Dara Shikoh

Dara Shikoh was a Mughal prince, Sufi thinker, poet, scholar and translator, and the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. He was deeply influenced by Sufism and developed a lifelong interest in philosophy, spirituality and comparative religion. Writing under the pen name “Qadiri,” he composed Persian ghazals, rubaiyat and qasidas. Dara Shikoh is particularly remembered for his efforts to bring Islamic Sufism and Indian Vedantic philosophy into dialogue. He translated fifty Upanishads from Sanskrit into Persian as Sirr-e-Akbar and explored similarities between Sufi and Vedantic thought in his celebrated work Majma-ul-Bahrain. His writings and intellectual legacy continue to hold an important place in the history of Indo-Persian literature and interfaith thought. Notable Works: Majma-ul-Bahrain Sirr-e-Akbar Safinat-ul-Auliya Sakinat-ul-Auliya Risala-e-Haq Numa Hasanat-ul-Aarifeen Aksir-e-Azam Deewan-e-Dara Shikoh Kulliyat-e-Dara Shikoh