Greeks and Italians
settled down in small river valleys separated by mountains
and seas, and the Persians and Indians in vast plains unending
and unlimited. The first crystallized into small city states
where life became intense and the bonds of community
close, while the second spread out into loosely joined, free and
easy tribal organizations ruled by autocratic sovereigns.
Rabindranath Tagore, searching for the secret of European
culture, the fierce antagonisms of its nationalities, the almost
complete anarchy of its domestic and personal life, the won-
derful order and discipline of its social and political organ-
izations, the peculiar character of its analytic intellect most
victoriously working itself out in science and industry, finds
it in the walls and moats which surrounded the cities of
Europe, and which were at once the symbols of defiance and
strife, protection and order.

Such being the influence of man's surroundings it is neces-
sary to understand the Hindu*s environment. Vast, flat, un-
ending plains watered by broad slow-moving rivers, the
horizon limited in the far distance by lofty mountain chains
covered with white eternal snows, or thick, impenetrable
forests, or inhospitable barren hills — such is the outward
aspect of the land. Nature plays upon it in fierce but well-
regulated moods. Summer, rains and winter follow one an-
other in unfailing succession. The intense heat of the tropical
sun dries up all vegetation and leaves the open plains naked,
bare and lifeless ; and when man and earth are panting with
thirst come the rains with storm and thunder suddenly, swiftly
and widely but on almost the appointed day, and in the
twinkling of an eye the whole aspect of the land is changed,
life is re-born with an abundance and luxuriance whicji
are utterly bewildering. Then follows the mild, exhilarating

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 233

winter with its sowings, swift ripening and joyful harvesting
when the heaps of corn % lie thick upon the ground and over-
flow the granary. The sky of India is always bright, and its
nights wonderfully, unspeakably, beautiful ; for when the sun
sets swiftly ushering in the night, the silent procession of a
myriad stars gradually comes out filling in the dark mysterious
firmament, and it whispers unutterable mysteries to those who
lie listening under the vault of heaven gazing into the im-
measurable immensities above. Day follows night, one
season another, the exuberance of rains, the drought of sum-
mer, and the wheel of life moves on its regular, uninterrupt-
ed rhythm.

What wonder then if the clear and strident notes of a
nature so distinct and unique playing on the human instru-
ment age after age should have evoked in him a music
attuned to its own peculiar assonances. It would be surpris-
ing, indeed, if the Hindu mind had not evolved a culture, a
view of life and a system of society peculiar and individual.
The very conditions of living were peculiar. The hamlets and
villages in which dwelt India's teeming millions, or the iier-
mitages where abode her seers, poets and prophets, were
cradled in the thick copses of plants and trees, or deep glens
of crowded forests. The impress that nature made on their
souls in the morning freshness of their lives they bore in the
ripeness of their age. The stamp of the forest became affixed
upon the Hindu mind.

Indian consciousness developed a sense of time and space,
and a conception of reality peculiarly its own. To the Hindu
reality functioned in a time which was full and continuous
and cyclical in its measure, and in a space which abhorred
emptiness and which was sinuously curved like the soft ten-
drils of the lotus ; and both his time and space had many
orders. His universe ran riot in inexhaustible form and
throbbed with the intensity of life, it was a universe of infinite
subtle distinctions ,of innumerable interweaving shapes, begin-
ningless and endless, and yet a cosmos and a whole. ♦

234 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Another feature of this consciousness, noticeable in the
triumphs as well as the defeats of lodian civilization, was its
mystical intuitionalism.. The dominant fact in the conscious-
ness of Europe is the will to act, in that of India the will to
know ; and the peculiar emphasis of each has profoundly in-
fluenced the growth of their civilizations. Religion, philo-
sophy, art, custom and institutions all bear the same mark,
and all reiterate in their different languages that fundamental
concept of reality which forms the stuff of Hindu consciousness.

Religion and philosophy have been dealt with elsewhere,
it is now necessary to turn to art — architecture, sculpture and
painting. But religion and art are inseparably linked together,
they are but two aspects of the same vision of reality. The
one gives significance to life, the other to form. All changes
in the religious consciousness affect the expression of art, and
whenever art forms change they imply a corresponding modi-
fication in faith. Human mind is a unity and an organism
and it acts and reacts as a whole. How then did the Hindu
religion inspire Hindu art?

The Hindu is a spiritual anarchist. His faith is intensely
personal and individualistic. His worship consists in ardent
self-communion, it implies an abstraction from all outward
phenomena and realization in mystic ecstasy of the identity of
the self with God ; and when this vision of inner unity is gained
he returns to the world and reduces the multiplicity into oneness
again. He is a pantheist who sees God as Hiranyagaibha,
the golden germ of creation and the Virdt or the total aggregate
of all. His pantheism is moreover an intellectual translation of
his primeval sense of the forest. Every twig and branch, every
little flower and leaf that is born is a form in which the forest
manifests itself ; every twig and branch, flower and leaf
changes rapidly and constantly, while the forest as such goes
on for ever transcendent and eternal. And like the flower in
a forest is the life of man in the universe. He, too, must live
and die and be born aigain until he has exhausted all possibi-
lities*' of action either throu^ a whole series of lives or by

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 235

intense and deliberate self-realization at once, in either case
his final goal being unification with that Universal reality which
is his primal source. And when this consummation is reach-
ed the cycle of life is ended to be followed by another one,
perhaps similar, perhaps different.

Hindu architecture is the objectification of this conscious-
ness in solid mass. It is a twofold symbol of the mystery and
splendour of the deity. The shrine inside is a small dark
cell, with overhanging roof and heavy columns and overladen
with sculptural forms. In the bosom of the cell furthest re-
moved from the entrance, without a ray of light falling direct-
ly upon it, is the image standing, seated or reclining. Scarcely
more than a man may enter into the dim, silent mysterious
arcana of the temple. In the shrine of the heart the soul of
man must stand alone face to face with the mystery. Out-
side, the temple luxuriates in form : plinth stands upon plinth,
base upon base, mouldings and friezes and bands in unending
succession, the walls broken into numerous vertical steps, not
an inch of empty space anywhere ; and above the shrine rises
the pyramidal dome, or tower, tier upon tier, and each tier
studded with niche and figure, and the tower decorated with
miniature towers on every face. The treatment of the walls
is reproduced in the pillars, and each pillar is a model of the
temple itself ; on the bases are shrines of the guardians of the
quarters, the shaft is divided by bands and friezes represent-
ing religious scenes, one capital is topped by another, and
between the lower brackets and the achitraves the space is
spanned by caryatid figures. The doors and windows are in-
cased in jambs of numerous members on which are designed
floral, geometrical and other conventional patterns. The
slanting eaves projecting from the walls and the mouldings
cut deeply into the building give the happy play of light and
shade on the surface, the vertical lines of the aspiring sikhara
and the horizontal lines marking the roof of the man^apa
emphasize the feelings of sublimity and stability, the low
columnar porches or storeys of pillared halls, and the* un-

F. 16

236 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

bounded opulence of detail and ornament all serve to manifest
the Reality which is the transcendent totality of all forms.
Altogether, the temple has a strong virile exterior, which
inspires the sentiments of dignity, grandeur and majesty.

This general aesthetic feeling of the Hindu found its ex-
pression in the many styles of architecture which flourished in
the period just before the conquest of India by the Musalmans,
from about the beginniiig of the eighth century to the end of
the thirteenth. These Hindu styles, which were derived
from earlier styles of the Buddhist period, may be classified
according to the region in which the monuments were erected,
into three main divisions: (I) North-Indian, (2) Deccanese or
Chalukyan, and (3) Southern or Dravidian. Then there are
subordinate styles under the main divisions and transitional
ones between them. The distinctions of the styles are mainly
due to the difference in the form of the roof or spire. In the
North-Indian temples the spire is a lofty tower with curvilinear
sides narrowing towards the top and crowned with a large,
fluted, bulbous block called the amalasila, over which rises
the finial in the shape of a vase or k^lasa. The whole is
richly ornamented with carvings in horizontal courses and on
bold vertical bands or ribs and the corners. Examples
of this style are the Orissan temples of Bhuvaneswara, the
Central Indian temples at Khajuraho and Gwalior, and the
temples of Rajputana and Gujarat. Sometimes the lines of
the aikhara are straight as at Gaya, and in most sikharas one
of the ornaments consists of the reduplication of the form on
the ^f aces.

In the Dravidian style the pyramidal roof rises in several
stages and is crowned by a small dome either circular or
polygonal. The vimdna of a Dravidian temple could have
any number of storeys up to fifteen. In the earlier times each
storey had a number of residential cells, but later the cells
became merely ornamental, and thus the gopuram was evolv-
ed from the pyramidal tower. The later temples of the south
are distinguished by having many enclosures with gopuramB

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 237

over the gates, and cornices having a double curve. The
earliest examples of this style are the monolithic rathas at
Memallapuram and the Kailds temple at Ellora, the Virupaksa
temple at Pattadakal, the RdjrdjesWara temple at Tanjore and
others ; while of the later style the examples are the temples
of Madura, Sfirangam, and others.

The Chalukyan style is transitional between the northern
and southern styles. The iikhara has lost the distinctively
Dravidian storeyed form and become stepped without acquir-
ing the continuous line of the northern style, and forming
pyramids of different heights. The sanctuary usually has a
star-shaped plan and is raised upon a broad terrace ; the
deeply stratified lower parts of the walls are covered with the
most lavish sculpture, and perforated stone screens are set
between the columns. The temples of this style extend over
the Deccan including Mysore, the Kanarese districts and
the territories of the Nizam, as far as Nagpur. The
most magnificent examples are the temples at Halebid
in Mysore.

An analysis of the Hindu buildings of this period will
reveal the character of thSir architectural achievement. The
usual plan on which the temple is arranged consists of a square
cell (garbha griha) which contains the image and forms the
basis of the tower, and a porch (man^apo), and between them
an intermediate chamber {antardla) ; in larger temples the
porch may be a Hall and then it will have a second porch in
front of it and a roofed verandah may surround the shrine.
The walls are divided into plinth, basement and face up to
the entablature, and stepped by deep projections. They are
built in two shells, the outer with the mouldings and the inner
dressed smooth, and they have unequal thickness in different
parts, being thick at the back and sides and thin at comers. The
proportion between the space occupied by the walls and that
by the enclosed rooms is fixed by rule, in Orissan temples
the, ratio being four-tenths and six-tenths. The result of thi*
proportion is that the walls are extremely solid and stable.

238 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

The openings of the Hindu temples are rectangular,
columns and lintels being employed for spanning the spaces.
In the doors the usual proportion of the height to the width
is two to one. Tlie jairibs are carved into antepagments or
vertical mouldings some of which are projecting and others
recessed. The door-frames may have three or five or nine
fasciae. Their decoration consists of creepers and leaves,
lozenge-shape ornaments or squares and circles, animals,
dancing human figures, and other devices. In the ancient
Buddhist, Jain and Hindu caves the facade of the entrance
is elaborately treated, over the rectangular gate they have
pierced arches whose intrados are divided by purlins and the
meeting point of the curves is elongated to give it a pipal leaf
shape. The use of pillar, bracket and lintel, however, is uni-
versal and strongly marks the trabeate character of the Hindu
architecture.

In order to cover larger spaces and rooms two methods
of roofing are employed. The simplest form of the first
method is to erect four pillars and place stone beams on them
and then cover the opening by a slab, but this is only pos-
sible when the space is small, and therefore the next step is
to reduce the extent of the central space by cutting off its
corners by triangular stones placed in each angle of the square,
this process can be carried on by heaping tier upon tier
till the area is diminished to the required size. The second
method is to arrange the columns at the comers of an octagon
to support the lintels, and to raise a dome upon them in suc-
cessive diminishing horizontal courses, laid flat upon one
another and corbelling inwards. When necessary the octagon
is reduced to a polygon of sixteen sides. The interior of the
dome is always richly decorated with carved mouldings run-
ning in horizontal circles and marking the joints of the masonry^
and pendants hang from the centre of the dome. The
exterior of the dome is treated 83mLibolicaIIy. The shrine of
iVisnu has a standing {sthanikfl) image and therefore an eleyat-
ed spire with vertical ribs (iikhara), that of Siva a seated (aaana)

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 239

image, and a domical roof or a terraced roof and dome with
horizontal mouldings » and that of N dray ana a recumbent
(say ana) one, and consequently a roof like a waggon vault or
an upturned board or a parallelepiped, with pointed arch
gables at the ends.

Vaulting by means of radiating voussoirs is not found,
although it was probably known. The dread of the lateral thrust
exerted by that kind of construction forced the use of the
principle of building in which only vertical loadings were
encountered : the substantial walls sufficiently supported it
and the weight of the coping amalaka and kolci^o served to
lock the sides of the sikhara together. The dome and the
spire are never kept plain, the whole surface being covered
with most' elaborate carvings and profuse sculpture. In the
ancient Stupas and the Dagabas of the Chaitya halls, however,
the bulbous profile was maintained.

The columns and pillars of Hindu architecture exhibit
an infinite richness and variety. They may be square, penta-
gonal, hexagonal, eight or sixteen-sided, or circular. The'xr
orders are rigidly fixed as well as the proportions between the
diameter and the height and the intercolumniation- The
various parts, pedestal, base, shaft, capital and entablature
and the innumerable mouldings, square, semi -circular, convex,
concave, are all made according to rules. In general the
parts of the pillar correspond to the members of the walls.
The pillars may have double capitals, capitals of different shapes
of animals and bells and fruits, and they carry brackets which
support lintels upon which rests the roof. Their corbels may
be used as rests for the lower tenons of bracket figures, usually
GandharVas, and to support the wreath-arches (toranas).
Their decoration is extremely rich and varied — niches of
Lokapdlaa, gods and goddesses or in the case of Jainas their
TtrihdnkaTas and saints, friezes of scenes of worship, bands
with animals, lotus leaf members and so on.

The cornices are boldly projecting eaves or dripstones
resting upon brackets, and usually slanting from the walls 4t

240 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

an angle of 45°. They may be corrugated or shaped (especi-
ally in the south) into a double curve. They protect the walls
from weather and serve to throw off rain. The panels be-
tween the brackets under the cornice are usually ornamented,
and the brackets are carved beautifully.

The variety of mouldings and the richness of ornament
are extraordinary ; no other school of architecture in the world
can rival the opulence of the H^ndu. In the ornament, organic
forms, vegetable ^nd animal dominate, and the human
figure is freely employed. In fact the whole building is so
entirely covered with decoration that its only purpose appears
to be to set off the exuberant form in which life manifests
itself. In spite, however, of this abandon, ornament is never
allowed to hide the essential features of the structure or to
depreciate the value of the unified mass as a whole. This is
achieved by the observance of those laws of predominance
and subordination of masses, of the relation and grouping of
parts, of the proportion and symmetry of members, which make
the harmony and unity of an architectual monument, and
which evoke the feelings which inspire the master-builder,
and give expression to the aesthetic purposes to which he
attaches value.

The character of Muslim consciousness is as different
from that of the Hindu as possible. It has been remarked
that Islam is the religion of the heat belt, perhaps it will be
more accurate to say that Islam flourishes in the region of
scanty rainfall. The vast stretch of territory which includes
the whole of Africa north of the line of latitude twelve degrees
above the equator, Arabia, South-Eastem Persia, the Aralo-
Caspian region, the Gobi and Tokla Makan deserts, has a
rainfall of less than ten inches in the year ; while Asia Minor,
Mesopotamia, Northern Persia, Afghanistan, Southern Siberia
and Eastern Turkestan have a rainfall of between ten and
twenty inches. This arid expanse of land bordering on the
Atlantic in the west and the Chinese wall on the east is the home
of MUsHm peoples. Here Musalman inhabitants are either in

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 241

total possession or in overwhelming majority ; outside these
regions they are found in great numbers but mixed with
followers of other faiths and numerically in a minority. Here
from the dawn of their history they have lived and erected
the great fabrics of their cultures, here are situated all the
great cities which contributed to the building of these cultures
— Samarqand and Bokhara. Chaznl and Herat, Isfahan. Tabriz
and Shiraz. Baghdad and Damascus. Mecca and Medina,
Cairo, Tunis and Cordova.

What is the character of these lands and how has it im-
pressed itself upon the mentality of the peoples inhabiting
them? The Muslim lands are not all absolutely alike. Central
Asia is a basin of some ancient depression, Persia a plateau,
Asia Minor a mountainous tract with deep river valleys, Syria
and Hedjaz desert and sea coast, Iraq and Misr river valleys ;
but there is one thing common to all, the lands of fertility are
oases large or small, surrounded by howling wastes of sand.
The contrast between the patch of land which is productive
and the barren, stony or sandy desert which encloses it is
tremendous. The vast extent of the infinite stretch of arid
expanse all round, the immensity of the cloudless sky over-
head, the day with its dazzling splendour and the night filled
with innumerable brightly glowing stars, the regular succes-
sion of seasons, the cruelty and economy of a stern nature,
the tremendous effort to keep vegetation alive and to save
the intricate system of irrigational canals and hard-won pieces
of garden and pleasance from destruction, the nomadic life
fostered by the scanty pasturage and desert and the sedentary
occupations intensely pursued in the city and the fertile
spot, all leave deep marks upon the mind of men living in
these regions. The transcendence and masterfulness of the
Reality, the insignificance of man and his works, the stretches
of emptiness between instants of time and points of space,
the sense of directness moral and intellectual, the periodicity
of passionate energy and pathetic lethargy, the abstractncss of
thinking logical and geometrical, the absence of plastic iefi-

242 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

ing» the devotion to pure ideas and abhorrence of iconism and
anthropomorphism, clarity and definiteness in seeing outHnes,
infinite elaboration of detail, a mystic faith in the immutable
order of nature, a quiet resignation and a calm dignified sub-
mission to divine v^^ill are the leading characteristics of the
Muslim mentality in its original phase. The Byzantine,
Christian, Mongol, Indian or Hispano-Roman influences might
colour it and diversify it, but cannot completely transform it.
This consciousness finds expression in religion, literature and
art.

A fierce monotheism, an (ntolerance of other religions, a
clear demarcation between the faithful and the infidels,
a unique eschatology, one birth, one death, a resurrection
followed by eternal reward or punishment, an absence of
hierarchy, religious or social, such is its relig ous aspect ;
and in literature the Ghazal with its infinite variations upon
the same theme, with its amazing cleverness in the selection
of polished word and appropriate rhyme, w th its subtle inter-
relation of verse and verse by means of sound like the inter-
laced pattern of Muslim geometrical ornament, is the poetical
expression of the same consciousness.

Muslim art like Indian or any other art is conditioned by
certain practical needs of religion and worship. The Muslim
worshipper must have a house of worship embodying h"s vision
of reality. It must be a symbol of transcendent majesty, of
vast spaciousness, of sublimity and purity, and it must be a
shelter for the combined prayers of an assembled congregation,
its forms must suggest to him one-pointed devot.on, and the
all-enveloping nature of the Reality.

These feelings are realized in the mosque, whose pointed
arch, aspiring dome, tall minaret, lofty portals, pillared naves
and aisles, clear-cut outlines, bereft of all sculpture and
possessing a minimum of mouldings, but adorned with surface
decoration of conventional arabesques, interlaced geometrical
patterns, and beautiful calligraphic inscriptions, whose well-
propoctioned and symmetrical exterior often covered with

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 243

enamelled tiles or faience and cool, shaded and spacious
intei/or fulfil all the aspirations and longings of a devout
Muslim's soul. The impression of these elements on the
existing local schools of arch'tecture, resulted in the growth
of different styles of Muslim art in Maghrib, Egypt, Syria,
Persia and Turkey.

On the soil of Ind a the clash of the two divergent mental-
ities and their cultures resulted in the creation of a new culture
whose religious aspect has already been considered. In art
a similar development took place. Mindu and Muslim ele-
ments coalesced to form a new type of architecture. 1 he
buildings erected by the Musalmans for religious, civil or
military purposes were not purely Muslim-Syro-Egyptian,
Persian or Central Asian, nor were the Hindu buildings, temples
or palaces or cenotaphs purely Hindu. The simple severity of
the Muslim architecture was toned down, and the plastic
exuberance of the ITndu was restrained. The craftsmanship,
ornamental richness and general design remained largely
Hindu, the arcuated form, plain domes, smooth-faced walls,
and spacious inter ors were Muslim superimposilions. The
artistic quality of the buildings erected since the thirteenth
century whether by Hindus or by Muslims is the same, although
differences are introduced by considerations of purpose and
use, and styles are varied according to d fferences of local
tradition and regional peculiarities.

In all the Indian — Muhammadan styles of Fergusson's
academic classification — at Delhi, Ajmcr, Agra, Gaur, Malwa,
Gujarat, Jaunpur and Bijapur — ^whether the local rulers were
Arab, Pathan, Turk, Persian, Mongol, or Indian, the form and
construction of the domes of mosques and tombs and palaces,
as well as the Hindu symbols which crown them ; the mihrabs
made to simulate Hindu shrines ; the arches Hinduised often
in construction, in form nearly always ; the symbolism which
underlies the decorative and structural designs — all these tell
us plainly that to the Indian builders the sect of the Prophet
of Mecca was only one of the many which made u^ tht

244 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

synthesis of Hinduism : they could be good Muhammadans
but yet remain Hindus.*** Havell has so brilliantly sustained
this thesis .in his works on Indian art that it is hardly necessary
to expatiate upon it.

It must, however, be remembered that although some of
the elements of Muslim architecture — the pointed arch and the
bulbous dome — were probably derived from Hindu origins and
Fergusson- has described the process by which the Jaina
temple was developed into a Muslim mosque, the Muslim
aesthetic feeling is decidedly different from the Hindu ; and
whatever importance may be attached to origins of elements
it cannot be gainsaid that in the mediaeval art of India the
effect of Muslim impact was to transform the ancient Hindu
aesthetic values.

The earliest Muslim constructions were the two great
mosques at Delhi and Ajmer built by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak
about the end of the twelfth century, and from this time on-
wards every city which the Muslim armies occupied was
adorned with mosques, palaces, tombs and other buildings
belonging to the new Hindu-Muslim styles of architecture.
The overthrow of most of the northern Hindu kingdoms and
the constant pressure on those that successfully withstood the
early onrush of the Muslim armies were not conditions favour-
able to indulgence in expensive architectural display. Conse-
quently for the two centuries which followed the building of the
last great monument of Hindu architecture, the temple of
Vastupala and Tcjahpala at Girnar (1230 A.D.), no building
of great importance was erected in Northern India. About the
middle of the fourteenth century a kind of political equilibrium
was reached. The high tide of conquest had receded, and
the Tughlaq Empire after Muhammad's brilliant but un-
fortunate experiments was breaking up into provincial king-
doms ; the Hindu princes of Rajputana and Bundelkhand

1 Havell : Indian Architecture, p. 101.
-•Fergusson : Eastern Architecture, Vol. II, p. 69.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 245

who had never been subdued took advantage of the oppor-
tunity and acquired surrounding territories and obtained com-
mand of large resources in men and revenue. Their political
importance was soon established; they treated the Muslim
rulers of Gujarat, Malwa and Jaunpur on equal terms, they
harassed their frontiers, fought with them, made alliances with
them and were no longer menaced with extinction by the
power of the Empire at Delhi. With the restoration of self-
confidence and prosperity they were again able to devote their
energies to the patronage of art, and at the commencement of
the fifteenth century they began to erect monuments which
set the example to their co-religionisls throughout India in
the succeeding generations.

For the selection of style they had the alternative of
either reviving the ancient Hindu style whose examples were
still standing around them both in Rajputana and in Bundel-
khand, or adopting the new Hindu-Muslim style which the
Muslim patrons and Hindu artists had combined to create.
They wisely or perhaps inevitably chose the latter course.
Probably the earliest example of a Hindu structure in which
this departure from ancient traditions makes its appearance
is the temple at Ranpur'* near Sadarl in the Godwar district of
the Jodhpur State. The temple was built by a Jain named
Dharanaka in 1439 A.D. during the reign of Kumbha, Rana of
Me war.

The temple which belongs to a group situated in a lonely
but picturesque valley of the Aravelli mountains is overlooked
by the fort of Kumalner, the favourite residence of Rana
Kumbha. It is nearly square in plan and is raised on a lofty
basement which with the exception of a few horizontally conti-
nuous string courses is without any other decoration and thus
exhibits the newly-acquired feeling for plain surfaces which was
taking possession of the Hindu mind. The temple encloses

3 Burgesft : Archaeological Survey, Vol. VII. The MuKammadan
Architecture of Ahmadabad, p. 32. •

246 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

four courts and five shrines, the great one in the centre
and the others at the four corners. The shrines are covered
with domes, the central one being carried on a third storey.
A range of cells for images each with a pyramidal roof of its
own surrounds the whole. The pillars of the shrine which
support the domes are almost identical in design with those
of the Jami mosque of Ahmad Shah ; and the exterior of the
domes is left plain and undecorated like those of the Muslims.
In spite of the want of ornament on the exterior faces, Fergus-
son admits, ** I know of no other building in India, of the
same class, that leaves so pleasing an impression.**^

The ruins of Rana Kumbha's palace at Chitore show
amidst Hindu balconies and crested walls scattered over the
terrice, kiosks covered with plain and segmented domes
resting on lintels and columns.^*

To the same period, that is, the pre-Mughal, belong the
fort and palaces built by Rana Man Singh of Gwalior,*' who
ruled from I486 to 1516 ; and the palace of his successor
Vikramaditya Singh built in 1518. The Bdradafi in the fort was
45 feet square and had a stone roof supported on twelve pillars.
It was, besides, singularly interesting from the expedients to
which the Hindu architect was forced to resort to imitate the
vaults of the Muslims.'*"

The Man Mandir in spite of its ruined state makes a
magnificent pile with projecting towers, open pillared bal-
conies, arrow-headed crfesting. It is 360 feet long and 160 feet
broad, and rises 100 feet above the ground. The chief en-
trance called the Hathiya Pam (elephant gate) is made of four
handsome pillars on which rests a fine dome. Flanking the

4 Fergusson : Op. cit., Vol. 11, p. 47.
if Rousselet : Les jndes des Rajahs, p. 232.
«i Griffin : The Monuments of Central India. Cole : Preservation of
National Monuments, India, plate 2. Cunningham : Archaeological Survey,
Vol. I. Gwalior State Gazetteer, Vol. I. Part IV, by Luard and Dwarka-
nath Sheopuri.
^ J Griffin: Op. cit.. p. 46.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 247

gate are two projecting towers surmounted by domes resting
on fine clustered pillars. The handsomely carved balconies
and the windows enclosed between graceful pilasters with
wreath-arches between them greatly enhance the pictures-
queness of the exterior. ** Its ornament .... reveals the same
eclectic spirit that characterized the buildings of Akbar.*'"*

Inside the palace are two artistic courts. The first court,
which is a square of 33 feet by 33 feet, has rooms opening on
it. One of the large rooms has a curious pitch roof which
rests on a paling of perforated screen work, and is supported
by a colonnade of sixteen pillars with fan capitals. Over the
colonnade runs a balcony with sloping balustrade. The west-
ern room has an entrance of three handsome arches resting
on stout piers beautifully carved. The southern room is
roofed with a flat topped arch, and the room at the south-west
corner has a roof composed of Saracenic arches.

