U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2009

Syncretic Intellectualism

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Upanishadas were translated into Persian during the reign of:

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept The 17th century saw a unique intellectual synthesis in the Mughal court, spearheaded by Prince Dara Shikoh, who sought to find a common ground between Islamic Sufism and Hindu Upanishadic philosophy.

Explanation During the reign of Shah Jahan, his eldest son Dara Shikoh translated 52 Upanishads into Persian. He titled this collection 'Sirr-i-Akbar' (The Great Secret).

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Dara Shikoh believed the 'Hidden Book' mentioned in the Quran was actually the Upanishads.
Logic 2: This effort was part of his larger project, *Majma-ul-Bahrayn* (The Mingling of the Two Oceans), aiming for religious harmony.
Note: This Persian translation later reached Europe and became the first source of Upanishadic knowledge for Western scholars like Schopenhauer.

Active Recall

Question

What was the Persian title of the Upanishad translation?

Answer

It was titled 'Sirr-i-Akbar', which means 'The Great Secret'.

Core Insight

Dara Shikoh’s work was the first attempt at a systematic cross-cultural comparison of Islamic and Hindu metaphysical traditions.