Chhattisgarh PCS (Pre) 2018

Mughal Intellectual Synthesis

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Among the following which is a composition of Dara Shikoh?

Solution & Analysis

Answer: D

Concept Prince Dara Shikoh was a philosopher-prince who sought to find a common ground between Islamic Sufism and Hindu Vedantic philosophy. His work is the peak of the 'syncretic' intellectual movement of the Mughals.

Explanation Dara Shikoh authored the Majma-ul-Bahrain (written in the options as Mazzmaul Bahainna). The title translates to 'The Confluence of the Two Oceans'. In this treatise, he argued that the fundamental truths of the Upanishads and the Quran are essentially the same and lead to the same God.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Tabakat-e-Nasiri and Kitab-ul-Hind belong to much earlier historians (Minhaj-us-Siraj and Al-Biruni).
Logic 2: Dara Shikoh’s focus was on spiritual synthesis, making Majma-ul-Bahrain a unique bridge between Indian and Persian religious thought.

Active Recall

Question

What was Dara Shikoh's other major contribution to literature?

Answer

He oversaw the translation of fifty Upanishads into Persian, titled 'Sirr-i-Akbar' (The Great Secret).

Core Insight

Dara Shikoh's Majma-ul-Bahrain represents the 'unfulfilled potential' of a multi-religious India, which was later suppressed by the more orthodox Aurangzeb.