The second court is slightly larger, having a side of 37 feet.
The small room in the eastern face is open on all sides, the
openings being arcuated. The roof is a vault composed of
four semi-circles.

Both the courts are richly decorated, every part of the
structure is carefully treated — corbels, brackets, caves, bal-
conies, arches and walls — and both trabeate and arched forms
are freely employed.

When Babur visited Gwalior in 1526, he greatly admired
the palace and noted that it was, ** a building with five domes^
and round about them smaller domes, the small domes are on
each side of the greater according to the custom of Hindus-
tan.'*^ The domes were covered with gilt copper and the
walls were inlaid with green painted tiles, while the front
was covered with white stucco. The palace of Man Singh
furnished points of imitation to Babur's successors as well as
the Hindu builders.

^ GnfBn : Op. cit., p. 48.

« Erskine : Babur's Memoirs, p. 384. • *

248 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Under Alcbar's enlightened rule a great impetus was given
to the reconciliation of the Hindu and Muslim cultures. The
buildings of Fathpur SlkrT are the expression of the same
spirit as inspired the Dln-i-Ilahi. The Panch Mahal was
the translation into stone of the Allah Vpanisad. By his en-
couragement a number of temples were built, which show that
the Hindu builders had at last overcome the hesitance and
incomplete mastery of Muslim constructional methods which
they had exhibited at Gwalior. Of these temples three at
Brindaban^'^ and one at Govardhan^^ were built in the reign
of Akbar and one at Brindaban in that of Jahangir.

The temple of Govind Deva at Brindaban was built by
Raja Man Singh Kachwaha, the celebrated general and
governor of Akbar, in the year 1590. The plan of the build-
ing is cruciform, the length of the nave and the breadth across
the transcept are nearly equal, measuring 117 feet and 105 feet
and its porch is covered by a vault with radiating arches — a
truly Muslim feature. Although the spire has fallen down,
the external appearance of the building is remarkable. The
accentuated corners, the boldly projecting balconies, the com-
bination of vertical and horizontal lines, the use of both lintel
and arch, the unsculptured plain surfaces — all impart to it a
unique strength and grandeur.

The temple of Madan Mohan is in ruins. The vaulted
roof has disappeared, as well as the choir tower. The gate
of the mandap is a rectangle set inside an arch whose soffit
is ornamented. The walls of the fa^de are plain, but two
balconies project on either side of the arch ; the spandrils
have no decoration except for a lotus in the middle. The
tower over the sacrarium is a lofty octagon of curvilinear out-
line taperirig towards the summit and is quite plain. The
chapel tower is similar in form but eruiched with carved

10 & 11 FeuKrer : Archaeological Survey, Vol. XH. Growse : Mathura.
'i^e Ben : Les civilisations de Plnde. Impey : Delhi, Agra and Rajputana.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 249

panels, in which are placed medallions and diamonds but no
human figures.

The temple of GopTnath was built by Ra'isil of the Shaikhd-
Vati clan, an officer in Akbar's service. The history of the
clan is interesting. Mokal Rana was long childless. He
became a father through the blessings of Shaikh Burhan and
called his son Shaikhfi and he became the patriarch of
Shaikhdvaii race. ** At the birth of every male infant a goat
is sacrificed, and while the k^lima is recited the child is
sprinkled with blood. He is invested with the Baddhiya, or
cross strings, usually worn by little Muhammadans ; and when
he laid them aside, he was bound to suspend them at the
Saint's Dargdh, still existing six miles from Achrol. For two
years he wears a blue tunic and cap, and for life abstains
from hogs flesh and all meat in which blood remains.***-
The temple is in ruins.

The temple of Harideva at Govardhan was built by Raja
Bhagwan Das. The nave of 60 feet by 20 feet has five arches
on either side with clerestory windows above, and was cover-
ed with an arched vault.

The temple of Jugal Kishor at Brindaban was erected in
1627. Its plain walls, unornamented conical tower, arched
niches and absence of sculpture clearly point to Muslim
aesthetic inspirations.

The Jaina temples of Sonagarh^-^ in Bundelkhand date
from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There is ai
great variety of styles among them, but the immense influence
of Muslim architecture is distincdy visible. The body of the
edifice usually stands on a terrace and is surmounted by one
or more spires, which arc encircled by a row of gables,
chhatris and bell-towers. The ancient sikhara overloaded
with ornament is rare, and has been replaced either by a

i-Growse: Op. tit., p. 131.

13 Griffin : Op. cit. , •

250 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

modern plain spire conical in shape and strongly marked with
horizontal mouldings, or domes of various shapes. One
temple (Griffin's Monuments of India, Plate LXX!) which is
reached by a high flight of stairs, has a facade in which there
is an arched gateway planted by two smaller arches, and the
wings are decorated with blind arcades. All the arches are
cusped. The facade is surmounted by a waggon-shaped
vault in the middle and small domes at either side. The rib-
bed dome over the sanctum rises behind them. Not a single
sculptured figure adorns the temple. The other temples show
similar features.

The temples of MuTctagirl^^ near Gawilgadh in Berar are
like the Sonagadh temples of the domed style copied from
Muslim art.

Further south in the Madras Presidency the influence of
Islamic styles appears in the civil buildings of the Hindu
rulers, in the palaces and pavilions of Vijayanagar and
Chandragiri. Madura and Tanjore. The temples and other
sacred buildings continued to be built on traditional lines
although in the north even their style was modified in accord-
ance with the new tastes.

In spite of the fact that the Vijayanagar Kingdom was con-
tinually at war with the neighbouring Muslim kingdoms there
appears to have been much religious tolerance and great
appreciation of each other's cultures. The 'Adilshahi Sultans
of Bijapur. like their more illustrious successors the Moghul
emperors, were notorious for their leanings towards Hinduism,
and both the ^Adilshahis and Nizam -Shahis of Ahmadnagar
freely patronized Maratha chiefs and employed Hindu officers
for their administration and Hindu troops for their armies.
The latter gave a great impetus to the Marathi language by
making it the language of their official transactions. The
Hindu rulers of Vijayanagar reciprocated these feelings, they
took Muslim troops in their employ, encouraged Muslim

* HFcrguason: Op. cit.. Vol. II. p. 45.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 25!

traders and built mosques for their worship. In their civil
architecture they borrowed the arch from their neighbours.
A photograph of one of the pavilions built before the downfall
of Vijayanagar in 1565 A.D. is given by Fergusson (Vol. I,
p. 417), who remarks about it: ** It is a fair specimen of that
picturesque mixed style which arose from the mixture of the
Saracenic and Hindu styles.'*^'' Its repeated cusped arches»
slanting dripstones and unornamented walls are an eloquent
proof of the justness of the remark,

TTie successors of the fallen Vijayanagar dynasty settled
at ChandragirP*' in the North Arcot district. There they built
their palaces, the principal one of which presents a well-
balanced facade of three storeys surmounted by turrets of
pleasing form. Each floor consists mainly of a pillared hall,
the piers are arched across both ways, corbelled at the angles
and closed with flat domes. The walls pierced with arches
are built of brick, but the vaults are worked in stone.

Tirumalai Nayak*s palace at Madura^" which belongs to
the seventeenth century is one of the most magnificent piles
erected in the Hindu-Muslim style. The principal apartments
are situated round a courtyard measuring 160 feet east and
west by 100 feet north and south, and surrounded on all sides
by arcades of very great beauty. The pillars which support
the arches are of stone, 40 feet in height, and are joined by
foliated brick arcades of great elegance of design, carrying
a cornice and an entablature. The Celestial pavilion (Swarga
Vilasam) stands on the west side of the court and measures
235 feet by 105 feet. It is arranged on the plan of a great
mosque with three domes, ** in fact the whole structure, if
not first erected as a splendid mosque is marvellously like
one.'*^^ The central dome is supported on twelve columns

l5Fergu«8on: Op. cit.. Vol. I, p. 416.
16 Ibid., p. 417.

17 Ibid., p. 411 S.

18 Ibid., p. 413.

F. 17

252 INFLUENCE OP ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

linked together by massive Saracenic arches. Four similar
arches are thrown across the comers and above these rests
the octagonal drum which is pierced by clerestory windows.
The drum is carried up and then changed from an octagon
into a circle over which the dome is built. A second hall 125
feet by 69 feet is placed at the north-west comer of the main
building, and the two together correspond to the Dlwdrri-
Khds and Diuodn-i-* Am of Muslim palaces.

The palace at Tanjore^^ was commenced by the Maratha
chief who established his dynasty in the last quarter of the
seventeenth century. It follows the arrangements of the
Madura palace and belongs to the same style.

In the north the seventeenth century saw the erection of
a number of noble edifices in the states of the Hindu princes
of Raiputana and Bundelkhand, at Amber, Udaipur, Bundi.
Dattiya, and Orchha. Apparently the new style had now
become universal and architecturally it was henceforward im-
possible to distinguish a building erected by the Hindus or
the Muslims. Another effect of this cultural synthesis was the
construction of tombs among the Hindus. It is impossible to
fix the date of the earliest structures of this type, but the
mahasaiis and chhatrls (cenotaphs) to commemorate the dead
begin to make their appearance about this period. As burial
has never been a Hindu custom the new departure can be only
ascribed to the influence of the Musalmans.

The palace at Amber^^ was commenced by Raja Man
Singh who ascended the throne in 1592 A.D., and was com-
pleted by Jai Singh (1625 — 1666). It ranks after the great
Gwalior palace as the finest piece of architecture among the
Rajputs. The palace stands in a valley which slightly mars
the effect of impressiveness, otherwise it contrasts favourably
with the contemporary work of the same kind at Fatehpur

ISFerguMon: Op. cit.. Vol. I, p. 415.

SORousselet: Op. cit., p. 277 S. (English Edn., p. 278). Impey :
Op. cit.. PUte 42,

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 253

Sikri. Its elephant capitals, figure sculpture and use of colour
and mirrors make it very picturesque.

Udaipur became the capital of Mewar after the sack of
Chitor by Akbar in 1568. Maharana Udaya Singh began the
building of the new capital ; the great palace called the Bafi
MahaP^ was erected by Amar Singh I in 1597. It is a five-
storeyed stone edifice. The superstructure is made of marble,
which is fancifully wrought into corbelled windows and
trellis screens, resting on a marble string course, and decorated
with elephants carved in low relief. The later Maharanas
added pavilions and kiosks. The palace stands on the verge
of the Pichola Lake which is surrounded by charming hills.
In the lake there are two other palaces situated on an island.
The palace of Jag Niwds was built by Rana Jagat Singh in
white and black marble, and the principal chambers, accord-
ing to Rousselet, were decorated with historical frescoes of
great value. The use of the Bengali bent cornice, cusped
arches, domes, kiosks, balconies and open terraces gives to it
a unique charm. The other palace Jag Mandir was built by
Rana Karan, son of Rana Amar Singh, for Shah Jahan who
was in rebellion against his father and had sought refuge with
the Rana. The whole island is ** a fairy's mirage with its
lines of domes and of palms reflecting in the water. **--

Tlie palace at Bundi^^ of about the same age as that at
Udaipur, almost equals it in architectural effect. Its situation
is very similar to that of the Baft Mahal on the side of a lake
which has an islet on which stand temples. The distinguish-
ing feature of the palace is its bold and richly decorated
balconies, and the principal halls have double rows of columns
of serpentine.

The palace at Datia^* in Bundelkhand was built at the
beginning of the seventeenth century by Bir Singh Deva, the

21 Cole: Op. cit., Plate i. Rousselet: Op. clt.. p. 195.

22 Rousselet : Op. ctt., p. 167.

23 Ibid., p. 188. •

24 Griffin : Monuments of Central India.

254 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Bundela chief of Orchha. It is a square structure built of
granite. The base is a vaulted terrace on which rises the
seven-storeyed pile. The first four storeys consist of im-
mense halls with arched roofs supported by numerous pillars,
in the middle of which rises a square tower crowned by the
central dome. Bir Singh Deva built another palace at Orchha
similar in style but more varied in outline, and also the temple
of Chaturbhuj.-''*

The plan of the temple is a reversed Latin cross. A
large flight of steps leads up to the porch, which forms a
pavilion projecting from beyond the main front. Behind it
is the main front which is divided into four storeys by large
ogives and flanked by two square towers which are surmount-
ed by steeples. Two similar towers are at the other end of
the temple, and the flat roof of which they form the four
comers has in its centre a large round cupola with a small
lantern at its summit. The granite terrace on which the
temple stands is fifty feet high. There is no ornament on the
exterior, but the magnitude, and the proportions are
admirable.

The mausoleum of Bir Singh Deva at Orchha-*'* is a
gigantic structure. It is a large square block flanked by two
massive towers, and crowned by an enormous dome, of which
a portion only was extant when Rousselet visited it. There
is rio sculpture or decoration upon the facade, which has
three arches in the middle, and is pierced with rectangular
recesses in which blind dentelled arches are carved. The
mausoleum in its imposing grandeur resembles the Pathan
edifices of the same kind.

To the next century belong the palaces of Raja Sawa'
Jai ^ngh at Jaipur-^ and Raja Suraj Mai at Dig. The last
according to Fergusson, wants ** the massive character of th<

25 Griffin : Op. cit.

26 Ibid.

STlmpcy: Op. cit, Plate 46.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 255

fortified palaces of other Rajput states, but for grandeur of
conception and beauty of detail it surpasses them alL"-^
The cenotaphs of Sangram Singh at Udaipur,'-*^ of Suraj Mai at
Govardhan^^^^ between Mathura and Dig» of Chhatrasal and his
queen Kamalavatf. the Jaina temple at Delhi. -^^ Ahalyabai's
temple at Ellora,'^- and the temple at Kantanagar'^'* near
Dmajpur in Bengal, all exhibit in their architecture the same
elements of the Hindu-Muslim style which are found in that
of their predecessors.

The temple in Bengal is probably the first Hindu building
of the kind raised during Muslim rule which imitated the
style of the mosques of Gaud and Malda. It was built
between 1704 and 1722 A.D. It is of considerable dimen-
sions, and is of square design ; it has three storeys and above
the third rises the central tower with its pyramidal spire. The
first two storeys have four octagonal towers at the corners.
The pointed arch prevails throughout. The whole surface is
covered with terracotta, but no figure sculpture is seen arxy-
where. The curved lines horizontal and vertical, and the
arcuated forms give a unity to the whole which is very
pleasing.

The influence of the style spread in the eighteenth century
to all parts of India. Even far off Nepal did not escape the
contagion. According to Le Bon's classification, the third
category of Nepal temples consists of stone shrines from which
Chinese influence has disappeared and on which Hindu in-
fluence has become sensible. Among these temples there
are some in which traces of Muslim influence may be observed

2KFergU88on; Op. cit.. Vol. 11. p. 178.
20 Rousselete : Op. cit., p. 2]0.
.•tolmpcy: Op. cit.. Plate. 39.

31 Fergusson : Op. cit., Vol. II, p. 66.

32 Bur$;ess : Archaeological Survey, Vol. Ill, Western India. Plate*
LVI. LVil.

33Fergu»8on: Op. cit., Vol. il, p. 159. t

256 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

from the presence of the dome. TTie temple at Khatmandu'*
furnishes an illustration.

The palaces, cenotaphs and temples of the nineteenth
century, whether built in the west at Jamnagar^^ or the east at
Calcutta or in the Pan jab by the Sikhs, or in Central India by
the Jains are all in the same style of the Hindu-Muslim architec-
tuie. The Viseswar temple at Benares, ^^ the Golden Temple
of the Sikhs at Amritsar,^^ the temple built by Sindhia's mother
at Gwalior,'^^ the Pagoda at Calcutta, ^^ the palaces of Maharaja
RanjTt Singh at Lahore. ^^ of the Rao of Jamnagar in Kathia-
wad, of the Raja of Chhatarpur"*^ in Chhatarpur, of the Seths
of Ajmer,**- the mausoleums of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, *^
Maharao Umed Singh at Kota.^^ Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh
at Alwar,'*'^ Maharana Sangram Singh at Udaipur,*^ of the
Bharatpur Rajas Randhir Singh and Baldeva Singh at
Covardhan^" ; in fact, almost every building of architectural
importance erected in modern times, except of course those of
the Western styles, follows the Hindu-Muslim style. Even the
Jain temple of Hutti Singh at Ahmedabad*^ which may appear
to be an exception is not really one ; its unsculptured spires,

34 Le Bon : Op. cit.

35 Burgess: Op. cit., Vol. II, Western India.
30 Le Bon: Op. cit. Fig. 291.

37 Ibid.. Fig. 294.

3SFergus8on: Op. cit.. Vol. II. 153.

80 Le Bon: Op. cit.. Fig. 297.

40 Ibid.. Fig. 276.

41 Ibid.. Fig. 298.
42Rou88elet: Op. eit.. p. 246.

43 Le Bon: Op. cit.. Fig. 275.

44 Fergusson : Op. cit.. Vol. II. p. 169.
45lmpey: Op. cit.. Plate 53.
46Rous»elet: Op. cit.. p. 210.

*7 Growse : Op, cit.
i 48 Le Bon: Op. cit.. Fig. 295.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 257

unornamented walls* and smooth-surfaced domes are enough
testimony to the failure of the attempt, if any was made» to
revive an ancient taste, and to the compelling force of the new
art values and aesthetic feelings. And not only did this Hindu-
Muslim style become dominant in the monumental art of
India but it also acquired the same hold over all utilitarian
architecture — houses, streets, landings and bathing places
(ghats).

INDIAN PAINTING

The history of Indian painting is but the history of Indian
architecture. Pre-Muslim Indian paintings — Hindu, Jain or
Buddhist — have a character of their own. The vision of reality
which inspires them and gives significance to their form is
their own. They are the aesthetic expression of a culture which
grew out of the synthesis of the racial experience, a synthesis
which implies a balance between opposing tendencies —
joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, success and failure, world-
liness and other-worldliness. attachment to life and renuncia-
tion of life, domination by sense and control of sense,
ambition, activity and passion, and satisfaction, passivity and
calm serenity. It is not true that the Hindu culture is more
religious or less materialistic than other cultures, but that the
quality and content of its religious consciousness is different,
the point of equilibrium between the opposing forces of life
is differently situated. The whole mentality is cast in a differ-
ent mould and naturally all that issues from it has a different
stamp. What the character of this consciousness was, has
been delineated above, it remains to describe how it mani-
fested itself in Indian painting.

The frescoes of Ajanta are almost the only surviving re-
mains of the Indian art as it was practised in the ancient
period, although the legendary accounts refer its oiigins to
Brahma as Viswakfitrmd the architect of the gods. Scholars have
discovered references to the art in the pre-Christian literature,
for instance, in the Vinaya Pitakay and in later Hindu poetry,
Mahabharata, Ramdyana, Sakantala and so forth. There are
actual fragments of pairitings belonging to great antiquity
• existiiig in various caves, but the only adequate remains which

258

INDIAN PAINTING 259

truly reflect the character of the art which at one time was
spread widely all over India and was extremely prolific in its
output, are found at Ajanta. The paintings adorn the ceilings
and walls of the temples excavated out of living rock. In all
probability all the twenty-nine cave temples were embellished
with paintings but the ravages of nature and time and the
vandalism of man have destroyed the greater part. They
were executed during the first six centuries of the Christian
era.

Who were the artists who painted these pictures and what
was the motive of their work? It has been suggested that the
artists were priests who were engaged in self -edification. If
that is so they were absolutely unlike any other priests whom
India at any rate has known. The Brahmins or the Hindu
monks would never have dreamt of such pursuits, and it is
not probable that their Buddhist or Jain confreres whose
life was more or less modelled on theirs would have dorie so.
The whole work is really much too professional to have been
left to the amateurs of the rr^onasteries. The Chaitya halls
were excavated by a professional class of architects and
masons, as they were constructed on the ground, and again
a professional class of sculptors and painters must have
decorated the edifices built or dug by their brother craftsmen.
The wealth of kings and merchant princes must have been
poured out in order to create the works in which both ambition
and piety were satisfied.

The conditions of production are reflected in the creation
itself. The walls and ceilings w^re covered with scenes drawn
equally from the life of the court and the world and the life
of the devotee and the history of religion. The first class of
pictures are inundated with joy in life, they throb with the
aspiration and glory which are of the here and the now. They
delight in the pomp and splendour of the Royal state,* in the

1 Griffiths : Ajanta Frescoes. Plates 5 and 74.

260 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

pride and triumph of war^ and chase, ^ and are eagerly in-
terested in the daily concerns of life, in the romance of love-
making,'* in the delights of feasting, singing and dancing,^ in
the busy hum of the market with its haggling over prices, its
purchase and sale.^ They represent the noontide iit the life
of man and society when the sap of youth, ambition and
power runs violently in the veins. But life is not all noon,
for the sun must run its course and the shadows must lengthen
as the evening advances. The synthesis of culture is incom-
plete without the wisdom of age and of detachment, and so
there are the second class of pictures which depict the mild,
unexciting, tranquil and serene life, which with its suggestion
of the infinite and the beyond gives healthy tone and proper
perspective to the first world. They are pictures of Buddha's
life," of his struggles and eventual victory,^ of the crowded
career of beneficence and propagation of faith, ^ of the stories
of previous lives, ^'^ and of allegories that point the teachings. ^^
But the two worlds do not lie apart, they weave and
interweave with one another, for they are both part patterns
of the same fabric.

The artistic treatment of the two is informed with the same
aesthetic purpose. That consciousness of the intense pressure
and throng of life which is observable in the Hindu archi-
tecture is present in their paintings. The figures crowd upon
one another, men, women and children in all postures and

-Herringham: Ajanta Plate 17.
3Jbid.. Plate 33.

4 Griffiths: Op. cit., Plate 83.

5 Ibid,, Plate 12.

6 Ibid., Plates 30, 15.
Tibid.. Plate 41.

8 ibid,. Plates 45, 54.
9 Ibid,, Fig. 64.
10 Ibid.. Plates 49, 80.
• * n Ibid!.. Plate 85.

INDIAN PAINTING 261

attitudes are put together in bewildering confusion, their
numbers are beyond tale or count, as if the artist was oppress-
ed with the illimitable, inexpressible fecundity of the reality
that was life and was struggling to grasp and render it.*^
Every form, animate or inanimate, rock or stream, bird or
beast, flower or tree, man or superman, is equally interesting,
equally sacred, for all form is the articulation of the One. This
sanctity of all expresses itself through the wonderful intimacy
which the artist establishes between his human and non-
human figures, between man and landscape, man and archi-
tecture, man and animals and plants, and between all of them
together. The cows and bulls listen to the Buddha's teach-
ing,^'' the geese tell their story to the prince,'* the angels and
gods hover round the teacher,'** all the creatures of earth and
heaven crowd round him with eager attention'^; Rak^a^o^
and birds and men are engaged together in strife,'*^ the lion and
the snake and human crowds are united in anger and terror'^;
processions of elephants, horses and soldiers with arms and
banners pass in and out of city gates and the wall and gate and
animals and men swing with the same rhythm of movement'*^;
men and women stand amidst rocks and the overspreading
branches of the trees darken the glen and a calm passivity
rests upon them all-**^; the roots of plants are hidden in
the crevices of rocks, their soft tendrils and slender stalks wind

12Herringham: Op. cit., Plate 25.
Griffiths: Op. cit.. Plates 6, 28, etc.

13 Griffiths: Op. cit.. Plates 19. 50.

14 Herringham : Op. cit., Plate 25.

15 Griffiths: Op. cit., Plates 37. 38, 51.

16 Ibid., Fig. 64.
iTlbia.. Plate 67.
18 Ibid., Plate 57.

10 Ibid., Plates 69, 71.
20 Ibid., Plate 55.

262 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

upwards almost clinging to them^^; the river flows amidst
crowded scenes and the fishes and boats and swimming
creatures animate its surface,-'- women peer through small
oblong windows and look like medallions decorating panels
in the wall,*-^^ the bananas stand along with courtiers and
ambassadors and officers in the halls of reception.-* The
same feeling works itself out in the grotesque bogeys, fright-
ful looking figures, creatures — half man, half horse, half man,
half bird, mermaids, and celestial beings flying through air-'*;
in the scenes of strife where bears hug men*-" snakes attack
elephants,-^ and bulls fight-^; and in the attempt to render
the features of all known races of men and of beings of the
superior and inferior worlds.

The medium through which the intensity of this throng-
ing and unified life is rendered is the line. It is one of the
unexplained mysteries of civilization why Europe chose
colour and Asia line as the language of its art. Whatever the
reasons the results have abundantly justified the choice.
Each civilization has attained its supreme success in its own
medium. Thus what colour is to the West, line is to the
East, for its schools are divided according to the character of
their line. The line employed by the artists of Ajanta is
unique for its firmness, breadth and sweep, it moves over vast
spaces with an unhesitating assurance, unhalting swing, uni-
form and rhythmical. It is equally efficacious in rendering the
calm, passionless rapture of an illumined Buddha and the agitat-
ed, eager, trembling emotion of the devotee of song and dance.

21 Griffiths: Op. cit.. Plate 63.

T2\hid.. Plate 34.

23 Ibid.. Plate 76.

24 Ibid,. Plate 5.

25 Ibid.. Plate 60.
2(Ubid.. Fig- 28.
27 Ibid.. Fig. 31.

. ♦• 2Slbid.. Plate 114

INDIAN PAINTING 263

The artist employs it with the same knowledge and success
whether he has to render the tenseness of flight through the
air, the upward spring of plant and tree, the waving trunk of
an elephant, or the wonderful gestures of the hands, and he is
equally at home in creating with it types or individualities,
forms of man or of nature, idealistic or realistic. In fact, it is
impossible for the purpose — that of painting on large surfaces,
on ceilings and walls — to suggest a line of character different
from the one he has used. TTie line of the Indian painter, in
the suppleness of its form, in the gentle sinuousness of its
curve, shares indeed the plastic character of Indian sculpture
and architecture.

