Dara Shukuh : Captive Visionary of His Times

ABOUT THE BOOK:- This book deals with the times, life and works of Dara Shukuh as a Sufi scholar and a military man subsumed under Akhlalq working for social cohesion within Akbar's dominant state ideology. His effort at raptures produced biographies, translations of the Upanishads, quatrains, calligraphy, architecture, astronomy and painting album. The book deals with his loves, travails, turbulence and heinous martyrdom owing to his vision and constrains of the times he lived in. This crystal tower was brought to dust owing to treachery, limited vision of his orthodox and ambitious co-brothers. He became a path blazer within the paradigm of the seventeenth century anticipating Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ravindra Nath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru, by challenging orthodoxy. The book contextualises him in the times as part of the opposition between orthodoxy and heterodoxy around the grid of equality of religions and not priority of a religion. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:- Dr. Rakesh Gupta (b. 1946) retired as a Professor from Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University after thirty years and at Motilal Nehru College, DU (11 years), Executive Editor of Mainstream, a Junior Fellow, ICHR and Senior Fellow ICSSR attached to the IDSA, Visiting Professor IIT, Guwahati (2014), Visiting Fellow to Central University, Hyderabad (2015). Publications: Bihar Peasantry and Kisan Sabha, State in India, Pakistan, Russia and Central Asia, Terrorism and Communalism and other Threats to Indian Security, Use of Metaphors by Jawaharlal Nehru, Soviet Policies in the 1980s, Political Stability and Civil Military Relations under Gorbachev, Polisario, Militarisation of Outer Space: A Case Study of US Policy, edited SDI: Aims, Implications and Responses, Indian Security in the twenty first century, co-authored, Pakistan and The Nuclear Bomb, Novella Raziyya Sultan and poetry collections, i.e. Frozen Moments and Rouge. CONTENTS:- Preface .11 Chapter - 1 Dara’s Times – Rapture and Rupture . 17 • Introduction • Asiatic Mode of Production (?) • Patrimonial State (?) • Genealogy (?) • Micro-politics • Holistic State (?) • Simultaneity • Organic Whole • Absolute Sovereignty: External Limitations • Patronage of Caliph • Turko-Persian Influence: Sunni vs. Shii, Qandahar • European Rivalry Sea Trade and Visits to Mecca • Establishment of the Core of Sovereignty • Nomad-like Movement • Personality • Courtly Culture • Societal and Economic Dynamics • Mughal Transition • Inequality among Urban Muslims • Indian Muslims and Administration • Racial Prejudice • Jahangir and Politico-religious Fault lines • Urban Life: ordinary conflicts and the lay out • Patron-client relationships • Merchants and Markets • Atrophy • Monarchy and Rural exploitation • Temporary Assignments • Crisis. Chapter - 2 Birth, Family and Personality of Dara . 67 • Birth • Sagittarius • Born to Baba Khurram • Mothers and Daughters • Eternity • Dara on Eternity • Dara- What is in a name! • Letters of Dara Shukuh/Shikoh as signifiers • Chroniclers’ Assessments of Dara • Akbar, Dara, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb • Celebrations • Fathers • Miracles, Myths, Magic • Circumbulation, Intervention of Magic or Blind Faith in Mystics • Kinship-Kingship • Gratis, Popular and the Populist Culture • Example of transference practiced by Hindus and Muslims • Education • Nasiriya College, 13th century • Akhlalq • Schooling • Curriculum (13th century) • Mental Culture • Education under Akbar • Science and Religion • Dara-Mind • Development of his Mental Make up • Rationalism • Allegory/Simile/Mysticism • Classicists • Romanticists • Communication • 16th and 17th century • Allegory in Islam • Persian Poetry and Dara • Rationalism • Loyalty • Loyalty to Factions • Dara’s sense of loyalty and fair play • Marriage and Family • Ranadil and Udepuri • Love for Nadira Banu • Children. Chapter - 3 Qadiri Scholar . 