Part 11 (1/2)

[8] The Muhammadans believe that the body of their prophet cast no shadow. _Mustafa_ means ”The Chosen,” ”The Elected,” one of Muhammad's t.i.tles.

[9] As a general rule, all Muhammadan books begin with a few sentences devoted to the praise of G.o.d and the eulogy of the prophet Muhammad; to which some add a blessing on the twelve _Imams_.

[10] The twelve _Imams_ are the descendants of the prophet, by his daughter _Fatima_, who was married to her cousin-german _'Ali,_ who is considered as the first _Imam_; the other eleven were the following, viz., _Hasan_, the son of _'Ali; Husain_, the son of _'Ali_; _'Ali_, surnamed _Zainu-l-'Abidin,_ son of _Husain; Muhammad_, son of the last mentioned; _Ja'far Sadik_, son of _Muhammad; Musa-l-Kazim,_ son of _Ja'far; 'Al-i Raza_, son of _Musa; Muhammad_, son of _'Ali Raza; 'Ali 'Askari_, son of _Muhammad; Hasan 'Askari_: and lastly _Muhammad Mahdi_. With regard to this last and twelfth _Imam_, some say, very erroneously, that he is yet to appear. Now the fact is, the twelfth _Imam_ has appeared. He lived and died like the rest of the sainthood; otherwise what would be the use of praying for him? The Muhammadans offer up prayers for the dead, but I never heard of their praying for the unborn.

[11]

[12] Much nonsense has been written about this _Fasli_ aera. We are told that ”it dates from the Christian year 592 3/4”! but the fact is that it was established no further back than the reign of Akbar. It was engrafted on the Hijri aera in the first year of that monarch's reign, with this proviso, that the _Fasli_ years should thenceforth go on increasing by _solar_ calculation, and not by lunar; hence, every century the Hijri aera gains three years on the _Fasli_, and in Mir Amman's time the difference had amounted to nearly eight years.

[13] A _ghat_ is a long flight of steps, of stone or brick, leading to a river for the purpose of bathing, drawing water, embarking or disembarking. It is a high object of ambition in India, among the wealthier cla.s.ses of natives, to construct these _ghats_, and this species of useful ostentation has produced some magnificent structures of the kind on the rivers _Ganges_, and _Jumna_, which are of great public utility.

[14] The reader will do well in the first place to pa.s.s over this very clumsy parenthesis in the original; and return to it after he has finished the rest of the paragraph.

[15] The Honourable Company's European servants, civil, military, and medical.

[16] A celebrated Persian poet of _Dilli_; his odes are very elegant, and have great poetical genius; he was, as a Persian poet, inferior to none: he is the original author of this ”Tale of the Four Darwesh.”

[17] The author seems to use _Dilli_ or _Dihli_ indifferently for the northern metropolis of India, vulgarly called _Delhi_.

[18] _Zari Zar-bakhsh_ means the bestower of gold; _Nizamu-d-Din Auliya_ was a famous holy personage of Upper India, and holds the first rank in the list of the saints of _Hindustan_. His shrine is at _Dilli_, and resorted to by thousands of devotees, and many tales are told of his inspired wisdom, his superior beneficence, his contempt of the good things of this world, and his uncommon philanthropy.

[19] The _Kos_ is a measure of distance nearly equal to two English miles, but varying in different provinces.

[20] The _Muhammadans_, after being cured of sickness or wounds, also their women, after recovery from child-bed, always bathe in luke-warm water; which is called the ablution of cure.

[21] A mere novice in the language would say that _Mir Amman_ writes ”bad grammar” here! He uses the singular p.r.o.noun ”_wuh_” instead of ”_we_.” Now _Mir Amman_ distinctly tells us that he gives us the language _as it is_. He did not make it--and, furthermore, nothing is more common among _Hindustani_ writers than to use the singular for the plural, and ”vice versa.”--Vide Grammar, page 114.

[22] Mr. Ferdinand Smith adds the following note: ”How proud the slave seems of his chains!--but such is the nature of Asiatic minds, under the baneful influence of Asiatic despotism.” Now, this criticism is absurd enough. Have not we in England the t.i.tles of ”Ladies in waiting,” ”Grooms,” &c., innumerable, which honours are borne by our n.o.bility and gentry?

[23] The family of _Taimur_, or Tamerlane; a pageant of which royal race still sits on the throne of _Dilli_, under the protection of the British government. He is happier, and has more comforts of life, than his family have had for the last century.

[24] Literally, ”why explain that which is self evident” a Persian saying.

[25] The founder of the _Jut_ princ.i.p.ality; they were once very powerful in _Upper-Hindustan. Ranjit Sing, Raja_ of _Bhartpur_ at the commencement of the present century, who so gallantly defended that place against our arms, was a son of _Suraj Mal_, who was killed while reconnoitring the _Mughal_ army. The _Jats_ are the best agriculturists in India, and good soldiers in self defence; for since the spirit which _Suraj Mal_ infused, evaporated, they have always preferred peace to war. They built some of the strongest places in India.

[26] _Ahmad Khan_, the _Durrani_ or _Afghan_, became king of _Kabul_ after the death of _Nadir Shah_. He was the father of _Taimur Shah_, who kept _Upper Hindustan_ in alarm for many years with threats of invasion. _Shuja'u-l-Mulk_, whom we seated on the throne of _Kabul_ some fifteen years ago, was descended from him.

[27] _'Azim-abid_ is the _Muhammadan_ name of _Patna_. On the _Muhammadan_ conquest, many of the _Hindu_ names of cities were changed for _Muhammadan_ names, such as _Jahangir-abad_ or _Jahangir-nagar_ for _Dacca, Akbar-abad_ for _Agra, Shahjahan-abad_ for _Dilli_, &c.

[28] Literally, ”water and grain.”

[29] Literally, ”has existed during the four _jugas_,” or fabulous ages of the _Hindus_, i.e., since the creation of the world.

[30] The _Bhakha_, or _Bhasha_, par excellence, is the _Hindu_ dialect spoken in the neighbourhood of _Agra, Mathura_, &c. in the _Braj_ district; it is a very soft language, and much admired in _Upper Hindustan_, and is well adapted for light poetry. Dr. Gilchrist has given some examples of it in his grammar of the _Hindustani_ language, and numerous specimens of it are to be found in the _Prem Sagar_, and other works published more recently.

[31] _Mahmud_, the first monarch of the dynasty of _Ghazni_, was the son of the famous _Sabaktagin_. Ha invaded _Hindustan_ in A.H. 392, or A.D. 1002. The dynasty was called _Ghaznawi_, from its capital _Ghazna_, or as now commonly written _Ghazni_.

[32] Two dynasties of kings who reigned in _Upper Hindustan_ before the race of _Taimur_.

[33] _Timur_, (or _Taimur_ as it is p.r.o.nounced in India) invaded _Hindustan_ A.D. 1398.