The process of the Ajanta frescoes consisted in first pre-
paring the ground by two layers of plasters ; the layer below
was made of a mixture of clay, cow-dung and pulverised trap
rock, and occasionally of finely-chopped straw or rice husks.
This was applied to the thickness of one-eighth to three-
quarters of an inch to hide the rough-hewn surface of the
walls. Over this ground was laid an extremely thin egg-shell
layer of white plaster which was polished. The next step
was to paint the surface thus prepared, and for this purpose
a combination of fresco and tempera methods was used.
The dry surface of plaster was thoroughly drenched with water
the night before, and the next morning it was again wetted
with lime water. On the damp surface the painting was made
with the pigments which included metallic and vegetable
colour.

The oudine was first freely sketched out in red on the
plaster, but was subsequently corrected in black or brown as
occasion demanded. Then a semi-transparent green glaze was
applied to the surface, over which the local colours were
washed in flat. The colours used were white sulphate of
lime, ferruginous red, green iron silicates, and blue ultra-
marine.

The treatment of the various motifs used in the paintings
is worthy of attention. The human figure is slepder^and

264 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

supple without muscularity or anatomical details. The eyes
are long, almond like, hands full of meaning, attitudes grace-
ful ** of stylistic breeding,*' hair done in ringlets or tied in
chignons at back or in loops at side and usually adorned with
flowers. Side, back and half -averted views are not avoided.
The dresses vary from the diaphanous translucent drapery of
the high placed to the coarse jackets and tight-fitting breeches
of soldiers and servants, and the headgear is of many kinds.
Jewellery is profusely used. Many animals are represent-
ed : the elephant is drawn with wonderful insight, the horses
have rounded, full-'bodied, high-crested and Roman-nosed
heads, hogged manes, tails sometimes neat\y clipped, legs
adorned with bangles, ^^ the deer have calf-like broad faces,
the lions are crude, resembling distantly the Assyrian variety ;
the buffaloes, bulls, monkeys and others do not call for parti-
cular notice. Among the birds the geese and peacoks are
noteworthy. In the landscape the rocks are made in masses
of rectangular forms with ends broken in fret like pattern ;
the water is conventional like basket work or flowing wave
scroll, fishes, tortoises and mermen are added as symbols ; the
clouds have folds and masses of rounded forms, edged with
shapes like petals of rose, or scales of fish. In plant life the
banana, betelnut, palm, aio^, banian, pipal ; among fruits the
mango, custard apple, pomegranate, gourd, and among flowers
the lotus are most frequent.

The art of Ajanta continued to exist after the last fresco
was painted, but hardly any examples of it remain to show
what developments it underwent. A few Jain and Buddhist
palm-leaf manuscripts illuminated with religious paintings of
unrecorded dates, a Nepalese or BeharT maixusciipt of Asta-
sahasriko Prajnaparamita dated 1090 A.D.,^® the coloured
panels of Man Mandir at Gwalior from the end of the fifteenth

2t»Gri6&tha: Op. dt, p. 12.

30 Vredetiburg : The Continuity of Pictorial Tradition in the Art of
Injiia; Rupam, January 1920.

INDIAN PAINTING 265

century,^^ Tara Nath's history, and indirectly the fragments of
paintings from the sand-buried cities of Serindia — ^these show
the continuity of the ancient tradition. In reality, however, the
second period of Indian art of painting begins with the
Chaghta'i rulers of India after an almost unfilled gap of nearly
nine hundred years. The painting of this period belongs to
a new style, a style created by the absorption of new elements
from across the frontiers of India into the ancient traditions.

Before discussing this new school of Hindu-Muslim art
it is necessary to enquire into the characteristics of paintings in
the Islamic schools of Samarqand, Herat, Ispahan, and Baghdad.
It is not possible here to disentangle the ramifications by which
Muslim art is affiliated to the antique and the Christian art of
the West and the arts of China, Khotan and Gandhara in the
East : but, when this art appears in its full-fledged form in the
fourteenth century, it is so deeply coloured with eastern hues
that it might almost be mistaken as a branch of the Chinese
art. Under Timur this Muslim Mongol style becomes more
individualized, more independent, and then by insensible
gradations passes into the Safavid and Bokhariot schools. The
father of the Timuride school was one Gung entitled Naqwah
ul^Muharrifin, whose pupil was Jahangir of Bokhara, who was
the master of Pir Sayyid Ahmad. The last had for his disciple
Bihzad the greatest glory of the school. Bihzad was bom in
the middle of the fifteenth century and became the court
painter of Mansur ibn Baiqara, the Timuride ruler of Khorasan.
He migrated from Herat in 1506 and took service under Shah
Isma*il Safavi and continued in the service of the Safavid till
he died about 1526 A.D., residing mostly at Tabriz.

When Babur conquered India the star of Bihzad was in
its zenith, his style was the standard of perfection ; naturally
the connoisseurs of art, Babur and his companioi^, and, after-
wards on the return of Humayun from his enforced exile from
Persia to India, the Chaghta'i nobles set Bihzad before Indian

31 Grifin : The Monuments of Central India. ^

266 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

painters as the master in whose footsteps they should follow
and whose paintings they should copy. Bihzad and his school
thus became the exemplars of Indian painters and the elements
of the Timuride school were engrafted upon the traditions of
Ajanta.

The character of this art is its intense individualism. This
art is not interested in masses and crowds, it has hardly any
direct interest in composition. It sees things limned in clear
light and in definite outline, it looks at every detail of the
individual figure and takes infinite pains with it, it feels the
urge of life with tremendous force and it communicates this
passionate energy to what it delineates, but inter-relations of
form and the infinite multiplicity of form it does not feel and
does not care for. Its life has a different pulse and a different
rhythm.

This art, born and cradled in the courts of ChangTz and
Timur, the world-shakers of their age, could not conceivably
be soft and sentimental. The scenes of battle^- and siege and
hunt and of man arid animal battues are naturally frequent.
But chivalry and romance, '^-^ the loves of Laili and Majnun,
Shirin and Farhad, youths and maidens dallying in the garden
by the side of a stream, ^^ gorgeous receptions in princely
courts,-*''* feasts and merriment where the wine passes freely
round and toothsome viands are spread in plenty^** are repre-
sented equally. And of piety and mysticism there is no lack,
for in that curious age of self-abandonment the transformation
from the intense pleasures of life to the rigourous discipline
of sainthood was never difficult ; the Shah (king) and the Gadd

32 Martin: The Miniature Painting of Persia, India and Turkey,
Plates 60-61.

33 Ibid.. Plates 68. 79. 95 %, 112.

34 Ibid., Plate 105.

35 Ibid. Plate 147.
. 3«Ibid., Plate 71.

INDIAN PAINTING 267

(beggar) were the two poles between which the individual
constantly moved. The Sultan of to-day rnay be the DarWish
of to-morrow, nay the king was always an ascetic at heart.
Hence the frequency of the scenes where the Darwtsh is
depicted: the Darwlsh living in wild forests and lonely caves. ^'
the Darwish as the miraculous master leading fierce animals
like lambs, •^'^ and the Darwish dancing in the ecstasy of
mystic joy.'*^* Then like every age of romance, conquest and
mystery, this age was greatly interested in the supernatural
and the marvellous. "*<* Genii, goblins, monsters and fairies
moved amidst men as common, well-known familiar figures.
They were the stock in trade equally of the stdry-teller and
the painter.

And in every scene the mark of individualism is unmis-
takable. There is system and order and arrangement some*-
times fatal to composition, but each man has a fixed status
and recognised position, and each one is engaged In his own
pursuits energetically. It is the action of each which gives
action to the whole and not the movement of the whole mani-
fested through each. Here is the picture of a siege *^ : one
man is brandishing his huge axe and giving mighty blows to
the closed gate, he is utterly oblivious of the missiles des-
cending from the top ; a pair of men is climbing up a ladder
and never were men more self-confident and self-centred, the
stars in heaven may stop in their revolutionary course, but
nothing will deter them or daunt them, they know not how to
stop ; the horseman on his charger charges madly up the boards
that have been thrown across the moat, and so on.

37 Martin: Op. cit., Plate 165.

38 Ibid., Plate 59.

39 ibia.

40 Ibid., Plate 148.

41 Shah Namah, Khuda Bakh«h Library, Baokipore. Folio 153-A.^
F, 18

268 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Take the picture of a chase :*^ the riders form round a
semi-circle, in the middle in the large broken space the royal
huntsmen pierce the victims with their spears, each deer is
separately rendered as well as each rider ; there is no melee,
no confusion. Again the builders*^ are busy erecting a mosque,
one labourer mixes the mud plaster, two or three water carriers
placed round in a circle pour water out of their skins, one man
is carrying a tray of plaster, another of bricks, on the walls
masons are dressing bricks or putting them in layers, the
ladder occupies its individtial position along the wall, there is
activity all round but no hubbub. In the feasts** each man
receives attention separately, even the dancers and the musi-
cians do not get mixed up. Why let the warriors fight* ^ and
they will arrange themselves in a symmetrical pattern, with
the horses rearing, the spears crossing and the curved swords
dangling by the side. Even the leaves of the trees spread
themselves out so that each may be separately counted.*^

This interest in individuality grows to such an extent that
painting becomes merely portraiture, portraiture however of
such amazing cleverness that it becomes itself a nxarvel.

As in the case of Ajanta so here, the line is the medium
of expression. Yet what a vast difference between the character
of the two lines ! Here the line bends and breaks, thins and
broadens, makes circles and angles, in short does all that the
requirements of a fastidious calliigraphist demand. The
geometrical and epigraphist bias of the Muslim surely would
make calligraphy his own.

The elements which combine to n\ake these paintings are
very different from those found in the work of Ajanta. Of
men, not only is the racial type different, but the proportions
of the body and the limbs and their rhythm, too, are different.

42 Martin: Op. cit.. Plates 60-61.

43 BritUk Museum : Persian Paintings, C. 100.

44 Martin : Op. cit., Plate 71.

45 British Museum : Persian Paintings, C. 101.
^ 4e|4artin: Op. cit. Plate 66.

INDIAN PAINTING 269

The attitude is extremely graceful and the product of high
culture. Its drapery in the simple flow of line is charming.
In the rendering of animals the horse receives special atten-
tion : swiftness, lightness and slenderness are the ideals,
as in depicting gazelles and antelopes ; the lion is powerfully
drawn. Slender flowering trees with overhanging boughs,
blossoming creepers twined round them, and trees with knots
and gnarls and almost always bent out of the straight line, and
grounds strewn with flowers are characteristic. The clouds
are usually Chinese swirling lines like those of the sea shell,
the rocks have rounded cactus-like shapes, the trees and bushes
and shrubs grow on the surface, the grounds are rolling, narrow
streamlets are lined with stones, and a single tree stands usual-
ly in the foreground. The architecture is Persian, highly de-
corated with faience and geometrical patterns, and with
railings separating it from the garden behind and on the
sides. Architecture plays an important part in the picture, it
gives a setting to the scene, but it is not intimately related
with the characters.

The meetinrg of these two art-consciousnesses under the
fostering care of the Mughal emperors was productive of a
new style. Upon the plasticity of Ajanta were imposed the
new laws of symm.etry, proportion and spacing from Samar-
qand and Herat. To the old pomp new splendours were added,
and to the old free and easy naivete of life a new sense of
courtly correctness and rigid etiquette. In the result a certain
amount of the energy and dynamic of both the Hindu and the
Muslim were sacrificed, and a stiff dignity was acquired, but
along with it a marvellous richness of colour and subtlety of
line.

The evolution of the new style was rapid. Probably
Babur introduced the models of the Timuride school to the
H'mdu and Muslim artists of India at Agra. Under Humayun
the copyirig was continued, so that when the DoBtdn of Amir
Hamzah was produced in twelve volumes with illustrations
for no le«s than one thousand and four hundred passage!

270 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

there was a sufficient number of trained artists to commission,
for the work. Among them were Persians and Qalmaqs cer-
tainly, but not exclusively. The work was of prodigious
volume and was probably finished in the early years of Akbar's
rule. It is interesting to find even in this early school — called
the school of Humayun by Clarke — an unmistakable Indian
feeling. The manner of the Timuride style is dominant, in
the delineation of landscape and architecture, in the rendering
of clouds, rocks, water, trees, and animals; but in the selection
of racial types, drapery, and attitudes there is greater freedom
and in grouping still more.

The later artists of Akbar must have been trained in this
school, probably under the four Muslim m.asters mentioned by
Abul Fazl^' — Farrukh Qalmaq, *Abdus Samad of Shiraz, Mir
Sajo^id *Alr of Tabriz and Miskin. The pupils who were
Hindus were in all likelihood painters who had acquired pro-
ficiency in traditional methods and were possessed of sufficient
repute to be summoned to the Imperial court. They had only
to transfer their talents to the services of their new masters
and paint the pictures that pleased them. This explains why
so early in Akbar' s reign the new Hindu-Muslim school made
its appearance fully developed. The names of Daswant,
Basawan, Keso Lai, Mukimd, Madho, Jagan Nath, Mahes, Khem
Karan. Tara, Sanwalah, Haribans, and Ram are recorded in
the A'tn^i-Akharl. Many other Hindu names appear on the
paintings of the period, for instance, in the Timiir Namah^^
which is a history of Timur and his successors till the twenty-
second year of Akbar *s reign. Among the illustrators of the
manuscript now preserved in the Khuda Bakhsh Library at
Bankipore occur the names of Tulsi, Surjan, Surdas, Isar,
;Sankar, Ram As, Banwali, Nand, Nanha, JagjTwan, Dharam-
das, Narayaio, Chatarman, Suraj, Deojiva, Saran, Ganga

47 BlocKmann and Jarrett : A'in-i-Akbari, Vol. 1, p. 108.

48 Timur Namah : Khuda Bakhsh Library, Bankipore, (Photgraphic
Asprodfictions.)

INDIAN PAINTING 271

Singh, Paras, Dhanna, Bhim, etc. In some cases the place
from which the artists came is denoted, and it is interesting
to find only Gwalior, Gujarat and Kashmir mentioned. These
three were pre-eminently centres of Hindu culture during the
early Mediaeval period, and the fact that the painters of Akbar
came from these places confirms the tradition that the Hindu
art continued to flourish after Ajanta ; it also clearly establishes
the contention that the Mughal art was not altogether an
offshoot of Central Asian and Persian styles, but a develop-
ment of the anciet art under new impulses.

Under Jahanglr the Indian school completely freed itself
of imitation, portrait painting acquired unusual fineness, and
scenes of hunting became very popular. The reign of Shah
Jahan saw the culmination of the Jirt, the rules of perspective
and forshortening, of modelling and shading were introduced,
the finest brushes and the most costly colours were used.
Again among the artists the Hindus were more numerous, the
Hindus Kalyan Das alias Chatarman, Anup Chatar, Ra*i
Anup, Manohar, and the Musalmans Muhammad Nadir
Samarqandr, Mir Hashim and Muhammad Faqir Allah Khan
are selected by Smith ^^ for special mention. In Muhammad
Nadir Samarqandi portraiture attained its highest develop-
ment. After Shah Jahan taste gradually declined and deca-
dence set in.

The artists of the court were usually engaged in painting
either portraits or scenes. In portraiture the principal aim of
the artists was the natural and truthful delineation of the feature*
of the face and the character of the individual as revealed
through them. Most of the portraits were drawn in profile, in
some three-quarters of the face was shown, in all the position
of the body was conventional with the exception of the hands
which were always charmingly rendered. Of the portraits
those of Akbar and Maharajah Jaswant Singh by some un-
known artist and that of Asaf Khan by Muhamm.ad Nadir

40 V. A. Smith : A History of Fine Art» of India and Ceylon, p. 482.

272 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Samarqandi might be selected to show how different types of
men of action were portrayed with such keen insight.

Among the scenes in the early period war and coixquest
received the greatest amount of attention, especially in illus-
trating works like Darab Namah/'^ Timur Ndmah,^^ Razm
Ndmah (Mahabharata)''^^ . hunting and forest scenes also
abounded ; later a taste for durbar, mythological, genre,
domestic and fanciful {e.g., pictures of beauty), pictures deve-
loped. TTirough them all a mystic interest always remains in
evidence ; religious incidents, portraits of DarWishes, scenes
of princes learning divine wisdom from ascetics, of prayers in
mosques or of studying the holy book by candle light, or of
assemblies of saints, are scattered through the albums and
picture collections from Akbar's time onwards.

Of this Hindu-Muslim style, related on the one hand with
the mural art of Ajanta, and with the true miniature painting
of Samarqand and Herat on the other, there were many
offshoots differing in their character as they a^pproached the
one or the other pole of this style. The Rajput and Paha<jT
styles of Jaipur, Kang<^a and the Hindu states of the Hiinalayan
hills had a greater inclination towards the ancient Hindu ; the
Qalams of the Deccan, Lucknow, Kashmir, Patna gravitated
more towards the Muslim ; the Sikh Qalam was somewhere
between them. They are all, however, sub-styles derived from
the parent stock which is the style of the court at Delhi or
Agra.

It would not have been necessary to stress the point, but
for the fact that Coomaraswamy has un.duly emphasized the
difference between the Rajput and Moghul schools. The differ-
ences of technique are negligible, the processes of painting
whether Persian, Mughal or Rajasthanl are alike. The choice

SOE^rab Namah : British Museum. Or. 4615.

51 Timur Namah.

02*Kazm Namah : Hendley's Jaipur Art.

INDIAN PAINTING 273

of subjects was conditioned by the traditions of the prince ; in
the Hindu courts Hindu mythology afforded opportunities to
the painter which in the Imperial courts were offered by the
glories of conquest. Both arts are essentially courtly for in
either case the patrons are princes. There is undoubtedly
greater freedom and variety in the Rajput schools because
their social manners differed from those of the Mughals. but
the aesthetic quality of the two arts is much the same. The
line of the Hindu retains more of Ajantan feeling in a certuin
class of pictures/*^ otherwise the beauty of life is envisaged
in the same sharp, intense, well-defined, individualized man-
ner as by the Mughal artist. The illustrations"^ of Rajput
paintings given by Coomaraswamy themselves testify to these
facts. The setting of the three first and crudely though force-
fully executed pictures is exactly like that of any of the Mughal
school. Tlie Raginis^'^* and Ndyakos^'^ are Rajput ladies sitt-
ing like Persian maidens^"^ under overhanging branches of
blossoming trees. The -clarity of outline, the emptiniess of
spaces, the devotion to details like the ornaments and drapery
the picturesque scenery, the graceful pose are all Hindu
versions of the Persian art. The subject-matter may belong
to Hindu society ; the draughtsmanship, the setting, the colour-
ing is Mughul or Hindu-Muslim. In fact, in painting the same
synthesis took place as in architecture. If Akbar adorned the
palaces of Fatehpur SikrT with paintings on the walls, the
Maharajas of Blkaner and Udeypur followed his example, and
not only were the edifices alike, but the adornments were also
of the same character. The Muslim rulers set the example of
patronage of art and literature, and the Hindu princes imitated

t>3 Coomaraswamy : Rajput Painting, Plate X, LI, LII.

&4lbia., Plate* I, II. III.

55 Coomaraswamy : Selected Examples of Indian Art Plates IV, CV,
CXII.

50 Ibid., Plate CXLVIII.

67 Martin: Op. cit., Plates 101. 111. •

274 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

them. Naturally it followed that the Style created by the
Hindu and Musalman artists of the Mughal court was copied
with local variations by the court artists of Jaipur, Jammu,
Chamba, Kang<^a, 'Lahore, AmritsSr, and distant Tanjore ;
and a common style prevailed throughout India.

(a) RELIGION :-

(i) General
Hopkins. E. W. :
Barth. A. ;
Matdonnel, A. A. :
Frazer. R. W. :
Sir Henry Elliot :
Oltramare, P. :

Deussen, P. :
Farquhar, J. N. :

N!col Macnicoll :
IVIonier Williams. M.
Weber, A. :
Barnett. L. D. :
Barnett, L D. :
Wilson. H, H. :
Colebrooke, H. T. ;

(ii) Vedic
Macdonnel, A. A. :
Macdonnel anci Ke»tK,
Bloomficid, M. :
Bergaigne, A. :
Wilson. H. H. :
Bubler. G. A. :

Buhler. G. A. :

Buhlcr, G. A. :
Oldenburg, H. :
Hume, R. E. :

Deussen, P. :

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An outline of the religious literature of

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Vedism, Brahmanism, Hinduism.
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275

276 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

(iii) Epic
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Stevenson, S. ;

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278 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

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Cover, C. E. :

Vedanta Sutras, S. B. E.

The teaching of Vedanta according to

Ramanuja.
Theism in Medieval India.

Folk songs of Southern India.

(ix) lalam

The Encyclopedia of Islam :

Hastings :

Hughes :

Muhammad All :

Rodwell :

Houdas, et Marcais :

Mathews, A. N. :

Amir *Ali, S. :

Margoliouth, D. S.

Margoliouth, D. S. :

Margoliouth, D. S. :

Sell, E. :

Sell, E. :

Tisdall. St. Clair:

Hurgronje :

Stanton. A. U. W. :

Bosworth Smith :

Macdonald, A. B. :

Coldziher, I. :

Khuda Bakhsh, S. :

Boer. T. J. :

Iqbal. S. M. :
Schmolders :

Muhk. S. *

Enryclopedia of religion and ethics.

Dictionary of Islam.

The Qoran (translation).

The Qoran (translation).

Al-BukharT.

Mishkat ul Masabih.

The spirit of Isleun.

Muhammadanism.

Early development of Muhammadanism.

Muhammad.

Historical development of the Qoran.

Essays on Islam.

Islam.

Muhammadanism.

Teaching of Qoran.

Muhammad and Muhammadanism.

The development of Muslim Theology.

Vorlesungen den Islam, translated by

Felix 9\rin.
Contributions to the history of Islamic

civilisation.
History of Muslim philosophy, translation

by E. R. Jones.
Development of Metaphysics in Persia.
Essai sur les 6coIes philoac^hiques des

Arabes.

Melanges de philosopKie juive et arabe.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

279

Dugat. G. :

Carra de Vaux, B, :
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Field. C. :
Rcnan :
Gauthier, L. :
Mehren, A. F. M. ;
Shibli N'umanT :
ShibiT N'umanT :
Shibli N'umam :
Shibli N'umanT :
Seelcy, K. C. :
Friedlander, 1. :

Mustafa ibn Khaliqdad

Hash i ml :

Nicholson, R. A.

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Nicholson, R. A. :
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Massignon, L. :
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Palmer :

Browne, E. G. :
Whinfield, E. A. :
Whinfield, E. A. :
Farid-ud-Dm 'Attar :
Hafiz:
Malcolm :
Brown. J. P.:
jiml, *Abdur Rahman :
Muir, Sir W. :

Histoire des philosophes et dc th^ologiens
musulmans.

Ghazali.

Avicenne.

ChazalT. the Alchemy of Happiness.

Aver roes et Averroisme.

1 a philosophie musulmane.

'Asharl.

* llm-ul-Kalam.

Sirat-un-NabT.

AI-GhazalT.

Rasa'il.

Moslem Schisms and sects.

H'iterodoxies of the Shiites from Ibn

Hazm. I. A. O. S. Vols. 28 and 29.
Tandhi-ul-Milal. Persian translation of

Shahra.stanT.
Hujwiri's Kashful Mahjub.
Faridud Din 'Attar's Tadhkirat-ul-Auliy5.
A historical enquiry concerning the origin

and development of Sufism. J. R. A. S.

19%.
Tarjuman ul Ashwaq of Ibn-iil-'Arabi.
Studies in Islamic mysticism.
Diwan Shams-i-Tabrlz.
Kitab ul Tawa Sin.
Awariful Ma'arif of Suhra-wardi.
Oriental mysticism.
Literary history of Persia.
Gulshan-i-Raz of Shabistari.
Jalal Uddin Rumi's MasnavT m'anavT.
Pand Namah,
Diwan.

History of Persia.
The Derwishes.
Lawa*ih.
The Caliphate, ite rise, decline an4 ^a^I-*

280 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Berletn, H. :
Lane. E. W. :
Lane-Poole, S, :
Gibb:

Sedillot, A. :
Huart, CI. :

(b) INDIAN CULTURE IN

THE MIDDLE AGES .—
Beal :
Seal:

Takakasu, M. J. :
Watters :
Rhys Davids :
Reinauu, J. J. :
Reinauu, J. J. :

Reinauu, J. J. :
Ferrand, G. :

Sachau :
.MacCrindle :

Elliot, and Dowson :

Rowlandson :

Yule:

Del rcmery and Sanguinetti :

de Meynard, B. and de

Corteille, P. :
Major :
Day. F.:
Hice:

Sewell R.:
Logan, W. :
Innes» C. A. :

A narrative of a year's journey through
Central and Eastern Arabia.

Abul *Ala*al Ma'arl. diwan.

Arabian Society in the middle ages.

Egypt.

History of Ottoman poetry. Vol. I.

Histoire des Arabes.

Histoire des Arabes.

> Buddhist records of the Western World.
Life of Hiuen Tsiang.
A record of Buddhist religion.
On Yuan Chwang's travels in India.

y Buddhist India.
Memoirc geographique et historique, etc.
Relation de voyages faits par les Arabei

et Persans.
Georgraphie d'Aboul Feda.
Relations de voyages et textes g^ographi-

ques arabes, persans et turques, relatifs

It Textr^me Orient.
> Alberuni's India, 8 Vols.
India as described by Greek and Roman

authors. ^

History of India.
Tuhfatul Mujahidin.
The book of Ser Marco Polo.
Ibn Batutah.
Masudi, Les Prairies d'Or.

India in the fifteenth century.
The land of the Perumals.
Mysore and Coorg.

A t;ketch of the <lyn«ities of S. India.
Malabar.

Malabar and Anjengo, Madras Distrtd
Gazetteer.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

281

Moore, \.. :
Hemiitgway. F. R. :
Nelson, J. H. :
Francis, W. :
Hemingway, F. R. :
Caldwell :
Pate, H. R. :
Richards. F. J. ;
Sturrock, J. :
Francis, W. :
Campbell, E. J. :

Thurston, £. :
Aiyangar, S. I. :

Aiyangar, S. 1. ;

Aiyangar, S. I. :

Subrahmanya Aiyer, K. V. :

Menon, S. :

Arnold, T. W. :

'Abdul Haq :

Abdul Qadir Badaoni :

Abul Fazl :

Muhammad Dara Shukoh :

Himid bin Fazl Allah Jamali :

Tod. J. :

Forbes, K. :

Kern, H. :

de Tassy, G. :

Muhammad Husain Azad :
Mir Ghulam *AlT Azad:
ShySm Vihisf Mtsra and others :
Sri Bj&m :

Manual of Trichinopoly diwtrict.

Trichinopoly. Madras Dist. Gazetteer.

Madura, district manual.

Madura, Madras Dist. Gaz.

Tanjore, Dist. Gaz.

Tinnevelly, Madras district Manual.

Tinnevelly, Madras district Gaz.

Salem, Madras district Gaz.