105 • Sect • Sunni and Shia • Sufis • Etymology and Concept • Sufism as Freemasonry • In Central Asia • Special quality • Elements • Soofee doctrine-Burke, 1815 • Sufis in the Mughal Period in India • Different persuasions of Sufism • Sufi Orders • Chisti –Silsila • Naqshbandi Order • Naqshbandi Sayings: Negation of Being • Qadariyya Order • Impact of Sufis • Dara’s Sufi Identity • Rising Graph of an Intellectual • ‘Sweet Fruits’ ‘Born Of Clay’ • Mystics in his poetry and borrowed Symbol • Qadiri Ghazals • Dara as Hagiographer (Tazkiras Writer) • Possible Motives of Dara • Safinat-ul-A’lwiya • Sakinat-ul-l’ Alwiya • Selective Biographer • Shaykh Abd Shaykh Adl-al-Haqq and Shaykh Abd ar-Rehman • Dara’s Letters • Contact with Sarmad • Rebuffing the Orthodox • Sufi Scholar • Tradition of Syncretic Scholarship • Translations for Common Perspective • Fore Cry of Compositeness • Multi-Cultural Society • Public Domain: Scholar of Co-mingling • With Baba lal and Chandrabhan. Chapter - 4 Trajectory of Heir Apparent . 141 • No Civil War or Class Struggle • Politics and War: Implosion • Scholar Soldier • Shah Buland Iqbal • Earlier Appointments • Early Signs of Hostility sans Religion • Incidents Relating to Aurangzeb’s early Hostility • Shah Jahan’s Tactical Postings of his Sons • Dara’s Administrative Skills • Indiscrete utterances and Shah Jahan’s Sex forays • Negatives of the Administration • Administration and Marriages • Lobbies, Factions and Parties • Junta during Jahangir’s Reign • Political Parties in Shah Jahan’s Court • Succession Issue • Religious Frill • Composition • Sadullah Khan and Dara Shukuh • Mir Jumla: astute turn coat • Dara Before and During Shah Jahan’s illness in 1657 • Steps during and after Shah Jahan’s brief illness • Dakhyn politics at this juncture (1665-1657) • Sex and War • Little Entente • Motivations causing the Little Entente • Absence of vision and mental incapability • Acumen • Shah Shuja versus Sulaiman Shukuh • Raja Jai Singh’s Treachery • Raja Jai Singh’s rationale • Victory Undone • Dress rehearsal of Treachery • Cobra and Snakes • Before the Battle of Dharmat • Communication Network • Blocking information and winning over the Nobles • Aurangzeb and Mir Jumla • Aurangzeb’s Consolidation of Forces • Shah Jahan’s Advice and Khalilullah’s Counterpoint • Dharmat Battle • Rajputs slaughtered and Jaswant Singh’s flight • Shah Jahan conceded to Dara Taking the field as fait accompli • Dara’s Departure for Dholpur • Forces • Dara’s Dholpur plans and weaknesses • Reasons for Precipitate Action • Failed to understand the Lull • Dara dithered on Advice • Battlefield Formations at Samugarh • Formations and Mughal Soldiery • Defensive-Offensive (?) • Shah Jahan’s sin visited Dara • Hard and Soft Soldier (?) • Other Features of War • Jump in Chronology • Deorai Clincher • Betrayals as Game Plan • Deorai Exchange • Raja Rup Singh’s Betrayal • Features of Battles. Chapter - 5 Hare and the Hound . 191 • Emotion and Refusal • Advice • Betrayed • Sultan Muhammad takes the keys • Shah Jahan’s Ineffectual Retaliation and slump • Confinement and new plan of Shah Jahan • Aurangzeb’s Justification • Strategic issues (I and 2) • Aurangzeb’s possible reasons • Operation Murad Baksh near Mathura • Dara at Lahor (now Lahore) • Hamlet’s dilemma-Dara’s style • Half-hearted Measures at Beas and Satlej (Satluj) Rivers • Multan or Kabul? • Bhakkar onwards • Aurangzeb left to deal with Shah Shuja • Dara with Rao of Cutch • Dara the Gambler • Flight from Deorai • Jiwan Khan • Journey in Disgrace • Common people support • Dara and Raziya • Khawasapura • Alarmed • Malik Jiwan and popular Revolt • Evening of life • Dara and Aurangzeb exchange • Ascertain • Captive (Local) and Martyr (Universal) • Split of an Acorn • Visionary Mystic. Bibliography . 213 Index . 219 The Title 'Dara Shukuh : Captive Visionary of His Times written/authored/edited by Rakesh Gupta', published in the year 2016. The ISBN 9789351282204 is assigned to the Hardcover version of this title. This book has total of pp. 236 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Kalpaz Publications. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is Biography. Size of the book is 14.34 x 22.59 cms Vol:-