South Canara. Madras district Manual.

Anantapur. Madras dist. Gaz.

Gazetteer of Gujarat, Bombay Gaz. Vol.

IX. part II.
Castes and tribes of Southern India.

South India and her Muhammadan
invaders.

The beginnings of S. Indian history.
^ Ancient India.
Histoircal sketches of ancient Dekhan.
History of Travancore.
Preaching of Islam.
Akhabar al Akhiyar.
Muntakhab ut-Tawarlkh.
A*Tn-i-Akbar\.
Safinat'ul-Auliya.
Siyar-ul-*ArifTn.
Rajasthan.
Ras Mala.
Varahamihir, Verspreide Geschriilen 1913,

14.
Histoire de la literature hindouie et

hindoustanfe.
Ab-i-Hayat.
Maasir ul Kiram.
Miara Vandhu Binod.
Anthology of Urdu poets. •

282 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

DinesK Chandra Sen ;

Rice :

Kaye, G. S. :

Roy. P. C. :

Hoernle :

Sedillot, A. :

Sedillot. A. :
Woepke :

chez les

comparee

Cajori, F. :
Sedillot, A. :

B.

Carra de Vaux,
Le Bon, G. :
Browne, E. G :
Mukharji, T. N. :
Birdwood, G. C. M.
Journal of Indian arts.
Grierson, G. A.

History of Bengali language and Literature.

History of Kanarese literature.

Jaya Singh's astronomical observations.

History of Hindu Chemistry.

Hindu Medicine.

Recherches pour servir k I'histoire des

sicences mathematiques

Orientaux.

Memoire pour servir I'histoire

des sciences mathematiques.
Recherches sur I'histoire des sciences

mathematiques chez les Orientaux.

A hl'story of Mathematics.

Prolegomenes des Tables astronomiques
d' Oloug Beg.

L'astrolabe lineare ou Baton d' at-Tousi.
Le civilisation des Arabes.
History of Arab medicine.
Art manufactures of India.
X Industrial arts of India.

Grierson, G. A.

(c) MEDIEVAL SECTS, SAINTS

AND REFORMERS:—
Sitaram Saran Bhagwan Prasad

History of Medieval Vernacular literature
of Hindustan.

Lalla D!oda.

Kabir :

Kabir :
Kablr :

KabTr :

Kabir :

Kabir :

Nabhaji's Bhaktamal Nawal Kishor Press,

Lucknow.
Bijak, with commentary by Vishwanath

Singh of Rewah.
Bijak, with Trijya of Devldasa, Lucknow,
Siddhanta Dipika collected by Anante

Das, Ranchi.

SakhT, collected by Yugaiananda, Luck

now.
Cyan GudrT and Rekhtas, Belveder<

Press, Allahabad.
Ashtanga Yoga, edited by Yugaiananda

Lucknow.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

283

Kabir :

Kabir :
Kabir :

Kabir :

Kabir :

Kabir :

Kabir :

Kabir :

Kabir :

MacauH^e :
Khazan Singh :

GurumukK Sin^h :
Sant Ban! San grab :
Ra-das Jl Ki Bani ;
Dadu Dayal Ki Blni :
Dadu Dayal Kl Ban! :
Malukdas kl BinT :
Jagjivan Sahib Kl ^abdavali :
Bulla Sahib Ka Sabda Sar :
Paltoo Sahib Ki Ban! (4 Vcls
Sundardas :
Charandas Ki Ban! :
Gharlbdas Kl Bani :
Dulandas Kl Barn :
Dairya Sahib Kl Ban! :
BhikSk Sahib Kt Bani :
Dharnidas Ki Bani :
Yarf Sahib Kl Bani :
F. 19

Anuraga Sagar. collected by Nand Kumar

Lai of Gole; Lucknow.
Bijak with commentary of Purandat.
Collection of hymns by K. M. Sen, Sanli-

niketan.

Kabir Manshur, life and teachings of
Kabir and the doctrines of the Kabir
Panth, by Parmananda Das.

Bljak. Ahmad Shah. English translation,
Hamirpur.

Bljak, translated into English by Prem
Chand, Calcutta.

100 poems, translated fnto English by

Ravindra Nath Tagore.
Kabir and Kabir Panth. by H. C. West-

C'Ott.

Kabir Bachanavall, by Ayodhya Singh

Upadhyaya, Allahabad.
The Sikh Religion.

History and Philosophy of the Sikh
relig.Hon (English).

Nanak Parkash (in Urdu).

Belvedere Press. Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Edited by Sudhakar Dvivedi.

Eldited by Chandrika Prasad Tripathi.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press. Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press. Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad. •

284 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Mira ba*T ki Bani :
Sahjoba*! ki Barii :
Dayaba*! ki Bani :
Rajjabdas ki Bam:
Tulsidas :

Malik Muhammad Jayasi :
RaskKani :

Benoy Kumar Sarkar :
Jadu Nath Sarkar :
Ranade, M. G. :
Macnicoll, N. :
Fraser and Marathe :
Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya :
Row. H. A. :

Rueael. R. V. :

Crooke. W. :

Risley. H. H. :
Crowse, F. S. :
Troyer and Shea ;
Herklots :
De Taasy. G. :

Mrs. Mir Hasan 'Ali:
Oman. J. C. :

Oman, J. C. :
(d) ART :-
Fletcher, B. :
Choisy, A. :
Lethaby. W. R. :
Robinson, j. B. :
Delia Seta, A. :
Sturgia, R. :
Getset:

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Belvedere Press, Allahabad.

Ram Charita Manas.

Akharavat, Benares.

Sujan Raskhan, Benares.

Folk elements in Hindu culture.

Chaitanya.

Rise of the Maratha power.

Hymns of the Maratha Saints.

Hymns of Tukaram, 3 Vols.

Hindu castes and sects.

A glossary of the tribes and castes of the

Pan jab.
The tribes and castes of the C. P. of

India.
The tribes and castes of the N. W. P.

and Oudh.

The tribes and castes of the Bengal.

Mathura.

Dabistan i-Meu:ahib of Muhsin FanT.

QanQn-i-tlslam, edited by W. Crookes.

Memoiires sur les particularies de 1

religion musulmane dans Tlnde.
Observations on the Indian Musalmans.

The Brahmans, Theists and Muslims <
India.

The mystics, ascetics and saints of Indi

A History of architecture.
Histoire de Farchitecture.
Architecture, mysticism and myth.
Architectural Composition.
Religion and art.

A dictionary of architecture and buildi
Lescupoles d'orient et d*occident.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

285

Spiers, R. P. :
Dieulafoy. M. :
Prise d'Avennes :
Ri voire, G. T. :
Saladin, H. :
Gayet, A. :
Gayet, A. :
Simakoff :
Bourgoin. J. :
Olufsen. O. :

Coste, P. :

Coste, P. :

Fergusson, J. :

Le Bon, G. :

Maindron :

Rousselet, L :

Ram Raz :

Prasanna Kumar Acharya :

Cole. H. R:

Griffin, L. H. :
Smith. V. A. :
Havell, E. B. ;
Havell. E. B. :
Havell, E. B. :
Growse :
Golubev, V. :
CunningKam, A. :

Burgess, J. :
Burgess, J. :

Burgess, J. :

Burgess, J. and Cousens, H.

Architecture, east and west.

L*art antique de la Perse.

L'art Arabe.

Moslem architecture.

Manuel d*art Musulman.

L*art Persian.

L*art Arabe.

L'art dans TAsie centrale.

Les arts Arabes.

Old and new architecture in Khiva,
Bukhara and Turkestan.

Architecture Arabe.

Monuments modernes de la Perse.
/^ History of Indian and Eastern architecture.

Les civilisations de I* Inde.

L'art fndien.

Les Indes des Radjahs.

Architecture of the Hindus.

A summary of Mansara.

Illustrations of ancient buildings in
Mathura and Agra.

Famous monuments of Central India.

A hrstory of fine art in India and Ceylon.

Indian an;hitecture.

A study in Aryan civilisation.
V 'Benares.

Modern Indian architecture.

Ars Asfatica.

Archseological Survey reports A. S. of
India, Vol. 1-23.

Survey of Belgam and Kaladgi Districts.

Survey of Belgam, Vol. II, and Kathiawar
and Kuch.

Survey of Belgam. Vol. HI, and Bidar
and Aurangabad.

Antiquarian remains of Bombay Presi-
dency. ^

286 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Burgess, J. :

Burgess, J. ;

Burgesss, J. and Cousens, H.

Cousens, H. :

Fuhrer, A. :

Fuhrer, A. :

Smith, E. W.:

Martin. F. R. :

Migeon, G. :
Griffiths, J. :
Herringhan, C. J. :
Havel, £. B. :
Havel, £. B.:
Brown, P. :
Anesaki, M. :
Hcndley, T. H. :
Hendlcy, T. H. :
Coomarswamy, A. K.
Coomarswamy, A. K.
Coomarswamy, A. K.
Coomarswamy. A. K.
Okakura, K. :

Muhammadan architecture of Baroch,
Cambay and Dhalka.

Ahmadabad architecture.

N. Gujarat, architecture.

Bfjapur architecture.

Sharqi architecture.
Monuments of N. W. P. and Oudh.
Fatehpur Slkri.
Miniature painting of Persia, India and

Turkey.
Manuel d*art musulman.
Ajanta cave paintings.
Ajanta frescoes.
Indian sculpture and painting.
The ideals of Indian art.
/Indian punting.
Buddhist art.

Memorials of Jeypore exhibition.
Alwar and its art treasures.
Arts and crafts of India and Ceylon.
Indian drawings.

Selected examples of Indian art.
Rajput painting.
Ideals of the east.

Miniatures :

1 . The Bodleian Library :

MSS. Ouseley Add 166, 167, 169, 170, 171. 172, 173. 174.
MSS. Uud, Or. 149.
MS. Elliot, 254.
MS. Pers. b. 1.

2. The British Museum: —

Or, 4615. Shah Namah (Darab Namah).
Reproductkms of Persian and Indian paintings.

3. The India Office Library :—

^ Johnson : Collection of 65 albums.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 287

The Victoria and Albert Museum, South-Kensington, Indian section :

(a) Clarke MS. of Akbar Namah.

(b) Dastan-i-Amir Hamzah.

(c) Miscellaneous paintings on cotton and paper.

Photographic Reproductions of illustrations from the three MSS.
Badshahnamah, Shahnamah, Timurnamah.

APPENDIX A

ARCHITECTURAL TERMS

Amalakfl, p. 239

Amalasila— the large-fluted bulbous
block — ^the characteristic of N.
Indian temples, p. 236

Antarala — or intermediate chamber in
a Hindu temple, p. 237

Brackets, toranas — in Hindu architec-
ture and their use, p. 239

Columns of Hindu architecture,
p. 239

Cornices — in Hindu architecture,
pp. 239-40

Dome, the Hindu— and its construc-
tion, p. 238, the—never kept plain,
p. 239

Garbha griha — the square cell which
contains the image, forms the basis
of the temple tower, p. 237

Copuram — evolved from pyramidical
tower — a characteristic of the

Dravidian style of architecture,
p. 237

Kala^a — the finial in Hindu temple
p. 236. p. 239

Mandopa — or porch, p. 237

Ornaments — in Hindu architecture,
p. 240

Rathas — monolithic — at Mamalli-

puram, characteristic of the Dravi-
dian style of architecture, p. 237

Sikhara — straight at Gayn— a charac-
teristic of N. Indian style, p. 236,
in the Chalukyan style, p, 237,
p. 238, p. 239. in the temples at
Sonagarh in Burtdelkhand, p. 249

StupEs, ^. 86. and the Dagaba*,
p. 239

Vimana, chief feature of the Dravi-
dian style temple — could have any
number of storeys, p. 237

289

APPENDIX B

HINDU THEISTIC AND BHAKTJ TERMS

Acaryas — according to Jains, p. 19
Acharya abhimana — complete trust
in the preceptor, p. 102, p. 113,
closely connected with prapattif
p. 114, the idea in Artha Panchika
borrowed not from Christianity but
from Islam, p. 115

Adharma — principle of inertia accord-
ing to Jains, p. 19

Aditis, p. 3, spoken of as mothers
fM well as wives of their sons,
p. 76

Ahankara, p. 21

Ahetuki — motiveless bhakiK P- 132

Ajiva — not-souls. according to Jains,
p. 19

Anagamin, p. 18

Aniruddha, p. 20, p. 101

Antaryamin, p. 20, dwells within the
heart, p. 101

Anugrah, p. 21

Aradhna, p. 21

Archl or image, p. 101

Arhat, according to Buddhism, p
according to Jainism. p. 19

Atii — experienced by Kabir, p.

Asana — posture, p. 17

A»at (non-existence), p. 2

Asrava soul, p. 19

Atman. p. 17

Avatars — according to Kabir,
of water, p. 157

Av: gat— Absolute God, p. 151

BSddha — souls that are still bound,

p. 101
Btmdha, p. 20

Bhakti, p. 1, p. 21. its history and
principles, pp. 23—28, — Schools
started in the South, p. 84» the
devotees of Siva and Visnu d';v?-
loped the cult of — in the Sou*h,
p. 87, Ramanuja asked by his
teacher to establish the religion
of — , p. 99, — within the Vedantic
philosophy, p. 100, the soul attains
to God by—, p. 102, p. 103, two
new features of Bhakti, devotion to
guru, and reception of men of all
castes as devotees, attributable to
Islam, pp. 106 — 8, — according to
Ramanuja permitted to first three
classes alone, p. 114, p. 117, the
doctrines of — travel to North and
give strength to Vaisnavism, p. 132,

the aim of — described by Prahlad,
p. 133, Ramanand teaches the —
doctrine to all four castes, p. 144,
— according to Kabir, p. 150, — 9S
taught by Sundeir^daql. p. 190^
Paltoo, p. 209, — in Maharastra takes
the Krisnite form and centres
round Vithoba of Pandharpur, pp.
221-22

Bharam, p. 161

Bhedabhed, theory of Nimbaraka,
p. 102

Bodhisattvas. p. 19
born Brahman — =:God, p. 17, according to
l^ankara, p. 98, according to Rama-
nuja, p. 100, enveloped in fomas,
p. 101

Brahmaloka. p. 18

Buddhi on human soul, p. 70

18,

161

Cetana = contciousnets.

19

290

APPENDIX

m

DKamma, p. 18

Dharma, principle of motion, accord-
ing to Jains, p. 19, Kablr not the
follower of — , p. 152, Gharibdas,
p. 205

Dharana — fixation of mind, p. 17

DKyana, p. 17, p. 158

Dukha — experienced by Kabir. p. 161

Dura^a — explained by Kabir, p. 161

Ekatn, p. 2

Ekantin God — development of the

conception, p. 109, the idea taken

from Islam, p. 112

Farman — decree, p. 151

Gayatri, p. 122, Kabir identifies it
with izhchha or wiil, which gave
birth to Brahma, Vi^nu, and
Mahesa, p. 1 56

Govinda, as God, p. 154, p. 158,
Raidas's conception of — , p. 179,
Dadii has placed h;*s whole soul
under — , p. 185

Ouni, p. 23, p. 25, p. 95, ^ankara
ready to acknowledge even a
chandal as his — , p. %, the Saivite
idea of — differs from Hindu con-
cept:*on. p. 106, — bhakti. the idea
taken from Islam, p. 112, adora-
tion of — , p. 113, — ^bhakti not a
Hindu idea, p. 114, difference
between the ancient Ideal and
mediaeval ideal, attributed to the
influence of Islam, pp. 114-15, —
among the 1/ngayats, p. 118, p.
125, p. 127, exaltation of — ^by Kabir,
pp. 158-9, p. 165, the—^according to
Nanak remained the same, p. 167,
p. 168, directed the disciple upon
the path which has four stages.

corresponding to those of the Sufis,
p. 176, p. 178, or Ilahi, p. 186, the
position of — according to Dadu, p.
188, Jagjivandas, p. 200, Charan*
das. p. 203 and p. 204, Dulandis,
p. 207

H

Hara (Maheia), p. 156

Hari~p. 133. as God, p. 154, p. 156,
p. 158. p. 160, Raidas*8 concep-
tion of — , p. 179, p. 180, Kesavdas,
p. 203, Charandas. p. 203 and
p. 204. Chaitanya, p. 219, Namdev,
p. 223, Tukaram, p. 226

Uvara, p. 7, p. 16, analogy between
— and the Shiite God, p. 54, god
of the phenomenal world, accord-
ing to Sankara, p. 98, according to
Ramanuja, the Lord of all. and
as universal soul, the Highest Per-
son, p. too, Bt first without a
second, his five different manifes-
tations, p. 101, p. 123

Jangama, p. 116, initiation of — ,
p. 117. a follower, represents the
incarnation of a deity, p. 118, p. 172

Japa, p. 22

Jiva — the Soul as emanating from
I^vara, p. 101, according to Kabir,
p. 156

Jnana, p. 1, the se(x>nd path for the
attainment of salvation, how dis-
covered, various approaches to the
problem produced a number of
theosophic systems — p. 13, p. 24,
p. 27, l^ankara the great prota-
gonist of the path of — , p. 99, con*
centration, and meditation, p. 102

, Kala. p. 2). p. 164

1 Kalpa-^he cycle of creation, f>. lOi

292 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Karana-— the causal condition, p. 101,
p. 164

Karma, p. 1. path of action, recog-
nises the principle of personality,
p. 3, according to Bhagavadglta,
p. 4, details of the Marga describ-
ed, pp. 5 — 13, its importance in
the Vedic concept Jon of law, p. 14,
p. 19. p. 22. p. 24, the soul puri-
fies itself by — , p. 102. — Kanda of
Pran Nath, p. 199

Karya — the effect condition, p. 101

Kevalas — those souls that have puri-
fied their hearts and are free from
birth and death, p. 101

Khiuam — ^Nanak conceived God as — ,
p. 169 or Husband, Dulandas,
p. .207

Laksmi — its two aspects, p. 20

Lay a or absorption, p. 20

Linga — Shrlties at, p. 9, p. 86, the
symbol of divinity, p. 118, p. 121,
p. 122. p. 124, p. 126. p. 127.

Ekalinga, p. 132

M

Manag or *aql, its three constituents,
p. 73

Mantra, p. 21, p. 134

Math — or monastic orders, p. %

Maya, p. 22, or illusion, growth of
the conception in Muslitn Sufism,
p. 71, as equivalent to not-light
p. 72, l§ankara*s conception of — ,
pp. 97-8, in iCab%r*s terminology,
p. 155, Raidas, p. 180. Malukdas
p. 189, Kesavdas. p. 203

Milan — experienced by Kablr, p. 161

Moh— Raidas. p. 180

Afo^fo~«im of Hindu religion
p. 1. p. 23. p. 27

AffiV/a — ^those souls who have broken
their betters, and wait on God,

^p. kOI

Mumu^.u— those souls that have a
desire for liberation and are stand-
ing to attain it, p. 101

N

Narayana, p. 101

Niranjan — God as — (light) according
to Nanak, p. 170

Nirankar — God as — according to
Nanak. p. 170

Nirguna, p. 75. without constituents,
p. 132, Jagjivandas. p. 200, Bulla
Sahib, p. 202, the group consist-
ing of — upasaks, p. 211

Nirjara, p. 20

Nirvana — according to Buddhists, also
Nibbana, p. 18, or moksa accord-
ing to Jains, p. 20, p. 67

Nitya — souls which do not enter cycles
of bJrth and death, p. 101

Niyama — injunctions, p. 17

Niyati or knowledge, p. 21

Pachhtatva — sorrow — experienced by
Kabir, p. 161

Padodaka — water in which the pre-
ceptor's feet are washed, p. 118

Panchaksara. the five-syllabled for
mula, p. 118

Para — the higfhest form of Isvara,
p. 101, Kabir speaks of God a»—
Brahma or Absolute, p. 155—
Brahma of ShivanSrayanis. p. 206,

Paranjoti. Peroli or Vetta Veli, the
eternal light— p. 125

Parme^ara, p. 9. p. 124

Parvatl, p. 9, or Uma, p. 123, p. 124

ParSvidva or mSrfat of Kabir, p. 148

Palupati, p. 121

Pradjrumna, p. 101

Prakriti — the matter as emanating
from Uvara, p. 101

Pranayam, p. 17, compared to dhikr
p. 82

APPENDIX

293

PrapannaB — those who take refuge in
Cod* the Sudras are — ., the idea has
resemblance with Islam, perhaps
borrowed by Ramanuja from the
latter, p. 114

Prapatti — resolution to yield, forma-
tion of two schools, p. 102, em-
phasised by Nimbaraka, p. 103,
self-surrender, the idea taken from
Islam, p. 112. p. 113, the idea of
— attains importance in the school
of Ramanuja, closely connected
with the adoration of teacher
source of division among Vaisna-
vas, p. 114

Prasada — sacramental food, p. 118,
p. 123

Pratyahara — reaction of sense acti-
vities, p. 17

Pnnifa, p. 2, p. 21, or divine soul,
p. 71, passive jtmrtwa assoc.ated
with active mana$, p. 73, accord-
ing to Kablr the Supreme Soul, p.
155, (male) Jagjlvandas, p. 202

Puru^ottama — the Highest Person, the
univeral soul, p. 100

Rajas— courage and ambition, p. 73
Rama — ^worship substituted for
Visnu by Ramanand, p. 144, as
God, p. 154. p. 160, p. 163. p. 165.
as referred by Nanak, p. 169,
Nanak declines to accept him as
incarnation, p. 173. so also Raidas,
p. 180. calls— as Sultan, p. 181, in
Dadu DayaKs poems, p. 185, p. 187,
Maiukdas, p. 190. Paltoo Dis. p.
210. p. 211
Rudrakia— rosary, p. 118

s

l^bda— according to Kabfr, bom of
knowledge and gave birth to five
Brahmans. p. 156. the female prin-|
ciple. p. 157 I

SadhuB — according to Jains, p. 19*
p. 160, p. 174. p. 194. jagjlvan-
das, p. 201. p. 202
Saguna — p. 75, the group consisting

of upa»ak». p. 211
Sa*in— as God, p. 154, Jagjlvandas,

p. 201
Sakrdagamin, p. 18
Samadhi — direct realization, p. 59,

the state of deep trance, p. 98
Sariikariiana, p. 101
SampradSya, p. 102
Samsara, p. 17
Samvara, p. 20
Samyak — dristi, p. 18
Sankalpa.
Vaca
Karman,
SmritI,
Ajiva
Vyayama,
Samadhi
Sankranta, p. 122

Sanyasin — iSankar recruited them from

all castes, p. 96. Ramanuia biucnme

— before becoming an author.

p. 100

Sai (existence), p. 2

Satguru, p. 125, God as— according

to Nanak, p. 170
Satpurula — as God, p. 154
Saitva — reason or intelligcncr. p. 73

Siddhis— p. 133

.^rRddha, p. 118

Siddhas, according to Jains, p. 19

Skandhas = aggregation of parts,

p. 18 '
Srotapanna, p. 18

Tamas — ^lust, hunger, passion, p. 73
as ultra-subtle matter envelopes th«
Brahman, p. 101

Upadhyas, according to ^ains, p. t'

294 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Vaikuntha. p. 101
Vasudeva. p. 101
Vibhav or incarnations of Narayana,

p. 101
Vibhuti- aahes, p. 118
Viranchi — p. 133

Viraha— experienced by Kabir. p. 161
Vyuhas — the liypostases of , Para

p. 101

Y

Yama — interdictions, p. 17, p. 164,

p. 170, Malukdas, p. 190, Gulal.
p. 208

Yoga, p. 13, defined, p. 15, details
of the system, pp. 16-17, p. 21,
p. 22, the practice appropriated in
Islam, p. 67, p. 82, Yogic trance,
p. 101, the discipline of Yoga,
p. 104. spiritual training without
dependence on a god, p. 113,
p. 134, meditation, p. 159, Nam-
deva, p, 223

Yuga, p. 121

APPENDIX C

SUFI TERMS

of absolute annihilation, p. 73.
p. 79

Fikr — Jagjivandas, p. 201

Fuqr — indifference towards suffering
or sickness, etc., the tendency in
Uiam borrowed from Christianity,
p. 65, p. 80, or faqir, p. 174

Ahadiya, p. 75
Al-haqq, p. 75
Al'khalq, p. 75
Allah— p. 154. p. 165, Dadu Dayal,

p. 184, p. 185, Gosa'in Jani, p. 197,

Pran Nath, p. 200, la Makan, p.

207, Ramai Pandit, p. 216,

Tukaram. p. 227, and p. 228
*i4 ma— cecity, p. 75
A^iya, p. 75
'AqU p. 52, the M'uitazalites make — Ghaibi — unknown, p. 150, 169,

the chief source of knowledge, Jagjivandas, p 202, — huzur, Dtjlan-

p. 55, equivalent to human soul, das, p. 207

its constituents, p. 73, p. 78, Gharib-Nivaz — Charandas, p. 204

Gharlbdas, p. 205
A'rsha — Dadti, p. 184 and p. 185, H

Gharibdas, p. 205 Habib. p. 152

•Ashiq— p. 152 HadT— Dulandas, p. 207

Azal — pre-eternal existence of God, Hahut, p. 162, explained by Kablr,

Ghaibat- absence, p. 161

70

B

52.

fiaqfo- — Kharraz the first to explain
its meaning, p. 69, p. 79

p. 162
Hairai, p. 161
Ha} — Shrah interpretation of-

p. 78
Hakim — Nanak conceived God 4» — ,
p. 169
I Hal or states — 7 according to Sufis,
D/iaf— essence, p. 76 p. 80, experienced by Kablr, p. 161

Dhikr — ^repetition of God's name, the j Haq (Truth), p. 162, Paltoo Dis,
tendency in Islam accentuated by \ p. 209

the Christian contact, p. 65, the ! Haqlqat — Union with Divinity, p. 79,
discipline of the seeker, of two \ al-haqaiq, according to jilT the

kinds, Khafi and Jalt, p. 82, p. 158
Didar, p. 181, Gharibdas, p. 205
I^vana— Bulla Sahib, p. 202

Faidh, p. 79

Fana, p. 67, Kharraz the first to ex-
plain its meaning, p. 69, the desti-
nation of individual soul, a state Huwiya, p. 75

295

idea of ideas, p. 156, Pran Nath,

p. 199
Hayula, substance, p. 76
Hubab — Kabir both the — and sea,

p. 152
Hudhar-^-p. 161
Hulul — incarnation, the doctrine held

by extreme 5ff)?s, p. 69

296 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

llahiya, p. 75

Imam or faith, p. 7ft» or spiritual

guide, the Shi'ah conception of — ,

p. 81, Imam or spiritual teacher,

p. 115, p. 151, in Pran Nath, p. 199,

In Gharibdas, p. 205
Imtizaj, commixture — ^the doctrine

held by extreme Sufis, p. 69
*lnayat, p. 79
Infirad — perfect isolation of God,

p. 70
Insctn-i-Kamil, p. 47, the fourth Etage

in spiritual perfection, p. 77
Uiidlal p. 79
limtnartt p. 80

JaharuU p. 161, Paltoo Das. p. 209
Jalal — grar^Jeur, p. 76. experienced

by Kabir, p. 161, Nur — explained

by Kabir, p. 162
Jamah beauty, p. 76, experienced by

Kabir, p. 161, Nur — explained by

Kabir, p. 162
JaraSt p. 77

K

Ka'bah, p. 79, p. 160, Kabir, Nanak, '
p. 173 !

Kalam, p. 59

Kamal, perfection, p. 76

Karamat, p. 67

KarTm=God. Dadu, p. 184. p. 185.
Gharibdas, p. 205

KhaHfa, p. 52

Khauf, p. 80

Kh^dmat, p. 52

KhudS, KablTr. p. 165, Dharnidas,
p. 198, Fran Nath. p. 199. or
Khud In Bhika. d. 208, Pahoo Das.
rt. 210. Ramai Pandit, p. 216

Khwft (egotism) — Kesavd^s, p. 203

Khutba — according to Kabir, p. 148 |

Lahut, the absolute God in His
Divinity, p. 70, explained by Kabir.
p. 162. Paltoo Das, p. 209

M

Madar — Gharibdas. p. 205

Mahbub. p. 152, Bulla Sahib, p. 202

Malakut, p. 161, explained by Kabir,
p. 162, Paltoo Das, p. 209

Maqamat — stages by which a novice
rises to union with God — 7 accord-
ing to Sufis, p. 80, p. 152, Dadu,
p. 183

Maraqbah, p. 67, p. 80

Ma*rfat, p. 78, or par~-vidya cf
Kabir, p. 148, as in Dadu Dayll's
poems, p. 184, Pran Nath, p. 199

Ma'shuq, p. 152

Mihr — experienced by Kabir, p. 161

MuhahhaU p. 80

Mu'jizah, p. 67

Mujra — ^Dharnidas, p. 198

Mulla, Nanak, p. 173

Murid, p. 82, the initiation of the
Muslim — compared to that of a
jangam, p. 117, Dadu Dayal, p. 181

Murshidt p. 81, p. 185

Musafir, p. 152

Muahahda, p. 80

N

Nafa, p. 52, p. 78. Dadu Da^ml, p.

183
Naakh't-arwah — transmigration. the

doctrine held by extreme Sufia,

p. 69
Naaut — God in Humanity, p. 70,

explained by Kabir, p. 161, p. 162.

Paltoo DSs. p. 209

A^fir— a achool of Muslim Sufism re-
garded ultimate reality as Niir,
p. 71, — i-<Jihir, p. 72, the word as
used by Kabir, p. 155

APPENDIX

297

Pfligfiambars—according to Kabir. ,
born of water, p. 157, p. 164 |

Parvardigar — Hindu and Muslim
saints are according to Nanak His
diwam, p. 171

Pay hazi, p. 83

Pidar — Gharlbdas, p. 205

PiTt p. 52, or spiritual guide, p. 61,
p. 115, the four successors of
Basava, compared to four pir$ of
Musalmans, p. 117, twenty-one—
according to Kablr, p. 148, born of
water, p. 157, p. 164, p. 165, p. 167,
Dadu Dayal. p. 184. p. 185

181

Qadir-Cod, Raidas, p.

Qahr. p. 161

Qurb, p. 80

Qu'.h — or spiritual guide, p. 115

5fiari*at— the surrender of will to the
commands of God, p. 7d» at used
by Dadu Dayal. p. 184. Fran Nath.
p. 199

Shauq, p. 60

Saluk, p. 67

Sultan = God, Raidas, p. 161, Dharni
Das, p. 198

Taharat, p. 78

Talih. p. 78

Tarlqa, p. 67, tarlqat. p. 78

Tasauuar^—Dulandas, p. 207

Tauhah, p. 78

Tawakk^L complete detachment
from the world and utter depen-
dence upon God — the tendency in
Islam borrowed from Christianity,
p. 65, p. 80

R3dha, p. 80

Rahlm or Rahman, p. 185. p. 190,

Ramai Pandit, p. 216
Rija, p. 80
Ruh, p. 76, or soul, p. 156

S

Sahr, p. 80

Sahib — the favourite name of God

used by KabTr~p. 154, p. 181,

Gharibdas, p. 205, Tukaram, p.

227
Salfit, p. 76
Salik, p. 78
Sama' — song and dance — sanctions for

them, pp. 82-3
Saqi, p. 161
Saum, p. 78
ShaikK p. 81, or spiritual guide

p. 115, p. 151, p. 165. p. 172

Una, p. 80

u

w

Wahidiya, p. 75

War* a — abstinence, p. 80

Wail p. 81

Wujud Mutlaq— the absolute, p. 75

Yaqm, p. 80. GharibdSs. p. 205

7^h'd or Zuhd. p. 64
Zakat—ShtB^i interpretation, p. 52,

n. 78
Zat—Pak—or pure essence, accord-

ing to KabTr. p. 155
ZiV— 1»gj1vanda«. p. 201, TukSrim,

p. 228

INDEX

'Abdullah ibn Meymun, founded the

Abul Faraj Muhammad Ibn Ishaq
al Nadim author ot Kitab al Fihriflt,
p. 10, p. 12

Sevener sect — the significance of Abul Hasan al 'Asharl-r-his life and

teachings, occupied a position mid-
way between the extreme absolu-
tists and the extreme anthropo-
moTphists, p. 58, p. 60, notices
Indian religion and philosophy,
p. 67, p. 112

the number seven — general teach-
ings, pp. 53-4

'Abdul Haq, p. 47 ns., p. 140 n.

'Abdul KarTm Jilt, Commentator of
Ibnal 'Arab! and author of Inaan-
i-Kamil, p. 47, p. 70, p. 74. h-s

theories explained, pp. 75 — 78, cf. Abul Hasan Basri, p. 55
to Kabir, p. 152. identity between Abul Hasan KhirqanT, p. 79
his and JCablr's account of the Abul Hudhail. d. 55. his meanings of

creation of world, p. 156
'Abdul Qadir Badaoni : Mun'a

khab-ut-Taw5rilch. p. 48 n.
'Abdul Qadir Jllani, p. 47
'Abdur Rahman Samri — the Muslim

name of Cher»man Perumal, p. 34 Abu 'Ubaida M'amar, p. 55
'Abdur-Razzaq — his account, p. 38 Abu Zaid al Hassan Slrafi,

and n. 39, 45

Abhiras, iv, origin of Gopal Krisra Actium, p. 30

creation, p. 56
Abu Musa, p. 58
Abu Sa*id ibn Abul Khair,

p. 78
Abu T#»mmam. p. 60

70,

p. 10,

Adam. p. 69, the first theatre of the
manifestations of the spirit, p. 77
'Adil Sh5h, p. 220

Adiyar. Saiva Saints of the South,

grouping of their works, p. 87,

I p. 90, disputed the theories of

^ankara, p. 99
j Afghanistan, p. 8, Hindu or Bud-

of— , p. 109
Abraham, p. 69
Abu 'Abdullah al Harith al Muha-

sib? — the earliest Muslim Sufi, his

work tinged with Christianity, p.

65, p. 69
Abu Bakr, p. 69
Abu Dulaf Muhalhil. p. 37

Abu Fida, p. 37 j dhst. p. 66. p. 135. p. 240

Abu HanTfa Nu'mSn, an early mys- j Agamas (Saiva\ v

tic, p. 68 Agatharcides, p. 30

Abu HSshim of Kufa, the first Sufi, AgnT, p. 3. p. 4, largest number of

p. 67 hymns in Vcdas devoted to him,

Abu Hifs Rabl bin Sahib al Asadi p. 5. Cult, p. 11

•1 Basari, p. 46 Ahichhatra (Ramnagar). n. 7

Abu Sa'Td al Kharraz (pupil of j Agra — a centre foir Sadfis, p. 192,

Hasan), an early mystic, p. 68, the j p. 243. p. 248 n. p. 269. p. 272

first to explain fanS and baqa, p. 69 j Ahmad Shah, p. 153
Abu 'Ala'al Maa'rrT, his teachings; Aiyangar (S. K.), p. 41 n.
' a^d poems, pp. 61-2 1 Aiyangar (K. S.). p. 99 n.

298

INDEX

299

Aiyangar (Srlnivas), p. 87 n, ridi- j
cuies the Siddhars, p. 124 and n., >
p. 123 n. I

Aiyer (K. V. Subrillimanya), p. 86
n.

A^ycr (KrishnaswamI), p. 93 n., p. |
% n. '

Ajanla, v, difference between the '
Glyle oi — painting and that of
Delhi or Jatpur, p. 138, the Irescoes
of — the only surviving remains of
the Indian art, traces in them of
pre-Christian literature and later
Hindu poetry, p. 258, the date, the,
artists, the conditions of prcduc- !
tion, p. 239, the motifs secular ^nd
religious, their treatment, pp. 260 — j
62, the medium of expressioi) is i
line, pp. 262-63 the process of
frescoes, pp. 263-4, p. 266, p. 268,
p. 271, p. 272. p. 273

Ajmer, p. 131, p. 182, p. 185,
p. 243

Akbar, p. 136, his D'tn-i-llahl not
an isolated freak, p. 163, p. 182,
p. 189, p. 217, p. 247, his buildings
at Fatel^ur, the temples built
under his encouragement,

pp. 248-49, p. 243, appearance of j
fully developed new Hindu-Mus-
lim schools of painting under him,
names of his artists, pp. 270-1,
pp. 272-73 j

'Alaol — translated PcdmaVati into !
BengolT, p. 214 I

•Ala'uddin Khilji, p. 136 [

*Ala*-ul-Haq — a saint of the Punjab,
p. 176 I

Al-Biriinl. p. 11. devotes chapters to
Indian religion and philosophy, p
67. p. 108, religious condition of
India as described by — different
from that of the time of Haria,
p. 131 n., his information about '
religious condition one-sided, p.
132 '

F. 20

Alexandria, p. 29, relations between
— and southern Jndia ceased in
the beginning of the 3rd century,
p. 43

*Ali — his death and the foundation
of Shiism, p. 53

'All bin Usman al Hujwirl, author
of Kaahfui Mahjub, p. 46

*Ali — ibn Udthorman, p. 33

'Alf-llldhiyijis — Shi'ahs — came into

existence early in Islamic history,
— in India and Persia, — an extreme
sect, their beliefs and practices,
p. 52

'Aliyar — Shr^h Sahib {Flazarat), — lies
buried at Madura, p. 40

Al-Kindi, p. 10, one of the brothers
of Purity, p. 62, wrote a book on
Indian religion, p. 66

Allahabad (Prayag) — R~ma Nand

born at — , p. 144, p. 148

Allama Prabhu — according to Basava,
the manifeslwition of God as world-
teacher, p. 117. — perhaps of Mus-
lim origin, p. 120

Almut, p. 54

Al-Nadim — depends for his informa-
tion about Indian religion about
sects on Al-Kindi. p. 62, devotei
chapters to Indian religion and
philosophy, p. 67

Ai-ShahristanT—Kitab al Milal ft
Nihal. p. 10. p. U, p. 12. devotes
chapters to Indian religion and
philosophy, p. 67

'Alvars — Vaitnav Saints of the South,
their number reckoned aa twelve,
four were Pallavas, three Chola«»
one Chera and the remaining four
were Pandyas, pp. 87-88. separat-
ed the Vaisnao cult from Saioiam,
some of them came from lower
castes whereas others were Brah-
mins, their teachings, pp. 93-94,
disputed the theories of ^ankora»
p. 99, their hymns deprecate ^-

300 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

ternalia in religion, p. 113, as in-
carnations of Visnu, p. 115, p. 132

Amardas, the third Guru, p. 176

Amir-* All — Muhammadan law, p.
55 n.

Amir ibn ul *Ubaid, p. 55, 56

Amir Khusrau, p. 42

Ammian Marcellani, p. 29

Anandaglri, p. 95 n., conception of
$ankara as the incarnation of $iva,
p. 115 and n.

Anantanand, a disciple of Rlma-
nand, p. 145

Andal — one of the four Pandya
Vaisnav saints, p. 86, was a
woman, p. 93, p. 94

Angad (Guru), Nanak blended his
light with—, p. 167

Anhilwara, p. 45, p. 131, p. 136

/" nushlrvan Khusrau, p. 30

Arab or Arabia', vi. — writers and
their testimony, p. 5. p. 9, refer-
ences to Hindu worship in — writers,
p. 10. Arabia, p. 29. p. 30, p. 31.—
trader?, p. 32. — fleets, p. 33. Arabia,
p. 34, — merchants patronised by
Zamorin, p. 35, p. 36, appear on the
East coast of India earlier and estab-
lish centres of trade, their evidence,
pp. 3ft— 43, their colonies settled in
Ceylon and Southern India, p. 39.
favoured in Gujerat, p. 45, Arabia,
p. 49, changes in the moral and
cocl«l life of Arabe, p. 50. Arabian,
p. 59, p. 61, Greek works translated
into Arabic in 9th cenutry, p. 65,
the Arabs familiarise themselves
with Indian literature and sciences
from early times, translated
Buddhist works in 2nd century
A.H., p. 66, — ^philosophers made
Sufism the religion of high and low,
p. 78. Arabia the Aryan land p. 91,
p. 107, Arabia, p. Ill, Arabian sea
p. 130, p. 138. Arabia, p. 139, p.
J40, Arabic, p. 141, Arabic words

in Kablr's Bijak, p- 153. p. 167,
Arabic, p. 240

Araahja: — made an attempt t3
organise a reformed Vaisnava
faith, p. 169,1 make a Jangatn in
the same way as Muslim ptrB
made a muriJ, p. 117

Architecture — Indian, exhibits a

synthetic tendency — the Islamic
influence on — , p. 138, Hindu
architecture the objectification ot'
Hindu religious consciousness, the
idea explained, pp. 234 — 36, three
divisions of Hindu style, the
Northern Indian, the Chllukyan,
the Dravidian. the characteristics
of each. pp. 236 — 37, an analysis
of Hindu buildings, pp. 237 — 40,
Muslim art conditioned by certain
practical needs of religion and
worship, the feeling realized in a
mosque, p. 242, causes of the
difference in Muslim styles of
architecture — its general characters
in India, pp. 243 — 44, mosques of
Qutubuddin Aibak, and temple at
Girnar. p. 244, the earliest instance
of a Hindu structure different
from the orthodox style, p. 245,
palaces of Rana Man of Gwalior,
p. 246 — 47, temples at Brindaban
and Govardhan. pp. 248 — 49,
buildings in the Madras presidency,
pn. 250 — 52, of Rajputana, pp.
252—53. of Bundelkhand. pp. 253
254, the temple in Bengal, p. 255,
influence in Nepal, pp. 255 — 56,
palaces of the 19th century, pp.
256-67, p. 258

Aristotle, p. 62

Arjunayanas, p. 130

Arjun Mai — the fifth GurUp

p. 176

Arnold (T.W.), p. 46 ns., p. 47

Arulni»ndi Deva — ^a Saiva theologian.

p. 103

INDEX

301

Arya Bhatta, v, p. 134

Aeh'ari — See Abul Hassan

'Ashariya (Twelvers) — believe in 12
Imams— the last was Md. ibn Hasan
— the Safavides belonged to this
sect, p. 54

Assassins — their stronghold was

AlamOt, turned out by Halaku. p, 54

Asvalayana, GrThya Sulras, p. 144 n

Asvamedh, p. 85

Atharva-Veda, iii

* Attar — See Fariduddln.

Augustus, p. 29

Aurangzib — persecuted he SatnSmU,
p. 192. p. 198, p. 200

Avicenne, p. 57 n, Ibn Slna holds a
premier position among the Muslim
thinkers, his canon the last word on
Muslim medicine and philosophy,
unsurpassed in keenness of mind,
pp. 62 — 63, introduced Into Sufi
thought the conception of ultimate
reality as eternal, p. 71, cf. to
Kabir, p. 157 !

Ayodhya, p. 18 '

Azadah — A Brahman saint, p. 197. 1

B

Baba Lai — born in Malwa, p. 195,
settled at Sirhind, patronised by
Dara, his teachings, p. 196

Bibur. p. Ml. p. 142. p. 247 and n.
p. 265, introduced the models of
the Tlmuride School to Hindu and
Muslim artists, p. 269

Babylon— p. 30

BadamT. v

Baerlein — p. 61 ns., p. 62 ns.

Bidrayana — Brahma Sutras, p. 99,
p. 100

Bigh — v

Baghdad— p. 37. p. 46, p. 58. p. 59
p, 135, p. 241, — School of painting,
p, 265

Pahauddin Zakaria— (d. 1^). p. 47

Bahlikas — iv
Bahlul Lodi. p. 167
BahmanT rulers— patronised the art
and literature of the people they
governed, p. 220
Bahrain, p. 31, p. 38
Bah ram Bhai— Twice changed his

religion to find the truth, p. 224
Balban, p. 136
BalhSra— the Vallabhl ruler of

Gujarat, p. 45
Balakh— had a large Buddhist
yinar, its superintendent known
as Barmak, p. 66
Ballaldeva. p. 100
Balurhistan, p. 66, p. 135
Bfina. p. 9 and n.. p. 1]
BaqillanT — developed the ideas of
'Ash'arT,* p. 58
Barcelore, p, 37
Baramak — Barmakide, vitirs of

Abbasids, their origin, p. 66
Barnett. p. 23 n., p. 87 n.. p. 103 ns..

106 n.
Qarth. p. 107 n.. p. 112 n., p. 128 n.
Barara, p. 65, — and Kufa, two main

centres of Sufi.$m, p, 67
B'rav, p. 84, D. 107, founder o*^ lli*
lingayat faith, minister of Biijala,
opposed to Jain and Brahman
influences, p. 1 16, his system
critically examined, pp. 117 — 120,
extracts fitom the Vachant of— i,
121-124
Beal, p. 5 n.. p. 7 ns., p. 8 ns.
Benares, p. 7, p. 123, p. 138, p. 141,
p. 144. p. 148, p. 149, p. 153.
p. 165. p. 178. p. 179. p. 181.
t>. 190. the VUvc:hwar tcmpic et —
p. 256.
Beni?al. p. 39. d. 130, Buddh'sm and
Saktism confined to, p. 131, p.
136, p. 137, p. 165, the religious
condition of— on the eve cf
Muslim conquest, p. 213, p. 21^^
p. 217. p. 220, p. 255

302 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Bengali, p. 97, develops into a Bharvl, v

literary language, p. 139, p. 140, Bhashyacharya, p. 95 n., p. 134

p. 213. p. 214 Bhattacharya (Jadu), p. 205 n., p. 219

Benoy Kumar Sarkar, p. 217 n. n.

Bergaigne, p. 3 n. Bhavabhuti, p. 9, p. 134

Bertrand Russel, p. 104 n. bhavSnnnd — a disciple of Ramanand,

Beveridge, p. 142 n. p. 145

Bhagavadgiia, compiled, iii, teaches BKika, p. 206, of GKazIpur. his pan-
that salvation may be won through theistic outlook, pp. 208-9
the path of action, p. 4, p. 24 ns., Bhima. p. 6
p. 25 and ns., its teaching, pp. 24- Bhramargiri, p. 8
25, p. 27, commentary on — by Bidpa. translated into Arabic, p. 66
Ramanuja p. 100, — as the source of Bijapur, p. 243

Bhakti cult, p. 105, p. 106, specu- Bihzad, born in the middle of the

lations of the cults of various tribes fifteenth century, the influence of

merged into — , p. 110, Jnaneivar's his style on Indian art, pp. 265 —

Marathi commentary on — , p. 221 69

Bhagodas — compiled the Bijal^ p. (Bijjal — the Kalachuri King of Kal-

153, p. 181 yan. p. 116

Bhagvrandas, p. 24 n. Biladhuri, p. 32

Bhagwaiaa, p. 11, p. 20, Bhagwatism, Binvali, S/o. Hiraman Kayastha — a

p. 113, the Guptas proclaimed saint, p. 197

themselves as — , p. 132 Birbhan — founder of the Scdh or

Bh'gioata Purana — the ba<-.*8 of Ma- Satnami sect — his teachings col-
dhava*8 philosophy, p. 103, the cults lected in Poifu — his followers do
of various tribes merged into — , not observe caste, their chief seats,
p. 110, Conception of God and p. 192, the twelve commandments
Bhakti in — , pp. 132 — 34, marks the of the sect, pp. 193 — 4, his out-
transition from the ancient religion spokenness, p. 195
of works to the medieval religion Bishr ibn Mu'tamir — contemporary of
of hhakii, p. 134, translated into al-Rashid, p. 55
Bengali, p. 214 Blochet, p. 53 n.

BhS! Bala — a companion of Nanak, Blochmann and Jarret, p. 83 n.

p. 167 Bloomfield. p. 2 n.

Bhakt-mala — see Sitaram Bhagwan Boer — History of Muslim philosophy,

Prasad p. 62 n.

Bhandarkar. p. 30 n., p. 93 ns., p. Bohras — ^their leader settles in Guja-

99 ns.. p. 102 n., p. 103 n., rat. p. 46

p. 106 n.. attributes to Christianity j Bokheu'a. p. 241, — school of painting,
the introduction of the idea of ) its style Muslim-Mongol, patTonis>

prapuitii and prapanna, p. 114 and ed by Timur, p. 265

n., p. 118 n.. p. 143 and n., p. 144, Bombay Gazetteer, p. 47 n.

p. 146, places. Jnane^ar in the Brahma — the primeval being bom

fourteenth century .^ p. 22 1« p. 222 as—, and creates gods, etc., p. 2,

^^n., p, 223 n. presided over the deities in epic

«>Lr-i.„» :„ mythology, p. 5. p. 9,— cult, p. llr

INDEX

303

identified with Surya, p. 12,
p. 14, analogy between — and the

Shnie God, p. 54, according to Jil'
scriptures revealed by him, p. 77,
p. 90, p. 92,— sutras p. 99,— as
God's name used by Kablr. p. 151,
p. 155, accounts of his birth as
given by Kablr. p. 156, reference
by Nanak. p. 169, p. 170. p. 185.
p. 187, guru compared to — , p. 204,
as Vishwakarma. p. 258

Brahmanas, iii, develop the path of
action, p. 1, defined, p. 2, emph
sised the value of action, p. 13
Jill quotes the — sect, p. 77

Brahmans — their influence at th
court of Kalchuri King of Kalyan
and its effect, p. 116, p. 122, p. 127-
p. 128, changed the religious con
dition of India after the death o
Harsa. appropriated Vaisnavism
p. 131, p. 132, employed by
Muslims as legists and as astro-
nomers, p. 137, their supremacy
denounced by Kablr, p. 162, by
JagjTvandas, p. 202. their Supre-
macy in Bengal, p. 213, and their
struggle with Buddhists in Bengal,
p. 215. p. 259

Brahmgupta, v, p. 134

Brha'?pati, p. 3

Brindaban, p. 103, p. 138, the temple
of Govind Deva, Madan Mohan,
p. 248, of GopTnath, of Haridev at
Govardhan, and of Jugal-Kishore
as instances of Muslim influences,
p. 249

Broach, p. 31, p. 44, p. 46

Brockelmann, p. 52 n., p. 65 n.

Brown (J.P.), p. 78 n., p. 81 n.
p. 82 n., p. 83 n., p. 117 and n.
p. 118 ns., p. 119 and ns., p. 120 n

Browne (E.G.), p. 51 n., p. 53 n.
p. 67 n., p. 68 n.

Buddhism — founded, iii, its expan
sion and division into schools, iv

receives a definite check, v, on
decline, p. 5, p. 6, p. 8, p. 13,
its different schools, p. 17. det*
cribcd, p. 18. p. 19, p. 26, p. 27,
influenced Abul *Ala', p. 61, sup-
plied a number of ideas to Sa/itm,
p. 63. Buddhist works translated
into Arabic, p. 66, the legend of
Buddha entered into Muslim litera-
ture. ■ and also the idea of fourfold
vows and eightfold path, p. 67.
p. 84, Buddhist Missionaries in the
south, p. 85, — destroyed in the
south in the eighth century, p. 86,
p. 88, p. 91, stoutly opposed by
Alvnrs. p. 93, p. 95, p. %,
^ankar's philosophy dealt a fatal
blow to—, p. 97, p. 105, p. 109.
p. 110, p. 111. p. 113. p. 114.-
confined to Bengal, p. 131, Buddha,
p. 148, Buddha, p. 163, —in Bengal
undergoing complete transforma-
tion, p. 213. Buddhists or Sattlhar-
mis, p. 215, p. 217. Buddhist
caves and treatment of their en-
trance, p. 238. p. 259. p. 260

Bulla Sahib, p. 200. his real name
BulaqTdas. his utterances, p. 202,
p. 208

Bulla Sohih ka Sahdaar, p. 202 ns.

Bund! — palace at—, p. 253

Burgess— p. 245 n., p. 255 n., p. 256
n.

Burnell. p. 106 n.

Bussrah, p. 29

Candl-Saiaka, p. It, and n.
Calicut, p. 36, p. 37. p. 38
Cambav, p. 31, p. 37, p. 38. p. 44,

p. 45
Cambridge MedisRval History, p. 50
Campbell, p. 46 n.
Campa, p. 6
Candra, p. 11, p. 12

304 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Cannanore, p. 36, p. 42

Canton » p. 39

Caracalla, p. 29

Carangnore, p. 29, p. 35

Carpenter (Estlin), p. 106 and n.

Carra de Vaux, p. 57 n., p. 58 n.,
p. 71 n.

Chaitanya — condition of religious life
in Bengal before him, his birth and
life, p. 218, the essence' of his
teachings, p. 219

Chalukyas — fighting with Pallavas,
p. 86,— style of architecture, p. 237

Chanakl/a — translated into Arabic,
p. 66

Chandala — The story of one who
met l§ankara on the banks of the
Ganges, p. 96, p. 133

Chandel, p. 130. Yashoverman —
built a temple of Vi§nu, p. 132

Chandrika Prasad Tripathl, p. 183 n.,
p. 185 n., p. 186 ns.. p. 187 ns.,
p. 188 n.

Chann«b5l3ava — nephew of Basava
carried on the Lingayat propa-
ganda after his uncle's death, p.
116, his prophecy, p. 120

Charak, translated into Arabic, p, 66

Charandas, born in Mewat, his dis-
ciples both male and female, de-
nounced idolatory, p. 203

Chauhans, p. 130

Chaul, p. 30, its old name Seymore,
p. 36. p. 37, p. 44

Chedis, p. 130

Cheras, losing power, p. 33, p. 91

Chhatrasal, Raja of Panna, p. 198,
the cenotaph of — and his queen
Kamalavatl, p. 255

Chhuti Khan had the Aitoamedha
Parva of Mahahharat translated
into Bengalt, p. 214

CKandragiri, p. 250. successors of the
Vijayanagar dynasty settled at—,
their palaces an example of Muslim
influence, p. 251

China, p. 39, p. 41, p. 42

Chishti order of Sufis, p. 83

Choisy, p. 65 n.

Chokhamela — a Mahar, his teachings,
p. 224

Cholas, p. 39, prosperity under their
rule in the south, p. 84, their ascen-
dancy in the South in eighth cen-
tury, p, 86, twelve Chola Vaiinava
alvara, pp. 87-88, Chola King
Kulottunga 1 threatened to prose-
cute Ramanuja, p. 100

Christian. — influence on Hinduism,
its likelihood in South, pp. 43-44,
p. 49, Christianity, a source of
Sufism, p. 63, p. 85, possibility of
christian contact with Hinduism
in South, pp. 106-7. p. Ill, p. 112,
p. 114. p. 115. p. 119. p. 220,
p. 258. p. 265

Cladwell, p. 40. p. 106 n., p. 125
ns., p. 126 ns., p. 127 ns.. p. 128
ns.

Cleopatra, p. 30

Claudefield, p. 58 n.

Cohen, p. 104 n.

Coimbatore, p. 39

Cole, p. 253 n.

Colebrooke. p. 52 n.

Coomarswamy, p. 272. p. 273 ns.

Cordier. p. 30 n., o. 39 n.

Coromandal. p. 39. p. 41. horse
trading, p. 42

Co?ma Indiconleustes, p. 29, p. 30

Cowell and Thomas, p. 9 n., p. 11
n.

Cunningham, p. 246 n.

Cu«t, p. 39

Dabistan-i-Mazah;b and Muhstn-i-
FanT — See Troyer and Shea

Osbul, p. 31. p. 32. o. 44

Dsdu Day^l — used the language of
Muslim Sufis, p. 70, controversy

INDEX 305

regarding hi« birth and caste, his Dharam Das, deifies Kabir, p. 151,

early life and death, p. 182, his! and n., p. )$2

poems, pp. 183-4, manifests greater | D/iarma-^astras, p. I, p. 90, teaching

knowledge of Sufiam, a staunch' of — , p. 113, lay down rules govcrn-

tupporter of Hindu-Muslim unity, | ing the relation of guru and hrah-

pp. 185-6, his ideas of God and j machan, the teacher compared to

world, pp. 186—88, p. 189, p. 190, God. pp. 113-14

p. 191. p. 192, p. 195 I Dharnidas— born at Chapra, a Kay-

D-lhir, p. 32 J asiha, p. 197, his teachings fon-

Darius, p. 30, dammed up In the I tained in Satya Prakasa and Prem

channels of the Euphrates, p. 38 Prakaia, his followers spread over

Datia — the palace built by Bir Singh ! whole India, uses Persian exprcs-

Deva and others ai. Orcha — its style j fion, p. 198

described, p. 254 Dhul-Nun Misri, p. 81, p. 128

Da'ud al Tai. an early mystic, p. 68 Dinesha Chandra Sen, p. 140 n., ac-

Day (Francis) — the land of Perumals. knowledges the debt which

p. 32 and n. Bengati owes to Muslim conquest,

Dayaba'i — a lady disciple of Charan- pp. 213-14 and ns., p. 215, p. 216

das, p. 200, p. 203, p. 204 n., p. 217 and n.. p. 218 n.

Deccan, p. 130, its conquests by Djemal Uddin Muhammad al-Hin-

Muslims in the thirteenth century, our!, p. 37

patronage of local art and litera- Druzes, p. 54

ture by the Bahmanids, p. 270, Duka, p. 66 n., p. 67 n.

effect of Hindu-Muslim intercourse, Dulandas. a SombansT Kshatriya —

pp. 221 — 28, — including Mysore, the speaks of Muslim Sufis — his poems

Kanarese districts and the terri quoted, p. 207

tories of Nizam as far as Nagpur, Durga — worshipped with human

has temples of the Chalukyan style, eafrifices, p. 8, hymns In Maha-

p. 237, p. 272 bharat addressed to her, p. 12

Defremery and Sanguinetty — see Dutt, p. 133 na., p. 134 ns.
Ibn Batutah, p. 42 n.

Delhi, p. 47. p. 131, p. 136. differ-
ence between — painting and that E
of Ajanta, p. 138, p. 141, p. 182.
a Sadh centre, p. 192. p. 203. Edkins. p. 39 n.
p. 243, p. 248 n.. p. 272 ' Egypt, p. 29, p. 38, p. 43. p. 44.

De Slane, p. 68 n. ' p. 243

Deussen (P), p. 95 n. Elliot— History of India, p. 131 n.,

Devaram— the first r-;ven grnuna ci Vol. I, p. 36 n.. Vol. Ill, p. 41 n.,

Saiva literature, used on religious Vols. I and III. p. 42 n.. Vol. I,

occasions like Vedas, p. 87. p. 98, p. 44 n.. Vols. I and 11, p. 45 ns.

p. 103 i Ekantada Ramayya, astociated with

Dhankatika, p. 8 ' Basava aj« founder of the UngSyat

Dhanna. a disciple of Ramanand. sect, p. 116

p. 145, a J5i bv caste, a hymn of i Ekorama— a successor of Basava,

his quoted, p. 178 1 p. 117 •

'306 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Ellora. V, p. 9. temples characteris-
tic of the Dravidian style, p. 237,
Ahalyabals temple at — ,p. 255
Encyclopaedia of Islam, p. 52 n.
Evelyn Underhill. p. 104 n.. p. 146

Fa-Hien, p. 5

Fakhr Uddin Ahmad, p. 42

Fakhr Uddin (Baba), p. 40

Farld Uddin 'Attar, p. 46, p. 70, '

compared with Kablr, p. 151 and

with Dulandas, p. 207
Farabi — one of the brothers of Purity,

attempted to combine Plato with

Aristotle, p. 62
Farid (Baba)— of Pakpattan, p. 47

p. 166, Nanak had a long inter-
course with his successor, p. 167
Farquhar, p. 143 and n., p. 144, — and

Traill on Dadu's caste, p. 182
Fatimides, p. 54
Fawcette, p. 107 and n.
Fazlullah Lutfullah Faridi (K.B.), p.

30
Fergusson, p. 244 and n., p. 246 n.,

p. 250 n., p. 251 and ns., p. 252

and n., p. 254, p. 255 ns., p. 256

ns.
Ferrand, p. 10 n., p. 37 ns.
Field, p. 83 n.
Fleet (Dr.), his evidence on the

origin of the UngayaU p. 116 and

n.
Ruegel, p. 66 ns.
Forbes — Ras Mala, p. 46 ns.
Fraser and Marathe, p. 226 ns., p.

227 ns.
Frazer, p. 2 n., p. 4 n., p. 103 na.
Friedlander, p. 52 n.
Fu<Jayl ibn 'Aylz, an early mystic,

p. 68
fuehrer, p. 248 n.

Gaharwars or Rathors, p. 130

Gandhara, p. 6

Ganesa, p. 11, or Ganpati, p. 12

Ganga Prasad Varma, p. 152 n., p.
164 n.

Gardabhillas, iv

Garga, p. 16 n.

Garuiman, p. 4, p. 94

Gaur, p. 131, p. 136. p. 243, p. 255

Gaya, p. 6, p. 131. ^ikhara, lines in
temples straight — characteristx of
n. Indian style, p. 236

Geden. p. 12 n.

Gharibdas — a saint, p. 200, lived in
Rohtak, a Jat, p. 204, belonged to
Kablr School, used Persian terms,
p. 205

Ghazali — set seal upon Muslim thco-
lf>gy. P- 58. called HujjaiuUhlamt
his life, p. 59, his contributions to
Islamic theology, pp. 59-60, one of
the premier Muslim thinkers, p. 62,
started with dogma and landed into
Mysticism, p. 63. p. 70. his views
on Soma, p. 82, p. 83 n., p. 112

Ghaznl, p. 241

Ghiyasuddin (of Bengal), p. 214

Ghlyasuddin Damghani, ruler of
Madura, p. 42

Ghori. rulers turn towards East,
p. 135

Ghulam *Ali Azad (Mir) of Bilgram,
p. 46 n., p. 139 and n., his list of
Muslim poets in Hindi, p. 140
and n.

Girnar, the temple of Vastupal and
Tejapal at — . p. 244

Goldziher, p. 54 n., p. 64 n., p. 66,
n.. p. 67 n.

Gopaldls (Srut), compiled Sa^fc-
nidhan, p. 153, succeeded Kabir a<
Benares, p. 181

Gosa*in*JanI and his sect, his fol
lowers included both Hindus anc
Musatmans — ^his creed, p. 197

INDEX

307

Cover, p. 126 n., p. 127 n.

Govindacharya, p. 85 n., p. 94 n.

Greeks, p. 29, p. 39,— works translat-
ed into Arabic in ninth century,
p. 65, Greece compared to India,
p. 135. p. 140, p. 231. p. 232

Grierson, p. 13, p. 24 n., p. 23 n.,
p. 106 n.. p. 140 n., p. 143 and n.,
p. 200 n.. p. 206 n.

Griffin, p. 246 n., p. 247 n. p. 249
n., p. 250. p. 233 n.. p. 254 ns..
p. 265 n.

Griffiths, p. 259 n.. p. 260 ns.. p.
261 ns.. p. 262 ns., p. 264 n.

Growse— Mathurei, p. 200 n., p. 249

Gujarat, p. 9, p. 44, p. 130, p. 132.
p. 137, p. 165, monastery of

MalCikdas at Isfahabad. p. 189. —
temples, characteristic of n. Indian
style, p. 236. p. 243. p. 245. p. 271

Gulal, p. 206. hailed from Ghazipur,
a Kshatriya — his religious beliefs,
p. 208 \

Gurjars, p. 130

Guru Govind. p. 209

Guru Mukh Singh, p. 177 n.

Gwalior, p. 131. p. 136. — temples,
characteristic of n. Indian style,
p. 236, the buildings of Raja Man
as showing the Muslim influence,
p. 246. p. 248. p. 271

H

Habib *Ajmi. an early mystii*. p. 681

Hadland Davis, p. 82 n.

Haidan Faktrs, p. 37 j

Hajjaj, p. 32. — organises and cxpedi- j
tion to Sindh. p. 44. planted «{
colony of Indians in Kasghar, I
p. 66 '

Hadis, p. 55. p. 168

Hafiz. p. 196. p. 207

Hakim Sana'l, p. 78

Halkathi (P.G.). p. 120 n.

Hanifs — early refonners, p. 49

Haridas — founder of Narayani »ect»
p. 1%. their beliefs, p. 197

Hariram Purl — a saint, p. 197

Harlsvara — a Balldl ra)a» p. i 16

Harsa, v, paid equal reverence to

Hmduism and Buddhism^ p. 6,
styles himselif parmadiiya hhak.ta,
p. 12. p. 20. p. 84. his tolerant rule
p. 85. p. 130. India of — mainly
Buddhist or Saivite, p. 131

Haraachatitra, p. 9, and n.. p. 11

Hdrun ibn Hayyan. p. 69

Hasan, p. 53

Hasanal Basri r~an early mystic,
p. 68

Ha^an. father of Djcmuluddin. p. 37

Havel 1. p. 244 and n.

Henimgway, p. 39 n.

Herat, p. 241. — school of painting,
encouraged by Mansur ibn Baiqara,
p. 265. p. 272

Herringham. p. 260. n«., p. 261, ni.

Hmiyan (-al Sayyid al), the poet, a
Shtah, p. 52

Hinayana. iv, in the fifth century
A.D. prcva'ent brtwen Kabul and
Mathvira, two hundred years later
replaced by Maliiiyana. p. 6. its
two divisions, p. 17. as dilTcrent
from Mohayana. p. 19

Hindi, p. 96. development of— dit-
tinctive from Urdu, p. 139, Muslim
writers in—, p. 140. p. 144. Kablr
Uf/5d-~bha6a. p. 130. p. 151. Kablr
used bha»a in preference to Sans-
krit, p. 166. teachings of Sadhs
are in— bhaia, p. 192. p. 212, p.
213

Hinduism — its reassertion, iv, attaint
fully developed form. v. as reli-
gion treated from the point ol
view of mo^a<». p. 1, the number
and significance of God changed on
the eve of the advent of MusUiiui«
p. 4. its aseimilation with Bud-
dhism in the fifth century ^A.D.

308 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

two hundred years later vigorously
established by the side of Bud-
dhism, p. 6, $iva worship becomes
a part of it, p. 9, Northern India
of the seventh and eighth century
A.D. not Vaisnavite but Saivite, the
position had changed when *A1-
Biruni came here, p. II. How
Buddhism assimilated to it, p. 19,
neo-Hinduism struggling with Bud- 1
dhism and Jainism for the upper
hand, p. 33, in the South came in
contact with Islam, its influence,
probability of Christian influence
on Hinduism In the Deccan dis-
cussed, pp. 43-44, parallelism be-
tween Hindu philosophers and
GhazalT, pp. 59-60, supplied a
number of ideas to SuHsm, p. 63,
Hindu colonies planted in Syria,
Kasghar, the Eastern dominions ot
Caliphate. Hindu or Buddhist, pp.
65-66, upto eighth century the
North was the leader of religious
reform, after that till the fifteenth
century South, the store-house of a
number of movements, its causes,
p. 84, triumph of — in the South in
eighth century, p. 86, Sankara's
philosophy rallied the Hindu sects
together, p. 97, the Southern type
of Bhak,ti traced to Islamic influ-
ence, pp. 107-7. Hindu mind
worked in subsequent stages on
the basis of :§ankara's philosophy,
p. 109, the religious symbol of the
unity of Brahmanism is Trimurii,
p. 111. p. 114. absorbs the Snfi
conception of Guru. p. 115, p. 117,
the alssorption of Muslim ideas,
causes of the change from
the time of Har^a, p. 131, — on
the eve of Muslim conquest,
pp. 131 — 34 upset by Muslim con-
quest, p. 136. Kabir's the first
* att^pt to reconcile — and Islam,

p. 165, — condemned by Nanak,
p. 172, p. 179, p. 1%. p. 212^ its
revival in Bengal, under Pala and
Sen Kings, led to Brahman supre-
macy, p. 213, the character of
Hindu consciousness and its in-
fluence on art, p. 234 — 40

Hippalus, p. 29.

Hira, p. 29

Hiuen Tsiang, p. 6, disputed with
Bhutas, p. 8, refers to Kiinu wor-
ship, p. 11, p. 12, Found Bud-
dhism and Jainism stongly en-
trenched in the Deccan. bufc
^aivism was also rising, p. 85,
p. 217

Hopkins, p. 106 and n.

Hoysala Yadava — Ramanuja took
protection with them, converted
Vithaldev, brother of Ballaldev,
p. 100, p. 117

Hulaku, p. 54

Hujw^rT — describes the early mystic
schools fully, p. 69. p. 70, his
views on Sama*, p. 83

Humayun — introduced Persian in-
fluence in (Indian art, p. 265, the
copying of Dastan Hamzah, con-
tinued, 269, His artists, Persian
and Qalmaqs, their style, p.
270

Huns, p. 110, transformed into
Rajputs by Brahmans, p. 131

Hunter (W. W.), p. 29

Hurgronje, p. 49, p. 50

Husain, p. 53

Husain bin Mansur, p. 46, the man
who produced greatest stir in the
Islamic world, p. 69, the story of
his life, his torture and execution,
his mystical system explained,
pp. 70-71. p. 207

Husain Shah (of Bengal), Patronised
the translation of Bhagwat, p. 214,
originator of the cult of Saiya
Pit, p. 217

INDEX

309

Ibn al *Arabi, p. 70, one of the
greatest authorities on Sufi

philosophy, p. 73, his theory
explained, pp. 73 — 4, p. 75

Ibn al Faridh, p. 70

Ibn Baja, p. 62

ibn Batutah — his account of Muslim
settlements on the west coast of
India, p. 37 and n, p. 42

Ibn Haukal, p. 12, p. 45

Ibn Hanbal, p. 57

Ibn Hazm, p. 60

Ibn Maskawaih, p. 62

Ibn Rushd, p. 62

Ibn Sa'id, p. 37

Ibn Sina — See Avicenne

Ibn Tufail, p. 62

Ibrahim ibn Adham, an early mystic,
p. 68

Ibrahim Shah Bander, p. 38

Ibrahim Shahld (Sayyid) — his militant
mission, p. 40

IdrisT, p. 45

llyas, p. 37

Imam, p. 52, the Shi'ahs regard him
as the living representative of God
— Imamat a cardinal tenet of their
faith, pp. 53—54, p. 81

Imam J'afar Sadiq, an early mystic,
p. 68

Imam Shah of Pirana — 1 5th Century,
p. 47

Impey, p. 252 n, p. 254 n, p. 255 n.

indra, p. 3, p. 4, largest number of
hymns devoted to him, p. 5, — cult,
p. 11. p. 92

Indus — iii, p. 7, p. 31, p. 44

Indian culture — its scope, character
and composition i, its historical
divisions into periods ii, character-
istics of the first period, ii, iv, of the
second period iv — v, of the third
period v — vi, 'pre-Muslim-Hindu
culture, pp. 1 — ^28, effects ou of
Muslim contact, pp. 136 — 42

Innes, p. 33 n, p. 35 and n. p. 36 ns,

p. 85 n.
Iqbal, p. 62 n. p. 71 n, p. 74 n. p. 75
'Iraq, p. 32, p. 41, p. 44, p. 65. p. 241
Isfahan, p. 52, p, 241, — School of

painting, p. 265
Islam — its rise in the 7th century,
and expansion, p. 3}.->rs8entialIy a
missionary religion, p. 33. appears
in India when the mindti of the
people were perturbed, produced
a tremendous effect — conversion ol
the Perumal Chlrf — mcsques on
Malabar coast, p. 34. decline in its
influence in the succeeding oenturic»
— evidence of travellers, pp. 36 — 8,
its advent in Southern India, pp.
39 — 44^ protected and respected
in Gujarat, p. 45, its original
doctrines simple, diviisions after
the death of the Prophet, the
earliest sects of Kharijiii, ShVah,
Mu^ia, and Qrdiriya, p. 5!, th •
neo-PIatonists strengthened the
feeling of contempt for the world,
and such ideas passed into Islam
in the beginning oi the ninth ccn-
tuy, p. 65, first came into contact
with Hinduism in the South, p. 85,
as a contributing factor to Bhakti
in the South, pp. 107 — 8. its
influence on Sankara, p. Ill,
Raman uja influenc«:d by Islam,
pp. 112 — 115, gave the idea of
Prapatii and prapanna to Hinduism*
p. 114, p. 115, its influence on
Lingayats and Siddhart, pp. 1 16-
120, the hymns of Siddhan remind
of the uncompromising severity of
— . p. 128, p. 129, points of contact
between — and Hinduism, and its
effects. pp. 137—42, p. 155.
Kabir's the first attempt to
reconcMe Hinduism and — , p. 165,
— condemned by Nanak, p. 172*
p. 179, p. 1%, p. 200, p. JH.

310 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

p. 2)2, — and Hindu art p. 229, west India, p. 131, Jain Caves and

influences of Islamic style in the treatment of their entrance,

Madras Presidency, pp. 280 — 2 p. 238, the process of the trans-

Isma*!! Bokhari (Shaikh) — came to formation of the Jain temple into a

India in the 11th century, p. 46, mosque, p. 244, p. 259

p. 166 Jai Singh — (Maharaja) reforms the

hmatUans (SeVenera), p. 54 Hindu Calendar, p. 140, p. 252.

Istakhri. p. 12, found Musalmans in p. 254

the kingdom of Balhara, p. 45 Jaialuddln Surkhposh, p. 47

Iyengar (S.K.), p. 85 n. Jaialuddln Bokhari — (Sayyid) settled

Iyer, p. 33 n. in Bahawalpur in 1244 A.D., p. 47,

p. 166
Jaialuddln Rum! — made Sufism the
religion of high and low, p. 78,

Jada — a saint, p. 197 p. 81, laid great emphasis on

Jadu Nath Sarkar. p. 218 n., song and dance, p. 83, cf. with

p. 219 ns. Kablr, p. 151

Jagjivandas — born in Barabankl — Jaialuddln TabrezT — (Shaikh) vis'ted

established a Community of Bengal in 13th century, p. 47

thought with Islam, emphasised Jalandhar, p. 7

the unity of God, p. 200, his Jamaluddin (Ma/i^u/-/s/am) ruler of

hymns, pp. 200—202. p. 207 Kis. p. 41, 42

Jagjlvan Sahih kj Sahdavati, Jam! — his Lawa'ih the be«t

p. 201 ns. summary of Sufi philosophy.

JahangTr. p. 248, under him the p. 78

style of pai^iting completely freed Jaunpur, p. 148, p. 243, p. 245

itself from imitation, p. 271 lean Pericr, p. 65 n, p. 66 ns.

Jahiz (al). p. 55. p. 60 Jews. p. 49

Jaipur, n. 138, p. 141, or Amber jTll — See *Abdul Karim

p. 182, p. 189, a Sadh centre, jTvan Das — founder of the Satnami

p. 192. the palaces of Man Singh sect, p. 182, p. 200

and Jai Singh at — , p. 252-53, palace Jnanesvar — his pdpularity in India.

of Jai Singh at—, p. 254. p. 272. p. 221

and p. 274 Julian, p. 29

Jainiism. founded, iii, its expansion Junaid of Baghdad, his followers

iv, receives a definite check v, prudent and sober, p. 69, p. 70, his

p. 5. p. 13, its principles described, saying quoted, p. 74, p. 79
pp. 19—20. p. 27, p. 84, Jain
missionaries. p. 85, destroyed
In the South by the combined

efforts of Sttioa and Vaiihnava Saints, K»btr—u»ed the language of Muslim

p. 86. its contribution to the new Sufia, p. 70. p. 143. a disciple of

sjTstem, p. 87, p. 88, p. 89, stoudy Ramananda, a radical thinker,

opposed by Alvara, p. 93. p. 95, brings a new message for the in-

p. 105, p. 109. p. 110, p. 111. 113, dividual and society, p. 145. dispute

. Jffin influence, p. 116. confined to regarding the date of his Wrth,

INDEX 311

p. 146. son of a Brahman widow. 1 p. 152 n., p. 157 and n., p, 158 n.,
hi8 early ll^fe, 147, wandered f rom j p. 162 ns.

place to place and mixed with i Kabul, p. 6. monastery of Malukdaa
Muslim Sufis, not learned, settled j, at — , p. 189
down at Benares, p. 148. offended ! Kadambari, p. 9, p, 1 1
both the Maulvis and the PcndiU, Kaiachurlsf, p. 120, p. 130
exiled, his marriage and offspring, i Knlamukhas, p. 22, p. 23
His death at Maghar, p. 149, Kablr's ! Kaiidas v, p. 8, p. 9 apj „^
message, pip. 149 — 50. The mission! p. 134
of — , p. 150, the expression of hiai Kalpa Suiras, p. 1
teachings shaped by that of Muslim Kalyan, p, 30

saints and Sufis, p. 151, c/. Jill and Kamul— a disciple of K.abl,r, had
other Muslim mystics, p. 152, used | a following in West India,

both Persian and Arabii' words, but | p. 182, iiad greater Icanii g$
Hindi his favourite, p. 153, variou"*', towards Islamic ways of thinking,
names of God, and his vision of p. 185
God, pp. 154 — 55, accounts for the; Kandhar, p. 37
creation of universe, comparison with Kangda, p. 138, p. 272. p. 274
Jill, pp. 156—57. Exaltation of; Kanauj, p. /, p. 44, p. j3l^ ^]^^
guru, pp. 158—59, preaches; ^uhr-Pr<:iihdr ruler Mihir Bhoj
asceticism, p. 160, mystical I of — passed as an incarnation of

experiences of — , p. 161, explains | V«£nu, p. 132, p. 136
the Mi'raj, p. 162, turns the Kans (Raja) — patronised Krittivai, the
attention of the Hindus and I translator of the Ramayan, p. 2)4
Muslims to a religion of universal 1 Kantanagar in Dinajpur, temple at — ,
p«th, pp. 163 — 65, p. 169, p. 176, 'n the style of the mosques at
p, 178, p. 179, p. 181, p. 182, Gaud and Malda. p. 255
p. 186, p. 195, p. 200, p. 203, KSpdlikas, p. 8. p. 10, p. 22, p. 23
p. 205, p. 206, p. 210, p. 221, Kapilvastu, p. 6, a temple of
p. 226 Isvardev. p. 8, p. 131

KabTr— BtjaJt, p. 147 n., p. 148 n., Kapitha (Sanki^, p. 7
p. 152 n., compiled by Bhagodas Karamat, p. 67

and Sukh Nidhan by Gopaldas, ^arma-Afimomya, p. 1, Sabar and
p. 153 and n., p. 156 ns.. p. 157 n., ^^umarila were Mrmonsaileas, tend
p. 161 n., p. 162 n., p. 165 to establish the religion of action

Kabir— Gy5n-Go<lri, p. 152 n. and sacrifice, p. 109

Kabir— RamainT, p. 147 n., p. 148 Karmathians, p. 54
and n., p. 156 and ns., p. 157 ns., Kartikeya, p. 12
p. 161 n., Kashful Mahjub, p. 46 and n.»

Kabir— 5fli^fiij, p. 150 and n.. p. 151 p. 68 n., p. 69 n.
n., p. 152 n., p. 153 n., p. 158 ns., Kashghar—A Hindu colony planted
p. 159 ns., p. 163 n., p. 164 ns.. there, p. 67
p. 156 n. Kashmir, p. 6. p. 104. p. 271. p. 272

Kahir—Shahdas, p. 150, p. 152 n., Kathsawar, p. 44
p. 163 n.. p. 165 n. Kavindra Parameiwar, translited the

KtAiiT—Siddhania dipaha, p. 151 ns.. Mahabharat into Bcngili, p. 214

312 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Keyal or Kalkhoi, p. 39, agency for

horse trade eatablishecl there, p. 41,
42
Kennedy, p. 29 ns., p 39, p. 43 n.,

—and Keith, p. 106
Kereya Padamrasa— a port, p. 116
Kern, p. 12 n., p. 130 n.
Keiava— a saiht, p. 200, a hania by

caste, taught at Delhi— his teachings

p. 203
KhafT Khan, p. 47 n., on Satnami

revolt, pp. 192-93
^Khaiyat (al), p. 55
Khajuraho— a temple of Visnu at-

p. 132, temples, characteristlt o!

North India Style, p. 236
Kh'rijltes, p. 58
Kh^tmandu, t). 138
Khai:nn Singh, p. 168 ns., p. 169 ns

n. 171 nP . p. 175 n.. p. 177
Khi'ZT, p. 37

Khorasan— Hindu or Buddhist, p
Khotan. p. 6, p. 265
KhuTumiyah — Shi* as known as — in

Isfahan, p. 52
Kilh— a founder of the Khikt sect,

P. 189
Kingsbury and Phillips, p. 88 n.,

p. 89 ns., p. 90 ns.
KitahaJ Bud, translated into Arabic,

p. 66
Kitahal FihrisU p. 10. refers to

Soma worship, 12
Kiiah'Sindhrd, p. 66
Kittel p. 120 n.
Konkah, p. 37
Konkan, p. 44
Koialas. p. 130

Koulam, p. 31, p. 37, p. 38, p. 41
Kftna. p. 11, hito teachings, pp. 24»5,

—cult in North India, p. 103, the

origin of the— of Yadavai, p. 109,

the events of his life described in

BhSgwaia Purana, p. 133. p. 160.

SaKiarand taucfht the warship of—

worship propagated by Chaitanya

in Bengal, p. 219,— or Vithoba of

Pandharpur, the centre of Maha-

ra^tra Bhakti, p. 221
.r^na Misra- author of Prabodh

Chandrodaya, p. 134
^rittivas— translated Ramayan into

Bengali, p. 2l4
Kriyas — overthrew Buddhism in

Kashmir, p. 7
Kshiti Mohan Sen, p. 152 ns., p. 155

ns., p. 158 n., p. 159 n., p. 160 n.,

p. 163 n.. p. 164 n., p. 165 ns.
Kubera, p. 5,— cult, p. 11, identified

with Surya, p. 12
Kubla'i Khan of China, p. 42
Kulottunga I, the Chola king who

persecuted Ramanuja, p. 100
Kulshekhara — the only Chera Vaia-

nao saint, p. 88, a king, p. 93
Kun Pandya, p. 41, converted to

Saivitm, p. 88, gave grants of

land for erection of mosques, p. 112
Kurus, p. 130
Kusanaa, break-up of their empire,

iv, p. 9 and n.
Kusinagar, p. 6, p. 131

Labbes — their origin, pp. 32-33, p. 40,

p. 43
Lakshmidas — son of Nanak, p. 167
Laksman Sen of Bengal, p. 136
Laldas — founder of Laldad*, his

teachings modelled on the lines of

Kablr, p. 195, p. 1%
Lamghan, p. 6

Latas— a tribe conquered by Samudra
Gupta, p. 130
U Bon, p. 256 ns.
Lingayatt or }angama», disputed

origin of the sect. p. 116. their

practices summed up in a oshto-

vamant p. 118« p. 129

INDEX

313

Logan, p. 34, p. 35 n., p. 36 n.,

p. 106 and n.
Lokayata, p. 13

M

Ma'bar — see Coromandal, p. 41

MacaulifFe — the Sikh religion, p. 47
p. 146 and n., p. 168 and n.,
p. 146 and n.. p. ,166 and n.,
p. 169 ns.. p. 170 ns.. p. 171 ns.,
p. 172 ns., p. 173 ns.. p. 174 ns.,
p. 173 ns., p. 176 ns., p. 178 and
n.

Macdonald, p. 58 n.

Macdonnel, p. 2 n., p. 76 n.

Macnicoll, p. 106 and n., p. 224 n.,
p. 227 n.

Madhavacharya, p. 84, or Anand-
tlrtha, rejects the theories of Rama-
nuja and !§ankara — his own philo-
sophy, p. 103, p. 107, p. Ill, com-
pared to GhazalT, etc., p. 112

Madhurkavi — one of the four Pandya
Vaisnava saints, p. 88

Madhya Dcia, p. 6

Madura, p. 40 and n., p. 41 n.
p. 42 and n.. p. 88, p. 91. p. 138.
— temples, characteristic of the
Dravldian style of architecture,
p. 237, p. 250. Tirumalai Nayak's
palace at — , in Hindu-Muslifn style,
pp. 251-52. p. 252

Mahahhairava, p. 9

Mahabhprata, v, p. 1. p. 9, hymns
addressed to Durga. p. 12 and n..
exposition of BhakU in the Nara-
yaniya section, p. 25. p. 27, ori-
gin of the — Sivot p. 109, literary
expression of the unity of Brah-
manism, p. 111. its teaching, p. 113,
translated Into Bengali in 1325 A.D.
and again in the time of Husain
Shah, p. 214. p, 258. p. 272

Mahakdla (Siva), p. 9. p. 10

iMahamallapuram, the pagoda of — ,
p. 86

Mahamirrah, Shi'ahs known as — In
I'rans-cxiana, p. 32

Maharastra, p. 137, p. 213, results of
intercourse between Hindus and
Musalmans in — , pp. 220-21, BhakU
in — centred round the shrine of
Vtthoba in Pandharpur, pp. 221-
22. p. 225

Mahisara (Masar), p. 1 1

Mahayan, iv, doctrine professed by
Buddhists, p. 6, its divisions, p. 17,
its points of difference from Hina-
yan, p. 19, conception of hhakH in
— , p. 26, p. 27, as a source of
bhakti cult, p. 105, develops a
theisti<' cult, p. 113, — or Dharma cult
of Bengal, its followers elated at
the suppression of Brahmanism in
Bengal, pp. 215 — 18

Mahesvara, p. 6, and — pur, p. 7.
p. 8, account of his birth accord-
ing to Kablr, p. 156, referred to
by Ninak, p. 169, p. 185

Mahmud of Ghazna, p. 45, p. 46.
the aim of hl's Indian invasions,
p. 135, had a numerous body of
Hindu troops, p. 136

Major, p. 38 n.

Makhdum Jahaniyan, p. 166

Makran, p. 6

Malabar, p. 30, p. 31, p. 32, for a
century the Muslims established
there, p. 33, mosques built there,
p. 34, p. 36. p. 44

Malamatis — see Qassarfs.

MalatT-Madhav, p. 9

Malcolm, p. 78 n., p. 82 n.

iMalik ibn Dinar, p. 34, a saint
whose appearance in India doubt-
ful, p. 35

Malik ibn Habib. p. 34

Malik Kafur, p. 42, p. 43

Mal;k-ul-Mulk — ^led the Musalmiyis to
Madura, p. 40

314 INFLULNCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

MalQkdafr— dispute regarding the j
identity of his tutor, born at Kara, I
founded an order, the places where,
hi» Monasteries are established,
influenced by contemporary reli- j
gious ideas, his teachings, pp. 189- j
90 !

Malakdcit ki B5ni, p. 190 n., p. 191

M:ilwa. p. 8, p. 44. p. 243. p. 245

Malwas, p. 130

M'amar ibn 'Abbad— makes the unity
of God an abstract possibility ,
p. 56 I

Mandhata, p. 9

Manikka Vasahar— author of Tiru- :
vachkam, the eighth book of
Saiviatn, which corresponds to
Vpaniahcda, p. 87. a Brahmin of

Madura, his life and teachings,
pp. 91-92. p. 106

Manikpur. the dwelling plac of j

Kabir, p. 148

Manism. p. 64, p. 72

Mansur-al-Hallaj— -^eK Husaln h

Monu— Dfiflram Sastraa, p. 114 n.

Mapoillahs — see Moplahs

Marathi, its growth into literary Ian- 1
guagc, p. 139, p. 140. p. 141, p. |
213, its popularity, in the Deccan
p. 220. made court language by
ffie 'Adil ShahU and Nizam
Shahts, p. 250 ;

Marco Polo. p. 37. p. 42 j

Mardana — the Muslim minstrel ofl
Talwandi who accompanied i

Nanak, p. 167 \

Margoliouth, p. 60 n., p. 64 n..!
p. 65 ns. I

Martin, p. 266 ns,. p. 267 ns., p. 268
ns., p. 273 ns.

Ma'ruf ICharqT, p. 81

Marul — a successor of Basav, p. 117

Massignon : Kitab al Tawasin, p.
46 n.. p. 70 ns., p. 71 n.

?«fa8'udi—the traveller and his ac-
count, p. 3& and in., p. 39. p. 45,

p. 56, collected information about
India during his travels, p. 66

Masiyaf, p. 54

Mathura, iv, p. 6, p. 138, p. 141,
p. 248 n.. p. 225

Matsyas, p. 130

Matrikas— cult allied to Sakiiam, p. 12

Mayur, p. 11 and n., account of
Surya worship, p. 12

McLzdaqah — ShVahs, p. 52

Mecca, p. 33, p. 35. p. 49, mystical
note in — Suras, p. 64. thrice visit-
ed by Mansur, p. 70. p. 164, p.
241, p. 243

Medina, p. 33, p. 40. mystical note
in Suras, p. 64, p. 241

Mehren, p. 58 n., p. 67 n.

Meykandar Deva, a Sudra, the first
$aiva theologian, translated the
Agama Svitraa into Tamil, p. 103

Mehirchand — a 5un5r saint, p. 197

Mifra Bandhu Vinod — p. 144 and n.

Mitra. p. 4

Moplahas. p. 32 Muslim converts —
meani'ng of thi name — their posi-
tion in society, p. 35

Mrcchakatika. p. 8, and ...

Muawiya — the Umayyid Caliph plant-
ed a colony of Indians in Syria,
pp. 65-66

MubayyJBzah — ShT'ahs known as- -in
Trans-oxiana. p. 52

Muhammad, the prophet, p. 33. cir-
cumFtarces amidst which he was
born, his new misswn, p. 50,
main features of his simple reli-
gion — birth of sects after his death
p. 51. p. 57. in the poems of Abul
'Ala, p. 61. his life, one of the
sources of 5a^sm. pp. 63-64, p. 69.
the Logos of God, p. 77. p. 81.
explanation of his M'iraj by Kabtr
p. 162, p. 164, reference by Nanak,
p. 169. c/. to Nanak. p. 171,
p. 185, Gosa*Tn JSnT, p. 197, PrSn
Nath, p. 199, p. 243

INDEX

315

Muiiammad bm Qasim. p. 31. p. 32.
leader of the Sindh expedition »
p. 44

Muhammad Gisudaiax. p. 47

Muhammad Ghaus Shattari. p. 48.

Muhammad Husain Azad, compares
Hindi and Urdu. p. 139 and n.,
p. 140 n.

Muhammad ibn Ha&an — the last
imam, disappeared in 673 A.D. —
n.8 return expected, p. 54

Muhammad Shah — the Moghal Em-
pt or, p. 20t>

MuLammad Tughlak, p. 136, p. 244

Muhammad 'Uh, p. 45

Muhd9ibi — see Abu 'Abdullah

Mu'inuddln ChistI — (Khwajah), came
to Ajmer in 497 A.D., p. 47

Muktagiri'—templea in Berar — exam-
ples of Muslim art, p. 250

Muntakhib-ut-TawairlLh — see Abdul
Qadir Badaoni, p. 48

Muslim, their advent in India — their
first fleet appears in 636 A.D., p.
31, their growing influence on
the West G>a8t. p. 33, evidence of
historians, travellers and commerce'
and the conclusion from it
p. 38, inherited the legacy of the
pagan Arabs — iheir setdement on
the coasdine up to China, p. 39,
coins of the seventh century A.H..
p. 40. formed a well-established
community on the east coast in
twelfth century, p. 41, other Mus-
lim settlements, in the Tamil country
mad its evidence, p. 42. their settle-
ments in important centres of
trade — established relationship with
the people round them — from the
intercourse of Arabs and TarmU
many mixed communities sprang
up, p. 43, their encroachments on
h^nth Indsa^ p. 44, attitude of Hindu
nders on the West Coast townurda
MiisUms, p. 45, original doctrines,

F. 21

simple, p. 51, complete circle of
Muslim philosophy, p. 60, Muslim
philosophers and their trend to-
wards Sufi»m, pp. 62-63, theo*
logists assimilated the stories of
Ibn Adham to the Buddhist legend
— adepts took from Indian faqir§
the fourfold vows, and the use of
rosary, the conception of nirvana^
and the practice of yoga, p. 67,
beginning theiir activities in India,
p. 1)1, verily prafxatna, sub-
mission to the will of God an
essential part of — religion, als^ the
idea of absorption in God through
devotion to teacher, p. 114. ana-
logy between Muslim pirB and the
lingayat Arodhya; p. 117, p. 120»
Siddhars, disciples of MusHms in
alchemy, p. 128. p. 130, — conquest
of India, pp. 135-36, its effect on
the evolution of Indian culture,
pp. I36--42. p. 146, p. 147.—
mystics and Kablr, p. 152, — in-
fluence on Kabir, pp. 153 — 65,
Kabir's ejthortation to — , p. 164, —
saints of the Punjab, p. 166, DsdO
Daval a strong supporter of H;t)du
— unity, p. 185,— conquest of Ben-
gal and its effect, pp. 213—19, the
character of — consciousness and
its influence on art, pp. 240—42,
effect of — impact on Indian art, 244

^4u»hcbhihiieB, p. 58

Mu'tazalites — ^the rationaliats of
Islam, p. 54. su
rites, believe
lived in
of the
leaders — sui
pp. 55— -i
SufUm, p.

MutnabbT, pJ

Mutwakk;l p.

Mffiticssm
mystically ii

516 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

gion which he preached was
simple, branched o£F into sects
shortly after his death, p. 51, the
outstanding characteristic of

Mu'tazala metaphysics was unity,
and that of their ethics justice,
view of life tinged with asceticism,
p. 56, Muslim philosophers intro-
duced the ideas of emanation into
Muslim thought, p. 63. sources of
Muslim mysticism, pp. 64 — 67,
two periods in the history of mys-
ticism, first from the earliest times
to the beginning of the ninth cen-
tury and the second from that time
onward, p. 67, the chief charac-
teristic of the belief of early
mystics was the submission of
human will to God, they were
seekers of piety and other worldli-
ness, had an overwhelming dread
ot divine retribution, had also
developed emotional and ecstati
features, negated the externalia o'
religion, p. 68, the second period
of Sufism and its features, pp. 69-
70, terms of Muslim Sufitm used
by Mansiir, p. 70, ideas of Suhra-
wardf, pp. 71 — ^73, ideas of 'Arab!,
pp. 73-74, ideas of Jlli, pp. 75 —
78. practical side of m3r8tici8m.
pp. 78 — 83, parallelism between
the schools of Muslim theology and
mysticism and the systems of
Sankara, p. 109

NSbha}!, p. 143, repeats the mes-
sage of Kabir. pp. 149-50. p. 178.
p. 179. p. 189

N^gnatKa, p. 9

Nairn, p. 119 and n.

NiJdc%«r-^i» writingf in the «W-
irenili book of irnVM, p. 87, p. 93

Nalanda, university, p. 8

Nambiandar Nambi of Tanjore,
arranged the ^aiva literature into 11
groups in eleventh century, p. 87,
p. 93, p. 103

Namdeva, p. 221, the instructions of
his guni, p. 222, exposes the in-
efficiency of external rites and de-
scribes his goal, p. 223, his follow-
ing included Hindus and Muslims,
etc., p. 224, and p. 225

Nammalvar — compiled and arranged
Vaiinava hymns, p. 87, one of the
4 Pandya Vaiinava saints, p. 88,
the foremost among the saints, his
poems considered as sacred as
Vedas, pp. 93-94

Nanak — used the language of Mus-
lim Sufis, p. 70. his parentage, edu-
cation, service, p. 166, marriage
and children. and wanderings,
p. 167, his death and the miracle,
his mission to unify Hitidu and
Musalman, regarded himself as
prophet, p. 168, took Mohammad
as his model, his conception of
religion, p. 169, his conception of
God, pp. 169-71, impressed with
th<3 worthlessness of man, pp. 171-
72, strongly condemns both Hindu<
ism, and Islam, pp. 172-73, pointi
out the four virtues which shoulc
be cultivated to attahi salvation
p. 174. believed in transmigratior
of souls, p. 175. necessity o'
having guru for guidance, his deb
to Islam, pp. 176-77, p. 178, p. 195
p. 210

Naqshbandl, order of 5«t/is, p. 82

Narajmndeva, p. 11, or Kifnif, thi
first God in A)berunl*s panthoon
p. 131, Sahjanand twitht the woi
ship of—, p. 207, the shrine of-
has a ^ayoiut image and its effect
on the constniction of tl^e t«tti|^
p. 236

INDEX 317

NarayaniM'^ectf see Haridas. p. 112, gave great predominance

Naraya^ Singh (SwamI), founder of to Prapattu p. 114

Shivanarayairii tect, a native of Nithapur, p. 59

Balliar-taught Md. Shah, pp. 205-6 Nityanusandhanam seriev, p. 94 n.

Narharidaa — ^a disciple of Ramanand, NiySltigln, p. 137

. P- i45 N.'zamuddm, p. 42, p. 207

Narsinha, p. 11 Nizamul-mulk, p. 59

Narsingh VarmS Pallava, advanced Noah, p. 69

the cause of Hinduism, p. 85 Nural Din or Nur Saiagar, converts

Nasik, p. 9 several castes in Gujarat, p. 46

Nasir Shah of Bengal — ordered the Nusairis, p. 54

translation of Mchihharai, p. 214 Nathmuni—one of the first Vai^nava

Nathad Vali — the tradition about him, Acharyas, p. 99

p. 40, p. 112 Nyaya-— lays down the method of

Nathmuni — edited Vaiknaoa hymns reasoning, p. 15
p. 87, p. 103

Navadevkula, p. 11

Nazzam (al), p. 55, his disciples re*
cognise a contigent God, he es-
tablishes the idea of law and

gradual evolution of the world, Ollramare, p. 3 n., p. 13

p. 56, compared to Vifnuswaml Oldenberg, p. 16 n.

and others, p. 112 Orissa, p. 130, the temples of

Nellore or Nillawar, p. 41 Bhuvaneswara in — characteristic of

Nelson, p. 40 n., p. 41 n., records a| Hindu style, p. 236, p. 237
number of tradition relating to
the Muslim invasion of Madura,
p. 42 and n.

Nepal, Muslim influence on its

architecture, pp. 255-6 Padmavati — a disciple of Ramanand,

Newayets, p. 33 p. 145

Newton, (£. P.), p. 40 n. Painting — Islamic influence on Indian

Nicholson, Kashful Mahjub and — , p. 138, Indian — only a history

Tadhkiratul Auli*a, p. 46 ns., of Indian architecture, Ajanta^

Studies in Islamic mysticism, p. frescoes the only remains of early

47 n., Islamic mysticism, p. 53 style, p. 258, Indian — analysed and

and n., p. 65 n., p. 66 n., p. 68 discussed, pp. 259 — 64, examples

ns., p. 69 ns., p. 73 ns., p. 74 ns., of the intervening period, pp. 264-

p. 75, p. 76 n., p. 77 ns., p. 79 5. growth of — in Central Asia,

ns., p< 80 ns., p. 81 ns«, p. 83 n., p. 265, influence of Bikzid <m

p. 128 n., p. 156 n. Indian art, pp. 265-~^9, birth of a

Nimbaditya of Niml^aka, p. 84, new ttyle under the cate of the

carried the doctrine of devotion MugKals. Its r«ir>id ^svoYutlon.

further* hia philoaophy summaris- pp. 269, under BSbar and Htti|tl-

ed. pp. IQ2-3, p. HI, compwed yfin, p. 270, under Akbar, pp. VO-

to Nazzam, Ghadilf and othen. 71, under JalOUigir and I^SK-Jeliia,

r

3f8 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

pp. 271. the pomaits, pp. 271-2,.
the scenes, 272, the Rajput and
the Moghal — and their affinity,
pp. 273-4

Pakpattan. p. 166. p. 167

Palestine, p. 29

Pallavas — great protagonists of 5aii?-
xsm^ p. 85. p. 86, four Pallava
Vaiinao saints, p. 87

Paltoodas. p. 206, a hania and resi-
dent of Faizabad, familiar with
Sufi ideas, pp. 209-10

Palioo Sahih ^i hanu p. 209 n.,
p. 210 ns.

Pahcaraira-Samhiia, v, p. II, pp. 20
—22. p. 25, p. 26, non-Vedic.
p. 100, Vai^natHt — system, p. 104

Pancatantra, v, translated into Arabic
as ' Kalailah Damnah,' p. 66. cult
of various tribes mingled — wor-j
ship, p. 110

Panchalas. p. 130

Pandit — a successor of Basava.
p. 117

Panipat— p, 166. p. 167

Panjab, p. 6, p. 7, p. 130. p. 137.
P^kujahX p. 140. p. 165. p. 166,
Panjahu p. 183, p. 192, Hindu
cenotaphs, and palaces in — , p. 256

PanwKrt. p. 130

Pargiter. p. 9 n.

Parangal Khan~-had another transla-
tion of MahSbh&rat made In
Bengiii, p. 214

Parihars, p. 130

Partipmal Chadah— a saint, p. 197

PSmtp0iiti-^&tdvm worship in — ^form
prevalent in ^ Swit vaUey, p. 6,
their temples, p. 7, Maha — . p. 9,

— ayslem described, pp. 22-3, Ptiti^
Lonl. PHummdi^Maai mmt,
PUa, bond. p. 104. origin of the
— •ystem. p. 109
^ PSt^pntnu p. 4 p. t3(

Pftttoii« p. 52 n*. p. 53 na.. p. BI

Periplus, p. 29

Periyar — one of the four Pandya

Vaisnanva saints, p. 88
Persia, p. 8, Persians, p. 29, p. 30,
p. 31. —traders, p. 32, p. 43, p. 44,
p. 52. p. 54. Persian, p. 60. reli-
gions of — and their contribution to
Sufism, p. 64. p. 65. 67 n. Per-
sian poets made Sufiam the religron
of high and low, p. 78, p. 138,
p. 139,' ICablr unacquainted with
Persian, p. 148, Kabir and Persian
terms, p. 150, Persian words in
Bijak. p. 153. p. 166. p. 167, p. 179,
p. 183, p. 205, Persian, p. 220.
Persians, p. 232, p. 240, p. 241,
p. 243. p. 265, p. 270, p. 271.
p. 272, p. 273
Perumal, p. 32 n., the last Cheraman
Perumal becomes a convert to
Islam — the story related and its
truth analysed, pp. 34-5, p. 36

Peyar — one of the four Pallava
AlvSrs, p. 87

Phoenicians, p. 29

Pipa. a disciple of Rimanand, p. 145,
the rSji of Gagraungadh — a saint,
p. 178

PU'^rs «nd GhaxalT, p. 60, p. f2. 'h^
philosophers introduced neo-Pla-
tonic ideas into Muslim thoughts,
p. 63. passed in the ninth century
when Greek works translated in
Arabic, p. 65. p. 71, i»o-Platonic,
p. HI

Pliny, p. 29

Plotinus, p. 7^

Pope, p, 91, n., p. 92 n.. p. 103 n.
p. 106 and n., p. 115 n.

Poygaiar; one of die four PaUav)
AlvSrs, p. 97

Portugnese. p. 31, p, 3S

PotaUa, p. 8

Prahlfida. the exemplwr o( BMcia
li:« iriewt on Bhakti, p. 133

INl

Prajapati. p. 2, the tource of its
power, p. 3, ^ord of creation,
p. 5

Pran Nath, p. 197— founder of the
Dharni sect, p. 198. well acquint-
ed with sacred books of Jslam,
compares the text of Vedaa and
Qoran — his teachings, pp. 199-200

Pratt, p. 104 n.

Procoplous, p. 30

Ptolemys, p. 29, p. 30, p. 39

Pudattar (Bhutatta), one of the four
Pallava Alvara, p. 87

Pulakesin II — revives Brahmanism,
p. 85

Purana — first redactions made, iii,
crystallised into systems, iv, re-
edited. V, p. I, absence of a fixed
chronology for them, p. 9, the

J mysnc

319

mysffc note in Mecca Stkm* main-
ly and Medina 5uras occmtionaily,
f>. 64 and ns.. the starting point
of the Muslim mind. p. 109.
p. 168, p. 173. p. 188, texts from
— and Vedas brought together by
Pran Nath. p. 99, p. 217

Quackenbos, p. 11 n., p. 12 n.

Qudiyyah. Shi'as known as — In
«^«\y, p. 52

Qushairl — introduced into Sufi

thought the neo-Platonic idea of
creation, p. 71

Qutb mmfir, p. 47

Qutb Shah — a patron of culture, him-
self a poet in Dekharii, p. 220

Qutubuddin Aibak, p. 136. retained
the Hindu staff, p. 137. built mos-
ques at Delhi and Ajmer. p. 244

assimilation of Buddhist and Jain Qutubuddin BakhtiySr Kakl, p. 47

ideas into Puranic theology, th(
eleven books with Periya Purana
constitute the sacred lore of the
Saivas, p. 87, Vai^nava saints of
the South drew their ideas from
tiiem. p. 93. p. 172, p. 177

Pumalingam Pillai, p. 89 ns.,

p. 93 ns.

Purva Mimamta — deals with practi-
cal side of religion, p. 15

Qadir Husain iChan, p. 34, p. 40 n.
Qa$»an», school of mystics, also

known as Ma/amaits — pushed the

detachment from the world to

extremes, p. 69
Qizi, p. 36, p. 37. p. 71, p. 172

in MidUkdas. p. 190
Qoran. p. 55, according to Muiaxa-

Utea not the eternal incarnate, tn-

Qutubuddln (Mullah), taught Persian
to Nanak, p. 166

Rabi*a al 'Adawiya— an early mys-
tic, her sayings, p. 68
Rabindra Nath Tagore. p. 154 ns..
p. 155 ns.. p. 157 n., p. 160 ns.,
p. 162 n., p. 232
Radha— cult. p. 103
Raghavanika — a poet. p. 116
Raghuvaihsa, p. 8, p. 9 and n.
RaidM — a disciple ol Raminand^
p. 145, p. 178, a worker in leather,
his early life, his hymns breathe a
spirit of humanity, his cardinal doc-
trines resemble those of Sufia,
p. 179, rejected the theory of in-
carnations, locked upon the world
as the play of God. p. 180. atti-
tude oi complete surrender, p. 181*
p. 189, p. 192

fallible, word of Cod, p. 57. the Ratdaa Ki BSnt» p. 179 n.. p. 160 ^.,
original aource of Sufiam, p. 63, p. 161 ns.

320 INFLUENCE r A ON INDIAN CULTURE

Rajarija Kull«khara CffDla—the by the order of Muslim Ruleia

Saiva literature arranged into 11 ot Bengal, p. ^I4» p. 258

groups in his time, p. 87 Ramdulal — organised the Kartabhajas

Rajgopalachariar — (T.), p. 93 ns., sect — their doctrines summarised,

p. 99 ns.. p. 115 n. p. 219—20

Rajput — or Kshatriya, iii, tribes, v, Ram Prasad Chanda, p. 113 n.

p. 84, p. 131, devoted to the wor- Ham Saneht — an order, p. 200,

ship of Siva, p. 132, p. 134, p, 135, opposed to idol worship and

p. 136, p. 141, p. 179, difference caste, their religious services

between the — School of painting similar to those of Mohammadans,

and the Moghul School, and their p. 205

essential identity, p. 272 — 74 Ram Smaran Pal — (Karta Baba)

Rajfokhara, p. 134 founder of the Sadgop sect, also

Ramagrama, p. 131 known as Kartabhaja», left 22

Ramcharan — the founder of Ram disciples, p. 219

Sanehi order — of Jaipur, opposed F^nade — describes the religious

to idol worship, p. 205 movement in Maharditra, p. 221,

Ramdas — the fourth Guru, p. 176 and n, p. 222 n, p. 224 n.

Ramai Pandit — author of Surya Rana Kumbha, p. p. 245, the ruins

Purana quoted by D. C. Sen, pp. of his palace, p. 246

215—16, his song, pp. 216—17 Rangacharya, p. 99 n.

Ramanand — a pupil of Ramanuja. Ranpur — ^in Jodhpur, the characteristic

p. 84, bridge between the hhakti of the temple there as exempli-

movement of the South and North, fying Muslim influence on Indian

disputed date of his birth, p. 143, art, pp. 245 — 46

disputed date of his death, born at Rapson, p. 9 n.

Prayag, made a bold departure, Rashld (al), p. 55

p. 144, names of his disciples, his Rashid Uddin, p. 42

teaching gave rise to two Schools Raamalc, p. 46 ns.

conservative of Tulsidas, and Ra^tra Kuta — ascendancy in the South

radical of ICabir, p. 145, p. ,146, in 8th Century, p. 86, p. 130

p. 147, p. 178, p. 211 Ravuttans, p. 40, their mixed

Ramanuja, p. 84 his life and descent, p. 43

teachings, pp. 99—102, p. 103. Ray, p. 52

p. 107 and p. Ill, influence of Reinaud, p. 10 ns. p. 29 ns. p. 30

Muslims on — *s philosophy, admis- and n, p. 31 n, p. 38 and n. p. 39

•ion of Siidra9 and worship of and n, p. 45 n.

Cod with faith and devotion. Rehatsek. p. 10 n, p. 12 n.

p. 112. p. 113. p. 114. p. 115. ReJ^/i/fl— used by Kabir. p. 150.

importance of prapatH in the p. 152 n. p. 153, p. 155 ns.. p. 162,

School of — . hhakti allowed to and n. used by Raidas. p. 180.

the three higher dasaes alone, Dsdudayal*s verses in — , p. 183

p. 114. p. 128, p. 143, his jSri sect Renan— p. 59

p. 144, and hia Sn Sampradai/a» RevSn — a successor of Basava. p. 117

^. 1^ Rhys Davids (Mrs.), p» 18. n.. p.

* RSnauasjith-y, translated into BengiH 110 n.

INDEX

321

Rice. p. 32 and n, p. 189

Ridding, p. 9 n.

IJtigveda — describes the first stage
of social life of Aryans, i,
p. 2 ns.

Rlhan ' (Baba), p. 46

Rivoira, p. 65 n.

Roman, p. 29, p. 39

Rousselet — p. 246 n., p. 252 n.,
p. 253 ns., p. 255 n., p. 256 ns.

Rowlandson — Tvhjat uUMuja-hidm —
p. 32 and n.

Rudra Siva — receives meagre atten-
tion in Vedic panthion, p. 5, — of
the Vedas gathers power, p. 109,
p. 123

Rumi — see Jalaluddm.

Russel— p. 195 n.

s

Sahara, p. 109

Sachau — see AI-Birunl.

Sacrifice — the symbol of universal
order, the means of attaining pros-
perity, p. 3. its three kinds, p. 4

Sadh — see Birbhan.

Sa*d:— c/. with KabTr. p. 151

Sadr-uddin (Pir), founder of Khojah
sect, p. 47

SahlU — a school of Sufis laid em-
phasis on self mortification, p. 69

Sahjanand, p. 206, founder of
Swanii Narayant sect, born near
Ajodhia — prohibited killing of ani-
mals, opposed to caste, popular
amone the backward tribes,
p. 207

Sahjo — a lady disciple of Charan-
das. p. 200, p. 203, p. 204

Sa*m — a disciple of Ramanand, p.
145, p. 178, a native of Rewa.
p. 179

Saiva, V, references to— worahip in,
Hiuen Tsiang, p. 6» p. 8, p. 10,

p. 11, p. 13, p. 20, — System and
its branches, pp. 22-23, Saivitm,
p. 27, Saioite saint starts the school
of Bhakti in the South, p. 84, Saiva
and Vai^^ava saints combined to
wean the people in the South
from Buddhism and Jainism in the
eighth century, adopted some
features from both into their sys-
tem, p. 86, Saiva literature arrang-
ed into 11 groups in eleventh cen-
tury, the collection named Tiru-
murai, p. 87, stoutly opposed by
Alvart, p. 93, — Siddhanta, teachers
disputed the theories of Sankara, p
99, p. 100, — achatyaa who taught
the religion of BhakU* pp. 103-4.~*
Siddhania written by Sudra, the
Tamil Saiva schools affiliated to
Kashmir schools, p. 104, main ele-
ments of Saivism, as religion of
love and devotion, p. 104, p. 106,
origin of the — cults, p. 109, linga-
yats trace their origin from — sect,
p. 116, in relation to Siddhdrt,
p. 125. p. 213

Sakas, iv, p. 130. transformed into
Rajputs by Brahmans, p. 131

Sakhi-Sarwar, p. 48

Sakii — cult, rising' into prominence,
p. 5. p. 11, noticed by writers,
pp. 1M2, p. 21, p. 27, Saktitm,
p. 27. p. 84, p. 109, the Sakia
philosophy exactly on the model
of ^iva sect, p. 110. p. 114, con-
fined to Bengal, p. 131, causes of
its growth in Bengal, p. 217

Saladin, p. 71

Sama-Veda, iii

Samarqand, p. 241, — School of paint-
ing. p. 265, p. 272

Samudragupta — the tribes conquered
by him. p. 130

l^ankara — ^like the mn'tazalHt com-
bated vigorously for the monigtic
conception of Cod, p. 55? p. 84,

322 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

one of the great scholastics who
forged the instruments which re-
suscitated Hinduism, his parentage,
his early life, p. 95-%, hie philo-
sophy, pp. 97—99. p. 100, p. 103.
influenced by Islam, p. 107. para-
llelism between l^ankara^s system
and the schools of Muslim theology
and mysticism, p. 109, born when
Hinduism was triumphing and
Muslims beginning their activities,
connection between him and
Islam, p. Ill, — as incarnation of
Siva, p. 115, p. 128

Sankhya, p. 13, defined, p. 15, de-
tails of the system, p. 16 and n.,
p. 17, — Yoga, its teaching, p. 113,
Kabir*8 account of the creation of
the world according to— system,
p. 156

Sant Bam Sangrah — p. 146 and n..
or — Pusiakmala, p. 189. p. 198, ns.,
p. 203 ns., p. 204 ns., p. 205 ns.,
p. 207 n., p. 208 n., p. 209 n.

dalSflka — a ^va. persecuted the
Buddhists, p. 8, p. 217

Sassanides, p. 29, p. 30

S€dnSmt — See Jiwandas, Dulandas re-
organised the order, p. 207

Sathra — a saint, p. 197

Satvatas, p. 109

Saura — cult, references to its exis-
tence, p. 12

Schrader — p. 26 n.

Sedgwick, p. 24 n.

dekkirSr — a Saiva saint, p. 93

Sendspur — p, 37

Shabistarl, p. 78

ShahSb Uddin Suhrawardl (Shaikh),
p. 47. regarded ultimate reality as
fiSr, denounced by the QazU and
eirecuted, wrote a number of
works on Hikmatul IthrSq, p. 71.
his ideas explained, pp. 72-3

SV$h lsmi*fl Safavi— patronised

" Bih»Sa. p. 265 i

Shahjahan— culmination of the
school of painting under him, his
artists, p. 271

Shah Madar— p. 48

Shah Mir — (Sayyid), founder of the
Qadri order, p. 47

Shah TaqT — a preceptor of Kabir,
p. 148

Shams-i-Tabrlz — p. 81, p. 207

Shaqiq Balkhi— an early mystic, p.
68

Shaikhivati — race and its origin,
p. 249

Shaikh Badruddin, p. 83

Shaikh Ibrahim — successor of Baba
Farid, p. 167

Shaikh Mohammad — his followers
observe both Ramzan and Eki^
dashh p. 224

Shaikh Sekke Uddin. p. 34, his iden-
tity, p. 35

Shaikh Sharaf of Panipat, p. 167

Sharif ibn Malik, p. 34

Shi*ah — p. 46, extreme ones known
as Chulat, believed in excess
(ghuluv), defect (iaqsir), (hulaf) and
(tonosui^/i). p. 51, taahhlh. hida and
raja, these extreme sects known
by vaiious names, their doctrines
discussed, pp. 52 — 4, p. 70, p. 81
and n., devotion to his Spiritual
teacher a — idea, p. 114, p. 151

Shibll — ^his definition of Sufi§m, p. 82

ShidSyl — a saint, p. 197

Shlraz— p. 241

Shiva ji. p. 225

ShivanarSymiJ — an order, p. 200,
founded by Nariiyan Singh, oppo-
sed to caste, has 3 monasteries in
Ballia, p. 206

Shyam Bihirf Misra (Pandit), p. 140

SuidhSnt — translated into Arabic, p.
66

Siddhart, p. 116, a school of philo-
sophical rhjnnisks, p. 124, n£-
culed Brahmans, were monothets-

INDEX 323

tical quietists* quotations from their SmrtU — iv, their followers offer only

poems, pp. 123 — ^28, p. 129 non-bloody sacrifices, p. 4

Siddh Raj, p. 45 Solankls, p. 130

Sikander Lodi — persecuted Kabir, j Solomon, p. 29

p. 149 Soma, p. 3, large number of hymns

Sindbadiyah, Shi'ahs known as — in devoted to him, p. 5

Azarbaijan, p. 52 Somnath, p. 44. iU ruler had a

SLndh — p. 31, p. 38, p. 41, Muslim number of Muslim officers, p, 46

invasions of — , p. 44, p. 46, p. 135, Sonagarh, the Jain temples at — , visi-

Sindhi» p. 140 bility of Muslim influence in them,

Sirhind— p. 166 pp. 249-50

Sirajuddln, p. 42 Spand 3a$traa, p. 22, the system

Sistan, p. 66 described, p. 23

Sitaram Saran Bhagwan Prasad, p. J^ravasti, p. 6, p. 131

143 and n., p. 146 and n., p. 150 n. :SrI Chand — son of Nanak and foun-

Siva — iii, its worship overshadows der of the order of Udasts, p. 167

that of other Gods, iv, v, with Srikaran NandT — ^translated the AiWQ"

Vi^nu and Brahma formed the mcdh-parva of Mahabbarat into

Trinity, p. 5, {Nilkontha), p. 8 BengaU, p. 214

references in literature to his wor- 5ri Ram of Delhi, p. 140

ship, p. 9, p. 10, p. 11, identified I :$rl Rangam, p. 100, temples charac-

with Surya, p. 12, p. 22, p. 23, — teristic of the Dravidian style of

Pancr&tra, p. 27. p. 86. p. 88, architecture, p. 237

p. 89, the Siva of Appar, p. 90. ^rutts — ^the source of Hindu sects,

p. 91, p. 93, faith in Siva and his p. 97, the starting point of' the

grace, p. 104, growth of the — idea Hindu mind, p. 109, Kabir dis-

in Hinduism origin of the Maha- i;uses the creation of the world

hharat Siva, p. 109, p. 110, p. 113, from—, p. 151, or knowledge, first

p. 114, Sankara as incarnation of — , to appear in the world according^

p. 115, the Redeemer of the to Kabir, p. 156, JagjTvandas on — .

LingSyett, p. 117, the Siddhar, p. | p. 201

125, p. 127, only incidentally men- Starbuck, p. 104 n.

tioned by Alberunl, his worship Sturrock, p. 32 and n.

religion of common folk only, Sudhakar Dwivedi, p. 182 and n..

p. 131, the Rajputs attached to p. 183 ns., p. 185 ns., p. 186 ni.,

Siva worship, its causes, p. 132, p. 188 ns.

p. 170, Goftf compared to — , p. 204. Sudraka, p. 8

p. 211. — ^worship a leading fact in ^Odras — RSmanuja opened the way

Bengal, cause of its decline, p. 217, for — , while still maintaining the

, the shrine of — has a seated image privileges of the first three orders,

and its effects on temple construe- j p. 102. some — Saioa theologians*

tion, p. 238 pp. 103-4, dudra author of SaiDa

divarina — a saint, p. 197 Siddhanta^ and had for hts disciple

5kanda~-a cult. p. II. p. 12 a Brahman, p. 104, p. 113, BhakU

Smith (V.A.), p. 12 n., p. 130 n., not permitted to them, they §re

p. 271 n. prapannas, p. 114, p. 133*

324 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

Sufi, p. 59, the Sufi$ gathered the
havest of the seeds sown by
Muslim philosophers, from 12th
century onward the sway of
Sufiam became dominant, its
causes — the beginning and gradual
development of Sufi, tendencies in
Islam, pp. 63 — 71, two periods in
the history of Sufism, p. 67, the
name first applied to Abu Hashim,
p. 67, different Sufi schools, p. 69,
p. 70, terms of Muslim Sufism, p.
70, Jami's Lawai'h the best sum-
mary of Sufi philosophy, the prac-
tical aim of Sufi absorption in God
according lo ha shar'a school, three
stages in the attainment of goal,
p. 78, p. 79, Sufi$m taught sur-
render to teacher, p. 81, as defined
by ShiblT, p. 82, the — conception
of teacher assimilated by Hindu>
ism, p. 113, the aiddhart and
Sufi$t p. 128, — assimilate Hindu
practices even forms of worship,
pp. 137-38, Kablr freely uses tech-
nical terms of Sufiam, p. 148, p.
151. Kablr* 8 indebtedness to Sufi
literature, pp. 152-3, the Gura

holds the same position as in —
order, p. 158, Sufi saints of the
Punjab, p. 166, Nanak like other
Sufia emphasised the need of a
preceptor, p. 176, p. 179, p. 205.
identity between the Hindu radical
reformers feind the Muslim Sufia,
p. 211

Suhrawardi — see Shahabuddin.

SuhrawardT order of Sufia, p. 83

Sukha, a disciple of Ramanand
p. 145

Sukhtankar, p. 99 n.

SttlainOui, p. 10, visited India in the
ninth century, p. 38. p. 39, p. 44,
p. 45* collected information about
' Cfndta, p. 66

Sundaram Piilai. p. 87 n.

Sundarar (MurtT), author of the
seventh group of Saiva literature,
p. 87, a Brahman of South Arcot,
the last of Adiyara, the main prin-
ciples of his philosophy, p. 90

Sundardas — a disciple of DadQ, bom
in Jaipur, spread the religion of
BhakU, p. 190, a Sanskrit scholar,
his work Sundarvilaa, draws from
Hindu sources, p. 191

Sundar Pandya, p. 42

Surajmal (Raja), his palace at Digh,
p. 254. his cenotaph at Govardhan,
p. 255

SQr Das. p. 212

Sursura, a disciple of Ramanand»
p. 145

Surya, p. 6, cult, p. 11

Syria, p. 31, Syrians, p. 33, p. 43,
p. 44. p. 54. p. 61, Indian Colony
in Antioch, p. 66, p. ?41, p. 243

TabarT, p. 60

Tabriz, p. 241, Bihzad resided mostly

at--, p. 265
Tabari, p, 30
Tajih — a section of Indian astronomy,

p. 30
Tamralipti, p. 6
Tana, p. 31

Tantraa, p. 12 and n., p. 13
Tantrik, v, p. 20, confined to Bengal,

p. 131. p. 213
TaqT-uddm *Abdur-Rahman, p. 42
Thibaut (G), p. 95 n.. p. 99 n.
Tholucks. p. 59
Thumma ibn Ashras, p. 55
Thurston, p. 29 n., p. 40, p. 118 ns..

p. 119 n.
Tilak — the general of Mahmud. p.

136
Tinnavelly, p. 39
Tfrthakaa, p. 6
Tirujilana Sambandamurti Swaml^

author of the thr«e groups of ^'da

INDEX 325

literature, p. 87, sketch of his life, Udaipur—its places, p. 253, the

specimen of his hymns, pp. 86-9 cenotaph of Sangr&m Singh at — ,

Tirumaiisai — one of the four Pallava p, 255, p. 256, p. 273

alvara, p. 87 Udyana, p. 6

Tirumangai Alvar — one of the three Ujjain, p. 9, p. 10

Chola VaifnaVa saints, p. 88. reh- Umapati — the greatest theologian of

gious dispute between — and Tiru- the Saiva sect, p. 104, his gttru-

jnana Sambandhar, p. 88, wrote | vdda an assimilation from 5u/ism»

the largest number of hymns, p. 93 1 p. 115

Tiru-Mular — collection of his songs^ 'Umar — Caliph, p. 31, in his time

forms the tenth book of SaivUm, began Muslim encroachment on

p. 37. p. 93 , North India, p. 44, p. 69

Tiru-nawukkarasu (Appar) — author *Umar ibn al Farldh, p. 78

of the second set of three groups Umar Khayyam, p. 61. p. 62

of Saiva literature, p. 87, his early UpanUad$ — the perjiod of their com-

life and his philosophy of SivOt pilation, iii, embody the bold

pp. 89-90 speculations of forest recluses.

Tiruppanar — one of the three Chola | p. 13, p. 16, Sveiaivatara, p. 25.

Vai^nav saints, p. 88 p. 95 n.. Sveiaivatara, as source of

Tod— Rajasthan, p. 132 n. Bhakti cult, p. 105, p. 113, p. 114,

Tomaras. p. 130 iSveta^vatara, p. 115 n.

Tondarad'ippodi — one of the three TIraiyur. p. 39

Chola Vai§nava saints, p. 88, p. Urdu, vi, p. 97. its origin, compared

94 with Hini?, p. 139

Trans-Oxiana, p, 52 *Usman Sakifl, p. 31

Trichinopoly, p. 39, p. 40 Uwais al QaranI, an early mystic,

Troyer and Shea, p. 147 n., Muhsin
Fani's description of Sikkhism.
p. 137, according to Muhsin Dadu
a cotton cleaner, p. 182, Muhsin
Fani's account of numerous sects,
pp. 196-7 and ns. I

TulsTdSs-^singer of llama's Bhakjti

and a leader of conservative section, Vabghatta, v

p. 145, p. 212 Fatragis-^he sect and iU beliefs^

Tukiram — the greatest of Maratha p. 1%

saints, his early life, his teachings Vai^li, p. 6, p. 131
embodied in his Abhangs, p. 225, Kafiefiit0~~explained, p. 15, p. 17
his conception of God and of Vai»navi»m, v, its early account, p.
sanctity of life, p. 226, idea of 11, p. 13, its main principles de-
grace, rejection of extemalia recon- described, pp. 22-23, p. 27, VaifnaO
dliation of Hinduism and Islam, saints start Bfm\ti schools in the
pp. 227-26 South, p. 84. p. 85. Vaifnav saints

Tus, p. 59 combined with Seiva saints tu^

Toshtari-— One of the preceptors of wean people from Buddhiftn and

Mans&r, p. 70 Jainism in the south in the eighth

p. 68. his speech to hUrun ibn
Hayyan, p. 69

326 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON INDIAN CULTURE

century, p. 86, their collection
of sacred hymns called Nalayiro'
Prabandham, 12 saints, p. 87, p.
88, separated from SaivUm by
AharBt some hymns of Vm^nava
saints, pp. 93-4, Vai^^nava Acharyaa
disputed the theories of ^nkar,
p. 99, some account of Vai^nava
acharyas, pp. 99 — 103,— ^•am/Utas,
p. 110, p. 116, at one time a
heterodox system, very early
appropriated by Brahmanas, p. 131,
hiRtory of — in India, p. 132, causes
of its growth in Bengal, p* 217,
p. 219

Valiabhacharya, p. 84, p. 211

VarSh— (Adi>~-i<3entic«l witl> l^«>n«,
p. 132

Varahmihira, v, p. 12 and n., — and
his Virai Samhiia; p. 130, p. 134

VarnaSramadharma, p. 4

Varuna, p. 3, the most exalted
god, p. 5

Vasudev — of SottHitas, its origin,
p. 109

Vatsas. p. 130

Vedanta, p. 13, defined, p. 15,
further details, p* 17, Jili*8 fifth
book, p. 77, — and SuiraM, p. 95 ns.,
j$ankara*8 exposition of — , had an
extra-ordinary influence, p. 99, —
Sttngraha and — 5ufffls, p. 100,
Vedantiti or monist, p. 144

Vedant Desika — a Vai^nava teacher,
p. 103

Vedas — lay down the path of action,
p. 1, in them the gods the earliest
products of creation, p. 4, empha-
msed the value of action, p. 13,
Vedic cosmologies, p. 76, ef. to
Sciva and Vai^aDa sacred books
of the South, p. 67, p. 90, p. 93,
p. 109. p. 123, p. 125, p. 126, the
Siddh9rt had no use for them.

«p. 1^. p. 134, p. 162, p, 172,
p. 188, texts hom Qoiin and—

brought together by Pran Nath,
p. 199

Videhas, p. 130

Vedic Age and culture — , ends in the
7th century B.C., character of its
literature, ii, causes of its tremend-
ous development, iii, conditions at
the close of the era, iv, sacrifices
fall into disuse, v, Vedic thought
contains a well-rounded philosophic
religious system, p. 2, Vedic
pantheon peopled with gods, it
changed in the 7th and 8th
centuries, p. 5, — religion and
Sanskrit culture brought down in
the Dravid Kingdoms, p. 85, —
rites, — ^lOfl, and — Vi^nu and its
development, p. 109, — ^literature,
p. 110, Vedic Brahmanism, p. 113,
p. 114, p. 177

Vidyapati — dedicated his work to
Nasir Shah, p. 214

Velapuram, p. 35

Vidyasagara Bhattacharya, p. 7 n.

Vijaynagar, p. 84, — the kingdom at
war with Muslims, its pavilions
and palaces afford proofs of
Muslim influence, p. 250, a palace
of a lime preceding 1565, p. 251

Vincent, p. 30 n.

Virappa Nayakam, p. 41

Virgil, p. 30

Vir Ballal, p. 42

Viriaioa$ — See LingayaU,,.

Vishwanath Singh, p. 153 n.

Kiffiti — iii, its worship overshadows
that of other gods, iv, v, receives
meagre attention in the Vedic
pantheon, p. 5, vrorshipped side
by side with diva, p. 9, H, identi-
fied with SSrya, p. 12, p. 20, p. 21,
p. 22. p. 27. p. 90. p. 92, ardently
worshipped by i4/f>Sirs, p. 93,
p. 109. p. no, p, 113. p. 114,
p. 115, or NSfSganat the first
god in AlbenmVs pandieon.

INDEX

327

p. 131, temples erected to — by
Rajput chiefs, p. 132, — ^worship
substituted for by Rama worship
by Ramanand» p. 144, account of
his birth according to Kabir, p. 156,
reference by Nanak, p. 169, p. 170,
p. 185, Gura compared to—, p. 204,
p. 211, — in Tukaram, p. 226, the
shrine of— has a Sihanak. image
and its e£fect on the construction
of temple, p. 23S

Vi?nu Swam! Pillai Lokachirya,— a
Vai^rMt) teacher, p. 103, p. Ill,
comparsd to Nazzim, GhaidK, etc ,
p. 112

Visva Karman, p. 2

Vithaldeva, p. 100

Vithaldas— his disputed identity, p. 189

Vredenburg, p. 264 n.

w

Walid-Caliph, p. 44

WasU bin 'Ata — founder of

Mu'tazalite School, p. 55
Wassaf, p. 41, on horse trade, p. 42
Watters, p. 6, ns., p. 7, ni.,''p. 5, na.,

p. n

Weber, p. 106, and n.

Westcott. p. 46 and n, p. 153

Wilks, p. 32

William James, p. 104 n.

Wilson— translation of Rig-Veda,

p. 2 n.
Wilson, p. 8 n. p. 153,
^ p. 163, p. 189.

p. 1% n.
Wurth, p. 116 n, p. 120 n.

Yadavas, p. 100, p. 130

Yadava Prakash— first teacher of

Ramannuja, p. 100
Yah:ya ibn Khalid, p. 10, the Barme-

kide sent an envoy to India, p. 62
Yama, p. 5, cult, p. It, identified

with Surya, p. 12, p. 90, p. 157
Yamuna-Munt— grandson of Nith-

munl, also known os Alvandar,

99, taught at Sr^rangam, succeeded

by his disciple Ramanuja, p. 100
Yarl Sahib, p. 202, p. 203
Yajur Veda — iii
Yazid— Caliph, p. 60
Yuechi, iv, p. 110
Yugalanand, p. 150 n., p. 131 n.,

p. 152 n., p. 153 n., p. 157 n..

p. 158 ns., p. 159 ns., p. 163 n.,

p. 165 n.
Yule— see Marco Polo, p. 37 n.,

p. 42 n.
Yusufuddin (Sayyid) — founder of the

Momnah sect, p. 47

Zamorin— ahaved and dressed like a
Musalman at the time of coro-
nation, p. 34, origin and rise of
the house, p. 35,— favours the
Musalmans and encourages conver-
sion, p. 36

Zeno, p. 29

ZoToastrianism, p. 64, p. 72

Zubair (al). p. 55

y^

PLATE No. II

Budillia ausweiiiig <(Uestioiis (Ajaiita)

I'LATi-; No. m

Departure of Bodhisatva as a deer (Ajanta)

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PLATK Xo. V

The king of Bfiiaies iiuil the k"1<1*'ii tr<'"-f (Ajanh

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Teinptalioii of Buddha by Mara (Ajan'ta;

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I'LATK No. X

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I'LATE No

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I'LATK No. XV

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MATK Xo. XVT

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1 I,.\TK >'(). XVI I

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IT.ATK No. LVr

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PLATE >'o. LYII

Kantanafiur Temiilc

J'LATK 2So. LIX

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